Pony Joe's Episode Reviews (UPDATE: It's About Time)

[Pony Joe 582]

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while now, and I think it's about time I got around to it.

 

Starting from Episode 1 all the way through Season 2, I will review each episode individually, looking at it's strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to the others. On days when a new episode premiers, I'll do the new episode instead for a bit of variety. I'll try to post a review every other day, but I can't guarantee anything. We are talking about 52 reviews, after all.

 

 

 

I'll be critiquing the episodes based on four factors, on a scale of 1-5 for each:

 

Storyline - How's the general plot? Is it interesting to watch? Is it paced well?

Script - How's the dialogue? Is it well written or too sappy? How funny is the humor?

Music - How's the background music? Does it fit well with the action? If there's a musical number, is it catchy and memorable?

Artistic Direction - How 's the animation? Is it used to good effect? Are there any particularly outstanding artistic touches?

 

Adding those up and dividing it by two will give us a score out of ten. Remember, these scores are in comparison to other episodes, and not necessarily in comparison to other shows. Also note that some scoredsmay be skewed due to personal opinion in order to make the "Overall" score better suit my stance on the episode.

 

 

 

Every review will have it's own post, but a list of the final ratings as well as the most recent review will be kept in the post below this one this post.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

.

 

Friendship is Magic Part 1: The Mare in the Moon

Storyline: 3/5

Script: 2/5

Music: 3/5

Artistic Direction: 1/5

Overall: 5/10

 

Friendship is Magic Part 2: The Elements of Harmony

Storyline: 4/5

Script: 0/5

Music: 2/5

Artistic Direction: 3/5

Overall: 4.5/10

 

 

 

It's About Time

 

Well, here's the first review of an episode on the day that it airs. I wonder how that'll affect my opinion of it? Oh, I should go ask Future Pony Joe about it!

 

Story

Twilight, during one of her trademark OCD sessions, is visited by Disgruntled Ninja Pirate Future Twilight, who *tries to warn her not to do something in the future, but is sent back before she gets the chance. Worried about what kind of disasters may occur, Twilight gets the bright idea to make absolutely everyone in Equestria perform a massive security checkup. All seems well until Cerberus shows up out of nowhere and Twilight must go on a grand adventure to return him to the otherwise wide-open gates of Tartarus (?) to prevent evil monsters from taking over the land. Would it really kill the Equestrian government to install some sort of backup strategy in case that happens?

 

It doesn't really matter anyway, since 30 seconds later the whole plotline is completely dropped, and instead the episode focuses on Twilght's increasingly desperate attempts to prevent anything from happening, including: staying at home, fortune telling and, oh yeah, stopping time itself. It's during these situations that Twilight slowly takes on the appearance of DNPFT, eventually figuring out that there's no impending disaster after all. So that her past self doesn't spend the whole week worrying about it, she goes back in time and*

 

In case it wasn't obvious, the storyline of this one if completely awesome for the most part. Paradox-free time travel? Insane Twilight? All signs of a good time. The only problem is the whole Cerberus ordeal; it comes out of nowhere, and then leaves before the viewer even has time to register what's happening. In retrospect, though, it's only a minor complaint.

5/5

 

Script

It's really hard to complain when they'res so much of Twilght and Pinkie being great, but in places script seems, in a word, redundant. Whenever something happens, a character usually has to point it out in completely obvious terms. Plus, there are a couple jokes that far overstay their welcome (Pinkie's birthday gift, Spike's ice cream, etc). Apart from that, though, there are plenty of great moments. I watched the episode quietly late at night, and I still laughed at Pinkie's "I keep balls all over the place (in case of ball emergencies)." Twilight's annoying herself is also particularly well-done.

4/5

 

Music

Not much to report on in this department. The background music suffices, but the only part where it really stands out is during DNPFT's visit.

3/5

 

Artistic Direction

The animation is very good for the series, including a couple of neat 3D-ish movements, and DNPFT's design is actually pretty striking. Even I was kept guessing as to what could possibly happen to make her look like that. There aren't many cinematographic details, but then again there didn't need to be.

4/5

 

Overall: 8/10

Edited March 11, 2012 by Pony Joe

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

Intriguing! I look forward to seeing your reviews of the episodes.

[Champion RD92 8,655]

That's a cool idea, I look forward to seeing your reviews

[83awsm 234]

Sounds like a great concept! Can't wait to see the reviews

[DJ MUFF1N D3RP 322]

I like this idea! I look forward to reading your reviews!

[Twi Rubix 726]

Reviews, huh? I'll be there!

[Pony Joe 582]

Sorry it took so long (IRL crap and such) but here it is, the first review.

 

Friendship is Magic, Part 1: The Mare in the Moon

 

Discussing the pilot episodes is always an awkward experience. Nobody wants to insult the episodes which started it all, and yet they remain at the bottom of many bronies' favorite episode lists. Nonetheless, there's no better place to start a series of reviews than at the beginning.

 

Storyline

The episode follows Twilight Sparkle, a student studying under the wing of Princess Celestia (no pun intended) in the prestigious city of Canterlot. Her studies eventually lead her to discover the ancient prophecy of the return of the legendary mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon. Obviously gravely worried about the situation, Celestia sends her to the small town of Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration.

 

Um... what?

 

The story unfolds at a relaxed pace as Twilight is introduced to the townsfolk, inadvertently making fast friends with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and last but not least, Pinkie Pie. Being a the first half of a two-part episode, you can't expect very much conflict, but it can be very dull to see everything go so... well, perfectly for the vast majority of the episode. However, the suspense of who Nightmare Moon is, if she even exists, and what can be done about is is very well done, so I'll give them props for that.

3/5

 

Script

While there are memorable moments, the script, in a word, is quite generic. The characters each have their amusing moments, but it's hard not to feel like their personalities are being shoved in your face. There are also some scenes, particularly whenever humor is made at Twilight's expense, that feel distinctly reminiscent of the little kid's show we all expected. Overall, it just doesn't seem like the writers had as much fun with the script as they could have.

2/5

 

Music

While it isn't a main drawing point to the episode by any means, the background music is quite good if you care to give it a listen. It complements each scene very nicely, with every character having her own unique style of music playing during their introduction.

3/5

 

Artistic Direction

Looking back on this episode from Season 2, it's amazing how far the animators have come. Very few camera angles are used, and objects on different layers that are supposed to be touching each other regularly fall out of sync. As much as it pains me to say it, especially when considering how much better it is than anything else on TV today, the artistic direction fails to impress in comparison to pretty much any other episode.

1/5

 

Overall: 4.5/10

 

__________________________________________________

 

 

Friendship is Magic Part 2: The Elements of Harmony

 

I have to admit... I have always turned to this episode when asked what my least favorite is. Why? Well...

 

Storyline

With Nightmare Moon on the loose and an endless night on its way, Twilight and her newfound friends must hunt her down and discover the power of the Elements of Harmony. Along the way, in what seems to be an attempt to make up for the lack of conflict in Part 1, they face monsters, creeps, and an absurd amount of sheer cliffs. These challenges help them discover that they themselves embody the Elements of Harmony, and Twilight uses this revelation to kill make friends with Nightmare Moon. A perfectly happy ending to the pilot, only made even more unbelievably chipper by Princess Celestia allowing Twilight to stay in Ponyville and study the magic of friendship instead of advanced military applications of magic or whatever she was previously engaged with.

 

When I say that the episode tries to make up for the leisurely pace of the first part, I'm not complaining. In fact, the way in which it blends action and character by applying the Elements of Harmony to the trials they face makes it a far more intriguing story than than most other episodes. On the downside, however, it's very moral-driven and quite predictable.

4/5

 

Script

Even great stories can fail miserably if the dialogue isn't up to par, and sadly Friendship is Magic Part 2 contains some of the worst dialogue of any episode in the series, period. A bold statement? Perhaps, but Twilight's speech in the final confrontation is laughably cliche, and the extremely thinly veiled hints at each pony's element during the majority of the episode fail to connect with me on any level. Long story short, Hardly a single line in the entire episode sounds like something that someone would naturally say if not given a script.

0/5

 

Music

The background music of the episode is generic, lacking the character of Part 1's. And while Pinkie's song is superior to most of her later Season 1 efforts, it isn't something I'd use to convince non-bronies of the show's musical appeal by any means.

2/5

 

Artistic Direction

Holy crap, what happened since Episode 1? Tons more camera angles are used, and effects such as the mist covering the bridge and the reality-defying sequence of Pinkie's song are great touches.

3/5

 

Overall: 4.5/10

Edited March 7, 2012 by Pony Joe

[Radiance64 7,052]

Good reviews so far PonyJoe, I agree that the first 2 episodes probably aren't the greatest(I might like them a bit more than you seem to though, but to each his own).

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

The first two episodes were relatively weak given that they were pilot episodes. The basic premise had to be introduced, so Lauren Faust and company couldn't be as creative as they would quickly become in subsequent episodes. "Friendship is Magic" is one of the few instances where the plot appealed directly to its core demographic in a conventional manner. It would be hard to sell MLP: FiM as we now know it based on the first two episodes.

 

Nicely done, Pony Joe. I generally agree with your assessments.

[Eenohay 318]

I do not like the second episode either, but that's mostly because I totally didn't expect them to defeat Nightmare Moon in the second episode, and that broke my heart completely, however I really liked the first one, I thought it was a great introduction. It did what it had to do. Watching it as my first episode it made me know right of the bat how amazing the 6 main characters were. They are were so lovely and had their own unique traits. If you see it as a regular episode, of course you'll find it weak, but it's great as an introduction.

 

This reviews gave me the feeling that you wrote them thinking the reader hadn't actually watched the episodes. Did you?

[Pony Joe 582]

 

This reviews gave me the feeling that you wrote them thinking the reader hadn't actually watched the episodes. Did you?

 

Not really. I just thought that a basic plot summary would set the stage better for my assessment. Plus, it lets me easily sneak a few jokes in.

Edited March 7, 2012 by Pony Joe

[Daring Do 195]

Hmm.. you have very good points on why things shouldn't receive a full score... I am impressed with your observation skills! I will also be looking forward to more, since there might be some things I may miss...

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

Ouch, that's a bit rough on the pilot episodes...I'm not sure I'd have rated them as lowly as you have.

 

But then, I didn't think that much of them when I first saw them either...and really the main reason I like them now is more due to the fact that it's where the series started. Or in other words, I like them in spite of their not so greatness.

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

I think that, so long as one remembers the pilot episodes are being compared against the rest of the show, it's fair to say they were relatively weak as a result. I happen to look back on them fondly because I watched all the episodes in serial order. Nevertheless, I am willing to admit they were not the strongest outings.

[Pony Joe 582]

It's About Time

 

Well, here's the first review of an episode on the day that it airs. I wonder how that'll affect my opinion of it? Oh, I should go ask Future Pony Joe about it!

 

Story

Twilight, during one of her trademark OCD sessions, is visited by Disgruntled Ninja Pirate Future Twilight, who *tries to warn her not to do something in the future, but is sent back before she gets the chance. Worried about what kind of disasters may occur, Twilight gets the bright idea to make absolutely everyone in Equestria perform a massive security checkup. All seems well until Cerberus shows up out of nowhere and Twilight must go on a grand adventure to return him to the otherwise wide-open gates of Tartarus (?) to prevent evil monsters from taking over the land. Would it really kill the Equestrian government to install some sort of backup strategy in case that happens?

 

It doesn't really matter anyway, since 30 seconds later the whole plotline is completely dropped, and instead the episode focuses on Twilght's increasingly desperate attempts to prevent anything from happening, including: staying at home, fortune telling and, oh yeah, stopping time itself. It's during these situations that Twilight slowly takes on the appearance of DNPFT, eventually figuring out that there's no impending disaster after all. So that her past self doesn't spend the whole week worrying about it, she goes back in time and*

 

In case it wasn't obvious, the storyline of this one if completely awesome for the most part. Paradox-free time travel? Insane Twilight? All signs of a good time. The only problem is the whole Cerberus ordeal; it comes out of nowhere, and then leaves before the viewer even has time to register what's happening. In retrospect, though, it's only a minor complaint.

5/5

 

Script

It's really hard to complain when they'res so much of Twilght and Pinkie being great, but in places script seems, in a word, redundant. Whenever something happens, a character usually has to point it out in completely obvious terms. Plus, there are a couple jokes that far overstay their welcome (Pinkie's birthday gift, Spike's ice cream, etc). Apart from that, though, there are plenty of great moments. I watched the episode quietly late at night, and I still laughed at Pinkie's "I keep balls all over the place (in case of ball emergencies)." Twilight's annoying herself is also particularly well-done.

4/5

 

Music

Not much to report on in this department. The background music suffices, but the only part where it really stands out is during DNPFT's visit.

3/5

 

Artistic Direction

The animation is very good for the series, including a couple of neat 3D-ish movements, and DNPFT's design is actually pretty striking. Even I was kept guessing as to what could possibly happen to make her look like that. There aren't many cinematographic details, but then again there didn't need to be.

4/5

 

Overall: 8/10

[Swordfishtrombone 384]

Is she seriously called Disgruntled Ninja Pirate Future Twilight? Because thats awesome.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,285]

I thought the inclusion of Cerberus was a nice touch. Cute Fluttershy is cute! We need more lovey-dovey Fluttershy pet moments like that!

 

 

Now, what the hell is this? I found it while looking to see if any pony videos had popped up yet for this episode!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2012 by cuteycindyhoney