S04:E24 - Equestria Games

[King Kurtis 40]

"This is a pretty nice episode" (me)

 

*spikes attempts to sing cloudsdale anthem*

 

*throws phone* (me)

[minezach1 6]

This episode had one of the best morals in the entire series It was meaningful to me an made me feel better about life

This episode probably had one of the best morals in the entire series It was meaningful to me an made me feel better about life

[mlpfiwcat 30]

Why is this a spike episode? It would have been better if we were shown more of the games with a rising conflict of some other place was winning, and that other place wins the games with pony ville at second. Then thought some other idems, the ponies learn that winning isn't everything. But no, its a spike episode. All that built up tension for the games, and its a SPIKE EPISODE!

[jeremiahsparkle 12]

I always do enjoy a good spike episode. Its a shame he doesin't get more of the spot light. Hes just as valuble as the mane six. Also on a personal note, for the first time in the show i felt a connection to how spike was feeling. i like to draw a lot but i usually never feel i did good on a piece. Yet people are always praising me for it, and im all like "Huh? you LIKE it?" whats the point of geting praise if you feel like you don't deserve it? 

 

Also i really liked that part.

[JourneySparkles 4]

Best lesson was given in this episode, so I may say that this is the BEST SPIKE EPISODE and it enters to my top 10 favorite season 4 episodes like in 10 or 9

[ideaguy1998 15]

If this were like season 1-3, I think that everypony would laughed at Spike's screw ups.

[VenomTrixie 57]

I'll admit I was taken aback by how RD was telling everyone on the train not to expect to beat the Wonderbolts. I know she looks up to them, but I felt she still should of had that ''we can do this'' attitude that she always seems to have. I also thought her being happy with Silver instead of Gold was out of character. But maybe that is just showing her coming of age as a character, and not being so obsessed with being number one. Anyway this was a Spike episode, not a Rainbow Dash one, and I thought the moral and episode was good. 

[Pinklady 345]

I really enjoyed this episode but we all have to admit that the expectations were quite high.
And I somehow I wasn't entirely satisfied after the episode ended..

They could have done so much with the event 'Equestria Games'. We barely saw anything of it and the games itself were rushed and quite poorly developed.

This is one of those episodes where they clearly could have made a two parter about.

[AppleShy4EVA 4]

TBH i kinda was dissapointed with this final episode of the season although it had a good message i was kind of put off by the whole rainbow dash episode thing and the corny speech in the end and all the last ditch efforts to make it seem "Cool" but whatever i guess we have next season to improve

[AskScarletTears 8]

That spike singing part reminded me of the Borat singing

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

This episode was decent but a disappoint for me because we barely got to see the actual games. Instead it's more about Spike in this episode. It would've been cool to see more of the actual games but oh well.

[crab 18]

Spike gets spooked or embarrassed to easily.

 

 

I thought dragons were fearless. 

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

This episode proves that not all dragons are fearless. The Spike singing part was pretty funny.

[Quirky 37]

I SAW GILDA IN THE CROWD SOMEWHERE IN THIS EPISODE

 

 

 

 

YES!   

[FlutterShy Guy1 5]

1. I loved this episode it rocked.

It was awesome.

SPIKE WAS EPIC ALONG WITH FLUTTERSHY!

[Judgement 445]

I cringed so much when Spike was singing. I always get second-hand embarrassment when I see someone else embarrass themselves, even if they are a fictional character.

[Justin_Case001 4,857]

I have a lot to say about this episdode, so buckle up.

 

This episode wasn't bad, per se, but it was an enormous wasted opportunity.  I was incredibly disappointed.  The episode should have been about the games.  All this buildup, all this waiting, and it's just a friggin Spike spotlight.  A good Spike spotlight, but that's not the point.  I can't understand how anyone thought it was a good idea to brush by the games, only show two seconds of events, and make the whole episode about a side plot that no one cares about at the moment.  I'm not saying that the Spike story was bad.  But it's not what we were here to see.  There shouldn't have been a side plot at all.  The episode should have centered around the competitions.

 

A decent plot for the episode could have been the rivalry between Cloudsdale and Ponyville.  The aerial relay would have been the focal point.  Perhaps Ponyville would fall behind, due to their obvious weak links, and Cloudsdale would pull ahead.  But then, being overwhelmed by the pressure as the favorites to win, maybe Cloudsdale would choke, opening the door for an underdog victory.  The climax would be Spitfire vs. Rainbow, in an edge-of-your-seat, sweating bullets race.  Or, you could have made it a Friday Night Lights story, with Ponyville losing, but sort of learning that winning isn't everything, and they'd be satisfied that they gave it their all.  But nooooooooooooo, instead we see a couple seconds of the event, and that's it.  Then we see the CMC trying to give Spike a pep talk in his room.  Such a friggin waste.  So disappointing.

 

That said, the episode wasn't poorly written, it just focused on completely the wrong thing.  Spike should have lit the torch perfectly, and that would be that.  Then focus on the events.  But at least no characterization was betrayed, and no overall show lore or continuity hurt.  I can take the episode seriously, I can't believe they didn't cover the games more.

 

If I had written this episode, here's how it would have gone down:  No cold open, no standard opening theme.  Open with a montage of past Equestria Games, set to a paradoy of John William's Olympics Anthology.  Then we see a pony sitting at a desk, an obvious paradoy of Bob Costas.  He would say, "Good evening mares and gentlecolts, I'm so-and-so (can't think of a name), and welcome to the Games of 39th Equestriad!  We're live from the action center of the Crystal Stadium, and I'll be your host this week so you don't miss a minute of the action.  Right now, the opening ceremonies are getting underway, so let's head there now."

 

The entire episode would done as a straight up Olympics prime time coverage parody.  This means that we see the events as though filmed by a camera crew.  (Just to be perfectly clear, no, I don't mean shaky found footage with a red REC in the corner, I mean just like the Olympics.)  We would see pulse-pounding action, medal ceremonies with PROPER anthems played, and athlete interviews.  We would NOT see the mane six or any interactions by them through normal means.  We would only see the six in the audience as the cameraman takes a sweeping shot of the crowd.  He could say, "Just look at all those enthusiastic fans!  Looks like we have a strong cheering section for Ponyville."  And we would see Pinkie throwing confetti around, and that would be all we see of them.  Of course we would have interviews with the Princesses, so Twilight would get a few lines.  Just some formal royal speech, and she would be kind of embarrassed from all the attention.  Again, that would be the extent of her part.

 

After a commercial break, we would come back to pony Bob Costas.  There could be an indication of time passage as well.  Then he would say something like, "Welcome back to the Crystal Empire.  I'm so-and-so, and day three of the games is getting underway."  He'd show the daily medal race count, of course.  Then he'd say, "In just a few moments, we'll bring you to the qualifying rounds for the aerial sprints.  And later on tonight, we have the finals of the aerial relay.  A highly anticipated event, and a fan favorite.  We have a lot of talented athletes in this event, but in the minds of the spectators, there are really only two.  I'm here now with Captain Spitfire, and Rainbow Dash."  And then he would proceed to interview them.  Oh man, I just gave myself chills.

 

How friggin awesome would that have been?  I know, I know, kids would just be like, "Da f*ck is goin on?  Da f*ck is this sh*t?  But seriously, I think that would have been amazing.  But even if it was just a normal episode, there was so much potential here, all squandered.  So disappointing.

 

However, I will say that the moral taught by this episode is probably the best in the entire series.  When Spike still felt down on himself, even after saving the day, omg, that was me right there.  No matter how much praise I get, or what others think of me, I still can't see it or feel it inside.  I have never identified as strongly with a character on this show as I did with Spike at that moment.  It's such a great dilemma, and one that I've battled with my whole life.  This episode isn't going to instantly change it for me, either.  If it was easy, then I wouldn't have these problems.  But it's still such a great lesson.

 

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to offset the disappointment.  I think they should have done a two parter, one focused on Spike, and one solely on the games.  The games were big enough to warrant two episodes, anyway.  In my opinion, they could have scrapped Inspiration Manifestation to make room for more Equestria Games.  Inspiration was good and all, but this would have been better.  Plus, we didn't need two Spike episodes back to back.  (I know Inspiration was a co-star, but still.)  They could have also just saved the Spike story for another time.  I'm sure they could have made a different episode entirely with the same moral, so we could get that story without pissing away the games.  I'm royaly bummed.

 

Honestly, the entire Equestria Games arc was disappointing.  It was all a wasted opportunity.  Games Ponies Play was okay, could have been better.  Flight to the Finish was meh.  Rainbow Falls was a mess, and a strong argument could be made for that being the worst episode of the series.  And now this.  So sad.

 

Oh yeah, almost forgot about my obligatory logic quibble.  There is absolutely no way the four princesses, or Shining Armor for that matter, would have had the magic disabling spell.  There is is just no way.  You're telling me they would disable the magic of the rulers of Equestria?  This would be like if the president of the United States took a plain ass coach flight with no secret service.  It doesn't wash.  Which means the four princesses would have stopped the ice block.  But that means that Spike couldn't have saved the day, which means no resolution, no moral, and a broken story.  I just had to point this out so my brain would stop itching.

 

 

TL;DR: Best moral of the entire series, but a disappointing episode.  Wasted opportunity.  Should have focused soley on the games.  Do the Spike story some other time if need be.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Justin_Case001

[Unicorncob 5,628]

That spike singing part reminded me of the Borat singing

 

Kazakhstan is number one, exporter of potassium~

[Hypernova_Melody 4]

I really liked this episode it was really cool! Especially the ending, that,was, THE BEST! The way spike was air hoping on the pegisi and doing a super breath to end the falling cloud glacier. SO AWESOME!! =3

Edited March 2, 2015 by Hypernova_Melody

[Chaton 3,765]

Spikes song has to be one of the worst songs ever. Still, I'd choose it any day over Justin.

[Big Macintosh15 0]

i don't get what is with the griffins tho i get that they are the only one that can give rainbow a challenge but they are not exactly pony's so i don't get the reason to ad them to the games in the first place  

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

I could do without Spike being made to look like an idiot once again. I mean I could really, REALLY do without it. I don't mean the torch thing, I mean the stuff after that. Why on earth would he think he had the power to start fires with his mind? And why would he even try to sing the anthem of Cloudsdale once he realized he didn't know the words? All he had to do was say "but my throat is sore tonight, so instead, here's FLUTTERSHY!"   Even that would have been a better option.

 

I really wish they could give the little guy some dignity after four seasons. The games themselves...well, you could have blinked and missed them. Season 3 spent two episodes developing them as a big deal, and yet they're an afterthought here. It was disappointing. They spend all this time making Twilight look special by herself, and making Spike look foolish more or less by himself; why can't we just have an episode about both of them where Twilight is Twilight and Spike is a solid character like the one we saw in Secret of My Excess, The Best Night Ever, and Lesson Zero? Closest thing we got to that was the S3 premiere and those episodes had issues of their own (like Spike's greatest fear being glossed over in a 30-second throwaway).

 

I'm not sure about Dave Polsky yet...I'm just not sure.  :okiedokielokie:

[Jshippee 0]

Man spike you done screwed    https://youtu.be/7bTwxYScTic up and also cough cough

[JonasDarkmane 19,777]

I thought the episode was rather good. I really felt sorry for Spike  

[Shiny 54]

La La La, Writing lyrics for the episode