With one dud so far under its belt, we are now onto the final stretch of season four; can it end with a bang or trip up at the final hurdle?
Leap of Faith
Written by Josh Haber
A lot of people have practically begged for Flim and Flam to get a redemption, but if this episode and all their future appearances proved anything, all they care about is money. Not only that, they never learn from their greed, so how can the audience expected to sympathize with them?
Other than that, there's very little to say here. Granny Smith's backstory about her fear of high diving is pretty relatable for those who are aquaphobic, and her bonding with her grandfoals is pretty sweet. But out of the key givers (the others being Coco Pommel, Spitfire, Cheese Sandwich and Seabreeze), Silver Shill is probably the least interesting as a character. At least Coco had a chance to shine to appear in future episodes, and Cheese and Seabreeze had managed to shine in their respective episodes. Heck, we already knew about Spitfire even before season four. Silver Shill's just... there.
Overall, the episode is one of the weaker ones of season four. The moral is good, but the execution could've been much better.
Other than that, there's very little to say here. Granny Smith's backstory about her fear of high diving is pretty relatable for those who are aquaphobic, and her bonding with her grandfoals is pretty sweet. But out of the key givers (the others being Coco Pommel, Spitfire, Cheese Sandwich and Seabreeze), Silver Shill is probably the least interesting as a character. At least Coco had a chance to shine to appear in future episodes, and Cheese and Seabreeze had managed to shine in their respective episodes. Heck, we already knew about Spitfire even before season four. Silver Shill's just... there.
Overall, the episode is one of the weaker ones of season four. The moral is good, but the execution could've been much better.
Rating: Okay (5/10)
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
Written by Amy Keating Rogers
Procrastination is a right stinker, am I right? I'm sure we've all been there at least one point in our lives; there's a big test we've got to study for, but it's the day before we're due to take it, and we lose our minds over it. Not literally, because that would be ridiculous. Anyway, this episode.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight have always had a great dynamic with one another, especially when the former's antics get on the latter's nerves. Here, Rainbow is playing the student to Twilight's teacher; Rainbow is such a slacker in the first half, and even refused to accept responsibility for it before realizing she may never achieve her goals.
The others' attempts at getting Rainbow Dash to actually learn the history of the Wonderbolts were varied; Fluttershy puts on an animal play with hilariously bad results - never work with animal actors - Rarity tries outfits, and Applejack... goes for apple history... Okay...
Pinkie's, however, was the worst. I don't know how many Bronies are fans of rap music, but it was superfluous and the song - if it can be called one - wasn't really that great. Maybe it's because rap isn't really my thing, I don't know, but what's the point? Besides trying to give Rainbow Dash a studying method.
Speaking of, Rainbow's style of learning is to scan the happenings around her whilst flying, even down to the tiniest details. Because Twilight helped Rainbow to learn without the former even realizing it before being asked about what she saw, she managed to become a Wonderbolt reserve.
Also, I don't know if that was the episode's intention, but everybody having a different style of learning is something that schools should take more seriously. Not everybody is going to understand the rigid syllabus they've got set up for them, because unless you make changes to accommodate a student's needs, how are they going to be successful in life? Those who've fallen behind deserve more than what they end up with.
On the whole, it's another episode that I feel has gotten better upon revisiting. The message about different learning methods is very relevant, Rainbow Dash felt right (as in, they didn't portray her as over-the-top stupid), and the plot made sense. What more could you ask for?
Rainbow Dash and Twilight have always had a great dynamic with one another, especially when the former's antics get on the latter's nerves. Here, Rainbow is playing the student to Twilight's teacher; Rainbow is such a slacker in the first half, and even refused to accept responsibility for it before realizing she may never achieve her goals.
The others' attempts at getting Rainbow Dash to actually learn the history of the Wonderbolts were varied; Fluttershy puts on an animal play with hilariously bad results - never work with animal actors - Rarity tries outfits, and Applejack... goes for apple history... Okay...
Pinkie's, however, was the worst. I don't know how many Bronies are fans of rap music, but it was superfluous and the song - if it can be called one - wasn't really that great. Maybe it's because rap isn't really my thing, I don't know, but what's the point? Besides trying to give Rainbow Dash a studying method.
Speaking of, Rainbow's style of learning is to scan the happenings around her whilst flying, even down to the tiniest details. Because Twilight helped Rainbow to learn without the former even realizing it before being asked about what she saw, she managed to become a Wonderbolt reserve.
Also, I don't know if that was the episode's intention, but everybody having a different style of learning is something that schools should take more seriously. Not everybody is going to understand the rigid syllabus they've got set up for them, because unless you make changes to accommodate a student's needs, how are they going to be successful in life? Those who've fallen behind deserve more than what they end up with.
On the whole, it's another episode that I feel has gotten better upon revisiting. The message about different learning methods is very relevant, Rainbow Dash felt right (as in, they didn't portray her as over-the-top stupid), and the plot made sense. What more could you ask for?
Rating: Excellent (10/10)
Trade Ya!
Written by Scott Sonneborn
Well, this episode didn't do Rainbow Dash any justice whatsoever. I mean, come on; you wanted to trade a horseshoe for a one-of-a-kind first edition Daring Do book and then you nearly sell out your friend just to train a creature the dealer wanted in the first place? I know Rainbow's not the smartest pony around, but she isn't this clueless! And they didn't even try to make it interesting.
The other two subplots are no better. Rarity and Applejack once again bring out in the worst in each other by wanting to make petty trades. The former wants a brooch that looks just like something she already has in case it's more "vintage", and the latter wants a pie pan because it could bake a pie quicker by a few seconds. What's the logic?
But the Twilight/Pinkie subplot is the worst of the three. Pinkie's humor comes off as more painfully eye-rolling than it's funny and the end result adds nothing to either character's personal arcs. I think Twilight should've given her books away, because at least then, she could've saved them from a worse fate if she knew what the finale would bring for her. And why was Pinkie there anyway? Just so every main character could turn up?
Speaking of, Spike's the only one to make a successful trade, but it doesn't add anything to the main story or message at all.
With every subplot being either pointless or boring, you're better off skipping this episode. Trust me; there's nothing to gain out of watching it.
The other two subplots are no better. Rarity and Applejack once again bring out in the worst in each other by wanting to make petty trades. The former wants a brooch that looks just like something she already has in case it's more "vintage", and the latter wants a pie pan because it could bake a pie quicker by a few seconds. What's the logic?
But the Twilight/Pinkie subplot is the worst of the three. Pinkie's humor comes off as more painfully eye-rolling than it's funny and the end result adds nothing to either character's personal arcs. I think Twilight should've given her books away, because at least then, she could've saved them from a worse fate if she knew what the finale would bring for her. And why was Pinkie there anyway? Just so every main character could turn up?
Speaking of, Spike's the only one to make a successful trade, but it doesn't add anything to the main story or message at all.
With every subplot being either pointless or boring, you're better off skipping this episode. Trust me; there's nothing to gain out of watching it.
Rating: Bad (1/10)
Inspiration Manifestation
Written by Corey Powell and Meghan McCarthy
Even though I've stopped caring about the shipping a couple of years ago, it's still nice to see how much Spike cares for Rarity and vice-versa. He wants her to be happy, and she's glad whenever he helps out. In fact, the whole episode is character-driven.
To add further proof to that, Owlowiscious being the straight man... er, owl to Spike was very well done, and quietly calls him out for letting Rarity go mad like that. Am I the only one who feels it's a shame we never see these two together again? Heck, it's funny how he's afraid of Spike falling into a bottomless pit and yet the baby dragon walks back into the main library like nothing happened. How casual he is to the danger he was just in!
As has been the case throughout season four, Rarity was this season's MVP, no hyperbole. Her feasting on ice cream under a period of depression is funny - I'm surprised she didn't get a tummyache from eating many tubs, but you know, rule of comedy and all that - and her getting green eyes and magic aura was really ironic given how much she seems to dislike the color. Creepy, yet still funny.
The moral about giving criticism to help a friend improve was really good, something that isn't really taught enough in media... I don't think. Sure, Spike does care for Rarity, but he had to draw the line when she took her creativity a bit too far; again, it's because he cares, and given my recent stance on Sunset Shimmer, something I can relate to.
This does everything a good episode should do, and it was a good one too for Corey Powell to go out on.
To add further proof to that, Owlowiscious being the straight man... er, owl to Spike was very well done, and quietly calls him out for letting Rarity go mad like that. Am I the only one who feels it's a shame we never see these two together again? Heck, it's funny how he's afraid of Spike falling into a bottomless pit and yet the baby dragon walks back into the main library like nothing happened. How casual he is to the danger he was just in!
As has been the case throughout season four, Rarity was this season's MVP, no hyperbole. Her feasting on ice cream under a period of depression is funny - I'm surprised she didn't get a tummyache from eating many tubs, but you know, rule of comedy and all that - and her getting green eyes and magic aura was really ironic given how much she seems to dislike the color. Creepy, yet still funny.
The moral about giving criticism to help a friend improve was really good, something that isn't really taught enough in media... I don't think. Sure, Spike does care for Rarity, but he had to draw the line when she took her creativity a bit too far; again, it's because he cares, and given my recent stance on Sunset Shimmer, something I can relate to.
This does everything a good episode should do, and it was a good one too for Corey Powell to go out on.
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
Equestria Games
Written by Dave Polsky
So here we are; the grand finale to the Equestria Games arc. But it's not about the games themselves, nope! It's about Spike. To those who were upset when it first aired that it focused on Spike, I've two things to say to you. One, that's on you for hyping yourselves like that. Two, if there was focus on the games themselves, Spike wouldn't have had to go through the character arc he did. Plus, I'm sure not every kid wants to watch a sporting event; they'd rather watch something from NBA if that was the case, but they'll likely learn nothing from watching a sporting event. Besides, we got brief glimpses of some of the events, so it's not like they were completely ignored.
Anyway, as for the episode itself, there isn't much to say. It's a story about not putting yourself down over a single mistake, but it works really well for Spike's character, especially given his popularity in the Crystal Empire for saving the Heart from being destroyed. It's only when he tries to light the torch that his confidence gets shattered, and further humiliates himself by performing the Cloudsdale Anthem in a laughably bad way.
Spike does manage to turn things around when a stray ice arrow accidentally hits a cloud, and he improvises a rescue by jumping on some pegasi's backs and breathing a huge burst of fire to melt it, restoring his confidence. Not only that, it also helps him further grow as a character in later seasons to come, so those still thinking that it should've been about games should rethink this episode's position.
Put simply, besides Gauntlet of Fire (I'd include Molt Down as well, but the leaks hurt that episode's standing slightly), this is the quintessential Spike episode. It doesn't treat him like an idiot or a butt-monkey like many episodes before and after did; it treats him with dignity, respect, and above all else, makes him relatable to the audience. As I've said, the moral here is excellent, and Spike's character growth began to take off from here. In any other series, this would be the best episode, but the last episode of this particular season manages to blow it out of the water...
Anyway, as for the episode itself, there isn't much to say. It's a story about not putting yourself down over a single mistake, but it works really well for Spike's character, especially given his popularity in the Crystal Empire for saving the Heart from being destroyed. It's only when he tries to light the torch that his confidence gets shattered, and further humiliates himself by performing the Cloudsdale Anthem in a laughably bad way.
Spike does manage to turn things around when a stray ice arrow accidentally hits a cloud, and he improvises a rescue by jumping on some pegasi's backs and breathing a huge burst of fire to melt it, restoring his confidence. Not only that, it also helps him further grow as a character in later seasons to come, so those still thinking that it should've been about games should rethink this episode's position.
Put simply, besides Gauntlet of Fire (I'd include Molt Down as well, but the leaks hurt that episode's standing slightly), this is the quintessential Spike episode. It doesn't treat him like an idiot or a butt-monkey like many episodes before and after did; it treats him with dignity, respect, and above all else, makes him relatable to the audience. As I've said, the moral here is excellent, and Spike's character growth began to take off from here. In any other series, this would be the best episode, but the last episode of this particular season manages to blow it out of the water...
Rating: Excellent (10/10)
Twilight's Kingdom
Written by Meghan McCarthy
Okay, I could call Twilight's Kingdom the greatest episode of the show and simply leave it at that, but I don't think that alone does this episode any justice whatsoever.
The finale begins normally enough with Twilight worrying that all she'd have to do as princess is smile and wave, which, understandably, isn't very exciting. But the other princesses assure her that she'll have a place of her own soon enough in one of this season's best ever songs. Seriously, just listening to it is enough to almost bring tears to your eyes.
But then Tirek enters the scene and steals a unicorn's magic, and you realize this is not going to end well for anyone. The aforementioned song does bring a false sense of security (not that it's a bad thing, mind you!) to prepare us for the worst.
Yeah, about Lord Tirek; he is undoubtedly the best villain of the main series (excluding Tempest Shadow from The Movie, of course). Mark Acheson's performance makes it impossible to not feel intimidated. Tirek is practically unpredictable. One minute, he's calm with a sense of charisma about him, the next he's on a violent rampage, and the next after that, he's imprisoned the princesses to Tartarus. No one's going to root for that!
I'm glad that the small amount of backstory he's given doesn't portray him as sympathetic at all, nor is he presented as "misunderstood". He wants to take over Equestria, but Scorpan, his brother, disagrees and even reports his intentions to Celestia and Luna. If the season nine finale doesn't give him a redemption for no reason, I'll be happy.
Then there's Discord; he's dispatched to stop Tirek but is manipulated into joining him until he betrays the draconequus, karma biting him hard on the tail. What further drives it home is how hurt Fluttershy is by his betrayal, and Discord feeling remorse for siding with the wrong sort of people. Er, non-people, but you get the idea. Also, is it just me, or was there a bit of foreshadowing to the death battle (in a sense) with Discord sensing something wrong?
Twilight and Tirek's magic battle is one of the best scenes ever in the entire series. It's so out of place in the world of My Little Pony, and yet it's so cool you'd be tempted to show this episode to someone claiming it's just a show for little girls. I'd love to see their reactions when they see the Dragon Ball Z-esque battle!
Every season of the show has its own theme; season two's was the big wedding at Canterlot, season three's was Princess Twilight, and this season's theme was the Keys of Friendship. (Season one didn't have much a theme; it basically established the main characters and who they were.) The bit, the flower, the rainbow spool, the medal, Boneless, and Scorpan's medallion weren't just random items given to the Mane Six as gifts; they served as a reminder to those whose lives they changed for the better.
Silver Shill learned about being honest with what you sell. Seabreeze learned to be kinder to his peers. Coco Pommel saw the generosity Rarity showed to her friends. The Wonderbolts learned to put their teammates first. Cheese Sandwich wouldn't have been the stallion he was if it wasn't for Pinkie.
And lastly, Discord learned the difference between someone who wants to use you for their own personal gain and those who want to genuinely be a friend. It all happened because Twilight put her friends' lives - and his - before her own and gave up the alicorn magic to save them from being Tirek's captives. That shows how brave and selfless Twilight can really be, and it's the Twilight we've known and loved from the start.
Though if I had to raise a complaint, it's not within the actual episode, but it's more to do with the fact that it set the bar really high for MLP episodes that nothing before or since could really match (though A Royal Problem comes agonizingly close). It's very much the peak of the series' peak.
Since then, we've been begging for an episode that might steal Twilight's Kingdom's place as the best episode of the series, but really, what's the point in it? Why would you even try to better it? In the last five years, we've seen an episode dedicated to background ponies, the Crusaders gained their cutie marks, Starlight Glimmer became an honorary seventh member of the main cast, we learned about Applejack's parents, there was a movie based on the series, the Mane Six opened a school, there was a standalone Christmas special, and soon we'll be seeing Twilight take over for Celestia and Luna.
So unless the season nine finale can bring the show to an epic close that could almost rival the finales brought upon many franchises in film and television, there's nothing left for My Little Pony to prove.
Even with Twilight's Kingdom as the peak of season four, during the eleven month gap between this episode and The Cutie Map, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic slowly started to lose its relevance with general audiences, and the fandom's no longer what it used to be. Love and tolerate has become yesterday's news.
I joined the fandom in late 2013 just as season four had begun to air, but I left in mid-2017 out of resentment for the fact that some people just couldn't handle opinions. But I still stuck by the show as a whole (except for the Equestria Girls spin-off) because it reminded me that there are still good people both in the real world and online, as "Let the Rainbow Remind You" proves. It summarizes the show as a whole up to season four (at the time of its release).
Let's be real here; unless you're a daydreaming optimist wanting something even bigger, then it's best if we left Twilight's Kingdom at the top of the league, because no episode has come close to matching it ever since.
Twilight's Kingdom is one of the greatest finales to any season of any show, filled to the brim with humor, heartwarming moments, charm, action, and above all else, strong storytelling. Even with all I've talked about up to this point, that reason alone is why, even if I stop watching this show when it ends, it will forever be my favorite episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
The finale begins normally enough with Twilight worrying that all she'd have to do as princess is smile and wave, which, understandably, isn't very exciting. But the other princesses assure her that she'll have a place of her own soon enough in one of this season's best ever songs. Seriously, just listening to it is enough to almost bring tears to your eyes.
But then Tirek enters the scene and steals a unicorn's magic, and you realize this is not going to end well for anyone. The aforementioned song does bring a false sense of security (not that it's a bad thing, mind you!) to prepare us for the worst.
Yeah, about Lord Tirek; he is undoubtedly the best villain of the main series (excluding Tempest Shadow from The Movie, of course). Mark Acheson's performance makes it impossible to not feel intimidated. Tirek is practically unpredictable. One minute, he's calm with a sense of charisma about him, the next he's on a violent rampage, and the next after that, he's imprisoned the princesses to Tartarus. No one's going to root for that!
I'm glad that the small amount of backstory he's given doesn't portray him as sympathetic at all, nor is he presented as "misunderstood". He wants to take over Equestria, but Scorpan, his brother, disagrees and even reports his intentions to Celestia and Luna. If the season nine finale doesn't give him a redemption for no reason, I'll be happy.
Then there's Discord; he's dispatched to stop Tirek but is manipulated into joining him until he betrays the draconequus, karma biting him hard on the tail. What further drives it home is how hurt Fluttershy is by his betrayal, and Discord feeling remorse for siding with the wrong sort of people. Er, non-people, but you get the idea. Also, is it just me, or was there a bit of foreshadowing to the death battle (in a sense) with Discord sensing something wrong?
Twilight and Tirek's magic battle is one of the best scenes ever in the entire series. It's so out of place in the world of My Little Pony, and yet it's so cool you'd be tempted to show this episode to someone claiming it's just a show for little girls. I'd love to see their reactions when they see the Dragon Ball Z-esque battle!
Every season of the show has its own theme; season two's was the big wedding at Canterlot, season three's was Princess Twilight, and this season's theme was the Keys of Friendship. (Season one didn't have much a theme; it basically established the main characters and who they were.) The bit, the flower, the rainbow spool, the medal, Boneless, and Scorpan's medallion weren't just random items given to the Mane Six as gifts; they served as a reminder to those whose lives they changed for the better.
Silver Shill learned about being honest with what you sell. Seabreeze learned to be kinder to his peers. Coco Pommel saw the generosity Rarity showed to her friends. The Wonderbolts learned to put their teammates first. Cheese Sandwich wouldn't have been the stallion he was if it wasn't for Pinkie.
And lastly, Discord learned the difference between someone who wants to use you for their own personal gain and those who want to genuinely be a friend. It all happened because Twilight put her friends' lives - and his - before her own and gave up the alicorn magic to save them from being Tirek's captives. That shows how brave and selfless Twilight can really be, and it's the Twilight we've known and loved from the start.
Though if I had to raise a complaint, it's not within the actual episode, but it's more to do with the fact that it set the bar really high for MLP episodes that nothing before or since could really match (though A Royal Problem comes agonizingly close). It's very much the peak of the series' peak.
Since then, we've been begging for an episode that might steal Twilight's Kingdom's place as the best episode of the series, but really, what's the point in it? Why would you even try to better it? In the last five years, we've seen an episode dedicated to background ponies, the Crusaders gained their cutie marks, Starlight Glimmer became an honorary seventh member of the main cast, we learned about Applejack's parents, there was a movie based on the series, the Mane Six opened a school, there was a standalone Christmas special, and soon we'll be seeing Twilight take over for Celestia and Luna.
So unless the season nine finale can bring the show to an epic close that could almost rival the finales brought upon many franchises in film and television, there's nothing left for My Little Pony to prove.
Even with Twilight's Kingdom as the peak of season four, during the eleven month gap between this episode and The Cutie Map, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic slowly started to lose its relevance with general audiences, and the fandom's no longer what it used to be. Love and tolerate has become yesterday's news.
I joined the fandom in late 2013 just as season four had begun to air, but I left in mid-2017 out of resentment for the fact that some people just couldn't handle opinions. But I still stuck by the show as a whole (except for the Equestria Girls spin-off) because it reminded me that there are still good people both in the real world and online, as "Let the Rainbow Remind You" proves. It summarizes the show as a whole up to season four (at the time of its release).
Let's be real here; unless you're a daydreaming optimist wanting something even bigger, then it's best if we left Twilight's Kingdom at the top of the league, because no episode has come close to matching it ever since.
Twilight's Kingdom is one of the greatest finales to any season of any show, filled to the brim with humor, heartwarming moments, charm, action, and above all else, strong storytelling. Even with all I've talked about up to this point, that reason alone is why, even if I stop watching this show when it ends, it will forever be my favorite episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
Rating: Excellent (10/10)
Final Season Ranking: Excellent (9/10)
Final Season Ranking: Excellent (9/10)
No comments:
Post a Comment