MLP Episode 816: The Hearth's Warming Club

Another week, another review. Let's head on down to The Hearth's Warming Club for the next episode!

The Hearth's Warming Club

Written by Brian Hohlfeld

You know, I think it's a missed opportunity to have it air on July 28, cause then we would've had a "Christmas in July"-type special. That aside, this is the fourth overall Chirstmas-themed episode of the series (with a 44 minute special planned for the holidays, a first for the series, in fact!), but how does it stack up against the previous three?

I love it. Even more so that we're given more bonding amongst the Young Six, and that we especially get their different perspectives on how they celebrate the holidays. Each story they tell really showcases their individual characters, unlike something like The Mane Six where most of the characters are interchangeable with each other.

Here, we can tell that Smolder has a twisted sense of humor, Sandbar makes boring things seem exciting, and that Yona and Silverstream take pride in their own respective heritages for different reasons. My favorite was Ocellus', especially with how literally she and the Changelings take Twilight's instructions on how Hearth's Warming is celebrated. That was hilarious!

Yet the real standout character here was Gallus; the reason he pulled that prank was because he didn't want to be alone on Hearth's Warming. To him, his new friends are perhaps the closest he's ever had to a real family, despite their differences. Yona might be my personal favorite of the Young Six, but Gallus is without a doubt the most layered and comes in a close second for me (Smolder is third, for the record).

It was also great that Twilight actually displayed some common sense by asking the students one on one for their perspective of the situation (even if we don't see it), though it is also laughable considering her behavior in previous episodes like Marks for Effort. Just because she was well-written here, that doesn't make her any less hypocritical.

Final Thoughts

Since School Daze aired back in March, I thought it set the bar too high for season eight. But The Hearth's Warming Club almost looks as if it could knock it off its perch. Almost. The theme is amazing (no one deserves to be alone on the holidays), the story is brilliant, and the Young Six really shine every time they appear in an episode, good or bad. There's honestly little to complain about.

That being said, it's kind of sad that people aren't thinking very highly of season eight. Yes, we got some duds like The Mean Six, Non-Compete Clause, and Yakity-Sax, but those duds don't mean the season overall is bad. Especially not with gems like Molt Down, Surf and/or Turf, Horse Play, and this one. There's only eight episodes and a finale to go, so the only direction season eight can go at this point is up.

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 815: A Matter of Principals

After a two month hiatus, barring a pair of not-so-Summer Surprises that July, we're back to reviewing the eighth season of My Little Pony, starting with A Matter of Principals.

This review contains spoilers for those who did not see the episode in Australia; viewer discretion is advised.

When Discord joined Starlight's group in To Where and Back Again, I always found that strange since the two had never interacted up to that point. You could argue that they met offscreen, but I don't think it holds enough water for me to believe that. So now that we got Discord and Starlight starring in their own episode, how does it hold up?

I will start by saying it is a vast improvement over Nicole Dubuc's previous script, as well as the last two episodes, one of which was the absolute worst the season had to offer at this point. A Matter of Principals is definitely the improvement that Yakity-Sax wished it was.

One of the greatest strengths of the episode is Discord's character; he still wants to make friends but hates being left out, largely in part due to his trickster nature. It's a habit he just can't break, and it drives Starlight up the wall when she tries to run the School of Friendship the way Twilight normally would. And who could blame her? (Starlight, that is.) That being said, it does say a lot that Starlight owed Discord an apology for ignoring his feelings of jealousy, considering that he's a trickster who normally causes more trouble than her or anypony else.

Discord's attempts at bringing in substitute teachers to "help" Starlight were rather out the blue, but still very funny - seriously, who has a tree for a teacher?! That being said, it does lampshade a problem that's been brewing since School Daze; who's in charge of the School of Friendship whilst Twilight and company are out and about doing other things? It does feel like Twilight doesn't always think her plans through, however well intended they are. Perhaps Neighsay was right after all?

Another issue the episode raises is that Starlight somehow knows about Spitfire. (Trixie and Maud I can understand.) How did the two meet, and how did Spitfire get convinced to be a teacher at the school when she has an academy of her own to run? I know it's not a major plot hole in the episode itself, but it still raises questions.

Final Thoughts

Nicole Dubuc is back on form, as is season eight - let's hope it stays that way this time! I was hoping for a Starlight and Discord episode, and thankfully, she managed to deliver, and then some. Their characters make sense, the third act is one of the funniest of the show, and the twist at the end was rather unexpected.

One thing I will ask for the writers; just don't make the Young Six afterthoughts for future episodes. Please. They have a lot of potential to be great characters, and it'd be a damned shame if they don't live up to it!

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 814: Yakity-Sax

(Yes, I know it's officially episode 18, but some people tend to review episodes based on airdate order rather than production order, so that's what I'm going with.)

As a part of Discovery Family's Summer Surprises for 2018, we got the "new" Equestria Girls "special" Rollercoaster of Friendship which... I'm not reviewing ever because it's simply not worth it, especially if I was repeating what I've already said. And now, we have a season eight episode airing ahead of the second half. This one being Yakity-Sax.

It's safe to say that Pinkie Pie has been getting a fair amount of criticism from people - like myself - for how poorly written she's become as of late. Heck, the last time she felt like a genuine character was when she called out Twilight for doing something stupid in The Movie (even thought Twilight still seems to lack proper judgement these days, but I digress). Still, I was hoping that after the disappointment that was The Mean Six, the writers would pick up steam from there.

Unfortunately, they didn't. What makes it worse is that Pinkie is once again portrayed as an idiot, not even showing concern for her friends' activities and playing that damned yovidaphone in such a bad manner! Seriously, it's just grating to listen to, especially in the first act; it's awfully unlistenable.

This is honestly becoming a serious problem with season eight; character development being thrown out of the window for the sake of a story. Sure, they've done really well with Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike for the most part - heck, even Starlight has had some great moments - but rewriting Rainbow Dash, Applejack (Non-Compete Clause), Twilight (Marks for Effort), and Pinkie Pie (The Maud Couple, and now this episode) to suit your story is a sign of flanderization; exaggerating their flaws in the worst way possible.

This is still the main reason I'm glad that Edward, Henry, and (possibly) Toby are being written out of the Steam Team. When they were part of the team, Edward and Toby were often made to be incompetent when they're supposed to be engines that know better, and the less said about Henry's treatment, the better.

Back to Yakity-Sax; I'd talk about the story... but I don't need to. Why? Because it drags, especially in the second and third acts, and it completely lacks heart and substance. The most that happens is Pinkie moving to Yakyakistan when she realizes she isn't good at... whatever instrument she was playing, I don't care. But that's it. It's also pointless in the long run since she'll be back in Ponyville by the next episode.

Which brings me onto the moral. Being supportive for your friends is nice, but how does the lesson impact Pinkie as a character? She's still a bad player and learns nothing, which leads to some rather mixed messages and the episode's intended message to fall flat on its face. Maybe if the Mane Six turned to Yona to help Pinkie learn how to play that weird bagpipe contraption, that could've worked a lot better, and Pinkie would've also learned not to be afraid to ask for help.

Instead, this just raises questions as to why the Young Six, as characters, are being severely underused by the writers. I know that the Mane Six are the lead characters and made the show what it is, but there have been episodes (To Change a Changeling, The Break Up Break Down) that didn't have any of them make an appearance. Heck, they gave big focus to the likes of Big Mac, Zecora, and even Princess Celestia, so why not the Young Six?

Final Thoughts

Pinkie Pie is quickly becoming one of my least favorite characters of the show. Sure, she's had a lot of great moments in the past, but her poorly-written roles are building up at an alarming rate. Yakity-Sax is just another contender for one of season eight's worst; a dragged-out story with nothing interesting happening and a mixed message at the end make it a chore to sit through. At least the rest of the Mane Six had some character there; not that it actually saves the episode...

Rating: Bad

Seasons 17-21: How the Episodes Should Be Distributed

In the previous post, I criticized Universal for their poor strategies on distributing Thomas content. After speaking with a few on DeviantArt, I thought, "How would I have distributed the episodes?" So, I came up with nineteen new(ish) DVDs focusing solely on seasons 17-21 with their own criteria:

1. All episodes of a season must be released within one year, so there will be no mixing between seasons.
2. There must be a roughly equal number of episodes among the DVDs - generally six or seven.
3. The episodic DVDs must come out at similar times in both the US and the UK, akin to the yearly specials (and yes, The Adventure Begins also gets this treatment).

That being said, let's get onto how I can fix the DVDs!

SEASON 17 (2013-2014)

Volume 1: Railway Mischief

1. Gordon Runs Dry
2. Kevin's Cranky Friend
3. Scruff's Makeover
4. Wayward Winston
5. Steamie Stafford
6. Henry's Hero
7. Not Now, Charlie!

As a minor spoiler for this blog post, most, if not all, of the DVDs are based upon the UK DVD listings with some editing here and there. My edited Railway Mischief follows the original US listing, only to be followed up by Henry's Hero and Not Now, Charlie! (akin to the UK release). I didn't include Bill or Ben? because I wanted to focus on the first two weeks of season 17, which would air later in June.

Volume 2: Santa's Little Engine

1. Santa's Little Engine
2. No Snow for Thomas
3. The Frozen Turntable
4. The Missing Christmas Decorations
5. Too Many Fire Engines
6. The Phantom Express

The UK release included three bonus episodes which ended up on Engines to the Rescue in the US. I've already included Henry's Hero on Railway Mischief, so Santa's Little Engine gets two bonus non-winter themed episodes.

Volume 3: The Thomas Way

1. The Thomas Way
2. The Switch
3. Percy's Lucky Day
4. Calm Down Caitlin
5. The Lost Puff
6. Luke's New Friend
7. Bill or Ben?

Luke's New Friend was a bonus episode for the US release, so I reinstated it as part of the episode listing. Bill or Ben?, the last remaining non-DVD exclusive season 17 episode, is tacked on at the end.

Volume 4: Spills and Thrills

1. Away From the Sea
2. The Smelly Kipper
3. No More Mr. Nice Engine
4. Gone Fishing
5. Thomas' Shortcut
6. The Afternoon Tea Express

This previously DVD-exclusive has six episodes, so I don't change anything. This will also apply to Dinos and Discoveries and Start Your Engines!.

SEASON 18 (2014-2015)

Volume 5: Trouble on the Tracks

1. Thomas the Quarry Engine
2. Not So Slow Coaches
3. Flatbeds of Fear
4. Disappearing Diesels
5. Toad's Adventure
6. Duck and the Slip Coaches
7. Old Reliable Edward

Based on the UK release; it ends with Missing Gator. I replace that instead with Old Reliable Edward to, again, focus on the first two weeks of season 18, and to avoid major spoilers for Tale of the Brave (though Reg does make a small appearance in Disappearing Diesels, but I digress).

Volume 6: The Christmas Engines

1. Last Train for Christmas
2. Long Lost Friend
3. Duncan the Humbug
4. Duck in the Water
5. The Perfect Gift
6. Toad's Bright Idea

Toad's Bright Idea is tacked onto the end of the original episode listing. I considered putting Missing Gator there, but I thought it'd be weird to see that and Long Lost Friend out of order, so I instead place it on the next DVD.

Volume 7: Signals Crossed

1. Signals Crossed
2. Marion and the Pipe
3. Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger
4. No Steam Without Coal
5. Thomas and the Emergency Cable
6. Spencer's VIP
7. Missing Gator

Based on the UK episode listing, only with Missing Gator in place of Toad's Bright Idea.

Volume 8: Dinos and Discoveries

1. Marion and the Dinosaurs
2. Millie and the Volcano
3. Timothy and the Rainbow Truck/Car
4. Samson at Your Service
5. Emily Saves the World
6. Samson Sent for Scrap

SEASON 19 (2015-2016)

Volume 9: Whale of a Tale

1. Toad and the Whale
2. Who's Geoffrey?
3. The Truth About Toby
4. Lost Property
5. Henry Spots Trouble
6. Salty All At Sea
7. Wild Water Rescue

The UK episode listing with Wild Water Rescue tacked on at the end; why that episode ended up with five season 16 episodes, I'll never know.

Volume 10: Thomas' Christmas Carol

1. Diesel's Ghostly Christmas
2. Snow Place Like Home
3. A Cranky Christmas
4. The Beast of Sodor
5. Helping Hiro

Diesel's Ghostly Christmas is one whole episode, per the US release. The UK release includes three season 20 winter episodes (those that don't feature Glynn). I instead include Helping Hiro in their place, an episode that's never been on a US DVD.

Ignore the yellow banner on top...

Volume 11: Full Steam to the Rescue!

1. Rocky Rescue
2. Very Important Sheep
3. The Other Side of the Mountain
4. Den and Dart
5. Goodbye Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt
6. No Help At All
7. Thomas the Babysitter

Five of the season 19 episodes appeared in a different order on the US DVD Ultimate Friendship Adventures, so I chose to stick with the UK episode listing instead, with Very Important Sheep in place of Wild Water Rescue and Den and Dart as the fourth episode.

Volume 12: Start Your Engines!

1. Two Wheels Good
2. Reds vs. Blues
3. Slow Stephen
4. The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead
5. Best Engine Ever
6. Philip to the Rescue

SEASON 20 (2016-2017)

7 Engine-Packed Episodes!

Volume 13: Ultimate Friendship Adventures

1. Henry Gets the Express
2. Toby's New Friend
3. Sidney Sings
4. Diesel and the Ducklings
5. Ryan and Daisy
6. Bradford the Brake Van
7. Saving Time

The episode listing is based upon the one from Tales from the Rails, minus the season 19 episodes and with Ryan and Daisy included as the fifth episode of the set. Interestingly enough, this covers the first seven episodes of season 20!

Volume 14: Tinsel on the Tracks

1. Letters to Santa
2. The Christmas Coffeepot
3. The Railcar and the Coaches
4. Over the Hill
5. Love Me Tender
6. Blown Away
7. Pouty James

All the winter episodes from season 20 are together as they should be, with the inclusion of Blown Away and Pouty James to have seven episodes.

Volume 15: Team Up with Thomas

1. Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks/Cars
2. Mucking About
3. The Way She Does It
4. Mike's Whistle
5. Cautious Connor
6. All in Vain
7. Useful Railway

Three episodes have been scattered away onto other DVDs; The Way She Does It moves up as the third episode with Mike's Whistle and Useful Railway in the correct order as per the original Railway Series book. Cautious Connor and All in Vain are included between the two episodes to round out the set.

Volume 16: Extraordinary Engines

1. Engine of the Future
2. Henry in the Dark
3. The Missing Breakdown Train
4. Hugo and the Airship
5. Three Steam Engines Gruff
6. Skiff and the Mermaid
7. Tit for Tat

Unlike Spills and Thrills, Dinos and Discoveries, and Start Your Engines!, Extraordinary Engines has one extra episode - Tit for Tat - to match the other three season 20 DVDs at seven episodes each. It seems strange that it's separate from the other two Arlesdale episodes, but since it happened on the official Team Up with Thomas, it's only fair. Not only does this give Andrew Brenner one strong episode on the DVD, it also ends on a very high note.

SEASON 21 (2017-2018)

Volume 17: Danger at the Docks

1. Cranky at the End of the Line
2. New Crane on the Dock
3. Stuck in Gear
4. Springtime for Diesel
5. A Most Singular Engine
6. Philip's Number

Something I forgot to mention is that Ultimate Friendship Adventures is pushed forward as a teaser DVD for season 20. The same thing happens to Danger at the Docks. Here, I removed Den and Dart to focus solely on season 21 episodes, and Springtime for Diesel and A Most Singular Engine are swapped around. For the most part, it's unedited from the official release.

Includes 6 Episodes!

Volume 18: Christmas on Sodor

1. Terence Breaks the Ice
2. Daisy's Perfect Christmas
3. Confused Coaches
4. Emily in the Middle
5. The Big Freeze
6. Hasty Hannah

The season 20 episodes are replaced with Hasty Hannah so each season 21 DVD has six episodes each.

Volume 19: On the Go with Thomas

1. The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor
2. A Shed for Edward
3. Dowager Hatt's Busy Day
4. Runaway Engine
5. P.A. Problems
6. Unscheduled Stops

Besides the removal of Hasty Hannah, the episode listing is the same as the official release.

With all these changes made, hopefully I've gotten right what Mattel and Universal have so far gotten wrong. Not only are the episodes distributed more evenly, it gives us, as fans, more to look forward to when it comes to content. But how would you distribute the episodes? I'd love to see what you can come up with; your results may vary!

Thomas' Halloween Adventures (2018 Re-Release)

This was a little announcement that made its way on Sodor Island Forums some days ago, and it's something which has been bothering me since I first heard about it. So now I get to talk about it in full.

Thomas and Friends is no stranger to DVD re-releases. Many of them have been re-releases of the older VHS tapes from the 1990s, and most have been given upgrades to their cover artwork to try and freshen up the release. My personal favorite style is the one from the late 1990s/early 2000s with the colored border and a character (sometimes two) overlooking a scene from one of the episodes (Cranky Bugs, the re-release of Thomas Comes to Breakfast, etc.).

Which brings me onto the 2018 re-release of Thomas' Halloween Adventures. There are two issues I have with the re-release.

The first issue is that the cover above is a glow-in-the-dark outline of Thomas in CGI form for a model era DVD. I know some parents and kids don't have the best perceptions of the model era, much less The Railway Series, but I can already tell this will blow up in Universal's face because this is practically false advertising on their part.

Speaking of Universal, that brings me onto my next issue; they'd rather reissue older content than bring the American audience newer content from seasons 20 and 21. At this point, the American audience is missing out on Spencer's VIP and Toad's Bright Idea from season 18, Helping Hiro from season 19, nine episodes from season 20 (Bradford the Brakevan, Ryan and Daisy, Pouty James, Blown Away, The Way She Does It, Mucking About, Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks, Mike's Whistle, and Useful Railway), and all the non-winter themed episodes of season 21. That's about three DVDs' worth of episodes!

In America, it's pretty obvious that DVDs are being made obsolete by online streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu - the most recent episodic American DVDs with were Extraordinary Engines and Christmas on Sodor (I don't count Thomas' Holiday Collection because it's a compilation) - and with Big World! Big Adventures! coming to the aforementioned sites (and quite possibly a few more), it looks as though the days of buying Thomas DVDs at a department store are becoming numbered.

What makes it even more frustrating is that the season 20 and 21 episodes not released on American DVDs are stuck in the UK on Tales from the Rails, Team Up with Thomas (the 2017 version), Danger at the Docks, and On the Go with Thomas. I remember when people were frustrated that America got the episodes out on DVD first before the UK did, and right now the opposite situation is happening.

Getting back to the re-release of Thomas' Halloween Adventures; what is even the point of a re-release for DVD? If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can simply watch the episodes featured on the DVD in the form of the complete series 1-7. Hell, you can even watch seasons 16-20 there as well (though some episodes from 17, 19, and 20 are missing, and the Dinos and Discoveries episodes are part of 19 for whatever reason)! There is seriously no excuse for Universal to not bother with the season 20 and 21 episodes awaiting an American DVD release.

The bottom line is, this is another prime example of the distributors making stupid decisions for the franchise they supposedly hold copyright towards. Sure, you can get seasons 19-21 on Nickelodeon, but what about the viewers who don't have cable? DVDs are the likely option for them, but what if they can't find certain episodes? What are Universal going to do then? They'll have to do a lot to make up for how abysmal their distribution of the episodes is...

MLP Episode 813: The Mean 6

So now we've come to the final episode of the first half of season eight! The first half (School Daze-Horse Play) turned out really good, but the second half (The Parent Map-Marks for Effort) was all over the place, ranging from great to terrible. Can The Mean 6 end the first half on a high note before we enter the mid-season hiatus?

I'm gonna say it; the episode sucked, and it's earned the title of the worst episode of the show. But where do I begin with its problems?

The first problem is with the Mane Six themselves, plus Starlight. They've been hit with Steam Team Syndrome. Not that they've been made the core cast by isolating other characters (barring Starlight, they have been established as the leads since day one). No, I mean that they're practically interchangeable with one another; every time they encounter one of the Mean Six, there's a big conflict. You could have them swap places and the plot would be the same.

Case in point, Rarity and Starlight encountering Mean Applejack. Sure, Rarity said Mean Applejack looked a bit pale, and yet she didn't notice her cutie mark looked different? Not taking a look at Mean Applejack's flank makes both Rarity and Starlight look like idiots.

Adding to the stupidity is that no one knew Chrysalis was behind this scheme. Seriously, they try putting two and two together and yet they each somehow got different solutions! And once again, Twilight is an insufferable idiot by accusing Pinkie of hurting Fluttershy (at least Pinkie actually showed genuine concern for Fluttershy, which was surprising)! Do the new writers have some kind of hatred for Twilight?

Also, the way their fighting was resolved felt far too cheesy. Seriously, all the accusations, and yet it's suddenly resolved by a speech from Twilight. You could argue it's a half minute's worth, but keep in mind this is the climax of ten minutes' worth of misunderstandings (or, if you consider real time, at least a few hours)! On top of that, they're more or less in the same place they started, making the entire conflict pointless.

I'd point out the positives at this point, but... there isn't really a whole lot. There were some funny moments with the Mean Six, but they're painfully predictable. Sure, it was nice to see Chrysalis again, but it just feels anticlimactic. The Mean Six melting and turning back into trees? I'm kind of surprised they got away with that!

Final Thoughts

If you want this story done better, watch The Return of Harmony. There's a lot more character involved, there's a lesson to be learned by the end of the story, and most of all, the characters were in a different place than when they started. Heck, even To Where and Back Again got this right. The Mean 6 had no point whatsoever; it's the dictionary definition of anticlimactic, and the worst episode to come out of the show. A show that crapped out Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep and Secrets and Pies!

At least Chrysalis stayed a villain by the end...

Rating: Atrocious

MLP Episode 812: Marks for Effort

For once, we have an episode that wasn't leaked in December! Okay, technically, it aired in Finland early, but that's beside the point. And it's Nicole Dubuc's first solo episode as well! Can Marks for Effort prove that she's a good writer, or were her collaborations on Shadow Play and School Daze pure luck?

Honestly, it's still hard to say right now. It's not the strongest episode, but it isn't all that bad either. It was... fine.

One of the things which struck me was the synopsis; why would the Crusaders want to attend the School of Friendship when they're already at Cheerilee's school? Thankfully, they didn't have to deal with going to two different schools at once, and they become tutors at the School of Friendship in the end.

And then there's Cozy Glow. I don't really have too much to say about her at this point, but she looks cute and charming. Some are saying that she might be Queen Chrysalis in disguise, and whilst I don't usually comment on fandom speculation, that may actually be something the show never tackled before. Usually, when we meet an antagonist, we get the impression that they may not be one we want to mess with.

However, a downside to that is... Well, look at recent Disney villains like Hans from Frozen and Bellwether from Zootopia; their villainy comes out of nowhere and it raises questions as to how we - the audience and film's characters - were able to trust them at all.

And then we come to the comments that Diamond Tiara wasn't used in place of Cozy Glow. I genuinely believe that in Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Diamond Tiara was deliberately given a redemption just so they could write her out of future stories and push her into the background, likely because of how much the fandom hated her at the time. Considering what happened to Flash Sentry (someone who's never done anything bad), that's a possibility.

Back to the episode; this kind of raises questions in-universe as to how old the Crusaders are. We know Flurry Heart is a baby and that the Mane Six and Starlight are adults, but the Crusaders? They're still in school, and yet they act and sound like teenagers.

Also, Twilight's characterization this season is becoming more gratuitous. Why would she jump to the conclusion that the Crusaders deliberately caused Cozy Glow to fail? Yes, I get that she cares for her students having a good performance, but banning the Crusaders for a lie seems like overreaction on Twilight's end.

Getting back to Cozy Glow apparently being a secret antagonist, maybe lying about the Crusaders seems like the first sign? This should be interesting as the season progresses.

Final Thoughts

So far, this is probably Nicole Dubuc's weakest script, much of it is down to a thin plot and predictable outcome (I'm sensing a trend this season), but I'm hoping she comes to her own and improves as season eight carries on. It's nice to see a little more growth being implanted for the Crusaders, and this may be the first episode to hint at what's to come for the finale in autumn. Also, can we stop making Twilight look like an incompetent idiot when there's a serious issue at hand? Familiarity breeds contempt, and it already looks like she'll be worse than she was in season six.

Rating: Okay

MLP Episode 811: Molt Down

This review was held back in honor of Memorial Day.

A couple of years ago in her follow-up review on Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep, Lily Peet sarcastically commented that she was looking forward to how My Little Pony would handle puberty... and then Molt Down came around. Will it actually be good?

The short answer is... yes, surprisingly!

One of this episode's greatest strengths is that Spike feels relatable and not being constantly brought down to size; in the case of the "molt," it's an inconvenience and he never knew it happens to dragons. Of course, I'm pretty sure Smolder wasn't scaring him on purpose and was simply joking with him, but then again, she didn't grow up around ponies and wouldn't understand how he was feeling.

What was also nice was seeing Twilight show genuine concern for Spike when he gets stone scales around his face. After a couple of episodes where she came off as an incompetent idiot, this is definitely a breath of fresh air. Though wouldn't Spike have known by now Twilight wouldn't abandon him?

Rarity and Zecora were also great; the former's brief deafness problems are pretty amusing, and the latter's guidance roles make me appreciate how lucky Zecora is to be a side character. She works best when she's playing off another character in, for example, A Health of Information and Magic Duel. It's also why I'm glad Edward is moving to Wellsworth because chances are he'll never be poorly written again, but I've explained why already, so let's move on.

But now let's talk about the main takeaway of the episode; Spike getting his wings. Well, it would be a nice surprise if A) it wasn't leaked by greedy fans, and B) Hasbro didn't reveal that information in a teaser! In the case of the latter, this is practically Magical Mystery Cure all over again, only this time, fans weren't thrown into a tizzy about the show being "ruined".

Personally, I'm glad and disappointed that Spike got his wings; glad in that after eight seasons, we finally get to see him physically grow up, and it looks as though there's big plans for him later in the season.

The disappointment comes when you consider that Twilight got her own wings at the end of season three. In the last five years, fans have adjusted to this so much that we tend to forget that Twilight started out as a unicorn (or maybe they don't, I'm not sure). Heck, the Crusaders got their cutie marks in the middle of season five, and that was an afterthought. With Spike? By the time Generation 4 comes to an end, it'll be too little too late to get fully used to him having wings.

That being said, it was nice to see Spike standing up to the roc to save Rarity and Zecora from its clutches, and the ending, though predictable, was pretty satisfying. Though it does make you wonder how everyone else reacted to his wings...

Final Thoughts

After a brief slump in the middle of the first half, it looks like season eight is back on track again. Spike is definitely growing as a character (we can't call him a baby dragon anymore) and getting his wings shows that there's a bit more story potential for him. Maybe have him stand up to Garble one day?

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 810: The Break Up Break Down

Season eight had a great start with School Daze, and the next five episodes were all really good for the most part, but then it faltered so suddenly with the last two episodes ranging from bad to terrible. Can The Break Up Break Down claw back some lost ground?

In some ways, it does. Others though? Not enough to be considered one of the best. This has a similar problem to The Parent Map; it primarily takes after a season seven episode (Hard to Say Anything) and three others from past seasons (Dungeons and Discords, All Bottled Up, and Hearts and Hooves Day).

However, unlike The Parent Map, The Break Up Break Down has some advantage over it. For one, the characters are actually entertaining, Discord and Spike especially. I definitely believe you could create gold with these two, and Confalone certainly did here (though, this may be down to having written Dungeons and Discords as well).

Another strong point is that it addressed a question a had since Hard to Say Anything aired; are Big Mac and Sugar Belle in a long distance relationship? As of this episode, we can see that she'll be closer to him by being an apprentice to Mrs. Cake.

The best character of the episode was, without a doubt, Big Macintosh. He's sensitive, he's slightly insecure, and even apologies when he takes his frustration out on those who didn't deserve it. Some may get some Ponyville Confidential vibes out of that, but it doesn't take longer than thirty seconds and like I said, he does apologize for yelling at Sweetie Belle. So let's park a bit of caution there, okay?

Speaking of which, the Crusaders' subplot felt useless and didn't have any impact on the main story. Sure, they helped Big Mac set up the barn, but that's it. It could easily be skipped over and you lose nothing.

The episode's theme was about jumping to conclusions... and communicating properly with others, which, actually, feels a lot more nuanced than what we've seen as of late in recent Thomas episodes like Engine of the Future. The fact that they used a few characters around that theme made it all the more better, though slightly anti-climactic since we know Sugar Belle wasn't going to break up with Big Mac.

Also, this is minor, but why do they keep saying "girl" in place of "mare"? There's nothing wrong with saying "coltfriend" and "marefriend", so use that!

Final Thoughts

It's a step in the right direction for season eight; despite the re-use of elements from certain episodes, the characters and theme more than make up for that, so it passes into "good" territory, though only just. That being said, I hope they come up with some more original stories for the rest of season eight and nine, plus the yet-to-be released Generation 5. Otherwise, it's a sign the series is creatively stagnant and should be put to bed.

Rating: Good

MLP Episode 809: Non-Compete Clause

After seven episodes since School Daze, we're back to the School of Friendship! There's one thing concerning this Non-Compete Clause; will it actually be good and prove The Parent Map was merely a fluke?

Last time, I was hoping the writers could do something fresh lest the show become stagnant. Their best response? An episode about teamwork, and one where Rainbow Dash and Applejack are at odds with each other... again.

However, to be fair, this was seven seasons after Fall Weather Friends, so it's a bit more forgivable here. And the fact they had the Young Six reacting to their antics added a little more nuance to the story.

But that is what really kills the episode for me. You'd have expected after eight years that Rainbow Dash and Applejack would've learned not to behave like children over little things. Episodes like this where the lead characters are rewritten to suit the story can potentially harm their reputation and make them unlikable. It also says a lot that the Young Six, characters who are meant to represent a younger generation, have more maturity than two characters who have been a staple of the show since 2010.

On top of that, the moral is incredibly hammered in. Sure, it's one that kids need to learn, but here's the thing; this is a lesson Rainbow Dash and Applejack should know by now! We've seen in past episodes that they've worked well together, even in this season alone! Why they can't do this now is beyond me. Hell, the episode's ending gave off the implication that they learned nothing from the experience.

Twilight's role wasn't much better either. Sure, she scolded Rainbow Dash and Applejack for their behavior (something we need to see more of), but she still lets them lead the field trip anyway, despite the fact that Yona almost drowned because of their petty bickering! And Rainbow Dash and Applejack did nothing to help her! Imagine what Rutherford would say if he found out!

Yeah, this episode is riddled with unfortunate implications; would any student want to be taught by a pair of teachers who are constantly at each other's throats during a field trip? The students wouldn't feel safe, and their parents/guardians wouldn't trust them! I know what message the kids want it to be, but as I've said, Rainbow Dash and Applejack should've learned this lesson by now! And when they got tied up, I thought that it served them right for being careless.

Like I've also said, the Young Six are really good throughout, Yona and Ocellus especially. The former's aquaphobia could be an interesting character study in the future, and the latter's transformations into a seapony and a fish are really fun to see.

Final Thoughts

I know it's too early to call, but this is so far a candidate for worst episode of the season. It completely ignores character development that had happened in the past seven seasons just for the plot to happen, the moral comes off as extremely forced, and the ending makes the whole endeavor pointless. The episode as a whole provides nothing new or interesting.

I really hope this doesn't become a constant problem for season eight; otherwise, I'll be left with little to discuss. The writers really need to pick up their game lest this season becomes worse than the sixth.

Rating: Terrible

MLP Episode 808: The Parent Map

So far, season eight has had a pretty solid start. Despite the odd blip here and there, the episode quality has been nothing short of wonderful. But then there's The Parent Map, and given what I saw with Uncommon Bond, I was left worried that it wouldn't be that great. Was I wrong?

I don't mind retreads just as long as the writers do something fresh with the previous plot. But here? This is pretty much a retreading of Parental Glideance, only it's more annoying. Maybe it's not a beat-for-beat retreading, but it does contain a similar trope of Starlight's father and Sunburst's mother being overdoting to their respective offspring. And boy, does it get frustrating after a while...

Not only that, this took on elements of The Perfect Pear (the conflict between the parents, which came from nowhere and ended rather suddenly), Triple Threat (a friendship problem being initiated by Starlight and Sunburst), and Uncommon Bond (a revisiting of their past). I've let the other six episodes off the hook as they added more nuance to their respective themes, but this... doesn't.

In addition to the unoriginality, there's a crapload of wasted potential to explore Starlight's past. How did her father react to Starlight becoming an antagonist? What was Sire's Hollow like when she was little? What happened to Sunburst's father (he doesn't show up in the present day)? Why were Stellar Flare and Firelight fighting at the start? Too many questions and too few answers just make the episode feel overall like a jumbled mess.

They do try making up for the lack of cohesive plot by adding in some humor with the ponyfolk of Sire's Hollow, and to be fair, there are a few actually funny moments with the baker pony and his rock bread. It's also funny that they have more humor and charm in this episode than Sunburst ever did since his debut.

Yeah, speaking of whom, I still don't like Sunburst. He's so boring that he makes Mudbriar look like Capper in comparison. If you aren't going to do anything interesting with Sunburst, then what was the point of creating him in the first place? At least Flash Sentry has (or rather, had) potential. Sunburst has absolutely nothing.

It says a lot that Starlight Glimmer, someone who's given tons of hate even after three years, actually has more character than Sunburst. And again, in fairness, she does what she can to give the episode some weight, and seeing her snap at her father for treating her like a baby was a good moment for her. Whilst Starlight reminding Twilight where she messed up was good, her scolding Firelight was great, and it holds more weight than Rainbow Dash being a bit petty with her parents (which, I'll admit, improves on Parental Glideance slightly). Same for Sunburst and Stellar Flare, surprisingly (even if I don't like the former). Heck, even Twilight and Spike had some great moments despite their small roles.

But there is a glaring issue with Starlight's role; how did she and Sunburst not know what the problem was earlier? Heck, the cold open pretty much shows a pile of Stellar Flare's letters to Sunburst, and you figure out the issue about ten to fifteen minutes before the pair do, making them feel stupid.

Here's what I could've done to fix the episode; have Sunburst go to Sire's Hollow where he learns about what happened to his father whilst making amends with Stellar Flare. And while you're at it, have Starlight be there to provide some moral support whilst thinking about her checkered relationship with Firelight. And on top of providing more insight into their past, you give the audience more of a reason to care for their plight. It's basic on paper, but I'm sure it'd be a lot better than what we were given.

A number of people are bringing this up, and damned if I didn't; the Cutie Map can randomly call up anyone now. That sends off some catastrophic implications if it were to call up a villain...!

Final Thoughts

In answering the question I started off this review with; no. I wasn't wrong. It's unoriginal as hell and has loads of wasted potential; by far, it's my least favorite of season eight and it's a great shame that it had been great up to this point. I just hope that the next episode can bring forth something new; otherwise, it may not just be Equestria Girls that's reaching the end of the line...

Rating: Bad

MLP Episode 807: Horse Play

Happy Mother's Day! To celebrate, here's my views on Horse Play.

Prior to Celestial Advice, there have been complaints that Luna had received far more screentime than Celestia did, and the latter was fairly prominent during season one whilst the former... wasn't. Even though it took them seven seasons to do it, at least the writers have addressed the issue. So how does this one stack up?

Well, it's not as good as A Royal Problem, but it is definitely within the range. Celestia is an absolute delight throughout the entire episode, especially when she has her "squee" moment over being the lead in a play, as well as her bad acting.

Twilight's role... was a mixed bag. I understand why she doesn't want to upset her former mentor, but this is the fourth time in the last year alone (the first three being Shadow Play, The Movie, and School Daze) that she ignored her friends' advice! Does she suddenly not trust her friends? You'd think after eight years she'd have learned to trust her friends by now.

Another issue was with Pinkie Pie; her antics were more annoying than funny, and she didn't get any consequences for making problems worse for Twilight. There is more to her character than the writers seem to be letting on, and you don't need to watch just The Movie to understand that!

However, everyone else in the episode more than makes up for that. Applejack being the voice of reason was nice (at least she learned something from a past experience!), the return of the Method Mares from season five was pretty serviceable, but the standout was Fluttershy, no question. She looks absolutely cute dressed as Celestia.

Besides the theme about being honest with your criticisms, there was a nice theme about working with the problems you've landed in in regards to the final play. I dunno if that was the intention or my interpretation of it, but that was a nice touch.

Final Thoughts

So far, no episode has been able to match School Daze, but Horse Play has come pretty close. It's mostly down to the issues with Twilight and Pinkie's characterization, but despite this issue, it's a solid episode featuring Celestia as a major player.

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 806: Surf and/or Turf

Ever since The Movie, I was hoping we'd get to see the hippogriffs again, especially Princess Skystar. And when this episode was announced, I was excited. But how does Surf and/or Turf fare?

Actually, I'd have been more excited if stupid, greedy people that call themselves "fans" didn't leak this episode (and a few others) in an unfinished state and spoiling the surprises for the true fans because they've nothing better to do with their lives... But whatever.

Regardless, it's yet another episode I really enjoy, and I liked Terramar a lot. He is incredibly sympathetic and relatable, and there's the subtle allegory with his parents Sky Beak (a hippogriff) and Ocean Flow (a seapony) being divorced, and yet they're still friendly with one another. That is a bold move for MLP, and one that I'm sure kids with divorced parents will relate to. Though it does make one wonder how Silverstream is handling this...!

Seeing Scootaloo swim around as a seapony is just adorably charming. It's almost like she's finally achieved her goal to sort of "fly", even if she was underwater. And no, Apple Bloom exaggerating the story of the Storm King's invasion doesn't bug me; most likely she's exaggerating just to make it sound exciting.

That being said, the conflict between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle felt rather shoehorned. Sure, they had their disagreements on where Terramar should live in, but it more or less comes from nowhere and is dropped just as soon as it starts.

Although this doesn't affect my views on the episode, I'll mention it anyway; why on earth is Madeleine Peters not singing? I mean, she's sung fairly well as Scootaloo in the past (the last time was in The Fault in Our Cutie Marks back in season six), and yet here, her singing voice is done by Arielle Tuliao. So... why the change?

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, the best episodes are those that give me little to talk about, and despite the problem with the leaks in December, this was yet another highlight to season seven. Though I was pretty disappointed that Skystar didn't make an appearance, much less receive a mention, it didn't ruin the viewing experience for me. It was fine the way it is.

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 805: Grannies Gone Wild

Don't fret, people; there's nothing pornographic about this episode, especially if you watch it, though there is a problem I have in regards to a certain reference, but more on that later. Anyway, here are my views on Grannies Gone Wild.

I'll start off with a question; when you think of Rainbow Dash episodes, who would be the first character on your mind to play off against her? I'm sure most of you wouldn't think up Granny Smith, am I right? You'd think, "Rainbow Dash and one of the grannies of Equestria? That's too ridiculous even by the show's standards!" And you'd probably be right.

But did Gillian Berrow pull that off? Absolutely. The fact that she even wrote it in Las Vegas might've helped.

What makes it better is Rainbow Dash. Lately, she's been treated as a butt monkey at best, and an unbearable idiot at worst. Whilst there are instances of her being insensitive, she at least has a reason to act this way; she wants to ride the Wild Blue Yonder roller coaster like Wonderbolts past have done before it closes down.

However, she's forced to look after Granny Smith, Apple Rose, Goldie Delicious, and Auntie Applesauce, with strict instructions from Applejack. And seeing poor Rainbow constantly bugged by an imaginary Applejack head was really funny and added to her paranoia. The grannies' antics didn't make Rainbow's behavior much better, but it was still funny to see.

Speaking of humor, the episode is remembered for a particularly awkward reason; not because of the characters, the story, or even the themes (which I'll get to in a bit), but because of this screenshot:

Two things:

1. It's blatantly obvious that this is pandering to the adult fans. Seriously, how many kids are expected to know what Rick and Morty is?
2. The R&M fanbase are making a huge deal over a one-second shot of a 22-minute episode. ONE SHOT that you could easily overlook if you were a casual viewer!

I won't go on about this, but the bottom line is, stop raising hell over small things! The world's already a toxic dumpster fire as it is, so think about your own damn lives for at least a minute!

Okay, getting back to the episode, and I like that there are two themes here; think about others' needs (it's not entirely new for the show, but I digress), and that people can have fun regardless of age (which is surprisingly new for the show). They are both lessons Rainbow Dash needed to learn, and the ride she got at the end on the coaster was pretty satisfying.

Final Thoughts

Need a bit of a laugh for twenty minutes? This episode is for you. It felt like it was an improvement over Somepony to Watch Over Me (after all, old people need a lot of attention) and the whole conflict all felt believable and relatable. It's practically the MLP equivalent to Dowager Hatt's Busy Day. Although, can we stop throwing in references that only older fans will get? Because the more you do it, the less you focus on your target audience.

Rating: Excellent

MLP Episode 804: Fake It 'Til You Make It

So School Daze was an amazing premiere, and yet The Maud Couple was a slightly disappointing follow-up to that episode. Let's see how Fake It 'Til You Make It holds up in comparison.

When was the last time Fluttershy and Rarity got an episode together? Season one? Wow, it feels like ages since that last happened, and it definitely feels more special compared to an annual Maud Pie episode. It's nice to get something like this once in a while rather than once a season.

And this "once in a while" episode turned out surprisingly good given that Josh Hamilton wrote this. Parental Glideance and Triple Threat were okay, but Secrets and Pies was downright awful, one of MLP's worst episodes to date. Fake It 'Til You Make It was undoubtedly his diamond in the rough, though it's not much of a surprise given that this was a Fluttershy episode.

For once, the humor was actually quite funny and rarely comes off as forced. Seeing Fluttershy constantly changing into her vain, hipster, and goth personalities is so over-the-top that I find it impossible not to enjoy. And hey, where else do you hear her do a Rarity impression?

I also like the roles the raccoons had in assisting Fluttershy, and their interactions with Spike were quite fun; has he been taking lessons from the not-so-introverted-as-we'd-like-to-think pegasus?

But you can't outrun all the criticisms; for one thing, the rest of the Mane Six (barring Rarity of course) felt kind of useless. Sure, they helped Fluttershy get back to normal, but Rarity could've done it by herself as well and the plot wouldn't change. That being said, the moral about being yourself is a good one, but the fact it's overused does not bother me here...

No, the real problem is that it could've worked just as well with Coco Pommel, maybe better. She has a similar persona to Fluttershy, and we've yet to see her display a little more character. Heck, they don't even mention her at any point, which is a great shame.

Final Thoughts

Despite the missed opportunities and a rather awkward ending, it's still one of Josh Hamilton's better efforts - no, scratch that - his best effort so far. Although the lesson is nothing new, it was definitely one Fluttershy needed to learn, as well as being one that can resonate with kids. It's an improvement over The Maud Couple, but still not quite as good as School Daze; and believe me when I say it'll take a lot to beat that one.

Rating: Good

MLP Episode 803: The Maud Couple

Well, we're finally here! I could've posted this earlier, but I first wanted to get the video review for School Daze done for The Emotions' Corner on YouTube. Now that it's done, I can finally catch up on the rest of the season eight episodes that have aired by the time of posting. Starting with The Maud Couple.

I don't think this was as good as School Daze, but I do think that it has a very strong message within its context, and I will get to that in a bit.

The first complaint I have is that this is the third season in a row where Maud Pie is at the center stage near the start of a season. That was a complaint I had with Emily in the Middle feeling way too similar to Love Me Tender; however, unlike the aforementioned Donald and Douglas episodes, the Maud Pie episodes are actually very different story wise:

• The Gift of the Maud Pie is about Pinkie trying to get her sister a gift whilst in Manehattan.
• Rock Solid Friendship is about Maud moving to Ponyville and making a new friend in Starlight Glimmer.
• The Maud Couple is about Maud getting a boyfriend and Pinkie's reaction to it.

As long as each episode featuring a certain character is different, that's okay in my books. Just... don't have a Maud Pie episode near the start of every future season, okay? After all, familiarity breeds contempt. (I'm looking at you, Forgotten Friendship!)

Another problem is one that plagues Nick Confalone's writing; the plot is quite thin, and it almost felt like a few gags were being prolonged deliberately just to fill up 22 minutes. I mean, Pinkie reintroduces herself to Mudbriar three times. What do I think of him as a character? Well... I can honestly take him or leave him, but how often does he have to say "technically" and then over-correct a lot that Pinkie says? This can become annoying after a while.

Oh, and two more points where the plot feels thin; Maud Pie's stand-up comedy act and Pinkie's Opposite Day fantasy with the rest of the Mane Six. They're both funny in their own right, but they add nothing to the plot.

Now, the episode as a whole isn't terrible; one thing that actually stood out to me was that it looked like Limestone and Marble Pie seem to finally be gaining a bit more character. Limestone can be wise and helpful when she wants to be, and Marble even showed disapproval at Limestone cutting off Pinkie's explanation. That was really good! Can we have more of this, please?

Even more so was the theme, which raises my views on the episode a bit. It's what's inside that's most important. Not as strong as the theme of inclusivity in School Daze, but like the aforementioned theme, it's a big one for today's society as people will judge one another by skin color rather than looking past that.

Final Thoughts

It was a step down from School Daze, but The Maud Couple is still a good episode in its own right; just not as good as it could've been. Had it not been for the theme, it would've gotten a worse rating. Also, can we not have Pinkie acting like a spoiled child whenever she's with Maud? It's writing choices like that which can taint a character's likability and eventually lead to flanderization.

Rating: Good