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Monday, April 22, 2019

My Little Pony Revisited: Season 4, Episodes 1-7

I said a while back that if season nine wasn't impressing me that much, I'd review seasons four through six alongside it. So far, season nine hasn't really put out an episode that could actually stand up on its own, least of all Sparkle's Seven, which prompted me to remind myself of what a good episode actually is.

That being said, let's get to revisiting the fourth season of My Little Pony! Does it really hold up at being the best in the show, or is it an overstatement?

Princess Twilight Sparkle
Written by Meghan McCarthy

When it comes to a big story arc with an even bigger finish, you normally wouldn't expect something big to kick things off, would you? Friendship is Magic (the episode, not the show as a whole) was an okay start to the first three seasons as a whole, whilst Magical Mystery Cure - although not necessarily big in terms of scale - was a strong finish. And in between, we had The Return of Harmony, A Canterlot Wedding, and The Crystal Empire, all great two-parters in their own right.

Admittedly, Princess Twilight Sparkle doesn't have the same scope as the aforementioned two-parters, but it still plays an important role in the Friendship is Magic lore.

Case in point, it gives off a bit of expanding to Celestia's battle against Nightmare Moon a millennium previous. When she uses the Elements against her sister, you can see the tears in Celestia's eyes. She knows she's banishing her sister (even if it isn't at this point) to the moon, but what other choice did she have? She was thinking about her subjects' well-being.

Before that, a few plunderseeds Discord "accidentally" spilled onto the ground (I say it like that because he implied his plan back then didn't work the way he intended) couldn't grow around the Tree of Harmony, so it took even longer for them to finally cause havoc. So Discord did cause trouble, but back when he was a troublemaker.

The way the two flashbacks (three if we include Celestia and Luna giving up the Elements) were tied into the main story was very clever and showed there is a sense of continuity in the series.

Speaking of, notice how Celestia implied that it was the first Summer Sun Celebration following Luna's return? That meant that all three seasons took place within a single year, albeit probably not in a specific order. I've even read about a brony trying to make sense out of the three seasons and re-ordering them into a specific timeline; read this to check out the details. It's a very good read.

As for the story itself, it starts off fairly normal, even for a premiere. However, the moment Celestia gets caught by a plunderseed's vine, and then she and Luna turn up missing, you know something is wrong. It really catches you off guard.

Apart from the flashbacks and saving the Tree of Harmony from the plunderseeds, there's not much else to talk about storywise, but the funny moments do conceal the slow pacing very well like Big Mac trying to fight a vine and Spike using Twilight as transport; the latter's even funnier in hindsight if we bring Molt Down into consideration.

However, a few jokes did fall flat like how childish and oblivious Pinke could be at times, especially with the coloring book.

And whilst I'm on the subject of storytelling issues, why bother sending Twilight back to Ponyville? It almost feels like they wanted to stretch the second half out to fill the runtime. Even if it's for tension, it's still pointless, however valid Applejack's reason might have been. Yeah, they lampshade it, but that doesn't make it less of an issue!

Problems aside, it's still fairly solid for a premiere. More so since the revival of the Tree of Harmony hints at what is to come for the next 22 episodes and the finale.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Castle Mane-ia
Written by Josh Haber

Speaking of buildups...!

Sure, this one didn't have the complexity of the previous episode, but it still holds up in its own right. I mean, there are three plots going on at the same time - Rainbow Dash and Applejack competing to find out who the Most Daring Pony is, Rarity looking to restore the tapestries of the old castle, and Twilight and Spike looking to research the chest by the Tree of Harmony - and yet they're all tied together in the end by a clever twist with Pinkie and the organ.

Fun fact: A couple of plot threads would later lead to two season seven episodes - the infamous Fame and Misfortune and the lore-based Shadow Play.

Rating: Good (8/10)

Daring Don't
Written by Dave Polsky

Well, this is going to be interesting...

Surprising as the twist was about A.K. Yearling actually being Daring Do herself, I'm not going to dwell on that too much. As usual, I prefer to talk about the episode on its own merits.

Rainbow Dash is certainly relatable here. We've all wanted to meet our heroes at some point, hoping they'll meet our expectations, only to find out they aren't as perfect as you'd expect them to be. You've probably been through at one instance, I'm sure.

There's not really much to talk about in terms of story, but the humor does shine like Twilight and Dash's enthusiasm upon seeing the real Daring Do herself, as well as Rainbow trying to restrain herself when wanting to help her. Heck, even the battle between the Mane Six and Ahuizotl's minions was fun.

Speaking of, one joke that felt more cringe-worthy than funny was the Foe Yay moment between Daring Do and Ahuizotl. Rainbow's expression didn't really help much.

And instead of one message for this episode, there's two; one for Rainbow Dash - don't put your idols too high on a pedestal (something I know all too well as of late) - and the other for Daring Do - it's okay to ask for help sometimes. That was great.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Flight to the Finish
Written by Ed Valentine

When I first reviewed the episode, I simply thought it was good, but nothing really amazing. Rewatching this, however, I felt it deserved more.

I'll start off with the message; it's one of the best the show has ever conveyed. Play to your own strengths. Don't let your disability bring you down, physical or mental. As someone who is autistic, that is something the world should know.

Scootaloo here is so enthusiastic about being a flag carrier that when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bring up her flight disability, it crushes her. It only takes Rainbow Dash and her friends to make her realize that it shouldn't matter much to her. In fact, the episode relies heavily on emotion; anger towards the bullies for mocking a person's disability, sadness for the victim that they feel worthless because of said disability, and a sense of triumph when they come out on top in the end.

On a side note, whilst rewatching the episodes for re-reviews, it occurred to me why I didn't feel Crusaders of the Lost Mark held up anymore; it forces you to sympathize with a bully (Diamond Tiara) who had no redeeming qualities to begin with. But I'll get to that soon enough.

Back to this specific episode, there's the song. It is yet another of the show's best. The reason for that is because it makes you root for the Crusaders throughout (even if you aren't a fan of them) and you just can't resist singing along. (I know I couldn't!) I don't talk about music that much since it's a default setting for this series, but it's still nice to talk about songs like "Hearts as Strong as Horses" once in a while.

To end this specific review on a funny note, can I have an episode with Rainbow Dash and Miss Harshwhinny together? I mean, come on. Their chemistry is absolutely hilarious, especially when the latter tries to get Dash to maintain professionalism, and at the end, there's a role reversal between them. Whoever decides to take on the challenge, I reckon you could create gold with these two!

Overall, this is a Top 10 contender for season four, so there's only one rating it could possibly get from me.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Power Ponies
Written by Meghan McCarthy, Charlotte Fullerton, and Betsy McGowen

So far, we've got three Excellent episodes and a Good one. No stinkers thus far. Can this episode continue that good streak?

Well, it does and yet at the same time it doesn't. Apart from deconstructing Spike's butt-monkey status by this point in the series, it doesn't really hold a huge impact on the series in the long run. It was fairly ironic that Spike mocked the character that he ended up portraying in the comic book world. But other than that, there's nothing really to talk about. It's just... there.

Rating: Good (7/10)

Bats!
Written by Merriwether Williams

Here's another rather interesting episode, especially as it's Merriwether Williams' last contribution to the series (when it first aired, Meghan McCarthy was credited by accident). Was it a good send-off, especially when compared to the likes of Mare Do Well and Dragon Quest?

I think it was. It's one of the show's darkest episodes, much of that can be attributed to the visuals in play. Like the music, I don't talk about the animation as it's a standard by this point, but they set the tone perfectly, especially in the third act when Flutterbat attacks her friends. If the visuals weren't as scary as they were, then the story wouldn't have left a big impact.

Speaking of impact, there's Fluttershy and Applejack's argument to whether they should get rid of the bats or give them sanctuary. Both sides have a point; Fluttershy presents a more human... uh, sorry, pony side to them, but Applejack is afraid that they'll ruin Sweet Apple Acres' business, especially given that they're a link in the economy chain.

Whilst they may have their points, they weren't exactly 100% right either. Fluttershy didn't really bring AJ's perspective into consideration and sort of fell to peer pressure, and Applejack, valid as her reasons were, didn't really consider that the bats could also infest other apple orchards in Equestria.

Some may be tempted to consider the argument through song as all black and white. As I've just said, I don't agree with that stance. Well, not entirely, at least. There is some gray in the debate.

That being said, how is it that the seeds the bats spit out again grow apple trees back stronger than ever? It's never really explained how this works and just feels like it was put out there as an afterthought to show a more sympathetic side towards them. Also, even if the apples were sucked dry, wouldn't the trees still be able to grow more?

A bit of re-writing is in order, but the positive aspects outweighed the negative aspects for me. The messages about listening to both sides of the argument and not putting pressure on your friends were both useful for kids to learn.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

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