S04:E05 - Flight to the Finish

[Buttonmash1973 1,024]

This episode was just as great as last episode.

 

So many ponies have returened at last.

 

Song, the Crystal Empire, the games and much more.

[Kenny 232]

Hmm... not bad. I was hoping Scootaloo would get her cutie mark in this episode, but we were merely teased yet again. The song was good, but it doesn't beat Babs Seed. What was definitely best about this episode was finally getting focus on Scootaloo's flying abilities—or lack thereof. Rainbow Dash also made some good points along the lines of "don't mess with success" and "flying or not, you're still awesome".

 

And I'm pretty sure Rainbow Dash has like three middle names now.

[dekutree64 711]

Goddammit, attending these early morning premieres is the same thing as trying to go to a movie on opening night. Way too many people so it's crowded, and can be hard to enjoy the movie when there's so much commotion. Getting sleep and waiting for it to get on Youtube in the afternoon and watch it yourself is usually so much more appealing. But, Megan inadvertently promised me Scootalove this season, so attending Scoot episodes is mandatory.

I love being here for the premiere. It's like all the fun of opening night, without the stress and germs of a real crowd Glad you made it to the Scootalove party as well Even if there wasn't much

 

Also, there's an example of those great songs that Megan was referring to in S4 :3 Very cool. For some reason, it reminds me 'Make a Man Out of You' from Mulan, but I'm not sure why.

Yes! I was wondering where I'd heard a song like that before. Definitely the snare drum is what sounds so similar.

 

But I didn't really like the song that much. As with the barn song, repeating the same line 4 times in a row just kills it for me.

 

So... my initial score for the episode is "meh". Four big missed opportunities.

1. Hardly any interaction between Rainbow and Scootaloo.

2. Scootaloo's flightlessness was finally brought up, but still unresolved. I guess resolving it would be too dividing of the fandom either way, though.

3. Scootaloo's home life unresolved as well. She has a room, but it's so spartan it could be a shared room at an orphanage. No parents to be seen.

4. SWEETIE BELLE Y U NO SWEET? I know it helped the conflict, but if she'd refused to go with Apple Bloom, it would have shown a lot more friendship. Scootabelle shipping -1

 

In the end, all that was really accomplished is Rainbow telling Scootaloo that it's ok if she never flies (a good lesson), and the CMC winning the flag contest. Nice to finally see them do something right

 

I loved seeing Snowflake around again. And the high hoof with Granny Smith next to the well-worn trail was a great continuity nod to Show Stoppers and Sleepless in Ponyville. DT and SS are still heartless. At least it was strategic to take out their competition rather than purely personal, but still a low blow. I kind of wanted to see their routine, though

[Wysteria 13]

So....CMC eps for me are kinda one-the-fence....to be honest the ONLY one I have ever truly enjoyed is Show Stoppers. And yes one element the REALLY bothers me with them are the Despicable Duo (you know who )

 

But I do love CERTAIN things about this ep:

1. generally,CMC songs are enjoyable and so was this one

2. finally confirmation that Scoots lives in Ponyville somewhere (still waiting for her parents/guardians to appear)

3. the return of Ms Harshwhinny (sp?) (I do enjoy seeing repeat appearances from previous chars)

4. brief cameo of Snowflake aka ROID RAGE YYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (see above comment)

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

Okay once again am begging for a link to YouTube or anywhere I can fine this episode.

 

 

I haven't seen it yet: can I ask are there any links to see the episode yet?   Too soon?

Found this one also, The quality isn't much better than the stream but thought I'd link just in case you are desperate haha. This is the channel and the episode's are in 2 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkDF2ixcAqA7hH5sakSTn6w

Edited December 14, 2013 by Bucky_McGillycuddy

[Dashabel 381]

I was so disappointed that Scootaloo didn't fly OR get her CM... I seriously thought she was going to near the end! Like, seriously, the way it zoomed in on her flank as she stared at it — that sounds weird... But oh well.

This will be a short review... I am very tired and lacking of will to do things... I'm going to just list... Um, stuff, about the episode:

 

I liked how there was a little bit of conflict between the CMCs.

Rainbow Danger Professionalism Dash was so adorable — as always!

Diamond Tiara and Silverspoon have proved to us that they really are total bitches.

The song was quite nice.

At least Dashie acknowledged the fillies a little more, especially Scootaloo. Has she even ever said their names before, other than "squirt" or "kid"?

 

Maybe it's just a short review because the episode didn't stand out for me... Maybe because it wasn't a good— wait, no NO! Every episode is good... I don't know. I was expecting a lot more from the episode.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Dashabel

[Music Chart Fan 818]

 

 

Though one little inconsistency here: Dash goes on about how excited she was when she got to carry the flag when Cloudsdale hosted the games, despite the fact that the main point of her wanting so much for the Crystal Empire to win was because she was crushed when Cloudsdale didn't host the games. Either the writers forgot that little detail or Dash was just playing it up to get the fillies and colts hyped.

 

Did Rainbow Dash ever actually say that Cloudsdale hosted the games? In the classroom, she said that she carried the Cloudsdale flag in the games when she was a filly. Even though Cloudsdale didn't host the games, I'm sure that they had a delegation that participated when the games were held at Fillydelphia. In that case, Rainbow Dash carried the flag and represented Cloudsdale along with its delegation at the games held at Fillydelphia, just like the Cutie Mark Crusaders are the flag bearers representing Ponyville at the games held in the Crystal Empire.

[Cerbyrus 63]

The episode was nice, but it seemed to be shorter then normal. I'm thinking it is because of how quickly the last few parts went by... It was just like ''Scootaloo's back, win, FIN''. Otherwise I liked this episode. Pretty cute and the song was nice.

[Forlong 1,725]

Got my video on this episode up on YouTube first.  Be sure to comment and rate on that video.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeaqBWnvAeo&feature=youtu.be

 

Now I've got to get to work.

[lolololol 65]

rainbow dash said scootaloo may or may not fly thats hope for me that she might learn to fly eventually

Edited December 14, 2013 by Georgeson

[Dolphanatic 298]

I'm glad they're finally developing more backstory to Scootaloo's inability to fly properly. It also seems that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are no longer feeling threatened by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (they acted more annoyed than insulted).

[Batbrony 15,994]

"Flight to the Finish", our first Cutie Mark Crusaders-centric episode of Season 4, actually surprised me in many ways and was, believe it or not, better than I expected it to be.  Maybe that was largely because until today, I kind of expected this episode to end with Scootaloo flying; now, that would've been pretty heartwarming I'm sure, but maybe just a little too heartwarming, a little too Mary Sue-ish, shall we say.  Such an ending, in hindsight, might've been too upbeat, especially given that the show has never actually addressed her inability to fly before.  So what did we get instead?  Well, something much, much more subtle and nuanced than what I had initially expected.

 

First of all, let's cover the CMC themselves.  The lovable trio of blank flanks were adorable as usual, plus it was great seeing that, well, they were actually able to put something together that worked for once!  I liked that a lot actually; it shows that, well, they're learning, they're growing as characters and just maturing in general, and since they've been friends for so long, they now know each other's strengths and how to build off of those.  It was a bit strange seeing Scootaloo take charge so much, seeing as Apple Bloom has so often in the past been the de facto leader of the group, but I can overlook it here since Scoots was mostly just super motivated by Rainbow Dash and trying so hard to impress her.  Apple Bloom was perfectly fine as a supporting character, as she has been in the past, but Sweetie Belle actually felt a little off, at least in how the other two treated her.  For some reason she felt like a third wheel here, and similar to "One Bad Apple", it seemed like the other two didn't care about her opinion half of the time, even though she was usually the most rational of them all.  She was still the most adorable of the three, but I swear, little Sweetie's gotta start speaking up more!  I also can't help but hope she gets an episode of her own soon, since she really hasn't been a starring character since "Sisterhooves Social" way back in Season 2, but still, overall, she and Apple Bloom were fine.  They were adorable, funny, tenacious, and learned a good lesson about loyalty from none other than the Element of Loyalty herself.

 

As for our star, Scootaloo, she most certainly did not disappoint.  I loved seeing her throw together this awesome act that the CMC put on for Ms. Harshwhinny (which if you think about it might actually hint quite a bit at just what her special talent might be, at least more than past CMC episodes), and it was really great finally seeing her inability to fly directly addressed.  I was a bit surprised that more of the episode wasn't devoted to that, but the pacing was pulled off well enough that we still got a good enough idea for just how much it hurt poor little Scoots that she just can't fly like most other pegasi.  One little scene actually stuck out most for me, and it was a great and very effective bit of visual storytelling; right as Scootaloo decided that they needed flying to be a part of the act and she was watching Rainbow Dash coaching a pair of flying pegasi.  She didn't say anything about that specifically, but she didn't need to; you could just tell that she desperately wanted to be one of those pegasi, flying in front of Rainbow Dash and, maybe even, getting to take to the skies with her role model.  Short scene, but I took a lot from it, and it captured just as effectively, if not more so, her anguish as any of her later scenes did when she started breaking down and accepting that, at least for the time being, she simply can't fly.  The entire plotline, however, was handled very effectively, so major kudos to the writers for treating this subject so well, especially in its resolution.  As I said earlier, instead of Scootaloo learning how to fly, we got something a lot more nuanced.  With Rainbow Dash's guidance, she was able to accept that not only can she not fly (at least for now) but that that's OK, because it doesn't mean she's any less of a pegasus or pony in general.  Scootaloo is Scootaloo, and that's just fine, because she's still a very special pony with many wonderful traits and qualities about her.  I really loved that message, and I also admired that the writers, at least for the time being, have chosen to respect Lauren Faust's original vision for Scootaloo.  Given how the episode ended, I also can't help but think that Scootaloo might actually end up getting her cutie mark first out of the group, maybe even sometime later this season.  Who knows right now though?  We'll just have to wait and see.  Overall, as far as Scootaloo's episodes go, this was worthy successor to "Sleepless in Ponyville", and I actually really appreciated that, in some ways, it focused more on her alone than the former episode did, seeing as that one was so heavily focused on Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.

 

Before I move on, I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that we FINALLY know that Scootaloo has a house of her own (even if we didn't see her parents), and I'm quite relieved to know that honestly. 

 

 

Scootaloo, you don't need to fly; you can already soar as high as you want just the way you are.   

 

Alright, next, let's cover Rainbow Dash.  Really, she was great this whole episode!  I actually liked her here much more than I did in last week's "Daring Don't", just because I thought that her better qualities were far more effectively highlighted here, similar to how they were so effectively highlighted in last season's "Sleepless in Ponyville".  Interestingly, as ~Chaotic Discord~ himself pointed out (and I know you were kinda let down by this buddy, but trust me, I think it worked to the episode's benefit to be honest), there wasn't nearly as much Scootalove as most of us had expected, but given how much was going on, I didn't really mind that.  I think if there had been more than there was, it might've thrown the episode's pacing off.  Rainbow Dash's maturity and her loyalty were both on display here, and she actually ended up teaching not one but two lessons.  She reminded Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom that, no matter what, friends look out for each other and don't let each other make mistakes, even if said friends have good intentions but are still hurting themselves in the process, and on the other side of things she taught Scootaloo a very, very valuable lesson that, just because she can't fly, that doesn't make her any less of a pegasus.  She's still a wonderful pony with many great gifts and traits, and that's all that matters in life.  Seeing both of those lessons come from Rainbow Dash was really, really something, and not only showed why she hands down embodies the Element of Loyalty, but also spoke volumes about how much she's matured and grown as a character since the series began.  Besides her awesomeness with the CMC, Dashie was very cute when she was fangasming over her coaching gig in front of all the fillies and colts (seriously, that was awesome seeing how excited she was about getting to train younger ponies and helping them all do their best to represent their hometown), her rapport with Ms. Harshwhinny was hilarious, and her attempts at maintaining a professional demeanor were very entertaining but also spoke greatly about her character.  She took this entire coaching endeavor very seriously, and even though she was rooting for the CMC, I loved seeing RD coaching all of the teams, not just theirs; it's just great when we're reminded that, yes, Rainbow Dash can be a very responsible pony when she sets her mind to it.  Overall, Rainbow Dash had a great episode, and I honestly thought it was her best appearance in Season 4 yet.

 

Rainbow Coach is best coach.   

 

Next, I suppose we should cover Ms. Harshwhinny and the Equestria Games.  I really liked seeing this character return and be expanded upon; recurring supporting characters are too rare in this show in my opinion, so it's always nice when they do show up in some capacity.  As I mentioned, her rapport at the beginning and end of the episode with Rainbow Dash was very funny, as was her letting down her professional demeanor at the end of the episode.  I didn't mind when she was uptight at the beginning though, either, because you could still tell that she wanted these fillies and colts to do their best; she just takes her job very seriously, though, and why wouldn't she?  Games organizing is, after all, her special talent!  Overall, I'd really like to see more of Ms. Harshwhinny this season, and wouldn't be surprised if we do at some point.  As for the Equestria Games themselves, I'm very happy to see that DHX is continuing with this story arc from last season as well, on top of the season-spanning story arc we have from the season premiere already.  I wouldn't be surprised, in fact, if we get one or two episodes devoted to the Equestria Games in the middle of the season when our own Winter Olympics role around later this winter, so keep your eyes open everypony! 

 

I don't know why, but I friggin' love this character!

 

Finally, we got our first musical number of Season 4, and I was most pleased indeed by this!  It wasn't the best CMC number by any means, that honor still goes to "Bad Seed" in my opinion, but it was still a very fun number that I felt really fit the mood and feel of this episode to a T, plus it just had its own unique feel in general, so kudos to Daniel Ingram on another wonderful number (plus it had a hilarious Snowflake cameo, which I absolutely adored  ).  Overall, it was a very lovely first musical number for Season 4, a great CMC number, and I look forward to seeing what else Daniel Ingram and the music team at DHX have up their sleeves for the remainder of Season 4. 

 

Just a few things left to cover in this review, mostly things that either didn't work or were just silly.  The pacing was a little strange at times in this episode, no denying that; overall it worked, but there were still some parts that felt rushed and other parts that felt a little dragged out.  How the CMC got to the Crystal Empire was absolutely ridiculous!  Apparently Scootaloo, given her lifting both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom on her forelegs (twice) and dragging them both hundreds of miles on nothing but a wing-powered scooter, has the most freakish strength and stamina of any pony in Equestria!!!    But ya know, that bit was so ridiculous that it actually worked; I was laughing too much to be bothered by it, and I knew they had to finish the episode, so overall, despite its ludicrousness, I could accept that plot point, I really could.  All in all, this was a very solid CMC episode, especially for Scootaloo, secondarily a great Rainbow Dash episode, had some very nice plot continuity, a lovely musical number, and great animation as usual.  Overall, "Flight to the Finish" was a great addition to Season 4, and I look forward to rewatching it.

 

HOLY CRAP, SCOOTALOO IS FREAKISHLY STRONG!!!   

 

Well, next week we've got a very, very special episode, that being, a superhero themed episode!!!    Unfortunately, everypony, I will actually be gone for the episode's premiere, as my family and I will be traveling in Wisconsin to Green Bay for the Packers game on Sunday, but I assure you, I will catch the episode on either Monday or Tuesday and most definitely get a review out!  Later everypony!!! 

Edited December 15, 2013 by Batbrony

[applejock 358]

I believe the bronys and pegasisters are back into the season! (some never doubted it coughcough)....SCOOTALOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!! Also I would be the one to point out the lack of a Sweete belle squeek was very VERY NOT COOL!!

 

 

Edited December 14, 2013 by applejock

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I enjoyed this episode very much, I loved seeing the CMC do their routine for the Equestria Games and I loved how Rainbow Dash would go in to excitement mode and then pause and act professionally. The episode also hit me emotionally seeing Scootaloo upset about trying to fly and doubting herself and her abilities. I also liked Snips and Snails thinking they'll win and then just failing so funny. Also I don't know if I'm the only one, but man oh man do I hate hate hate Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, as much as they are good minor antagonists, they are a real pain in my side, I just wanna smack them. Regardless good episode with good story and good morals and great CMC action, love the song too! Best song ever for Season 4 starting!

 

10/10!

[Fluttershy446 1]

nooooo gaah i missed it.........can anyone tell me where can i watch it online?

[SBaby 660]

Hmm... not bad. I was hoping Scootaloo would get her cutie mark in this episode, but we were merely teased yet again. 

 

I'm going to address the Cutie Mark thing real quick, because most people here aren't aware of this.  Let's put it this way.  The season that the CMCs finally get their Cutie Marks, will be the season we see the finale of the series in.  And it makes sense when you think about it.  The overarching plot with the three is always finding their Cutie Marks.  It's the whole reason why they're called the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  It's actually the reason why they have most of their adventures.  So once they fulfill that goal, that primary goal will be met.

 

Now don't panic.  I'm not saying that'll happen any time soon.  I'm just mentioning that to illustrate how big of a point of closure the writers feel that would be for the characters.

 

That said, onto the episode itself.

 

I think the big thing that most people will mention here is Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara.  And I do have to admit, they're really becoming the Bulk and Skull of the show.  I thought it was going to be Snips and Snails, but it's really these two.  They're bullies, though not very good ones since it's obvious that any one of the CMCs could probably wipe the floor with both of them.  Strangely, I would really like to see the two develop their characters in a similar manner to Bulk and Skull, because I think that would be an awesome twist, even with the things we've already seen on the show.

 

Scootaloo's development in this episode was so complete that it wasn't even funny.  A great song, references to the fact that she can't fly (though it's ironic that two ponies that aren't even Pegasi would be the ones to bring this up), a few brief moments with her and Rainbow Dash, and an awesome moment with Granny Smith (though she's always awesome), and a great climax.

Edited December 14, 2013 by SBaby

[Nulln 754]

This was a pretty great episode.  I love cmc episodes!  I was hoping when Rainbow Dash asked who said Scootaloo had to fly, that Scootaloo would tattle on the bullies and get them disqualified.    

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,237]

This was an incredibly enjoyable episode. Ms. Harshwhinny surprised me a lot here. Her facial expressions and voice are really humorous. The facial expressions seems to be something that they are really improving on with variety and it is great to see. The song was really catchy and it was great to see some more development here. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were good for what they were. They are bullies and not the tough and push ponies around kind of bullies so the way they acted seemed accurate.

 

Also, that damn ending. I got extreme goosebumps for a split second. I really thought a Cutie Mark was going to be obtained. I know it is too early for that but wow, it had me fooled. In a good way too, I was about to squee with excitement about it. That can be for another time though.

 

Overall, I really liked this episode, as expected. It is wonderful seeing the return of the CMC's.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

Are we just gonna not talk about this face?

 

llllllllllllllllllll

Edited December 14, 2013 by Anti-Villain

[notdog1996 315]

This was the one I was the most excited about.  I really wanted to know how they'd address Scootaloo's flying and I wasn't disapointed! They left it ambiguous, yeah!  I wanted more Crystal empire (and their actual routine), but 22 minutes limit, so yeah :\

[Wingnut 6,725]

One more thought I'd like to touch on is Scootaloo's psychological state.  For the first three seasons, Scoots hasn't openly addressed her desire to fly.  She knew all along that she trails her pegasi peers.  I get a real sense that Scootaloo was privately suffering all this time but she was too proud to admit it to anybody.  Deep down, we all knew she was carrying this hidden burden.  It wasn't until her disability was cruelly teased that she finally opened up about it.  At long last she had to let it out.    That's why I found this episode to be so touching. 

 

 

 

HOLY CRAP, SCOOTALOO IS FREAKISHLY STRONG!!!

 

That's normal.  Ponies are a lot stronger than us silly humans. 

 

@@cmarston1, Are the Saddle Arabians horses?  They do look different if nothing else. 

Edited December 14, 2013 by Wingnut

[Super Derpy 535]

Probably tied with Daring Don't for best season 2 episode so far. It would be better if not for the most rushed ending I have seen in a while. We didn't even get to see the final performance, Diamond Tiara/ Silver Spoons performance, or anyponys performance for that matter. But the CMC were radical as usual (but surprisingly no squeaks from Sweetie Belle) the song was good and the pacing was fine up until the last five minutes. Also this face XD.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Super Derpy

[ghostfacekiller39 23,856]

Heh. First person to vote that they hated it? Well, at least you can say I'm not a bandwagoner

 

I stopped watching it around halfway through it, because, honestly, last week's episode, and the fact that it's been my least fav. episode this season so far regardless of the one glaring thing that irritated me about it.

 

Now, when I watch the show, I don't care about the plot all too much; I care about the characters and how they're portrayed 100% more. Why? I fell in love with the show because of the characters, and the storyline is generally predictable for each episode. 

 

The main thing being that I fell in love with the show for the characters.

 

So...2nd RD heavy episode in a row? No. This one was even worse than last week's about that, though. Daring Don't was a good episode to me, and it was moving RD on up in the world in my mane 6, from the 6 hole to the 4 hole.

 

This episode slammed the brakes on her movement up.

 

I'm getting really tired of this shit. Really damn tired. 

 

Hell, had this episode been 2 or 3 weeks from now, I probably would've liked it. 

 

I just don't want to see the same damn pony 2 weeks in a row, especially when this episode was pretty much only that mane 6 member.

 

Scootaloo was good, the other 2 CMCs were meh, DT and Silver Spoon were themselves...

 

...overall, I just didn't like this episode because of the unfairness in character portrayal it had. I hated it.

 

It's in my bottom 5 favorite episodes.

 

It had a great storyline, probably the best in the season so far.

 

But as for characters, which is the #1 thing for episodes to me, it sucked. (Except for Scootaloo She kicked ass.)

 

Fingers crossed for next week's episode.

Edited December 14, 2013 by ~Sadistic ghostfk39~

[hawkflame 3,308]

Over all, a pretty good episode!  Definitely a step up from last week. 

 

I liked the contrast between ms. Harshwhinny and Rainbow Dash- one trying to maintain her professionalism and the other basically spazzing out.  The rest of the episode had Dash trying to keep that side in check, which was cute. 

 

The song was meh.  Probably my least favorite from the CMC, and that includes their talent show.  And do the lyrics imply that ponies are a separate species from horses?

 

Diamond Tiara was a bitch as usual, but I'd be disappointed if she wasn't. 

 

What I did like most about this, though, was the message that the episode sent and the way it was presented.  Be the best "you" you can be, and if that's different from everyone else, that's fine.  Scootaloo shouldn't let her ability or inability to fly define who she is.  And it didn't come across as preachy.  The characters acted naturally, and sometimes even screwed things up or said the wrong thing in the process.  And that's another thing- I kind of like that they showed actual strife between the CMC.  Sometimes friends, especially little kids, get mad and say something that they regret but in the end you could still make things up.  That's how friends are. 

 

It felt like a first season episode where the moral of the story was presented more in the forefront but was still very entertaining.

[galaxysquid 2,121]

SPOILERS BELOWWW! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I almost had a heart attack at the end. I thought Scootaloo was about to get a cutie mark but she didn't. xD

 

This episode was so adorable. <3 I love the new song as well.

 

 

OMG SCOOTALOO HAS A PICTURE OF RAINBOW DASH IN HER ROOM.