MLP Episode 822: What Lies Beneath

It's time to find out What Lies Beneath the next episode of season eight!

This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.

What Lies Beneath

Written by Michael Vogel

Mike Vogel's last script, The Mean 6, was a major catastrophe in which literally nothing happened. Honestly, you could skip that episode and lose nothing. So imagine how surprising it was that the next episode he wrote turned out to be another season eight's best.

Even more so that it was the Young Six getting the main spotlight focus like in The Hearth's Warming Club. Most of the time, they're practically secondary characters, reacting to what's happening and/or driving the story in which they aren't the main focus, like Molt Down.

Here, we get to see a little more of what they're like individually. Gallus is claustrophobic, Silverstream has fears of the Storm King returning, Yona doesn't like spiders until she befriends the group, Smolder doesn't want to be mocked for liking tea parties, and Ocellus is unable to escape her tribe's terrible past.

And this may sound contentious, but the Young Six as a group have become more relatable characters than the Mane Six have as of late; not that they're bad characters, but lately, the writers have had a tendency not to write for the Mane Six very well. Whilst they write Fluttershy and (for the most part) Rarity really well, the others tend to suffer from solely having a few traits flanderized or being put in situations that no longer fit their current characters.

With the Young Six, they've only been around for one season, and yet despite being different, they still care for one another, and it proves in the third act that Sandbar would rather be with his friends than follow illusions of Rarity and Rainbow Dash to "save" Equestria. And the ending with Cozy Glow implies there's something sinister going on.

If there was an issue I had, it's that they didn't really put any emphasis on Yona's fear of water as shown in Non-Compete Clause. It would've been nice to call back on that, even if the earlier episode was terrible, but then again, it might not have worked with the episode as it stands.

Final Thoughts

This was a great Young Six focused episode, and surprising considering Mike Vogel wrote this. Whilst this might rank among his best, it's also ironic that it came right after his worst script. Again, this could be down to the fact that the Mane Six are characters we've known for eight years and the Young Six we've known for a little over half a year. However, if this episode and Friendship University are anything to go by, it's almost as if the writers are building up to something great (as long as they don't use that Villain Redemption Trope)...

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 821: A Rockhoof and a Hard Place

We're now onto the home stretch; just a few more episodes, and season eight will come to a close. But first, we're now stuck between A Rockhoof and a Hard Place.

This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.

A Rockhoof and a Hard Place

Written by Kaita Mpambara

Between Shadow Play and Friendship University, I found it disappointing and confusing that the Pillars weren't given any major focus. The former implied we'd explore how they'd adapt to modern Equestria, and yet School Daze focused on something completely unrelated (mind you, I still consider it a brilliant episode). Fortunately, we got to see more of Star Swirl in Friendship University, and now here, we explore what the Pillars have been up to lately.

Well, sort of. Whilst Rockhoof is the main focus, Flash Magnus, Mistmane, Somnambula, and Mage Meadowbrook do get a brief look in to show the audience what they've been up to since being freed from limbo (and Stygian gets a mention as well). It would've been nice to see how they ended up in their current positions, but I suppose it might not have been interesting to the target audience. That being said, it does tie up to the episode's message brilliantly.

As well as that, it makes you feel more for Rockhoof struggling to find his place in modern Equestria. But every time he tries to do something, he messes up and feels more and more frustrated. Eventually, it's to the point he wants to become a statue, which feels like a very subtle allegory for suicide. Though I'm not sure if that was the intent or simply my interpretation of it.

The great thing about the episode isn't just Rockhoof himself as a character (before this episode, he was fine, but just seemed kinda there), but Yona as well. Seriously, with every appearance she makes since the premiere, I love her more. Even though Rockhoof doesn't know his own strength, it doesn't bother Yona any. In fact, she even writes an essay about him to try and convince him not to become a statue.

It was also unexpected to see General Seaspray make a return after the season premiere. And even though this has nothing to do with the actual episode, it's nice to see them expanding the hippogriffs' culture, as well as a funny lampshading of them needing to use ships.

Final Thoughts

This is yet another fantastic episode in season eight. It was great to expand more on Rockhoof's character, as well as Yona's, and the theme and story are brilliant. There's honestly very little to complain about here.

The thing we can take from this is that everyone has a purpose in life. Sure, any show could do this, but Rockhoof was one of the few characters... No, he's the one character who could've worked for this theme, and suddenly, he's become more likable and charismatic than Sunburst has ever been. If this was anypony else, however, then the story wouldn't have been as good.

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 820: The Washouts

Another early airing, another review. It's The Washouts!

This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.

The Washouts

Written by Nick Confalone

Ever since Wonderbolts Academy aired in late 2012, Lightning Dust has had a bit of a cult following among the fandom, many hoping she'd make a return. I honestly couldn't see why, and could've cared less if she never came back. Now, Lightning Dust has made her return, and it's... okay. Which is disappointing to say the least.

The first sign of the episode having problems is Rainbow Dash eavesdropping on Scootaloo's Rainbow Dash club meeting. Why does she do that for every meeting? That's extremely disturbing when you actually think about that, and it puts their relationship in a different light. It doesn't help that it's in the same episode where Dash saves Scootaloo from potentially getting killed, and it leads to the ending scene of the episode...

Which brings me onto the Scootaloo club meeting. I don't like it, especially the fact that Scootaloo and Twilight are eavesdropping on Rainbow Dash at the end, which sends off a toxic message for children. Again, it doesn't help that it's in the same episode along with a far better message (which I'll get to).

And then there's the meeting with Lightning Dust. How in the name of Celestia did Scootaloo not remember who Lightning Dust was?! I know this doesn't have much bearing on the plot, but Parental Glideance explicitly stated that Scootaloo knew who Lightning Dust was and her actions. So why she would ignore what Rainbow Dash told her rather than be wary of Lightning Dust just raises a lot of questions, but not as many questions surrounding their sister-like relationship.

That being said, it was surprising that Lightning Dust declared that she and Rainbow Dash were forever rivals, and even more so that this was from the same writer who "wrote" (and I use it loosely, of course) Forgotten Friendship. But that doesn't mean Confalone is any less my least favorite writer in the show.

Not only that, the lesson Scootaloo learned at the end about Lightning Dust being a toxic influence was very well done, even if the execution was sloppy at points. Having seen Big World! Big Adventures!, it's nice to know that kids' shows are willing to warn their audience the dangers about toxic friendship, and the consequences it can have on your real friends. Those who are willing to give up everything for you and help you learn from your mistakes.

Final Thoughts

This is a very difficult one for me to rank; on one hand, there's a solid theme about bad influences and it completely avoids my most despised trope, but on the other, Rainbow Dash's character is inconsistent at points and the message about eavesdropping was really bad. So overall, it's a below average episode. The writers need to be really careful in the future as to how they portray their themes in episodes, lest we end up with unfortunate implications down the road.

Rating: Okay (just barely)

MLP Episode 819: Road to Friendship

It's high time we traveled with Starlight and Trixie on the Road to Friendship for the next review!

This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.

Road to Friendship

Written by Josh Haber

It's safe to say that I've been pretty hard on episodes with Starlight and Trixie as the leads. No Second Prances very much turned Twilight into the antithesis of herself, and whilst the main plot for All Bottled Up was great, the subplot with the Mane Six was awful. This episode, thankfully, avoids both problems.

Twilight only appears in the cold open with Cadance and Flurry Heart, and seeing her do their foalhood dance with the former (with the latter on top) is adorably funny, especially Starlight and Trixie's reaction. And whilst the subplot is about a Saddle Arabian pony offering the two mares a new caravan, it tied up very nicely with the main plot. Oh yeah, and there's a moment of hypocritical humor with Starlight and Trixie breaking into song.

Now that it's out of the way, I can talk about the episode proper. I can understand how stressful it must've been for Starlight and Trixie when it comes to traveling - after the song, at least. Supplies don't really grow on trees, and there's only so much you can do with what you have.

What makes it more stressful is how cramped Trixie's caravan is. Because she's packed so much stuff, they barely have enough room to move around in. And it's funny to how she reacts to Starlight's loud snoring. Not only that, the next day shows just how much they're getting on one another's nerves, the final straw being when Starlight trades Trixie's caravan for the bigger one, much to the latter's fury.

And it's only after their falling out that Starlight realized how petty they'd been when she encounters two mail ponies from earlier and returns Trixie's caravan to her. Also, I'm pretty sure Kelly and Kathleen were improvising in the studio when it was recorded. There's no way it was scripted.

Of course, if I had to pick a nit, the phrase "Great and Powerful" got old really quick. I get it; Trixie uses it as part of her act, but it almost feels like it's her whole personality, especially in an episode that showed there was more to her than that. I'm not saying they should get rid of that entirely, but rather, they should use it a little more sparingly.

Final Thoughts

After a really dull outing from Gillian Berrow, it was up to Josh Haber to bring things back on track again, and he did so too. Brilliantly. (Oh, and that Somnambula stallion in the trunk? He deserves his own mention.) To date, this is Trixie's best episode, but then again, there isn't much competition for that title. I'm just hoping this is the jumping off point, not the culmination, of the work done to develop her character.

Season eight is now on its home stretch with five episodes before the finale. Surely nothing could go wrong as the season draws to a close... right?

Rating: Good

MLP Episode 818: The End in Friend

After a rocky start to the second half of season eight, it looks as though the season's back on its hooves again. Can The End in Friend continue that streak?

This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.

The End in Friend

Written by Gillian M. Berrow

Well... no, not really. I'm not saying the episode didn't try, but the plot Gillian went for is so stock there's not a whole lot you can do to make it feel new.

Simply put, this feels a lot like A Royal Problem, only with Rarity and Rainbow Dash in Celestia and Luna's place, and Starlight not being as involved for at least half the story. The theme about teamwork is good, but it's been done before and kind of shoved down the audience's throats. Even Twilight trying to make excuses for Rarity and Rainbow Dash's bickering doesn't feel interesting.

And whilst it was better handled than Non-Compete Clause, that's not really saying much as the episode still goes all out in making Rainbow Dash and Rarity look petty. We've seen the former get manicures before, but it feels like it was forgotten about despite the references to Sonic Rainboom and Rarity Investigates!.

Final Thoughts

I apologize for the review being short, but there's honestly very little for me to say what I haven't already. I know that some episodes earlier this season didn't have the most original ideas either, but they were usually let off the hook because they had qualities to make up for that, and The End in Friend... doesn't. Sure, there are funny moments, but even they feel cliched at points. It's painfully mediocre all the way through, and it pains me to rank a Gillian Berrow script as low as I did.

Rating: Bad

MLP Episode 817: Friendship University

It's time to head down to Friendship University for the next review!

This review contains spoilers; viewer discretion is advised.

Friendship University

Written by Chris "Doc" Wyatt & Kevin Burke

Star Swirl the Bearded has gained a rather mixed reputation among fans given his portrayal in Shadow Play, but I didn't have any issues with it. If anything, I like how it made him a more interesting character; he's stubborn, proud, and doesn't know when he makes a mistake. So I was hoping season eight would further develop him as a character.

Well... this episode did to some extent, but this was mostly a Twilight/Rarity episode - perhaps the first ever in the entire series. (Look Before You Sleep isn't counted since Applejack was thrown into the mix.) Not only that, it's the first Flim and Flam episode without Applejack appearing in any capacity, though she is mentioned indirectly.

That being said, Twilight holding a grudge against Flim and Flam is perfectly justified considering she witnessed the events of The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, but their other appearances? Most likely Applejack told her about these. Despite having a solid reason to hold a grudge, again, this still doesn't excuse Twilight's character in previous episodes like Marks for Effort.

Still, this plays really well into Star Swirl's character. He's learning about the new Equestria around him, and is still learning about friendship along the way. Him not knowing Flim and Flam as well as Twilight does also worked really well, showing that despite his wisdom, Star Swirl is not a perfect character; even he can be gullible at times. If that's what they were trying to portray with Edward, they messed it up badly.

And that leads me onto the theme; yeah, it is obvious that Flim and Flam have still learned nothing from past experiences, but I do think it's a relevant theme considering the controversy surrounding Butch Hartman and his Kickstarter campaign for the OAXIS streaming service, describing it as a Christain network. Not to mention the political scandals regarding... you know who.

Now, if I may go off on a tangent for a bit; several months prior to the episode airing, the Restore the Magic campaign gave big news that the Lady prop featured in Thomas and the Magic Railroad had been found and there was a GoFundMe campaign to buy the model and restore it to its former glory. But it turned out that the buyers of the model had run off with the money, leaving the prop to potentially be scrapped when they could've simply built a new model from the ground up with less money than it took to build it. I know it's old news, but I wanted to bring it up because of how it relates to the episode's theme.

Back to Friendship University as an episode; if there was something disappointing about it, it was Chancellor Neighsay disappearing after he approves of Friendship University. Don't get me wrong; his role in their was really good, and it further proves my point that not all antagonists are meant to be redeemed. But when Friendship University was revealed to be a scam, we don't know how he would've reacted to that. Maybe they're setting something up for the finale...?

Another complaint I have has nothing to do with the episode, but I'll mention it anyway. In Shadow Play, we see the Pillars and Stygian return from limbo, but between that episode and Friendship University, we don't really see how they handle modern-day Equestria, almost making their return feel like an afterthought, Yeah, this has happened in past seasons, but with season eight, it's honestly rather jarring.

Final Thoughts

This is the third episode in a row that even for a show that's almost eight years old, Friendship is Magic can still learn new tricks. Where else do you see an episode with Flim and Flam featuring Twilight and Rarity working against them? Add Star Swirl to the mix, it almost looks as though they're building up to something grand for the finale.

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 816: The Hearth's Warming Club

Another week, another review. Let's head on down to The Hearth's Warming Club for the next episode!

The Hearth's Warming Club

Written by Brian Hohlfeld

You know, I think it's a missed opportunity to have it air on July 28, cause then we would've had a "Christmas in July"-type special. That aside, this is the fourth overall Chirstmas-themed episode of the series (with a 44 minute special planned for the holidays, a first for the series, in fact!), but how does it stack up against the previous three?

I love it. Even more so that we're given more bonding amongst the Young Six, and that we especially get their different perspectives on how they celebrate the holidays. Each story they tell really showcases their individual characters, unlike something like The Mane Six where most of the characters are interchangeable with each other.

Here, we can tell that Smolder has a twisted sense of humor, Sandbar makes boring things seem exciting, and that Yona and Silverstream take pride in their own respective heritages for different reasons. My favorite was Ocellus', especially with how literally she and the Changelings take Twilight's instructions on how Hearth's Warming is celebrated. That was hilarious!

Yet the real standout character here was Gallus; the reason he pulled that prank was because he didn't want to be alone on Hearth's Warming. To him, his new friends are perhaps the closest he's ever had to a real family, despite their differences. Yona might be my personal favorite of the Young Six, but Gallus is without a doubt the most layered and comes in a close second for me (Smolder is third, for the record).

It was also great that Twilight actually displayed some common sense by asking the students one on one for their perspective of the situation (even if we don't see it), though it is also laughable considering her behavior in previous episodes like Marks for Effort. Just because she was well-written here, that doesn't make her any less hypocritical.

Final Thoughts

Since School Daze aired back in March, I thought it set the bar too high for season eight. But The Hearth's Warming Club almost looks as if it could knock it off its perch. Almost. The theme is amazing (no one deserves to be alone on the holidays), the story is brilliant, and the Young Six really shine every time they appear in an episode, good or bad. There's honestly little to complain about.

That being said, it's kind of sad that people aren't thinking very highly of season eight. Yes, we got some duds like The Mean Six, Non-Compete Clause, and Yakity-Sax, but those duds don't mean the season overall is bad. Especially not with gems like Molt Down, Surf and/or Turf, Horse Play, and this one. There's only eight episodes and a finale to go, so the only direction season eight can go at this point is up.

Rating: Excellent