I know I say this every time, but this was the best episode ever. In reality though it's probably going straight in my top five list somewhere- the voice acting was spot-on the entire time, the whole episode was engaging and genuinely charming, and holy crap I could have been struck dead after seeing Rarity in that royal cape and been totally okay with it.
...
Oh yeah, the follow-up.
I'd like to make a note about the episode as a whole- if you remember the iOS app that I reviewed a few months ago, the story put forth in this episode was basically the exact same one in the app. I'm kind of glad I didn't reveal the entire story in my review now.
That said, there has been some confusion about Luna and Celestia's role in the creation story. If you'll notice, the flag erected at the end doesn't feature them anyway. I'd guess they come later. Debate is always welcome, though!
Now, some silly stuff:
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| Seriously, check this thing out. She looks good in anything. |
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| Pinkie was brilliant this whole episode. |
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| Do I even need to caption this? |
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| I was hoping that we might get to see more of these beings. Oh well- they served their purpose. |
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| More draconicus' in that painting thing. |
Derpy, of course! She was much easier to find this time around, and I like to think she was waving at all of us. Hi, Derpy! Yes, we see you. Yes, you're adorable.
Someone thought that Fluttershy's shouting at the beginning of the episode was quite cute, so they looped it for ten minutes. I'm totally okay with this.
And last but not least, a music pony has created an arrangement for the national anthem that everypony sang at the end of the episode. Find it above!
244 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf you ask me personally, there were many positives throughout the portion of this episode.
ReplyDeleteAs a future screenwriter in my own right, I could give in my two cents, regarding the episode's structure and risk taking. The sudden rush of 6 roles being placed with even screen time, would indeed be a feat in of itself!
Applejack (Smartcookie) was a very clever and very stern (Secretary) to Chancellor Puddinghead's (Pinkie Pie) extravagant wealth of dialogue and emotions. There were no "One-liners" as Pinkie's dialogue was feeding the responses to Applejack's character herself. An example of this "feeding" was used with: "Hold on to your hooves, I am just about to be BRILLIANT!" - "That'd be a first."
This feed of dialogue and response, meant that the writer's in this episode took great pains to react accordingly. Character A says something to Character B - to which Character B doesn't hamper or strain their responses towards Character A. Rarely does this dialogue come as clean or as effective, as many characters in other shows, usually have to show expression, range tone of voice, and feel like they were re-written time and again UNTIL the right response is done.
During Twilight's (Clover the Clever) and Rarity's (Princess Platinum) it became strongly evident that the writers wanted to display a great scope of vocabulary, language, and distinct flavor in dialogue. The relationship between royalty and advisor was delightfully shown to the audience without any use of cliché, and even if there were, it'd be followed by the golden rule of cliché: "Re-invent the cliché."
Finally, you have the delightfully pleasing exchange between Rainbow Dash (Commander Hurricane) and Fluttershy (Private Pansy? Patsy?), which wasted no time in highlighting the chemistry between both characters. You held a strong belief that in some lifetime before they met each other, they themselves must have (for better or worse) re-incarnated. I felt the connection between both characters, even more brilliantly than in episodes prior: "The Cutie Mark Chronicles," "Sonic Rainboom," or even "May the best pet win." How far did the duo known each other? How kindled were they in their relationship? How many stories could both Pegusi share by the time they reach their golden years? (Nah, kidding.)
Finally, you had Spike, playing the Narrator to the story at hand. So, technically, this makes... 7 roles? Though Spike did play narrator during (intermissions), not a second or word, were wasted in dragging on the story itself. I played on stage before (for a brief period of time), so if staging a play has taught me anything, is that good script, will indeed, create a most confortable atmosphere amongst your stage mates.
@DarkRaven22
ReplyDeleteOk, I don't get it. Do you guys pay attention? :/
I don't want to be offensive or anything, but this episode is carrying some of the worse critics I've seen so far. And I mean worse as in, they make no sense.
I have read NEGATIVE critiques of this episode that were really well done, could be argued, but nevertheless with solid points and made very much sense, constructive criticism.
But damn, I really don't get your second paragraph, I completely understand the frustration to imagine something like Winter Wrap Up, but the lack of music was instantly compensated by how well played everything was.
But to the real point of why I am writting this:
"No letter to Celestia? *Shakes head* And Twilight's not even worried about going back to magic kindergarten"
Did you see Lesson Zero? In the end of the episode, you see that Celestia tells them that they don't NEED to write her every week, but only when they happen to learn something about the magic of friendship. Now pay attention to this whole episode, they don't really learn anything new that they didn't know, the characters in the play DO, but the girls are quite good at the friendship thing, in fact Twilight herself states that Celestia must have chosen them because they were perfect examples of what friendship is. After all they are the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, and I'd say they fit quite well the role of bringers of harmony.
So no, she is obviously not going to worry about that, because that happened only in Lesson Zero, and in fact it shouldn't happen again.
Now that I concluded the Main 6 and the Narration role in this episode, I shall indeed follow up with other notes that I held strongly from this episode.
ReplyDelete1) The additional use of mythological creatures, fantastical creatures, and additional story cannon (the name of "Starswirl the Bearded" being mentioned) gives hints to the span timeline. Your first hint was Spike's Narration saying: "Long before Celestia's Rule." This means this was past 1000 years (before Luna's imprisonment and the Confrontation with Discord.)
What does this conclude? My conclusions come as follows:
- Discord was in retreat during this timeline, which states that he ruled the creation (before Equestria) away from prying eyes/away in a desolate or isolated location.
- Either Princesses (Luna and Celestia) were either young or have yet to be born into the creational world.
- The "Elements of Harmony" were yet to be created.
2) The exchanged between the Mane 6 (Private Pansy?/Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum/Clover the Clever, Smartcookie/Chancellor Puddinghead) indeed was some of the most brilliant exchanges I've heard all throughout the second season. This indeed, got me stirring up for the reveal of the REAL story (or stories) that are soon to follow. (Recall, it's a Re-enactment, not the REAL story.)
Finally -
3) PINKIE PIE IS MY WAIFU!!
... Bad pun' sorry. XD
3) Third item in notice was indeed the cast's effort placed behind each of their roles. St. Germain played Rarity so cleanly and beautifully; it was indeed an illusion that she would have been Royalty in sometime before. Kind of makes me feel ashamed that Rarity ISN'T some form of royal princess in her own right!
(And for those of you that CONTINIOUSLY slander off the character that she holds, let me rebuttal those that dislike Rarity - As a whole, Rarity holds more character left to be untold than meets the eye. Indeed, if anyone has a brightest chance to surprise anyone, if not everyone, it's Rarity herself. A hint of weakness in her character has already been revealed, when she silenced Spike's confessional, before their inevitable demise/heroic save. So before you continue to display your ire for her, remember who it is that will shed more light into their character.)
Ball herself, playing her roles of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, really made me want to hear more of them throughout. Recall the "Feeding" comment from earlier? Dialogue from both of these characters, has wanted me to hear their responses repeatedly, even after I saw the episode the FIRST TIME around. This was a sign that Rainbow Dash and Applejack are shaping - or preparing themselves - into larger roles of their own. i.e. they will be bound to be future episodes of their own... so we'll see how strong a personality they are on their own. Hope for the best.)
Strong, playing Twilight, has not potrayed the "adorkable" side of herself that Twilight has displayed like before. ("Sweet and Elite" comes to mind? - SHE WAS SO... KEE-YUTE-AH! *Stands still.* Ahem... moving on.) The rich character that was given in Clover the Clever certainly showed stressed the years of experience that Tara has under her belt. Effortless, delightful, beautiful, and surreal, are some words that I can truely describe Strong's performance upon this episode.
Finally?
Libman... It should be a CRIME for one to be so talented!! O: Flash lines from Pinkie Pie, the classic, spearheading characterization of Fluttershy herself... Goodness gracious! Only FEW people could PROJECT their character the way that she does them herself. St. Germain herself does this with Rarity, and countless other roles she's played throughout her years. But... this may sound like a rather ODD comparison... but she strongly gets into character like one other.
... A Bizarre One.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ShatteredDreamsProd1#p/u/51/dPH5F71J4eU
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/user/ShatteredDreamsProd1#p/u/354/zdm8lbRdknw
If there is anything a Screenwriter-to-be (like myself) can tell you, is that a character upon a script... doesn't come to life - until you hear the voice, experience the emotions, and feel the power of shapes and colors. Libman shares this in her powerful performances of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie when she's in the recording studio.
If one thinks that Hollywood Movies make GREAT (*Cough) "Actors." Remember one detail for future reference: It's a 90-120 page script, specials effects, make-up, and HEAVY editing. The actor doesn't (and can't) expression the character, as well as they describe them to be... unless they have cue cards, "motivations," and experience in their belts (LOTS of experience.) Voiceover however, is MUCH more challenging that it sounds. Why? It's only YOUR voice... and your voice alone. No expression, no visual, and no heavy editing or make-up.
I hope you reflect my notes... or suggestions of thought. If you are one with questions, feel free to debate my opinions and suggestions, or contact me via e-mail ([email protected]), and share your two cents at any time. I'm free for a creative response at anytime.
Oh, and two more small things real fast. I didn't care for the episode, but I will say that it was well done. I don't care for the concept of watching a play in a TV setting, but.. it worked.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I don't have anything against Merriweather William. I actually enjoyed Mysterious Mare Do Well quite a bit. In fact, the first fanfic I read was a follow-up to that episode that was incredibly well done, and showed potential fallout that Twilight hadn't expected from her actions. It's called What's Eating Rainbow Dash, written by Somber and posted on 12/3/2011.
I suspect that the elements of Harmony were first discovered in that cave and used to repel the windigos. This isn't mentioned in the pageant because the first rule of Element Club is you do not talk about Element Club.
ReplyDelete@Shantara
ReplyDeleteInteresting theory, AND it makes sense. Thank you for that.
Certainly not the best episode, but it was most defiantly redemption on Merriweather William's part. The pacing seemed a little odd, but I couldn't care less, it was great!
ReplyDelete@NorwegianView
ReplyDeleteIt's safe to assume that more than just six ponies sought refuge in that cave and found harmony together. The pageant was just limited by the number of available actors.
I found this episode very interesting, and it sure does give us to think about. A new time era before Discord, the possibility of where Prince Blueblood's lineage came from, and alot of maneuvering room to for the fandom to work with that the play didn't cover. It'll be interesting to see where this goes, although I am still hoping one day they'll do an episode about how Discord came to be and the rise of Princes Celestia and Luna.
ReplyDeleteeh this episode was very meh, weakest of the season so far, overcheesy jokes and lackluster story,was really expecting more, Winter Wrap was excellent
ReplyDelete@NorwegianView
ReplyDeleteI got a kick out of the Singing in the Rain reference.
"I am just about to be brilliant!"
That's a word for word quote from the movie.
I don't put much concern into those flags. They are either a modern day prop, or they are simply a production derp, reusing an old resource to create it in flash.
I firmly accept at face value Spike announcing this as occurring "long before the peaceful rule of Celestia". I believe that the two alicorns are simply not around, possibly not even born yet. I never have accepted the notion of them as anything more than just ponies with a +20 roll for power due to some powerful magic. I'd love to imagine them coming to be as a result of the harmony of ponies. Afterwards, Discord is attracted by all the harmony and does his best to disrupt it. Then as the two alicorns grow in power, they rediscover the magic that was first shared between those early ponies, and use that magic of harmony to forge the Elements of Harmony into a tangible magical focus, namely the 6 gems. They could have used The works of Starswirl the Bearded in the forging process (familiarizing themselves with him from history), and then set them in the necklaces and big crown thingy at some point in time. Later, with the corruption of Luna (which I VERY MUCH believe could have been set in motion by Discord), using the Elements on an Element bearer and breaking that link could have effectively de powered the elements, rendering them into the inert stones we see in S1E2. The 1000 years of peaceful rule in Equestria allowed the stones to effectively recharge on the natural harmony of the ponies and the land. Eventually, the new Element Bearers, the Mane 6, reactivated the Elements by allowing new links to be formed with their good hearted spirits.
That's my head canon.
My head canon also has the Royal Pony Sisters being rather alone... I think there is a reason Celestia takes personal students to mentor. I imagine it's one of the few things she can do to have a pony that is even remotely close to her as a genuine friend, and not simply a fearful subject. In Lesson Zero, I saw disappointment in Celestia's face when she dealt with the aftermath of Twilight's disaster. I get the impression that Celestia wants nothing more from Twilight than for her to trust and care for her, and not fear her. I imagine poor Celestia is a VERY frustrated pony! That and all those retarded haters out there. Parasprites I tell ya'! Celestia is NO tyrant. She is a practical joker, yes, but never evil. We'd be lucky to have a real leader 1/10th as amazing as her!
Celestia needs just as many hugs as Luna needs!
I call a royal group hug! :D
Didn't care for this episode at all. Animation being pretty spectacular and overarching story disclosure good and aside, the whole idea and execution were horribly stale. From the very onset of the conflict, every single one of you knew the mane6 would have to stop hating and come together and learn to not discriminate. The characters predictably went through their roles with a few chuckles here and there only to end on a lesson everyone was expecting, and has heard a thousand times before. Past episodes had conflict and character emotions embedded throughout the narrative, not outwardly spoken so that even the two year old viewers can understand them instantly, as with the ending argument and the poor ending song (face it, find a pet and becoming popular were 10 times better). Every member of the MLP fanbase enjoys the witty writing and varied/unexpected interactions between characters...of which, I thought this episode had none of.
ReplyDelete@frith
ReplyDeleteYo frith (Is that a Watership Down ref - appropriate given we're discussing theological issues?)
I did use the dates October 31st and December 25th not so much out of convenience as allegory (and again, working on the assumption that the pony calendar follows our own) - I mean, the Nightmare Night and Hearth's Warming episodes are pretty obviously Halloween and Christmas-themed (from our external perspective), so I 'mapped' the relavent holidays together.
For the record, I am a Christian (Church of Wales), but who am I to say that any one (any pone?) religion has a monopoly on truth. For all I know, there may indeed be two alicorn princess-goddesses watching over us ('and Faust is their prophet' - now there's an amusing turn of phrase). I recall a rather good mid-apocolyptic Conversion Buearau spin-off fic that played with the concept a bit as well - damn, I really need to get down to writing a 'My Little Theology of Friendship' essay.
But getting a bit back on track, let's see some pony holidays definitively inspired by other religious traditions - I'd love to see a Ponified Diwali or Tanabata - you could even blend the two and call it the 'Star Lights Festival'.
And for Luna's theorised holiday on the Winter Solstice, I believe bronys better than I have suggested the 'Winter Moon Celebration' in the past. Lunar and Solar Eclipses would probably have relevance in Equestria as well.
And in response to suggestions that Running of the Leaves be linked to the Autumn Equinox - you guys are brilliant! Although both Winter Wrap Up and the Running are events tailored to Ponyville's particular customs, it would make sense for all such celebrations across Equestria to be keyed to the same dates, otherwise you might end up with Canterlot in Spring and Ponyville still in winter - it might also explain Mayor Mare's axiety about being late like the year previously.
Well, thanks for indulging my rambles again, and I hope my musings on relgion have not caused any offence.
Sorry to double-post, but following up thoughts on the 'Running of the Leaves', there might also be a Harvest Festival or Thanksgiving around the same time (there are many such traditions across various religions and even in secular culture) - this is primarily me as a Brit speaking through, as I remember the annual Harvest Festival being celebrated in my village when I was young (the word 'harvest' even comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for autumn, 'haverfest') - traditionally its linked to the Harvest Moon - the full moon nearest to the Autumn Equniox.
ReplyDeleteOf course, any actual Harvest Festival would most likely be celebrated in agricultural areas (Ponyville's more likely to celebrate the crops coming in than Canterlot), and would be tied to whenever the particular local crop came to maturity, although given the control ponies have over the seasons, a degree of synchronisation impossible in reality could be achieved.
@TB3
ReplyDeleteYour reasons are as good as any for placing the dates as you did, and they're easy for people steeped in Judeo-Christian culture to remember. 8^)
I suspect you are right about the "Winter Moon" being a logical choice since the Princess ponies probably raise and lower the moon like clockwork, as with the sun, and not the way we experience moonrise/set. I was still hoping for another term, something that would include the night and stars as they too are Princess Luna's domain, and the moon is just a part of that greater whole.
I have issue with the running of the leaves happening on the autumn equinox. Even at my latitude in the Great White North the leaves are generally still green and firmly attached on Sept 21st. They don't fall too enthusiastically until mid October. The further south you go, the later the autumn leaf fall. I think they just had a running of the leaves this week in Texas. (What happens in the southern hemisphere is a whole other kettle of fish).
Frith sounds somewhat like my name and it has several meanings besides a term for the sun-god of the rabbits in Watership Down, my favorite being a clearing in the woods. Small, simple, easy to remember, I use it every chance I get.
@TB3
ReplyDeleteHarvest festival time is probably concurent with the autumn leaf fall. In north america it's generally Thanksgiving, which happens in October in Canada and November in the US. So harvest festival time would be a good guidline... or people in each climatic zone could just keep an eye on the trees. X^)
@frith
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there ;) - I wish my user name was that well thought out, but honestly, I named myself after a big red rocket from my childhood;
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/330/9/c/thunderbird_3___specs_by_librarian_bot-d33n24d.jpg
Your points on the Equinox and the Running are well-founded - though it is worth pointing out that in Equestria the seasons literally seem to snap from one to another in a short timeframe (see Winter Wrap Up) - that said, in favour of your point I recall the trees are still green in Applebuck Season, which is definately set at harvest time, when apple trees reach maturity and are ready to shed their fruit...
Hm...
Bronies, we must go back to the drawing-board/calendar!
Interesting thought regarding the motion of the celestial bodies - I actually considered the thought earlier today that the sun and moon orbit around Equestria under their own momentum (if this is a Discworld-esque cosmology where said stellar objects are small and close-at-hand) and that Luna and Celestia give each body a 'nudge' each day just to ensure they keep moving - alternatively, if this is a 'full size' solar system, they are giving the entire planet a nudge to ensure it continues to rotate - when Nightmare Moon returned she literally managed to STOP the cosmic clockwork.
Either way, the point is clear - when you mess with Luna and Celestia you are going up against beings with the power to move around billions of tons of rock / solar fusion at their descretion - you might want to not annoy the unicorns too much either, if collectively they are capable of the same feat!
@Peter Critics gonna critisize...
ReplyDeleteOne possibility on the Starswirl issue is that he lived in Luna's era and Twilight simply inserted him anachronistically (being a fanfilly :P). However, intentional historical inaccuracy sounds somewhat un-Twilight-ish.
ReplyDeleteOn Celestia and Luna, I'm fairly sure the flag is merely a modern prop for the understanding of the audience. I like to think sometimes that the princesses were ordinary ponies who attained godhood. Other times I prefer to imagine that Discord created them to challenge him. Bored god of chaos = make some dangerous fun. It would fit his guilt-trip about "turning ponies to stone" in a sort of "My creations call me evil, but they're worse" way.
BLAH BLAH BLAH :D
@Doug That's exactly what I thought lol
ReplyDelete@Milante
ReplyDeleteNope, there are movies/specials in the earlier generations that are better than this.
Someone said that Celestia appeared in S2E1 on that glass mural.
ReplyDeleteDid she had a green mane?
Oh well, FANFICTION TEIM. (The ponies on the flag could be their parents or something.)
the thing i really like about this episode is that what this means is that, not soon after they founded equestria and joined forces as one society
ReplyDeleteDiscord obviously came along and screw things up <,< for who knows how long, well until Celestia and Luna arrived and to command, but we really dont have a time frame for Discords rule yet, if we will ever get one :X
I was actually really disappointed by the whole 'Windigo' crap.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved it if Discord made a comeback, that just kind of pissed me off.
You Know, this episode was awesome, but there is only one bad thing about.
ReplyDelete90% of all "Creation of Equestria" Fanfictions just got Killed. Most of them can't fit with this offical story, but luckly about 10% of them can.
But despite that, Best Episode.
Yet.
@JJ Sparkhooves
ReplyDeleteyou say they got killed , yes they did
but now its cannon there were three factions that downright hatted each other, in a land that was not equestria. It opens up a whole new world of fanfics to arise, all based within a Medevilish/Dark Age setting
@EonMaster
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you for the clarification on the Windigos, I hadn't known that. Also, thank you for actually reading my post and not just bashing me because I didn't happen to like the episode that much. Also, I noticed someone stated that it was a new writer that worked on this episode, and I can see that - the dialogue felt a bit different in this episode than it does in most others.
As for the comments towards those of us who didn't like the episode: I'm not going to just blindly love everything I see. People are allowed to not like an episode. Just because I didn't like the episode doesn't mean that I hate FiM, or that I now hate the people making it. It simply means I didn't like the episodes. Many jokes fell flat and the dialogue felt stilted. I understand that they were acting out a play, but that doesn't help me enjoy the episode any more. I'm still looking forward to new episodes, and I'm still a brony. I am, however, highly disappointed in my fellow fans for jumping all over people who simply didn't like the episode. We happen to have opinions too, and I'm pretty sure they're worth just as much as yours. So seriously, show some respect and show that you've actually learned something from the show.
@Dr. Sudds
ReplyDeleteI dont see Vinyl Scratch
It seems to me that the psychological state(s) of ponies literally generates beings with that nature. So the conflict between the ponies made the wendigos. Some future discord makes Discord. (And the CMCs free him with similar discordant behaviour). The urge for harmony then generates the Elements and the Princesses. However the fact that Luna can become, or be possessed by, NMM also means that these generated beings can again generate more beings.
ReplyDeleteWhat meaning does this have for Everfree Forest? The rough uncontrolled negative thoughts of ponies? It is small because such negative thoughts are very limited in current pony-kind?
And this ties in nicely with the idea that this show is also generated by real life people.
If so, what fan fics could be made by exploring the idea that thoughts generate beings :O which then act according to the thoughts that made them!
Applejack and Rarity are best ponies!
ReplyDeleteI loved the look upon Applejack as she got hugged by Pinkie Pie.
@Finghost
ReplyDeleteI still don't get the hate for that episode 8 (Mysterious Mare-do-Well). It seemed a good episode to warn against letting pride gain the upper hand.
A lesson from history for the producers of MLP:FIM who might be reading these comments:
Electronic Arts' C&C 3 became a mere shadow of Westwood Studio's original C&C games, and C&C 4 became one of the worst games across genres in recent memory. A likely cause was the game developers following too closely to a minority but vocal group of fans who wanted 'fast and fluid gameplay' among other incompatible demands.
My two-cents worth.
that was an excellect scene for Derpy
ReplyDelete"I hated this episode because the canon didn't match with what I wanted it to be!"
ReplyDeleteAw, boo-hoo-hoo!
Cry some more, foals, I'm busy actually enjoying the show and having a great time NOT nitpicking on it for stupid reasons. Another great episode, as usual. Thanks, FiM Team!
Excellent episode! Derpy waving to the audience (and by extension, us) was charming.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read all the comments (started skimming after the fantard rage began) so I don't know if anyone else has noticed that we now have a pretty accurate idea of how big the ponies are.
On the way from the train station to the palace, Twilight points out an "8-foot candy cane," and Scootaloo is right there for a height comparison!
@SoFDMC
ReplyDeleteWith regard to C&C 4, *shudder* I couldn't agree more. There's a major difference between being innovative vs overhauling a tried and true formula. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Judging by the mixed reactions to the backstory provided in this episode, it's obvious the fanon itself is full of conflicting theories. Even if the writers were to incorporate fan-made ideas in the show (which wouldn't be a very wise thing to do in the first place), it would still be impossible to satisfy everyone.
With all due respect, I think those who rage over the episode simply because it doesn't conform to their head canon are being over-demanding. I'm sure Platinum would say, "That's barbaric!"
Note that I'm not deriding anyone who has valid reasons to dislike this episode. After all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
@b0b4_f3tt_043 That's what Equestria Daily's forum thread is for.
ReplyDeleteI realized that the MLP production team are really sensitive to our comments when they seemed very affected by the strongly negative comments when Mare-Do-Well episode came out, hence the previous post.
C&C case was brought up as I had to watch my favorite series go down the toilet when EA took over Westwood in 2001.
Ultimately gauging the fandom's overall preferences for the show is still a hit and miss thing. The production team and Lauren Faust herself deserve a medal for being able to hit it right almost all the time.
An outstanding cartoon series of this level comes only once every fifteen years.
Did anybody else's ears perk up when Pinkie Pie said "The earth ponies will go it alone"? Because "I'll go it alone" is the name of a song on My Little Pony The Movie. Plus Pinkie Pie is wearing a huge tail bow that's reminiscent of the G1 ponies.
ReplyDelete@MaquabraI think you completely forgot the fact that this was a reenactment of Pony history.
ReplyDeletePinkie Pie normally isn't nearly such an idiot (nor are RBD, or even Rarity, who I adore but can be a pain to like, especially when she borderline manipulates Spike, or tries to ditch Twilight's party)--the three rulers were made into caricatures of their actors' worst qualities. The writer/s knew exactly what was going on.
AJ isn't normally so rude to Pinkie, Twilight's relationship with Rarity is nothing like Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever's. Fluttershy doesn't actually "really really really really really etc. dislike" Rainbow Dash (afaik), but her character dislikes RBD's character.
Spike doesn't usually talk with a terrible accent.
I'm all about love and tolerance but if you foals can't remember to trust those who bless us with this show with whatever directions they choose to take it, namely giving them the benefit of the doubt when you think something is "off", I'm afraid I might turn just a little bit gray.
My only concern was that the "Windigos" seemed like a negative McGuffin at first, but at second thought I couldn't think of how else they could have made that work (in a "kid's" show, anyway), and having the main problem be Discord would have made him too old, possibly overused and overpowerful. Though I don't know if his "powers" have actual limits, lest friendship get in the way.
Obviously you don't have to like the episode. But I could tell that this one was made with confidence and care and it grinds my gears that someone, a fellow Brony at that, would suggest those in charge are "slipping" even a notch, especially when he or she obviously didn't even "get" it this time around.
I do apologize if this matter has been resolved, and if I am being harsh. I'm probably just mildly upset because this is one of my favorite episodes and I feel like half the fandom is writing it off as horrible without getting, like, half the points it's trying to make.
So yes, opinion'd. But this episode was an episode within an episode, thus the erratic treatment of the characters. If nothing else though, you MUST appreciate Fluttershy's realistic eyelid stretch when Rarity was dolling her up.
@Arch Princess Celestia on a pancake, it was a play, man. Not the "Equestrian Bible by Lauren Faust".
ReplyDeletePAST EPISODES were not DRAMATIC PRODUCTIONS for other ponyfolk.
*facehoof*
The point of the song wasn't to be good, it was to be a carol. When was the last time you heard a truly amazing Christmas Carol?
@demonikinetik
ReplyDeleteI just think that many past episodes, for example "pinkie keen" or "sisterhooves" to name a few, had something a little unexpected...something surprising in the end. Everyone could see this one comin' from a mile away, even if it was a "dramatic production". Three of the ponies represented the conflict and three the resolution, pieces of a story puzzle practically put together FOR the viewer into a stagnant rehash of a simple moral, one already covered in the show in past episodes (bridle gossip) at that. To me, it just lacked the show's sprightly charm I've come to love.
As for the song? Just didn't hit the right note...ponies who already know and value friendship having just taught a lesson in friendship literally singing about SINGING AND FRIENDSHIP. Felt unnecessary to me.
All that being said, Pinkie's map scene was pretty hilarious
ReplyDeleteI think the spelling’s been established as “draconequus”, though I can’t swear to it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the song at the end is supposed to be a Hearth’s-Warming Eve carol rather than a national anthem.