tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12519056551291212292024-03-29T03:51:51.840-07:00The Railfan Brony BlogSteaming Across Sodor and Equestria Since 2014Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-40569777009041743872019-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:002019-12-19T13:00:11.142-08:00End of the Line?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Has it been two months since I last posted on this blog? Wow! Well, to be honest, I did think about doing a season 23 overview, but I ended up choosing not to. Then I decided to try revisiting <i>Thomas and Friends</i> overall and putting out fortnightly revisits of my thoughts toward each season and special, but then I decided that it probably wasn't worth the trouble. Not because of some of the backlash I received in reviewing MLP's last season, but mostly because... I just don't have the gumption to post reviews here anymore.<br />
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When I first did reviews for the Railfan Brony Blog, I never imagined having to last five years, and I'm actually kind of glad that I did, and I'm grateful for the comments and views I received.<br />
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But now, it's high time I finally put this blog to bed. Will I still do reviews? Oh, certainly, but they'll mostly be on DeviantArt and they probably won't be lengthy as what you're used to seeing from me. As for blogs, I've still got <i>Strawberry Peppers</i> which has taken my focus for the past two months, and honestly, I'm having far more fun working there.<br />
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Maybe this blog will come back one day, but for now, thank you for reading.</div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-85004393193701179242019-10-22T15:00:00.000-07:002019-10-22T15:00:01.352-07:00Thomas & Friends Season 23: The Last Episodes<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Digs & Discoveries</i> and <i>Steam Team to the Rescue!</i> might be behind us, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss the remaining episodes out of series 23! Can we end things on a good note?</div>
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I'll admit I was a bit disappointed that Tim Bain didn't return to write for Australia this season (at least he's still voicing Aiden), but it was still kind of surprising that the lady writers wrote for more than one country. And despite having one dud thus far (<i>Thomas Makes a Mistake</i>), I think Camille and Rose are good writers.<br />
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There's not much to talk about with the story, which is basically Shane not filling up on coal and paying the price for it, but the character moments really shine through.<br />
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Shane, for example, seems to have gained a slightly cocky personality which, honestly, isn't too bad. It adds a bit more depth to an already likable character, and it helped that he had three other characters to bounce off of.<br />
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Although Shane's the story's lead character, Thomas is present as expected, but unlike most appearances where he's pretty vanilla, he does express concern when Shane doesn't bother refilling on coal and even offers to share his when the big engine finally runs out in the middle of the desert. It's a good character moment for him, even in the current era, and the reference to <i>Banjo and the Bushfire</i> was a nice touch. (It's when he mentions Tamika, for the record.)<br />
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That being said, is this Thomas' first visit to Australia or his second? Considering that from this season onwards, he's been given new details like step ladders on his tanks and rivets all around him, it's never really made clear. I mean, it's easy to figure out when episodes like <i>Kangaroo Christmas</i>, <i>Tiger Trouble</i>, <i>Thomas and the Dragon</i> and <i>Batucada</i> take place if you do a bit of research on the smaller details.</div>
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Anyway, back to the story, and the characters that I felt stood out the most were Aubrey and Aiden. Seeing them get frustrated with Shane ignoring their concerns was funny, and when they arrive at a coal hopper without coal, they call him out for his ignorance, which was awesome. They may like a good joke once in a while and find non-Australian accents funny, but they know when to speak up when something is wrong. Little moments like that add a lot of depth to the story.<br />
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I can't talk about this episode without mentioning the fantasy sequence; it's not very over-the-top, but it's still funny. It also shows what happens when you're stuck in the desert with limited supplies. A situation like that can mess with your mind.<br />
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<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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It looks as though the writers are about to give Nia more prominence, and considering how much attention Rebecca got last season, as well as the previous two episodes I covered, it seems fair. Her dynamic with Paxton was really good, and it's nice to see that she doesn't fall for Diesel's prank. It could be after Thomas and Ace ditched her in the Grand Canyon that she's sort of wised up a bit.<br />
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Speaking of wising up, is it just me, or is Paxton starting to become wiser? I mean, after Diesel bumps him, Paxton calls him out for it and says that he gives diesels a bad name. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's a nice bit of character growth for Paxton.<br />
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But the real star, of course, was Diesel. He still wants to be appreciated by his peers, but pulling petty pranks on the other engines is a habit he just can't shake off. And of course, he gets karma for pulling a joke on Nia and Paxton by being scared by their disembodied faces (at least, that's what he thinks they were) and doing his work as a response. And Diesel's reaction at the end where he realizes he'd been had was funny.<br />
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It's a fairly simple story that relied on the characters and humor, but it worked for the characters involved. Oh yeah, and Owen spoke for the first time since <i>Long Lost Friend</i> in season 18, now voiced by Rob Rackstraw. After Ben Small's departure, I thought Owen would never speak again, but I guess I was wrong. Though it does make me feel sad that the Skarloey Railway barely gets any focus these days...<br />
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<b>Rating: Good (7/10)</b></div>
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Well, this is most unusual. No, not a dragon boat falling off of Yong Bao's train; that I can believe, but it's the fact that all of a sudden, Thomas misses Percy during one of his international adventures. In <i>Big World! Big Adventures!</i>, he never once thought about Percy or anyone back on Sodor until the end of said special, and heck, throughout the international half of season 22 and those from season 23 I've seen up to this point (it was seventh to air in America), Thomas seemed just fine. So why did they have to bring this up <b>now</b>, of all times?<br />
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To be fair, that's pretty harsh of me, because this episode's heart is in the right place. It shows that no matter how long it's been since you've left, you're bound to miss the friends you've got either back at home or at your previous hometown. That is something I can understand and relate to.<br />
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After being given a somewhat raw deal in season 22, Hong-Mei seems to have been given more character as opposed to just being competitive over being a blue tank engine with the number one. Seeing how much Thomas misses Percy, she tries to make him feel better by inviting him to the Dragon Boat Festival and even suggests that he send his best friend a postcard. That's what I've been liking about the international half of season 23 thus far; they're giving the international characters some more personality. (That being said, Ashima's personality is still quite dry.)<br />
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The fantasy sequence was also really good too; it's simple, but it works in that it delves into Thomas' thoughts about missing Percy and how much he wants to show him the sights of China, but it does raise questions as to why he doesn't get postcards from his international friends. I mean, it's an effective way of communicating with others, but why can't they have international episodes where he doesn't appear at all? It's not as if the international characters can't hold a story on their own.<br />
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Overall, I like this episode well enough. The story is relatable to the target audience, the implementation of Chinese culture didn't feel forced, and the characters were nice.<br />
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<b>Rating: Good (8/10)</b></div>
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Jeez, what have they done with Percy? You'd think by this point he would've learned A) to take care in snowy conditions and B) not to jump to conclusions. I swear, they're making him excessively paranoid and completely forgetting what he learned in <i>Tale of the Brave</i> and season 18. And that's not even mentioning that he's never once freaked out before about working in snowy conditions before this episode. Can we at least have consistency with character development from previous seasons? All Percy had to do was ask one of the workmen where Thomas was and that would be it.<br />
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I know that this episode had good intentions, but if you can't make the story work with the character involved, use someone else instead. This could've worked much better if we had someone like Luke or Peter Sam being involved. Also, and this is nitpicky, but why is Nia acting like this is her first winter on Sodor? We saw her working in wintry conditions in <i>Thomas' Animal Ark</i> and <i>Hunt the Truck</i>!<br />
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<b>Rating: Terrible (-1/10)</b></div>
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So here we go with the last episode of season 23, featuring Emily after not getting a lead role in the previous season. And it's... fine. Nothing particularly complex or compelling, but if you're looking for something to fill seven minutes, you'll get it here.<br />
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The story is basically Emily wanting to have an adventure of her own and then getting herself stuck. Nothing more to say. The fantasy sequence parodying <i>Big World! Big Adventures!</i> was a nice touch with Emily in Thomas' place, but those references to <i>The Great Race</i> are starting to get a bit old. Emily's situation about wanting her own adventure feels very relatable, and I should know; I don't like being cooped up at home for too long and so I long to venture outside for at least a few hours.<br />
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The ending lesson was really good; adventure can take on any form. Another smaller one (through the rangers) was working the situation you're in, especially after Emily derailed trying to move the fallen tree branch, and so the Sodor Rangers set up camp and even used the heat from Emily's smokebox to make tea. That was a nice touch.<br />
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I wish I had more to say, really. It's not Davey Moore's most exciting story, but there's not really a lot to hate either. It's a nice little slice of life story, and seeing Emily and Nia share a story together was great.<br />
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<b>Rating: Good (8/10)</b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-69098898848386396642019-10-20T14:00:00.000-07:002019-10-20T14:00:03.147-07:00Thomas & Friends Season 23: Steam Team to the Rescue!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Season 23 of Thomas is airing once again in the United Kingdom! Alongside that, we've got <i>Digs & Discoveries</i> (<a href="https://railfanbrony.blogspot.com/2019/10/thomas-friends-season-23-digs_8.html">which I've</a> <a href="https://railfanbrony.blogspot.com/2019/10/thomas-friends-season-23-digs.html">already covered</a>) and it's begun airing in Australia. So let's tackle the 11th and 12th episode, as well as the third and final mini-special of the season, <i>Steam Team to the Rescue!</i>.</div>
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I'm going to get this out of the way; <b>the concept of the Steam Team is redundant</b>. It's almost as if Mattel likes to treat Thomas, Gordon, James, Percy, Emily, Nia and Rebecca like they're the only engines that the audience is expected to care about. Heck, in the first quarter, we see the diesels (well, seven of them, anyway; we don't get much from Arry, Bert, Mavis, Daisy or Philip) getting trapped because of a mishap. Yes, it's treated seriously because of the impact it can have on the railway, but why would you <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheWorfEffect">worf one group of engines</a> in favor of another?<br />
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Not only that, in universe, the New Steam Team is the only group of steam engines we get focus on. We don't see if it's impacting the likes of Edward (side note; this is the only time this season he appears physically, excluding the fantasy in <i>The Other Big Engine</i>), Henry, Stanley, Rosie, etc. It's not like the Steam Team are the only other engines on Sodor outside of the diesels!<br />
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Case in point, why didn't the dock manager at Brendam Docks consider asking Bill, Ben and Timothy to help Percy? Heck, Porter gets very much forgotten about after his accident with the flour (but considering how little attention he got after <i>Tale of the Brave</i>, this doesn't surprise me). Are they really trying to make us forget certain groups of characters for the sake of storytelling? In this season (for the Sodor episodes, at least), we get heavy focus on the Steam Team, the Pack and Diesel, with a couple of episodes focusing on Bulgy (<i>Free the Roads</i>) and Toby (<i>Heart of Gold</i>). Compare that to season 22, where we got episodes featuring Duck, Merlin, Philip, Rosie, Sidney, and Bill and Ben getting their own episodes.<br />
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I really hope this was unintentional and stays a one-off, because if it keeps up, then season 24 onward will probably end up repeating seasons 8-16 in which all seven members of the main cast get most of the focus (if not all of it) with other characters being pushed to the side. And if that ends up being the case, then the likes of Oliver, Donald and Douglas were rendered in CGI for absolutely nothing except a few cameos.<br />
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Okay, onto the actual mini-special itself. The story itself is about an accident at Brendam Docks (a very silly one if you ask me) leading to a domino effect resulting in a locomotive shortage on the North Western Railway. I have to say, that's a great concept to work with, and despite my problems with the Steam Team, I feel like this mini-special handled the concept a lot better than <i>The Big Freeze</i>, in which the railway was somehow managed without problem by a group of diesel shunters. Especially when you consider the lack of diesel muscle and the ratio of steam vs. diesel.<br />
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A lot of the character moments really help the mini-special to stand up on its own merits; Paxton crashing into his own partially opened door and weakly saying "ow" was a real highlight. Oh, and we see Sir Topham Hatt with a teddy bear. Who can't relate to that? But it's when he tries to do his job as a controller that he really shines; there's so much to do and he keeps forgetting about sending another engine to help Percy until it's too late. And also forgets that seven of his diesels are still stuck... Ah well, at least it's better than how he was treated in <i>Confused Coaches</i> and <i>The Big Freeze</i>.<br />
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But the best characters here were Thomas and Percy. In the case of the latter, you got to admire how determined he was to try and handle the docks himself, but he ends up overwhelmed and scared when piles of crates stack higher than he. Definitely far more understandable than how he acted in <i>Panicky Percy</i>, and I'll get to that soon enough.</div>
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As for Thomas himself? There's not a negative thing I can say about him here. Considering how inconsistent he's been portrayed as of late, seeing him act as an actual leader is just satisfying to watch. It's also nice to see him remind Gordon that he's almost left the express behind at Vicarstown, as if he remembered his own mistake when he was younger and didn't want Gordon to suffer from that embarrassment (I dunno if that was the intention or it's just me interpreting that moment).<br />
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However, Thomas shines the most when he voices his concern about helping Percy at the docks. It's obvious he wants to help his best friend, but so many other jobs keep him from doing it, eventually culminating in the accident at the docks. It's probably his best performance yet in the current era, and John Hasler's vocal performance just adds to it.<br />
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"Don't Stop" was a great song; I've listened to it several times and it just gets better each time. You really get the feel for how determined everyone is both times. The first time is for when everyone is determined to get all the jobs done, and the second time is for when everyone works to clear up the mess at Brendam Docks. The rock vibe to it helped as well.<br />
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Oh, and Big Mickey spoke again since <i>New Crane on the Dock</i>. Cool, I guess.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
This is a really tricky mini-special to rank. The entirety of the plot is almost contrived in favor of the Steam Team, a concept that should really be kicked, but the character moments within are some of the best of the current era. It's also especially nice to see Thomas act like a mature leader and not a brainless twit, which raises my opinion on the mini-special by a fair amount. And "Don't Stop" is one of the best songs the show's ever made. The humor was hit or miss with a few gags that fell flat, so it's fair that <i>Steam Team to the Rescue!</i> has a rating to reflect my overall feelings; it's good, but pretty frustrating at moments.<br />
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Also, we've finally discovered who our new headwriter will be; David Stoten, who directed the first ten episodes of season 18, the 2015-2018 feature length specials, and also co-directed three episodes of season 19 (<i>Best Engine Ever</i> and the Philip episodes). How will he do as the new headwriter after Brenner's departure? I don't know, but Stoten's done a really good job as a director (yes, even in <i>The Great Race</i>), so he might actually do really well as a writer. Only time will tell if that's the case.</div>
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<b>Rating: Good (7/10)</b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-44674069454979199772019-10-19T15:00:00.000-07:002019-10-19T15:00:10.564-07:00My Final Thoughts on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic<div style="text-align: justify;">
Consider this the season nine overview, as it's the closest to one I'll bother writing. I just don't have the energy nor the time to write one out. By the time I got to <i>The Last Problem</i>, I had completely underestimated how disinterested I'd been in the show. There are a lot of reasons as to why, but there are three big ones.</div>
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The first one is the fandom. And in case anyone comments, I do believe that not every fan is awful, but there are those who attack people because they have views that don't agree with theirs; in fact, I received a chewing out over what I said about <i>Sparkle's Seven</i>, <i>Frenemies</i>, <i>The Last Crusade</i>, <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i> and <i>The Summer Sun Setback</i>. I have absolutely zero regret in tearing them apart (although in hindsight, I felt I was too generous towards <i>The Last Crusade</i>; since the review was posted, I decided that it now deserves an Atrocious score (-10/10) because of implications regarding child neglect), and I stand by what I said about each of those episodes. Regarding those who can't accept that everybody is different, including their opinions, they can fuck off for all I care. The same applies to those who attacked Jim Miller on Twitter over the early Dutch leaks. How can they be expected to preach "love and tolerate" if they don't even follow that philosophy?</div>
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The second reason is the content distribution. For the the last few seasons, it's been absolutely dreadful, especially with seasons eight and nine. For the latter, episodes were leaked early in English in China, sometimes two episodes a week, and by the time they've properly aired in America, the hype will have been pissed away and there won't be anything new to talk about. And then what? The only thing I can think of is <i>Equestria Girls</i>, and even then, shorts come out once a week (unless they were leaked early elsewhere).</div>
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And then there's the last (and possibly most controversial) reason: <b>the show is fucking boring</b>. I mean, my God, season nine was an absolute slog to sit through. If I wasn't dedicated to writing up weekly reviews, I'd have quit watching at <i>The Point of No Return</i>. It got so bad, I thought I'd be better off watching season six again; at least that was able to keep my attention for the most part! It did have good episodes - <i>Common Ground</i> and <i>The Big Mac Question</i> being the best of the season - but the majority of them were forgettable at best (<i>Going to Seed</i>) and downright horrendous at worst (<i>A Trivial Pursuit</i>), and some even presented some of the most toxic lessons that the show had ever taught. Episodes like <i>The Last Crusade</i> are a prime example as to why you should proofread your scripts; if you don't, you're going to end up implanting unfortunate implications without knowing it.</div>
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The point of season nine, from what I understand, was to have Twilight taking over for Celestia and Luna, but even then, it barely got any focus from half of the season and a lot of the episodes felt like those you'd see in seasons 1-7 (as well as parts of 8). There has been a lot of wasted potential for tying up loose ends in the series; are there other zebras like Zecora? What became of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon after <i>Crusaders of the Lost Mark</i>? What were Babs Seed's fellow Crusaders from Manehattan like? (There's more I'm probably missing, but you get my point.) But instead, they focus on boring as piss rehashings that it gets to the point you end up comparing them to older episodes.</div>
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It'd be easy to blame Jim Miller and co. for the problems season nine had faced, but it's on the writers entirely to make their ideas work, and they haven't cared in the slightest about telling an interesting story with the ideas thrown their way. It takes a lot of thought and effort to make something entertaining to everyone. Instead, they gave us the worst season of <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i>. As much as I've been critical towards season six, I felt that they were at least trying to tell entertaining stories and in some cases, they failed spectacularly. Is season nine the worst of any kid's show? No, it's the laziest and most boring, but it's at least in the range.</div>
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So where will things go for me in the future? Honestly, I'm not sure, but whatever it is, there's no turning back; I've been enjoying new things like the <i>DC Super Hero Girls</i> reboot (also created by Lauren Faust), I'll continue to enjoy <i>Thomas and Friends</i> for as long as I allow myself, and there's the likes of <i>101 Dalmatian Street</i> I'm thinking of checking out. Life is too short to think about the things you don't enjoy; as of now, I don't enjoy <i>My Little Pony</i> anymore.</div>
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I don't like dealing with shitty fans and their shitty behavior, I don't like the idea of early content only to wait weeks for the next episode to air, I don't like seeing the writers rehash ideas that have already been done in the past, and most of all, I don't enjoy watching something that's supposed to be entertaining that's boring me to death. I'd much rather watch <i>Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice</i> or hell, even <i>Foodfight!</i>. Watching either would've been far more entertaining than the garbage that MLP had put out this year.</div>
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And... that's that. My last ever take on a franchise that's gotten worse since 2015 (despite some improvement with 2017 and, to some extent, 2018). And no, I'm not going to bother with Generation 5; good, bad, or in-between. These days, companies like Hasbro don't seem to care about the quality of the content they distribute just as long as they're making money. If you ask me, the franchise ought to be put to bed for good; there's nowhere left for it to go except... just sell toys, I guess. It's like it doesn't know what it wants to be in the future.</div>
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But that's just my two cents on the matter. If the kids still enjoy it, especially since it's aimed at them, more power to them. Same goes for the older fans who liked Generation 4. After venting all my grievances, I feel like I finally have some closure with my relationship with the show, and now I can look forward to the future.</div>
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Farewell, and thank you for reading and putting up with my rambling for the past several months.</div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-74951237769569947752019-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:002019-10-14T00:34:02.600-07:00MLP Season 9 Finale: The Last Problem<div style="text-align: justify;">
So here we are at long last; the final ever episode of Generation 4 of <i>My Little Pony</i>. This could also be my most anticipated review yet - I've waited since the English dub got leaked early for it to be published - and I even sounded off against it as the worst episode of the show. Let's see why I think that, shall we?<br />
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<b><i>The Last Problem</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Josh Haber</b></div>
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Literally the first thing I said after watching it was, "that's it?" I'm not even joking. But where do I begin with the problems I have?<br />
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As we've known from the beginning of the season, Twilight was going to take over for Celestia and Luna in ruling Equestria. As the season progressed, I starting thinking that this was a stupid idea from the get go, even if it was Lauren Faust's intention when she was in charge of the show. Firstly, why would <b>one</b> princess take over for <b>two</b>? And secondly, why can't Twilight have her own kingdom to rule over? Cadance is ruling the Crystal Empire alongside Shining Armor, and they have a daughter who will one day take over for them when she grows up. So Twilight taking over for the royal sisters makes no sense at all.<br />
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While I'm on the subject, why did Twilight move to Ponyville in the first place back in the premiere? I know that it's to learn about friendship, but moving back to Canterlot almost feels like a spit in the face, and she only gets to see the rest of the Mane Six once a moon, almost as if the writers were making the entire series pointless! I know I kind of sound like that pony from <i>Fame and Misfortune</i> saying Twilight's "character" would've been more interesting if she'd stayed in Canterlot, but that's literally what this episode is implying! Oh, and her new design just looks laughably bad.<br />
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And then there's the time skip. If they want to imply that things have changed since Twilight took over, fair enough. Except they shoved in so much into the last episode that it almost felt like they didn't even try. By using the time skip as a part of the story, it hurts the episode by going for "tell, don't show", which is a bad idea in storytelling in general. How did Pinkie tie the knot with Cheese Sandwich and had a foal with him? How did Granny Smith die? What became of Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts? Who's the foal of Big Macintosh and Sugar Belle? None of this is explained at all! At least when <i>SpongeBob SquarePants</i> uses time skips, they're used for a joke. Here, they just shoved so much into one episode that it just becomes a jumbled confusion.<br />
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We're also given flashbacks as to how Twilight's coronation went... and you know what? That's actually a decent idea for an episode. Except they screw it up by having a framing device with Twilight telling her student (I'll get to her in a bit) about it! Seriously, the time skip just makes this episode worse than it is! If you simply focused on the flashbacks themselves and then ended with the song, the episode would largely be the same. Hell, it'd probably be even better! It would've been mediocre at best, but still.<br />
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I hate Luster Dawn. She's literally Twilight Sparkle from season one in all but name, design and voice. It felt like they weren't even trying, and this episode gives me no reason to care for her, nor does it tell me anything about her that makes her stand out from Twilight. In fact, she's less of a character and more of a plot device to allow this episode to happen! Say what will you about Moon Dancer, but at least she stood out from Twilight enough to be her own character in <i>Amending Fences</i>.<br />
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Not only that, Luster Dawn just enforces another problem I've had with the show; simply put, there are far too many characters in the series and not enough time for all of them to get screentime. Yes, I get that the Mane Six and Spike are the main characters, but the show is as much about their friends and families as it is them; no less, but no more either.<br />
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And while I'm on the subject, wouldn't it have been nice to see how Babs Seed was doing with the Manehattan Crusaders before the show ended? Or Coco Pommel with her fashion business there? Or what about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon after <i>Crusaders of the Lost Mark</i>? Hell, why not give Zecora some focus so we could find out if there are other zebras in Equestria? All of them are great ideas that the show didn't even bother to focus on, much less in this season, because they'd rather give us stories like <i>2, 4, 6, Greaaat</i> or <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i>, stories that nobody probably wanted to see!<br />
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Back to the flashbacks, and the thing I don't like the most - big surprise - is the callbacks to previous episodes. <b>All of them</b>. Whether it be Twilight telling Luster Dawn about her own personal struggles (<i>Celestial Advice</i>), Twilight undergoing a second coronation that goes horribly wrong (<i>Magical Mystery Cure</i> crossed with <i>The Best Night Ever</i>), the Mane Six shrugging and laughing off everything that went wrong that day (again, <i>The Best Night Ever</i> crossed with <i>The Mean 6</i>), a forced display of sadness over the fact that Twilight won't be in Ponyville when she takes over (<i>The Last Crusade</i>, except this time, it's actually happening), or outright ripping off the very first episode of the show (which pretty much tells me they gave up three-fourths of the way through), this episode may as well be Frankenstein's monster! Hell, even the damn title is unoriginal! There's other episodes that I feel this one has copied from, but let's continue.<br />
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It's been said in the past from the creators that Twilight will not outlive her friends, but this episode implies that she will! Her friends will eventually die of old age and the only constant companion she'll have is Spike (assuming, of course, that dragons age differently from ponies) unless she makes a new set of friends for her council and they'll die of old age as well, rinse and repeat. How is this a happy ending for Twilight, based on that? I could only imagine how Celestia and Luna felt when they had friends that eventually passed on!<br />
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There's a lot of fans accusing the likes of Josh Haber, Nicole Dubuc and Michael Vogel as the reason the show went into a decline of quality, but I'm not one of those people. Yes, it's on them to make the ideas that Hasbro hands down to them work, but it's also on them to put in their best effort to make them entertaining, even if they sound like bad ideas on paper. Heck, there could've been a meeting between this season's writers to figure out how to go out big with the show. It's not as if Hasbro was blackmailing them to make terrible episodes!<br />
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But as it stands, what I hate most about <i>The Last Problem</i> is what it represents. It, for me, shows that Hasbro didn't care about the world Lauren Faust had created and put toy sales and making as much money as they could over making quality entertainment for TV. (Yes, <i>My Little Pony</i> started off as a toy franchise, but even <b>that's</b> no excuse.) I've already brought up how stupid the overall season arc was, but the fact that the events of this season as a whole barely got a look in <b>within this episode</b> just feels like a massive insult. You might as well watch <i>The Beginning of the End</i> and <i>The Ending of the End</i> back to back before this one and it wouldn't make a difference.<br />
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Were there any positives I could find to this episode? Well, all I could think of is the animation, voice acting and music, but they're practically a standard by this point, not a freak occurrence. I'd just be scraping the bottom of the barrel finding positives. They end this episode on a song, but it's so bland and generic that I can't even remember the title.</div>
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
For Generation 4's finale, <i>The Last Problem</i> does not even feel like there was any effort put into it whatsoever. It's basically what happened if you took every finale between <i>Magical Mystery Cure</i> (or, depending on who are, <i>A Canterlot Wedding</i>) and <i>School Raze</i> and ramped up the negative traits up to eleven; that's the episode in a nutshell. I genuinely feel sorry for the voice actors and animators that all of their amazing talent was wasted on this.<br />
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The sad fact is that it could've actually been a decent episode. I'm serious; if they removed the time skip gimmick, kept Twilight in Ponyville, fleshed out elements of the flashbacks (making them the main focus here) to fill the runtime to 22 minutes and removed Luster Dawn altogether, it could've been an ideal sendoff to the series.<br />
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Instead, what I feel we ended up with feels like a complete lie. The post-season four finales - <i>The Cutie Re-Mark</i>, <i>To Where and Back Again</i>, <i>Shadow Play</i> and <i>School Raze</i> - plus <i>The Movie</i> and <i>Best Gift Ever</i> feel more like series finales than this. Even if I find their combined quality mixed at best, at least they understand how to make something feel like an extension of Lauren Faust's vision. This does not.<br />
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I was going to end this right there, but a little more than a week ago, there was <a href="https://www.equestriadaily.com/2019/10/idw-my-little-pony-season-10-comic.html">an announcement from IDW Publishing</a> that starting in April next year, there would be a <i>My Little Pony</i> comic series dubbed <i>Season 10</i>.<br />
<br />
Just... what do you even say to this?<br />
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First of all, this is an extremely blatant way of stretching Generation 4 out for as long as they like before Generation 5 comes along. Second, this is made to be a continuation of season nine, possibly leading up to the timeskip in <i>The Last Problem</i> as a way to explain the elements they couldn't bother doing so in animation form. Third, it's yet another sign that the franchise is creatively bankrupt and needs to be put to bed, not stretched out as a desperate way - and I really mean a <b>desperate</b> way - to maintain relevance. It's utterly pathetic.<br />
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I will not bother with <i>Season 10</i>; good, bad, or in-between. But then, I never really followed the comics to begin with. But considering how shocking the writing for season nine was to me, not to mention the last ever episode being a failure on every level, the fact that <i>Season 10</i> is a continuation of it and <b>a desperate attempt at maintaining relevance</b> is something that I don't think I will ever get over.<br />
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Let the show end on its own terms and stop milking it to death just for monetary gain. Leave it in the past with any dignity it might still have.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: 700;">Combined Rating with <i>The Ending of the End</i>: Terrible (-5/10)</span></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-83297858766704273312019-10-12T18:30:00.000-07:002019-10-12T18:30:05.775-07:00MLP Episodes 924 & 925: The Ending of the End<div style="text-align: justify;">
That's probably the most redundant title for any episode I've ever seen. Why can't they just simply call it <i>The End</i>? Oh, wait, it <b>isn't</b> the last episode of the show. I get it.<br />
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<b><i>The Ending of the End</i></b></div>
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<b>Part 1 written by Nicole Dubuc</b><br />
<b>Part 2 written by Michael Vogel</b></div>
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Yes, people; you read that correctly. The penultimate story for the series is actually a two-parter; the true finale will be a sort of epilogue. Onto <i>The Ending of the End</i> itself...<br />
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Throughout the season, they've set up Grogar to be a big threat to Equestria. But guess what he's done at all this season? Nothing! He doesn't go outside threatening ponies' lives, he doesn't send a message to anyone (not directly, at least), and overall, he's completely underwhelming. Is Grogar the worst villain of the franchise? No, he's the most boring and uninspired. Hell, the Storm King's a bigger threat than Grogar ever was; at least he actually did something in <i>The Movie</i>!<br />
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Except, guess what? It <b>wasn't</b> Grogar! Nope, it was Discord the whole time! And he impersonated Grogar just to test Twilight.<br />
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All I have to say is... <b>WHY?!</b> Why would he bother reviving King Sombra only for him to be killed off again? Why would he let Tirek and Cozy Glow out of Tartarus and force them to team up with Chrysalis just to cause chaos and fear among all ponies? And why would he have planned for the terrible trio to attack Canterlot on the day of Twilight's coronation? That was, hooves down, the stupidest plot twist this show has ever spewed, and this is in the same season that gave us <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i>!<br />
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And what does he get for his actions? <b>Nothing!</b> No punishment. No comeuppance. He's just free to cause chaos like nothing happened. Discord's actions make him feel like the bigger antagonist than the terrible trio, and they nearly destroyed Canterlot! That being said, Discord imitating the terrible trio was kind of funny, and to be fair to him, he probably wanted to get his own back at Tirek, but it doesn't explain why Chrysalis and Cozy Glow (as well as Sombra, before he was killed again) were there either.<br />
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Speaking of whom, at the end, they end up being turned into a statue. Thank goodness. I was getting sick and tired of villain redemptions (especially after <i>Daring Doubt</i>), so to see Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow forever frozen was pretty satisfying. Mind you, that won't stop people from saying that they should've been redeemed by embracing friendship in the end, even though there's evidence that it's a terrible idea. Even if they did get redeemed with guidance from Discord, it would <b>still</b> be terrible.<br />
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Also, their plan to take over doesn't feel like it was well-thought out if they had actually succeeded. What could they have done next? All I can think of is that they'd end up destroying each other until one of them remains (most likely Tirek), and whoever survives will end up ruling over nothing alive, making their entire plan pointless.<br />
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I've focused so much on the villains that I forgot the story was about Twilight. As I've said, we never saw an obvious transition from freaking out over petty things to trying to keep her stress under control to being the adorkable methodical pony we knew from the first five seasons. Granted, this isn't as bad as it was in <i>The Summer Sun Setback</i>, airing right after an episode where Twilight was at her worst, but it still leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. When she finally takes over, is Equestria expected to prepare itself for when their new leader has her mood swings?<br />
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The final battle with all the tribes (pony, Changeling, Griffon, dragon, yak, etc.) fighting against the terrible trio was nice and all, but even then, it didn't really stick out to me. It almost felt like it was there just to make this finale feel like a huge deal.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
For the final ever two-parter, it was extremely weak and unsatisfying. I know I'm repeating myself, but considering that a lot of season nine was forgettable at best and awful at worst, you'd think an amazing finale would make it all worth it, right? Nope! I think the writers stopped caring about the show by the time season seven ended and then just did... whatever. This so-called finale was very blatant about it, and the less said about that stupid plot twist, the better.<br />
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<i>The End of the End</i> takes every grand finale cliche, smashes them all up and throws the remains into the hotel swimming pool. It's a completely underwhelming anticlimax for a finale, but the epilogue episode that came after it was even worse, and I'll get to that tomorrow.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Bad (1/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-50412622407769781752019-10-08T15:30:00.000-07:002019-10-08T15:30:44.668-07:00Thomas & Friends Season 23: Digs & Discoveries Part 2 (Episodes)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last time, we talked about the mini-specials of <i>Digs & Discoveries</i>. This times, we're talking about the five episodes of <i>Digs & Discoveries</i>; two based in Italy, and three back on home territory.<br />
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According to the DVD release, this episode and <i>Too Loud, Thomas!</i> are an extension of <i>All Tracks Lead to Rome</i> and <i>Mines of Mystery</i>, becoming one feature length special broken up into four (or six, depending on your mileage) episodes. That's pretty different, to say the least.<br />
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Even more so is how Thomas is barely present in the episode. He appears in the first minute at most, but that's literally it. Heck, he doesn't even turn up at the end of the episode. This allows for the other characters to stand up on their own, and it pays off.<br />
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Carrying over from the two mini-specials, the characters once again shine through. Whether it be Lorenzo's enthusiasm and overconfidence about wanting to perform with Dame Bella, Gina snarking about their similar personalities, and heck, even the human characters like Dame Bella's musicians and the station porter struggling with her baggage get to shine through. This episode is never short of fun character moments.<br />
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Lorenzo and Dame Bella also shine through when they realize how much they took their companions for granted; you never know what you're missing until you realize it too late. And them singing together was a great moment for both of them.<br />
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Admittedly, I did focus more on the character moments than the actual story itself, but the former really lifted up the latter in my eyes to help see it through. I don't know whether or not it's sad or ironic that the two best international episodes thus far (<i>Crowning Around</i> being the other) didn't feature Thomas playing a big role, but if future international episodes are like them, then that should be good enough for me. I just hope they keep that in mind for season 24 onwards...!<br />
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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We go from amazing to average. I mean, Thomas' attempts at trying to sing opera just come off as hard to listen to, not to mention how jarring it is since Thomas has sung really well in the past. Then again, it could've been because they were musical sequences conveying how he felt in <i>The Great Race</i>, <i>Journey Beyond Sodor</i> and <i>Big World! Big Adventures!</i>. Either way, it's still jarring.<br />
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That being said, there are funny moments to be found like - in a kind of dark way - the little girl's balloon popping after Thomas sings badly again, and Thomas trying to convey a message to Stefano despite his sore voice. That's a nice little message being conveyed here; work around a problem you've brought upon yourself to get a message across.<br />
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Overall, it's a very average episode and a kind of anti-climactic way to end the Italy adventures. The message is a good one for kids to learn, but only if they can tolerate Thomas' awful singing.<br />
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<b>Rating: Okay (5/10)</b></div>
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So now we're officially introduced to Brenda the bulldozer after her premature debut in <i>Mines of Mystery</i>. And honestly, from day one, I thought it was a missed opportunity to bring back Byron into CGI. Maybe it was because he didn't have much to work with in the original Pack episodes of 2003? (Yes, I know they were released in 2006, but they were produced in 2003, so that's what I'm sticking with.) Would've been nice to see more depth to his character, but alas, we can only dream...<br />
<br />
This other issue I have has nothing to do with the episode, but more to do with the fact that Tom Stourton is now voicing Alfie. He was voiced by Nathan Clarke in 2015 and 2016, but Tom Stourton has been part of the show since 2014! So why didn't Stourton voice Alfie from the get go? Perhaps they couldn't afford to keep Clarke in the voice cast? Given Mattel's track record with financial problems, it seems likely, which could explain why Bill and Ben are no longer voiced by Jonathan Broadbent.<br />
<br />
Nitpicking aside, it's a nice enough story about misunderstandings and learning to work with your team (a pair of themes that should've been put to bed by now, but I digress). It was nice seeing Miss Jenny finally return to the show (why she didn't return with the Pack in <i>Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure</i> or season 20, I'll never know), and there were lots of funny moments like Max and Monty being stuck in the muddy field and Brenda commanding "None shall pass!" Not what she said, but the delivery reminded me of the Black Knight from <i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</i>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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Does anyone remember that Trackmaster toy of Darcy when <i>Digs & Discoveries</i> was first announced to the public? Well, thank goodness that her actual render looked nothing like the toy, but there's something about her design that strikes a visual image that I don't even want to think about...!<br />
<br />
That being said, Darcy is quite reckless when it comes to her surroundings. I mean, she nearly caused harm to Cranky (<b>whilst she was being lowered onto her flatbed</b>), James (<b>whilst she was on her flatbed</b>) and Max, and even nearly took out Miss Jenny at the end! For the last one, it's shrugged off like you accidentally bumped into someone! So many alarm bells are ringing to this nonchalance of personal safety and awareness.<br />
<br />
However, there are still some good moments to be found; Nia relating to Darcy being a newbie to the team was great as they're maintaining their sense of continuity, and her sympathizing with Darcy after nearly causing an accident at the site was just sweet. Oh, and that fantasy with the Roadinator; so ridiculous it's funny.<br />
<br />
Overall, it's one of the weaker episodes of this season. I wouldn't go so far as to calling it the worst as there are some genuinely good moments, but the concerns over personal safety and the unoriginal plot really dragged things down as a whole.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Bad (3/10)</b></div>
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<br />
The third Pack episode of the season, and it's the only one where Thomas actually interacts with any members of them. In the model episodes, he seemed to be kind of there half of the time, but in this episode, Thomas' appearance makes perfect sense. He's taking Jack and Alfie to the lead mines on the branchline and he even remembered the time he went past the danger sign. That was a nice touch.<br />
<br />
There's... not really much to talk about in terms of story. It teaches the target audience about listening to instructions and staying safe in dangerous places, and it works for Max and Monty, especially when the latter gets trapped and ends up being rescued by Darcy, whom he and Max teased at the start. Now that's good karma right there. And what's even nicer is that the lesson stuck for both of them, unlike in <i>Mucking About</i> where they revert to where they once were at the start of said episode.<br />
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Oh, and that fantasy sequence where Monty ends up in Australia; that was so ridiculous and funny.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
</div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-41258439390405925522019-10-08T15:00:00.000-07:002019-10-08T15:00:06.589-07:00Thomas & Friends Season 23: Digs & Discoveries Part 1 (Mini-Specials)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, here we are at long last. We get to finally discuss two of the three mini-specials of season 23; both of them being released as part of <i>Digs & Discoveries</i>. They first premiered in theaters in the United Kingdom for a week in July, got a premature and unannounced airing in Canada in August, had an actually announced airing in the United States in September, and finally, this month October, they got released on DVD. How do they stack up?<br />
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I'm gonna review these two mini-specials together in parts; the first will be about the general over-arching storyline, and the other will be about the new characters introduced in them (and yes, I'll count Gina as new despite being introduced in <i>The Great Race</i>, where she was more of a prop than an actual character there).<br />
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Starting off is the fact that they're a pair of 22-minute specials, and along with the yet-to-be released <i>Steam Team to the Rescue!</i>, they seem to be replacing the hour-long specials, which is a fair move as the format of releasing a yearly special has been getting stale. Not to mention that every special post-<i>Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure</i> has the unfortunate - and inevitable - problem with trying to live up to its standard. It's like trying to make a <i>Toy Story</i> film greater than the third; don't attempt it. Just let the next special stand up on its own. But I digress.<br />
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In theory, the 22-minute format - at least for international stories - can allow for more time to develop the setting and characters, and the fantasy sequences won't come off as big time wasters, depending on how they play out. The characters introduced in Italy are great for the most part, and I'll get to that later.<br />
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The story itself is fairly simplistic; the first half is about Thomas trying to learn about Italian culture and archaeology, and then he learns from Gina and Stefano about the lost engine and wants to find him despite being told that it may not exist. The second half is about Thomas wanting to make a discovery of his own and finding the lost engine for real.<br />
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The first half isn't particularly original, especially as it's a story that Thomas has already been through with <i>Outback Thomas</i>, what with him acting like he knows better about a culture he doesn't understand that well. The second half, however, was what I thought to be the more interesting of the two, though not by much, mostly because of Lorenzo. Again, more on that later.<br />
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The flashbacks of how Lorenzo and Beppe ended up being lost were really well done with the mosaic art style, fitting given the Italian setting. I thought it was the best bit of animation in the duology. And both fantasy sequences were fun to watch as well.<br />
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And after the Pack turn up in Italy aboard Stefano, Jack tells Gina about the time Thomas fell down a mine after she reminds him about his first mine incident in Italy. That I thought was also funny, and gave Thomas a bit of motivation to want appreciation... except this is something he should've outgrown by now. I know he's the main character, but constantly re-learning the same lessons just spits in the face of his character growth.<br />
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In fact, that's a problem which plagues the international stories whenever Thomas is the lead character. It would've been great if other Sodor engines went around the world as well, like James going to India, Gordon to Australia, Percy to China, Duck to Brazil, and here, Oliver to Italy. Yes, I know none of them have expressed travelling beyond the United Kingdom and Sodor, but it could've at least resulted in some more interesting storytelling and character moments and those alone would've distracted the audience from the contrivance. That being said, we still got this gem from Gina at the end of the second half:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Thomas, stop talking."<br />
-Gina; it's also almost what many fans wish Thomas would do as well.</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A couple of other nitpicks, though; wouldn't Thomas have had enough time to stop before he went into the second mine? If he had, then he'd have never found Lorenzo and Beppe. Heck, Thomas practically noticed within a few seconds that he was on the wrong track and was in no danger, so surely he'd have stopped and gone back. Also, how did Lorenzo and Beppe get restored to working order in record time? Though I will admit that the ending shot with them was pretty funny.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now let's talk about the characters introduced here, from least interesting to most. Starting with Ester the excavator; she just seems to be there and almost exists as a plot device to justify the Pack's presence in the second half. Despite that she was announced for Trackmaster Push Along last year, I don't think anyone will remember Ester in a year or so.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Brenda also seemed to come from nowhere and was introduced as the Pack's 24th member and their second bulldozer. I put her above Ester because at least she'll be getting more screentime on Sodor (I'll get to her sort-of debut story <i>Out of Site</i> in the next part).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So now we get to the more interesting characters, beginning with Stefano. I thought he wasn't going to play a huge role at all, but I was kind of surprised. He's a bit of an eccentric storyteller from what I can gather, and he even played a role in Thomas finding Lorenzo and Beppe by telling the blue tank engine the story about the duo. It's also funny how Lorenzo describes him as having the strength of Hercules in his own song, and that in here, they played with Stefano's unusual appearance.</div>
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Lorenzo and Beppe are such a fun duo; I bet Vincenzo Nicoli had fun voicing both of them, as well as singing "Lorenzo's Song". The former is wildly eccentric and curious whilst the latter is more reserved and is the straight-coach of the pair. I know some will get annoyed by their singing after a while, but I find it hilarious whenever it happens. I almost want to sing along at times despite that I don't know Italian at all!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But Italy's MVP was truly Gina. I just love her sassy personality and how she chews out Thomas when he gets puffed up in the smokebox. Out of the characters from <i>The Great Race</i>, Gina has perhaps the best personality out of them. She's smart, knowledgeable, proud of her heritage, and adorably hilarious, especially when she makes her pouty expressions. Speaking of which, why wasn't <b>she</b> the one who got stuck on Sodor instead of Ashima? I mean, all the Indian engine did was basically sweet talk Thomas no matter how much he griped and just looks pretty most of the time. Meanwhile, Gina just cuts to the chase and Thomas shuts up almost immediately.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This was a really good duology for the most part. It's got problems - namely Thomas acting childish for the umpteenth time - but there's nothing outright major that makes me want to turn it off and never watch it again. After a decade's worth of feature length specials, I think it's a nice breath of fresh air to get a trilogy of 22-minute specials (the third of which I'll review when it comes out) instead alongside a twenty-episode season. If this is how the content for future seasons will be like in the future, I'm game. But maybe an extended break between producing two seasons wouldn't hurt.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Also, can we have Gina come and visit the Island of Sodor in the future? We've seen her chew out Thomas for his behavior, so why not an episode where she has to put up with someone like James or Gordon? I'll bet there's loads of story potential you could create with Gina or another international engine visiting Sodor!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Good (8/10)</span></b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-56634058994691270662019-10-05T15:00:00.000-07:002019-10-05T15:00:10.452-07:00MLP Episode 923: The Big Mac Question<div style="text-align: justify;">
218 episodes down (including <i>Best Gift Ever</i>), only four more to go before the show comes to the end. It's so close, and yet it feels like it's been so far away...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Big Mac Question</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel</b></div>
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</div>
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This overall premise felt a lot like <i>The Saddle Row Review</i>, except I thought that this episode handled it a lot better; in the former episode, there were far too many characters and subplots to keep track of that it all just felt like a jumbled confusion of a story. Not to mention that that episode was an intentional comedy, and the humor just came off as cringey and not that funny. Here, however, there's a more restrained cast (Big Mac, Sugar Belle, the Crusaders, Spike, Discord, Granny Smith, and Mrs. Cake), and the humor is a lot more spot on.<br />
<br />
There's too many funny moments to list, but the ones that stick out to me is any time Discord's talking apples appear. I mean, come on; how can you not love them?! It's so ridiculous I love it. Oh, and that apple monster. Peter New must've had a blast doing their voices.<br />
<br />
I also like how the episode's structure plays out; the first two acts take place alongside each other, but are taken from different point of views, but it's the third act where the episode shines. Big Mac is frustrated that his plans with Sugar Belle haven't worked out the way he intended, but she isn't bothered by that and both end up proposing to each other, leading to a satisfying (and heartwarming) ending. Seriously, them talking things out before the proposal is one of the best moments of the entire show; no hyperbole.<br />
<br />
What makes the ending even better is that all of their close friends and family (Night Glider, Party Favor, Double Diamond and Grand Pear, to name but a few) were there for the wedding, especially Applejack, who's finally onscreen with her new sister-in-law! It's a crying shame that it's only now we see her and Sugar Belle together, especially as we've never seen her or Granny Smith react to Big Mac's new marefriend (now wife)...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
This isn't really saying much, but this is one of the best episodes of the season, as well as the first since <i>Common Ground</i> to get a full 10 rating from me. In fact, I think this might've even toppled the latter episode as best of an otherwise awful season. It's funny, sweet, charming, and has a great ending and moral. Honestly, if a lot of season nine was more like this, I'd still be sticking around. It's been such a frustrating season to me, but it's kind of relieving that it's ending before it has a chance to get worse.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Excellent (10/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-5739837319085978172019-09-28T15:00:00.000-07:002019-09-28T15:00:03.039-07:00MLP Episode 922: Growing Up is Hard to Do<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, that was unexpected! Ed Valentine seems to have had one last hurrah before the show ended as it's his first contribution since <i>The Fault in Our Cutie Marks</i>. Considering his track record, can he go out big?<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Growing Up is Hard to Do</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Ed Valentine</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Well... not really. But it's not an awful episode either. It was... adequate, to say the least.<br />
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If you've heard of the 1988 movie <i>Big</i> starring Tom Hanks, then you probably already know how the story goes. Some kid wants to be an adult to impress an older girl but gets more than he bargained for. Except this time, it's <b>three</b> foals and there's no crush involved.<br />
<br />
While the Crusaders end up being kids again, all this episode does is raise questions as to why we don't see them physically age. At this point, they should be teenagers during their final years of grade school, and yet they're talked down to like it's season one or two. Heck, they've walked around Ponyville without adult supervision in previous episodes and they turned out fine.<br />
<br />
Actually, now that I think about it, that's a huge problem the show seems to have faced throughout its run. We never see babies grow up and go to school, we don't see the kids getting older, and Twilight's parents have looked to be about the same age as their children throughout the show's run! You'd think we'd see more wrinkles or their hair getting a bit gray. Sure, there's flashbacks with the likes of the Mane Six and the Apple family, but still.<br />
<br />
That being said, the Crusaders were enjoyable throughout, but it's no surprise considering that every one of Ed Valentine's scripts (with the exception of <i>Three's a Crowd</i>) featured them. The trio embracing the joys of being an adult through song was fantastic, and the moral they learned about growing up being a long process was really good.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
The overall result was just... fine. It's not Ed Valentine's best work, but there's not a lot to hate about it either. The story and theme are relatable enough to anyone about growing up. It's tolerable, that's good enough for me.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Good (7/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-74735477682275105482019-09-21T12:17:00.000-07:002019-09-21T12:17:24.162-07:00MLP Episode 921: Daring Doubt<div style="text-align: justify;">
My God, this season constantly manages to out-stupid itself and give me something else to hate about it...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Daring Doubt</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Nicole Dubuc</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Seriously, what this episode is telling me is that Dr. Caballeron, one of Daring Do's greatest archenemies, is misunderstood? After four episodes prior to this one across eight seasons, all of a sudden, his villainy does not matter anymore and instead, he's a mere researcher? That's literally what people accuse Garble's twist "misunderstood character" status from <i>Sweet and Smoky</i> as being; something pulled out of the writers' collective ass just to allow the story to happen! At least Garble had somewhat of an excuse (though he still should've been shown apologizing to Spike, but I digress).<br />
<br />
They even double down on that godawful twist by calling Ahuizotl misunderstood by trying to protect his jungle and the artifacts that Daring Do and Caballeron take from him. Ahuizotl tried to kill Daring Do several times during the course of the books, especially in <i>Daring Don't</i> back in season four, his last appearance, where he almost caused the world to burn for 800 years! How is that misunderstood?<br />
<br />
The continuity overall with past episodes is just a mess. Ignoring that A) this episode will likely pander to the Daring Do/Caballeron shippers (yes, they do exist), B) the twist with Caballeron is Groom Q. Q. Martingale is blatantly obvious, and C) Fluttershy's interest in Daring Do seems to come from nowhere, how did the ponies of Equestria not learn back in <i>Fame and Misfortune</i> that A. K. Yearling was Daring Do herself? The Friendship Journal's been out for at least a couple of years, so you'd think they'd have learned about that by now!<br />
<br />
Also, the plot is basically <i>Daring Done?</i> (only it was Caballeron trying to tell his side of the story, which makes it worse) mashed up with <i>The Hooffields and McColts</i> (Fluttershy involvement by helping both sides understand each other). I know you're probably sick of hearing me talk about that, but believe me; I'm sick of talking about it as well. If you're low on ideas, take a break for a while and refresh your mind.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
The writing for this season is just unacceptable at times. If they're not destroying one of the main characters to the point you want them dead, they're throwing continuity out the window. If it's not that, they're rewriting characters just to suit the plot. If it's not that, they're throwing away what made these characters popular to fans. And if it's not that, they're reusing the theme about communication and understanding both sides, something this show has already done <b>multiple times</b>!<br />
<br />
Seriously, this was a terrible way to conclude the Daring Do saga. And when the only character that's actually well written is Fluttershy, a character who's never been involved in a Daring Do episode, then you really have a problem.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Atrocious (-8/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-78305970462995722042019-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:002019-09-14T15:00:00.337-07:00MLP Episode 920: A Horse Shoe-In<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, here we go; the home stretch of the last season of the show. Six reviews to go (starting with this one) and then that'll be it for Generation 4. My expectations are through the floor at this stage.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>A Horse Shoe-In</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Ariel Shepherd-Oppenheim</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
I'll start off fair and say that this episode does at least acknowledge who will be running the School of Friendship when Twilight moves back to Canterlot, but three-quarters of the way through? This just shows how off the pacing in season nine is. Frankly, I'd have gotten rid of filler episodes like <i>The Point of No Return</i> so that the first half would've focused on the Mane Six making adjustments to properly prepare for taking over for Celestia and Luna, and then have the second half focus on everyone adjusting to their new roles.<br />
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And speaking of new roles, did it never occur to Twilight that she would need a contingency plan with the teachers? Yeah, <i>A Matter of Principals</i> made that obvious, but this episode was more blatant about it.<br />
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Back to this episode, and there's the main premise; Trixie wants to become Starlight's vice-headmare. That's a huge problem with Starlight/Trixie episodes. Both ponies bring out the worst in each other post-redemption. You'd think after <i>Road to Friendship</i> that Trixie would've become more humble, but here, she's just unbearably selfish and it makes you wonder why Starlight is even friends with her at all. Oh, and Trixie becoming the school's new counselor? I'm pretty sure that's not going to end in disaster(!)<br />
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There's other (albeit smaller) problems as well, like Starlight saying that Twilight's friends are competent. Why would she say that? Are we suddenly forgetting what happened in <i>Non-Compete Clause</i>? Heck, in this season alone, we saw Rainbow Dash clearly unqualified for the cheerleading teaching job, and even Starlight herself let Silverstream do her report on cockatrices <b>without adult supervision</b>! So Starlight's in no position to call the Mane Six competent teachers.<br />
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Then there's the ending where it's decided that Sunburst be Starlight's vice-headmare. I almost feel like there was no thought was put into it whatsoever, especially when they handwave it by saying Flurry Heart's getting older and doesn't need a crystaller. <b>Show, don't tell</b>! Sure, she said her first word in <i>The Beginning of the End</i>, but that's not really enough to say that she's growing up. Surely she'd get slightly bigger in size and no longer be in diapers? I mean, Pound and Pumpkin Cake aren't wearing diapers anymore, so why not Flurry Heart?<br />
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To give the episode credit where it's due, the episode as a whole did at least try to be entertaining. Big Mac trying to speak with Sky Beak about Silverstream's achievements was perhaps the biggest standout; I genuinely laughed at it just for how silly it was. As was Starlight talking to and naming her plant like it was a child, especially her reaction to Trixie throwing it away. Yeah, it was kind of a cliched and stupid joke but... eh, they tried at least.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
Starlight gets a rough deal in so many of the episodes she's in, and this can be added to that pile. The fact that this could potentially be her last starring role makes it all the more frustrating. She deserved so much more than what she got in the latter half of the series' run, with <i>A Royal Problem</i> still remaining her best starring role to date.<br />
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Rehashed story elements, fanservice for the sake of fanservice, and apathy towards potentially toxic implications down the road. <i>A Horse Shoe-In</i> follows that formula down to the letter.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Terrible (-5/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-7240394036487959222019-09-13T13:00:00.000-07:002019-09-13T13:00:05.810-07:00Thomas & Friends Season 23: Week 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's the second week of new episodes! This time, we're going back to Brazil, and making some brief stops to India and Sodor along the way.</div>
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This episode was enjoyable, although slightly dull in places. The music that Thomas' cargo made during his travels was pretty fun to listen to (why the engine parts were on a flatbed, I'll let it slide), and it was nice that the band used it as a beat for inspiration. I almost thought that someone in the episode was going to sing along to the soundtrack. Also, was it just me, or did they show the Brazilian Carnival without actually saying the name? Yeah, it was simply called a carnival, but it did feel like it to me.</div>
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The only real issue is that the foreman would simply let Thomas take the tanker to the carnival when it was obviously in poor condition, but it was funny seeing his crew wince at the noise. Other than that, it's pretty enjoyable. Nothing spectacular, but kids will probably enjoy it.</div>
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<b>Rating: Good (8/10)</b></div>
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Well, well. We meet again, Miss Overton. Last season, her scripts were mostly misses, especially the infamously hated <i>Apology Impossible</i> to the point that many even called it the worst episode of the show's history. But does Overton's first episode of the season turn things around in her favor?</div>
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Well, a lot of people, from what I can tell, dislike the episode, but I don't think it's as awful as many make it out to be. If anything, I think of it as a step in the right direction.<br />
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In a lot of the Brenner era, Gordon has usually been depicted as being grumpy and/or boastful, and often condescending to the smaller engines. But lately, they seem to be giving more depth to his character. In <i>The Great Race</i>, he has a sibling rivalry with Flying Scotsman, <i>Forever and Ever</i> showed him being paranoid over the changes before learning they weren't all bad, and a <i>Meet the Steam Team</i> video implied there's something going on between him and Rebecca...</div>
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Here, we get to see Gordon show his more comedic side when he sees Rebecca covered in honey and vegetables (which she looked adorable covered in) and tries to contain his laughter over it. It was also nice to see him show concern when Rebecca almost ran Thomas off the rails. Oh, and Gordon calling himself Big G was just funny; is that a nickname he gives himself or does someone else?</div>
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The passengers must've been incredibly tolerant of their engine stopping randomly until he turned up at the Steamworks at the end; that one passenger deserves his own mention, seriously. And I wonder why they didn't bother complaining to Sir Topham Hatt when he turned up? Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that people on Sodor have had skewed priorities...</div>
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There's... not much else to talk about here. I'll bet Keith Wickham and Kerry Shale both had a blast in the recording studio when it came to recording Gordon's lines in their respective dubs; they really hammed up his character there. It's also incredible how one writer went from writing one of the most infamously hateful episodes of the show to one of the funniest. Rebecca seems to bring out the best in Gordon.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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Here we go again with another infamous episode episode in this season. Heck, the generic title alone is enough of a sign as to how hated it is. Actually, I don't think it even qualifies as a title; just the most generic premise you could come up with.</div>
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However, the title is the least of this episode's problems. It's basically a three-strikes script except based in India - if it was on Sodor, it'd be exactly the same result. Not only that, it's a lesson that Thomas should've learned by this point. If you gave Ashima the lead role and have her panic over maintaining a spotless record, it could've been more interesting and taught kids that nobody's perfect. I mean, they gave Rajiv a lead role this season, so why not give Ashima one too? Or did Mattel think that <i>The Great Race</i> was enough?</div>
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Also, that fantasy sequence was completely random and added absolutely nothing to the episode. It's just an excuse for Thomas to get distracted from his job. And this is nitpicking, but why did they put goats in box vans instead of cattle wagons?</div>
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There are some good little moments, albeit minor. The interactions between the farmer and the grumpy stationmaster were funny, and the usage of having monkeys help to recover the silk was a nice touch in getting everyone involved. Plus, we got to see Noor Jehan show a bit of wisdom in her character. Not entirely original but... eh, it's at least something.</div>
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All in all, I wouldn't call it the worst episode ever made, but it's definitely bad. It's got a storyline that they should've consigned to the scrap heap by 2013, it's repetitive, and Thomas comes off as an idiot. At least this episode didn't outright state that you shouldn't stand up to bullies, nor did it try placing culture before story.</div>
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<b>Rating: Bad (2/10)</b></div>
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Davey Moore seems to have lots of fun whenever he writes for Diesel and Rebecca, doesn't he? Their dynamic in this episode was just loads of fun with her naivety and his trickster persona, all because he doesn't want to be blamed for causing trouble. Diesel nearly succeeds, only for Rebecca to spill the beans and the episode ends with him about to be chewed out again. Interesting book end for the episode; it begins with Diesel being called out for something we never see (we're only told about what he did), and it ends with him being called out for causing trouble today despite doing a good job with his duties today.</div>
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Something that was surprising was that Norman actually spoke and had something to do... very late into the Brenner era. If they weren't going to do much with him at all, then why was he introduced in the first place? Wouldn't it have been simpler to bring back Dennis?</div>
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That aside, it's a really funny episode that fitted Diesel's character, and the fantasy sequence parodying the new intro was a highlight in my books. It does almost make me wonder if they're planning a Diesel spinoff based off of that sequence alone, but I doubt that would happen. Would be nice to see, though.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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Yes, I know; the sequence with the engines playing with the ball was a bit dumb, but then again, the show's done stupider things. If I complained about that too much, I'd be questioning why the engines have faces at all. You've heard that before, I'm sure.</div>
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That being said, the little ball game does tie nicely into Raul's competitive nature; after losing to Thomas in the Shunting Challenge, he's desperate to try and beat him before deciding that winning isn't always everything. Nothing the show hasn't done before, I know, but it was definitely a lesson he needed to learn. I also find it ironic how Thomas nearly fell into the sea after being bumped by an international engine (Ashima) in <i>The Great Race</i>, and yet here, he rescues another (Raul) from falling into the sea.</div>
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Speaking of said special, the stock footage of the Shunting Challenge sticks out a lot like a dented buffer in terms of lighting and with Thomas' physical appearance. Just compare him from both the special and this episode and you'll see what I mean.</div>
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Also, this is sadly the only episode in Brazil thus far where we see Raul. Given that he was Brazil's representative in <i>The Great Race</i>, you'd think the writers would give him more to work with. Instead, it's Gabriela turning up in every episode. And if that's the case, then why wasn't it Gabriela taking part in the Shunting Challenge instead? That doesn't make any sense at all if you ask me.</div>
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Overall, I give this episode the same rating as <i>The Other Big Engine</i>. It's fairly enjoyable for the target audience. But if you're not a fan of the unrealistic moments, you'll probably hate this episode because of them.</div>
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<b>Rating: Good (7/10)</b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-77545329633181415772019-09-07T15:00:00.000-07:002019-09-07T15:00:01.454-07:00MLP Episode 919: Dragon Dropped<div style="text-align: justify;">
I sometimes wonder if <i>Friendship is Magic</i> should've lasted as long as it did, but then I watch episodes like this and decide that it should've ended earlier.<br />
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<b><i>Dragon Dropped</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Josh Haber</b></div>
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The story is just a stereotypical "someone gets jealous when their close friend hangs out with someone else" plot. Yeah, it's the same plot we've seen in the likes of <i>Uncommon Bond</i> and <i>Make New Friends but Keep Discord</i>. There's nothing interesting about it, and it almost makes Rarity look selfish about wanting Spike for herself.<br />
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Speaking of whom, why does Spike hang out with Gabby, of all characters? We've never seen them interact once in <i>The Fault in Our Cutie Marks</i>, so why are they close friends? This could've made better sense if Sweetie Belle was the one hanging out Gabby given that the griffon is an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader. Sure, it would've bordered on retreading <i>Forever Filly</i>, but at least it would've worked somewhat better for Rarity's character.<br />
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Also, this is minor, but isn't it strange that Rarity would get a starring role so late into the season? I mean, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack had a bit of spotlight during the first half, and Pinkie's first spotlight role was the first episode of the second half. So why did it take them this long to give Rarity something to do?<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
It's another short review, but season nine is barely giving me anything to work with. Actually, much of the episodes in this season have barely given me anything to talk about, and this episode can be added to that pile. It's so boring and cliched that you'll end up forgetting about it six hours after watching it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Terrible (0/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-22032363251239602582019-09-06T13:00:00.000-07:002019-09-06T13:00:00.164-07:00Thomas & Friends Season 23: Week 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
Wow, it has been nearly a year since I last reviewed anything related to <i>Thomas and Friends</i> on the blog. With a lot of focus going into revisiting the first six seasons of <i>My Little Pony</i>, as well as reviewing its ninth and final season, the Thomas side of things seems to have been neglected. Well, to be fair, there wasn't much for me to talk about, but with season 23 finally airing in the United Kingdom, I think it's high time we got back to the popular show about talking trains. Beginning with the first week of new episodes.</div>
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Ever since Bulgy made his surprise comeback in <i>Unscheduled Stops</i>, fans wanted to see more of him, and I was certainly one of those fans. The roads seemed to be a little too friendly, so to have a road antagonist like Bulgy would be a good way to shake things up. This episode makes him so twisted, I love it. Heck, that fantasy sequence proves just how messed up he is in the head. Who else would ever think of Percy being an over-the-top supervillain?</div>
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The plot is pretty simplistic; Bulgy taints a water tower and then gets his comeuppance by being overloaded with passengers. It feels like something from Awdry's pen, and it follows the three-act story formula perfectly; actions, consequences, and resolution.</div>
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There's... not really much else to talk about here. According to Michael White, George was intended to be in Max and Monty's place when Bulgy accidentally taints the water tower. That's a missed opportunity right there as it would've been nice to see two significant road antagonists together in the same episode. At the same time, it's frustrating that Mattel couldn't be bothered to render a new character from the ground up just for one scene, but it's nice to acknowledge that those we haven't seen in a while haven't been forgotten about.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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It's fair to say that I practically tore the India-themed episodes of season 22 a new one. With two episodes in particular, it felt as though the story was an afterthought to facts and exposition about India; <i>Thomas and the Monkey Palace</i> was basically a Miller-era script based in India and nothing happened in <i>Thomas Goes to Bollywood</i>.</div>
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And then came this episode. I won't be beating around the bush; I absolutely loved it.</div>
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For a start, they practically focus on a character that's not Thomas - in this case, Rajiv - and it allowed the other characters to shine through on their own (some episodes out of season 22 did, but that's beside the point). Though Ashima still feels incredibly bland and Noor Jehan's character is a bit dry, but she does seem to show a bit of character expressing concern about her poor brakes. It's nice how a seemingly random line from her tied into the climax; that was way more than she did in all of season 22.</div>
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You also feel for Rajiv when he loses his crown after some monkeys play with it. But it's still really hilarious how he treats it like it's the end of the world, but he learned after rescuing Shankar from a runaway Noor Jehan that he didn't always need his crown to be useful and he was rewarded by having it returned to him. Rajiv might've still felt proud of it, sure, but the ending seemed to push his character in the right direction by promising to be useful regardless.</div>
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This was also probably the best use of the fantasy sequences, right next to <i>An Engine of Many Colors</i>. They're simple, but they show how proud Rajiv is of his crown; first is after it's been polished at the start, and the second is after he loses it. It's funny how he imagines the trucks, birds and a tiger reacting to him.</div>
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All in all, it's the best India-themed episode to date, even more so than <i>Tiger Trouble</i> (which, I'll admit, I was pretty harsh towards in retrospect; if I had to re-review that episode again, I'd give it either a 6 or 7/10) - though, to be fair, the bar wasn't that high to begin with. It felt a lot like a Thomas story and the moral was great.</div>
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Side note: Camille Ucan and Rose Johnson are rather lovely...!</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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This episode is all over the place; the flashbacks to <i>Dirty Objects</i> and <i>Percy Takes the Plunge</i> were fine, but I can't help but feel as though they were included for the sake of pandering. (It's the same thing with the <i>Thomas and the Trucks</i> portion of <i>The Adventure Begins</i>.) Not only that, the two incidents from said episodes were practically repeated twice - once in the fantasy sequence with Rebecca, and again with James, Thomas and Percy going through similar incidents.</div>
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Yeah, the overall premise is fairly thin for the most part, but the flashbacks/recreations/callbacks/etc. are said laid so much it's almost as if they overshadow the episode itself. Heck, it's not until halfway through the episode that Rebecca pulls her first goods train... which is simply taking trucks to Vicarstown. That being said, the trucks' reaction to Rebecca's goodbye was really funny; they're so used to success against engines not used to them that they've been thrown off of their game!</div>
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If I were to write this episode, I'd have one of the engines (maybe Gordon) tell Rebecca that mishaps with the trucks are no laughing matter, and when she's pulling the goods train, she'd ask the trucks why they enjoy doing this and they'd tell her that it's because most of the engines mistreat them every day. Still not the most exciting, but it could've had the episode stand up on its own without relying on flashbacks too much.</div>
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<b>Rating: Okay (6/10)</b></div>
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Here's something I'd like to get out of the way; we never got a clear introduction to Gabriela, hence we don't see how she and Thomas met. Because of this, it almost feels as if she was just introduced with no explanation, and it's not made clear as to whether or not this or the other two episodes based in Brazil is Thomas' introduction to said country. With China (<i>Number One Engine</i>), India (<i>Trusty Trunky</i>) and Australia (<i>Outback Thomas</i>), we could at least tell with these episodes that it was Thomas' first time in those respective countries, but Brazil? Nada.<br />
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Okay, that issue aside (this won't affect my views on the Brazil episodes, but it was something I wanted to point out), how on earth did Thomas not know right off the bat that Gustavo reminded him of Gordon? He's a big engine that's painted blue (with some light gray on the side), has the number four on his sides and pulls an express train. That should've been obvious from the get-go! Not to mention how random the mentions of Edward, Henry and Toby are. It almost sounds like they're saying they're still around, but it feels like padding.<br />
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Still, Gustavo seems like a nice enough character, especially when Thomas realized that he wasn't as boastful like his Sudrian counterpart. That does remind me; every country he's visited thus far seems to have at least one Sudrian counterpart. Rajiv is an Indian James, Yong Bao is a Chinese Edward, Shane seems to be an Australian Henry (they're both big green engines and are very friendly; that was pretty much the best comparison I could make), and now there's a Gustavo as a Brazilian Gordon. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just something I feel like pointing out.</div>
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It's also funny how the closing segment calls back to <i>Thomas, Terence and the Snow</i> as opposed to <i>Terence Breaks the Ice</i>, the episode that included the CGI recreation. That's probably the longest gap between an older story and the newest story since the <i>Thomas' Train</i> callback in <i>Confusion Without Delay</i>.</div>
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<b>Rating: Good (7/10)</b></div>
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Is it just me, or did someone at Mattel listen to Neil Young's <i>Harvest</i> album after reading Michael's script, and when "Heart of Gold" came up, they said "that should be this episode's title!"? Don't get me wrong; I like Neil Young's music, especially with Crosby, Stills & Nash, but the writers and/or Mattel seem to have a habit of using song titles for their episodes if <i>Love Me Tender</i> from season 20 and <i>Wish You Were Here</i> (yet to be released in the UK at the time of posting) from this season are anything to go by. But I digress.</div>
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Toby has never had the best track record when it comes to starring roles. For the first four seasons, he was very well written as the voice of reason in the branch line trio (himself, Thomas and Percy). But beginning with season five, his personality took a nose dive for the worst. Every once in a while, there was a good episode like <i>Toby Had a Little Lamb</i> and <i>Toby's Afternoon Off</i>, but the majority of roles up to season 16 sucked, whilst <i>Signals Crossed</i> two seasons later was... almost good. And the less said about <i>Three Steam Engines Gruff</i>, the better.</div>
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So it never really came as a shock to me when Toby was removed from the Steam Team along with Edward and Henry; you'd have to rewrite their character just to work within the story when they're best off as secondary characters. Yet Toby remains in the reworked Engine Roll Call; perhaps just seven engines wouldn't have worked?</div>
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Then comes <i>Heart of Gold</i>. It's Toby's greatest starring role since 1984, no exaggeration. A story about him being mocked by passengers just for his appearance wouldn't have been that great if it had aired during the Barlow era. But Michael White perfectly manages to mix Toby's self-doubting persona with the classic brave persona we know and love. It's the best of both worlds, and add to Toby's occasional stubbornness, it makes the tram engine more three-dimensional, proving he still has a place in the series despite being demoted. (Though I wish they'd do more with Henry than just shoving him into the background...!)</div>
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But it's not just Toby who shines as a character. Glynn and Millie's collective small role in giving him support after he was mocked for his appearance shows why they (and Stephen, despite being absent) continue to have great moments whenever they turn up, and one of the passengers who mocked Toby earlier standing up for him against Diesel's teasing was a good little bit of character development. It also helped that he and his colleague both apologized for their remarks.</div>
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Some would say that Diesel didn't add anything to the episode and to be fair, the most he does it make fun of Toby for being a museum piece. That being said, him not understanding the message "don't judge a book by the cover" was really funny. As was the thieves simply handing over the crown to Sir Robert after he commands them to. They knew they were in trouble and had no choice but to surrender. Now that's a humble failure after an exciting chase sequence.</div>
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Overall, this is the best episode of season 23, buffers down. The characters were on top form, the story flows well, the humor and action were great, and the moral was excellent. You cannot ask for more than that. Even more surprising was that no member of the current Steam Team (if we exclude Toby) turns up physically. Nothing to do with the episode itself, but I thought it was noteworthy.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-85924756603292141492019-08-31T14:43:00.000-07:002019-08-31T14:43:55.556-07:00MLP Episode 918: She Talks to Angel<div style="text-align: justify;">
Finally! After a string of episodes ranging from mediocre to downright awful, we finally get one that's actually good.<br />
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<b><i>She Talks to Angel</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Nick Confalone</b></div>
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No, it's not perfect, nor is it the most original plotline the series has used. It follows the <i>Freaky Friday</i> storyline; <i>A Royal Problem</i> did as well, but that was with Celestia and Luna's cutie marks and, by extension, their duties. This episode, however, is a more direct approach, but it works for Fluttershy's and Angel's respective characters.<br />
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He's frustrated that she never gets to spend time with him, and she, in return, is upset that he doesn't understand the hard work she does around the animal sanctuary and the School of Friendship. A surprising contrast given how much time they spent together in the earlier seasons, and it doesn't feel out of place this far in, unlike what's happened with Twilight who seemed to continually lose her shit 24/7...<br />
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Back to this episode, and Angel talking and acting in Fluttershy's body was really funny, but the best moment was when Fluttershy in Angel's body used the Stare on him. It's so absurd, and that's what makes it work.<br />
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The rest of the story, as I said, is fairly stock, with both Angel and Fluttershy realizing the difficulties the other have to face on a daily basis, especially with Flutter ending up physically exhausted and Angelshy needing the other animals' help to help her. (For the record, Angelshy is Angel in Fluttershy's body, whilst Flutter is vice versa.) And the moral, again, whilst stock, is a good one to learn - don't just assume that the other person's job is easy; you have to actually do the job to understand the complexity surrounding it.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
I said this in my <i>Sweet and Smoky</i> review, but I'll say it here as well; the last season of the show has been an utter failure thus far. But even that has its shining gems, and <i>She Talks to Angel</i> can be counted as one of them. Despite the stock storyline and moral, it felt quite fresh and it's all I could really ask for. As a matter of fact, Fluttershy has been the true highlight of season nine as far as I'm concerned.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Excellent (9/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-75914771314530198272019-08-24T14:32:00.000-07:002019-08-24T17:45:44.102-07:00MLP Episode 917: The Summer Sun Setback<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ding ding. Round two.<br />
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<b><i>The Summer Sun Setback</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Michael Vogel</b></div>
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Up to this point this season, all they've done with Twilight is have her freak out over unimportant things. Constantly. And yet here, they say she's finally "over it", and it feels like a slap to the face. No, no, not a slap - a <b>punch</b>.<br />
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"But at least it's character development from her! That's a good thing, right?"<br />
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Well... no. Because this episode aired the week after <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i>, an episode where Twilight behaved like a petty bitch. And both that episode and this one were also in the same season that gave us her portrayals in <i>Sparkle's Seven</i>, <i>The Point of No Return</i> and <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>. It's also in the same season where she manipulated Rainbow Dash in <i>2, 4, 6, Greaaat</i> and was painted as being in the right for it, although that episode was forgettable in the long run.<br />
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This, however, feels less like character development and more like an attempt at excusing Twilight's behavior in the aforementioned episodes, which just makes it feel even more insulting when you consider that she backpedaled to how she behaved in the first two seasons. And that's not even mentioning how much it does a huge disservice to those seasons. At least they actually tried to develop their characters!<br />
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So no, Twilight hasn't changed. Not to me, anyway. The writers screwed up her character purely for the sake of a character arc <b>that didn't need to happen</b>! As far as I'm concerned, she is dead to me. Season nine had outright murdered her (metaphorically speaking) and <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i> was the final nail in the coffin.<br />
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Sure, she was more rational here than she was in previous episodes, but it's too little, too late. The damage to her character arc and good name has already been done, and it's something that she'll never fully recover from. Even if the finale turns out to be amazing, the fact remains that Twilight would have had to go through a character arc that deliberately regressed her character just to allow the arc to happen. That is something that the finale just can't shake off.<br />
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Taking that out of the equation, it's yet another episode where the story leaves me with nothing to work with. It's just the Mane Six trying to clear up a mess caused by Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow before Twilight finds out about it. There's nothing new here in regard to the story or the theme. At least this time around, Vogel knew how to write the villains as villains and not criminals who are supposedly "misunderstood", but how did that Pegasus with the necktie not recognize Cozy Glow and her crimes from <i>School Raze</i>? Heck, why didn't he think about reporting her to the Princesses?<br />
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Adding on top of the ponies' stupidity is that no one noticed something off about some ponies' eye colors or how all those mishaps happened. Considering Canterlot's tight security, you'd think they'd be smart enough to figure out that there's something going on behind the scenes! This is like <i>The Mean 6</i> all over again, also by Mike Vogel.<br />
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Also, Discord is just there. He felt almost like a plot device to inspire the Legion of Doom to cause trouble at the final Summer Sun Celebration when they overhear him and the Mane Six. You could've easily cut him out, maybe have the Mane Six take over his lines, and nothing would change.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
Taking <i>Rainbow Roadtrip</i> out of the equation, this marks eight episodes in a row ranging from mediocre to downright awful. It further affirms my beliefs that the writers seem to have stopped caring about the show and just want it to end. I heard that Jim Miller said that the MLP crew were proud of their work, and if episodes like <i>Frenemies</i> and <i>The Last Crusade</i> are what they're proud of, regardless of any unfortunate implications and poor storytelling, then I shudder to think what the finale will be like.<br />
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As for <i>The Summer Sun Setback</i> as a whole, it's terrible, plain and simple. As I said, it almost feels like they're trying to excuse Twilight's behavior from past episodes, which is rather insulting considering they treated her paranoia like it was her <b>only</b> character trait in this season alone. It's like I said when I reviewed <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>; when Twilight takes over, Equestria's fucked.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Terrible (-5/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-4680972853730961542019-08-17T14:46:00.000-07:002019-08-17T14:46:19.485-07:00MLP Episode 916: A Trivial Pursuit<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alright, this review and the next one could be my most anticipated yet. Ever since they were leaked early in China, I sounded off against both episodes a bit. The pressure's on, so let's knock <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i> out of the way.<br />
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<b><i>A Trivial Pursuit</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Brittany Jo Flores</b></div>
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I hate this episode. Like, so much. I said this in <a href="https://railfanbrony.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-problems-with-my-little-ponys-last.html">my analysis post for season nine</a>, as well as previous reviews, but it bears repeating; the writers cannot keep with rehashing older ideas and try to pass them off as "new". They've been using it as a crutch far too often in this season, and it's become tiresome really fast. Not only that, but Twilight's behavior continues to prove why she's unfit for taking over from Celestia and Luna. Like <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>, this episode takes both problems and make for a completely unpleasant viewing experience.<br />
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There is so much going on with <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i>, that only one word registered in my mind when watching it: Why? <b>WHY?!</b><br />
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<b>Why</b> does this episode exist in the first place? <b>Why</b> did they have to regress Twilight's character to a marefilly just to allow this stupid excuse for a plot to take place? <b>Why</b> is this in the same season where she is expected to take over for Celestia and Luna in the finale? And <b>why</b> is all of this over some stupid trivia challenge that we never heard about before?!<br />
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Actually, I can answer the last question; it's because she wants to get three wins in a row and freaks out because she's afraid Pinkie Pie will screw up her chances of winning. I'm not even kidding; that is literally Twilight's motivation in this fucking episode! It gets to the point she outright gets her <b>disqualified</b> just for a stupid fucking win! This is not Twilight being the Princess of Friendship, this is her being a fucking asshole!<br />
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Back when I first got into the show, Twilight was my favorite character, but when <i>No Second Prances </i>around, in hindsight, that was the first sign that she would drop from the top spot. This was not the Twilight I knew in the first five seasons; she was replaced with a jerkass who was Twilight in name only. <i>A Trivial Pursuit</i> was the final nail in the coffin for Jerkass Twilight. It didn't help that this was in the same season that she tried to preserve a reputation we knew nothing about for eight years <b>for the third time</b>! (The others were <i>Sparkle's Seven</i> and <i>The Point of No Return</i> by the way.)<br />
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"Oh, but Twilight apologized to Pinkie and saw the error of her ways! Doesn't that make it any better?"<br />
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Well, no, that actually makes this episode <b>worse</b>! Because this episode wrote Twilight's character just to teach her a lesson that she didn't need to re-learn. Not only that, but I've watched the show long enough to know that the next time Twilight either geeks out or freaks out, it's all going to end in disaster for everyone involved. Character development is about learning from your mistakes, and Jerkass Twilight has not learned anything from the mistakes that Twilight made in the first five seasons.<br />
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I know that the episode's lesson is meant to be "it's better to have fun than to win", but the lesson I got from Jerkass Twilight's behavior is that "you can bully your friends and they'll still come back to help you". That is one of the most disgusting lessons this show has taught, especially for one targeted at little girls!<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
Can I just bet $10 in American money that the finale is going to do everything possible to make us root for Jerkass Twilight despite her past behavior in this season proving otherwise? At this point, she deserves for everything to go wrong for her! I kind of owe my apologies to <i>Frenemies</i>, mostly because I want Jerkass Twilight to fall in the hands of Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow.<br />
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Fuck this episode. It should be sent down to Tartarus and locked up in the deepest, darkest cave so human eyes can never look at it again. It is that awful, and it has officially earned the title for the worst ever episode of the entire series.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)</span></b></div>
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Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-56730268551601515562019-08-10T15:00:00.000-07:002019-08-10T15:00:06.712-07:00MLP Episode 915: 2, 4, 6, Greaaat<div style="text-align: justify;">
If we count <i>Rainbow Roadtrip</i> as an episode, then this marks seven episodes in a row ranging from mediocre to awful. Just goes to show that seven isn't always a lucky number, am I right?<br />
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<b><i>2, 4, 6, Greaaat</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Kaita Mpambara</b></div>
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So the overall plot is Rainbow Dash being asked to train the cheer squad instead of the buckball team. That's it. There's nothing about it that stands out. It all happened because Twilight (from what I understand) wanted to test Rainbow Dash, a pony who knew <b>nothing</b> about cheerleading. But at least this time around, Rainbow wasn't reckless enough to endanger anyone's life.<br />
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The themes about working together and responsibility aren't that interesting either. Seriously, they're both lessons that Rainbow Dash (and kids, since it's been taught so much in the show) didn't need to learn! Can't the writers at least try to come up with themes they haven't tackled before?<br />
<br />
There's honestly very little else I can say in terms of story or theme. And that's what I've been finding so frustrating about season nine. Even the episodes I ranked good or excellent like <i>Sweet and Smoky</i> and <i>Common Ground</i> just don't stand out on their own; they just rely on tropes that worked just fine in the past eight seasons. Is it just one or two bad episodes that stick out and that the rest are just coasting along? I don't know.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
In the post-McCarthy era, there seems to be some kind of formula for Rainbow Dash; for every good episode she gets (<i>Common Ground</i>), a bad one seems to cancel it out. There's nothing "great" about this episode, especially as it's another episode with Rainbow Dash acting like an idiot.<br />
<br />
When the Young Six (in this case, just Yona, Ocellus and Smolder) are the best part of your episode, you should seriously consider how to handle the characters we've known since the first season better. And considering this is from the writer that gave us <i>Horse Play</i> and <i>A Rockhoof and a Hard Place</i> (both of which I loved), that's saying a lot.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Terrible (-3/10)</span></b></div>
</div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-69068185864066580522019-08-03T14:18:00.000-07:002019-08-03T14:18:27.216-07:00MLP Episode 914: The Last Laugh<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, here we go again. We're now onto the final block of episodes for <i>My Little Pony</i>, and come October, that'll be the end of the line for the show. And we're kicking things off with the return of "Weird Al" Yankovic as Cheese Sandwich! Can it live up to expectations?<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Last Laugh</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Michael P. Fox & Wil Fox</b></div>
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If you want a brief, blunt answer, absolutely not. If anything, it was practically a <i>Pinkie Pride</i> rip-off, and the things it did to try and stand out on its own just made the viewing experience worse and, dare I say it, more tedious.<br />
<br />
So the overall premise is that Pinkie tries to find her life's purpose. Right off the bat, there's a flaw; we've seen for <b>eight years</b> that her purpose was to throw parties and make other ponies happy. Isn't that the reason she got her cutie mark in the first place? Oh wait, this is season nine where eight years' worth of continuity has been thrown out the window just because. I get it.<br />
<br />
As for the rest of the story, like I said, it rehashes <i>Pinkie Pride</i>, only based in a factory and none of the humor or charm. Sure, there's comedy, but it's practically tired old gags that could literally be in any series.<br />
<br />
Frankly, it didn't feel like it was worth bringing back Weird Al for this episode. When we're reintroduced to Cheese Sandwich, he's stuck in his own factory and completely lost his laugh. Talk about anticlimactic. And that's not mentioning how painfully obvious the solution is; all he had to do was make other ponies laugh. Oh, and him leaving the factory behind (well, mostly) just makes this already pointless conflict even more so.<br />
<br />
If the episode had a bright spot, I would say that Pinkie was fairly well-written like a genuine friend who wants to help, and Cheese Sandwich was also pretty sympathetic despite the obvious outcome. Don't know what to think about Sans Smirk though, when all I could think of was a genderbent Maud Pie with glasses at least until the end...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Final Thoughts</b></div>
Normally, I'd offer up solutions for improving an episode, but all I really need to do is direct your attention to <i>Pinkie Pride</i>; the humor feels more genuine, the conflict is stronger, the ending has a sense of finality with Cheese's character. <i>The Last Laugh</i> is creatively bankrupt. I guess the old saying is true; the bigger the hype, the greater the disappointment.<br />
<br />
Watching this episode personally, it felt like a painful reminder as to how little I've been enjoying this season, but we're just getting started on the second half...</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: Bad (1/10)</span></b></div>
</div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-59341433565589065522019-07-16T14:00:00.000-07:002019-07-16T14:00:04.587-07:00My Little Pony Revisited: Season 6, Episodes 20-26<div style="text-align: justify;">
Twenty-one sets down, one more to go. Can we end this revisiting marathon on a high note?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i>Viva Las Pegasus</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Kevin Burke, Michael Vogel and Chris "Doc" Wyatt</b><br />
<b>Written by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt</b></div>
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I like how the episode begins right off the bat with Applejack and Fluttershy being summoned by the map and then they find themselves in Las Pegasus, all within a timeframe that's less than a minute. As a matter of fact, the pacing is without a doubt the best thing about this episode. It moves briskly enough to keep the audience invested, and it has enough story to fill the runtime.<br />
<br />
The story is pretty much a character-driven one, no doubt about that, but Fluttershy, again, was fantastic. Heck, she tried helping Flim and Flam reconcile and even got them in on the act of tricking Gladmane to expose his true nature despite their past actions. If that isn't admirable, I don't know what is.<br />
<br />
Mind you, Applejack was reluctant to even associate with them, and that's something I've first-hand experience with of my own. Especially in this year alone. I got into a bit of trouble with an ex-friend of mine over my views on <i>The Last Crusade</i> which resulted in another innocent person being dragged into the fight. I very much wanted nothing to do with that ex-friend for what they did, so I can relate to Applejack here.<br />
<br />
That being said, this should've been the end of Flim and Flam's character arc. They got something they didn't know they wanted, so why continue to give them appearances for the sake of fan-service? (Don't get me wrong; I liked <i>Friendship University</i> fine.) At least they haven't been given a forced redemption; once a con artist, always a con artist.<br />
<br />
Even though I never discuss the animation in my revisits, I will say that <i>Viva Las Pegasus</i> is one of the best episodes in the visual department. But if I had to pick a nit, it doesn't really feel like a casino/hotel. Granted, they tried to make it kid friendly, but is it just me, or does it feel too much like an amusement park indoors? Maybe they got inspiration from Galaxyland in Canada?<br />
<br />
Still, a good episode nonetheless.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Every Little Thing She Does</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Michael Vogel</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From season seven onward, Starlight Glimmer is a great character, having the sympathy and willingness to change her ways I'm sure the writers were going for. In this season? Not really. At best, she was practically ignored, making you wonder why Starlight got a redemption in the first place, and at worst, she was stuck in poorly written scripts (or, in the case of <i>A Hearth's Warming Tail</i>, a painfully cliched one) and fans took their frustrations out on her.<br />
<br />
This time around, it's a poorly written episode with Starlight as main character. But of course, the fact she was the episode's lead is the least of its problems.<br />
<br />
First off, the episode is a blatant re-hashing of <i>Lesson Zero</i>. Keep in mind that no matter what older episode you copy, the end product will inevitably come off as worse. I mean, Starlight practically tries to fix a solution and makes things worse like Twilight did, only it involves the rest of the Mane Six and the humor is practically non-existent. And that's it. It's a really boring episode with very little happening. I have very little to talk about with this episode.<br />
<br />
Also, is it just me, or did it feel like this episode aired too late in the season? Perhaps if it had aired prior to <i>No Second Prances</i>, maybe Twilight's distrust for Starlight's behavior would've been more justified? Yeah, they mention Trixie at the start, but still.</div>
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<b>Rating: Terrible (-1/10)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Kevin Burke, Michael P. Fox, Wil Fox and Chris "Doc" Wyatt</b><br />
<b>Written by Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This episode gives me even less to talk about. Seriously, there is literally nothing happening throughout the episode except Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie being mad at each other over a failed boat trip going without a clear perspective as to who's right and who's wrong. That's it. Another episode you can skip and end up losing nothing as a result.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Terrible (0/10)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Where the Apple Lies</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Meghan McCarthy and Dave Rapp</b><br />
<b>Written by Dave Rapp</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now we're back onto a decent episode. Although Applejack is second to Twilight being the voice of reason among the Mane Six, she wasn't perfect in her youth. One time, she ended up being caught in a lie and wound up making more just to cover up a mistake, much to Big Mac's frustration.<br />
<br />
Interesting as to how Big Mac was way more talkative in his youth; it's nice to see some expansion to his character, even if this is just a flashback. No wonder he's usually so quiet these days, though later episodes show him being more talkative, but not as much as he was.<br />
<br />
Applejack's attempts at lying her hilariously bad, but not without reason. She wanted to keep a promise to a younger Filthy Rich and just got into more trouble because it. Oh, and a young Spoiled Milk got involved as well; who'd name their foal Spoiled Milk? Is it any wonder to how she turned out this way?<br />
<br />
As for why Applejack's parents didn't turn up? According to Jim Miller, they were on a couple's vacation during the events of the flashback, which explains why Apple Bloom didn't appear. Some say it's because she went with them, but I think it's more likely she was conceived during the vacation.<br />
<br />
When re-watching the episode on Netflix (as I did with the 130 episodes previous), I noticed that "cider" was replaced with "juice" - why? I heard that it's because it's an alcoholic drink, but even think, it's just silly to replace a word for the sake of censorship. I mean, it's not like the show is promoting underage drinking!<br />
<br />
Other than that, there's little to talk about here. The plot's fairly mundane but entertaining, and the moral about lying making things worse is a useful lesson for kids to learn.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Good (8/10)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Top Bolt</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Joanna Lewis, Meghan McCarthy and Kristine Songco</b><br />
<b>Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After an abysmal performance in <i>28 Pranks Later</i>, it would've taken a lot to bring Rainbow Dash back in good graces. Thankfully, this episode did her a lot of justice. And Twilight as well.<br />
<br />
Considering how much this season had either screwed with their personalities, dumped a lot of garbage on them, or worse, both, it's so refreshing to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash showcasing their true personalities. Twilight teaching the classroom, for example, felt very in line with how you'd expect her to act, not like an over-paranoid idiot over an overdue book.<br />
<br />
Rainbow Dash is still cocky, but it's pretty clear that she wants Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail to succeed. She even learned that Vapor Trail is a far better flier than the latter gives herself credit for and even encourages her to step out of her best friend's shadow. This portrayal makes it even easier to forget <i>28 Pranks Later</i> happened.<br />
<br />
Both Sky and Vapor are nice characters with sympathetic backstories; he craves attention but she doesn't. She's a great flier but he isn't. It is kind of reminiscent of Mike and Sulley in <i>Monsters University</i> when both realize they can't work without the other. Not only that, but Sky has to learn to fly on his own without constantly relying on Vapor as a crutch, and it's pretty emotional when she reveals what she's been doing and he gets upset with her over it.<br />
<br />
That's a surprisingly mature moral for the show. Yes, it's nice to help a friend with a skill handicap, but if they rely on you too much, it becomes a shackle of over-dependency, meaning both parties will be weighed down greatly, leading to disaster. Eventually, you'll have to stand on your own without the other as a crutch.<br />
<br />
It may not be saying much, but <i>Top Bolt</i>'s one of the best episodes of season six. It's got great character moments, good humor, heartwarming moments, and a fantastic moral. You really can't ask for more.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>To Where and Back Again</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's time for the big one. An episode that I viciously tore apart when it first aired three years ago. Was my stance back then justified? No. It wasn't.<br />
<br />
I'll get some problems out of the way; the episode was intended to conclude Starlight's arc, but the buildup towards it hasn't been all that great and instead, it felt like just another season if you took her out. Because of that, since Trixie only appeared in <i>No Second Prances</i> prior to this episode, we never got to see her and Starlight bond, nor did we see Trixie try to change her ways. Heck, after this episode, Trixie was the same, annoying pain in the ass we knew from season one, making you wonder why Starlight hangs around with her at all.<br />
<br />
We also didn't see Thorax get an extra episode after <i>The Times They Are a Changeling</i>. Sure, it was mentioned that his physical appearance had changed, but... that's it. Come to think of it, season six as a whole seemed to be a missed opportunity to properly expand on develop Starlight following <i>The Cutie Re-Mark</i>.<br />
<br />
On top of that, it's not really explained why Discord had anything to do with the three. Sure, it could be because Fluttershy's his best friend, but doesn't that make him seem biased? I know he's had issues with the others in the past, but still. Wouldn't it have been nice to see Starlight in <i>Dungeons & Discords</i>? I can understand if they didn't have a role for her there, but it would've been a nice little build up.<br />
<br />
The last problem with the finale is minor, but I'll mention it anyway; the first half seems to kind of drag on, but the second half is where things really start to pick up.<br />
<br />
It's safe to say that Starlight was kind of a downer throughout season six, but re-watching the finale with a fresh mindset, and long after the hype over season six, she felt... kind of relatable. Being a leader is a stressful thought, but as long as you're part of a team, you'll be fine. Yeah, it's a pretty cliched plotline that any series could do, but it still works for Starlight's character. Heck, I'd say this finale was a step in the right direction.<br />
<br />
Because of this, you care when she feels overwhelmed with requests over suggestions and she ends up running away in frustration and shame. But when her friends and the rest of Equestria's royalty get kidnapped, the pressure's on Starlight. And during their time in the Changeling hive, she, Trixie, Discord and Thorax rely on their strengths without magic (minus Thorax's case, since he's a Changeling himself) to get to Chrysalis in the end.<br />
<br />
And I know there's people who are miffed that we were never shown how the former Changeling Queen managed to foalnap the Mane Six, Spike, the Royal Sisters and the Royal Family, but honestly? I don't mind. All it does is add more tension and drama, increase the stakes, and it gives the quintet more motivation. Sometimes, what you don't see can be effective. For the most part, anyway.<br />
<br />
I will say that the Mane Six (and Spike) replacement by Changeling was handled way better than <i>The Mean 6</i> (which also had Vogel's involvement) and Chrysalis was a far greater threat than in the season eight episode. I'm glad that they didn't go down the path of giving her a redemption for no reason other than "the episode demands it" because if the recent state of <i>Equestria Girls</i> is anything to go by, it's gotten old really fast with a few exceptions (Stygian, Tempest Shadow). Not to mention that Chrysalis' heart is as black as coal. Why should she redeem? Sadly, this episode was the last time I could take her seriously, especially as later appearances turned her into a joke of a character.<br />
<br />
But the best character by far was Discord. He may be a jokester, but when his friends (well, mostly Fluttershy, anyway) are in danger, he's willing to fight for them and even rely on his skills to distract the Changeling guards. I'd also say his dynamic with Trixie was the best with him constantly putting her down and having her and himself both on flying pigs. That was hilarious!<br />
<br />
Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking back when I first covered this episode. I tore it to shreds when it first aired, but after watching it again, I think it's... fairly good. With mostly good characters, a nice message, and a story that's... fine, it's Starlight's best appearance in season six. Granted, the bar wasn't that high to begin with, but she definitely got better in season seven and in season eight, she was pretty good. Sadly, she came to be an afterthought in season nine...<br />
<br />
After season six ended, people have looked back on <i>To Where and Back Again</i> as an underwhelming finale, with some even calling it the point that the show turned south. Does it really deserve that reputation? I don't think so. There are problems, but they're mostly related to building up to the finale throughout the season. <i>Shadow Play</i>, which came out the year after, didn't get much build up until the second half of season seven and that received better reception for the most part. If you liked <i>Shadow Play</i>, then surely there was nothing wrong with liking <i>To Where and Back Again</i>.<br />
<br />
Starlight aside, what was it that gave the season six finale a poor reputation after the fact? That's a question I can't answer. It just happened. Is there a special something to the finale? There is; it was one of the few finales to break the mold. But maybe that's why people liked <i>My Little Pony</i> to begin with. It was unique, it was funny, and even when it ends, it will hold a place in our hearts. There was even this special bonding with friends old and new over the show that made us enjoy the most-beloved episodes of the series and the not-so-greats that we love to hate.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Good (7/10)</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Final Season Ranking: Bad (3/10)</span></b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-89167576682507951332019-07-15T14:00:00.000-07:002019-07-15T14:00:08.132-07:00My Little Pony Revisited: Season 6, Episodes 14-19<div style="text-align: justify;">
We're now onto the home stretch of revisiting seasons 1-6! This set of episodes is an interesting one for sure...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Cart Before the Ponies</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Ed Valentine and Michael Vogel</b><br />
<b>Written by Ed Valentine</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I really enjoyed Ed Valentine's scripts in season four; <i>Flight to the Finish</i> gave us one of the Crusaders' best starring roles of the series and <i>Three's a Crowd</i> is a sheer laughfest from start to finish. So imagine how shocking it was that his third episode... didn't live up to either of them.<br />
<br />
Seriously, you would think that after six seasons that Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack would've learned to listen to their younger sisters (sister figure in Dash's case) about designing the carts. They act as if the Crusaders helped them in the making of their carts when really, they did all the work themselves, gave them no credit at all, and were allowed to drive them. That alone is enough to ruin the whole episode.<br />
<br />
Not only that, why didn't the Crusaders even think about working with the older sister (or sister figure) who had the same mindset as they did? Just imagine Apple Bloom making a cart with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo with Rarity, and Sweetie Belle with Applejack; that would've been way more interesting than what we ended up with. And isn't it a bit odd that it would take a single morning just to build a cart? These kind of things take days, weeks perhaps, just to prepare for a derby!<br />
<br />
The whole thing is just an idiot plot from beginning to end, and a blot on an otherwise 100% record from Ed Valentine. But at least this episode has more redeeming value than the episode that came afterwards.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Terrible (0/10)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>28 Pranks Later</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Meghan McCarthy</b><br />
<b>Written by F. M. De Marco</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So apparently, this was meant to be a remake of <i>The Mysterious Mare Do Well</i>, one of the most hated episodes of the show. But guess what? This "remake" is <b>even worse</b>!<br />
<br />
The first sign that the episode is bad is Rainbow Dash giving Fluttershy a fright. And didn't we establish that she understood her foalhood friend was sensitive? I mean, she was the pony Rainbow stood up for in flight school against the bullies, but here? They make Rainbow an outright bully! It's even further emphasized by the fact that all of her "pranks" come as torment for the sake of torment. Considering that we're six seasons in by this point, you'd think Dash would've calmed down by now, and if you told me that this was in the same season where she joined the Wonderbolts, <b>a serious job</b>, please forgive me for thinking you're nuts.<br />
<br />
And since the Mane Six and many of their friends work to get their own back as her, that fixes things up, right? No! Because they outright pretend that a zombie apocalypse is taking place, and a giant prank like that could potentially scar Rainbow for life! I'm surprised she didn't suffer PTSD after this! So there's no one in this episode the audience can root for. You can't root for Rainbow Dash because she's a bully here, and you can't root for any of the townsponies because they're hypocrites. Yes, they might've had a reason to get their own back, but that doesn't make it right, and it feels like something you'd expect from <i>Family Guy</i>!<br />
<br />
Putting every one of her contributions into consideration, Meghan McCarthy is not a bad writer. Far from it. In fact, what she had in mind must've been different from what F. M. De Marco wrote up, so it feels like it was a case of poor communication between the writers.<br />
<br />
Regardless as to who wrote what, this episode is just outright reprehensible. By trying to fix one of the show's most hated episodes, they ended up making a worse product than Merriwether Williams did, and she also gave us <i>Putting Your Hoof Down</i> and <i>Dragon Quest</i>! There is absolutely nothing to redeem this episode, and there's only one rating it can truly get.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Times They Are a Changeling</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Story by Kevin Burke, Michael Vogel and Chris "Doc" Wyatt</b><br />
<b>Written by Kevin Burke and Chris "Doc" Wyatt</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's another episode that's been a constant thorn in my side since it aired. There's episodes that have concepts that aren't completely fulfilled, and then there's episodes that should never have been created to begin with. <i>The Times They Are a Changeling</i> falls into the former category (<i>28 Pranks Later</i> falls into the latter category, for the record), and it's probably the most disappointing episode of the entire series.<br />
<br />
The first problem with the episode is Thorax himself. Everypony treats him like scum, but he's hardly a great threat at all... at least, not compared to a Changeling swarm. He's basically the equivalent to a wounded puppy. All that they do with him is portray him as a victim and... nothing else. In fact, he's too easily sympathetic.<br />
<br />
It doesn't help that his flashbacks show him not wanting to hurt anyone under Chrysalis' rule. And on top of that, Spike's song (I just cringe when listening to it) implies that "a Changeling can change". How?! Thorax was already shown to be different from the other Changelings, so the moral falls flat on its face. Was the episode trying to go for that moral? Up to that point, I believed the moral was meant to be "don't judge someone based on their culture's actions", and so the intended moral is entirely confused as to what it wants to be.<br />
<br />
Adding to the confusion is how easily everypony accepts Thorax just like that. I can understand Twilight and Starlight (sort of) believing Spike, but Shining Armor, Cadance and the Crystal Royal Guard? How were they so easily convinced? (Bad song aside.) Everypony just comes off as interchangeable with each other, which further hurts the story and makes Thorax come off as worse. Even Shining Armor and Cadance felt stupid by instantly sweeping their fear under the rug just like that.<br />
<br />
Here's a reality check; <b>that is not how it works in real life</b>! Thorax had to earn his trust with the ponies by proving by himself that not every Changeling was a creature that should be feared. Instead, he just lets Spike sing some sappy song which changes everypony's minds, and that moment completely destroys Thorax's character... if he had any spare to begin with.<br />
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My point is that the ending makes Thorax look like a wimp, as if he has to constantly rely on his friends in order to survive. That's nice and all, but what do you do if your friends aren't there to help you? Sure, they're great for emotional support, but it's entirely on you to overcome your weaknesses and flaws to show the world (but mostly those bullying you) what you're made of. <i>Call of the Cutie</i> and <i>Hurricane Fluttershy</i> are two great examples of this.<br />
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There's a very easy way to make this episode work without forcing sympathy on Thorax or making the ponies interchangeable with each other.<br />
<ol>
<li>Instead of being born an outright nice guy, make Thorax like the other Changelings, but after the Royal Wedding invasion, he begins to question Chrysalis' rule, and some time after Flurry Heart's birth, he's dispatched along with a small group of Changelings to the Crystal Empire.</li>
<li>Have Starlight be more involved along Spike and Thorax. Sure, she might've come off as a third wheel, but she could learn from a perspective that Twilight and the others didn't and would be willing to help Thorax be accepted. (Not only that, it's a perfect build up towards <i>To Where and Back Again</i>.)</li>
<li>Although Thorax is initially reluctant to make friends, he still agrees to give it a fair chance and disguises himself as Crystal Hoof per the episode.</li>
<li>When Thorax's cover is accidentally blown, the Changelings he was grouped with reveal themselves as the Crystal Guards, take out the Royal Family and kidnap Flurry Heart, finally making Thorax realize who his true friends are.</li>
<li>Thorax defects completely from his clan and returns Flurry to Shining Armor. He's about to have Thorax imprisoned, but Spike and Starlight defend him before the Changeling says that they're the best friends he's ever had, and is even willing to accept whatever punishment is in store for him.</li>
<li>Although Shining Armor is still suspicious, he concedes (possibly through Flurry) that Thorax was at least willing to return his daughter to him and agrees to give him the benefit of the doubt. By the time <i>To Where and Back Again</i> takes place, he comes to understand that not all Changelings are awful.</li>
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See, it doesn't take much effort to make ideas work. Josh Scorcher once said that "there are no bad ideas, only bad executions", and <i>The Times They Are a Changeling</i> was a bad execution, and by extension, a terrible disappointment. A disappointment where characters dogpile on one who A) didn't deserve it, and B) didn't have enough of a fleshed-out personality for the audience to care.<br />
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Thorax would eventually turn things around (sort of) in future appearances, but for me, it doesn't change the fact that his introduction ended up in <i>My Little Pony</i>'s most disappointing episode, as well as one of the worst executions of the theme I'd ever seen.<br />
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At least Flurry Heart is adorable and likable here.</div>
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<b>Rating: Terrible (-5/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Dungeons & Discords</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Nick Confalone</b></div>
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After three consecutive duds, we're finally back in good territory.<br />
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It's safe to say season five hadn't been very kind to Discord; <i>Make New Friends</i> pretty much made him the designated butt monkey to the point you ended up sympathizing with him whilst <i>What About Discord</i>... did the exact opposite, only with Twilight in his place. Thankfully, however, this episode brought him back on his feet.<br />
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As critical as I've been towards Nick Confalone's writing, especially in <i>Equestria Girls</i>, his best contribution was the chemistry between Spike, Big Mac and Discord. Seriously, can we get someone in the fandom to make a series with them as the main characters? Just do a good job with it; that's all I ask.<br />
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That being said, Big Mac doesn't really get much growth in terms of character development. We get hints of Spike having insecurities of his own, and Discord having initial distaste for <i>Ogres and Oubliettes</i> (I've got a hard time spelling it right; just cut me some slack here, will ya?) before he starts to get into it. But Big Mac? Nothing. He's pretty much in the same place he started so... why's he here? At least with <i>The Break Up Break Down</i> (also by Confalone), all three of them had a real chance to shine, and that was two seasons later.<br />
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Getting into the guys playing the game, that's where the pacing comes off as really awkward. At one point, we learn the rules as to how the game works and then Discord tries spicing it up by taking them to a jazz club... which they don't bring up again. Also, is it just me, or was it a missed opportunity to expand on the world Spike created? And isn't it kind of strange for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie to join the game because... two members of the Mane Six need to be involved somehow?<br />
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Nitpicking aside, I still think it's a pretty decent episode for the most part. The story is relatively fine but the comedy seems to overshadow it at times, which can be a bit frustrating. Still, it's at least a step in the right direction for the season, and however small Fluttershy's role was, it was great, and Opposite Fluttershy was really funny.</div>
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<b>Rating: Good (7/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Buckball Season</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Jennifer Skelly</b></div>
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If <i>Dungeons & Discords</i> is a decent surprise, then this episode is an absolute bombshell.<br />
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Fluttershy and Pinkie never really seemed like the type of the pony who'd be into sports, so it was surprising that this episode would actually have them be really good at buckball. Maybe it was a hidden depth that we never knew about up to this point? Yet it still manages to work for this particular episode - of course, I could just be saying that as a Fluttershy fanboy.<br />
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It's also nice that we're shown how buckball works. Each team has one of each pony; the earth pony is the offense, the pegasus the defense, and the unicorn the ball catcher. It's simple, but very effective.<br />
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Even nicer is how we're given a bit of depth to Snails' character. Before, he was an idiot that you'd want to hit with a baseball bat, but here, he's surprisingly good at catching the balls flung his way. He does it even when he's not looking! That was funny. (Why Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't ask Twilight, Rarity or Starlight, I'll let that slide.)<br />
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There were a few montages scattered throughout the episode, which probably tells me that they didn't have enough material to fill out 22 minutes, but the episode itself was entertaining enough for the audience to see through. Plus, there was a bit of variety in the montages, so it's even more forgivable.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>The Fault in Our Cutie Marks</i></b></div>
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<b>Story by Josh Haber and Meghan McCarthy</b><br />
<b>Written by Ed Valentine</b></div>
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Interesting fact; this episode was originally produced as episode nine, but it was held back to become episode nineteen because the producers wanted a Crusaders-centric episode for later in the second half of the season.<br />
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Anyway, this episode was a nice little continuation from <i>On Your Marks</i>, and Gabby's backstory as to how she learned about the Crusaders in Ponyville was a lovely little touch. The continuity with <i>The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone</i> was a neat little addition as well. Her even becoming an honorary Crusader at the end felt pretty satisfying.<br />
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The only downside is that they missed on incorporating Zecora into the main story to explain how zebras like her get a cutie mark. She appears during the song and gets a mention from Gabby in the third act, and that's pretty much it. It feels like a missed opportunity.<br />
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That issue aside, after flopping with <i>The Cart Before the Ponies</i>, Ed Valentine managed to redeem himself with his last contribution to the show. Fittingly enough, it features the Crusaders as central characters. It's a nice little book end to his time with <i>My Little Pony</i>.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-26133346420894192862019-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:002019-07-12T14:00:04.425-07:00My Little Pony Revisited: Season 6, Episodes 8-13<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm kind of running out of intros for these revisits, but here's the next set of season six re-reviews!</div>
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<b><i>A Hearth's Warming Tail</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Michael Vogel</b></div>
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This is going to be a controversial opinion; <i>A Christmas Carol</i> is quite possibly one of the most overdone stories of all time. Heck, it may just as well be the oldest most overdone story of all time. There are so many adaptations of the story tracing back to the late 19th century that you could pretty much put it in literally any franchise. Disney, <i>Thomas and Friends</i>, <i>Looney Tunes</i>, the Muppets, <i>Blackadder</i>, <i>The Flintstones</i>, <i>Doctor Who</i>, the Angry Video Game Nerd, and most recently, <i>My Little Pony</i>.<br />
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(In case you might be asking, no; <i>The Emotions' Corner</i> will not be doing a version of the story.)<br />
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If you do an adaptation of a well-beloved story, then it's probably best that you add your own flair to the story to make your version stand out. <i>Blackadder</i> is a complete subversion of the story in which he starts out one of the kindest people in England and then ends up being an archetypal Blackadder - rude, selfish, nasty to everyone he meets, and just plain unpleasant. In fact, it's probably my favorite version of the story just for how backwards it is.<br />
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But the more adaptations of a classic story there is, the less unique the original story feels. It becomes part of a trope called "Seinfeld" Is Unfunny. There are classic pieces of literature that have had as few as just one straight-forward adaptation - <i>Harry Potter</i> is an excellent example of this - and those adaptations feel unique, almost as if they're a world on their own. If anyone had tried to adapt the series again, then they would have to do a lot to make it stand out from the original 2000s movie series. That, for me, is the sticking point with <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. There are so many versions that it almost feels like writers adapt the story when they have no ideas for a Christmas-themed story.<br />
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At this point, you'll notice that I haven't talked about <i>A Hearth's Warming Tail</i> on its own merits. That's because... there's nothing to talk about in terms of story. They also incorporate elements of <i>How the Grinch Stole Christmas</i>, but it doesn't work with the Scrooge-like character (Snowfall Frost) because Scrooge himself wanted <b>nothing</b> to do with Christmas. If this was their way of trying to make their adaptation stand out, it fell flat.<br />
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The musical format? We've already been there. The story within a story? Done that as well. Heck, the story within a story basically has Snowfall Frost go <i>The Cutie Re-Mark</i> route by changing her ways because without Hearth's Warming, it will result in Armageddon... somehow. It doesn't even help that Snowfall is portrayed by Starlight.<br />
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Overall, it's an adaptation that offers nothing new. Come to think of it, it even fails as an adaptation. As Mike Vogel's first script, this set the tone for future stories for him to come as a solo act; bland, uninspired scripts, sometimes poor characterization (here, Twilight and Spike seem to come off as intolerant towards Starlight's views on Hearth's Warming), and gimmicks included as a distraction from the aforementioned problems.</div>
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<b>Rating: Bad (1/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>The Saddle Row Review</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Nick Confalone</b></div>
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Speaking of gimmicky plots...!<br />
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This was an episode I never understood the hype towards. It's not a holiday-themed script, it doesn't feature a returning or side character as a central focus (Coco Pommel appears briefly for one scene), there's no big Hollywood guest star involved, and it's not a mid-season finale. Out of all of season six's episodes, how did this get ranked as the best a few years back?<br />
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I would start off with the story... except the plot is way too complicated for the target audience and casual fans to understand. And I know there are going to be people complaining that "I just don't get it" or some other comment like that, but here's the thing; <b>I'm not you</b>. Only you are you alone.<br />
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The basic plot is that the Mane Six try to get Rarity's Manehattan boutique ready for the grand opening tonight - why nopony planned ahead, I don't know either - but it then goes off in so many directions that it's impossible to keep track of what's going on unless you watch it many times over. They try going for a non-linear structure with the Mane Six narrating the events and more flashbacks taking place, but all it does is simply add to the confusion.<br />
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And that's before I delve into the humor; it overshadows the story to the point that you're burned out by the time the credits roll; not to mention that the Mane Six constantly suffer trying to get things ready. How is that even funny?<br />
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Now don't get me wrong; I'm all for comedy plots, but at least make it work within the story and not force in jokes for the sake of a joke. The complicated plot didn't help either, making the whole episode a jumbled mess of ideas that were thrown onto the wall and then the writers picked what stuck. I complained about <i>Best Gift Ever</i> utilizing too many ideas in 44 minutes, but this episode did the same damn thing in half that runtime!<br />
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To those saying this was season six's best episode, I think you may need to answer to my stance towards the episode. It's nothing but a gigantic mess of "story" that doesn't even do a good job at telling a story.</div>
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<b>Rating: Bad (1/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Applejack's "Day" Off</i></b></div>
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<b>Story by Neal Dusedau, Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox</b><br />
<b>Written by Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox</b></div>
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Does anyone remember this episode? If you answered "no", then you've already picked out the biggest problem it faces. It's boring and forgettable.<br />
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The story is basically Rarity whining about Applejack not spending time with her (because we needed more shipping fuel for Worst Mane Six Couple) and the latter's chores being handled by Twilight and Spike who screw things up. It's incredibly stock with nothing interesting or new happening. You could probably skip over this episode and lose nothing in the long run.<br />
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<b>Rating: Bad (3/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Flutter Brutter</i></b></div>
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<b>Story by Meghan McCarthy</b><br />
<b>Written by Dave Rapp</b></div>
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Finally! After a string of episodes ranging from mediocre to awful following <i>Gauntlet of Fire</i>, we're back in good episode territory.<br />
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If there was any episode I could point to as the one where Fluttershy ended being my favorite of the Mane Six, this is it. She began to come out of her shell in <i>It Ain't Easy Being Breezies</i>, but this episode more or less solidified it, and that made it easier for me to forget about <i>Scare Master</i>.<br />
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Here, Fluttershy refuses to take Zephyr's laziness and even chews him out for messing up their mother's flowers and throwing out their father's cloud collection (why the parents don't do anything about it, I'll let it slide). In the earlier seasons, she'd have been a doormat... unless this was a frequent occurrence and frustration for her. But for how much his behavior annoys her, Fluttershy deeply cares about Zephyr like all siblings should. Unless the sibling was really that bad.<br />
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Personally, I think hanging around Rainbow Dash a lot has kind rubbed off on Fluttershy, and like her friend, Rainbow refuses to tolerate Zephyr's laziness and even zaps him for doing so. We don't see it, but it must've been really funny, I bet. A nitpick, but why did Applejack and Pinkie not help Zephyr in finding a job? Time constraints and a possible lack of ideas I could understand, but they feel like they're just... there.<br />
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But the moral is where the episode really shines; be responsible and self-reliant. Yeah, you don't really need to watch TV to understand this, but it works for Zephyr's arc in this episode. And he even thanks Fluttershy for not giving up on him. Of course, he does still stay with their parents until he can find a place, but then again, character development doesn't always happen overnight. Plus, he probably understood that it would be ages before he'd get a paycheck.<br />
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It's also really funny how a writer can go from writing one of the season's worst episodes to one of the best in a short amount of time. Though given that Meghan McCarthy provided the story to Dave Rapp, that might've helped things out.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Spice Up Your Life</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Michael Vogel</b></div>
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And it's back to mediocre territory we go...<br />
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No, it's not because of Pinkie that I don't think the episode holds up. Believe it or not, she's actually very well-written. She already knew what made the Tasty Treat stand out, and was even supportive of Saffron and her father keeping it that way. In fact, I dare say it's one of her best portrayals in the show.<br />
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Speaking of which, it's <b>Rarity</b> who falls flat, believe it or not. She thinks the only way to save the Tasty Treat is to be like every other restaurant. Yeah, this completely contradicts what was learned in <i>Canterlot Boutique</i>; if everyone followed the same trend, then you don't stand out at all. So you'd think she'd have learned from that episode about following trends, but... nope.<br />
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Yes, granted, she's not a chef, but still. And even though she does call out Zesty Gourmand for being hypocritical at the end, that doesn't Rarity any less of an idiot in this episode. It's disappointing for her character, and it hurts the message slightly.<br />
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Other than that, it's typical Vogel. A plot that isn't interesting (though at least this time, he didn't try retelling a story that had been done to death in media) and a character being rewritten just to allow the story to happen. Surprisingly, no gimmicks are involved, which is kind of ironic since the Tasty Treat had its own gimmick. It's not Vogel's worst episode as there are interesting elements here and there, but it still doesn't stick out in terms of theme or story.</div>
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<b>Rating: Bad (3/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Stranger Than Fan Fiction</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Josh Haber and Michael Vogel</b></div>
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Speaking of Vogel, when it comes down to solo scripts, they're pretty bland and insipid. But when it comes to collaborations, his problems seem to disappear. A similar thing, I think, can be said for Josh Haber (who also co-wrote this episode) and Nicole Dubuc (unless it's a gimmicky piece of dreck like <i>Sparkle's Seven</i>), but they do at least have their own individual styles of writing which, for me, makes them stand out more.<br />
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But getting back to this episode; you know how <i>Fame and Misfortune</i> received hate for having a black and white perspective on the fanbase when it comes to discussions and how characters should be perceived? Well, this episode is that except infinitely more entertaining, and the perspective on the fanbase is more of a shade of gray.<br />
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Not only that, the satire is far more subtle; the first act shows how sometimes, a small disagreement can lead to the breaking of friendships, sometimes for good, which I know all too well myself. Especially if it involves something regarding a popular franchise... (I could make the comparisons all day!)<br />
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But in fairness to Quibble Pants, I don't think he means to be condescending when it comes to his stance on the later <i>Daring Do</i> books. In any case, it was likely poor communication and how he presented it that got Rainbow Dash upset with him. She prefers it when she does cool stunts and he prefers the titular character solving puzzles. Both of which they present to the other really well.<br />
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It's also really funny how oblivious Quibble was to the danger he and Rainbow were in when kidnapped; he couldn't tell the line from fantasy and reality until much later in the adventure. Just listen to how casual he is about being captured. It's hilarious!<br />
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When I first reviewed it, I called it the best of season six, and three years later? I still think it's the best of season six. It's funny as hell, the story is gripping, and the character interactions were some of the best of the entire series. Oh, and did I mention that Patton Oswalt killed it with his performance?<br />
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-45090082089451769872019-07-08T14:00:00.000-07:002019-07-08T14:00:05.154-07:00My Little Pony Revisited: Season 6, Episodes 1-7<div style="text-align: justify;">
Five seasons down, one more to go. We've now reached the season that, for a couple of years, I've declared the worst of <i>My Little Pony</i>. Let's see if that comment still rings true, shall we?</div>
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<b><i>The Crystalling</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Josh Haber</b></div>
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If you've watched the sixth episode of <i>The Emotions' Corner</i>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5KUpFm_wSM"><i>To Glimmer or Not To Glimmer?</i></a>, then you'll already know about how I feel towards her roles during season six. However, for this revisit (as well as revisits of every other episode she's in), I'm taking Starlight Glimmer's roles out of the equation, and instead, I'll be talking about the episodes on their own merits. One thing I'll say about Starlight's role here, however, is that it's funny that she doesn't know her way around Twilight's castle and yet in <i>The Cutie Re-Mark</i>, she knew where the throne room was no problem.<br />
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Anyway, the first outing of season six, <i>The Crystalling</i>, is a boring, poorly-paced slog.<br />
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The premiere is one of two stories; one focusing on Starlight and Sunburst, and the other focusing on the wayward yet adorable newborn known as Flurry Heart. I'll get the former out of the way first. Long and short, it's as disposable as Sunburst himself. You could remove it entirely and lose nothing.<br />
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Moving onto the Flurry Heart story, a.k.a. the main story, it's not much better than the other subplot. The main conflict is basically <i>The Crystal Empire</i> minus the Sombra invasion. Not to mention how something as natural as a snowstorm is barely even a threat. Sure, there's the dreadful thought of hypothermia, but seriously? Is that really the best they could do?<br />
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Also, I know I said I wasn't talking about Starlight's role in great detail, but considering that Twilight is her teacher, you'd think the latter would show a bit more responsibility in helping the former with her first friendship lesson. Yes, I know the birth of Flurry Heart and the accidental destruction of the Crystal Heart were a big deal, but still. (And no, lampshading it doesn't make it less of an issue.) Even then, like I mentioned, why did Twilight bother bringing Starlight to the Crystal Empire to begin with?<br />
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On top of that, following a list to make friends just feels like an insult to the target audience's intelligence. Given that Twilight is the Princess of Friendship, you'd think she'd have a bit more common sense, especially since it's a lesson she learned back in season one!<br />
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Overall, this is the worst series premiere because there's nothing to gain out of watching it. The story is blatantly unoriginal, the pacing is sluggish, and Sunburst on whole is absolutely worthless. If you want an episode that does Flurry Heart justice, there's <i>A Flurry of Emotions</i> from next season, so just watch that instead.</div>
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<b>Rating: Terrible (0/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>The Gift of the Maud Pie</i></b></div>
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<b>Story by Michael P. Fox, Wil Fox and Josh Haber</b><br />
<b>Written by Michael P. Fox and Wil Fox</b></div>
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This is pretty much an MLP-styled retelling of <i>The Gift of the Magi</i> (as if the title didn't already give it away), but is it really necessary to copy plotlines from traditional Christmas stories when the writers have no ideas?<br />
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That's a bit harsh, in fairness, because this is a sweet episode and portrays Pinkie and Maud's sisterly relationship in a more down to earth light. The heart's in the right place, especially with Pinkie willing to do anything to get something - <b>anything</b> - for Maud. Especially with that rock pouch. That being said, in the first act at least, the gag with Pinkie's cannon gets repetitive fast, and Pinkie having to reluctantly give it away for the rock pouch must've been really hard for her.<br />
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It's also not very common for Pinkie and Rarity to get a starring role together. The latter's role here served as a nice little build up to <i>The Saddle Row Review</i>, and seeing her interact with the Pie sisters and reacting to their interactions were funny. It's even nicer how the ending resolved Rarity's little subplot. But the episode based around that was... we'll get to that.<br />
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Admittedly, there's not much else to talk about here. However, I've kind of fallen out of love with Maud in recent years, mostly due to frequent exposure after her debut. I liked her role here, don't get me wrong, but if you're going to feature a popular character, then their role needs to make sense for the plot, not just shoehorned for the sake of pleasing older fans. Once in a while appearances are very special, but if you feature a character too often, then their appearances no longer feel special.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (9/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>On Your Marks</i></b></div>
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<b>Story by Dave Polsky</b><br />
<b>Written by Josh Haber and Dave Polsky</b></div>
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When I first got into the show, Apple Bloom wasn't really a character I'd rank in my personal Top 10. I mean, she was nice enough, but that was pretty much it. And then this episode came around.<br />
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Even when I first watched it back when it first aired, I could relate to the situation Apple Bloom found herself in with trying to find something she liked doing. Heck, her solo song hit home for me. There are things I'm good at and things that, at best, I can do an okay job and could probably work better as part of a team. Finding something you'd like to do for a living on your own is never an easy task. And when you've achieved a goal you set yourself on doing... well, where do you go next?<br />
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I should probably get to the story. This is how I feel <i>Crusaders of the Lost Mark</i> should've gone; no rubbish with redeeming an outright bully for no reason other than to contrive an ending, no gluing two stories back to back. Just simple character growth and development.<br />
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As a matter of fact, the episode itself is very character driven. Seeing the Crusaders talking to the Cake twins was adorable, and them interacting with Bulk Biceps was hilarious. But the best dynamic of the lot was Apple Bloom helping Tender Taps embrace his true destiny (maybe that was also a nod to Michelle's dancing talent in real life?). Heck, the Crusaders trying out each others' favorite hobbies and promptly failing where one of them succeeds was funny.<br />
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Overall, there isn't much to say about an episode that just does everything right. And the moral about finding one's purpose in life was fantastic. It's too bad this episode doesn't enough recognition...</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Gauntlet of Fire</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco</b></div>
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Speaking of fan favorites...!<br />
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Long and short, this episode is everything <i>Dragon Quest</i> should've been. Proper world-building with the dragons, a view on the dragons that isn't black and white, and a moral that's not horribly botched.<br />
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One of the dragon traditions is that every eon (I think that's what it is), the current Dragon Lord must step down and whoever claims the bloodstone scepter will be his successor. That happens to be Ember, his daughter. She's a cool character, very much the antithesis of Garble by proving not all dragons are jerks for the sake of being jerks. She's even willing to work with Spike to win the Gauntlet of Fire and learned about helping others in need.<br />
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And then there's Garble; still the jerk he was in <i>Dragon Quest</i>, but all the humiliation he suffered trying to beat Spike and Ember was very much justified. And being forced by Spike to hug every dragon he comes across was just the cherry on top of the humiliation cake. Although how Spike, Rarity and Twilight knew his name despite it not being said once in his debut, I don't know.<br />
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That minor problem aside, it's Spike's greatest episode since <i>Equestria Games</i>, and the morals about size being insignificant and emotional strength being greater than physical strength were both very well done. It's easy to see why people love this episode; in fact, a number of my favorites from the show overall are by Joanna and Kristine.</div>
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<b>Rating: Excellent (10/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>No Second Prances</i></b></div>
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<b>Written by Nick Confalone</b></div>
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This is another episode I've had a personal hatred for ever since it aired. But I was never really satisfied with the original review because I didn't delve into the full details about the problems I had.<br />
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Let's start off with the contrivances in the story; first of which being Trixie's behavior. After <i>Magic Duel</i>, her last appearance, you'd think she'd become a more humble pony, right? Well, not here, because this episode completely backpedals her character to how it was in <i>Boast Busters</i>. Come to think of it, every appearance she makes afterward seems to ignore her character development from <i>Magic Duel</i>, so what was the point of said episode in the first place?<br />
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And then there's Twilight, who went through <b>an entire character arc in the first five seasons</b> that was completely ignored to allow this story to happen! And this is because she outright tries to keep Starlight from befriending Trixie! Yes, I know Twilight has had bad experiences with Trixie before, but no matter what you say, this is not the kind of behavior expected from Twilight, <b>especially</b> as it goes against her role as the Princess of Friendship.<br />
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Also, if we're expected to believe Twilight really is the Princess of Friendship, then why did she still hold a grudge against Trixie, something that she'd surely have gotten over by now, for taking over Ponyville under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, and yet gave Starlight a chance despite almost causing a paradox? Either Twilight is paranoid, hypocritical asshole, or the writers like to selectively choose their own continuity (especially given how bloated the writing staff is for every season since the fourth). And frankly, neither option is off the table. In fact, this is probably the episode where Twilight's idiotic behavior stems from.<br />
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Then there's the pacing; it's some of the worst of the entire show. The first act is completely pointless - you could cut it out entirely and nothing would be lost - and the references to past actions are not only forced down your throat, they're a constant distraction from the story. Yes, we get that Starlight and Trixie have done things they're not proud of, can we please move on from that?<br />
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And now comes the ending where Trixie seems to attempt suicide. Nick Confalone said that wasn't the intention, but whatever it was, I'm sure it would not have been any better than what was shown (though, to be fair, no explanation's better than a bad one). Before this, Twilight confronts both Starlight and Trixie about it and even breaks up their friendship, potentially resulting in Trixie attempting to get herself eaten! And what does Twilight get for her behavior? Nothing! No punishment, no calling out, she's just left to her duties as if nothing happened. And no, saying sorry doesn't easily fix the problem, because by the nineteen-and-a-half-minute mark, it's too little too late. Is it just me, or did I almost want Starlight and Trixie to both punch Twilight for how stupid she was?<br />
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This episode is abhorrent, plain and simple. The moral about forgiveness is botched so horribly that it paints the lead character as an unlikable Karma Houdini, the implications surrounding the ending are horrifying, and the overall product just... sucks.<br />
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If there's anything this episode taught me, it's that Nick Confalone seems to have no clue as to how to write for a kids' show, completely screwing up the themes he had to work with. And considering that he also wrote <i>Forgotten Friendship</i> which introduced us to the sociopath known as Wallflower Blush, it's not out of the question. If these scripts were written for an adult series, I'd forgive it somewhat, but for <b>children</b>? No! Just... no!</div>
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<b>Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)</b></div>
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<b><i>Newbie Dash</i></b></div>
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<b>Story by Dave Polsky and Dave Rapp</b><br />
<b>Written by Dave Rapp</b></div>
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Same situation, different episode. Except this time, they're teaching children about what it's like to be in the military. Now, there's a big problem with this; the minimum age (at least in the United States) for joining the military is around 17 or 18, depending on whether you have parental consent. <i>My Little Pony</i> is aimed at young girls, so how many are expected to have a relative who is/was in the military? And how many of those would even care for the show to begin with? Hell, how are kids even expected to relate to the episode's events?<br />
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Yeah, the subject matter for the episode is far too mature by the show's standards. But that isn't the only problem this episode faces. Essentially, this is the episode where Rainbow Dash officially joins the Wonderbolts, and they portray it in a completely appalling manner.<br />
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On her first day, Rainbow Dash makes a mistake and the rest of the Wonderbolts never let her forget about the incident and keep calling her "Rainbow Crash", a traumatizing name from her foalhood. And she never talks to Spitfire and/or Soarin - the two Wonderbolts she has a close friendship with - about this. Yes, I know that if she did, the plot wouldn't exist, but if that was literally all Dash had to do, then the story (and by extension, the torment she receives) is pointless.<br />
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Because of this, Rainbow Dash gets treated like dirt all because of that incident, and whilst you sympathize with her, you still have to wonder what she even sees in the Wonderbolts to begin with. Yes, it's been her lifelong dream, but what kind of message does this tell children? Keep working alongside your heroes when they keep treating you like crap and act like jerks? That is seriously messed up!<br />
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This episode is a terrible way to conclude Rainbow Dash's arc. It's mean-spirited to her for no reason except for being mean-spirited for the sake of being mean-spirited, the theme is, again, botched up so badly, and the overall allegory for the military just doesn't work for the series. Oh, and the Wonderbolts' turnaround at the end feels extremely forced and felt like it was done just to make Rainbow Dash feel special. There is nothing good about this episode at all.</div>
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<b>Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)</b></div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1251905655129121229.post-91475540324428313952019-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:002019-07-06T11:00:07.447-07:00The Problems with My Little Pony's Last Season (So Far)<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's safe to say that many of my views on <i>My Little Pony</i>'s ninth and final season of the show have been controversial, to say the least. It's even gotten to the point I got harassed over my views on <i>The Last Crusade</i> and <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>, but to put things into perspective, and hopefully shut up those complaining about my views being "wrong" (for the record, no one's perspective is right or wrong - people have the right to say how they feel, whether or not you agree with them; it's a non-issue), I'll go over all the problems I've had with season nine thus far. All I want to say my piece and leave it at that.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Introduction</span></b></div>
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By the time <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i> comes to an end, it will have lasted for nine years, which is a fairly long time for a children's show to run. However, by comparison, <i>The Fairly OddParents</i> had been running for sixteen years, likely having ended due to Butch Hartman's departure from Nickelodeon; <i>SpongeBob SquarePants</i> has been running for twenty years and is still going on to this day despite Stephen Hillenberg's death; <i>The Simpsons</i> has been going on for thirty years, thirty-two if you include the shorts that were a part of <i>The Tracey Ullman Show</i>; <i>Thomas the Tank Engine</i>'s thirty-five year history is well-documented, and then there are the shows running at fifty years or longer like <i>Sesame Street</i> and <i>Jeopardy!</i>.</div>
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Which leads me onto the question; does longevity equate to quality? The short answer is, no, it doesn't. As Mr. Enter explains in his review for <i>The Big Fairy Share Scare</i>:</div>
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"After about four seasons, most shows start to decay quickly. We may see the signs before then - the show will start reusing concepts, flanderizing characters, have more and more animation errors, and the people who care about the show, either out of passion or for monetary gain, will desperately do anything in their power to keep it alive. And that this effort tends to make the show worse and worse."</blockquote>
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He didn't know this at the time - January 24, 2016, when the most recent episode was <i>The Cutie Re-Mark</i>, where we saw Starlight get integrated into the main cast - but that quote seemed to have been written with <i>My Little Pony</i> in mind. Except maybe the animation errors, but you get the point.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Problem with Re-Hashings</span></b></div>
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It would be fair to say that for the last few seasons, the show has been reusing older concepts and tried to either freshen them up, fix up some of the mistakes from the original story, or do neither. <i>It Ain't Easy Being Breezies</i> from the fourth season is a prime example of how to fix up an older episode, <i>Putting Your Hoof Down</i> from two seasons previous. Not only did this episode portray Fluttershy in a more sympathetic light (and even strengthened her character development), the moral was also handled correctly about finding the right balance between tough love and tenderness.</div>
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On a similar note, <i>Gauntlet of Fire</i> fixed up most, if not all, of the mistakes <i>Dragon Quest</i> suffered by expanding on dragon culture, showing that not every dragon was a complete jerk, showcasing Spike's strengths very well, and keeping Garble an antagonist (for three more seasons, at least).</div>
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But re-hashing older ideas can often be a negative. <i>Every Little Thing She Does</i> practically rewrote <i>Lesson Zero</i> and tried to change a few things to stand out from the season two episode but flopped; <i>28 Pranks Later</i> amplified all the problems <i>The Mysterious Mare Do Well</i> had, and <i>The Mean 6</i> completely undid Chrysalis' deviousness and charisma that she had in <i>To Where and Back Again</i> and made <i>The Return of Harmony</i> better than it already was.</div>
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Long and short, season nine thus far has been the nadir for rehashing older concepts. An episode most guilty of this, according to many fans, myself included, was <i>Uprooted</i>, which was a near beat for beat retelling of <i>Castle Sweet Castle</i> with the Young Six taking the place of the Mane Six (barring Twilight and Spike) and the Tree of Harmony taking the place of Golden Oak Library.</div>
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However, that pales in comparison to <i>The Point of No Return</i>; the episode was yet another retreading of <i>Lesson Zero</i>, with bits of <i>Amending Fences</i> thrown into the mix, made even more tedious and unfunny, and it completely assassinates Twilight's character development. The same thing can be said about <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i> in which the B-plot copied the conflict from <i>Princess Spike</i> and made Twilight look more incompetent than usual, and it back-pedaled Celestia and Luna's development from <i>A Royal Problem</i> mixed with <i>Road to Friendship</i>. Heck, <i>Common Ground</i> and <i>She's All Yak</i> felt interchangeable in how they handled the "be yourself" moral, and they were back to back.</div>
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There's more, but I feel I've already made my point. Watching every episode of the season up to this point, I feel as though every episode thus far has been chopped up and spliced together, because they <b>were</b> chopped up and spliced together. Nothing has any sort of coherence to it, which brings me onto the next point...</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Where's the Big Story Arc?</span></b></div>
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The big story arc of the show is that Twilight is to be taking over for Celestia and Luna at the end of the season, and by extension, the show. It was originally conceived by Lauren Faust when she was working on the school, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like they just dug it up because, according to Hasbro, "it's the last season and we got to end it somehow!"</div>
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In <i>The Beginning of the End</i>, we get the bombshell that Celestia and Luna are planning to retire and pass on all of their duties to Twilight and her friends. But then Sombra returns after being revived and even takes over the minds of everyone in Ponyville and Canterlot before being defeated again.</div>
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Then what?</div>
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The only other episode to feature the four major villains - Grogar, Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow - was <i>Frenemies</i>, but that was it. Similarly, the only episode that's aired so far that even mentioned Celestia and Luna retiring soon was <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>, and there will be an episode focusing on their last Summer Sun Celebration as leaders of Equestria this August (<i>The Summer Sun Setback</i>).</div>
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Save for a few mentions about Sombra's recent invasion, there's nothing about season nine that actually feels like it's the last season of the show, or that there's an arc going on. How differently would <i>Sparkle's Seven</i> have fared, I wonder, if it had aired during season six? Remove the references to Sombra and the story remains exactly the same.</div>
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There is no story arc taking place, and there never has been. Hell, there's no reason for this arc to take place at all. Twilight and her friends already have their own duties and lives to worry about, so there is no reason for Celestia and Luna to heap all of their duties onto them for the finale. It all feels like there was no thought put into it whatsoever. You could easily be forgiven into thinking that there's no arc going on.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Continuity Confusion and Parental Problems</span></b></div>
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"Ya know, some ponies would dream of having parents like that ... I never thought I'd be the best at anything, because nopony ever told me." - Scootaloo, 5/20/2017</blockquote>
Two seasons, five episodes and a feature length movie later, we're finally introduced to Scootaloo's parents. In the middle of the last season. Where do I begin with the problems?<br />
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First of all, they come from literally nowhere. We're given no build up to their presence in Equestria and they turn up just for the sake of <i>The Last Crusade</i> happening. When <i>A Canterlot Wedding</i> was first announced, people freaked out over Shining Armor being Twilight's big brother despite that we'd never seen him or Cadance before, but A) there was enough of an idea as to why that was the case, and B) most importantly, it was during the second season of the show, back when it was a huge deal. And since that episode had aired, the backlash had long since died down and Shining and Cadance have been more or less accepted into the series.<br />
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With fifteen episodes left to go by the time of airing, we're suddenly forced to care about a pair of new characters we've never seen before in a shallow attempt at building upon an already well-established character.<br />
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When the English dub of <i>The Last Crusade</i> was leaked after its premature airing in Italy, fans went nuts over it, but by the time it had aired for real in America, the reaction had cooled off, and some began to notice the flaws of the episode, which brings me onto the next problem; the implication that Scootaloo's parents don't care for her.<br />
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Scootaloo builds them up as being awesome parents, but <i>Parental Glideance</i> implied that her relationship with them wasn't that great. Heck, <i>Flight to the Finish</i> never saw Scootaloo with a caretaker or guardian in sight. The pieces do not go together.<br />
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By the time, Shutter Snap and Mane Allgood finally return to Scootaloo's life, they plan on bringing her with them to Shire Lanka. All of a sudden they care for her, and that was after Sombra's recent attack. Never mind the fact that Scootaloo had survived Nightmare Moon's return, Discord's return, Chrysalis' first invasion, the Everfree Forest attacking Ponyville, Tirek's rampage, the invasion of the Storm King, and just before Sombra's revival, Cozy Glow's brief reign of terror. So them worrying about Sombra's attack on Ponyville and Canterlot completely loses merit when you realize that Scootaloo's parents never bothered to check on her after the previous invasions.<br />
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If Shutter Snap and Mane Allgood actually loved their daughter, then why did they never bother checking on her after all the invasions in the previous eight seasons and the movie? On a similar note, if they care for their jobs, then why did they have a daughter in the first place? Either they're complete idiots, neglectful parents, or a combination of both. They might as well be the worst parents in Equestria (at least with Spoiled Rich, she was intentionally written as a bad parent).<br />
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When you're a parent, being there for your children should always be top priority, regardless of what job you have. Because they didn't bother being there for her, Shutter Snap and Mane Allgood completely missed out on many of Scootaloo's great achievements which seems to imply to me that their (apparent) sole appearance says, "You should leave your only child to other family members, and they'll still accept you regardless of how focused you were on your job." That is an incredibly harmful message as far as I'm aware, especially to children that may actually have neglectful parents.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Fan-Service Taken Too Far?</span></b></div>
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I start this section off with a controversial statement; the Brony fandom has been pandered to for far too long. Now obviously, this is nothing new. Fan-service has been incorporated into the show since the early days (season two's <i>The Last Roundup</i> is the earliest example I can think of). The thing with fan-service is, it's a double-edged sword. There are ways to incorporate fan-service properly (<i>Amending Fences</i>), and there are ways that it has been incorporated poorly (<i>Slice of Life</i>).<br />
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In the case of season nine, more often than not, it tends to fall into the latter category.<br />
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Case in point, Aunts Holiday and Lofty. Them being talked about as an LGBT couple was a huge deal before the episode aired in America, except A) we already saw it in Italy and B) we already knew about them from a chapter book from two years ago (<i>Riddle of the Rusty Horseshoe</i>, to be exact). In retrospect, there was nothing to be hyped up about, especially as they overshadowed the entirety of <i>The Last Crusade</i>.<br />
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In my review, I praised it for being progressive, but now, the novelty has worn off and instead, it just comes across as hollow pandering to the LGBT fanbase - and in case anyone starts stabbing their keyboards accusing me for homophobia, let me make this clear: <b>I am not anti-LGBT</b>. Whatever a person's sexuality is, I'll support them, unless they're an incredibly vile person. (The personality is completely separate from a person's sexuality, for the record.)<br />
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Shoving a pair of LGBT characters in the middle of the last season almost sounds like it's something they couldn't bother doing in the early seasons. Not only that, making a press statement about your characters being gay could lead to PR trouble; just look at what happened when it was confirmed that LeFou in the live-action remake of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> was gay, only to have him dance with a male partner for a few seconds during the final scene. (You'd have to watch it for yourself to know what I'm talking about.) Just imagine if Dumbledore was outright "outed" in the late 1990s; how many people would have cared about <i>Harry Potter</i> after that?<br />
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To be honest, I feel that the <i>Thomas and Friends</i> episode <i>Rosie is Red</i> did far more for the LGBT community than <i>The Last Crusade</i> ever did with the two workmen looking at each other lovingly. And this was an episode where that little moment didn't even need to be included!<br />
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Heck, the entirety of the <i>Good Omens</i> miniseries on Amazon Prime contributed a lot to the LGBT community, largely due to the fantastic chemistry between Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and David Tennant as Crowley. Yeah, I know the book said that angels don't have a sexuality unless they really make the effort, but still. If anyone told me they were in love, I'd believe it.<br />
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What do Holiday and Lofty contribute? That Scootaloo has a family? That's pretty much it. It felt as though the writers just didn't care and said it was all in the manual. Wow, I focused a lot on the LGBT topic more than I initially intended.<br />
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Getting back to the fan-pandering issue, a general theme I noticed is that the writers seem to include fan favorite characters purely for the sake of pleasing older fans. The sole possible exception seems to be Zephyr Breeze in <i>Sparkle's Seven</i>, as an idea by Ashleigh Ball cause apparently, she seems to like seeing Rainbow Dash suffer (no disrespect to Miss Ball, of course). Not to mention Zephyr isn't exactly everyone's favorite...<br />
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Then in the episode immediately after, <i>The Point of No Return</i>, Moon Dancer makes a speaking cameo at the Tasty Treat and was rendered redundant for the rest of the episode. Moving on.<br />
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Terramar and Mud Briar both made a return in <i>Student Counsel</i> alongside semi-regulars Maud Pie and Trixie, almost as if the writers were telling us, "Hey! These guys were introduced in the previous season! Remember them? Anyone? Huh?!" (Okay, maybe they didn't say that, but you get the point.) It almost feels like a distraction from the fact that the episode was a boring, sluggishly paced slog, though from what I read, Mud Briar is at least becoming more self-aware, so... maybe not as annoying?<br />
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Apart from Celestia and Luna getting a starring role in <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>, the song featured a lot of cameos ranging from Discord to the Flim Flam brothers to Thorax to even a cameo by Capper. But they're so brief it's easy to miss them; they come and go quicker than a Stan Lee cameo (R.I.P., you utter legend). I only mention that now because it had nothing to do with the remainder of the episode.<br />
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And then there's the presence of Scootaloo's family which... I've moaned about enough already.</div>
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The only episode where it seemed to make sense to bring back a fan favorite was <i>Common Ground</i> with Quibble Pants. Not only did the episode expand on his personality beyond <i>Daring Do</i>, it even made him a more relatable character to the audience. And that was so far the best episode of the season.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Stories Equestria May Never Tell</b></span></div>
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So instead of just pandering to older fans for the sake of pandering to older fans, why couldn't the writers have instead focused on story arcs that needed expanding upon?<br />
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The Young Six potentially becoming the new Element bearers is a great example of potential not being built upon. They were one of the best parts of season eight, if not <b>the</b> best. Heck, I'd argue the whole season did the school concept way better than <i>Equestria Girls</i> ever did. If <i>School Raze</i> and <i>Uprooted</i> were anything to go by, we could've had a great story arc to show them becoming the next bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Instead, what they got thus far were a pair of stories that could easily have been in season eight. That's a huge waste right there.<br />
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Not only that, there was opportunity to have some closure with Babs Seed and the Manehattan Crusaders. What we got instead was a voiceless cameo in <i>The Last Crusade</i>. It's most frustrating when you consider that the last time she got a mention was getting her cutie mark in <i>Bloom and Gloom</i>, but even then, it felt like an afterthought.<br />
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What about seeing the Cake twins grow up and start to enter school? Or Flurry Heart? Or how Coco Pommel is managing fashion business on her own? Or Big Mac and Sugar Belle taking their relationship to a new level with marriage? Heck, what is Moon Dancer like outside of her circle of friends, especially as she's been given nothing since <i>Amending Fences</i>? Anything would've been great! But no, we had to focus (or as much focus as the season will allow) on a Princess who doesn't deserve what she'll achieve by the finale...</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Danger</span></b></div>
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Out of all the Mane Six post-season five, Twilight has received the worst treatment when it comes to character derailment. Yeah, Pinkie can be a mind-numbing idiot at her worst, but she still displays common sense... sometimes. Rainbow Dash can turn into an over-the-top jerkish smartass, but again, that's only on the odd occasion. Applejack sometimes abuses her Element and Starlight tends to get the short end of the stick from the writers, but neither get starring roles that often.<br />
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But Twilight? In a lot of her recent starring roles, with exceptions such as <i>Top Bolt</i> and <i>A Flurry of Emotions</i>, she's either an insufferable hypocrite (<i>No Second Prances</i>) or an over-reacting idiot (<i>Marks for Effort</i>). Season nine has Twilight at her worst in the latter category, and cranked up to eleven.<br />
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The stress over taking over for Celestia and Luna I can understand... sort of, but at this point, Twilight should be a lot more composed than she was in <i>Lesson Zero</i>. I mean, in <i>Sparkle's Seven</i>, she's practically hellbent on beating Shining Armor just for a tinfoil crown - I think it should've been thrown away by now - making the 200th episode feel more anticlimactic and low stakes than it really was.<br />
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It didn't help that it was followed up by <i>The Point of No Return</i>, the one episode where I practically gave up on Twilight as a character. I wouldn't remember that episode at all if it wasn't the one I decided Twilight had completely lost it. The only thing I genuinely remember is that it's a terrible rip-off of <i>Lesson Zero</i>.<br />
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If that episode was the point where I gave up on Twilight, then <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i> was where I felt that Celestia and Luna will have blood on their hooves when she takes over. For me, that was the real point of no return for the final season. The season being boring, rehashing ideas and doing nothing with them, not bothering with the potential in side characters. That episode was the straw that broke the pony's back.<br />
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Put simply, the episode told me that when Twilight takes over for Celestia and Luna, things will fall into complete chaos and probably end up being worse than before the events of Nightmare Moon's return. In the real world, people are being killed because of incompetent politicians not doing their job properly. To suggest that Equestria will be a mess when Twilight starts to rule it is one of the most horrifying things the show has ever suggested, and she is supposed to be the character we root for. At this stage, I feel like rooting for Grogar and his Legion of Doom, even if Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow have lost their edge (though Cozy Glow had none to begin with, but I digress).<br />
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Equestria needs a leader it can trust to feel safe, and Twilight Sparkle isn't. Not anymore. Her character development has been completely undermined by her behavior in season nine alone, and it's absolutely heartbreaking to see her character twisted and broken beyond recognition. Proofreading your scripts is important, and <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i> is a prime example as to why; otherwise, you'll just end up implanting unfortunate implications.<br />
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"But if Twilight isn't fit to rule Equestria when Celestia and Luna retire, who is?" That's easy to answer; <b>Fluttershy</b> would've been a far better choice than Twilight. Let's look back at her greatest moments.</div>
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<i>Dragonshy</i>. <i>Hurricane Fluttershy</i>. <i>Keep Calm and Flutter On</i>. <i>It Ain't Easy Being Breezies</i>.<br />
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Even if we don't know, Fluttershy has always been the true hero of the series. Not Twilight - Fluttershy. Whether it be confronting a dragon about his snoring being harmful to his surroundings, helping Discord learn to change his ways, helping the Breezies home, or helping to provide the last wingpower to create a tornado to lift the required water for Cloudsdale's rainy season, Fluttershy has always been the hero of <i>My Little Pony</i>. Maybe not in number or profile, but unquestionably spirit.<br />
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She's the character who you cried for when she remembered the trauma of being mocked in flight school for her flying abilities. And then you urged her on to provide that little bit of wingpower needed to complete the tornado, and then you cheered for her when she succeeded.<br />
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The long and short is that Fluttershy had the strongest character arc out of the Mane Six. From the start, she was incredibly shy and withdrawn, afraid to stand up for herself, but as the series progressed, she grew more and more out of her shell to the point she chewed out Garble for his bullying of Spike. And the sad irony is that as she was the most popular of the Mane Six when the series began, people seemed to stop caring about her as it went on, and nobody noticed her character growth.<br />
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<b>That</b> is why I feel Fluttershy would've been a better choice for Princess than Twilight. <b>That</b> is why she's my favorite out of the Mane Six. And <b>that</b> is why I love her most recent outings like <i>A Health of Information</i>.<br />
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If you're a Twilight Sparkle fan, stick to the first five seasons. At least back then, her freakouts and moments of self-doubt <b>could</b> be defended, even in <i>It's About Time</i> to an extent. But no thanks to Gail Simone in her sole script thus far, Twilight's charm as a character has been destroyed, and I don't think there's a very high chance she'll ever recover from it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Not-So-Terrifying Villains?</span></b></div>
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I've already brought up the poor messages implying that parental abandonment is perfectly acceptable as long as the kid is on good terms with you (<i>The Last Crusade</i>) and that someone diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia is perfectly fit to rule a land (<i>The Point of No Return</i>, <i>Between Dark and Dawn</i>). But there's one more that I've yet to bring up...<br />
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<i>Frenemies</i> felt my wrath when I first covered it. It's storyline was reprehensible, and the overall message practically spelled out to me that "criminals are not bad, they're just misunderstood". That may be true with some, but what happens if you translate that message to focus on criminals who don't care at all for what they're doing?<br />
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In the episode, Cozy Glow, Tirek and Chrysalis practically felt no shame over what they have done. In <i>School Raze</i>, <i>Twilight's Kingdom</i>, <i>A Canterlot Wedding</i> and <i>To Where and Back Again</i>, it was made crystal clear that they were villains the audience should root against. And then all of a sudden, <i>Frenemies</i> basically undermines all of that by saying they weren't evil villains all along working for an even bigger baddie, just misunderstood. Hell, it even implied that they might go through a villain redemption for the finale!<br />
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There are way too many villain redemptions as it is, but if you give that to Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow, it will completely undermine what made then great villains to begin with (or in Cozy's case, more hateful than she already is). Their one episode together was practically conceived without a care for any negative implications it could have in the series. In fact, that one sentence summarizes how poor the final season has been thus far.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Final Thoughts</span></b></div>
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It was T.S. Eliot who once said, "The world will end not with a bang, but with a whimper." That one line sums up <i>My Little Pony</i> and its final season perfectly. It almost felt as though Hasbro didn't care anymore about what Lauren Faust had created and barely put any effort into making season nine really feel like it was the last season. A lot of the episodes felt like they could've been in any of the previous eight and nothing would change.<br />
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The sad fact is that there's a good season hidden somewhere. Seriously, if they didn't force in a character arc about Twilight taking over Equestria, it would've served as a nice, gentle goodbye to the fans, showcasing perfectly what made the show great to begin with.<br />
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But as season nine currently stands, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8DvEJl4Hh0">the trailer Hasbro released on the official YouTube account</a> feels like a lie. The previous eight seasons had more effort put into them, and even with season six, which I used to consider the worst of the show, at least there it had some great ideas hidden among the bad ones. Season nine had no ideas, and even when they did, they were terrible ones.</div>
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Which brings me onto the million dollar question; do I think the second half of the season will be better? No. While yes, we're getting the return of Weird Al Yankovic as Cheese Sandwich and a hopefully interesting finale to cap off the show, it still doesn't change the fact that to me, the first half of season nine has been a complete mess and only exists so Hasbro could flog it off to the world as <b>the last season</b> of <i>My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic</i>.</div>
Zack Wanzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02080168325121134940noreply@blogger.com14