S04:E01+02 - Princess Twilight Sparkle

[FNGRpony 655]

Best eva.  It will be the gold standard by which all episodes shell be judged by.

So wait john delancy troll was that winter wrap up thing counts as his song?

Seriously?  LOL i guess we should feel lucky, so i'll just leave it at that.

and the alicorn potion is not dues ex, they didn't fix everything.  they gave twilight the knowledge to fix everything but she still had to act.

 

hell you could argue discord is dues ex before the potion.

 

Seriously name me a better two parter than that.

Edited November 23, 2013 by FNGRpony

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 2,740]

I loved it. Some of the best parts of the episode were the flashbacks in my opinion. But I was disappointed about the lack of new information on King Sombra.

Edited November 23, 2013 by 115Predator

[FNGRpony 655]

You had me thinking you hated the episode with that title

 

even if i was serious read the title.  What sucked doesn't imply the episode sucked.  it would be focusing on a weak point in a episode.

that doesn't mean i'd hate the episode.

it would simply mean i'd be acting critical.

 

now as all the little neat things were in the episode, they were smart enough to leave the audience wanting more.

 

that's a blizzard trick.  always leave the customer wanting, and in a state of anticipation.

Accept i was enjoying it all while it happened.

I wouldn't have dreamed of skipping ahead at any point of the episode.

Edited November 23, 2013 by FNGRpony

[LordDiscord 289]

I just had a thought, how ironic would it be if the explosive chocolate milk Discord threw over his shoulder before he was turned to stone would come back to bite everyone in the ass like the seeds did that Discord was eating when Celestia and Luna turned him to stone.

Edited November 23, 2013 by LordDiscord

[silverreverb 129]

I really enjoyed the premiere. had a bit of world building, some lore, plenty of great discord and a new way forward. I really hope that harmony box isn't forgotten until the season finale. it'll be great if it pops up during the season every once in a while

[FNGRpony 655]

I loved it. Some of the best parts of the episode were the flashbacks in my opinion. But I was disappointed about the lack of new information on King Sombra.

I got bad news, i've heard the staff say their not touching him ever again.

 

I'm not sure they would have had room.

 

as you'll note at the beginning the crystal empire is distinctly a separate affair.

OH my God i just relized something.

 

Remember when Celestail was like "i knew it must been hard to give up the elements."

Was she in on it?  I mean how did she know she was wrapped up by the vines.

I mean unless she thought of it,

[Scootalove 10,685]

The only part that I didn't like was the Mane 5 telling Twilight to go back to Ponyville, for her safety. Besides, that's about it.

[Discount_Flunky 75]

 

I don't think we're gonna see more than 1-2 of those keys this season.

 

 

Emmm we better.  Having them take time to complete the quest is good but I don't think they'll be able to drag the key finding plot across more then one season.  I think they will find all the keys within this season and the reveal of what's inside the box will be the cliff hanger for season 5.  We'll just see what it looks like for a second, we'll get a some quick reactions for the characters.  Like "Ohh It so pretty."  and "What's it do?" and then straight to credits.  And the writers will go "Hahaha now you have to wait six months to see what it really is!"  Maybe have Discord literally say that.  That's how I want it to go down.

[~SadisticFluttershy~ 779]

Okay first off I'd like to say, whoever voted: No, I hated it. You are absolutely crazy.

 

Anyway, my thoughts on it were just: I LOVED IT <3. I was in a skype call with a group of friends and we all watched the start of season 4 together. I honestly loved it. I do agree with some of the people that it was a tiny bit rushed. I loved the concept of Twilight going into the past in finding out who was behind the troubles going on in Equestria. It was interesting how we had a backstory of Discord and Nightmare Moon. 

 

Though with Nightmare moon and then tying the first episodes of MLP when Nightmare moon was around that when she was turned back into good, but was way younger. In this, Luna looked exactly the same. It was interesting.

 

During the episode, I pretty much figured it was discord that was behind it but happened a long time ago. I didn't like the look on his face when he heard that the Elements of Harmony were returned to the Harmony Tree but then Fluttershy got onto him in which I say, Good job Flutters!

 

Now I wonder about how Equestria will defend itself now without the Elements of Harmony. I am looking forward to seeing what's inside the box when they get all 6 keys.....

 

When Twilight cried for Celestia, my heart went: HHHHHNNNNGGGG. Well cause she really does care for her.... which is just no surprise.

 

That's all I got

Edited November 23, 2013 by ~SadisticFluttershy~

[FNGRpony 655]

Emmm we better.  Having them take time to complete the quest is good but I don't think they'll be able to drag the key finding plot across more then one season.  I think they will find all the keys within this season and the reveal of what's inside the box will be the cliff hanger for season 5.  We'll just see what it looks like for a second, we'll get a some quick reactions for the characters.  Like "Ohh It so pretty."  and "What's it do?" and then straight to credits.  And the writers will go "Hahaha now you have to wait six months to see what it really is!"  Maybe have Discord literally say that.  That's how I want it to go down.

 

if we get one key a season I'd be fine with that ^^.  (6 more seasons!)

It's not something i'm dying to know.  but it's a project in the future.

 

maybe i have no idea what a key finding episode will look like, so i can't be excited about it.

[LunaKitty R5 88]

This episode was awesome! We saw the battle between Celestia and Luna! It was brutal! For MLP FIm that battle was nuts! My life is complete! Plus we have a new mystery! Maybe when we unlock that box! Here's how they unlock it.

 

Every episode a character learns something.. Maybe Every time a mane 6 learns a lesson.. It leads them closer to finding THEIR key! Theirs 6 key holes! So maybe at the near end.. They will unlock the box and the story will be over.. Because They will become better persons and get a gift. I know Friendship but this runs deeper... Think about it

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 577]

All I really have to say is wow. I really liked this 2 parter. Much better than season 3's, If this is any indication on things to come, I am beyond excited for this. I was a little bit worried, how season 4 would start off, but, it really got off to a really good start.

[LordDiscord 289]

I liked it, but it's hyperbole to call it the best two-part opener in quality. Instead of dissecting good and bad only, I'll only list and partially dissect what I liked and not, although the two will overlap.

 

What I liked:

1. The humor with Twilight not being able to fly. As annoying as the retcon is, it gave the spots nice humor. And at least her difficulty was solved at the end.
2. Discord played a role in the story. He was his chaotic self and hilarious to boot. (The Aladdin reference with Discord taking the bath cracked me up.) He was a complete dick, and that's great to keep.
3. It was nice to see all the worldbuilding in the episode, from the origins of the Elements of Harmony to them finally being stored again.
4. Twilight saying her new role in Equestria may test her friendship with the others. That's exactly something the writers need to do in order to genuinely make her role worthwhile.
5. The Elements of Harmony not being used anymore. In the first two-parters, the EoH were crucial, but they began to become plot devices the Mane Six forced themselves to rely on. (This includes the lazy mess known as Equestria Girls.) With the Elements now back in their rightful place, they'll have to solve their problems with their innate abilities rather than a plot convenience. It's a completely different direction that surprised me, and honestly, they needed it desperately.
6. The Sidekick Five actually had importance instead of being figurative background ponies.
7. Twilight had a genuine reason to be in Canterlot: preparing for a Summer Sun Celebration, but this time one about actually putting the turmoil of Nightmare Moon behind Celestia. (She actually got genuine characterization.)

What I disliked:

1. Twilight's struggle to fly was completely unneeded, and it's annoying to see her ability to fly well from the end of MMC retconned. Trade the humor from Twilight's poor flying with maybe her poor ability to land (which was done).
2. Wilhelm Scream…NO!
3. The alicorn potion is a complete deus ex machina, although it became crucial in so many points. A contrived plot device.
4. The Tree of Harmony (referencing the Yggdrasil) just came out of nowhere. No history was truly explained. Twilight just found out about it, and that was that.
5. The flashbacks were pretty underwhelming and paced too quickly.
6. Tara Strong's voice acting upon landing before the injured Celestia felt very artificial.
7. McCarthy's pace for this episode was inconsistent. It went from being very slow to too quick, and the breakup was pointless and ate up too much time in the script.
8. Speaking of the breakup, Applejack was very out of character at that moment. She wouldn't be the one who'd suggest Twilight to return to Ponyville. Maybe someone like Rarity or Fluttershy, but it doesn't feel right coming out of the cowmare.
9. The plot tells far too much, telling the audience how the writer and rest of team had trouble fitting it all in forty minutes without cramming and mishandling the pacing.
10. The idea of the Elements of Harmony being predestined (Twilight's cutie mark on the Yggdrasil and Element itself) is quite bothersome. Destiny doesn't choose you. You choose your destiny. It was a major criticism I had with Magical Mystery Cure, and it's the same here.

In all, it's a good episode. It's better than The Crystal Empire, but worse than Return of Harmony (best two-part opener) and the pilot. PTS needs a lot more editing to solidify it to make the writing quality convincing, and the two-parter doesn't genuinely prove the Twilicorn's worth as princess at this point. She has a ways to go, and DHX needs to show in the canon she earned it. It's on the right track, but Twilight's ascension isn't convincing quite yet. Hopefully, future episodes change that.

You make some very good points, but the one problem I am now finding with the getting rid of the elements is that it just feels like a cheap way for the writers to make Discords reformation meaningful. Not that it was bad, I like the Elements of Harmony but I to felt they have outlived their purpose, but the thought that if Equestria is in a situation that the ponies can't simply overcome with their natural abilities and have to resort to Discord saving the day, I fear that that would cause Discord to become the new plot device and the ponies would become reliant of him. Not only that but the way he acted in this episode tells me that it would be incredible difficult to get him to cooperate, especially since their is nothing that is forcing him to do so anymore.

[Lunatic Cake 1,618]

I was shaking the whole time, so yeah... I loved it and had friends watching it along with me Best MLP session ever :3

[FNGRpony 655]

This episode was awesome! We saw the battle between Celestia and Luna! It was brutal! For MLP FIm that battle was nuts! My life is complete! Plus we have a new mystery! Maybe when we unlock that box! Here's how they unlock it.

 

Every episode a character learns something.. Maybe Every time a mane 6 learns a lesson.. It leads them closer to finding THEIR key! Theirs 6 key holes! So maybe at the near end.. They will unlock the box and the story will be over.. Because They will become better persons and get a gift. I know Friendship but this runs deeper... Think about it

 

WE won't ever have to hear "Mlp doesn't do battles" anymore ^^.

 

I dun know maybe the box is some kind of show finish.  I have no idea lol.  I hope they space it out i'd hate to see them go harry potter and just bum rush through like they did with the hall cruxes (i mean after the first few)>

I liked how twilight fakes her presence with the guards and put on an air.

 

it simply (to me suggests) that's likely what celestial does from time to time.

[LunaKitty R5 88]

I ment as a season finally and than they come back. They have new power with the thingy. Plus that's a sign that mlp is maturing! They might have some episodes that older people will love!

[Metemponychosis 1,239]

Since people are talking about this, I"ll share my mind on this.

 

Sending Twilight back was stupid because they were convinced that whatever they would have to face in there, they would need the Elements of Harmony, and for it to work, they would need all six of them there. Not to mention that they've faced all their challenges together. But this was forced just so Twilight would talk to Discord and that they would show regret at sending her back.

 

Bad. Really bad. But I can ignore this particular problem because the rest was good.

[Mlpfan185 1,763]

Something was here. Something was here. Something was here. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by NONAME

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

, hiya. Since your thread was related to discussing and sharing views on the premiere, it has been merged with the main episode thread, since everyone was doing that in here anyway. Just letting you know . The poll is still around though, and since it seems like something that people might like to have, I might go back and add polls to past episode topics if I have time later.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

What we learned today... 1)Discord is a d... 2)No changelings in the past of Equestria 3)The Everfree Forest grew tentacle monster weed 4)Discord had a backup plan 5)Luna and Celestia are pretty much useless when it comes to facing major plot villains.

Questions right now... 1)Where did the Element of Harmony tree come from? How did it grow? 2)Why did the Elements Banish Luna to the moon instead of ridding her of the evil she was possesed from? 3)Season 1 Luna in Season 1 but before that she was Seson 2 Luna? Did she change during her banishment as an effect of the elements of harmony? 4)Why did Celestia and Luna allow themselves to be taken by surprise by the weed? ((shows how useless they are in fighting in major plot events)) 5)Why did nopony consider using FIRE on the weed? You know even pokemon nerds know FIRE>GRASS. 6)Why did the weed affect magic in general? I can understand it smothering the tree and all but why? 7)If Luna and Celestia knew as they suggested in this episode what was growing within why didn't they try to cleanse it with the elements before all this BS happenned? 

Yea i am a nerd... good episode.

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,671]

Best. Premiere. EVER!!

/20chars

 

Where do I even begin? We've got to see some backstory between Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon. That battle between NMM and Princess Celestia was epic enough. Oh geez, Zecora! I'm always happy to see Zecora. The whole backstory thing was also presented very nicely.

 

Something that really felt like a breath of fresh air is that there wasn't a villain this time but instead an out-of-control power. And now instead of finishing it off with the elements of harmony, they had to give it up. Goodness gracious, this gets me more excited about future episodes! How will they thwart villains now without the elements of harmony?

 

TL;DR

 

[dash3835 20]

that episode was amazing this is my favorite episode now

[LunaKitty R5 88]

What we learned today... 1)Discord is a d... 2)No changelings in the past of Equestria 3)The Everfree Forest grew tentacle monster weed 4)Discord had a backup plan 5)Lun[/size]a and Celestia are pretty much useless when it comes to facing major plot villains.

Questions right now... 1)Where did the Element of Harmony tree come from? How did it grow? 2)Why did the Elements Banish Luna to the moon instead of ridding her of the evil she was possesed from? 3)Season 1 Luna in Season 1 but before that she was Seson 2 Luna? Did she change during her banishment as an effect of the elements of harmony? 4)Why did Celestia and Luna allow themselves to be taken by surprise by the weed? ((shows how useless they are in fighting in major plot events)) 5)Why did nopony consider using FIRE on the weed? You know even pokemon nerds know FIRE>GRASS. 6)Why did the weed affect magic in general? I can understand it smothering the tree and all but why? 7)If Luna and Celestia knew as they suggested in this episode what was growing within why didn't they try to cleanse it with the elements before all this BS happenned? 

Yea i am a nerd... good episode.[/size]

Dude! ITS A KIDS SHOW! And plus they would grow back! Pokemon has nothing to do I with mlp! And the reason Luna looked like season 2 Luna was because she was weak in season 1! All your statements are BS! Plus they were magical weeds!

[Super Derpy 535]

I thought the season premiere was sort of meh. I mean the animation was fantastic but no songs, story was sort of cliche, and just was too serious sometimes. It needed some more jokes. I mean the funniest part for me wasn't even intentionally a joke. It was when Zecora was talking about the potion and how it needed powerful Alicorn magic and then Twilight just glances at her horn and wings just to make sure she is an Alicorn. Hilarious! My favorite part of the episode was probably all the flashbacks I found those to be very intresting.  But still at least I didn't find this episode  horrible just sort of meh. I would give it a 6.5-7/10

Edited November 23, 2013 by Super Derpy

[Super Derpy 535]

I thought the season premiere was sort of meh. I mean the animation was fantastic but no songs, story was sort of cliche, and just was too serious sometimes. It needed some more jokes. I mean the funniest part for me wasn't even intentionally a joke. It was when Zecora was talking about the potion and how it needed powerful Alicorn magic and then Twilight just glances at her horn and wings just to make sure she is an Alicorn. Hilarious! My favorite part of the episode was probably all the flashbacks I found those to be very intresting.  But still at least I didn't find this episode  horrible just sort of meh. I would give it a 6.5-7/10