It's that time of year again! After some Brony fandom controversy, some leaks in December, and a weird scheduling strategy, season eight comes to a close. But wait, I hear you cry; what about School Raze and the Christmas special Best Gift Ever? Well, School Raze is going to be a video review, which I hope to have out this November, but I will give you a brief summary of my thoughts on the episode for the time being. And as for Best Gift Ever, it'll be out as soon as it's released rather than waiting until Christmas to review it.
So, without further ado, it's high time to give season eight a final examination.
We're kicking off with an episode written by Mike Vogel. I was never a fan of him as a writer, if Every Little Thing She Does is anything to go by, so I wasn't bothered by his absence from season seven. I was hoping that for season eight, he'd learn to improve, but then this disaster came around...
It may surprise a lot of you that this is worse than other episodes I've rallied against since I started this blog, but even they have a reason to exist. Heck, To Where and Back Again (where Chrysalis was written better, for the record) had some point and I once called it the worst episode of the show. The Mean Six does not have a point at all.
Chrysalis' plan is far more complicated than it needed to be; why did she make evil clones of the Mane Six and then send them off to find the Tree of Harmony? Why did she not consider attacking the Mane Six themselves when she was within the vicinity of them?! This makes her look like a complete dumbass, and this is a franchise that gave us Gloriosa Daisy and Wallflower Blush!
On top of that, if she wanted revenge against Starlight, why couldn't Chrysalis A) replace the Mane Six with fakes and make her think they're no longer her friends, or B) pretend to be Starlight and ruin the hard work she's done to make friends? Yes, it sounds similar to Forgotten Friendship, and yeah, it isn't the most intelligent scheme, but at least it would've made sense! Chrysalis just went from being a big threat to a complete joke in this episode alone.
It doesn't help that everyone else gets hit with the idiot stick; again, how did no one suspect that something was off about their friends? It feels completely jarring, and it's almost like the episode dumps on Starlight, and she barely does a damn thing except whine! I feel sorry for Starlight; she's been given a lot of mistreatment since she was introduced, and this was the worst mistreatment she's gotten thus far.
The Mean 6 is the worst episode of the show because there's nothing to gain from it.
Fame and Misfortune at least tried to give its audience something to take from it and when I can say anything about that episode being better, you should know you have a problem.
The Return of Harmony also did this plot way better, and that was back in 2011; so watch that episode instead.
I said this about
The Mean 6, but this one suffers from a severe lack of originality and character stupidity. The only difference between the two is that at least there is a lot more character here (especially with the Young Six), there's a conflict actually taking place (even though Applejack and Rainbow Dash should've grown out of it by now), and it did try to teach the audience something (even if it was botched up).
That being said, there's little else I can add to what's already been said in my review. It's 22 minutes of pure frustration.
Here's something interesting I learned after posting my review; if you actually speak your mind and call something popular a piece of crap, people will get upset and throw tantrums just because that one person's views doesn't line up with theirs, and even call it a terribly written review.
Good. And because it bears repeating, there is
nothing worth remembering (except maybe the Discord/Rainbow Dash subplot) in this sorry excuse for a Christmas special. It could be 22 minutes long, and the result would be exactly the same. It was obvious from the start what the message was going to be, and since I'd seen other productions (and not just in
My Little Pony) tell that message better, as well as airing a few days before Halloween, the fact we already had a Hearth's Warming-centric episode this season, and feeling excited for
Bohemian Rhapsody,
Best Gift Ever never stood a chance to begin with.
And as for the comments saying that it's a homage to what made the show great to begin with? If this was part of season one or two, that would be excusable. But this far in? It's years too late for that, and it does a complete disservice to eight years' of work in developing the main characters. At this point, they should be more well-rounded characters. They've done a great job with side characters like Big Macintosh and the Crusaders, but it's obvious that there's so little left you can do with the Mane Six.
Another issue I have is minor, but I'll mention it anyway; this is the only time at all this year that Shining Armor got to do anything. You'd think that with being in the new intro, he'd get to do something amazing, but no. Cadance and Flurry Heart made a previous appearance together in
Road to Friendship, but not Shining Armor. It really says a lot as to how well Hasbro treats most of the male characters of the show.
Same problems as
Non-Compete Clause, just with a different lead character. This season has not been kind to Pinkie Pie at all, and it's a great shame considering her great roles in the past.
Basically, you could consider
Yakity-Sax the complete antithesis to Pinkie as a character. Why in the world would she care about some stupid musical instrument rather than making ponies smile? You know, her purpose in life? This episode goes all the way to make Pinkie look selfish and you end up sympathizing with her friends instead, hoping they'd abandon her altogether.
At least Twilight actually learned something from a previous episode, and that was written way better (more on that later). But even that can't save the episode from being a train wreck, nor from making one of its lead characters extremely one note.
Speaking of one note characters...!
Okay, sure, it's nice to try and explore Starlight and Sunburst's foalhood, but this episode doesn't really do a good job at that. Come to think of it, Dave Rapp didn't do a good job in trying to explain what the episode's message is, and it just comes off as a jumbled mess of story. Did no one think of helping him tidy up some weak spots?
Like I said in the review, this episode makes Sunburst's overall creation pointless. They've had two seasons before this to make him interesting, and yet his character is still incredibly bland, as if the writers don't know what to do with him (there's been a different writer or team of writers every time he shows up, which I doubt helped his case).
This would've been great if the episode had actual direction, but as it stands it's a jumbled mess with no coherent message and it makes Firelight and Stellar Flare look like petty idiots.
The story itself, whilst awkwardly paced in areas, isn't that bad, the characters are great, and the theme was... fine. Everything I'd want in an episode is there, but it leaves me feeling underwhelmed.
The short version is that most of my criticism boils down to a lack of tension and a pair of overused tropes - the twist villain and the villain redemption, to be more specific - that turn me off. Even if they didn't use the latter trope on Neighsay, it would still be an underwhelming finale as a whole. As for the former trope? It almost feels like the writers didn't understand the meaning of the word "subtle", and considering we knew Cozy Glow was going to be the big bad starting with
Marks for Effort, I find it hard to believe the audience was meant to be left in shock in the end. Can't the writers use plot devices that haven't been run into the ground?
On the whole, it's not really an awful episode in general, but it's not one I'll be rewatching any time soon.
Like
The Parent Map, this episode suffers by making Rainbow Dash and Rarity look petty. Unlike
The Parent Map, however, this one has a clearer idea of what it wants to be and actually teaches a good message.
Many people say that this was
Non-Compete Clause done right, and to an extent, I agree. And to those saying it's like a Faust-era episode, that makes
The End in Friend worse because
this far into the show, Rainbow Dash and Rarity should know better than to act like this! Season one was during a time when the Mane Six didn't know each other that well, so it made sense back then. And again, having it this far into the show just throws character development out the window for the sake of the plot.
The End in Friend had a bland plot and characters but a good message. This episode had better characters and a stronger plot, but it also suffered by having a toxic message at the end.
I'm not delving into why since it aired very recently (in North America at least; it had an early airing in Australia), but having a message like "eavesdropping is okay" in an episode about toxic friendship will just result in mixed messages for an impressionable audience. Add that on top of a few continuity issues, you have a good episode ruined by toxic themes.
The general plot is alright, the themes are okay, but the issue with Twilight's behavior towards the Crusaders really sticks out like a sore hoof.
Sure, you could argue that she apologized to the Crusaders through her actions, but wouldn't a verbal apology have worked much better? Even if it's half-baked, it would've at least felt more genuine. I wish I could say more, really.
Some behind the scenes insight; I considered giving his a "Good" rating, but the problem with the episode came to me, so I settled for an "Okay" rating instead.
It may be a shock to those that an episode with a celebrity guest star is ranked rather low, though compared to those with emotional weight (
The Perfect Pear,
The Mane Attraction), humor (
Stranger Than Fan Fiction), or both (
Pinkie Pride),
Sounds of Silence had to rely on the strength of its characters and themes to pick it up and they do. For the most part.
It's one of those episodes that has to rely on characters and themes to try and make up for an unoriginal plot, which had become a recurring theme with season eight. If you're taking previous ideas and go a different direction with them, then I can understand. But constantly reusing plots means your show is creatively stagnant and should end soon.
It feels like forever when I last reviewed it...! As much as Pinkie was annoyingly overbearing and Mudbriar just... there, it's still a decent episode for what it is.
That being said, they do need to stop with having a Maud Pie-based episode near the start of every season. Why not have a Maud Pie-centric episode near the middle of the season for once? Having Maud Pie turn up near the start of the season almost feels like a desperate ploy to keep fans interested in the rest of the upcoming season, especially since they don't need to constantly rely on the same character to keep fans hooked.
Although I don't feel it's as good or funny as
Hard to Say Anything, this was still a nice sequel to the season seven episode. The only major complaint is that the Crusaders' subplot doesn't add anything to the main story, almost like it's there to pad out the runtime.
But despite that, it's a fairly solid episode with a good theme and it's nice to see more of Discord, Spike, and Big McIntosh together. Somepony should consider making a spinoff with these three as the stars!
It's still amazing how one writer can go from writing a total abomination (
Secrets and Pies) to an episode that's surprisingly good. It's no
Celestial Advice or
A Royal Problem, but it still holds up pretty well. If only it had Coco Pommel in it...!
Now we're getting to the half of season eight that contains the real gems.
There's not a whole lot I can add to what I've said since I've reviewed it very recently and had aired in North America, but it is a great shame we still don't know who Spike's true parents are. And yeah, some may say it goes against what was already "taught" in
Dragon Quest, but to be honest, it actually makes it easier for me to forget said episode season two.
Missing the top 10 by one spot is Trixie's best episode since... ever. Though then again, the bar wasn't really set that high to begin with...
Something that was brought up to me after I posted my review was Starlight's behavior toward Trixie. While I can see that the former did come off as rather mean-spirited and not caring that Trixie had lost what she considered a close friend in her caravan. Yeah, if you were in that situation, I can understand why you'd be upset with Starlight, but Trixie wasn't in the right either, and both realized where they messed up.
So yeah, whilst it may not be in the Top 10, it's an episode you shouldn't overlook.
And now we enter the Top 10; deciding the order of these episodes wasn't easy (especially the top three), but as it stands, I'm happy with my choices. So,
A Matter of Principals.
This episode has gotten a lot of stick from fans complaining that Discord was just as bad as he was back in
What About Discord... Okay, maybe not as bad, but I don't really understand the complaints. I mean, it's not like he was making Starlight feel bad for missing out on something he enjoyed.
Not only that,
Discordant Harmony showed that if there was no chaos in his life, he could potentially die. It's like Bender from
Futurama not drinking beer or any alcohol, and therefore he wouldn't operate normally. If anything, Starlight
did apologize for ignoring Discord's feelings, but even if he had simply asked Starlight to help, there wouldn't have been a plot, let alone a theme. If you're not a fan of Discord in this episode alone, it sounds as though you're hating him as a whole.
So yeah, I stick by my review, as well as the score I gave it. Still not convinced? Well,
I'll let my friend Tyler explain it fuller detail...
I still think the episode holds up as it stands, though there are a couple of issues I didn't bring up.
One of them is that it drags on Flim and Flam's presence in the show. You'd think with
Viva Las Pegasus, their character arc would've come to a close. But nope, they had to drag it out because it's an even numbered season - but hopefully, this is the last time they show up.
The second doesn't have anything to do with the episode itself, but there isn't an explanation as to how they managed to get Twilight's guidelines in running the School of Friendship. Sure, Cozy Glow made an appearance, but it doesn't explain her presence in the episode. Nor is it mentioned in
School Raze.
Despite these issues, it's still an enjoyable episode as a whole. Just... no more Flim Flam brothers episodes after this.
This felt like one of the freshest episodes the show has had up to that point. I mean, where else can you see Rainbow Dash, Granny Smith and three other elderly Apples sharing the spotlight role together? If this had aired earlier in the show, I don't think it would've been as funny, so having it come this far into the show is fairly reasonable. The themes were brilliant and the conflict felt believable; that's all that matters.
This episode was the nadir for how selfish some fans could be when it came to new material. It would've been great if we didn't know that Spike was getting wings prior to it actually airing that spring, but there you go.
Despite that issue, it was a great Spike-centric episode, and it's nice to see him grow up physically. Even more so that we got to see him establish some sort of brother-sister like relationship with Smolder, and then later built upon in
Father Knows Beast; though I wonder what her actual family is like.
That being said, it's pretty disappointing that Spike's wings do feel like an afterthought, and we didn't get to see how the rest of Ponyville reacted to this change... With a few changes, this could definitely be one of the series' best (it does come close though, don't get me wrong).
If
The Mean 6 was a buildup done wrong (it's even worse as there's no payoff as of yet), then this is a buildup done right.
Of course, there's not much more to add to what I've already said in the review. It makes you like the Young Six more than you'd think, the theme was brilliant, and the ending with Cozy Glow was interesting. Even though the climax was a bit on a lackluster side, it
still leaves you intrigued as to what she was planning.
Enough people (myself included) have given this episode high praise, so let's move on.
I'll concede that the bit with Twilight being stupid still annoys me (though not as bad as
Marks for Effort), but despite this issue, this is Celestia's best starring role to date - and I don't count
A Royal Problem since it's more a Starlight episode than a Celestia episode.
It's still a lot of fun to see Celestia try acting (and messing up pretty badly, which makes it funnier), and even though Twilight was still a bit of a brainless twit, she did at least understand and realize where she screwed up, and actually learned from it in
Yakity Sax (despite that being a bad episode). Shame the same couldn't be said for
Marks for Effort...
You know, it still amazes me how the season premiere actually holds up, much less within the Top Three.
Put simply, it's the best season premiere that the series has ever had, and sadly, perhaps the most underrated, more so than
The Crystal Empire. It's a shame because it introduced us to the Young Six, who've become brilliant characters in this season alone, and gave off the best theme the show has ever presented.
Sure, it doesn't have action, it doesn't feature a villain who's threatening to take over the world (though Neighsay
was good in it), nor does it include stuff that would pander only to the adult fandom... but it doesn't need all of that.
What
School Daze really needed was what made the show brilliant to begin with; a good story, likable characters, and a strong theme. And it pulls it off very well. Hopefully one day, it'll get the recognition is deserves, but I know I'll always admire this episode. In any other show, this might be the best episode. Or at least in the Top 10.
Out of the Pillars, Rockhoof had the least amount of love directed his way, mostly because his story in
Campfire Tales wasn't that interesting compared to the others. But then this episode comes around, and suddenly, everyone loves Rockhoof as a character.
As I've said in the review, his plight is relatable, the message is really good, and the other characters (Yona especially) are fantastic. I could have easily put this at #1, but there's one more episode that tops it...
Have I mentioned that the Young Six have been brilliant characters since their debut in the premiere? Whilst
What Lies Beneath is the peak when it comes to characterization, this is their best episode because of the theme being portrayed here.
Up until we learned about Gallus' backstory, the episode was good; nothing special. But then that pushed the episode over the edge to become the third best of the entire show. No one deserves to be alone during the holidays, and the best gift is those around you. That alone is why
The Hearth's Warming Club is the best of season eight.
Final Thoughts
This was a pretty good season on whole, but I consider the eighth to be a step down from the seventh for a couple of reasons.
The first being how the Mane Six - specifically Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie - were inconsistently characterized. The worst that happened with Rainbow Dash was that she regressed to her season one persona just to argue with Applejack or Rarity. Twilight got hit the idiot stick pretty hard (the worst offender being
Marks for Effort), but it was
nothing compared to how awful Pinkie had been treated. If you have to throw character development out the window for the sake of the story, you should either A) rewrite the story to fit the characters as they are
now, or B) use a different cast of characters instead.
Speaking of, the second issue is down to the writing and reusing past themes. It's not a big problem if they're done in a way that makes it feel fresh, but because
My Little Pony has lasted eight seasons with a ninth on the way, its age is showing with regurgitated storylines and themes that have already been tackled in the past. This isn't as bad as a show like
The Simpsons, which has run for nearly thirty years, but if the writing is becoming stagnant, then maybe it's time you put the show to bed. After all, Awdry stopped writing after
Tramway Engines due to lack of inspiration.
But despite the issues, there are still redeeming qualities. The music was a step up from season seven (barring the song from
The Perfect Pear), and it really is nice to see more characters outside the Mane Six being given the spotlight, even if one effort (
The Parent Map) was really half-baked. There was someone on the MLP wiki griping about a few episodes not featuring the Mane Six, wondering if nobody liked them anymore. I don't really get that criticism; there's only so far you can drag out the Mane Six's presence - we get that they're the leads, but do they need to turn up
every time? - so having a few episodes without them actually allows more breathing room for their other friends to shine. Perhaps
Thomas and Friends should take some notes from them...!
Long and short, season eight is good, but frustrating. Nine could potentially be the last ever for the show, especially if the rumors of Generation 5 are to be believed, and if it
is the case, we might as well enjoy the next season while we can.
Rating: Good (7/10)
