The Mysterious Mare Do Well
Written by Merriwether Williams
Well, well. We meet at last... One of the most infamous episodes of the entire series, but is it really that horrendous? That is what I'm about to find out!
The message they seem to be going for here is that you shouldn't brag about your achievements. That's fine and all, but the way they execute it is just sloppy, and not to mention make Ponyville look like a dangerous place to live in. At least in the first half.
Come to think of it, it's not really explained at all if all the incidents are taking place over a single day or several weeks. The latter can be excused to an extent, but the former, again, makes everypony living there look reckless.
And speaking of the lack of transitions, how is it that everypony just goes from cheering Rainbow Dash to the Mare Do Well? I didn't add "Mysterious" to her title since... well, she wasn't that big of a mystery to begin with, even on first viewing. The Mane Six are clearly shown to be annoyed by her bragging and talking positively about the Mare Do Well spoils that they're all her - well, four of them, at least; Rarity designed the outfits.
On top of that, the way they show up someone who's supposed to be the Element of Loyalty just makes them look like jerks (I'm sensing a theme this season). I get the episode wants to teach Rainbow a lesson in humility, but why not try and reason with her directly? You end up feeling more sympathetic towards her than annoyed... depending on whether or not you're a fan of her.
I wouldn't say it's the worst episode ever made, but it's still fatally flawed. If you ignore the problems, it's very boring and repetitive, containing a lot of filler moments. Long and short, just skip it.
The message they seem to be going for here is that you shouldn't brag about your achievements. That's fine and all, but the way they execute it is just sloppy, and not to mention make Ponyville look like a dangerous place to live in. At least in the first half.
Come to think of it, it's not really explained at all if all the incidents are taking place over a single day or several weeks. The latter can be excused to an extent, but the former, again, makes everypony living there look reckless.
And speaking of the lack of transitions, how is it that everypony just goes from cheering Rainbow Dash to the Mare Do Well? I didn't add "Mysterious" to her title since... well, she wasn't that big of a mystery to begin with, even on first viewing. The Mane Six are clearly shown to be annoyed by her bragging and talking positively about the Mare Do Well spoils that they're all her - well, four of them, at least; Rarity designed the outfits.
On top of that, the way they show up someone who's supposed to be the Element of Loyalty just makes them look like jerks (I'm sensing a theme this season). I get the episode wants to teach Rainbow a lesson in humility, but why not try and reason with her directly? You end up feeling more sympathetic towards her than annoyed... depending on whether or not you're a fan of her.
I wouldn't say it's the worst episode ever made, but it's still fatally flawed. If you ignore the problems, it's very boring and repetitive, containing a lot of filler moments. Long and short, just skip it.
Rating: Terrible (0/10)
Sweet and Elite
Written by Meghan McCarthy
Story wise, it doesn't leave me with much to talk about; Rarity is about to make a dress for Twilight's birthday, but she gets sidetracked and ends up hanging out with the Canterlot elite instead. Is this out of character for her, even in season two? The answer is no. She's expressed interest about being up there in the past, and I can understand Rarity not wanting to make herself look foolish in front of them. But it's only when the Mane Six unintentionally cause havoc at the garden party that she admits to knowing them.
I do wish I had more to say, but the episode on whole is nice. It's good to know there are high class ponies (Fancy Pants) who don't treat the average everypony like dirt, it's nice to see an episode that doesn't take place in Ponyville, and the moral was a useful one for kids to learn.
I do wish I had more to say, but the episode on whole is nice. It's good to know there are high class ponies (Fancy Pants) who don't treat the average everypony like dirt, it's nice to see an episode that doesn't take place in Ponyville, and the moral was a useful one for kids to learn.
Rating: Good (8/10)
Secret of My Excess
Written by M. A. Larson
If any episode could be pointed to the beginning of developing Spike as a character, this would be a candidate for sure. Him giving a Fire Ruby to Rarity is one of the sweetest things he's ever done, and it's funny how he takes advantage of getting gifts on his birthday - too many for one, in fact - and ends up becoming Spikezilla. Give M. A. Larson a simple plot, and he'll be able to do it justice.
However, this has nothing to do with this episode, but why is it that the writers don't develop Spike and Rarity's relationship beyond a one-sided crush? Seven years down the road, when we got to Best Gift Ever, it just feels like it's become an afterthought. I know that they give Spike more to work with than his crush and being a butt monkey in later episodes, but if you're not going to develop on that trait, then what's the point of keeping it?
However, this has nothing to do with this episode, but why is it that the writers don't develop Spike and Rarity's relationship beyond a one-sided crush? Seven years down the road, when we got to Best Gift Ever, it just feels like it's become an afterthought. I know that they give Spike more to work with than his crush and being a butt monkey in later episodes, but if you're not going to develop on that trait, then what's the point of keeping it?
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
Hearth's Warming Eve
Written by Merriwether Williams
One has to wonder how Fluttershy was able to make the performance without even losing her cool completely. Apart from that small issue, it's nice to explore some of Equestria's lore and how the three pony tribes learned that hatred and fear solves nothing. Have I mentioned that I'm a bit of a sucker for lore and history?
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
Family Appreciation Day
Written by Cindy Morrow
Fun fact; this was actually the eleventh episode of the season in production order, but the twelfth to air. But since Hearth's Warming Eve is a Christmas-themed episode, it's justified.
The plight Apple Bloom goes through is admittedly something I can relate to. In my youth, I did get extremely embarrassed whenever my parents came to school, and it didn't help that it was during a phase in my life that I had little self-confidence and terrible social skills. I eventually managed to get over the embarrassment of my parents coming with me, and my social skills in real life have been improving, but I'm still prone to shyness around girls...
Granny Smith is such a fun character; yeah, she was introduced in the series premiere, but didn't really do anything that could be considered significant until this episode. I don't know if everyone else feels the same, but she's very much the Ponyville equivalent to Dowager Hatt. Just look at the scene where she's treating the jars as if they were soldiers; priceless!
But despite her kookiness (as Diamond Tiara rudely puts it), she's still smart for a pony of her age, especially with how her discovery of the Zap-Apples led to Ponyville's founding, and the rest is more or less history. Though I'd like to know who she married in order to have Bright Mac...
Story-wise, this is the fourth in a row that doesn't give me much to talk about, except that it's very satisfying to see Diamond Tiara get her punishment for mocking Granny Smith, as well as seeing Silver Spoon be the first to applaud the elder pony's story. It's a shame that Silver hasn't been given enough screentime to show what she's like without Diamond Tiara, and with the show ending soon, it doesn't look like we'll ever know...
The plight Apple Bloom goes through is admittedly something I can relate to. In my youth, I did get extremely embarrassed whenever my parents came to school, and it didn't help that it was during a phase in my life that I had little self-confidence and terrible social skills. I eventually managed to get over the embarrassment of my parents coming with me, and my social skills in real life have been improving, but I'm still prone to shyness around girls...
Granny Smith is such a fun character; yeah, she was introduced in the series premiere, but didn't really do anything that could be considered significant until this episode. I don't know if everyone else feels the same, but she's very much the Ponyville equivalent to Dowager Hatt. Just look at the scene where she's treating the jars as if they were soldiers; priceless!
But despite her kookiness (as Diamond Tiara rudely puts it), she's still smart for a pony of her age, especially with how her discovery of the Zap-Apples led to Ponyville's founding, and the rest is more or less history. Though I'd like to know who she married in order to have Bright Mac...
Story-wise, this is the fourth in a row that doesn't give me much to talk about, except that it's very satisfying to see Diamond Tiara get her punishment for mocking Granny Smith, as well as seeing Silver Spoon be the first to applaud the elder pony's story. It's a shame that Silver hasn't been given enough screentime to show what she's like without Diamond Tiara, and with the show ending soon, it doesn't look like we'll ever know...
Rating: Excellent (10/10)
Baby Cakes
Written by Charlotte Fullerton
After the gradual improvements following The Mysterious Mare Do Well, this one was a step down, to say the least. It's rather easy to hate an episode like this, especially if you don't like the sound of babies crying. I'll admit it did get a bit annoying for me in this episode, but in real life, I've sort of gotten used to it. Doesn't mean I like it, however.
The message the episode conveys here is that taking care of children, especially babies, is a huge responsibility. It did feel hammered in at points, but it's still a good lesson to teach. However, I feel Thomas the Babysitter did this plot better since... well, that brings me onto the problems I have with Baby Cakes.
The first issue is how obvious it was to Mr. and Mrs. Cake that Pinkie was the only one out of the Mane Six who was willing to look after the twins. I can understand their reluctance, given Pinkie's behavior, but A) it seems odd that the others couldn't spare a few hours to care for them, and B) following from the previous point it makes the interactions with the rest of the Mane Six pointless in the long run.
The second problem, the biggest of them, is how repetitive the antics between Pinkie and the babies get during the second and third acts. She tries to amuse them, they cry instead, she covers herself in flour, they giggle, rinse and repeat. Only in the third act, she chases them down when Pound flies and Pumpkin uses her magic and breaks down crying in frustration.
The last issue is minor, but I'll mention it anyway; Pinkie basically wasted good flour the Cakes could have used for their sweets, and flour isn't cheap.
Back to the point with Thomas the Babysitter, the season 19 episode had better pacing within the shorter timeframe it had; as Thomas' journey progressed, he quickly figured out what the solution was to stop the baby from crying so much, and even used his break time to try and help the baby lull off to sleep. The 22-minute timeframe that Baby Cakes had to work with didn't really do that episode justice all that much.
So yeah, overall, this episode is average, but it could still be great with a shorter timeframe.
The message the episode conveys here is that taking care of children, especially babies, is a huge responsibility. It did feel hammered in at points, but it's still a good lesson to teach. However, I feel Thomas the Babysitter did this plot better since... well, that brings me onto the problems I have with Baby Cakes.
The first issue is how obvious it was to Mr. and Mrs. Cake that Pinkie was the only one out of the Mane Six who was willing to look after the twins. I can understand their reluctance, given Pinkie's behavior, but A) it seems odd that the others couldn't spare a few hours to care for them, and B) following from the previous point it makes the interactions with the rest of the Mane Six pointless in the long run.
The second problem, the biggest of them, is how repetitive the antics between Pinkie and the babies get during the second and third acts. She tries to amuse them, they cry instead, she covers herself in flour, they giggle, rinse and repeat. Only in the third act, she chases them down when Pound flies and Pumpkin uses her magic and breaks down crying in frustration.
The last issue is minor, but I'll mention it anyway; Pinkie basically wasted good flour the Cakes could have used for their sweets, and flour isn't cheap.
Back to the point with Thomas the Babysitter, the season 19 episode had better pacing within the shorter timeframe it had; as Thomas' journey progressed, he quickly figured out what the solution was to stop the baby from crying so much, and even used his break time to try and help the baby lull off to sleep. The 22-minute timeframe that Baby Cakes had to work with didn't really do that episode justice all that much.
So yeah, overall, this episode is average, but it could still be great with a shorter timeframe.
Rating: Okay (6/10)
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