MLP Episode 813: The Mean 6

So now we've come to the final episode of the first half of season eight! The first half (School Daze-Horse Play) turned out really good, but the second half (The Parent Map-Marks for Effort) was all over the place, ranging from great to terrible. Can The Mean 6 end the first half on a high note before we enter the mid-season hiatus?

I'm gonna say it; the episode sucked, and it's earned the title of the worst episode of the show. But where do I begin with its problems?

The first problem is with the Mane Six themselves, plus Starlight. They've been hit with Steam Team Syndrome. Not that they've been made the core cast by isolating other characters (barring Starlight, they have been established as the leads since day one). No, I mean that they're practically interchangeable with one another; every time they encounter one of the Mean Six, there's a big conflict. You could have them swap places and the plot would be the same.

Case in point, Rarity and Starlight encountering Mean Applejack. Sure, Rarity said Mean Applejack looked a bit pale, and yet she didn't notice her cutie mark looked different? Not taking a look at Mean Applejack's flank makes both Rarity and Starlight look like idiots.

Adding to the stupidity is that no one knew Chrysalis was behind this scheme. Seriously, they try putting two and two together and yet they each somehow got different solutions! And once again, Twilight is an insufferable idiot by accusing Pinkie of hurting Fluttershy (at least Pinkie actually showed genuine concern for Fluttershy, which was surprising)! Do the new writers have some kind of hatred for Twilight?

Also, the way their fighting was resolved felt far too cheesy. Seriously, all the accusations, and yet it's suddenly resolved by a speech from Twilight. You could argue it's a half minute's worth, but keep in mind this is the climax of ten minutes' worth of misunderstandings (or, if you consider real time, at least a few hours)! On top of that, they're more or less in the same place they started, making the entire conflict pointless.

I'd point out the positives at this point, but... there isn't really a whole lot. There were some funny moments with the Mean Six, but they're painfully predictable. Sure, it was nice to see Chrysalis again, but it just feels anticlimactic. The Mean Six melting and turning back into trees? I'm kind of surprised they got away with that!

Final Thoughts

If you want this story done better, watch The Return of Harmony. There's a lot more character involved, there's a lesson to be learned by the end of the story, and most of all, the characters were in a different place than when they started. Heck, even To Where and Back Again got this right. The Mean 6 had no point whatsoever; it's the dictionary definition of anticlimactic, and the worst episode to come out of the show. A show that crapped out Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep and Secrets and Pies!

At least Chrysalis stayed a villain by the end...

Rating: Atrocious