DragonFreak
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly!
I haven't watched Rainbow Falls yet though, I ran out of time. I think my favorite episode so far this season would be Power Ponies, followed by Bats, and then Rarity takes Manehatten.
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
- Thread starter Mijzelffan
- Start date
SonicMario
Star Spirit
Dracomon said:
My favorite's still the opener. If I had to pick a 2nd favorite though, Pinkie Apple Pie might be it for now.
But I'm really excited for the next two episodes. More discord (In particular more interaction with him and Twilight) this Saturday and next week is the Weird Al Musical episode.
DragonFreak
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly!
Genius idea with Hasbro with Weird Al. I'm pretty sure this was intentional to appeal to the older audience.
I disagree on the grounds that it's "bad". At the very least it's better then Power Ponies.Northern Verve said:
I think it's actually because William Anderson, who does the background music for MLP, was a member of Weird Al's band back in the day.Dracomon said:
DragonFreak
Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly!
Oh that's cool. Still, I think it's a genius idea.
Yeah, this season has been definitely awesome.
Season 3 had a couple good ones, but a lot of duds for the most part in that season. Too much Applejack in my opinion (And don't even get me started on the annoying cousin of Applebloom). Keep Calm and Flutter On, the season opener and finale, and Magic Duel were probably the strong points of the season. Games Pony Play and Too Many Pinkie Pies, and Wonderbolt academy were decent. The rest though were just really bad. (All of the above my opinion).
I do find it funny how the shortest season, and how they showed spoilers for the season and we were all impressed with the animation for the failure song, became the weakest season so far (for most people I've talked to).
I really do think they have been hitting home runs in this season so far, and I'm REALLY glad that they aren't bring Twilight's Princess status or centering her being a princess (other than the opener). Season 2 was my favorite, but we'll see once the season over if I like this season or Season 2 better. I already did better than Season 3, and I say it's better than Season 1 as well.
Season 3 had a couple good ones, but a lot of duds for the most part in that season. Too much Applejack in my opinion (And don't even get me started on the annoying cousin of Applebloom). Keep Calm and Flutter On, the season opener and finale, and Magic Duel were probably the strong points of the season. Games Pony Play and Too Many Pinkie Pies, and Wonderbolt academy were decent. The rest though were just really bad. (All of the above my opinion).
I do find it funny how the shortest season, and how they showed spoilers for the season and we were all impressed with the animation for the failure song, became the weakest season so far (for most people I've talked to).
I really do think they have been hitting home runs in this season so far, and I'm REALLY glad that they aren't bring Twilight's Princess status or centering her being a princess (other than the opener). Season 2 was my favorite, but we'll see once the season over if I like this season or Season 2 better. I already did better than Season 3, and I say it's better than Season 1 as well.
SonicMario
Star Spirit
Smashgoom202 said:
Well either anyone thinks Daring Don't, Power Ponies, or Rainbow Falls was a bad episode. Most have their 1 out of 10 episodes that's considered a dud. Maybe there's people who think all three or at least two of the three are bad. I haven't come across anyone who thought so. But either way that's nine at least decent episode. Something not even the the previous seasons could say they had in their first 10.
And on Power Ponies Vs. Rainbow Falls. I find Power Ponies harmless fun and at least some degree of entertainment value, while Rainbow Falls just had some character derailment I can't look past (Ex: The Wonderbolts for the exception of Soarin'). I don't think it's one of the worst episodes of the show (Like what Mr. Enter seem to be saying about it given he gave it an Animated Atrocity sheet, or Henmo24/The Voice of Reason hated it to the point he ranked it higher then Spike at your Service on his Least Favorite episodes of the Series) but I can't enjoy it on the level of the other nine episodes either.
I guess I can understand that... Personally, I think Rainbow Falls ultimately succeeded in what it was trying to do, despite the contrived set-up (again, I hate what they did with Spitfire in this episode as much as anyone else, but I feel the good bits outweigh it, the same way the good bits in A Canterlot Wedding outweight Chrysalis's "stupid villain" tendencies), but then again, it's a lot like Pixar's Cars and Cars 2. Cars had shallow characters and kind of a lame plot, but it didn't seem to realize that, and tried to get people invested in that good ol' Pixar fashion, and ended up failing harder because of that. Cars 2 is slightly more entertaining in that regard, since it doesn't even attempt to make an emotional connection and just gives us the car jokes and gimmicky plot. In a way, I respect it a bit more for it's honesty.
...Although, Power Ponies KIND of had character derailment, since Fluttershy didn't seem to care/get angry when her friends were being hurt despite that being what motivated her to standing up to the dragon in Dragonshy. Either way, I really hate the "harmless fun" argument, since it implies that just because I don't like it I don't like having fun, like I'm some kind of stick-in-the-mud who needs to be overly-analytical about everything.
...Although, Power Ponies KIND of had character derailment, since Fluttershy didn't seem to care/get angry when her friends were being hurt despite that being what motivated her to standing up to the dragon in Dragonshy. Either way, I really hate the "harmless fun" argument, since it implies that just because I don't like it I don't like having fun, like I'm some kind of stick-in-the-mud who needs to be overly-analytical about everything.
SonicMario
Star Spirit
I wasn't saying Harmless fun as to say as you can't have fun watching an episode. I mean it was harmless fun from my point of view. You could say how the Mane 6 are turned into morons and/or nerfed (The nerfed argument I do agree with, especially in regards to Twilight) upon entering the comic book in Power Ponies. But it didn't ruin the enjoyment of seeing the Mane 6 in Superhero costumes for me. And IMO Flutterhulk had some comedic payoff.
It wasn't simply "harmless fun" to you and that's ok, but I'm not as disappointed with what they did in Power Ponies then with what happened with Rainbow Falls.
It wasn't simply "harmless fun" to you and that's ok, but I'm not as disappointed with what they did in Power Ponies then with what happened with Rainbow Falls.
I guess what it came down to was that there were too many things that bogged it down for me; the mountains of exposition, hammering the message home repeatedly (to the point where you realize that this episode is showing that Spike's only useful when everyone else is useless; yeah, how's THAT for a message, if you feel useless, don't worry, people will rely on you when they're powerless and out of options!), the fact that their superhero powers mirror their actual abilities yet STILL fail at using them initially, the freaking IDIOTIC and FLIMSY handwave about where the comic came from and how it just disappeared for no freaking reason (thus implying that Spike wasted his money on a comic that endangered him and his friends), my own personal bias against fiction within fiction. There literally was nothing in this episode I found entertaining, not even the Mane-iac. If I wanted a crazy villain, I'd go with the Ice King from Adventure Time, and if I wanted a villain that was hamming up how evil he/she is, I'd go with Lord Hater from Wander Over Yonder. Admittedly, I do like Flutterhulk, even if I found what finally made her flip to be a comedic exaggeration of her character (which I find kind of insulting, since I love and relate to Fluttershy's character), plus seeing the mane 6 clean up the castle gave me high hopes that it'll be more important in a future episode!Northern Verve said:
See, I guess this is what irks me about what people say about episodes. They say it's bad, and don't clarify, and if I'm unable to see why they think that way, I get a bit touchy. I can understand why some people would like or dislike certain episodes, if they don't think it's for them or whatever, but when some people go so far when they hate on an episode, even if I think they're justified in some regards, I just have to say something.
The Mysterious Mr. Enter reviews this episode (WARNING, he says some very not nice things about it... in fact, judging by what he says, it looks to be one of the worst episodes he's ever seen):
...Admittedly, watching his review, all of his arguments do make a bit of sense, and I most certainly can't fault him for any of the things he pointed out, because they're all kind of true... Still, can't believe that he hated it so much as to not give it any score. But, I heard out his arguments, at least.
...Admittedly, watching his review, all of his arguments do make a bit of sense, and I most certainly can't fault him for any of the things he pointed out, because they're all kind of true... Still, can't believe that he hated it so much as to not give it any score. But, I heard out his arguments, at least.
SonicMario
Star Spirit
Haha this was a really fun one. Discord again provides the entertainment like he always does.
I actually don't have anything particular to say. As the episode is kinda too crazy to even nail things down. It will probably take another watch like always to really digest everything. But this was more enjoyable then last weeks for sure, if you liked Discord in the opener. You should no doubt like this episode.
BONUS: A Genie lamp appeared in the episode. I'm probably one of the few that think that's significant. But I do run a Genie Ask Pony blog xD
I actually don't have anything particular to say. As the episode is kinda too crazy to even nail things down. It will probably take another watch like always to really digest everything. But this was more enjoyable then last weeks for sure, if you liked Discord in the opener. You should no doubt like this episode.
BONUS: A Genie lamp appeared in the episode. I'm probably one of the few that think that's significant. But I do run a Genie Ask Pony blog xD
I'm such a flipping procrastinator, I probably shouldn't have waited until night to write this... I'm a bit tired at the moment, but I want to write down my thoughts while they're still relatively fresh... Although what else is hard is that I watched that PPG special that premiered last Monday and I also want to post my thoughts on that, and I'm trying to remember what I liked and didn't like from both. But whatever, I'll deal with that later, for now, Three's a Crowd.
Yeah, I liked it alright, I guess... I'm still a little confused and/or conflicted about some things in the episode, which I MIGHT get to them as I come to them, but then again, I'm the kind of guy who tends to forget things I wanted to comment on... Oh well, here it goes.
ANYWAY, upon writing this out, I feel like this episode's actually pretty good. Discord is definitely the best part; if not for the humor, then for the insight I came to while thinking about his role in the episode. Everything else was okay, not much to say about them.
But now that we have that out of the way, bring on Weird Al! :D
Yeah, I liked it alright, I guess... I'm still a little confused and/or conflicted about some things in the episode, which I MIGHT get to them as I come to them, but then again, I'm the kind of guy who tends to forget things I wanted to comment on... Oh well, here it goes.
First off, some Spike abuse. Really, it's nothing cruel or anything, but I can't help but feel like the writers after deliberately finding ways to mess with him. Spike walks in with the mail and falls over because Twilight yanks the mail from him. Really, if I weren't so sensitive to Spike getting the raw end of the deal this season, I probably would dismiss this, or wouldn't even notice it! Worse yet, Spike is never seen again in the episode after this! Well, not that he NEEDED to be in this episode, but I'd figure since Discord was staying at Twilight's house briefly, Spike could have shown helping out a little bit. Eh, whatever, it's not important.
What IS important is an excuse for why Fluttershy (i.e. Discord's closest, and probably only true "friend) won't be in this episode. Apparently, she's leaving to learn more about... Breezies! ...Well now. Yeah, in case some of you don't know, there will be an upcoming episode this March featuring Breezies (or at least has Breezie in the title), and were formerly in G3, in which they were tiny ponies with insect wings (no, not like the Changelings). We get some teases about what they are, and at first, I thought Fluttershy would be spending all of her time there until that episode, but she comes back by the end of this episode... I have to wonder if this is foreshadowing or just a handy way of keeping her out of this episode. On the one hand, I'd LIKE to think that since this season is supposed to have tigher continuity, it's leading to something important. On the other hand, the season has proven to have a bunch of dangling plot threads that don't lead to anywhere, and are more of a gag then anything. Regardless, we'll see when that episode airs.
Also, Pinkie barges in, and gives a joke I don't find all that funny.
So then Fluttershy leaves on the train, and she looks really adorable in that attire. I get the feeling that there's something in this scene I wanted to mention, but I'm forgetting it... Also, Pinkie does this whole "I'll never forget you" train cliche, then gets distracted by a balloon... Was that supposed to be funny? Well, if it was... I THINK I get what they were going for, but it still kind of falls flat... Like really, this is probably the most confusing joke in the episode. Pinkie's running off after the train shouting "I'll never forget you!" to Fluttershy, even though she's not going to be gone all that long. I don't find it particularly funny, but I get that. In a sense, it's a shout-out to Wonderbolts Academy where she's basically the same way about Rainbow Dash leaving. But then the balloon floats by and... I GUESS we're left to assume that she immediately forgets about Fluttershy? Um, okay, several things wrong here. For one, the original joke was enough, did we really need to add this? Two, this kind of contradicts Pinkie's obsessive behavior about missing her friends, as I said int he aforementioned Wonderbolts Academy episode. Three, even if it didn't... is Pinkie REALLY that simple-minded that she gets distracted by a freaking balloon, to the point where she immediately forgets that one of her best friends are leaving?! I mean, yeah, Fluttershy's not going to be gone for long, but Pinkie is still treating it like a big deal up until that point! I really don't like this kind of random behavior from Pinkie; I prefer when she's off-beat, but her logic is still at least somewhat understandable. ...Eh, maybe this was just meant to set-up a later joke, which I'll get to.
Then another train shows up... a crystal train... Um, last I checked, there was only one train... but then again, since THAT train just left, another train is needed for when Cadance arrives. Still, caught me a BIT off guard, since I would THINK, since we've traveled to the Crystal Empire by train before, we'd see this train... then again, maybe it's a special train, meant for Cadance specifically. Regardless... They really need to make it so that it doesn't screech that much.
Oh yeah, Flash Sentry. He's there, he doesn't say anything, he doesn't impact the plot at all (just like he did in Equestria Girls, ba-dum-tish), and that's it, move along nothing to see here.
Nice to see Twilight's princesshood is acknowledged, even if it was just mentioned in passing. In a season which, so far, has treated Twilight like she hasn't changed at all, it's nice... no, it's NECESSARY to be reminded that a big, status quo-changing event occurred at the end of the last season. Also, I like Cadance. I know there isn't really much to say about her other then being generally nice, but I dunno, i just like her. Not as much as Shining Armor, though.
...OH SNAP, I just realized while writing this, Twilight and Cadance didn't do their "sunshine sunshine" dance in this episode! How do we know she's not Chrysalis in disguise now?! ...You know what, it's probably not her; if it was, she's acting WAY too competently this time around.
And then there's Discord. I feel like there are a lot of questions surrounding Discord in this episode that SHOULD be answered or at least addressed that are either glanced over and ignored, but I probably won't get to all of them, nor do I currently have enough thinking juice to really ponder all of it at the moment... The one major thing that really got to me, throughout the episode, though, was where the Hell does Discord live?! I kind of assumed he was living with Fluttershy, but since Rainbow Dash tells him to "go home" and since Fluttershy writes to him, it would seem that that's not the case... So where DOES he live?! Seriously, Discord was this big-time villain, capable of turning all of Equestria upside-down; even IF he has Fluttershy as an anchor to keep him from going completely diabolical, you'd THINK they'd keep a closer eye on him, ESPECIALLY since they don't have the freaking Elements of Harmony anymore! I mean GEEZ, as if Keep Calm and Flutter On being a bad set-up to this (yeah, sorry people who liked that episode, I'm still not convinced) and Meghan McCarthy playing the "who's side is he REALLY on?!" care, adding FURTHER confusion to people who actually enjoyed that episode, this just begs so many questions! One of many that this episode raises...
Anyway, Discord's sick with the "blue flu", and wants Fluttershy to take care of him, apparently "forgetting" that she left that very day. BTW, the reason why I'm putting those words in quotation marks is, since Meghan McCarthy is really pushing the "who's side is he REALLY on?!" card, I find every action he does questionable, and not in a good way. Rainbow Dash ditches, and Pinkie Pie... apparently annoys Discord? Um... okay... that's a little weird. I mean, you'd think Discord would be happy to have Pinkie as a playmate/someone to take care of him. I mean, he's all about chaos and nonsense, and you don't get anymore chaotic and nonsensical then Pinkie Pie (at least until next week). Again, I feel like this was a wee bit of a forced excuse to set up the main premise of Twilight and Cadance taking care of Discord, and thus, they use the balloon joke from before to have Pinkie Pie go away. Applejack and Rarity are left, and they agree amongst themselves to take care of Discord so that Twilight and Cadance wouldn't be bothered... to which Discord overhears them and "accidentally" infects them with his sickness. ...You know, I have to wonder how they got better after that... Again, will get to that later.
BTW, forgot to mention, apparently there's a traveling "Starswirl the Bearded" exhibition visiting Ponyville. It's nice to know that despite Ponyville being a hick town completely unaware of such an important historical figure to their country, SOME ponies are giving him the respect he deserves. I really have to wonder how much Cadance actually cares about this, but likely is just glad to be hanging out with Twilight... although she DID recognize that candle holder, which... wasn't real, I think, since it turns into Discord.
Also, Cadance knows an anti-sickness spell? Her and barriers... I thought that was Shining Armor's thing. Then again, she IS an alicorn, which... well, at first I thought that meant you were a being with a LOT of magical power, but ever since Cadance and now Twilight have been introduced as alicorns, I have to wonder if that's really the case. It's all very confusing. Some WOULD say that the ambiguity is a good thing, since it means there's a lot of wiggle-room, but for me personally, I'd prefer to get some concrete answers...
I have to wonder why Twilight bothered helping Discord out... Purely in the name of "friendship"? Again, this begs the question, why would Twilight want Discord as a friend... I mean, yeah, reformation, making sure he doesn't turn back, blah blah blah, but wasn't that Fluttershy's job? I know she's not here, and I know her reasoning for being friends with Discord is questionable (sorry people who liked Keep Calm and Flutter On, it is), but still, it feels a bit strange... Then again, I suppose Twilight DOES want to uphold herself as someone who has a good grasp on what being a friend is about, and usually, to show that you want to be a good friend, you're going to have to give a little bit, to show that you care (even if you don't). I guess she probably realizes that Discord still needs to learn about what it means to be a friend, and she's doing this to show that she's willing to help him in his "time of need"... even though she still doesn't seem to trust him all that much... I really don't know where I'm going with this. Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but then again, this episode feels so strange to me, and I want to know why...
So we cut to Twilight's home, Discord is in Twilight's bet, looking through and reading her stuff, taking advantage of Twilight's kindness, which is pretty much the point of all of this... Yeah, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying this, by this point. What follows is a song that's entertaining, strange, and goes by WAY too quickly for me to fully grasp what's going on. Seriously, half, or even two-thirds of what's in that song sequence went by so fast I couldn't even process it! ...This is also a very weird song in the sense that, unlike other songs in the show, I can't see it being remixed all that much, nor does it feel like a traditional song this show is used to. It feels more like a song from the likes of Adventure Time, or shows that aren't musical by nature... It's hard to explain, it just feels really unique. It's not catchy, it doesn't really have a "beat" to it, it doesn't "sound" all that appealing, but dang if I don't want to listen to it again just to hear/see all the things I missed.
Incidentally, this is the moment where I realized Discord wasn't truly sick. Someone who can still do all he managed to do can't be THAT under the weather... He then decides to reveal that there is a cute for this "blue flu", and that Twilight and Cadance can lead him there... while dressed as Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? I haven't seen that movie, so can anyone tell me if this is specifically referencing anything?
So anyway, Twilight and Cadance make it to the flower, only to find out that the flower is gigantic. They combine their magic to get the flower out of the ground, and then a giant worm attacks them...
...Yeah, that happens. Like, I don't even know what else to say, it just came right the fuck out of nowhere, and the fight with it isn't really that exciting. Cadance gets caught, "let go of my sister-in-law", TWILIGHT gets caught, "let go of MY sister-in-law", they both get eaten, then make it out, they bury it, the end. Yeah, sorry if I sound unimpressed, but... well, I wasn't impressed.![:-\](/custom/smilies/undecided.gif "Undecided :-\")
The carry the big flower to Discord, who SURPRISE SURPRISE isn't blue anymore. Yeah, turns out he faked it to get Twilight to do what he wanted. Now if it had ended there, or if it had skipped the following part, I'd kind of be okay with this episode. Discord still doesn't understand what it means to be a friend, takes advantage of someone's kindness in the name of "friendship" (again, kind of like what he tried to do in Keep Calm in Flutter On, but didn't go through with it because... friendship, I guess. Once again, sorry people who liked that episode, still have a hard time buying that Discord would even WANT friendship, especially after what's about to happen), then suffers some karmatic justice. But instead, we get treated to Discord pulling a excuse right out of his ass to save face about putting Twilight through all this... you know, when he "manipulated" Twilight in Princess Twilight Sparkle, it was done excellently, because you couldn't tell if he was genuinely trying to help Twilight out or if it was part of some grander scheme of his, and he played off of it very naturally, to the point where you could believe either way. See, THAT is how you do "who's side is he REALLY on?" properly (except for the whole Fluttershy bit, but whatever). Here, he's not even trying to hide the fact that he really was trying to take advantage of Twilight, to the point where he has a special amulet depicting him putting a thumbs up in Twilight's face. You know, subtly can be pretty nice every now and again.
But that's not the problem I have with this... The problem I have is what follows. See, Discord, in full-on dick mode, goes on to say he probably ruined Twilight and Cadance's time together, to which Cadance, surprising Twilight and Discord (and me as well), says it didn't. See, it turns out she DID enjoy their time together, because it was so "exciting" and "unexpected" compared to her routine royal duties in the Crystal Empire... Um, yeah, sorry Meghan McCarthy and Josh Haber, I don't buy this in the slightest. In this very episode, it was pointed out that the last few times Twilight and Cadance hung out, disaster awaited; at least two of those times involved the fate of Equestria, as well as their very lives, just like this time! I mean, I know Cadance is trying to see the positives in this situation, but saying she had a great time... yeah, you're pushing it. Or maybe she was just saying that to not let Discord's jerkiness get to Twilight, or to show up Discord himself, who... seems genuinely upset by this. Okay, THIS is the biggest confusing moment of this episode. Yeah, forget the Pinkie Pie balloon thing, this really confused me... why does Discord seem so upset by the fact that Twilight and Cadance still managed to have a good time even while taking care of him? Was he disappointed that he didn't get more attention or everything he wanted? Or was he trying to put a wedge in-between Twilight and Cadance by doing this? ...Actually, a very cruel, uncomfortable thought just came to me... Celestia originally said that Discord ruled over Equestria, and all ponies under his rule were miserable... What if... he made them miserable for his own amusement? Yeah, that would make sense, seeing as he did the exact same thing to the mane 6 in Return of Harmony! And now he's trying to do the same thing here, and seeing Twilight and Cadance staying positive about it got on his nerves! This is kind of a bad thing, because it further proves that I don't think Discord has any interest in wanting friends, and instead, would rather many other ponies miserable then trying to share joy and happiness with them. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but it does make me both uncomfortable and fascinated at the same time...
Then the worm shows up again and sneezes on Discord. ...Yeah, it happened about as suddenly as the first time... But what's more confusing about this is that a.) Discord clutches onto Twilight, yet is the only one affected by the sneeze and b.) Discord seems legitimately shocked by the worm's presence. Surely he must have heard it roar a little while ago. Not to mention, I had originally assumed that Discord picked out this flower BECAUSE of the worm, but then again, maybe he's not THAT cruel... or rather, that's not his style (he'd rather mess with ponies then have them eaten by giant worms). Either way, the worm, who's somehow sick, gets Discord IMMEDIATELY infected. You know, that's another thing about this episode, things go by so fast, you can't keep up with them.
So the episode ends with Discord being treated for by Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity... somehow get better (I guess it wore off after Discord dropped the act), and Twilight is completely hesitant on doing anything for Discord, even getting him... a glass of water.
You know what, I actually kind of like this ending. Having Discord ACTUALLY sick and actually needing care may just show him how fortunate he is to have somepony willing to take care of him. Or not. I'd prefer to think that maybe he'll learn something from this, and you know, be one step closer to being actually reformed? Really, this is something that probably should have been done with Keep Calm and... no, you know what, the problem with Keep Calm and Flutter On was that it was a one-episode deal. When you're dealing with an important character like Discord, and something as big as reforming one of the biggest villains the mane 6 have ever faced, it NEEDS to be a multi-episode deal. KCaFO might have worked better as a jumping off point, something that establishes that Discord is willing to give friendship a shot, rather then having it seem like he's reformed at the end. Eh, whatever, I feel like I ragged too much on that episode in what was supposed to by my thoughts on Three's a Crowd, but then again, you can't really mention Discord and how he fits into the show without mentioning that episode, since that episode's the whole reason why we have Discord here at all.
What IS important is an excuse for why Fluttershy (i.e. Discord's closest, and probably only true "friend) won't be in this episode. Apparently, she's leaving to learn more about... Breezies! ...Well now. Yeah, in case some of you don't know, there will be an upcoming episode this March featuring Breezies (or at least has Breezie in the title), and were formerly in G3, in which they were tiny ponies with insect wings (no, not like the Changelings). We get some teases about what they are, and at first, I thought Fluttershy would be spending all of her time there until that episode, but she comes back by the end of this episode... I have to wonder if this is foreshadowing or just a handy way of keeping her out of this episode. On the one hand, I'd LIKE to think that since this season is supposed to have tigher continuity, it's leading to something important. On the other hand, the season has proven to have a bunch of dangling plot threads that don't lead to anywhere, and are more of a gag then anything. Regardless, we'll see when that episode airs.
Also, Pinkie barges in, and gives a joke I don't find all that funny.
So then Fluttershy leaves on the train, and she looks really adorable in that attire. I get the feeling that there's something in this scene I wanted to mention, but I'm forgetting it... Also, Pinkie does this whole "I'll never forget you" train cliche, then gets distracted by a balloon... Was that supposed to be funny? Well, if it was... I THINK I get what they were going for, but it still kind of falls flat... Like really, this is probably the most confusing joke in the episode. Pinkie's running off after the train shouting "I'll never forget you!" to Fluttershy, even though she's not going to be gone all that long. I don't find it particularly funny, but I get that. In a sense, it's a shout-out to Wonderbolts Academy where she's basically the same way about Rainbow Dash leaving. But then the balloon floats by and... I GUESS we're left to assume that she immediately forgets about Fluttershy? Um, okay, several things wrong here. For one, the original joke was enough, did we really need to add this? Two, this kind of contradicts Pinkie's obsessive behavior about missing her friends, as I said int he aforementioned Wonderbolts Academy episode. Three, even if it didn't... is Pinkie REALLY that simple-minded that she gets distracted by a freaking balloon, to the point where she immediately forgets that one of her best friends are leaving?! I mean, yeah, Fluttershy's not going to be gone for long, but Pinkie is still treating it like a big deal up until that point! I really don't like this kind of random behavior from Pinkie; I prefer when she's off-beat, but her logic is still at least somewhat understandable. ...Eh, maybe this was just meant to set-up a later joke, which I'll get to.
Then another train shows up... a crystal train... Um, last I checked, there was only one train... but then again, since THAT train just left, another train is needed for when Cadance arrives. Still, caught me a BIT off guard, since I would THINK, since we've traveled to the Crystal Empire by train before, we'd see this train... then again, maybe it's a special train, meant for Cadance specifically. Regardless... They really need to make it so that it doesn't screech that much.
Oh yeah, Flash Sentry. He's there, he doesn't say anything, he doesn't impact the plot at all (just like he did in Equestria Girls, ba-dum-tish), and that's it, move along nothing to see here.
Nice to see Twilight's princesshood is acknowledged, even if it was just mentioned in passing. In a season which, so far, has treated Twilight like she hasn't changed at all, it's nice... no, it's NECESSARY to be reminded that a big, status quo-changing event occurred at the end of the last season. Also, I like Cadance. I know there isn't really much to say about her other then being generally nice, but I dunno, i just like her. Not as much as Shining Armor, though.
...OH SNAP, I just realized while writing this, Twilight and Cadance didn't do their "sunshine sunshine" dance in this episode! How do we know she's not Chrysalis in disguise now?! ...You know what, it's probably not her; if it was, she's acting WAY too competently this time around.
And then there's Discord. I feel like there are a lot of questions surrounding Discord in this episode that SHOULD be answered or at least addressed that are either glanced over and ignored, but I probably won't get to all of them, nor do I currently have enough thinking juice to really ponder all of it at the moment... The one major thing that really got to me, throughout the episode, though, was where the Hell does Discord live?! I kind of assumed he was living with Fluttershy, but since Rainbow Dash tells him to "go home" and since Fluttershy writes to him, it would seem that that's not the case... So where DOES he live?! Seriously, Discord was this big-time villain, capable of turning all of Equestria upside-down; even IF he has Fluttershy as an anchor to keep him from going completely diabolical, you'd THINK they'd keep a closer eye on him, ESPECIALLY since they don't have the freaking Elements of Harmony anymore! I mean GEEZ, as if Keep Calm and Flutter On being a bad set-up to this (yeah, sorry people who liked that episode, I'm still not convinced) and Meghan McCarthy playing the "who's side is he REALLY on?!" care, adding FURTHER confusion to people who actually enjoyed that episode, this just begs so many questions! One of many that this episode raises...
Anyway, Discord's sick with the "blue flu", and wants Fluttershy to take care of him, apparently "forgetting" that she left that very day. BTW, the reason why I'm putting those words in quotation marks is, since Meghan McCarthy is really pushing the "who's side is he REALLY on?!" card, I find every action he does questionable, and not in a good way. Rainbow Dash ditches, and Pinkie Pie... apparently annoys Discord? Um... okay... that's a little weird. I mean, you'd think Discord would be happy to have Pinkie as a playmate/someone to take care of him. I mean, he's all about chaos and nonsense, and you don't get anymore chaotic and nonsensical then Pinkie Pie (at least until next week). Again, I feel like this was a wee bit of a forced excuse to set up the main premise of Twilight and Cadance taking care of Discord, and thus, they use the balloon joke from before to have Pinkie Pie go away. Applejack and Rarity are left, and they agree amongst themselves to take care of Discord so that Twilight and Cadance wouldn't be bothered... to which Discord overhears them and "accidentally" infects them with his sickness. ...You know, I have to wonder how they got better after that... Again, will get to that later.
BTW, forgot to mention, apparently there's a traveling "Starswirl the Bearded" exhibition visiting Ponyville. It's nice to know that despite Ponyville being a hick town completely unaware of such an important historical figure to their country, SOME ponies are giving him the respect he deserves. I really have to wonder how much Cadance actually cares about this, but likely is just glad to be hanging out with Twilight... although she DID recognize that candle holder, which... wasn't real, I think, since it turns into Discord.
Also, Cadance knows an anti-sickness spell? Her and barriers... I thought that was Shining Armor's thing. Then again, she IS an alicorn, which... well, at first I thought that meant you were a being with a LOT of magical power, but ever since Cadance and now Twilight have been introduced as alicorns, I have to wonder if that's really the case. It's all very confusing. Some WOULD say that the ambiguity is a good thing, since it means there's a lot of wiggle-room, but for me personally, I'd prefer to get some concrete answers...
I have to wonder why Twilight bothered helping Discord out... Purely in the name of "friendship"? Again, this begs the question, why would Twilight want Discord as a friend... I mean, yeah, reformation, making sure he doesn't turn back, blah blah blah, but wasn't that Fluttershy's job? I know she's not here, and I know her reasoning for being friends with Discord is questionable (sorry people who liked Keep Calm and Flutter On, it is), but still, it feels a bit strange... Then again, I suppose Twilight DOES want to uphold herself as someone who has a good grasp on what being a friend is about, and usually, to show that you want to be a good friend, you're going to have to give a little bit, to show that you care (even if you don't). I guess she probably realizes that Discord still needs to learn about what it means to be a friend, and she's doing this to show that she's willing to help him in his "time of need"... even though she still doesn't seem to trust him all that much... I really don't know where I'm going with this. Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but then again, this episode feels so strange to me, and I want to know why...
So we cut to Twilight's home, Discord is in Twilight's bet, looking through and reading her stuff, taking advantage of Twilight's kindness, which is pretty much the point of all of this... Yeah, I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying this, by this point. What follows is a song that's entertaining, strange, and goes by WAY too quickly for me to fully grasp what's going on. Seriously, half, or even two-thirds of what's in that song sequence went by so fast I couldn't even process it! ...This is also a very weird song in the sense that, unlike other songs in the show, I can't see it being remixed all that much, nor does it feel like a traditional song this show is used to. It feels more like a song from the likes of Adventure Time, or shows that aren't musical by nature... It's hard to explain, it just feels really unique. It's not catchy, it doesn't really have a "beat" to it, it doesn't "sound" all that appealing, but dang if I don't want to listen to it again just to hear/see all the things I missed.
Incidentally, this is the moment where I realized Discord wasn't truly sick. Someone who can still do all he managed to do can't be THAT under the weather... He then decides to reveal that there is a cute for this "blue flu", and that Twilight and Cadance can lead him there... while dressed as Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? I haven't seen that movie, so can anyone tell me if this is specifically referencing anything?
So anyway, Twilight and Cadance make it to the flower, only to find out that the flower is gigantic. They combine their magic to get the flower out of the ground, and then a giant worm attacks them...
...Yeah, that happens. Like, I don't even know what else to say, it just came right the fuck out of nowhere, and the fight with it isn't really that exciting. Cadance gets caught, "let go of my sister-in-law", TWILIGHT gets caught, "let go of MY sister-in-law", they both get eaten, then make it out, they bury it, the end. Yeah, sorry if I sound unimpressed, but... well, I wasn't impressed.
The carry the big flower to Discord, who SURPRISE SURPRISE isn't blue anymore. Yeah, turns out he faked it to get Twilight to do what he wanted. Now if it had ended there, or if it had skipped the following part, I'd kind of be okay with this episode. Discord still doesn't understand what it means to be a friend, takes advantage of someone's kindness in the name of "friendship" (again, kind of like what he tried to do in Keep Calm in Flutter On, but didn't go through with it because... friendship, I guess. Once again, sorry people who liked that episode, still have a hard time buying that Discord would even WANT friendship, especially after what's about to happen), then suffers some karmatic justice. But instead, we get treated to Discord pulling a excuse right out of his ass to save face about putting Twilight through all this... you know, when he "manipulated" Twilight in Princess Twilight Sparkle, it was done excellently, because you couldn't tell if he was genuinely trying to help Twilight out or if it was part of some grander scheme of his, and he played off of it very naturally, to the point where you could believe either way. See, THAT is how you do "who's side is he REALLY on?" properly (except for the whole Fluttershy bit, but whatever). Here, he's not even trying to hide the fact that he really was trying to take advantage of Twilight, to the point where he has a special amulet depicting him putting a thumbs up in Twilight's face. You know, subtly can be pretty nice every now and again.
But that's not the problem I have with this... The problem I have is what follows. See, Discord, in full-on dick mode, goes on to say he probably ruined Twilight and Cadance's time together, to which Cadance, surprising Twilight and Discord (and me as well), says it didn't. See, it turns out she DID enjoy their time together, because it was so "exciting" and "unexpected" compared to her routine royal duties in the Crystal Empire... Um, yeah, sorry Meghan McCarthy and Josh Haber, I don't buy this in the slightest. In this very episode, it was pointed out that the last few times Twilight and Cadance hung out, disaster awaited; at least two of those times involved the fate of Equestria, as well as their very lives, just like this time! I mean, I know Cadance is trying to see the positives in this situation, but saying she had a great time... yeah, you're pushing it. Or maybe she was just saying that to not let Discord's jerkiness get to Twilight, or to show up Discord himself, who... seems genuinely upset by this. Okay, THIS is the biggest confusing moment of this episode. Yeah, forget the Pinkie Pie balloon thing, this really confused me... why does Discord seem so upset by the fact that Twilight and Cadance still managed to have a good time even while taking care of him? Was he disappointed that he didn't get more attention or everything he wanted? Or was he trying to put a wedge in-between Twilight and Cadance by doing this? ...Actually, a very cruel, uncomfortable thought just came to me... Celestia originally said that Discord ruled over Equestria, and all ponies under his rule were miserable... What if... he made them miserable for his own amusement? Yeah, that would make sense, seeing as he did the exact same thing to the mane 6 in Return of Harmony! And now he's trying to do the same thing here, and seeing Twilight and Cadance staying positive about it got on his nerves! This is kind of a bad thing, because it further proves that I don't think Discord has any interest in wanting friends, and instead, would rather many other ponies miserable then trying to share joy and happiness with them. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but it does make me both uncomfortable and fascinated at the same time...
Then the worm shows up again and sneezes on Discord. ...Yeah, it happened about as suddenly as the first time... But what's more confusing about this is that a.) Discord clutches onto Twilight, yet is the only one affected by the sneeze and b.) Discord seems legitimately shocked by the worm's presence. Surely he must have heard it roar a little while ago. Not to mention, I had originally assumed that Discord picked out this flower BECAUSE of the worm, but then again, maybe he's not THAT cruel... or rather, that's not his style (he'd rather mess with ponies then have them eaten by giant worms). Either way, the worm, who's somehow sick, gets Discord IMMEDIATELY infected. You know, that's another thing about this episode, things go by so fast, you can't keep up with them.
So the episode ends with Discord being treated for by Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity... somehow get better (I guess it wore off after Discord dropped the act), and Twilight is completely hesitant on doing anything for Discord, even getting him... a glass of water.
You know what, I actually kind of like this ending. Having Discord ACTUALLY sick and actually needing care may just show him how fortunate he is to have somepony willing to take care of him. Or not. I'd prefer to think that maybe he'll learn something from this, and you know, be one step closer to being actually reformed? Really, this is something that probably should have been done with Keep Calm and... no, you know what, the problem with Keep Calm and Flutter On was that it was a one-episode deal. When you're dealing with an important character like Discord, and something as big as reforming one of the biggest villains the mane 6 have ever faced, it NEEDS to be a multi-episode deal. KCaFO might have worked better as a jumping off point, something that establishes that Discord is willing to give friendship a shot, rather then having it seem like he's reformed at the end. Eh, whatever, I feel like I ragged too much on that episode in what was supposed to by my thoughts on Three's a Crowd, but then again, you can't really mention Discord and how he fits into the show without mentioning that episode, since that episode's the whole reason why we have Discord here at all.ANYWAY, upon writing this out, I feel like this episode's actually pretty good. Discord is definitely the best part; if not for the humor, then for the insight I came to while thinking about his role in the episode. Everything else was okay, not much to say about them.
But now that we have that out of the way, bring on Weird Al! :D
Stargatedalek
What do you mean Im late to the fad? Thats my moe!
haven't seen this show yet
seems like everyone irl is trying to make me watch it
seems like everyone irl is trying to make me watch it
It's pretty good, though I can't speak for everyone... Hell, I'm not even sure which episodes to recommend, since so many people watch the the show for different reasons.Michell said:
Stargatedalek
What do you mean Im late to the fad? Thats my moe!
well, I've seen a couple
namely one of the ones with discord in it and the changeling episodes
and so far I've found it funny, but I don't plan on watching more
namely one of the ones with discord in it and the changeling episodes
and so far I've found it funny, but I don't plan on watching more
Well, that's a shame, but if you're not interested I won't press you.
As for everybody else, I was going to post this on an MLP forum I go to, but it's currently down, so I'm posting it here. There's an EqD discussion article on who you'd like to see guest star in an episode of MLP:FiM.
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2014/01/discussion-what-celebrity-would-you.html
Here's my comment:
Hrm... Well lets see... I'd like to see Andrew W.K. guest star, since he likes ponies. Same goes for Robert Picardo, since he outright admitted in an Interview that he wanted to guest star in ponies so that he'd have a spot on the inevitable panels at Brony conventions. I'm trying to think of celebrities that have admitted to liking ponies, but I can't think of many off the top of my head... as for celebrities that haven't yet expressed interest in ponies...
James Earl Jones
Ron Perlman
Aziz Ansari (I liked him as Westley the Watchdog in Wander Over Yonder)
Betty White
Tim Curry
Patrick Stewart
David Bowie
George Takei
Paul McCarthy and/or Ringo Starr
...There are also certain voice actors who I love and don't really "need" to guest star, but I'd like to see them voice a character anyway since I love them that much. This includes...
Steven Blum
Tom Kenny
Grey DeLisle
John DiMaggio
Billy West
Frank Welker
Rob Paulsen
Maurice LaMarche
I also have to say, a lot of these suggestions are simultaneously predictable, weird, and also hilarious(ly awesome)! Matt Tennant, Gabe Newell, Bill Nye! It's all so amazing! I like Sweetie Bot's suggestion of Grant Kirkhope doing a song for this show, despite the fact that it's likely to never actually happen.
As for everybody else, I was going to post this on an MLP forum I go to, but it's currently down, so I'm posting it here. There's an EqD discussion article on who you'd like to see guest star in an episode of MLP:FiM.
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2014/01/discussion-what-celebrity-would-you.html
Here's my comment:
Hrm... Well lets see... I'd like to see Andrew W.K. guest star, since he likes ponies. Same goes for Robert Picardo, since he outright admitted in an Interview that he wanted to guest star in ponies so that he'd have a spot on the inevitable panels at Brony conventions. I'm trying to think of celebrities that have admitted to liking ponies, but I can't think of many off the top of my head... as for celebrities that haven't yet expressed interest in ponies...
James Earl Jones
Ron Perlman
Aziz Ansari (I liked him as Westley the Watchdog in Wander Over Yonder)
Betty White
Tim Curry
Patrick Stewart
David Bowie
George Takei
Paul McCarthy and/or Ringo Starr
...There are also certain voice actors who I love and don't really "need" to guest star, but I'd like to see them voice a character anyway since I love them that much. This includes...
Steven Blum
Tom Kenny
Grey DeLisle
John DiMaggio
Billy West
Frank Welker
Rob Paulsen
Maurice LaMarche
I also have to say, a lot of these suggestions are simultaneously predictable, weird, and also hilarious(ly awesome)! Matt Tennant, Gabe Newell, Bill Nye! It's all so amazing! I like Sweetie Bot's suggestion of Grant Kirkhope doing a song for this show, despite the fact that it's likely to never actually happen.
Stargatedalek
What do you mean Im late to the fad? Thats my moe!
I seem to recall reading somewhere they tried to get David Tennant on to play Dr Whooves, was it ever confirmed?
As far as I've seen, there's been no headway on that.Michell said:
Stargatedalek
What do you mean Im late to the fad? Thats my moe!
shame, would have been the most epic thing to grace tv
I probably will watch MLPFIM some day, but I've got so many of shows on the go atm
I probably will watch MLPFIM some day, but I've got so many of shows on the go atm
Ditto that; I'm currently watching this show, Wander Over Yonder, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe. MLP:FiM and WOY are tops on my priority list, though, as I still need to catch up on Adventure Time and Steven Universe.Michell said:
@Smashgoom
About the song...it was very unique indeed, but I really felt that it fit Discord's personality. It really was not like usual music, and I'm going a degree in Music! It kind of was like discord music. Somewhat chaotic, a little jambled everywhere, etc. I thought it really did a good job of capturing him.
And I really liked this episode, a lot.
And I really liked this episode, a lot.
Toad Eightyfive
used to be here but peaced out
- Pronouns
- Anything
- MarioWiki
- Toad85
Smashgoom202 said:
Michell said:
Great, so we'll have two nameless sci-fi-themed doctors.
Ultraluigi
doing whatever since 2011
i've been watching this show
but i don't want to be associated with the brony community, because i have a niece, and its impossible for her to search the show on the internet lol
but i don't want to be associated with the brony community, because i have a niece, and its impossible for her to search the show on the internet lol
Anna said:
Yeah, you did a good job at explaining that... Seriously, I've listened to this song, like, 30 times since I saw the episode, I just can't seem to get enough of it! In fact...
I wouldn't mind if this instrumental version became Discord's lemotif from this point onward! Also, apparently Daniel Ingram said that the music was too quiet in the episode, so someone "fixed" it for him!
I wouldn't mind if this instrumental version became Discord's lemotif from this point onward! Also, apparently Daniel Ingram said that the music was too quiet in the episode, so someone "fixed" it for him!
Lastly, the Mysterious Mr. Enter reviews this episode:
I completely agree with him about Pinkie Pie, and yeah, even though Twilight, Cadance, and everypony else seem suspicious of Discord, none of them ever stop to think he might be faking it. Kind of weird, but still, awesome episode. REALLY good, actually, I I legitimately can't get enough of it... or rather, the song.
What I find strange/ironic about this is that I was just at a brony meet-up the other day (we were playing the MLP CCG at a local anime store), and he brought his daughter and niece there with him. Said daughter and niece were the reason he got into the show to begin with!Niime said: