So the first half of the season has picked itself up right at the end, but how will the second half fare?
Suited For Success
Written by Charlotte Fullerton
It's safe to say that when the series first began, Rarity wasn't what you'd call a fan favorite by many. But then comes this episode to turn things to her favor.
The plot's kind of slow paced, but it actually works in this episode's favor because of the humor. The Mane Six are, at first, pleased about the redesigned dresses, but we don't see them until the show, and they're laughably bad (though they do tie into the theme very well). Heck, Opal's reactions to what we see about Twilight's and Applejack's dresses become funnier as a result.
The humor's big sticking point is Rarity herself. Whether it be her (initial) enthusiasm in making the dresses, her "Art of the Dress" song, and her "I'M SO PATHETIC!" rant, the writers and Tabitha St. Germain really know how to ham up Rarity's character. She's one of the show's most entertaining characters, and this episode's an example as to why.
SpongeBob SquarePants gets its success by having comedy sprinkled throughout a thin story, and it's been around for two decades. My Little Pony has been around for almost half that time, and even in season one, it knows how to make some of the least interesting stories some of the funniest of the show. It might be easy to talk about what Suited for Success doesn't have, but what it has is a great message about not overdoing stuff, and that's all that matters.
The plot's kind of slow paced, but it actually works in this episode's favor because of the humor. The Mane Six are, at first, pleased about the redesigned dresses, but we don't see them until the show, and they're laughably bad (though they do tie into the theme very well). Heck, Opal's reactions to what we see about Twilight's and Applejack's dresses become funnier as a result.
The humor's big sticking point is Rarity herself. Whether it be her (initial) enthusiasm in making the dresses, her "Art of the Dress" song, and her "I'M SO PATHETIC!" rant, the writers and Tabitha St. Germain really know how to ham up Rarity's character. She's one of the show's most entertaining characters, and this episode's an example as to why.
SpongeBob SquarePants gets its success by having comedy sprinkled throughout a thin story, and it's been around for two decades. My Little Pony has been around for almost half that time, and even in season one, it knows how to make some of the least interesting stories some of the funniest of the show. It might be easy to talk about what Suited for Success doesn't have, but what it has is a great message about not overdoing stuff, and that's all that matters.
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
Feeling Pinkie Keen
Written by Dave Polsky
Well, this is going to be fun...!
According to Faust and Polsky, the episode's intended message was "there are some things we may never understand or be able to prove, but that's not a bad thing; mysteries are part of life and we just have to go with them." Is it a good message for children to learn? Watching the episode, I decided yes. No matter how hard you try, you just can't explain the great wonders of the world - the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Mount Everest, who cares about how they came to be? They're there, and that's all that should matter. Over-analyzing how something came to be will just take away the magic (ha!) of the wonders.
Back to the episode itself, there's little to talk about beyond the humor and the botched theme. Whether Twilight deserved her comeuppance for being rude about Pinkie's behavior is open to debate, but even if you feel she did, you can't help but feel bad for her suffering physical hell just trying to come to a conclusion. Though how did she recover from her injuries so quickly after having a lot of stuff fall on her? Sure, it's Rule of Comedy, but it does kind of make the physical pain she goes through kind of pointless.
According to Faust and Polsky, the episode's intended message was "there are some things we may never understand or be able to prove, but that's not a bad thing; mysteries are part of life and we just have to go with them." Is it a good message for children to learn? Watching the episode, I decided yes. No matter how hard you try, you just can't explain the great wonders of the world - the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Mount Everest, who cares about how they came to be? They're there, and that's all that should matter. Over-analyzing how something came to be will just take away the magic (ha!) of the wonders.
Back to the episode itself, there's little to talk about beyond the humor and the botched theme. Whether Twilight deserved her comeuppance for being rude about Pinkie's behavior is open to debate, but even if you feel she did, you can't help but feel bad for her suffering physical hell just trying to come to a conclusion. Though how did she recover from her injuries so quickly after having a lot of stuff fall on her? Sure, it's Rule of Comedy, but it does kind of make the physical pain she goes through kind of pointless.
Rating: Okay (5/10)
Sonic Rainboom
Written by M. A. Larson
It's safe to say that for every dud script Larson writes up, a gem follows it afterward. This one, thankfully, is a gem, and rightly so.
You feel sorry for Rainbow Dash when she suffers a confidence blow, not helped when the bullies from her youth mock her and call her "Rainbow Crash", and when Rarity shows her up at the competition. No, she didn't show up her friend on purpose; Rarity just got carried away with her wings, paid the price for it and even apologized at the end. So did the bullies, but Rainbow Dash refused to hang out with them at the end and instead chose the Wonderbolts. Oh, if only you knew what was coming, Dash...
Fluttershy is also great in the role she has trying to give Rainbow Dash support. Yeah, it did little to soothe the blue Pegasus' fears, but it's still funny when Fluttershy keeps trying to cheer loudly and fail at it, but it pays off when Dash finally pulls off the Sonic Rainboom at the end.
A small nitpick that has less to do with this episode and more with The Cutie Mark Chronicles, but Pinkie mentioning that Dash has done a Sonic Rainboom in the past spoils the events of the latter episode, which makes it less a case of "who performed it?" and more a case of "when will they get to it?" Wouldn't it have worked better if both episodes were swapped around?
Despite the problem with spoiling a future episode (nothing to do with the episode itself, but I did want to point that out), Sonic Rainboom's still a great episode in its own right, and makes Rainbow Dash sympathetic. Shame that season six onward couldn't do the same...
You feel sorry for Rainbow Dash when she suffers a confidence blow, not helped when the bullies from her youth mock her and call her "Rainbow Crash", and when Rarity shows her up at the competition. No, she didn't show up her friend on purpose; Rarity just got carried away with her wings, paid the price for it and even apologized at the end. So did the bullies, but Rainbow Dash refused to hang out with them at the end and instead chose the Wonderbolts. Oh, if only you knew what was coming, Dash...
Fluttershy is also great in the role she has trying to give Rainbow Dash support. Yeah, it did little to soothe the blue Pegasus' fears, but it's still funny when Fluttershy keeps trying to cheer loudly and fail at it, but it pays off when Dash finally pulls off the Sonic Rainboom at the end.
A small nitpick that has less to do with this episode and more with The Cutie Mark Chronicles, but Pinkie mentioning that Dash has done a Sonic Rainboom in the past spoils the events of the latter episode, which makes it less a case of "who performed it?" and more a case of "when will they get to it?" Wouldn't it have worked better if both episodes were swapped around?
Despite the problem with spoiling a future episode (nothing to do with the episode itself, but I did want to point that out), Sonic Rainboom's still a great episode in its own right, and makes Rainbow Dash sympathetic. Shame that season six onward couldn't do the same...
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
Stare Master
Written by Chris Savino
What an... odd episode. Twilight doesn't really serve much of a point in the episode to begin with. It almost felt as if the writers included her just to give her a mandatory appearance like the rest of season one did. Fortunately, every season after had episodes where she didn't appear. The only purpose she seems to have is to showcase the dangers of the cockatrice.
Also, as good as Fluttershy's dynamic with the Crusaders was, their antics do start to wear thin around the halfway point. Yeah, it does tie up with the message pretty well, but it's still repetitive at best.
Also, as good as Fluttershy's dynamic with the Crusaders was, their antics do start to wear thin around the halfway point. Yeah, it does tie up with the message pretty well, but it's still repetitive at best.
Rating: Okay (6/10)
The Show Stoppers
Written by Cindy Morrow
Here's some behind the scenes for you; the old review of this episode was my most viewed post on the blog. How it happened, your guess is as good as mine. The episode itself is... fairly infamous among fans. Is it really as bad as they make it out to be?
I like the concept this episode has about realizing your true talents, and that's what it should've focused on... if it wasn't for A) the message coming off as a joke, and B) the obviousness of the Crusaders' talents.
The first act reveals what they're skilled at; Scootaloo at stunts with her scooter, Apple Bloom at carpentry (especially if you live in a farm), and Sweetie Belle at singing. Instead, it's Apple Bloom who does the dancing and stunt work, Sweetie Belle doing the costumes and props, and Scootaloo doing the singing. It just makes you wonder how they didn't know their actual talents. Yes, I know they're kids, but even at this age level, they aren't this clueless.
That being said, this is the first episode where they gain their new clubhouse courtesy of Applejack. Honestly, if it weren't for that moment, the episode would've been useless. The humor was very hit or miss with the montage of the fillies trying to figure out their skills (it's three minutes long, and it kinda drags on) and their theme song being performed very badly but... eh, they tried at least.
Getting back to my first question, it's far from the worst episode of the show, but it is really flawed and could've resolved the Crusaders' journey early on. But nope; they drag it out for four more seasons... but there are some good episodes in between, and I'll get to them soon enough.
I like the concept this episode has about realizing your true talents, and that's what it should've focused on... if it wasn't for A) the message coming off as a joke, and B) the obviousness of the Crusaders' talents.
The first act reveals what they're skilled at; Scootaloo at stunts with her scooter, Apple Bloom at carpentry (especially if you live in a farm), and Sweetie Belle at singing. Instead, it's Apple Bloom who does the dancing and stunt work, Sweetie Belle doing the costumes and props, and Scootaloo doing the singing. It just makes you wonder how they didn't know their actual talents. Yes, I know they're kids, but even at this age level, they aren't this clueless.
That being said, this is the first episode where they gain their new clubhouse courtesy of Applejack. Honestly, if it weren't for that moment, the episode would've been useless. The humor was very hit or miss with the montage of the fillies trying to figure out their skills (it's three minutes long, and it kinda drags on) and their theme song being performed very badly but... eh, they tried at least.
Getting back to my first question, it's far from the worst episode of the show, but it is really flawed and could've resolved the Crusaders' journey early on. But nope; they drag it out for four more seasons... but there are some good episodes in between, and I'll get to them soon enough.
Rating: Bad (2/10)
A Dog and Pony Show
Written by Amy Keating Rogers
This episode is absolutely the funniest of season one. Most of that comes down to Tabitha St. Germain's performance, especially when Rarity keeps getting on the Diamond Dogs' nerves.
But it's not just that; Spike's love for gems and trying to have a sneaky snack, the fantasy sequences (especially Spike's), the attempted fights against the Diamond Dogs, and how the Mane Six won back Rarity without having to lift a hoof against them at the end. All in all, it's an amazing episode that works from beginning to end.
Rating: Excellent (10/10)
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