S04:E24 - Equestria Games

[pony.colin 156]

My Luna, a good Spike episode? Lies and slander – but no seriously “Equestria Games”, this is actually probably one of the few Spike episodes which I can say I actually enjoyed. That, or my standards have been proportionally low for the poor dragon to make it up before the season finale. However, this still was a relatively good episode, better than most Spike episodes.

 

I'll admit, the Olympic games never interested me much. I didn't even really watch the 2014 Sochi Olympics this year. So I was actually surprised at how much the 'Equestria Games' actually became the important backdrop rather than the main plot for this episode. I've said it a couple of times previously that I've been disappointed with how Spike has been written for this season. Perhaps it's because I expected better from him or to stop being the butt end of a joke or the buffoon that caused the major conflict.

 

Now I have to say this episode is put together nicely to me because it has a nice feel between focusing on the internal conflict of our dragon boy and still providing some interesting world building elements along with other things.

 

Now Spike getting anxiety for lighting the torch actually feels plausible and reasonable without being far-fetched. And this episode isn't purely focused just on him either. It's nice to see the lad actually finally get some respect being in the crystal empire; oddly enough I wasn't expecting it for some odd reason. But heck, he really did deserve some recognition for his actions with the Crystal Empire previously (statue was hamming it up, but not that over the top). We also get a fair amount of interaction between the CMC and Spike, it's nice that we have good callbacks to previous episodes (Flight to the Finish)

 

To have Twilight actually intervene on the behalf of Spike for lighting the torch AND actually tell him the truth, that felt well played to me. I was almost thinking that the point of the episode was going to be about keeping this secret from him (and that would have been annoying to me). The fact that it wasn't was great. Spike's self-confidence got deflated from the get go and he became disappointed in himself.

 

Spike's singing was absolutely cringe-worthy – that horrible cringe-worthy type where I feel so uneasy watching because I know this is a train-wreck that's about to happen. I would've been that pony covering their eyes, wanting it to just end. That was fantastic, Spike has something to prove, his pride and his standards. And when he messes horribly at the anthem singing, that just completely shoots his self-esteem. I don't think I could even bear to handle the aftermath of that disaster. It's also good to see the CMC try to get Spike to come back to see the rest of the games; it's good to know they actually cared enough to try (not exactly a strong attempt to convince him, but at least a reasonable attempt).

 

The other half is with Twilight's behaviour – it was excellent. I honestly view these two acting in a caring sibling relationship, given their history. And I would say it shows with genuine care.

 

 

Now Spike saving the day? Twice in the Crystal Empire (okay more like a section of the crowd, but still, very heroic). Spike actually pulls this off smooth and suave. Where was this quick thinking, fast action Spike in the previous episodes? Heck in most of the previous seasons as well? This was good of Spike. Yet he comes to say this was okay, “I guess.” What now your being humble? What more do you want Spike? (and self-realization, oh yeah, it's because he still feels like he failed his own standard and has low self-esteem at this point). And he wraps himself up to do a proper send off for closing the games. Well played dragon boy, well played.

 

• Other stuff:

• A unicorn disabling spell? Legit – wow that's pretty interesting. So there has been a previous history of cheating at the Equestria games, caused by Unicorns? I strangely loved this for no apparent reason other than interesting world building tidbit. Now I wonder, did Celestia and Luna have to go through this as well? If so, it might have taken their voices as well (seriously, they didn't say a word at all this episode speechless royalty, they were like total eye-candy today, Cadance did a better job today than them). (Oh wait, just realized, Twilight lit the torch – so probably the princesses are likely not forced to have their magic disabled)

• Great CMC interaction

• Nice roundabout of re-occurring characters.

• Good job on Spike overall – this was a good episode.

 

Nice snack before the finale. Hope Season 4 ends on a good note.

[Simon 4,557]

(Oh wait, just realized, Twilight lit the torch – so probably the princesses are likely not forced to have their magic disabled)

But, Twilight lit the torch during the opening, and Rarity went through the disabling spell afterwards and it seemed as if she wasn't expecting it so she probably didn't have to go through it for the opening ceremony since there were no games going on.  Plus, at the end the reason they couldn't melt the ice thing is because they couldn't get rid of the disabling spell in time, so if the Princesses weren't under the disabling spell they should have been able to step in and fix the situation, so I'm going to say that they did go through it.  Now whether they voluntarily went through it as a show of good faith, or they were forced to go through it by the games committee we don't know, but I think it's definitely safe to say that they were under the disabling spell. 

 

Edit:

 

Oh and to add my actual opinion of the episode, I think it was fantastic and probably one of the best if not the best Spike episode of the series.  I just loved everything about the episode and really saw no flaws.  All of the characters were written extremely well, the plot seemed completely plausible, there were no big flaws or mistakes... it was just really well done all around.  The only scene I think could be criticized is the anthem, and really that was done fantastic and the setup was astonishingly good, but it was so well done and felt so realistic and believable that I had serious trouble watching the scene without pulling out my earphones because I felt so bad for Spike, but I think that's more of a credit to the writing than a negative critique because if the scene were poorly written we wouldn't all empathize with a fictional character so strongly that we can't sit through a scene.  Besides that I think the only thing you could really critique was that the Equestria Games which have had build up since Season 3 seemed to be pushed into the background, and while I may be a bit frustrated that we won't see as much of the games as I had hoped, I actually really loved that they did that since it gave the show that great sitcom vibe where you had two separate related plots going on and they built off of each other.  And I think that's what makes this episode so fantastic - even the few little things you can critique are really more demonstrative of how well written it actually was.

 

So yeah, absolutely astonishingly well done, and while I have a lot of episodes I liked more than it just because I have characters I prefer to Spike, I think it's probably one of the best executed episodes of the series so serious kudos to Dave Polsky and all the staff on this episode.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Simon

[spacestorm 183]

A very good Spike episode.
I can relate very well to his self-esteem issues. Especially his words at the epilogue, many people tell me that I'm very good at something but I just can't believe them. This has a lot to do with the past and unfortunately I still struggle with that without success.

 

I liked that his actions was appreciated in Crystal Empire, something he really deserves.

Very good attitude of Twilight, I'm very glad that she didn't went that road of hiding the truth from him.

 

One thing that really puzzles me is why they picked Fluttershy and this muscle pony to relay race team?
Do ponyville really lack of good flyers? We've seen a lot of pegasi in Hurricane Fluttershy - where they gone?
Do not get me wrong, I love Fluttershy and don't hate this white guy but they are the last ponies that fit to this competition, regardless of their achievements in Rainbow Falls episode.

[Scootaloodle 1,622]

I loved this weeks adventure:

 

The part where Spike was singing the wrong lyrics to the Crystal anthem was hilarious, and I watched the part where Spike, unfroze that big iyceacle several times. Looked epic and Spike was being very brave and cool.

 

Also “yay” for seeing a bit of Scootaloo

 

Edited May 4, 2014 by Asherdangerdash

[Luffyiscool 397]

I'm conflicted about this one.

I was bitterly disappointed that the episode wasn't more focused on the games,
but the third act was really heartwarming, and I thought the moral was excellent.

Maybe it's because my expectations were totally thrown off, but I felt pretty empty for most of this episode.
I'll probably like it more after several re-watches. But so far, it's my weakest season 4 episode.

[DragonAria 314]

And I hoped to see Flash Sentry...

[Ianpiersonjdavis 512]

Another great Spike episode (here I was worried this would be a repeat of 'Rainbow Falls') and it looks like Spitfire IS faster than Rainbow Dash, so the Wonderbolts didn't really need her after all.

 

Plus, we finally get get to see Shining Armor again-I don't think he's been in any episodes since this season began.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

This was an enjoyable episode. Gave me an idea for my next song!

 

Spike did a great job in this episode, although I have to say, he totally blew it when he sang the Cloudsdale National Anthem. 

[Argumedies 1,748]

I was rather disappointed in this episode.

 

Don't get me wrong... it was a good episode.

 

But I have been expecting to be watching the "Equestria Games"... not what we got.... Just a big load of let down

[Bhending the Rules 697]

I feel like someone needs to say this, and I don't see anyone saying it, so I will.

 

If you were expecting to see more athletic competition as part of the Equestria Games episode, or really, if you were expecting the games to be anything other than a backdrop for a character working through a personal problem, you were setting yourself up for disappointment before you even saw it. Remember the Grand Galloping Gala? A season of buildup, and it just ended up being a convenient backdrop for the main characters to learn another lesson. The "event" itself was completely superfluous, in the grand scheme of things. That was ALWAYS what the Equestria Games were going to be, right from the start.

 

I'm a sports guy all the way. I care about college basketball three months before the rest of the world does. But as much as I may have enjoyed seeing more sports, this isn't a sports show. It never has been and never will be. The struggles of the main characters will trump everything else, and there's nothing wrong with that. That, in fact, is what got me hooked on this show and what keeps me coming back.

 

Needless to say, I was quite pleased with this episode. 

[Revertz 159]

I was rather disappointed in this episode.

 

Don't get me wrong... it was a good episode.

 

But I have been expecting to be watching the "Equestria Games"... not what we got.... Just a big load of let down

I was also disappointed i was pumped for a Rainbow dash x Gilda/LightingDust stand off that would of been amazing! but it was still a good spike episode.

I loved this weeks adventure:

 

The part where Spike was singing the wrong lyrics to the Crystal anthem was hilarious, and I watched the part where Spike, unfroze that big iyceacle several times. Looked epic and Spike was being very brave and cool.

 

Also “yay” for seeing a bit of Scootaloo

 

Yeah the singing part was hilarious   could not help but cringe tho haha.

[Metemponychosis 1,257]

So, I want to talk about the disabling spell thing... I thought it was a bit too much. I mean... We're gonna disable your magic so you can't cheat. I thought it was a bit... Abusive? It's like going to a museum and having my hands tied behind my back so I don't steal anything. And... Really.. The princesses? I guess that since every unicorn is having his magic disabled, the princesses would not want to have any special privileges... But I thought that ponies trusted the princesses and in the end it seems like that this whole thing only happened so that unicorns couldn't do anything about the frozen cloud and not because of a valid in-universe reason.

 

Just fishing for opinions.

[Yellow Diamond 7,565]

I feel like someone needs to say this, and I don't see anyone saying it, so I will.

 

If you were expecting to see more athletic competition as part of the Equestria Games episode, or really, if you were expecting the games to be anything other than a backdrop for a character working through a personal problem, you were setting yourself up for disappointment before you even saw it. Remember the Grand Galloping Gala? A season of buildup, and it just ended up being a convenient backdrop for the main characters to learn another lesson. The "event" itself was completely superfluous, in the grand scheme of things. That was ALWAYS what the Equestria Games were going to be, right from the start.

 

That comparison is an interesting one, but it falls apart when one analyzes "The Best Night Ever" as a deconstruction of "We're all going to have our dreams fulfilled at the ball!" sets of tropes prevalent in stories aimed at little girls. Digibrony actually did a really interesting piece on "The Best Night Ever" in which he assessed the moral of as teaching the Mane Six and the audience that your wildest dreams are unlikely to come true. No one gets the prince or instantly becomes best friends with the biggest celebrities; those are often expectations with resounding dead ends.

 

But "Equestria Games" was not a deconstruction of getting to the championship and winning the gold. It almost set up for that sort of moral when Rainbow Dash gave her "pep talk" to the Ponyville team. Unfortunately, Rainbow's message and character were utterly mangled when she effectively stated that the relay team should just settle for silver because the Wonder Bolts are so good. Who on Earth goes to the goddam Olympics and says, "Boy, those other athletes are terrific. I think I'll go for silver; anything else is icing on the cake"? I'll give the answer: no one. Rainbow Dash is the last pony to settle for second best; she's intensely competitive, so much so that she can get overzealous in her quest for victory. Never before has she ever expressed the a priori rationalization of the merits of being second best. "Hurricane Fluttershy" may have demonstrated Rainbow's growing maturity with respect to coming out on top at the expense of everything else -- yet how does that devolve into the horrific message she conveys to the rest of the Ponyville team? It's an immature and insensitive act to tell Bulk Biceps and Fluttershy that they should just be satisfied with winning the silver before they even have a chance to compete.

 

I have the sense Polsky thought Rainbow's willingness to settle for second somehow demonstrated a growing awareness of her limits or something. My response is that it is an example of atrocious character writing and dialogue. I would be on board if Rainbow said, "No matter how we do in the Equestria Games, I want you guys to know that I'll always be proud of all of you!" Then if Rainbow's team does come in second, she can demonstrate maturity by comforting a despondent Fluttershy ("We were so close...") through a statement like "Hey. Didn't I say that I'd still be proud, no matter what happens?" Not to toot my own horn, but I reckon that is a little better than "Get ready for second place, everypony, because the Wonder Bolts are totally better than us!"

 

This is admittedly not a Rainbow Dash episode, even if the set up for the Equestria Games suggested some sort of unfolding character arc. (Rainbow, for instance, tried to deliver the moral in "The Games Pony Play", only to get lost in the shuffle because the moral made no sense.) What we have is a Spike episode -- a rather strange twist since he was never a primary character in the Equestria Games story arc. I nonetheless find the concept of Spike suffering from performance issues an interesting one; and despite the fact Spike is yet again Dave Polsky's whipping boy, the humiliation makes sense because people do encounter performance anxiety on a regular basis. It is a relatable flaw, one most any person can quietly appreciate. Having Spike's performance suffer in light of being seen as a hero by the Crystal Ponies adds a layer to the struggle: How can he ever truly live up to their expectations?

 

I cannot say, however, whether or not the conflict went anywhere in particular. Spike fails in the clutch, gets bailed out by Twilight, finds out he isn't so special, compounds the problem through trying even harder, mopes around during the Equestria Games, and then... saves a bunch of ponies from a giant floating block of ice? I'm not sure how that resolution addresses Spike's performance anxiety. Yes, I understand the event was meant to demonstrate Spike can take heroic action when he isn't forced to think about it -- quite an apt analogy, too, as thinking too much is one of the central causes of weak performance. I have a problem with how contrived the final incident is, effectively handing Spike a problem to solve on a platter. He doesn't have to work for it or learn not to try and overcompensate. I never had the sense Spike needed to tackle the problem headlong in a way which leaves us all with a fruitful lesson.

 

Nitpicking once again -- what the hell were the princesses doing when the giant block of ice descended upon the crowd? I've read a few people justify their inaction on the basis of the magic deactivation device unicorns must pass through when they enter the stadium. Why would the princesses be required to do so, though? As I said to my friend after watching the episode, that's like patting down President Obama and the Secret Service for weapons. In the context of Equestria, the princesses regularly handle emergencies using their magic -- why deprive them of that ability? I hardly imagine anypony would insinuate Twilight, Celestia, Luna, or Cadance projecting their magic to influence the results of the games. I don't believe we even get a throwaway line that explains the princesses' gross inaction. I personally chalk it up to Polsky conveniently forgetting magic exists because it would undermine the plot contrivance.

 

What are some good things about this episode? Many of the gags are entertaining: from the Crystal Ponies practically worshiping Spike to the botched recital of Cloudsdale's anthem, there are some strong comedic elements throughout the episode. I also continue to enjoy whenever Princess Cadance appears on screen: she's typically very charming and sweet without being patronizing. She is consistently portrayed as a genuinely good person, not just some pretty pink princess placeholder. We also have Spike attempting to use his skull gun to melt objects using his thoughts; however, when Twilight gives him until the count of three to lift a coin, he can't do much but watch in horror as somepony gets shot. Wunderbar!

 

Overall, "Equestria Games" is largely a disappointment. After all the buildup for the arc -- some of which was quite uneven -- we receive an episode that doesn't bother to change the status quo in any significant fashion. There's also a terrific opportunity for world building which is inexplicably ignored; for instance, could we learn a little more about the griffons attending the games? Instead of discovering and unpacking more about Equestria, we're told interesting things have happened off-screen.

 

I don't think the writing staff had a coherent vision for this arc. I sincerely hope they can improve on consistency as the show continues, but I would hardly chalk up the Equestria Games story as a rousing success.

[Truffles 2,033]

So, I want to talk about the disabling spell thing... I thought it was a bit too much. I mean... We're gonna disable your magic so you can't cheat. I thought it was a bit... Abusive? It's like going to a museum and having my hands tied behind my back so I don't steal anything. And... Really.. The princesses? I guess that since every unicorn is having his magic disabled, the princesses would not want to have any special privileges... But I thought that ponies trusted the princesses and in the end it seems like that this whole thing only happened so that unicorns couldn't do anything about the frozen cloud and not because of a valid in-universe reason.

 

Just fishing for opinions.

 

You've summed it up pretty well on all counts: The main reason for it was to insure viewers wouldn't complain about the unicorns saving everypony in the stadium with their magic, but its believable since for all we know there has been cheating at past games by the unicorn fans of their teams. And you're right - the princesses subjecting themselves to the spell is optional but they do it out of courtesy to the other unicorn fans. As for the museum analogy, the spell is like how museums usually keep anything that is liable to be stolen behind glass. We can't just go up and put our face to the Mona Lisa, for instance.

 

 

it's nice that we have good callbacks to previous episodes (Flight to the Finish)

....

To have Twilight actually intervene on the behalf of Spike for lighting the torch AND actually tell him the truth, that felt well played to me. I was almost thinking that the point of the episode was going to be about keeping this secret from him

....

The other half is with Twilight's behaviour – it was excellent. I honestly view these two acting in a caring sibling relationship, given their history. And I would say it shows with genuine care.

 

Much applause for bringing these items up. There were so many opportunities for this episode to go horribly wrong, but everything was perfectly executed! I squealed that we actually got to see the CMC do their routine that was the focus of an entire episode, I loved the fact that Twilight AND the entire Mane 6 immediately agreed Spike needed to know the truth about the fire spell ASAP instead of it being some plotline to dwell on, and Twi and Spike finally got to do some real bonding which we haven't see much of the entire season.

 

Other nifty things:

• When Spike tells Twilight she hasn't ever let anypony down, she quickly corrects him on that notion! ("Lesson Zero" and "Swarm of the Century" immediately come to mind).
• Fluttershy nonchalantly flying upside down in the train - she's really becoming a good flier after training with Rainbow!
• Twilight seemed to want to go down and sit with her friends when she first took her seat next to the princesses. A nice bit of growth from the way she was in "Best Night Ever".
• Spike to his crystal effigy: "Hello, gorgeous!" So in-character for Spike! I swear he said it with a British accent! Maybe I'll have to start shipping Spike with himself, now?
• The CMC finally made it all the way into the Crystal Empire. I remember how badly they wanted to see it in "Just for Sidekicks", but had to make do with only seeing the train station to keep Spike out of trouble.
• Spike's little umbrella gag after he steamed the ice cloud was adorable. I have to think he keeps it in that "magic cartoon" pocket of his.
• Another episode with Spike showing off his singing skills. If he hadn't been so discombobulated over not knowing the lyrics, it would have been an epic performance instead of the slightly off-key rendition he gave. I kinda hope we get some official lyrics for the Cloudsdale anthem someday; if not that then hopefully the fans can come up with appropriate lyrics!
• Blueblood appearing and not being a jerk - maybe there's hope for that pony yet! Made sense too that he would be among the dignitaries sitting with the princesses.
• Like I said in the main forum, once Spike grows up, the appreciation the Crystal Empire has given Spike has gained them a powerful ally in the defense of their kingdom. I really could see Spike roosting here permanently in a few hundred years after all his friends and their foals and foals'-foals have passed on....

Anyway, excellent episode; my favorite of the season so far. Next's week's season finale looks like another great one too, with plenty of places where Liquid Pride is going to be shed....

Goodbye, old library!

[Callisto 1,876]

The writers dug themselves in to a hole with the Equestria Games. The writers decided to make something grand and huge; then they realized they couldn't make an interesting episode about a sporting event. So what do they do? Give us ANOTHER Spike episode. You've proven your point here, guys; Spike isn't stupid! We know! All this buildup went to a Spike that's the exact same as all the other Spike episodes.

 

I did like how Spike was treated with reverance as the hero of the Crystal Empire. I liked the the few minutes of events we were shown, and I liked the bit of world building we got with the (presumably) leaders of other countries sitting with the princesses.

 

In and of itself, this is not a bad episode. It's well written, and it makes sense. No one's out of character and there are no stupid contrivances. It does commit Season 4's sin by having the characters dump exposition all over the place, but it's not a bad episode. It was just a hugely underwhelming pay-off for such big build up.

[Shady Bubbles 429]

They physically can, but there's no chance that any of the princesses would cheat. It would be INCREDIBLY out of character if they did. And as I said, did they not think something like this might happen? It would make sense to have some of the most powerful ponies (i,e, princesses) keep their magic in case it's needed

It would make more sense if the princesses weren't screened too, but didn't Twilight technically "cheat" when she helped Spike light the torch? 

 

i loved this episode, but we should get another that focuses more on the games themselves since they were so hyped up. Seeing Spike use actual fire breath instead of his magic fire was a nice touch. I do believe that's his biggest flame yet, which really shows his potential to be a powerful dragon like the ones we've seen in the past. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had brilliant moments, even though they were side characters in this one. I liked the continuity (CMC routine, Aerial Relay Team routine were both the exact same as in Flight to the Finish and Rainbow Falls). Honestly I didn't like how Ponyville had the highest medal count. The minor conflicts were nice, like Twilight wanting to sit with her Ponyville friends.

 

Oh and GRIFFINS! 

All in all, this was a great episode, especially for a Spike episode. It might not have been the Equestria Games we were hoping for, but it was still very solid. 9/10 for me.

[Envy 6,128]

Saw this on Tumblr:

 

 

She lives! :DDDDD

 

Honestly, have no clue how in the world somebody actually caught that, though. xD

[Thaliel 116]

It was a bit surprising that this ep focused on spike instead of RD and the rest of the delegation. I wish we could have seen more of the games themselves instead of spike's inner turmloil

[Whatevs 377]

If this was not the arc hyped up by the show, this episode would be fine.

But it was so I must say this episode fell flat. It was underwhelming.

 

And yes, I am going to harp on how low you people judge IM (an unserious episode) while this is considered better. It's silly.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Whatevs

[Kel_Grym 1,917]

 I don't think I can say anything about this that hasn't been said about it already.

 

Was it a good Spike episode?

 

YES.

 

Was it a waste of the Equestria games bulid up?

 

YES.

 

Good Moral?

 

Very relevant to me.

 

Just one thing.

 

Twilight's expression when Spike suggested turning back time to do it over again...

 

It's like...she was giving it serious thought!

[Luffyiscool 397]

I thought it was pretty obvious why the Princesses had their magic disabled along with everyone else.
It's not ABOUT stopping them cheating. We KNOW they wouldn't do that.

It's more about stopping potential POLITICAL ACCUSATIONS from sore losers.
With no magic anywhere, there's no one to blame for an athlete's failure.

[Allen 1,387]

Indeed, it was amazing and Spike knows with his strong dragon breath.   

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

I've seen a ton of people complaining about this episode focusing on Spike and not the game events. While I understand people expected this to be about the games themselves, I think doing so would have been redundant. We've already had several episodes focus on games/competitions (Fall Weather Friends, Sonic Rainboom), the Equestria games events (Rainbow Falls) and then The Last Round Up, focusing on the disappointment of not doing well at competitions. What could this episode have done that those episodes or other shows (The Frycook Games from Spongebob comes to mind) haven't already done? I think it was really cool that Polsky centered an episode around the people watching and working the games (I loved little touches like the magic security checkpoint, even if it was there to set up the climax, it was still a cool idea), and not as much on the actual competitions.

 

Regardless of the episode's premise, I think this is a very good episode (especially for Spike's character). It had some funny moments ("sup", spike singing, "nailed it!") a fantastic and original moral, and I think important character growth for Spike. 9/10

Edited May 5, 2014 by LZRD WZRD

[~/XC- BRONY\~ 310]

The more I thought about it. The more my vote didn't make sense. This moved from a meh episode, to the lowball of the season in my opinion

[Yellow Diamond 7,565]

Twilight's expression when Spike suggested turning back time to do it over again...

 

It's like...she was giving it serious thought!

 

I caught that, too! Her reaction is one of the few real highlights of the episode.