S04:E01+02 - Princess Twilight Sparkle

[Demirari 454]

I liked the episode for its awesome lesson about Equestria's history. Discord being Discord made the entire thing just so amazing!

Edited November 24, 2013 by Demirari

[Wayzer 1,418]

 

 

If I had one complain, it would be that it felt kinda...fast. There was no real "enemy" this time, and whil this isn't necesarily a bad thing, it made the particular threat seem more dangerous than it actually was. I was expecing some really big/powerful dark force to be ebhind the Everfree's invasion and Celestia's/Luna's kidnapping...but I guess that wasn't important.

 

 

Never thought about it that way but now you mention it. I also kinda expected the manticores and timberwolves etc. to go wild since it's called the everfree invasion but there where only roots.

 

Also I was only a little bit disappointed that there were no songs in this one.

[immblueversion 331]

This was...a wonderful episode. As a fan of Discord, it made my day. I mean, he was exactly as I imagined a "good" Discord to be: reformed, but not that reformed. Not only that, but we actually got a taste of the old evil Discord again, what with his plot with the plants. It would've been awesome if it turned out that Discord planted the entire Everfree Forest; I mean, it does seem like something he'd make.

 

I also heard somewhere that he'd be appearing in three or four episodes this season. I was hoping he'd be singing that patter song we were promised in these episodes (though the song he did sing was so awesome it kind of made up for it), but hey, more Discord in more episodes should be fun.

 

Anyways, I'll be looking forward to seeing where the rest of the season will take this. I'm also hoping that box and those keys won't just be pushed aside until the finale like Starswirl's book in S3. But since Meghan said this is all part of something new they're doing with the series, I'm confident this will hold weight.

[FadedSkies 1,874]

I just finished watching  the premiere on youtube and it was amazing! It was so sad when Twilight said "its not the elements that bring us together, its our friendship." The mystery box in the end got me thinking a bit. It had 6 key holes and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the mane 6. I think I'm going to love season 4 and i really do hope its not the last! That day will be a sad one.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

@FNGRpony, since your thread was based around discussing and sharing opinions on the Season 4 premiere, it has been merged with the main thread for the episode, since it has the same function. Just letting you know

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

Well, I've watched the episode again so I've sorta taken those rose-tinted glasses off. Settle down, I still think it's pretty good.

 

As usual with two-parters, it still feels like the writers crammed a lot into the 40 minutes available to them.

Twilight's response to her new wings and her new status were quite in character. What I'm interested in seeing in future episodes is how her princess class is going to affect how she and her friends interact with one another. So far, it got pulled off pretty smoothly. Smooth how a seasoned archer readies to fire the arrow from the bow. She's having trouble with her wings and I like how that got explored and fitted into the episode.

Like I said previously about the faceless threat; that it wasn't another villain came as a breath of fresh air. I don't have anything against villains given how well they've been pulled off but it's nice to see something different.

Discord's been... Discord XD Just without that whole thing about causing problems.

OMG a new monster! The crocodile. I always love it when a new creature is introduced into the show. It does make me wonder if a FiM bestiary were to be made, how big would it be...

Those powder-blowing plants were also pretty cool.

...

I'm going to take a break now

[Batbrony 16,055]

I don't think she can teleport such long distances, can she?

I think its mostly a quick, short-range blink.

 

I think you're right, I was just mostly being silly in the spur of the moment. 

[FadedSkies 1,874]

I'm also hoping that box and those keys won't just be pushed aside until the finale like Starswirl's book in S3.

 

Same here, Im actually thinking Season 4 will be the last season and that the box will lead to the end.  But its just what I'm thinking and i hope that isn't the case

[IceBeerG 55]

 

Also I was only a little bit disappointed that there were no songs in this one.

 

 

I bet Nightmare moon's flashback can outshine any song. Dat was really good.

[Veggiebrony 18]

I think that since Lauren Faust left, the show has been less random and has had a more compelling storyline. Is this a good thing? I have no idea but I LOVED THESE EPISODES!!! I thought the story was amazing and well told and I loved the fact that Luna was in the theme, so, overall, I thought these episodes were amazing!

[-Amethyst- 5]

Same here, Im actually thinking Season 4 will be the last season and that the box will lead to the end.  But its just what I'm thinking and i hope that isn't the case

 

Do-Don't even joke about something like that!

Seriously though, Im hoping with all my heart that this isn't the least season.

There's still tons of potential, places to visit that they still haven't, character backgrounds still waiting to be explored, and unlimited possibilities for adventure.

 

I don't want this to end before we learn more about RD's, Fluttershy's and Pinkie's backgrounds/families, see Spike actually help the ponies defeat a big enemy by turning into his giant form (either with or without control), see them go places they've mentioned several times but never visisted, and so many other situations.

 

God, I seriously don't know when I became so hooked to this show but, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't.

[Emperor Posh 360]

Well I have watched both episodes about a dozen times now, and I hate the episodes. I thought when I was more awake and less tired I would enjoy them, but nope I dislike them even more now. It's all just a jumbled mess to me, they put pieces in these episodes that should have had whole episodes to them selves. The back stories should have been a complete episode on it's own, cramming it all into 40 minutes did not do it justice and just ruined it for me. Twilight's friends wanting her to leave was a horrible thing to add and made me dislike the mane 5 a little. Returning the EoH is fine and all but it was just executed poorly in my opinion. They could have done something more with this instead of having thousand year old seeds that finally sprouted. When I first started watching the first episode I thought there was going to be a new enemy, but nope just a tree covered in slimy vines that attack things. The locked box is interesting and I hope they do something good with it, but if they make more episodes like this then I will probably stop watching newer MLP episodes. Overall very frustrating episodes.

 

This bothers me. I really want to like the episodes, but I can't it just doesn't sit right with me.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Emperor Posh

[Wayzer 1,418]

 

 

I bet Nightmare moon's flashback can outshine any song. Dat was really good.

 

Totally agreed that's one of the main reasons why I was only a little disappointed.

[Music Chart Fan 819]

Overall, these episodes were decent. They did drag a bit, and there was some clunky dialogue and plot points, but there were some good moments, and the overall episodes were entertaining enough.

 

First, some observations about the events of the episodes:

 

It's hard to understand why the disappearance of Celestia and Luna would cause the sky to be half day and half night. If Celestia's and Luna's duties are to raise and lower the sun and moon, why wouldn't the sky just stay in the state that it was in when the two of them disappeared? Since Celestia seems to have been grabbed by the vines shortly after leaving Twilight's room at night, and Luna was taken away some time after that, I might think that the sky would just stay night, that is, the state it was in when Celestia and Luna disappeared and were unable to raise the sun and lower the moon.

 

I made a topic here about the discrepancies and oddities I noticed in the flashback to the banishment to Nightmare Moon.

 

When Applejack and company suggested that Twilight split from the group and go back to Ponyville, I seriously thought that they were being possessed by dark spirits looking to split up the group and make them easier to conquer. That idea was out-of-the-blue, contrary to what they had said throughout the two episodes, and against the lessons learned in previous seasons. Did they not even consider that the vines were a serious problem that they were unable to stop before back in Ponyville, and that, therefore, they might require all six Elements of Harmony to work together to defeat? Even if the writers were trying to make a point about Twilight needing to stay safe so Equestria would have a leader, that point wasn't well-made, since it was tossed aside and not really explored much further later in the episode. Overall, that whole sequence just seemed like a rather weak plot device.

 

I also don't really like the statement that Rarity made about the Mane Six being simply lost without Twilight, and the implication that the Mane Six can't do anything without Twilight to come up with and direct the plan to save the day.

 

Applejack asked a very good question when she said "Why did all this happen now?", and that question isn't really answered in the episode. The flashback shows that the vines sprouted from Discord's seeds, but it isn't explained why the Tree of Harmony kept the vines at bay for thousands of moons, but only in this episode was suddenly unable to do so. Was the Tree of Harmony continuously losing magic over time, and it just so happened that at the time of the episode, the Tree's magic dipped below the critical threshold to keep the vines back?

 

Finally, giving the Tree of Harmony back the Elements of Harmony enabled it to obliterate Discord's vines. But with that done, why couldn't the Mane Six simply take back the Elements? After all, Discord's vines were a one-time problem that is seemingly resolved now. Even without the Elements of Harmony, the Tree of Harmony was able to both contain the Everfree Forest and keep Discord's vines at bay for thousands of moons, so why couldn't it continue to do so without the Elements now that Discord's vines are gone?

 

Now some random one-off observations I made throughout the episodes:

 

I see that the writers continue to use Pinkie as "comic relief" by making her act like she has mental problems. Pinkie zones out thinking about frosting for over a minute without paying the slightest bit of attention to her friends' concerns and conversation. Also, while the rest of the Mane Six are reading and trying to come up with ways to solve the problems at hand, Pinkie is busy coloring in a coloring book like a 5-year-old. Why can't Pinkie focus on serious matters like solving the vine problem or paying attention to her friends when they're talking rather than doing childish things like imagining dreams about frosting or coloring in a coloring book?

 

Early on in the episode, Princess Celestia says to Twilight "Though you may no longer be my student, Princess Twilight, but I hope you know that I'll always be here if you need me." This seems to be a bit of a stronger statement that Twilight is not Celestia's student than the statement Celestia made in "Magical Mystery Cure", where when Twilight asks if she won't be Celestia's student anymore, Celestia says "Not in the same way as before. Though I'll still be here to help and guide you, we're all your students now too."

 

Spike's fainting routine got a little old, especially when he did it three times in the course of one minute.

 

Why would Discord's seeds/plants produce spiky black clouds? What are the clouds made of? How do they produce their lightning?

 

When Spike said that there's another way for he and Twilight to get to Ponyville, my first response was "teleporting!" After all, we've already seen Twilight teleport multiple beings across large distances. I suppose flying there did the job, but how long did that take compared to taking a few seconds to teleport?

 

On a similar note, when Twilight and Spike were nosediving toward the library, and Twilight realized she was going to crash, she teleported herself inside the library but left Spike to smack against the outside window. That was very nice of her.

 

When Fluttershy tells Twilight that "we normally wouldn't go through your books without permission", are those actually Twilight's personal books, or are they library books for public use?

 

Applejack calls the vines "rabid rhododendrons", but do they actually resemble rhododendrons in any way?

[Wayzer 1,418]

 

 

Same here, Im actually thinking Season 4 will be the last season and that the box will lead to the end.  But its just what I'm thinking and i hope that isn't the case

 

Let's hope not  

 

But I think the series is too successful to stop after only 4 seasons but you'll never know

[Silver Letter 1,832]

I simply loved watching the new episodes including the new title scene. It might be sad that the elements are gone though. I think this alters the state of things in Equestria, and of course there is really nothing stopping Discord from taking over the place now except maybe for a lack of desire. I definitely enjoyed the flashback scenes. No main villain though. I also don't know why they couldn't use the elements to destroy the dark plants unless the tree powers the elements and what happened to the princesses? Maybe I didn't understand it fully. I guess I was also wrong that Twilight was already a master flier. I guess they decided to leech that part of Equestria Girls into the new season. Who knows what else they'll pull from it. Maybe Sunset Shimmer will make an appearance after all. Overall, I liked the episodes and I'll very much enjoy the season.

[Metemponychosis 1,261]

I don't know if someone said this already, but is it me or did it seem that the girls' friendship was under attack very subtly in the second episode?

[Heatwave 177]

I quite enjoyed it. Even though I knew the entire plotline beforehand, there were still a few things that surprised me, and it was still very enjoyable to watch. However, I'll be avoiding all spoilers for all episodes now, as I'd rather it all be unknown.

 

Disappointed that the intro wasn't more different. I was expecting something new...nope. They changed the last 2 clips. Woop-de-doo. That was my only real dislike though.

 

EDIT: I would have to agree with Anti-Villan below me.

The Twilight Sparkboom (Supposedly official name) seemed a little sudden. She could barely fly at beginning of episode, than with no real practice during episode (flying from canterlot to Ponyville doesn't count, as she still flew extremely poorly during that), can preform that at the end of it.

Edited November 24, 2013 by Heatwave

[Castle Bleck 19,361]

Pros:

 

More Luna

Creepy-@$$ plants

Discord in general

Twilight using Sombra-magic again

Flashbacks of Equestrian history

Celestia kicking 2 consecutive @$$es

Tree Of Harmony

Alligator-thingy

Mystery box

Twilight's... er... Sonic "Starboom"???

 

Cons:

 

Twilight not living in Ponyville anymore

The whole Twilight's-friends-telling-her-to-go-home fiasco

No new villain(s)

Twilight being able to do said Sonic "Starboom" WAY too suddenly (In fact, they should've waited and devoted a whole episode to that.)

 

All in all, I liked this much better than The Legend Of Korra's Season 2 finale.

[Prince Doopliss 2,351]

I enjoyed this a lot better then season 3's premiere. Really fanatastic episode. I really loved it. Man I hope season 4 keeps being this great!

[IlikeBoris 13]

I just finished watching  the premiere on youtube and it was amazing! It was so sad when Twilight said "its not the elements that bring us together, its our friendship." The mystery box in the end got me thinking a bit. It had 6 key holes and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the mane 6. I think I'm going to love season 4 and i really do hope its not the last! That day will be a sad one.

 

I'm calling "They watched Golden Horseshoes before writing the key quest."

 

 

I see that the writers continue to use Pinkie as "comic relief" by making her act like she has mental problems. Pinkie zones out thinking about frosting for over a minute without paying the slightest bit of attention to her friends' concerns and conversation. Also, while the rest of the Mane Six are reading and trying to come up with ways to solve the problems at hand, Pinkie is busy coloring in a coloring book like a 5-year-old. Why can't Pinkie focus on serious matters like solving the vine problem or paying attention to her friends when they're talking rather than doing childish things like imagining dreams about frosting or coloring in a coloring book?

 

I felt that Rarity was acting a bit one-note during the beginning of the Crystal Empire episode, though some of the others got only slightly better treatment.  (Rainbow using Fluttershy as a joust partner and not adjusting for a good show that wouldn't make Fluttershy cringe.)

For S4E1e2, Pinky and Luna especially were just there because it would have raised more questions if they were gone.

 

 

 

Despite the army of cast that G1 had to deal with, it seems that we only got as many characters being developed as the plot demanded per story... though their character development was pretty much a one-line description and a consistent voice actress.

[FadedSkies 1,874]

 

Cons:

 

Twilight not living in Ponyville anymore

 

 

Wait twilight doesn't live in Ponyville anymore?

[IceBeerG 55]

And also, approximetly 22:01 (for both episodes) when nightmare moon chasing Celestia over old castle, there is some statue of... a dragon? I never saw something like that in Canterlot (except obviously Spike ). Proof me wrong? What is were between ponies and dragons before nightmare moon?

[Virulence 254]

Let me just say I liked it, but I didn't love it.

 

The story line was alright but I like how it will connect in later episodes. However, I was expecting a song of some sort. Having 2 new episodes I would assume there would be a little jingle, but oh well. I thought it was a very great start to a new season as well. Very climatic and exciting.

 

Can't wait for next weeks!

[Silverhoof 2,844]

29 pages...wow. OK, I just watched this on You Tube, and loved it,

Haven't read where anyone's noticed changes in the opening credits...but Luna and Photo Finish have been added.

 

click to enlarge