S04:E23 - Inspiration Manifestation

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

I think he got it from the castle we saw in "Castle Mane-ia" myself

 

 

Right, but wasn't that the same castle that they defeated Nightmare Moon in during the first two episodes?  Or am I getting something wrong (which is highly possible, I only saw Castle Mane-ia once)?

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Right, but wasn't that the same castle that they defeated Nightmare Moon in during the first two episodes?  Or am I getting something wrong (which is highly possible, I only saw Castle Mane-ia once)?

I think it was, yeahh.

Can't say for certain, though -_-

 

[Sir Wulfington 276]

I think it was, yeahh.

Can't say for certain, though -_-

 

 

Yeah it definitely was, in the series premiere they went to the old castle in the forest to get the elements of harmony, where they use them to defeat her. Season 4 premiere showed the castle the night Luna was banished, and Castlemania explored more of the castle's interior.

 

http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Castle_of_the_Royal_Pony_Sisters

Edited April 26, 2014 by Sir Wulfington

[Castle Bleck 19,333]

Holy crap, it matches up perfectly!

 

 

She could totally give The Emperor from Star Wars a run for his money...

 

 

Book!Rarity:

Edited April 26, 2014 by Anti-Villain

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Rarity could totally give The Emperor from Star Wars a run for his money.

 

Book!Rarity:

I'd totally be Book!Rarity's evil sidekick

 

 

Echh. Starting to cool down some. This episode really put me on an emotional rollercoaster. I'll write a review for this episode in a little bit.

 

I missed breakfast because I was reading every single post in this topic I'm hungry

Edited April 26, 2014 by ghostfacekiller39

[Batbrony 16,052]

OK, so this episode was... strange.  Not everything about it was bad, but it was just, I don't know, strange is all.  Don't get me wrong, the premise itself is fine, and I don't mind the show going into fairly dark territory in showing a character becoming completely corrupted by an artifact containing dark magic, but the execution in many places just seemed off.  Ah well, might as well get this review out of the way while everything's still fresh in my mind: this is "Inspiration Manifestation".

 

So to start, let's talk about Spike, seeing as he was the star of the show.  The first third of the episode, he was just fine; they showed him in a very supportive role trying to just be a good friend to Rarity as he continually fawned over her (and to be fair, the writers did nicely set up that Spike could potentially let his adoration of Rarity cloud his better judgment).  But after he got her the book and Rarity became mad with power, Spike started going a bit downhill.  This was "Spike At Your Service" levels of OOC behavior for him, but whereas with that episode I usually just laugh it off, if only because we'd never seen him actually working at Sweet Apple Acres, here, we saw him behaving quite OOC in what is easily his second most important relationship in the show, that being his friendship with Rarity.  I know that the episode was trying to convey the message that you can't let friendship stop you from being honest with someone when they're doing something wrong, and that's an admirable lesson to be sure, but it just seems like it wasn't executed properly.  Spike spent far too much of the episode shrugging off Rarity's madness and blindly supporting it, and that just rubbed me the wrong way.  He's not just her friend, he quite honestly loves her (this was best conveyed in "Secret of My Excess"), but here, his love came across as an obsession that blinded him to just how wrong Rarity was behaving.  So not only was it OOC of Spike not to take action sooner, but in the process the episode kind of cheapened his very love for Rarity; if he truly cared about her as we know he does, after almost four seasons no less, he would've acted sooner.  If this episode had debuted in Season 1, I could probably forgive it for that, but this is Season 4; instead of taking so long to act, Spike should've started trying to stop Rarity sooner, perhaps through a variety of efforts on his part.  She wasn't behaving like the pony he knows her to be, and he should've taken action sooner for that very reason.  But I know why this didn't happen, and I don't like it one bit; it's because of the weak plot device/deus ex machina the episode had to resolve everything.  The bizarre catch for breaking the spell on Rarity (i.e. telling the truth about the corrupting effects of the spell, which seems like it would only be a problematic thing to do for someone as obsessed with not hurting another's feelings as Spike was with Rarity) came across in the end as far too easy (heck, it even reminded me of a similar plot device that showed up in "The Cutie Pox", another kind of meh episode), and everything overall just resolved too quickly.  Overall, aside from having some funny bits in the episode, especially when he was at the Castle of the Two Sisters, Spike had quite the weak episode, definitely his weakest since "Spike At Your Service".  "Power Ponies" this most certainly was not.

 

Next, let's talk Rarity.  Honestly, I don't have too much to say about her here, she was really spot on.  Before she got the book, she was her usual, wonderful, over-the-top-diva self.  I hated seeing her so sad and forlorn (though again, why did a puppeteer hire her to design a traveling puppeteer cart?  She's a fashion designer, not a carpenter, and I know she loves designing all sorts of things as well as interior decoration, but that seemed to be a stretch), but it was quite hilarious seeing her eating away her grief (helped by Tabitha St. Germain's hilarious emphasis on each bite of ice cream Rarity took  ).  Once she came under the influence of the spell, her descent into corruption and madness didn't feel OOC in the slightest, but quite natural, at least given that she was being corrupted by the spell.  Hopefully most people get that she was simply corrupted; I mean yeah, it doesn't change the fact that she was doing some serious damage and pretty terrible things all over Ponyville, but again, she couldn't control herself at that point, her redemption all depended on Spike sharing the honest truth with her.  Overall, Rarity had quite a good episode actually; she was quite funny throughout, in a normal sense at the beginning and in a far scarier sense as the episode progressed, it was quite interesting seeing her in a villainous turn (and a quite different one at that from her turn as Nightmare Rarity in the comic books), and it's scary to see what could happen when her imagination pretty much ran wild and got out of control, more or less.

 

 

Even when she's sad, Rarity still finds a way to make me laugh.     Meaning no offense Rarifans, I swear.   

 

As for the rest of the episode, it was mixed bag of good and bad as well.  Once again, Owlowiscious did absolutely nothing for me.    I don't mind him being a voice in the back of Spike's head, a sort of physical manifestation of Spike's conscience, but he really made barely any contributions to the episode when you get down to it.  Also, that "hoo" gag is STILL not funny after trying to make it funny for four seasons now!  Seriously DHX, stop it, just stop it, cause it'll NEVER be funny!!!    Gosh bucking dang it, I hate that gag.     The Mane 6 were just fine, but I thought they were far too sparse in their appearances.  Considering this was dark magic they were dealing with, I would've especially liked to see more of Twilight here, but instead we only got two short scenes with her (the second of which was quite hilarious, when Twilight was just an absolute mess and pretty much ready to kill Spike at the very end  ).  I think the reason we didn't see more of them was because the episode was filled with way too much filler of Rarity and Spike going around town as she changed everything (which also raised the question as to how exactly she got away with everything without anyone noticing it was her, seriously, she was just a few feet away from some ponies when she changed things, sometimes out in the open.  I know we can assume that Spike told Twilight at the end, but still, that bugged me).  I did like how much of Ponyville we got to see, along with quite a few background ponies and supporting characters, some of whom we haven't seen in quite some time (in addition to seeing Cloud Kicker with her sister Alula (nice bit of continuity there  ), we also got to see Mayor Mare, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Filthy Rich, Magnum and Pearl (Rarity and Sweetie Belle's dad and mom), Blossomforth, and Octavia (both of whom rarely ever show up, especially the latter)).  The animation itself was top notch as usual, and it was interesting seeing more and more of Ponyville getting transformed in increasingly extreme ways.

 

Overall, while there were plenty of good elements in this episode, I think the bad ones were most amplified by the wonky pacing and execution.  Some parts of the episode were too short, others, most notably Rarity's corruption sequence, were too long and focused far too much on Rarity and Spike.  On top of that, Spike was quite OOC, the lesson, while strong in substance, came across as weak in its execution and delivery in a far too quick and easy resolution.  All in all, "Inspiration Manifestation" was just an OK episode; it didn't disappoint me nearly as much as episodes like "Bats!" and "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies" did this season, but it didn't really do much for me either and had plenty wrong with it.  When I look back on this episode, besides some deliciously funny Rarihumor, the first word I imagine that'll come to mind will most likely be "meh". 

 

 

Spike, darling, you were simply awful in this episode!   

 

Really?   

 

I'm afraid so.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Batbrony

[PrymeStriker 408]

Like Leap of Faith, the conflict in this episode is what really got me interested. After quite a few bad episodes this season, Corey Powell comes out on top this time around. This is also one of the most hilarious episodes this season has ever produced. 

 

Something's also gotta be said for season four at this point. In its beginnings, I thought the season was a rollercoaster: a good episode followed by a bad episode and so forth. But after the train wreck that was Simple Ways, it seems its been one outstanding episode after another (save for a few "meh's"). This was just another example. I've come to be really excited for the final episodes of this season with high hopes for the fifth season after my skepticism of it. 

 

 

Oh, and hello Octavia!

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Next, let's talk Rarity.  Honestly, I don't have too much to say about her here, she was really spot on.  Before she got the book, she was her usual, wonderful, over-the-top-diva self.  I hated seeing her so sad and forlorn (though again, why did a puppeteer hire her to design a traveling puppeteer cart?  She's a fashion designer, not a carpenter, and I know she loves designing all sorts of things as well as interior decoration, but that seemed to be a stretch), but it was quite hilarious seeing her eating away her grief (helped by Tabitha St. Germain's hilarious emphasis on each bite of ice cream Rarity took  ).  Once she came under the influence of the spell, her descent into corruption and madness didn't feel OOC in the slightest, but quite natural, at least given that she was being corrupted by the spell.  Hopefully most people get that she was simply corrupted; I mean yeah, it doesn't change the fact that she was doing some serious damage and pretty terrible things all over Ponyville, but again, she couldn't control herself at that point, her redemption all depended on Spike sharing the honest truth with her.  Overall, Rarity had quite a good episode actually; she was quite funny throughout, in a normal sense at the beginning and in a far scarier sense as the episode progressed, it was quite interesting seeing her in a villainous turn (and a quite different one at that from her turn as Nightmare Rarity in the comic books), and it's scary to see what could happen when her imagination pretty much ran wild and got out of control, more or less.

Yup yup yup

 

Can't stress this enough; she wasn't herself, she was under the influence of the spell.

 

I didn't like seeing her as a villain, though...it didn't feel very great.

[Castle Bleck 19,333]

Like Leap of Faith, the conflict in this episode is what really got me interested. After quite a few bad episodes this season, Corey Powell comes out on top this time around. This is also one of the most hilarious episodes this season has ever produced. 

 

Something's also gotta be said for season four at this point. In its beginnings, I thought the season was a rollercoaster: a good episode followed by a bad episode and so forth. But after the train wreck that was Simple Ways, it seems its been one outstanding episode after another (save for a few "meh's"). This was just another example. I've come to be really excited for the final episodes of this season with high hopes for the fifth season after my skepticism of it. 

 

 

Oh, and hello Octavia!

 

Corey Powell comes out on top ANYTIME she's not writing Rainbow Falls...

 

P.S.,

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Corey Powell comes out on top ANYTIME she's not writing Rainbow Falls...

Corey Powell comes out on top ANYTIME she's not writing Rainbow Falls...

Corey Powell comes out on top ANYTIME she's not writing Rainbow Falls...

There's only one appropriate response to this.

 

 

[PrymeStriker 408]

Corey Powell comes out on top ANYTIME she's not writing Rainbow Falls...

And Just For Sidekicks.

 

P.S.,

This is one of the best things in existence.

[Castle Bleck 19,333]

There's only one appropriate response to this.

 

 

 

What? ANYTHING'S comparatively better after worst episode...

Edited April 26, 2014 by Anti-Villain

[dekutree64 713]

That was a rather strange episode. Not sure how I feel about it yet. May give it another watch right away, since I missed a bit due to livestream ads anyway. Fortunately, we no longer have to wait for youtube uploads since Hasbro has generously started posting the episodes on their own web site http://www.hubnetwork.com/shows/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic/videos/full-episode-inspiration-manifestation-episode-23-season-4

 

That puppet guy was really annoying. He must have been Snips' dad.

 

Rarity's nom sounds while eating ice cream were kind of adorable. Although overeating in response to disappointment isn't exactly a good behavior to be teaching the kiddies... kind of grosses me out, tbh

 

Spike eating the book, though.. that was hilarious. At least Discord chewed individual pages when he ate books, instead of swallowing it whole, spiked cover and all But it was also somewhat tragic to destroy a 1000+year old relic, even if it was dangerous.

 

That was slightly worrisome when Rarity could still manifest things without the book. I understood the cure when she first cast the spell, but since she was doing it without turning her eyes green I thought for a minute she might retain the ability sans the insanity... which would be an interesting situation for a crafter, to no longer need any physical skills.

 

I loved the bit with Twilight at the end. I wish we could have seen Cadence and Luna though And I even more wish it would have been Celestia helping her instead, because they really haven't spent enough time together this season.

[-Lyra Heartstrings- 100]

*Rarity cries*

*rarity eats ice cream*
repeat

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

This was actually a pretty good episode. Rarity went a little crazy, and I thought it was hilarious when she was eating all the ice cream when she was sad.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Rarity's nom sounds while eating ice cream were kind of adorable. Although overeating in response to disappointment isn't exactly a good behavior to be teaching the kiddies... kind of grosses me out, tbh

Can't really fault her for being upset, especially since he was so mean about it. She worked really hard on that...plus, some people eat when they're stressed. It's happened in cartoons - and television in general - all the time. The eating ice cream on the couch gag is pretty well used all over Can't pin that on Rarity without complaining about every single other time it happened.

 

 

 

*Rarity cries*

*rarity eats ice cream*

repeat

I felt the same way for her...poor Rarity...

[Castle Bleck 19,333]

Lieutenant Rarity, ice cream!

 

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Lieutenant Rarity, ice cream!

 

D'awww  

 

She deserved some ice cream, though...she was having a bad day...

 

I wish I could give her some

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

Well at least we now know that Rarity's metabolism is Pinkie level. Good news for all her husbandus (they know who I'm talking about ), she can't ever get fat ever.

[Pastel 7,630]

Great episode!

For once, Spike was really good. He was a bit like during the first season.

"- I'm so excited! I'm SO EXCITED! - I'm so scared..." was hilarious. XD

It's great to see Rarity's parents, Octavia, Owlicious and the castle again.

The end was a bit rushed maybe.

But overall, I loved it, Spike and Rarity were amazing.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Blobulle

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Well at least we now know that Rarity's metabolism is Pinkie level. Good news for all her husbandus (they know who I'm talking about ), she can't ever get fat ever.

:D :D

 

I'd still love her even if she was fat, though...I remember someone posted a picture of Rarity as Jabba the Hutt in the fan club once, and I was like "WTF" initially, but it was still Rarity inside that...thing

 

She's everything I ever wanted in a waifu I wouldn't trade her for the world.

 

#notcreepy

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

 

 

#notcreepy

 

#totallycreepytho

 

But yeah I figured you wouldn't just be in it because she's hot. But hey, bonus, she's hot forever.

[Pastel 7,630]

The mayor called Twilight "Princess Twilight".

 

Rarity wasn't scary at all, it could have been much, MUCH worse. She could've hurt Spike for example.

 

Why Spike didn't burn the book instead of eating it?

[StevieBond 13]

It was quite dark at times, but it had a lot of humour, especially the end with Twilight looking worse for wear. 

Edited April 26, 2014 by StevieBond

[Flutter's lover <3 8,205]

Just finished watching.

 

Seeing Rarity get corrupt with dark magic and go crazy was rather humorous. She went bat shit insane changing Ponyville. Who knew dark magic could be so fun?  

 

This further proves that a book can be quite dangerous. I remember a quote from one of The Mummy movies, "What harm came from reading a book" When Evee started reading the book of the Dead. We all know how that turned out....

 

That bird house, that thing was massive. Also that "on-nom nom" that was perfect.

 

Oh, and I was happy to see Octavia again in this episode, she's my fave background pony. So when I seen Rarity poof her into existence, I was like wtf and then cheered.

 

Anyone else get a "Wizard Of Oz" vibe? "Follow the Yellow brick road" and you're find Rarity. It looked like the land of Oz when they were standing on the hill.

 

 

I rather liked this episode.

Edited April 26, 2014 by xFlutterdash