Your 5 Favorite Episodes of Season 4

[Freewave 1,145]

Ok season 4 is over, why not pick your 5 favorite episodes of the season?  Please pick only 5 on the multiple choice poll. I made the 2 parters single choices as they'd otherwise throw things off and you DID see them each on the same day (didn't you). After a little bit we'll be able to see the results for the whole forum.

 

If you forget which episode goes with which you can check the wiki here: http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Episodes#Season_four

 

Also please reply back (after taking the poll) with your 5 picks and WHY they were your favorites. Bonus points if you can list your least favorites as well and why they let you down.

 

Thanks all!

[Hovershy 3,812]

No particular order:

 

- Twilight's Kingdom- 2 amazing songs, epic fight scene

- Bats!- Flutterbat

- Pinkie Pride- Weird Al was awesome

- Maud Pie- Maud was awesome

- Rarity Takes Manehattan- Just an all around good episode, with a good song.

 

Wow, that was harder than I thought it would be. There we're a lot of great episodes this season.

I think my favorite out of all of them though would be Twilight's Kingdom. It just blew me away with how amazing it was.

 

honorable mentions:

 

- Three's a Crowd

- For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils

- Castle Mane-ia

 

worst episodes:

 

- Simple Ways

- Daring Don't

- It aint Easy being Breezies

Edited May 22, 2014 by Hovershy

[Freewave 1,145]

My favorites were.

 

1. Twilight's Kingdom - Part 1+2- I haven't seen a 2 parter this epic since the Royal Wedding or the 2 part Discord battle. the best episode was saved for last.

 

2. Pinkie Pride  It's a freaking musical with Weird Al and Pinkie! What's not to like?

 

3. Maud Pie Funniest and most unexpected episode of the year. Maud might be our best new character.

 

4. Rarity Takes Manehattan New location, Rarity + fashion + drama = win. Coco Pommel is adorable.

 

5. Bats!  Flutterbat was a great addition and leads to some cool fannon.

 

 

Worst eps:

1. Equestrian Games - Pure let down as Spike overshadows the full season event buildup.

2. Somepony to Watch Over Me - Complete overreaction for AJ and cartoony plot. Could have touched upon the lack of Aj and AB's parents but didn't.

3. Daring Don't - maybe its the fact that comic introduced the idea that Twilight's mom was the author of Daring Do (an idea i much prefer), but this plot just seemed off from the start and lacking in good surprises. Sadly very bland for a DD return.  

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 & 2

Maud Pie

Pinkie Pride

Equestria Games

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

[Alpha9571 69]

1.Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 & 2-best finale so far

2.Pinkie Pride-Weird Al is always awesome

3.Maud Pie-Maud was the best.

4.Testing,Testing,1,2,3-Dashie is so cute in this 

5.Inspiration Manifestation-One of my favorite Rarity episodes

Honorable mentions :

 Pinkie Apple Pie-Slenderpony

Trade Ya!-Great episode.Don't understand why people hated it.

Bats!-Flutterbat and Hazmat Rarity(  ),fanon fodder,but shitty moral.

Rainbow Falls-our Lord and Savior,Derpy Hooves,makes a triumphant return.Also wonderbolts.

Castle Mania-I wonder if we will see the Pony of Shadows again?

Rarity Takes Manehattan-another good Rarity episode

Simple Ways-Redneck Rarity...that is all.

Worst episodes:

Somepony to watch over me-As Freewave said,AJ was way OOC in this one.

Equestria Games-we spend all this time building up to this and we get a Spike episode.Really? 

and the rest were just meh.

Edit:moved Trade Ya down to honorable mentions because I decided I like TT123 better.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Alpha9571

[Guest90210 3,567]

1. Pinkie Pride - Pretty much everything about this episode was immensely enjoyable. Barring a few minor issues that are easily looked over due to how good the rest of the episode is, this has to be one of, if not my favorite episode of MLP.

 

2. Testing, Testing, 123 - My favorite Rainbow Dash episode. They took a concept that hits really close to home for me and executed it nearly flawlessly.

 

3. Equestria Games - Sure, it wasn't as much about the Equestria Games as most would have hoped, but the finished product was awesome and actually fixed some issues with previous episodes (i,e, Spike's saving of the Crystal Empire finally being recognized). It might have been better if this was a 2 parter that focused on the games, but what we got was great so I wasn't disappointed.

 

4. Bats - Great song, interesting concept, and Flutterbat. Not much to complain about.

 

5. Power Ponies - Very underrated. Again, my ranking likely has bias as I'm a huge Spike fan, but regardless it's nice to see him get the spotlight (in a positive manner). I also really liked the Mane-iac and the Power Pony outfits.

[Shanks 10,811]

1. Twilight's Kingdom: Oh sweet Celestia, Tirek is an even bigger badass than he was in G1, Tirek is now my new favorite villain of the pretty much the entire franchise.

 

2. Pinkie Apple Pie: An AJ episode right off the bat already made it an episode I would like but we also get to see an entertaining family road trip with some of the best character development from Pinkie Pie since season 2. And it was written by a brand new writer who I am looking forward to seeing more episodes from.

 

3. Pinkie Pride: More awesome Pinkie Pie and Weird Al pony, this is a no brainer.

 

4. Maud Pie: Maud is probably the best secondary character introduced this whole season, I love the contrast between her and Pinkie Pie and see the love they both have for each other.

 

5. Bats: People often criticize Applejack in this one but what would you do in her situation? I really liked Fluttershy in this episode and of course Flutterbat is an interesting concept.

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

My top five go like this!

1.) Pinkie Pride

2.) Maud Pie

3.) Twilight's Kingdom

4.)Bats!

5.)Castle Mane-ia

 

Honorable Mentions

Rarity Takes Manehattan

Daring Don't

Rainbow Falls

 

Shit

It Ain't Easy Being Breezy

 

Everything else was pretty good.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

5. Pinkie Apple Pie: This episode was just full of hilarious hi jinks between Pinkie and Applejack and funny jokes. And when you think about it, Pinkie has never been really close to her own family so her being so eager to have a family with this reason makes it a pretty deep episode.

 

4. Testing Testing, 1, 2, 3: This is probably the episode in the whole show that I laughed the most out of. This episode has so much funny gags plus Pinkie rapping (so hilarious). Also this moral something more schools should use instead of only one method.

 

3. Maud Pie: We get to see expansion on Pinkie's family plus Maud makes the opposite kind of humor Pinkie makes: deadpan humor, which leads to a hilarious episode.

 

2. Twilight's Kingdom. Not much to say. An epic finale with an epic battle mixed with the perfect way to close out the ark. (oh and hilarious Discord antics as always)

 

1. Pinkie Pride: Again not much else to say, it pulls off having a character voiced by a celebrity that actually has a developed back story. And of coarse this is probably the most depth we've seen out of Pinkie in the whole show. And it introduced my favorite song, Pinkie's Lament. So sad   Also, it's now my favorite episode in the whole show.

[Whatevs 376]

1. Sweetie belle toils - great episode. Well paced. Tone shifted well. Great characterization for all the characters involved as I said in my blog. 

2. Rarity Takes Manehattan - Also a great episode, marred only by a lackluster song. All other criticisms leveled against it are erroneous. Ask me why if you want.

3. Castlemania - absurd character driven comedy.

4. Power Ponies - only episode I did not get bored by. I also loved the little moments with all of the characters.

5. filli vanilli - great little episode. Fun for all characters.

 

Looking back, I am not too keen on Pinkie Pride as I really only enjoyed the spectacle. All of these I enjoyed more on a deeper level.

[Megas 27,064]

1) Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

2) Flight to the Finish

3) Rarity Takes Manehatten

4) Pinkie Pride

5) Bats!

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

In No Specific Order

 

1. For whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls-I really enjoyed this episode. It had my favorite sisters in it, and even Luna too!
2. Pinkie Pie-What more in life could I ask for than a Weird Al/Pinkie Pie musical episode?
3. Twilight's Kingdom-A G1 Villain faces off against Twilight's 9000+ power level. Rainbow Power was cool too.
4. Testing Testing 1 2 3-Rainbow Dash was adorable, and we got a rapping Pinkie Pie.
5. Twilight Time-I thought this was a well done episode. We got the CMC, and Twilight shoving food in her face. 

[The Crimson Cross 7,532]

I would have to say..

 

1. Twilight's Kingdom - It was awesome. Period. 

2. Three's a Crowd - Discord. 

3. Pinkie Pride - The songs were just so- Oh and Cheese Sandwich, that was great. Very memorable. 

4. Bats - These vampire bats will give you a fright, eaten' apples both day and night. 

5. Princess Twilight Sparkle - what can I say, I'm a sucker for two parter episodes!

Shit
It Ain't Easy Being Breezy

Everything else was pretty good.

 

And here I thought I was the only one that thought this episode was horrible! Everyone else seems to think it was brilliant...

Edited May 23, 2014 by TheGoldenCross

[iDeltaVelocity 110]

Flight to the Finish - I liked the song the CMC sung. It was catchy and fun. 

Rarity Takes Manehatten - Coco Pommel was cute

Maud Pie - Maud is pretty awesome. 

Pinkie Pie - Diamond Tiara sang in this episode! 

Twilight's Kingdom - The fight between Tirek and Twilight was epic. 

 

That's pretty much it for me. 

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

5. Daring Don't - Very funny and kept me entertained throughout the entire episode

 

4. Rarity Takes Manehatten - Rarity was awesome and it had a very good moral and conflict

 

3. Princess Twilight Sparkle - Funny, great use of flashbacks, and has some of the best animation of any episode

 

2. Testing, Testing, 1,2,3 - Hillarious, touching, and relatable. Blows every episode of season four out of the water (except for #1 ) which is saying something because it's probably my favorite season

 

1. Twilight's Kingdom - Dark, emotional, and a beauty to look at, this episode puts all the other two-parters to shame (with the exception of The Crystal Empire), and considering how good THOSE are, that's saying something. Discord's finest appearance, a showing from Twilight that almost makes up for her underuse this season, the best song of the series (You'll play your part), and the overall cinematic feel that eclipses that of A Canterlot Wedding makes this a truly amazing episode of MLP

Edited May 23, 2014 by LZRD WZRD

[Odyssey 5,713]

My favourite episodes of Season 4

5. Twilight Time - This episode showed not only shows some great character from the CMC, but some character development from both Twilight and the CMC. It's about time that not only the writers got in their way to mention Twilight's status as a princess, but to also make an interesting plot out of it.

 

4. Power Ponies - This episode is hilarious. While this episode is kind of filler-y, I enjoyed the action and gags of this episode. The visuals weren't bad, either.

 

3. Simple Ways - What I love about this episode is the humour. Usually, I chuckle at some of the gags that MLP pull off, but this episode is the first one to make me laugh a lot. But that's not the only thing I like about this episode. I liked the moral and the cute Rarijack moments. c:

 

2. Rarity Takes Manehatten - This episode is great. Good characterisation from Rarity, enjoyable side-characters and lovely visuals. Generosity is also a great song.

 

1. Twilight's Kingdom - This episode might be my favourite of the entire series. The first thing I could say about this episode is the visuals. From the Dragon Ball Z-esque battle to Rainbow Power, this episode stands out both animation-wise and visual-wise than any other episode. The characters in this episode we're awesome, too. From the well-written Tirek to the well-developed Twilight, it made me like a fair amount of characters more than ever.

 

Honarable Mentions

1. Pinkie Pride - This episode is an example on how much the show evolved quickly. From the cute animation to the visuals, this episode shows how great the animation always been. I think this episode is also great character-wise. Pinkie Pie's characterisation is good, Cheese Sandwich is an enjoyable character and I kind of like how happy Rainbow is, even if she said the word "epic", a fair bit...

 

2. Rainbow Falls - This episode in my opinion is one of the most underrated episodes of the show. Yes, I can see what's wrong about this episode, but I can't help but enjoy all of the cute moments, such as Derpy's return. I also thought Rainbow Dash was pretty enjoyable.

 

3. Filli Vanilli - To be honest, I don't know why I like this episode. I just thought it was a cute episode. I do hope to see Fluttershy and the Ponytones more since it'll be good character development. Pinkie's characterisation is quite bad, however.

 

And here are my least favourites. Unpopular opinions abound.

5. Maud Pie - Sorry, but I really dislike Maud. She's an uninteresting character. This episode also seemed too passive. Nothing special really happened in this episode. The only thing I like is Pinkie's love for her sister, but that's it.

 

4. Equestria Games - Sigh, the Equestria Games had so much potential. The writers climaxed the Equestria Games arc quite effectively that it had potential to continue in Season 5. But no. Spike is a complete idiot in this episode. I didn't like how much he gloats about how much he hates himself. The humour is terrible too. I liked the moral, though.

 

3 Three's A Crowd - Discord is annoying, Glass of Water is a song that I want to forget, Pinkie and Rainbow's charaterisation is garbage and the plot of this episode doesn't start until halfway through. Oh, and BradFlash Sentry was there, too.

 

2. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 - Originally, I really liked this episode, but after observing its bad points, I realised how bad this episode actually is. I found Rainbow's gloating about how bad she is annoying. I also found the humour to be slightly annoying, especially the most painful song of the series, Pinkie Pie's Rap.

 

1. Pinkie Apple Pie - To put this in a nutshell, I found Pinkie Pie to be so annoying, the humour is too much for me and I'm disappointed that Pinkie could be an Apple. There's more to this episode that I really hate, but it'll take a long time to explain everything I hated about this episode.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Sawk

[cmarston1 5,951]

#5:Rarity Takes Manehatten- Another fantastic episode about one of my favorite characters, some world building, a good song, a great conflict and lesson Rarity learned and all and all a really well made and enjoyable episode all around.

 

#4:Princess Twilight Sparkle- The strongest season opener to this date as we had some great new animation, lots of emotion especially with the two sisters and seeing Luna transform into Nightmare Moon and fight Celestia was awesome, Discord was hilarious and I enjoyed seeing that the mane 6's friendships are still strong and enjoyed Celestia's character in the episode.

 

#3:Pinkie Pride- Hilarious absolutely hilarious this episode was an adrenaline rush of enjoyability. It was also nice to see Pinkie's character in all it's complexity and there where funny moments all around, great animation and of course Weird Al who was awesome in this oh and the songs were great as well.

 

#2-Flight To the Finish- A near flawless episode that handles disabilities with tact and grace and finally let me enjoy Scootaloo's character who finally developed in this episode.

Sure the pacing wasn't that good but this episode had lots of heart and emotion and I really liked seeing how more mature the CMC have become while still being endearing children and I did love Hearts As Strong As Horses.

 

#1:Twilight's Kingdom: This episode was freaking amazing there was an awesome and threatening villain with Tirek who also had an amazing DBZ style action sequence against Twilight which was one of my favorite scenes in the entire show.

From good songs, a fantastic antagonist, great character development from Twilight and Discord, fluid and beautiful animation, well done atmosphere and much more this has become my favorite episode of season 4 and the entire series.

 

Honorary Mentions

 

Testing Testing 123- This was a nice fun, cute, heartwarming episode with a good morale and great character interactions and even some worldbuilding with some history of the wonderbolts.

This episode was also funny and has some great rewatch value and just barley missed the top 5 of the season.

 

Filli Vanilli- Despite Pinkie Pie it was a nice enjoyable episode with a good song and nice interactions with best ponies (Fluttershy and Rarity) it was also nice to see Big Mac and Zecora again all and all this episode was great and Fluttershy is on her way to developing even more and I can't wait.

 

Daring Don't- A fun action packed adventure that never seemed boring and kept me entertained all the way through.I also enjoyed Daring Doo's character and found this episode to have some great jokes in it as well.

 

Sweetie Belle Toils-  A sweet episode that showcases the relationship between best cmc and best written pony as well as great visuals, emotions, Princess Luna being awesome again, a good lesson and all and all just really fun to watch.

Edited May 23, 2014 by cmarston1

[Stellafera 3,835]

1. Testing, Testing, 123 - Reminds me of Hurricane Fluttershy in its high quality dual focus and moral but has better humor.

 

2. Somepony to Watch Over Me - I laughed my flank off. One of the episodes that I went in with the highest expectations and was thankful not to be dissapointed by. I found AJ plenty in character here, which is part of why Leap of Faith rubbed me the wrong way.

 

3. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils - REALLY high quality animation, storytelling, characterization, etc. Showed off more of Rarity's good side, as she was really the more negatively portrayed sister in Sisterhooves Social. Put the Christmas Carol storyline to good use. Really, I think the difference between this and the one above it was just character preference for me.

 

4. Pinkie Pride - Great rewatch value due to lovely songs! I considered swapping it with Bats! or Pinkie Apple Pie or something, but I dunno, I just get more of a kick out of Weird Al and Pinkie Pie uniting. The strongest Pinkie episode in the series and one that explored what I like about the character. She's got a purpose to her antics because she wants to make ponies happy. 

 

5. Rarity Takes Manehatten - I liked the plot, I loved the dress designs, and I like more down-to-earth stories anyhoo. This one hit all the right notes. I'm not a big fan of Rarity's bad side usually, but I didn't mind bossy Rares here because it was entirely justified and wasn't too whiny.

 

No, that's fine.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Stellafera

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

Castle Mania

Following the high stakes of MMC and Princess Twilight, it was nice to have a nice breather slice-of-life episode. No world changing conflict or even much of a conflict to really speak of actually, it was just the Mane 6 spending a night in a spooky castle while scaring the daylights out of one another in hilarious fashions. Plus we got to visit the castle old castle again, so that was a plus.  

 

Power Ponies

How fitting that this episode takes place in a comic book, because like many a comic this episode takes absurdity and runs straight to the endzone with it. Not to mention we got another (though sadly one-off) villain in the form of the wonderfully hammy Mane-iac.

 

Rarity Takes Manehattan

After so long without a Rarity-centric episode, Rarity Takes Manehattan delivers in spades. We have the debut visit to Manehattan outside of Applejack's flashback, Rarity's Generosity song (both the original and the somber reprise), countless interesting new characters like Prim Hemline, Coco Pommel and (your mileage may vary) Suri Polimare among other, and the first of the keys. But even without the key, Rarity was finally allowed to shine once more and prove why she is one of my favorite ponies.  

 

Pinkie Pride

Weird Al's presence aside, I liked this one because it finally showed what Pinkie is capable of. Pinkie as a character is hard to get right and is infact a defining negative characteristic for me for several episodes this season like Filli Vanilli and Trade Ya, but when she's done right it really shows. The countless songs that encompass most of the episode don't hurt either.  

 

Twilight's Kingdom

Let's see: badass villain straight from G1? Check. A surprisingly dark plot done right? Check. Two beautiful songs, double check. A DBZ inspired fight between two powerhouses that results in energy blasts the size of houses and physical destruction? Hell ya check! All topped off the final conclusion to the Princess Twilight arc that has been building since Magical Mystery Cure? Check. Make way A Canterlot Wedding, there's a new benchmark in town for how to end a season in the most spectacular fashion. 

[Redeye 399]

Top 5 IMO

 

-Princess Twilight Sparkle (I'm surprised that barely anyone mentioned the kickstarter. It was a pretty cool plot and we finally got some good lore for once!)

 

-Castle Mane-ia (Easily the funniest episode in the season. The comedic timing was almost perfect and I was loling like crazy for nearly the entire episode due to how dramatic it was.)

 

-Three's a Crowd (Discord episode, nothing much to say. Fantastic comedy with a fantastic "villain")

 

-Maud Pie (Maud herself was actually pretty badass when she went Smile HD on the big rock. She was ironically hilarious.)

 

-Twilight's Kingdom (While my 2nd favorite finale, my favorite being A Canterlot Wedding, this probably had the most adrenaline-packed fight scene I saw. Twilight's overpowered blows made the fight scene epic and explosion-packed. Also, more lore!)

 

Honorable mentions:

 

Pinkie Pride

For whom the Sweetie Belle toils

Filli Vanilli

Testing, Testing, 1 2 3

Bats!

 

Worst episodes IMO:

 

Equestria Games (Spike's humiliating scenes were cringe-worthy and I couldn't stand to see him make an idiot of himself.)

Somepony to Watch over Me (Applejack was much more out of character than Applebucking Season in this episode. The only redeeming factor that i'd might consider is her fight versus the Chimera.)

Flight to the Finish (I was actually kind of bored when I watched this episode. Nothing special really happens except for the part where we find out that Scootaloo actually LIVES somewhere.)

Edited May 23, 2014 by Redeye

[baba_booey 4,299]

In no real order..

 

1. Rarity Takes Manehattan - Rarity at her best since Suited for Success and probably Rarity's best episode yet.

2. Pinkie Pride - Weird Al, 'nuff said.

3. Pinkie Apple Pie - We get some in sight on Pinkie Pie and Applejack, and it's great.

4. Twilight's Kingdom - Twilight Sparkle now has a kingdom! yey!

5. For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils - Rarity and Sweetie Belle connection! yey!

 

Yeah, I'll most likely do better when I review this season in my blog

 

As for Least Favorites?

It's difficult since there aren't really any episodes I find below or, heck, even at average. But..

 

Rainbow Falls - Flanderization and shoehorned characters ruined this episode for me.

 

Three's a Crowd - It's a bit too slow paced and Glass of Water is probably the first MLP song (unless you count the EQGirls songs) that is boring, unmemorable and no good.

 

That's all I can really think of.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Peter Sam

[Aaappleooza 41]

1. Pinkie Pride: Absolutely irresistible and one of those episodes where I sit back and think "Man, I want to watch Pinkie Pride right now". Cheese Sandwich is a fantastically handled character (His confession is absolutely heart melting) and I thoroughly enjoy his and Pinkie's interaction. Everything in it is just so so soooooooo enjoyable. 

2. Testing Testing 1  2 3: Not only is this an extremely heartwarming episode but as an education major I found it extremely timely and relevant with its acknowledgement of the multiple intelligences (Rainbowdash being most clearly a kinesthetic learner). Personally, I didn't think of it as just a lesson for students that it's ok to learn different ways, I thought of it as a lesson for teachers and educators to consider the different ways students learn. I liked it. 

3/4 (The next two are sort of switchable)  Flight to the Finish: I just really liked it. I liked the "It's ok to not be able to do everything other people can do", the soaring reprise, acknowledging that some people do try to knock people down for this stuff, It was just great. 

3/4Twilight's Kingdom: I was so torn between this and Three's a Crowd if for nothing else then for Discord... I really like how he was handled (Fluttershy and Discord are my brotp...). I like how even though he was abandoning friendship you see that friendship had irrevocably changed him. I could sense so many brother issues with Terrick which I loved to mentally pick apart. The theme of Twilight finding a purpose is one I always enjoy. There were so many twists and turns it was just great. 

4. Rainbow Falls: (Dives behind barricade and hides under red flag) I liked it, ok? Not only did I go nuts over the whole Rainbowdash and Soarin having a prolonged conversation it was a moral that I related to personally. I'm horribly indecisive, I want to please everyone, and then when I can't choose it takes everything in me not to just sit and not make a decision. That hit home for me. 

 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

Since people are putting their worse I might as well

 

Rainbow Falls: Well kind of a guilty pleasure for me (some Soarindash shipping) still doesn't excuse the contrived plot with pretty much everyone and their granny smith flanderized

 

Somepony to Watch over me: Applejack is flanderized to the point where she's babying Apple Bloom and it was just so boring. Nothing that interesting happened in the episode (besides like the scene with the chimera and the no time for a song joke)

[Dark Qiviut 22,173]

I have it listed in my overall episode ranks here, but I only put my top five in the quote box.

 

1. Pinkie Pride: What else to describe it? This is easily not just my most favorite episode this season, but also among the best of the series. (In fact, it's in my top 5, third place behind Sleepless in Ponyville and Magic Duel, to be exact.) Pinkie is Pinkie Pie instead of an out-of-character idiot who blubbers randomness all the time for no good reason. This episode did what MMDon't: write a musical in twenty minutes without sacrificing quality. Cheese Sandwich is a wacky name, but fits Weird Al so well, and he was AMAZING. So far, it's the only episode this season where I watched it more than ten times. There are some logical flaws (including a script/storyboarding error in Spike being dropped from the episode during Act 3), but they're so small, they don't detract from the experience. Easily the best episode this season and will stay that way until something grander comes along.

2. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3: Two episodes that AKR wrote are high up on the list. (This was fifth on my list, but after a rewatch, it climbed up.) Of the episodes to be featured this season, this one is by far one of the most mature in terms of morals and theme. "No method of learning is better than another. What works for one may not work for another" is something you don't normally see in any media; it takes guts, and did AKR brilliantly execute it. First, the characters are very in character and three-dimensional; Twilight Sparkle actually showed some character for the first time since Twilight Time, and she was the one to write the lesson in the journal, a brilliant twist to the lessons post-Season 1. The worldbuilding was excellent, including plugging in Faust's most favorite pony, Firefly, into the plot as a Wonderbolt. While sometimes the setting tends to be an arbitrary gimmick to the moral (thus making it pointless), the setting and moral communicate with each other. In addition, the episode contains an incredible balance of humor and drama without making either overbearing. Not to mention the foreshadowing early was very subtle, yet noticeable. Pinkie Pride is one of the best episodes this season, if not the best, but you can argue that TT123 is just as good if not a little better than PP.

3. Pinkie Apple Pie: Part of the five-episode stretch where three great episodes came out of it. For one of the few times this season prior to Pinkie Pride, Pinkie Pie was very in character. There's a completely big difference between being offbeat (which is a unique style of humor with substance in mind) and random. Pinkie's the former, not the latter; in PAP, she's the former. Excellently portrayed with great humor for the right reasons. the core four Apples are very realistic with their fighting and constant screw-ups, but PP did care because she thought she found family close by and wanted to know the ins and outs. Apples to the Core is a musical masterpiece (although I like the background clapping a tad more, but that's just my preference). While the plot comes out of thin air and Pinkie's status of being an Apple or not is hidden by exposition, it's hidden very plausibly because the characterization, journey, personal reasons for each character, and humor are superb.

4. For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils: Initially, I said RTM was Polsky's best episode. FWtSBT more than likely eclipsed it. The conflict was very believable. Just through the tension, even without SB blurting out the "fifth birthday" comparison, Sweetie Belle had obviously lived under her bigger sister's shadow for some time and was getting tired of it. When the play she worked hard on got overshadowed by Rarity's fantastic dresses, it was as if her work became null. So it made plenty of sense for Sweetie to ignore the consequences of her actions and destroy the headdress. But the consequences she received (the nightmare) was delicious and one of the best examples of "show, don't tell" in the series. Instead of being told the consequences, she was shown, not just through Luna, but also her own angry mind. It's a Christmas Carol reference done beautifully well. Although the ending followed a rather typical cartoon gag of twirling the windows and the cat-and-mouse chase, it all paid off well at the end.

5. Rarity Takes Manehattan: For the first time since Sisterhooves Social, a good Rarity episode. While the song tells too much and puts her generosity front and center, its reprise is fantastic and delivers fresh consequences for her behavior the night before. But her not being so generous to the Remane Five had an extremely fantastic reason. Rarity's generosity was once taken advantage in Suited for Success, but Suri is the first to vindictively do so by plagiarizing Rarity's clothing. As a creator, when your hard work is stolen so cruelly, then it hurts you at the very core and questions your worth creatively and emotionally. It isn't pretty and can get you into a fit of rage. I don't blame Rarity for this. The moral itself is fantastically woven in and deep. It's also a different type of episode for Polsky, as it's more down to earth compared to his original concepts. Good thing, too, because it really helped him create a great episode that paid attention to a fantastic concept and ended with a very relatable moral. To see a longer review, click here.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Dark Qiviut

[Ianpiersonjdavis 512]

Favorite Episodes;

 

-Princess Twilight Sparkle (The perfect follow-up to the disappointingly rushed 'Magical Mystery Cure')

 

-Rarity Takes Manehattan (First episode she's has since Season 2 with a great antagonist)

 

-Three's A Crowd (Discord and Cadance episode with Twilight)

 

-Maud Pie (Hilarious)

 

-Twilight's Kingdom (First decent premiere/finale villain since the end of Season 2)

 

 

Honorable Mentions;

 

-Bats! (The perfect Halloween episode, barring the jerkiness of the rest of the cast and to date the first and only Merriwether Williams episode I have ever liked/enjoyed)

 

-Inspiration Manifestation (A good episode between Spike and Rarity)

 

-Testing, testing 1,2,3 (The flaw of the premise aside, a good episode with a good lesson)

 

-Pinkie Pride (Weird Al and Dashie's birthday party, that is all.)

 

-Equestria Games (A good Spike moral applies to me, and an excellently executed maneuver by Polsky to circumvent the flaws presented by 'Rainbow Falls'.

 

 

Worst Episodes;

 

-Rainbow Falls (Easily the worst of this Season and one of the worst in the entire show with continuity errors galore, characters being shoe-horned into the plot for filler and fan-pandering, forced humor, Twilight's nonsensical speech, etc.) 

 

-Trade Ya! (Poor pacing, confusing moral, Rainbow and Pinkie's extremely negative characterizations and behavior solely for comedic effect increasing both character hateoms, Rarity and Applejack becoming petty caricatures of themselves, and Twilight's ruling bringing up disturbing questions of how many black market deals could be technically made legal by the Traders Exchange.)

 

-Filli Vanilli (Inconsistency with Fluttershy's shyness after Rainbow Falls, her friends not knowing about her singing ability after hearing her sing solo before, Pinkie's consideration for Fluttershy's feelings from 'Griffon the Brush-Off' completely dropped to near sociopathic levels for comedic effect, as well as the glamorization of musical fraud.)

Edited May 23, 2014 by TimeLordRainbowDash