MLP Episode 815: A Matter of Principals

After a two month hiatus, barring a pair of not-so-Summer Surprises that July, we're back to reviewing the eighth season of My Little Pony, starting with A Matter of Principals.

This review contains spoilers for those who did not see the episode in Australia; viewer discretion is advised.

When Discord joined Starlight's group in To Where and Back Again, I always found that strange since the two had never interacted up to that point. You could argue that they met offscreen, but I don't think it holds enough water for me to believe that. So now that we got Discord and Starlight starring in their own episode, how does it hold up?

I will start by saying it is a vast improvement over Nicole Dubuc's previous script, as well as the last two episodes, one of which was the absolute worst the season had to offer at this point. A Matter of Principals is definitely the improvement that Yakity-Sax wished it was.

One of the greatest strengths of the episode is Discord's character; he still wants to make friends but hates being left out, largely in part due to his trickster nature. It's a habit he just can't break, and it drives Starlight up the wall when she tries to run the School of Friendship the way Twilight normally would. And who could blame her? (Starlight, that is.) That being said, it does say a lot that Starlight owed Discord an apology for ignoring his feelings of jealousy, considering that he's a trickster who normally causes more trouble than her or anypony else.

Discord's attempts at bringing in substitute teachers to "help" Starlight were rather out the blue, but still very funny - seriously, who has a tree for a teacher?! That being said, it does lampshade a problem that's been brewing since School Daze; who's in charge of the School of Friendship whilst Twilight and company are out and about doing other things? It does feel like Twilight doesn't always think her plans through, however well intended they are. Perhaps Neighsay was right after all?

Another issue the episode raises is that Starlight somehow knows about Spitfire. (Trixie and Maud I can understand.) How did the two meet, and how did Spitfire get convinced to be a teacher at the school when she has an academy of her own to run? I know it's not a major plot hole in the episode itself, but it still raises questions.

Final Thoughts

Nicole Dubuc is back on form, as is season eight - let's hope it stays that way this time! I was hoping for a Starlight and Discord episode, and thankfully, she managed to deliver, and then some. Their characters make sense, the third act is one of the funniest of the show, and the twist at the end was rather unexpected.

One thing I will ask for the writers; just don't make the Young Six afterthoughts for future episodes. Please. They have a lot of potential to be great characters, and it'd be a damned shame if they don't live up to it!

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 814: Yakity-Sax

(Yes, I know it's officially episode 18, but some people tend to review episodes based on airdate order rather than production order, so that's what I'm going with.)

As a part of Discovery Family's Summer Surprises for 2018, we got the "new" Equestria Girls "special" Rollercoaster of Friendship which... I'm not reviewing ever because it's simply not worth it, especially if I was repeating what I've already said. And now, we have a season eight episode airing ahead of the second half. This one being Yakity-Sax.

It's safe to say that Pinkie Pie has been getting a fair amount of criticism from people - like myself - for how poorly written she's become as of late. Heck, the last time she felt like a genuine character was when she called out Twilight for doing something stupid in The Movie (even thought Twilight still seems to lack proper judgement these days, but I digress). Still, I was hoping that after the disappointment that was The Mean Six, the writers would pick up steam from there.

Unfortunately, they didn't. What makes it worse is that Pinkie is once again portrayed as an idiot, not even showing concern for her friends' activities and playing that damned yovidaphone in such a bad manner! Seriously, it's just grating to listen to, especially in the first act; it's awfully unlistenable.

This is honestly becoming a serious problem with season eight; character development being thrown out of the window for the sake of a story. Sure, they've done really well with Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike for the most part - heck, even Starlight has had some great moments - but rewriting Rainbow Dash, Applejack (Non-Compete Clause), Twilight (Marks for Effort), and Pinkie Pie (The Maud Couple, and now this episode) to suit your story is a sign of flanderization; exaggerating their flaws in the worst way possible.

This is still the main reason I'm glad that Edward, Henry, and (possibly) Toby are being written out of the Steam Team. When they were part of the team, Edward and Toby were often made to be incompetent when they're supposed to be engines that know better, and the less said about Henry's treatment, the better.

Back to Yakity-Sax; I'd talk about the story... but I don't need to. Why? Because it drags, especially in the second and third acts, and it completely lacks heart and substance. The most that happens is Pinkie moving to Yakyakistan when she realizes she isn't good at... whatever instrument she was playing, I don't care. But that's it. It's also pointless in the long run since she'll be back in Ponyville by the next episode.

Which brings me onto the moral. Being supportive for your friends is nice, but how does the lesson impact Pinkie as a character? She's still a bad player and learns nothing, which leads to some rather mixed messages and the episode's intended message to fall flat on its face. Maybe if the Mane Six turned to Yona to help Pinkie learn how to play that weird bagpipe contraption, that could've worked a lot better, and Pinkie would've also learned not to be afraid to ask for help.

Instead, this just raises questions as to why the Young Six, as characters, are being severely underused by the writers. I know that the Mane Six are the lead characters and made the show what it is, but there have been episodes (To Change a Changeling, The Break Up Break Down) that didn't have any of them make an appearance. Heck, they gave big focus to the likes of Big Mac, Zecora, and even Princess Celestia, so why not the Young Six?

Final Thoughts

Pinkie Pie is quickly becoming one of my least favorite characters of the show. Sure, she's had a lot of great moments in the past, but her poorly-written roles are building up at an alarming rate. Yakity-Sax is just another contender for one of season eight's worst; a dragged-out story with nothing interesting happening and a mixed message at the end make it a chore to sit through. At least the rest of the Mane Six had some character there; not that it actually saves the episode...

Rating: Bad