My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip

Well, here we go, the last My Little Pony-related product before we enter the final hiatus. The last few episodes of season nine have ranged from lackluster to downright awful, but can Rainbow Roadtrip pull off a Hail Mary at the eleventh hour?

My Little Pony: Rainbow Road Trip

Written by Kim Beyer-Johnson

Let's start off with some interesting trivia; it was intended to serve as a sequel to The Movie, but because of its poor box office numbers - which I don't understand considering that it made back almost ten times its budget ($6.5 million), but then again, My Little Pony has never been all things for all people - Rainbow Roadtrip was reworked to become an hour-long special for television.

But overall... it doesn't even feel at all like a special. It could've been a 22-minute episode and the result would've been exactly the same. Heck, the overall premise feels like something you'd expect to see from a run-of-the-mill, mid-season episode, not a feature length special.

The premise is basically the Mane Six being invited to Hope Hollow where Rainbow Dash is the guest of honor at the Rainbow Festival, only to discover that the entire town and the ponies living there have been drained of color. Once that's done, you're left wondering, "Okay, then what?" Well... very little.

It's basically The Cutie Map, except that episode had higher stakes and was sixteen minutes shorter. In fact, the story comes to an abrupt halt at that point and then it just drags on from point to point. But the stuff between the Mane Six's arrival and departure at the end just isn't interesting. Nothing feels tense or exciting. (Then again, this is My Little Pony in 2019, so what was I expecting?) Except maybe the scenes with Fluttershy, Pinkie, the married couple and their neighbor, though I could be saying this due to Fluttershy being my favorite.

The theme about helping others does work out, however, probably the best that Kim Beyer-Johnson's put out. It's especially relevant given that the world's a complete mess and hardly anyone's doing something about it. That's... all I can say, really.

Final Thoughts

This special didn't even feel like a special to begin with. It felt less like a sequel to The Movie and more like an extended episode. There's really nothing to gain or lose watching it. Ironically, it felt as colorless as Hope Hollow when the Mane Six first arrived there. Some will argue that the character moments were really good, and for the most part, they are, but there's only so far they can go without a story to prop them up within a one hour timeframe.

Rating: Bad (3/10)

My Little Pony Revisited: Season 5, Episodes 14-19

So the first half of season five was a mixed bag, and yet there was no middle ground episode. In general, the episodes were either really good or really bad, but how does the second half of the season fare?

Canterlot Boutique

Written by Amy Keating Rogers

If there's anything this episode is known for, it's the episode where Rarity finally starts to move up in the world by setting up another boutique in Canterlot. And with the help from Sassy Saddles, it becomes a success... but not in the way Rarity wanted.

When the Princess Dress (originally called Reign in Stain) became popular, Rarity felt dismayed that she had to make the same dress two hundred times, and the more she made, the less happy and creative she was feeling. Even when she tries to tweak the design to make it stand out more, she's still forced to go by the same design.

People would easily blame Sassy Saddles for Rarity's depression, but the latter brought it upon herself for not properly reviewing her partner's business plan. Both mares were in the wrong, and poor communication was the problem. Sassy may have had good intentions, but still.

Overall, there's not a lot to say about this. The moral about not losing your creative edge very relevant, especially if you're going through a creative slump, but it's also important that you stay happy as opposed to just doing a good job. After all, it takes time, love and couture in every project you make.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Scare Master

Written by Natasha Levinger

Here's another episode that I've held a grudge against since it first aired. Considering that she also wrote It Ain't Easy Being Breezies last season, you'd think Natasha Levinger would do Fluttershy justice, right?

If you want a quick, blunt answer, absolutely not. Fluttershy's character reduced to how it was before Breezies, only way more flanderized and focusing on completely irrational fears.

You don't even need to watch the whole episode just to know this. By this point, she's faced against a cockatrice, Discord (pre-redemption, at least), a swarm of Changelings, Sombra's attack on the Crystal Empire, and heck, she even partook in the Equestria Games and in this season, exposed Starlight Glimmer! All of that is completely ignored just to allow this story to happen.

And her fears against everything Nightmare Night just borders on whiny instead of sympathetic. I mean, afraid of bobbing for apples and eating one piece of candy? Come on! Shaggy from Scooby-Doo isn't this cowardly!

The worst part about all of this is the ending, which basically renders the story as a whole completely pointless. Fluttershy hides once again from Nightmare Night and learns nothing from the experience. What's the point of telling a story - or worse, presenting a character arc - if your main character learns nothing?!

Bottom line, just watch Scaredy Pants from SpongeBob. The animation might be dated by today's standards and run at half the length, but the story never goes so far as to treat its main character like a wimp, and it's a lot more fun to watch.

Rating: Terrible (-3/10)

Rarity Investigates!

Story by Meghan McCarthy, M. A. Larson, Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco
Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songo

I wasn't all that fond of MMMystery on the Friendship Express, mostly because it seemed to lack a certain flavor. Then comes this episode.

Right out of the gate, I can say it's a lot of fun from start to end. Although I haven't watched a lot of noirs, the way the episode implemented the style and tone was brilliant. I might be alone on this, but Rarity's narrative tone and outfit feel like a cross between Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Carmen Sandiego. Hell, her method of flirting with the guards to get answers was funny; it's a wonder they got past with a TV-Y rating!

The story's antagonist, Wind Rider, did vaguely remind me of actor Willem Dafoe with hints of Henry Winkler, mostly it's the physical appearance and how he was voiced. He's protective of his record and does everything he can to preserve it, even if it means framing Rainbow Dash, but as we all know, as the cliche goes, crime doesn't pay.

But that's not the only message being learned here. Rainbow Dash was shocked at what Wind Rider had done and saw he wasn't as cool as she made him out to be. I'm not sure if that was the actual intention or how I'm interpreting it, but sometimes, your heroes may not be what you think they are. That's one of the most mature morals the show has ever taught; heck, the episode as a whole is fairly mature, but not in a dark, edgy manner. Just enough to be suitable for the target audience and enough for older viewers to be invested.

Out of the characters involved, I feel that Soarin was the best. He might be one of the more laid back members of the Wonderbolts, but he still knows when to take action, especially when Spitfire went missing. That was a nice touch by adding layers to his character.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Made in Manehattan

Written by Noelle Benvenuti

There are a lot of charming episodes in the series, this one included.

Community spirit is something everybody needs more of these days, especially when the world of politics is being ruled by the bad guys. (Some are worse than others.) So to have an episode tell the audience about making a big difference by doing something small is something to be admired. Especially in a big community.

The way they present the difference between small communities and big bustling cities by showing the bad attitudes of most of the Manehattan ponies was quite clever. In a small community, everybody's very friendly to everyone they know, but in a big bustling city, hardly anyone has the chance to socialize out on the streets with a few exceptions.

But it's only when Applejack manages to build a new stage after the old one collapses that the Manehattan ponies finally saw what they had lost since Charity Kindheart left. And although the park was still a mess, the ending hints that things will eventually get better, much like The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.

Even though this doesn't relate to the main story, I can relate to Twilight's boredom here. Having to drop from my college classes due to financial problems meant that I had very little to do except household chores. I was practically cooped up inside with no idea as to what I should do. The weather we were having at the time didn't help at all.

It's a shame this episode doesn't get the recognition it deserves; the message it presents is relevant in today's society. It's because of that alone that it can truly get one rating from me.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Brotherhooves Social

Written by Dave Polsky

This is going to be fun! Dismissing this episode solely based on the fact that Big Macintosh dressed up as a lady are not only shallow, but they're also completely missing the point and theme of this episode.

So what if he spent half of the episode disguised as Orchard Blossom? It made him feel a bit more confident in himself, even if it meant making him look like a fool in front of Apple Bloom. But Big Mac did this because he loved his youngest sister and wanted to spend time with her. He felt as if they never spent enough time together and that she always hung out with Applejack.

In fact, this episode completely destroys the stereotype that men are strong and don't show their emotions to the world, but that's completely untrue for the most part. Those who follow this stereotype are the exception and not the rule. Big Mac was open about his feelings to Apple Bloom, and it made him feel more human.

The ending is one of the sweetest of the entire series, let alone this season, and it makes Big Mac's and Apple Bloom's bond feel even stronger despite being disqualified from the Sisterhooves Social. It's like how that guy created the Mrs. Doubtfire persona because he was desperate to be with his kids. If those actions aren't what a man would do, then I don't know what is.

Heartwarming moments aside, there's still a lot of humor to be found when Big Mac and Apple Bloom partake in the events of the Social. Especially when he gets carried away at the race, relying on brute force just to win. And even though I don't mention voice acting that often, this is Peter New's best performance of the show, no hyperbole.

It goes without saying, but this is one of the most heartwarming episodes of the whole series. But sadly, it's also one of the more unappreciated... Oh well. It deserves all the love it can get.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Crusaders of the Lost Mark

Written by Amy Keating Rogers

Remember in my review of Frenemies where I focused on the implications surrounding sympathy for the villains and whether or not they deserve redemption? (Spoiler alert: They don't.)

Well, consider this revisit of Crusaders of the Lost Mark round two.

The episode begins by focusing on an election for Student President between Diamond Tiara and Pipsqueak. The latter wins by a huge margin, and the former gets only one vote, and it's not from Silver Spoon, who's finally had enough with her "friend's" behavior. All in all, it's a good enough start, but after Diamond Tiara's ego has been beaten down, we meet with her mother Spoiled Rich.

And all of a sudden, we're expected to believe she is responsible for Diamond Tiara being a terror to the Crusaders since day one and the daughter is completely innocent? Well, guess what? This does not excuse her behavior in the first four seasons at all!

If we're to believe that Spoiled Rich is fully responsible for the way Diamond Tiara is, then did she tell her daughter to put down any foal with a blank flank? Did she tell her to use blackmail against the Crusaders or mock Scootaloo's disability? Sure, Spoiled Rich might have been the one to tell her daughter not to associate with "blank flanks", but it was never implied at all that she was responsible for some of the events that took place in Ponyville Confidential or Flight to the Finish! Last I checked, Diamond Tiara acted of her own volition to put them down.

They try to give Diamond Tiara some redemption by agreeing to have the playground restored, but after what I've seen in four seasons and the first half of this episode, it's far too little, far too late to make up for that. This little bitch doesn't deserve any sympathy that she received. She only received it because the Crusaders took pity on her! Oh, and her saying they're her friends felt really forced.

This is emotional manipulation at its absolute worst. To sum up what I've said thus far, this episode expects you to feel sorry for Diamond Tiara for having an abusive mother, despite the fact that the show spent four years portraying her as an unsympathetic bully! To think that I used to see it as the best of season five like everyone else did, but no! Now I think it's the worst episode of the whole season! Yes, even worse than What About Discord?, and I'll get to that one soon enough...

You know what I think they should've done with the second half? Give Silver Spoon the spotlight. Yeah! I'm not kidding; if you pay attention to the likes of Call of the Cutie and Family Appreciation Day, she feels more like a follower instead of a genuine bully. It would've been the perfect chance to explore why she follows Diamond Tiara and why she chose to behave this way.

Now granted, her behavior in the first four seasons wouldn't be excused either, but if Sweet and Smoky is anything to go by, it would've been good to give a character study on Silver Spoon, and maybe give her a chance to display her more positive qualities. Heck, when she called out Diamond Tiara when the latter lost the election, I found it justified and a good moment for Silver.

But alas, we may never see what Silver Spoon's character is like away from Diamond Tiara, especially since both fillies never spoke again after this episode. My guess is that they wanted to get rid of Diamond Tiara - or at least, push her into the background - because so many fans (myself included) hated her. And considering what's happened to the majority of the Equestria Girls villains and, more recently, Chancellor Neighsay, it's not entirely off the table.

But even if you take Diamond Tiara's redemption arc out of the equation, this is basically the episode where the Crusaders' arc about getting their cutie marks comes to a close. Because so much time is spent on Diamond Tiara, only three or four minutes is dedicated to the Crusaders getting their cutie marks at long last.

Tell me; how does this actually relate to Diamond Tiara's story arc, and how exactly did they help her figure out her true talent? Her cutie mark is... well, a tiara. What does that even mean to her? This is basically what people accused Twilight getting her wings in Magical Mystery Cure as; something that was pulled out of the writers' asses just to complete a story arc. At least with the season three episode, we got some clear foreshadowing with where Twilight's destiny was going, but here? Nothing. Even if you watched Appleloosa's Most Wanted, it still feels extremely forced. And you can't say they were short for time since they had 22 minutes to work with! Yes, the writers aren't perfect, but working to a time frame is very important.

So yes, long and short, I now hate this episode. It's the most insulting way to conclude a story arc, the ending feels undeserved, and overall, a celebration in all the wrong ways. You'd probably be better off listening to the ending song by itself. Not only would there be a more satisfying experience just listening to the song, you'd have also heard the whole thing play out in one-tenth of the episode's run time.

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

MLP Episode 913: Between Dark and Dawn

Well, we're at the last episode before the final hiatus of the show, excluding Rainbow Road Trip. Ever since the bombshell dropped about Twilight taking over for Celestia and Luna, the big question on everyone's mind has been, "Okay, then what?" As we've seen thus far, very little. Not a single episode felt like it belonged in season nine and instead felt like they were leftovers from previous seasons for the most part. The sole exception seems to be Frenemies, and that was atrocious. But now we're gonna see how the final mid-season finale goes.

Between Dark and Dawn

Written by Gail Simone

For pony's sake... This is practically the lovechild of A Royal Problem and Road to Friendship with bits of Once Upon a Zeppelin and Pinkie Apple Pie being sprinkled into the mix.

I'm sick of mentioning this, but it's now gone beyond its nadir. This retreading of older ground needs to be put to bed! It never hurts to exercise a little creativity, you know? Not only that, the way both Celestia and Luna are portrayed completely devalues what they learned from A Royal Problem. But that's not the biggest issue I've got with the episode, especially since the main story with them gives me very little to talk about.

The B-plot with the Mane Six, which I'm laser-focusing on for the review, further emphasizes my hatred for The Point of No Return. That episode seemed to tell me that Celestia and Luna were practically giving their duties to a pony with paranoid schizophrenia. I'm not kidding; that is a mental disorder that Twilight has, so what's going to happen the next time she freaks out? Send Equestria at war with itself?

Also, consider that in The Beginning of the End, Luna said that Equestria has endured its longest period of harmony in recent years. Yeah, if you can consider a wedding almost being crashed, a raging monster going loose and stealing magic, royalty and close friends being kidnapped, and even a filly committing treason as "harmonic", then I'd really hate to see what things were like before Twilight and her friends obtained control of the Elements of Harmony...! But seriously; why would Luna make such a claim if we see evidence contrary to her statements?

Taking those facts into consideration, Twilight taking over for the sisters was probably an idiotic idea to begin with. I don't care if it was an idea Lauren Faust had planned from the start, but consider Twilight's history with acting without thinking as well as her ignorance to obvious problems from season six onward. Hell, this episode specifically shows her brushing off Fancy Pants' concerns, thinking that she knows best.

Here's something the writers have seemingly forgotten; Twilight is meant to be the voice of reason for the Mane Six! Yes, she has flaws, and without them, you'd border on making her a Mary Sue, and we know how despised many of them are. But you can also go too far the other end as well by exaggerating her flaws, making her an idiot at best or a toxic leader at worst. This episode and The Point of No Return are prime examples of that. This is what's known as flanderization, taking a common trait the character is known for and exaggerating it to the point it feels like it's their sole personality trait.

You know who would've been a better choice to take over for Celestia and Luna? Fluttershy. Out of the Mane Six, she's grown the most in terms of maturity, she's not afraid to stand up for herself in recent episodes, and she's even shown genuine concern for her peers, pony or otherwise. Heck, why do you think Celestia trusted her in redeeming Discord back in season three?

Getting back to Celestia's and Luna's story, they reconcile, fly back to Canterlot, and then the episode just... stops. Yeah, that's how they end it, and we never see them help Twilight in handling the raising and setting of the sun and the moon. This is also what happened in Fame and Misfortune with the story stopping at a completely random point. The Movie also stopped at a random point, but at least it felt like it was meant to bring the story and Tempest's character arc to a close. Here? It just stops because... reasons.

The only good aspect about this episode is Celestia and Luna's duet, and hearing them sing together is one of those "once a show" moments. And the sisters' performances by Nicole Oliver and Tabitha St. Germain (and Aloma Steele when Luna sings) shine through despite the thoroughly awful script.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the most abysmally written episodes of the entire series. It's pretty much the culmination of all the problems I've had with season nine thus far; retreading old ground (and doing nothing to make it stand out on its own), unfortunate implications, and an uninteresting end result. It almost feels like the writers simply aren't invested in the show anymore and want it to end. But even if you disregard the fact that it's the final season of the show, that's no excuse to not put in any effort into the writing.

I'm more frustrated than ever about the problems surrounding Twilight's character arc piling up. In fact, I may end up doing a follow-up post about it. Twilight needs to get her shit together by the time the finale airs in October; otherwise... Equestria's royally fucked.

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

My Little Pony Revisited: Season 5, Episodes 8-13

Here's the second batch of season five revisits!

The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone

Written by Amy Keating Rogers

If you've read my revisiting of Griffon the Brush Off, then you'll know how much I hated Pinkie's portrayal and how it tried to paint her as being in the right. In fact, Gilda was the one I ended up sympathizing with despite that the episode tried to make her the antagonist. But does the sequel resolve the problems of the first?

It did fix up the aforementioned episode, and then some.

For a start, Pinkie and Rainbow aren't treated like oblivious idiots or insensitive jerks toward a character that didn't deserve it. Rather, they both have different ideologies as to how they should help Griffonstone. Rainbow Dash wants to recover their lost idol, but Pinkie, ever the idealist, thinks the griffons need a bit of friendship, beginning with Gilda.

Why does Dash want to find the idol? Because it helped make Griffonstone stand out in all of the land, but when a creature came to steal it, it lost its glory, and the kingdom's griffons lost their morale and fell into poverty. No wonder they're so grouchy.

Rainbow Dash's attempt at getting the idol back leads to her getting stuck and needing help from Pinkie and a reluctant Gilda. She sees the idol, but ultimately chooses to rescue Rainbow and Pinkie instead. Which is a great moment from her; there's nothing more valuable than your friends' lives. Sure, they weren't exactly friends at this moment, but I think you get the idea.

Gilda changing her ways was also great, especially when giving her own scones to Greta after adding some baking powder. Yeah, Griffonstone lost its idol possibly forever and is still in ruins, but the ending implies that things will get better in the future, which was good. Not everything can be fixed immediately.

There are only two problems I have here; one is that despite Rainbow and Pinkie promising to visit Gilda, it's never built upon. The other is that, again, after this episode, we don't see Gilda apologize to Fluttershy. Rather sad, really.

I'll admit they don't affect this episode specifically, but I did think it was worth pointing out. In fact, it's easy focusing on what the episode doesn't have, but what it does have is some good character moments and a fantastic theme. That's all that really matters here. Oh, and that brick joke with Gummy. So funny.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Slice of Life

Written by M. A. Larson

Well, well. We meet again. The 100th episode of the show, and ever since it aired, I had a personal grudge with it. There are many reasons why, but I'll focus on the three big problems this episode faces. (Though admittedly, they kind of go hand in hand.)

The first problem is the execution of the message that everybody has their role to play in a bigger story. Fine, that's their intention. However, you can't shoot that message in the foot by then throwing the Mane Six out of the wedding as if they didn't exist, especially since they were the main reason the wedding took place at all! But then again, considering Pinkie's behavior towards meeting Cranky Doodle Donkey for the first time, maybe that would soften the blow a little, but still.

And brings me onto the other two main problems; the abundance of the background ponies and the fan-pandering. Again, they go hand in hand. Let's break it down, shall we?

1. This is a show for little girls. It always has been, and it always will be. How many of them are expected to know who the likes of Derpy, Vinyl Scratch, Lyra, etc. are? The only side characters they're likely to remember are the Crusaders, the Royal Sisters, Shining Armor and Cadance. And maybe Cranky Doodle and Matilda if they've seen A Friend in Deed, as bad as that episode was.
2. The Background Six (Derpy, Dr. Hooves, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Lyra, and Bon Bon) have barely been given the time to shine in the past four seasons and the first quarter of season five, mostly to serve as background characters.
3. Trying to get the audience to suddenly care about six characters we may never have heard about in a 21 minute timeframe (excluding the title sequence and end credits) is extremely problematic. At best, each is likely to get around three or four minutes' worth of screentime. Tops. It worked a lot better for the Mane Six in the first two episodes of the show because it was made to establish who the main characters were and what their personalities were like.
4. If you're to celebrate 100 of something, you should at least think about what made the show to begin with, not the people who made it popular to begin with!
5. Because of the over-emphasis on the background characters, the plot feels like a complete afterthought with the gags overshadowing the story itself, and they're all tied together extremely loosely. Not to mention the happy ending feels unearned.

Taking all of those points into consideration, I began to watch the show because of how interesting the main characters were (reminder; I started watching in 2013). Not because of the background characters. I'd make suggestions as to how you could fix this episode, but all I need to do is direct your attention to an episode that came three weeks after this one, also by Larson, and I'll get to that soon enough.

Bottom line, this still remains one of the worst ways to celebrate 100 episodes. If I wanted one done right, I'd rather watch Thomas and the Special Letter. No, it's not a perfect adaptation, but at least it tries to tell an engaging story and has a lot of fun moments in a shorter timeframe.

Rating: Terrible (0/10)

Princess Spike

Story by Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller
Written by Neal Dusedau

I like the idea of a character trying to take over duties for a job they know nothing about, but it falls apart when all Spike had to do was close the window so Twilight wouldn't be disturbed by the loud noises. Not to mention all the consequences are heaped upon Spike, whose heart was in the right place.

Apart from that, there's... nothing really to talk about. The only positives that are noteworthy is Cadance being a voice of reason to Spike when he starts to abuse his power, and the pacing isn't too bad either, despite the cliched plotline and abuse Spike gets for his behavior. Yeah, he deserved consequences for abusing his power, but it was too much. In fact, it was so disliked by a lot of fans that even Jim Miller admitted in hindsight that it was too far.

Also, this has nothing to do with the story, but why is it called the Grand Equestria Pony Summit when a griffon is visible in the crowd? Wouldn't simply calling it the Grand Equestria Summit - minus the term "pony" - have been a lot more creature-neutral? It's not like the griffon involved was a major threat here!

Rating: Bad (3/10)

Party Pooped

Story by Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller
Written by Nick Confalone

Another episode that I've always disliked. This time around, it introduces characters out of the yaks (excluding season eight's Yona; someone should put bubble wrap around her) and their leader, Prince Rutherford, became one of my personal most disliked characters of the series.

He leaves a bad impression straight away in the cold open when he and two of his fellow yaks destroy the buffet the ponies made for them, just because the food wasn't perfect and not yak food. Rutherford's antics go on for the rest of the episode (especially in the first act), and it gets to the point you almost wish he could hunted down and stuffed on a wall. Seriously, whoever made this guy the leader of his tribe must've been braindead!

Then there's Pinkie Pie. To be fair, her character was fine for the most part, but if there is any episode where she should be portrayed in a positive light, it shouldn't be this one.

Adding on top of the selfish, ungrateful behavior the yaks display, the plot is extremely convoluted. How did Pinkie Pie end up playing with a Beatles-like band over an apparent period of several years before arriving to the Crystal Empire before making it to Yakyakistan only to end up on a sled taking her all the way back to Ponyville... within a single afternoon?! I just felt confused typing that!

I know this is a cartoon and you sometimes have to bend the rules of logic for the sake of storytelling, but this is too much, even by Pinkie's standards. If her story had happened the same way it did and if it had actually taken place over a period of several years, Ponyville would be annihilated by now!

Oh yeah, and how did the Wonderbolts know Pinkie and Cherry Jubilee were in trouble? That's another part of Pinkie's journey that made no sense.

The ending is perhaps one of the stupidest ever. Pinkie comes back to Ponyville after her convoluted, pointless journey and throws a last-minute party for the yaks... and they become friends with ponies just like that? Sure, it's to teach a lesson, but the way it was executed makes the happy ending feel sudden and undeserved. Do I need to mention it's because of the yaks' behavior?

Nick Confalone left a bad impression when he introduced us to the yaks. To be fair, Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller were also involved in the story like they were with Princess Spike, but after that, Confalone was a solo act and gave us horrendous stories like No Second Prances and Forgotten Friendship. Sure, he had the odd gem like Dungeons & Discords and The Break Up Break Down, but his bad episodes stood out for all the wrong reasons, and Party Pooped is a prime example of this.

Again, in fairness, he's not the only writer to (perhaps unintentionally) implant unfortunate implications in his scripts. Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco did so when it came to Legend of Everfree, as did Amy Keating Rogers with A Friend in Deed, and as for Scott Sonneborn... well, I don't wish to spoil anything in regards to his last contribution of the show, but...!

Rating: Bad (1/10)

Amending Fences

Written by M. A. Larson

Remember in the Slice of Life revisit where I said a later Larson episode did a similar concept way better? Well, this was the episode I had in mind.

First of all, there's actually a focused plot going on. Twilight suddenly remembers her old friends from Canterlot and feels like she hurt them without knowing it. But to her surprise and relief, Minuette, Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts don't show any resentment towards her. But a fourth pony does, and her name is Moon Dancer.

You know, the pony who was mentioned to having a party in the first episode of the show? They tie into that extremely well, and it didn't feel out of place. The inclusion of the aforementioned background mares helped the continuity a lot.

Secondly, there's a lot of character involved. Sure, Minuette (my favorite of the trio), Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts are a bit interchangeable with each other, but Twilight, Spike and Moon Dancer especially were brilliant. Plus the flashback with them in the science lab as fillies was adorable.

You feel a lot for Twilight when she tries to start over with Moon Dancer, and unlike A Friend in Deed, where Pinkie didn't realize that her stupidity was driving Cranky Doodle away from her, Twilight wanted to know where she screwed up and kept searching until she got her answer.

Which brings me neatly onto Moon Dancer. She was much like Twilight in her youth, more into books than making friends, but with the help of the Unicorn Trio, she began to open up about the idea... until she learned about Twilight leaving Canterlot without so much of a goodbye, which made her bitter and resentful. It finally boils over when she chews out Twilight before breaking down in tears.

It also makes Twilight understand where she messed up and apologize for hurting Moon without meaning to. This shows that you should never hold onto a grudge against someone who didn't show up where you invited them... unless, of course, the friend was really that bad. Moon Dancer is one of the show's most sympathetic characters, and it's a shame they never gave her another role after this one (we're just going to pretend that The Point of No Return doesn't exist).

This is the celebratory episode Slice of Life wished it could be. It calls back to the first episode of the show, it celebrates what made said show good to begin with, and it has an engaging story viewers of all ages can relate to, fun characters, and a sweet, heartwarming message.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

Story by Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller
Written by Scott Sonneborn

I understand what this episode is trying to say in regards to its message. But to be frank, the intention doesn't mean anything. The execution of the message does.

The story begins well enough with the Mane Six dreaming about a mysterious creature Luna calls the Tantabus. Eventually, everypony in Ponyville gets involved into a combined dream to fight off the Tantabus before Luna delivers this bombshell to everypony...

"I created the Tantabus to give myself the same nightmare every night... to punish myself for the evil I caused as Nightmare Moon! ... To make sure I never forgave myself for how much Equestria suffered because of me! But it seems I have not learned my lesson, for now I have only made you suffer more!" - Princess Luna, 7/11/2015

Up until that point, the episode's message, as intended, was to forgive yourself for your past mistakes. But Luna's dialogue near the end completely destroyed this episode's intended message and instead implies that you shouldn't seek help when you have a problem. That is right up there with Apology Impossible's toxic lesson that kids shouldn't stand up to bullies!

"But Luna stopped the Tantabus by forgiving herself. Doesn't that make it better?"

No, that doesn't make things any better; it makes things worse! Not to mention it felt superficial and Luna only forgave herself because of Twilight's speech, and not because of Celestia, the pony Luna hurt the most, who should've been there to speak with her sister. And you can't say "they had no room to put Celestia in," because this would've been the perfect opportunity for them to have a moment as sisters! Instead, we had to wait two years to actually get an episode featuring them. Time constraints in an episode are no excuse for this.

Not only that, it completely destroys her development from Luna Eclipsed, as bad as that episode was. There, it was shown that the ponies had accepted her once again, and in the Crusaders/Luna trilogy, we got to see a more wiser side to Luna, even though it makes her feel a bit like a dark blue Celestia. Could you imagine how the Crusaders would feel about this; the mare who gave them comfort in their dreams was actually tormenting herself for something extremely petty? It puts their respective episode arcs in a completely different light and sends even more unfortunate implications.

Also, note how I said Luna tormented herself for something petty. Her time as Nightmare Moon wasn't even a full day overall. At best, it was about a few hours, and the worst that happened was that it was dark. Nopony died, nopony ended up with serious injuries, and yet Luna treated it like it was Armageddon!

And her guilt is fed upon by the Tantabus which, again, she created herself. Would anyone want a leader like Luna acting this way in the real world? People wouldn't feel safe! This is confirmed by the fact that it escaped and found other hosts with the Mane Six and, no thanks to Pinkie, the rest of Ponyville. And instead of destroying it, which would've been a perfect metaphor for seeking help, Luna absorbs it once again, suggesting that things will get worse in the future if she sweeps it under the rug like that!

Princess Luna gets a rough treatment from the writers, possibly more so than Starlight Glimmer, and this episode is the nadir of that. It's because of this episode and Luna Eclipsed that she's my least favorite of the princesses, and her wangsty behavior here did not help at all. And if you feel like the overall premise feels like it came from Final Fantasy... you're right.

Hasbro should be ashamed of themselves for letting this episode's ending come out in this state. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? is yet another contender for worst episode of the series.

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

MLP Episode 912: The Last Crusade

Well, this is going to be interesting.

The Last Crusade

Written by Nicole Dubuc

I like the idea of one of the characters worrying about moving and leaving their friends behind. But I've watched the show long enough to understand that nothing is going to break the Crusaders' friendship. They try covering it up with a lot of tear-jerking and heartwarming moments, but they completely lose their shine due to how obvious the ending is.

That's not to say the episode is without its merits. For the first time ever, we finally get to see Scootaloo's parents. It's nice to see her hype them up as cool and being proven true when they defeat an escaped cragadile at the school. That's a nice establishing character moment right there. And even though I don't comment about character designs, the father's an earth pony and the mother a Pegasus, which might explain Scootaloo's poor flying abilities. She's half-Pegasus!

And there's even the implication that her aunts Lofty and Holiday are married, which is very progressive in a kid's show. As much as I cared very little about Trade Ya!, they showed a disabled pony which was a nice touch.

Unfortunately, that is where the praise ends. Despite Scootaloo's parents being nice characters and all, this episode just raises in-universe questions why Scootaloo never brought them up in a conversation up to this point. Does she really not care for them as much as the episode wants us to believe? On top of that, what's even the point of having her parents turn up if we never see them again in the last thirteen episodes?

You'll notice that earlier, I said the ending was obvious. The episode itself feels like an allegory for friends moving away and trying to cope with it during their final days together. This wouldn't be a problem if Scootaloo hadn't chose to stay in Ponyville after all, which means all the tension and drama leading up to this point was for nothing!

If I had to compare it to something else, look at Toy Story 3. The ending is one of the biggest tear-jerkers in cinema history, and yet you're still smiling knowing that Woody and his friends will have a new kid playing with them. Before all of that, they were afraid about being abandoned by Andy when he went to college and ended up at Sunnyside Daycare before realizing it was a sort of hellhole being run by a monster in the guise of a pink teddy bear.

And then, when they escape, they end up close to death before being saved at the lost moment and that was when Woody decided his friends deserved a better fate than being stuck in the attic. It all comes together towards the happy-yet-emotional ending, and a real masterclass in storytelling. Yes, this film had 90 minutes or so to work with, but you can still tell emotional stories in a shorter runtime.

As an example, there's Sleepless in Ponyville. Scootaloo looks up to Rainbow Dash like a big sister and wants to be as cool as her when she grows up, but she's afraid she'll abandon her for being afraid of scary stories. It's only when Luna speaks with the young filly that Scootaloo opened up to Rainbow Dash about how she really felt. It hits all the right notes, the ending is earned, and there's something to actually gain out of all of it.

Getting back to The Last Crusade, and that's the overall problem with the episode. It very much goes for the "Status Quo is God" trope, which is one of the worst when it comes to writing. It makes the overall conflict pointless and there's nothing to gain out of watching it.

Also, think about how many times the status quo has been broken in Equestria, some leaving impacts bigger than others, I'll admit: Twilight moving to Ponyville from Canterlot, Princess Luna returning, the Cake twins being born (why they're still babies after at least four years in-universe time, I don't know), the wedding between Shining Armor and Cadance, the return of the Crystal Empire, Discord's redemption, Twilight becoming an alicorn, Rainbow Dash become a Wonderbolt reserve before joining the team full time, the destruction of Golden Oaks Library, the growth of Twilight's new castle, Griffonstone rebuilding itself, Rarity starting up business outside of Ponyville (once in Canterlot, once in Manehattan), the Crusaders gaining their cutie marks, Starlight joining the main cast, the birth of Flurry Heart, Ember becoming the new Dragon Lord, Flim and Flam running their own business in Las Pegasus, Thorax taking over the Changeling kingdom, Fluttershy starting up an animal sanctuary, Big Mac and Sugar Belle starting a relationship, the Crusaders helping foals their age figure out their destinies, the Pillars of Equestria and Stygian coming back from limbo in the present day, Hippogriffia coming back, the School of Friendship being founded, Maud finding a new coltfriend, Sugar Belle getting an internship in Ponyville, Spike gaining wings, the Tree of Harmony being destroyed and then revived, and by the end of the season, we'll see Twilight take over for Celestia and Luna. (Wow, that's a lot of changes to the status quo, now that I think about it.)

And yet Scootaloo moving from Ponyville is where the writers draw the line? That's a total cop-out if I ever heard of one!

There's a very simple way to fix the episode without making the ending obvious or relying on the "Status Quo is God" trope. Have Scootaloo first talk to her parents about the situation, and so they show pictures of their planned new home, giving Scootaloo the chance to think about this decision with her friends. They're still sad about the idea, but they give her support because kids are resilient when it comes to a friend moving house. Scootaloo then thinks about all the adventures she had in Ponyville, and figures that she could still have new adventures in a new place and return to Ponyville whenever she has the chance. Even if she makes new friends there, she'll still have her old Ponyville friends to go back to, as if they were never apart to begin with. There's even the possibility of helping blank flanks beyond Ponyville discover their true destinies!

See, looking at what I propose, that is where The Last Crusade really slipped up. Yes, the ending is uplifting (or at least, it was intended to be), but if they went for what I propose instead, it would be even more so and beautiful with the Crusaders coming out the other end a lot stronger emotionally, developing their characters.

Final Thoughts

If you want this story done right, watch either Tanks for the Memories or A Shed for Edward from Thomas and Friends. The former does a great job in showcasing Rainbow Dash learning to accept the fact that Tank would be going into hibernation, and the latter's ending properly shows how to deal with a friend moving away.

The Last Crusade, as it stands, feels like it was designed to be watched once, and even when watching for the first time, the ending is obvious, making the entire conflict pointless. The only salvaging moments were getting to know more about Scootaloo's family, showing how much the Crusaders care for each other, and the plot is relatively fine for the most part. But other than that, the end result is really frustrating.

Rating: Terrible (-2/10)

My Little Pony Revisited: Season 5, Episodes 1-7

Four years ago, I reviewed season five as each new episode aired with a few exceptions, but since then, I've never been happy with how some reviews have turned out; a few in particular, and I'll get to those soon enough. That's pretty much why I reviewed season seven long after its initial airing, to make sure my reviews were up to standard. It's also why some season eight reviews were some of the best I've written up to date.

With that out of the way, here's the first batch of season five revisits!

The Cutie Map

Story by Meghan McCarthy
Written by Scott Sonneborn and M. A. Larson

It feels like forever when I first watched this episode...! Whilst my stance Starlight has almost gone a full 360 since this episode first aired, I still think it holds up for the most part. Any problems I have are less to do with this episode specifically, and more to do with what came after.

These days, it almost feels as though the Cutie Map itself serves as some kind of plot device just to drive certain episodes. If it was just the Mane Six, that would be excused, but since then, Starlight (twice), Spike (despite not being a pony), the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Sunburst have been called by the map and heck, Discord once tampered with it just to screw with the Mane Six. If other ponies (or creatures) outside of the Mane Six are being called by the map, then really, what was the point of the map to begin with?

Out of the Our Town Quartet, only Sugar Belle has gained relevance following Hard to Say Anything. After this episode, Double Diamond, Party Favor and Night Glider seemed to become afterthoughts, the latter especially as she wasn't even referred to by name here (and people say Aria Blaze had it bad). It's a crying shame as in this episode, Party Favor was my favorite of them.

He's probably the most sympathetic of the lot, given that he was one of the first to rebel against Starlight's beliefs and later got his happy ending. After that, not much of note except for a one-off gag in The Movie. If they were able to give Sugar Belle more screentime, then why not the other three? There's lots of untapped potential there, more than what Sunburst ever had.

Speaking of, the whole premiere is largely character driven. And even back in 2015, Starlight's role as the antagonist was really good. Right from the get go, you can tell something is off with her colors. She's a lot brighter compared to everyone else, who looked to be in gray with hints of their former colors before regaining their cutie marks again. That's a really good use of visual direction.

Mind you, Fluttershy was the premiere's MVP. Despite the seemingly creepy atmosphere and the ponies' excessive smiles, Fluttershy finds the place nice, charming and quaint (she didn't actually say that; just a summarizing is all). And when the Mane Six lose their cutie marks, they volunteer Fluttershy to get them back, but she notices something off about Starlight; her cutie mark was a fake! And the next day, she exposes Starlight's deception and hypocrisy to the ponies of Our Town, causing their former leader to flee.

There isn't much to talk about in terms of story, but the morals presented were really good; everybody is unique, you can't force friendship by having the same beliefs, and one good turn deserves another (when the Mane Six help the Quartet and vice-versa). And the ending with Starlight escaping was well done too. Although the resolution in the finale wasn't great, it left you wondering as to what she might be planning next.

Rating: Good (8/10)

Castle Sweet Castle

Written by Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco

It was inevitable that there would be a response to those who weren't happy about the destruction of Golden Oak Library in Twilight's Kingdom. Seriously guys; it's just a tree.

But at the same time... it was a home to Twilight. She's gotten a new castle in place of the library, but she doesn't feel at home there. So the Mane Six try to make her feel at home and send Spike to distract Twilight. Their first attempt is a failure, so they go back to the drawing board, especially after Spike's comment that it's terrible. Which was pretty funny, as was the group's reactions to their initial redecorating.

Re-watching this episode made me think about when I moved to Oregon a couple of years back. It felt strange at first, but I did get used to the routine in due time. Seeing the ruins of Golden Oak Library can be pretty heart-wrenching, especially Twilight and Spike's reactions to it.

Like Meghan McCarthy before them, Joanna and Kristine were off to a flying start. This episode is a pick-me-up if you need it. Although there are some sad moments, it's balanced out by the humor like Twilight kicking Angel into a mud puddle (especially given his behavior in past episodes) and Bulk Biceps working at the spa. Seriously, how do they keep him around despite his accidental destruction at times?

Overall, it does everything a great episode should.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Bloom & Gloom

Written by Josh Haber

I was never much for this one. As the last episode of the Luna/Crusaders trilogy (the others were Sleepless in Ponyville and For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils), this was a letdown. Honestly, I feel the episode tries too hard to be unsettling and... nothing else.

Yeah, we get it. Apple Bloom suffers from anxiety as to what her cutie mark would be like when she finally gets it, and we get a string of nightmares about it, each more disturbing than the previous. Though they seem to border on weird at best.

Whilst Scootaloo's and Sweetie Belle's episodes had their moments, Apple Bloom's didn't, and it's almost a slog to sit through. What makes it sadder is that it's the last time Babs Seed got a mention in the series, save for a few cameos in the background. She deserved so much more than what she got.

Rating: Bad (3/10)

Tanks for the Memories

Written by Cindy Morrow

This episode pretty much showcases the five stages of grief; first, Rainbow Dash expresses denial about Tank wanting to go into hibernation, then she takes her anger out on her friends when they come close to mentioning the word "hibernate", then she resorts to desperate measures to keep winter from coming, then she falls into depression over failing to stop winter, and finally comes to accept having Tank hibernate for the winter.

Sure, Rainbow's sabotaging of winter could be seen as petty on her part, but she was treating the whole scenario as if she was losing Tank forever. To a pet owner, they're pretty much their friend and source of comfort when nobody else is around. And as mentioned earlier, Rainbow was desperate.

All it took was Fluttershy to break her with the "cruel to be kind" approach. From the start, she knew Tank was going to hibernate but Rainbow dismissed her knowledge, only for that fact to come back and bite her on the tail. So did her failed attempts at stopping winter (which were pretty funny) and making things worse for herself as a result, but still. It's moments like these that make Fluttershy my favorite of the Mane Six.

After a rocky start in season one, Cindy Morrow ended her time with My Little Pony on a high note. At first, I didn't think much of it, but I thought it deserved so much more, in hindsight. It's one of those episodes that children, teenagers and adults can relate to, whether it be for the loss of a pet, a family member, or a close friend. Plus, how often do we see Rainbow Dash being a softie?

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Appleloosa's Most Wanted

Written by Dave Polsky

Yes, I know the actual episode title says Appleoosa, but the name of the town itself has the second L, so that's what I'm sticking with.

Anyway, this was another pretty good episode as well. Yes, it's not the most exciting episode, nor is it one of the more complex. Trouble Shoes is a guy who's not wrecking rodeos on purpose. All he wants to do is partake in one but gets into accidents that give him a bad name. Luckily, the Crusaders came around to help him look at his cutie mark in a different light and he got his wish in the end.

It's simple, but it does the job it should, and it even foreshadows the Crusaders' future roles to come. That being said, if you're not the biggest fan of the "jumping to conclusions" plot trope or don't care for rodeos in general, then you're probably not going to like this one.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Make New Friends but Keep Discord

Written by Natasha Levinger

The first point of contention is Discord's behavior. It's pretty obvious he likes hanging out with Fluttershy, but why does he get jealous when she hangs out with Tree Hugger and yet has no problem with her being with the rest of the Mane Six? Yeah, Discord doesn't have the best relationship with the others, but still.

Speaking of whom, it almost sounds as if Twilight is still distrustful towards Discord despite that he regretted betraying them in Twilight's Kingdom. But then again, considering the next episode he starred in this season...

In fact, it feels as if Discord comes off as the Designated Villain by sabotaging the Grand Galloping Gala just to impress Fluttershy and tries to make her jealous by being friends with the Smooze. But if you consider that between Keep Calm and Flutter On and this episode, Discord hasn't really been invited by the rest of the Mane Six to hang out with them, not even Pinkie. The sympathy cranks up when his comedy routine fails and Maud roasts him.

Also, the Smooze is a thing. It's just... there. It doesn't have much in terms of character, it doesn't speak. All it does is serve as Discord's plus one to drive the plot. And how does Tree Hugger know about it? (Not that she had much personality or backstory to begin with, but still.) Heck, a lot of this episode feels like it was contrived for the sake of happening.

And this last point is minor, but I'll mention it anyway; why does Rarity say that the Crusaders are "going as [hers, Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's] dates"? Simply saying "plus ones" would've been fine. (Yes, it's a minor problem I have, but it's not the problem.)

There are episodes that age well or improve over time, but Make New Friends but Keep Discord is one of those episodes that doesn't. Granted, there are worse episodes in existence, but this episode feels mean-spirited against him and you almost feel like rooting for him when the other ponies mock him or get on his nerves. Considering her previous efforts in season four, I don't think Natasha Levinger is a bad writer, but she didn't do Discord any justice here.

Rating: Bad (1/10)

MLP Episode 911: Student Counsel

You wait eleven episodes, and then a wild Glimmer appears in a blatant beat for beat retreading.

Student Counsel

Written by Josh Haber

So Starlight finds herself overworked in helping students at the School of Friendship with their problems, and then a party with her and her friends gets cut short when Silverstream seems to go missing. And they run into trouble with a herd of cockatrices. It's like a mashup between Every Little Thing She Does and Stare Master. There's nothing new or interesting in regards to the story. The theme isn't new either; it's basically "don't overwork yourself" which, again, older episodes have already done.

Final Thoughts

This is a very short review, but to be honest, there's nothing for me to talk about. It's one of the most boring episodes of the entire show. Everything this episode did was done in past episodes and was far more interesting.

Rating: Bad (1/10)

My Little Pony Revisited: Season 4, Episodes 20-26

With one dud so far under its belt, we are now onto the final stretch of season four; can it end with a bang or trip up at the final hurdle?

Leap of Faith

Written by Josh Haber

A lot of people have practically begged for Flim and Flam to get a redemption, but if this episode and all their future appearances proved anything, all they care about is money. Not only that, they never learn from their greed, so how can the audience expected to sympathize with them?

Other than that, there's very little to say here. Granny Smith's backstory about her fear of high diving is pretty relatable for those who are aquaphobic, and her bonding with her grandfoals is pretty sweet. But out of the key givers (the others being Coco Pommel, Spitfire, Cheese Sandwich and Seabreeze), Silver Shill is probably the least interesting as a character. At least Coco had a chance to shine to appear in future episodes, and Cheese and Seabreeze had managed to shine in their respective episodes. Heck, we already knew about Spitfire even before season four. Silver Shill's just... there.

Overall, the episode is one of the weaker ones of season four. The moral is good, but the execution could've been much better.

Rating: Okay (5/10)

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

Written by Amy Keating Rogers

Procrastination is a right stinker, am I right? I'm sure we've all been there at least one point in our lives; there's a big test we've got to study for, but it's the day before we're due to take it, and we lose our minds over it. Not literally, because that would be ridiculous. Anyway, this episode.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight have always had a great dynamic with one another, especially when the former's antics get on the latter's nerves. Here, Rainbow is playing the student to Twilight's teacher; Rainbow is such a slacker in the first half, and even refused to accept responsibility for it before realizing she may never achieve her goals.

The others' attempts at getting Rainbow Dash to actually learn the history of the Wonderbolts were varied; Fluttershy puts on an animal play with hilariously bad results - never work with animal actors - Rarity tries outfits, and Applejack... goes for apple history... Okay...

Pinkie's, however, was the worst. I don't know how many Bronies are fans of rap music, but it was superfluous and the song - if it can be called one - wasn't really that great. Maybe it's because rap isn't really my thing, I don't know, but what's the point? Besides trying to give Rainbow Dash a studying method.

Speaking of, Rainbow's style of learning is to scan the happenings around her whilst flying, even down to the tiniest details. Because Twilight helped Rainbow to learn without the former even realizing it before being asked about what she saw, she managed to become a Wonderbolt reserve.

Also, I don't know if that was the episode's intention, but everybody having a different style of learning is something that schools should take more seriously. Not everybody is going to understand the rigid syllabus they've got set up for them, because unless you make changes to accommodate a student's needs, how are they going to be successful in life? Those who've fallen behind deserve more than what they end up with.

On the whole, it's another episode that I feel has gotten better upon revisiting. The message about different learning methods is very relevant, Rainbow Dash felt right (as in, they didn't portray her as over-the-top stupid), and the plot made sense. What more could you ask for?

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Trade Ya!

Written by Scott Sonneborn

Well, this episode didn't do Rainbow Dash any justice whatsoever. I mean, come on; you wanted to trade a horseshoe for a one-of-a-kind first edition Daring Do book and then you nearly sell out your friend just to train a creature the dealer wanted in the first place? I know Rainbow's not the smartest pony around, but she isn't this clueless! And they didn't even try to make it interesting.

The other two subplots are no better. Rarity and Applejack once again bring out in the worst in each other by wanting to make petty trades. The former wants a brooch that looks just like something she already has in case it's more "vintage", and the latter wants a pie pan because it could bake a pie quicker by a few seconds. What's the logic?

But the Twilight/Pinkie subplot is the worst of the three. Pinkie's humor comes off as more painfully eye-rolling than it's funny and the end result adds nothing to either character's personal arcs. I think Twilight should've given her books away, because at least then, she could've saved them from a worse fate if she knew what the finale would bring for her. And why was Pinkie there anyway? Just so every main character could turn up?

Speaking of, Spike's the only one to make a successful trade, but it doesn't add anything to the main story or message at all.

With every subplot being either pointless or boring, you're better off skipping this episode. Trust me; there's nothing to gain out of watching it.

Rating: Bad (1/10)

Inspiration Manifestation

Written by Corey Powell and Meghan McCarthy

Even though I've stopped caring about the shipping a couple of years ago, it's still nice to see how much Spike cares for Rarity and vice-versa. He wants her to be happy, and she's glad whenever he helps out. In fact, the whole episode is character-driven.

To add further proof to that, Owlowiscious being the straight man... er, owl to Spike was very well done, and quietly calls him out for letting Rarity go mad like that. Am I the only one who feels it's a shame we never see these two together again? Heck, it's funny how he's afraid of Spike falling into a bottomless pit and yet the baby dragon walks back into the main library like nothing happened. How casual he is to the danger he was just in!

As has been the case throughout season four, Rarity was this season's MVP, no hyperbole. Her feasting on ice cream under a period of depression is funny - I'm surprised she didn't get a tummyache from eating many tubs, but you know, rule of comedy and all that - and her getting green eyes and magic aura was really ironic given how much she seems to dislike the color. Creepy, yet still funny.

The moral about giving criticism to help a friend improve was really good, something that isn't really taught enough in media... I don't think. Sure, Spike does care for Rarity, but he had to draw the line when she took her creativity a bit too far; again, it's because he cares, and given my recent stance on Sunset Shimmer, something I can relate to.

This does everything a good episode should do, and it was a good one too for Corey Powell to go out on.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Equestria Games

Written by Dave Polsky

So here we are; the grand finale to the Equestria Games arc. But it's not about the games themselves, nope! It's about Spike. To those who were upset when it first aired that it focused on Spike, I've two things to say to you. One, that's on you for hyping yourselves like that. Two, if there was focus on the games themselves, Spike wouldn't have had to go through the character arc he did. Plus, I'm sure not every kid wants to watch a sporting event; they'd rather watch something from NBA if that was the case, but they'll likely learn nothing from watching a sporting event. Besides, we got brief glimpses of some of the events, so it's not like they were completely ignored.

Anyway, as for the episode itself, there isn't much to say. It's a story about not putting yourself down over a single mistake, but it works really well for Spike's character, especially given his popularity in the Crystal Empire for saving the Heart from being destroyed. It's only when he tries to light the torch that his confidence gets shattered, and further humiliates himself by performing the Cloudsdale Anthem in a laughably bad way.

Spike does manage to turn things around when a stray ice arrow accidentally hits a cloud, and he improvises a rescue by jumping on some pegasi's backs and breathing a huge burst of fire to melt it, restoring his confidence. Not only that, it also helps him further grow as a character in later seasons to come, so those still thinking that it should've been about games should rethink this episode's position.

Put simply, besides Gauntlet of Fire (I'd include Molt Down as well, but the leaks hurt that episode's standing slightly), this is the quintessential Spike episode. It doesn't treat him like an idiot or a butt-monkey like many episodes before and after did; it treats him with dignity, respect, and above all else, makes him relatable to the audience. As I've said, the moral here is excellent, and Spike's character growth began to take off from here. In any other series, this would be the best episode, but the last episode of this particular season manages to blow it out of the water...

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Twilight's Kingdom

Written by Meghan McCarthy

Okay, I could call Twilight's Kingdom the greatest episode of the show and simply leave it at that, but I don't think that alone does this episode any justice whatsoever.

The finale begins normally enough with Twilight worrying that all she'd have to do as princess is smile and wave, which, understandably, isn't very exciting. But the other princesses assure her that she'll have a place of her own soon enough in one of this season's best ever songs. Seriously, just listening to it is enough to almost bring tears to your eyes.

But then Tirek enters the scene and steals a unicorn's magic, and you realize this is not going to end well for anyone. The aforementioned song does bring a false sense of security (not that it's a bad thing, mind you!) to prepare us for the worst.

Yeah, about Lord Tirek; he is undoubtedly the best villain of the main series (excluding Tempest Shadow from The Movie, of course). Mark Acheson's performance makes it impossible to not feel intimidated. Tirek is practically unpredictable. One minute, he's calm with a sense of charisma about him, the next he's on a violent rampage, and the next after that, he's imprisoned the princesses to Tartarus. No one's going to root for that!

I'm glad that the small amount of backstory he's given doesn't portray him as sympathetic at all, nor is he presented as "misunderstood". He wants to take over Equestria, but Scorpan, his brother, disagrees and even reports his intentions to Celestia and Luna. If the season nine finale doesn't give him a redemption for no reason, I'll be happy.

Then there's Discord; he's dispatched to stop Tirek but is manipulated into joining him until he betrays the draconequus, karma biting him hard on the tail. What further drives it home is how hurt Fluttershy is by his betrayal, and Discord feeling remorse for siding with the wrong sort of people. Er, non-people, but you get the idea. Also, is it just me, or was there a bit of foreshadowing to the death battle (in a sense) with Discord sensing something wrong?

Twilight and Tirek's magic battle is one of the best scenes ever in the entire series. It's so out of place in the world of My Little Pony, and yet it's so cool you'd be tempted to show this episode to someone claiming it's just a show for little girls. I'd love to see their reactions when they see the Dragon Ball Z-esque battle!

Every season of the show has its own theme; season two's was the big wedding at Canterlot, season three's was Princess Twilight, and this season's theme was the Keys of Friendship. (Season one didn't have much a theme; it basically established the main characters and who they were.) The bit, the flower, the rainbow spool, the medal, Boneless, and Scorpan's medallion weren't just random items given to the Mane Six as gifts; they served as a reminder to those whose lives they changed for the better.

Silver Shill learned about being honest with what you sell. Seabreeze learned to be kinder to his peers. Coco Pommel saw the generosity Rarity showed to her friends. The Wonderbolts learned to put their teammates first. Cheese Sandwich wouldn't have been the stallion he was if it wasn't for Pinkie.

And lastly, Discord learned the difference between someone who wants to use you for their own personal gain and those who want to genuinely be a friend. It all happened because Twilight put her friends' lives - and his - before her own and gave up the alicorn magic to save them from being Tirek's captives. That shows how brave and selfless Twilight can really be, and it's the Twilight we've known and loved from the start.

Though if I had to raise a complaint, it's not within the actual episode, but it's more to do with the fact that it set the bar really high for MLP episodes that nothing before or since could really match (though A Royal Problem comes agonizingly close). It's very much the peak of the series' peak.

Since then, we've been begging for an episode that might steal Twilight's Kingdom's place as the best episode of the series, but really, what's the point in it? Why would you even try to better it? In the last five years, we've seen an episode dedicated to background ponies, the Crusaders gained their cutie marks, Starlight Glimmer became an honorary seventh member of the main cast, we learned about Applejack's parents, there was a movie based on the series, the Mane Six opened a school, there was a standalone Christmas special, and soon we'll be seeing Twilight take over for Celestia and Luna.

So unless the season nine finale can bring the show to an epic close that could almost rival the finales brought upon many franchises in film and television, there's nothing left for My Little Pony to prove.

Even with Twilight's Kingdom as the peak of season four, during the eleven month gap between this episode and The Cutie Map, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic slowly started to lose its relevance with general audiences, and the fandom's no longer what it used to be. Love and tolerate has become yesterday's news.

I joined the fandom in late 2013 just as season four had begun to air, but I left in mid-2017 out of resentment for the fact that some people just couldn't handle opinions. But I still stuck by the show as a whole (except for the Equestria Girls spin-off) because it reminded me that there are still good people both in the real world and online, as "Let the Rainbow Remind You" proves. It summarizes the show as a whole up to season four (at the time of its release).

Let's be real here; unless you're a daydreaming optimist wanting something even bigger, then it's best if we left Twilight's Kingdom at the top of the league, because no episode has come close to matching it ever since.

Twilight's Kingdom is one of the greatest finales to any season of any show, filled to the brim with humor, heartwarming moments, charm, action, and above all else, strong storytelling. Even with all I've talked about up to this point, that reason alone is why, even if I stop watching this show when it ends, it will forever be my favorite episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Final Season Ranking: Excellent (9/10)

MLP Episode 910: Going to Seed

And it's back to bland territory we go...

Going to Seed

Written by Dave Rapp

The overall plot is Apple Bloom believing in a magical creature known as the Great Seedlin' that could help with the Confluence (that's a harvest that's a hundred moons in the making). Applejack goes along with it, and between all of that... nothing really happens.

Well, we get a flashback showing Bright Mac and Pear Butter alive with an infant Bloom, but apart from that, there is nothing really remarkable going on. And the Great Seedlin' turns out to be Big Mac. It would be a nice twist and all, except we could almost see it from a mile away considering how insomniac he was throughout until the end. He did shine through by providing the episode's comedy, I'll give this episode that.

But that's very much it...

Final Thoughts

Apologies for a short review, but there is very little I can say here. The characters and theme in general were fine, but the story's pretty slow-paced with nothing spectacular going on. Not to mention that the reveal with Big Mac at the end was blatantly obvious.

Rating: Bad (2/10)