Season 1 Review · 7:48pm Feb 2nd, 2013
Since there's no new episode this week I have decided to review Season 1 of Friendship is Magic. Now I'll split this review into two parts. The first part will be about how the show came to be and what the first season had to offer. The second part will be a tally of the episodes in each of the following groups, The Good: Episodes that you could watch again and again and enjoy every time, The Bad: Episodes that for one reason or another just didn't turn out good and you likely won't be intrested in watching more than once, and The So So: Episodes that aren't good or bad alongside a breif explanation as to why they are there.
O.k. let's begin the review. Get ready because we're going to be here for quite a while.
Part 1: The Birth of The Show
By 2009 Hasbro had already redesigned the current generation of My Little Pony, creating G3.5. Around that time Lauren Faust who had previously done work on "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends" and "The Powerpuff Girls" on Cartoon Network approached Hasbro and expressed her intrest in writing the next generation. Having grown up with the G1 cartoon Lauren Faust wanted to make the ponies less girly and create a show that would not have tp intentionally dumb itself down for little girls. Originally Faust submitted a pitch bible for the show that involved among other things a return to the adventure stories of G1. Hasbro shot down her idea for two reasons, one was because they wanted to make the show slice of life since those stories were easier to write, two was because Faust had planned on using the G1 ponies she had grown up with such as Firefly and Surprise but aside from Applejack and Spike Hasbro had lost the rights to all the G1 names. Not willing to give up Lauren Faust rewrote the characters with G3 names like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and submitted her idea again. By mid 2010 Hasbro had approved of her ideas and the show was created. The show premiered in the U.S. on October 10, 2010 as a preview for Hasbro's new channel "The Hub". The episode that aired was "Friendship is Magic, Part 1" which was written by Lauren Faust herself. The pilot started out by explaining a little about the land the show took place in and introduced the audience to the main character Twilight Sparkle. The pilot revolved around Twilight finding out about the return of an evil being known as Nightmare Moon, the corrupted form of Princess Luna but when she tried to warn her mentor Princess Celestia she was told that she had nothing to worry about and that she needed to make some friends. So alongside her number one asistant, a baby dragon named Spike Twilight traveled to Ponyville where she was to make some friends. Twilight was not too happy about the idea. To make matters worse it turned out that she was indeed right about Nightmare Moon who having claimed to have already dealt with Celestia vowed to shroud Equestria in eternal night. The second part of the pilot did not air for a whopping 14 days. "Friendship is Magic, Part 2" premiered on October 24, 2010 and revolved around Twilight and five other ponies that she had already met earlier as they traveled through the Everfree Forest to find the Elements of Harmony, the only thing that could stop Nightmare Moon. When that goal was achieved Twilight had finally learned just how important friendship was and so Princess Celestia decided to let her stay in Ponyville as long as she wrote about her latest findings on the magic of friendship. And so the show took off with Lauren Faust serving as Excutive Producer. New episodes aired every week up until December 24, 2010 with episode 11 "Winter Wrap Up". Then after taking a holiday break new episodes returned in January 2011 and for the rest of the season the new episdoes usually aired on Friday mornings. By this point the show had attracted a group of older fans mostly male but some female that came to be known as "Bronies" and before long the show started to acknowledge its new fandom which had already created its own fan site known as "Equestria Daily". Bronies themselves got a shout out in the extended verision of "Equestria Girls". The season concluded on May 6, 2011 with "Best Night Ever" and many fans started to grow worried, claiming that the show was over even though there was nothing to suggest it. Before long information about Season 2 began to surface along with the announcement Lauren Faust was stepping down as Executive Producer and would stay through the second season as a consulting producer.
Part 2: The Good, The Bad, And The So-So:
The Good:
Applebuck Season
Reason: This is an excellent Applejack episode with some funny gags to keep us entertained. Not to mention that Big Macintosh speaks normally. Plus we're introduced to the flower trio and Mr. and Mrs. Cake.
Griffon the Brush Off
Reason: If there's one thing this show is good at it's making us feel sympathy for the villans. Even if you don't like Gilda you have to admit it's hard not to feel a little sorry for her since she was so overprotective of her only friend. This episode also provides a scene where Pinkie Pie actually stops to consider that she might be wrong about Gilda even though we know she's right. And Rainbow Dash stands up for her friends which shows that she's the Element of Loyalty for a reason.
Dragonshy
Reason: This episode shows that you can adventure stories in a slice of life type show and make it work. It's intresting how Fluttershy actually has a justified fear since the dragon is much bigger than her or anyone else. And of course Fluttershy shows how when push comes to shove she'll face her fears to protect those she cares about.
Bridle Gossip
Reason: This episode is where the writers realized they could get away with a lot of stuff and make something actually look scary. Apple Bloom is introduced and the mane six's afflictions are both funny and in Twilight's case a little disturbing. But the biggest thing that this episode has going for it is Flutterguy. Admit it Flutterguy instantly made the episode for you.
Fall Weather Friends
Reason: Applejack and Rainbow Dash both get a chance to show off their skills and both get to see how deep down they're a lot alike even if Applejack is more hardworking then Rainbow Dash. The commentary with Pinkie Pie and Spike is excellent, those two could make anything sound good. And Twilight shows how book smarts can help you out even though experience is just as important. Also does anyone else find it odd that Twilight has a gold medal despite saying she placed 5th?
Suited for Success
Reason: Still the best Rarity episode out there as we see that even something as girly as dress making can be made into something that everyone can enjoy. The song "Art of The Dress" gives Rarity a chance to show off her impressive singing skills and the reprise allows for the rest of the mane six to do so as well. The whole episode shows what can happen when Rarity is too generous and the animation for the dresses during the second fashion show is still impressive no matter how many times you watch it. Hoity Toity also happens to be a fairly nice Canterlot celebrity since he's willing to give Rarity a second chance to impress him after her first fashion show was a flop.
Sonic Rainboom
Reason: Words just can't do this episode justice. There is too much about this episode that is good. And you have to admit that this episode has the most memorable opening sequence. Especially because of how wrong it sounds when you take it out of context. Sorry I couldn't resist.
A Dog and Pony Show
Reason: This episode shows that even someone like Rarity is not weak. And serves to remind us all that women can be just as smart if not smarter then men. Not to mention that Spike's fantasy sequence is amazing, too bad it's all in his head. Also let's not the forget the "I am not wining I am complaining." line from Rarity.
A Bird in The Hoof
Reason: Princess Celestia gets a chance to show that she does have a sense of humor but that's it's good natured and she only does it because she wants her subjects to lighten up and feel relaxed around her. I really wish more rulers could be like her, you know actually spending time interacting with those around them and getting to know them. Phillomena brings back fond memories of "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets" and we get another Benny Hill chase scene complete with Scooby Doo doors.
Cutie Mark Chronicles
Reason: An episode that provides back stories for each of the mane six. That's all you really need to know aside from the fact that each of the mane six were adorable as fillies.
Party of One
Reason: This episode is a bit of an alternative take on the typical "It's X's birthday and X thinks everyone has forgotten" as Pinkie Pie forgets about her own birthday. The whole episode shows that Pinkie Pie is smarter then most fans give her credit for and that even she can have a dark side. Pinkie Pie's breakdown still remains one of the most memorable moments of the entire show. Plus this episode shows that Applejack is a bad liar but even she can strecth the truth.
Number of good episodes: 11
The Bad:
Boast Busters
Reason: So Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash not like Trixie's braging, well why don't they just leave? No one ever said you had to watch the show. Heck Rainbow Dash out right admitted she was better then everyone else and you didn't pounce on her for that. Snips and Snails arem't stupid but they are annoying and I can't blaim Trixie for being uncomfortable around, they're like the fanboys she never wanted. Also Trixie could've just left town and the let Ursa Minor go on a rampage, instead she stayed and tried to fight it off and actually admitted she lied. Her only mistake was runing off afterward. I am glad to see that the town forgave her when she returned in "Magic Duel" and that Snips and Snails got the punishment they deserved for jepordizing Ponyville.
Look Before You Sleep
Reason: Twilight is out of character here. This largely boils down to the fact that Pinkie Pie should've been in this episode and since she isn't this hurt the episode. Also since when does a tree crashing through your window count as camping?
Feeling Pinkie Keen
Reason: No this episode has nothing to do with science or religion. Twilight was out of character in trying to disprove the Pinkie Sense because she was the only one who took offense to it. She's lucky Pinkie Pie didn't hold a grudge against her for that. Twilight also did not try to the solve problem in the way that an actual scientist would've used. This episode would've been better if we would've seen the argument from a netural perspective like say Spike or Applejack as opposed to from Twilight's perspective.
The Show Stoppers
Reason: Well only Sweetie Belle had a good reason for not realizing what her special talent was, she has stage fright. Scootaloo's singing wasn't that bad although compared to Sweetie Belle's it's obviously not good. All in all this episode is just bad because we know what the CMC's talents are but they don't realize it, thankfully this sort of thing has stopped as of lately.
Green Isn't Your Color
Reason: Photo Finish is not Lady Gaga. Seriously who thought an episode dedicated to secret keeping would be good in a show about friendship? Also if Photo Finish wanted Fluttershy to be her model then why did she show up at Carousel Boutique as opposed to making an anouncement or posting sort of flyer saying she was looking for a model? Photo Finish's music is pretty good but it's hard to understand if she's actually aware that Fluttershy is trying to talk to her. And I don't understand how the crowd would let one pony change their opinion from "That was horrible!" to "That was amazing!"
Over A Barrel
Reason: Dave Polsky made Pinkie Pie look like an idiot. Both sides stupidly allowed for one little song to ruin the peace talks and Twilight had no right to steal the lyrics from Pinkie Pie's song, that was just to throw salt on her wound. This whole episode is just one big train wreck, and it's a shame because it started out so strong.
Owl's Well That Ends
Reason: Twilight should've asked Spike before making Owlowiscious her second assistant. Spike was very out of character and Twilight stupidly failed to realize she wasn't paying attention to Spike and was spending all her time with Owlowiscious. And that line she said when she caught Spike trying to frame Owlowiscious was stupid. Fournately Twilight finally manages to make things right by the end.
Number of bad episodes: 7
The So-So:
Friendship is Magic Part 1
Reason: This episode and the next one are not bad as far as pilot episodes go but there's nothing special about them.
Friendship is Magic Part 2
Reason: Same as before expect this time we get an epic speech that is pretty much "Nothing can destroy friendship. It's the most powerful force in the universe. It's even stronger then Chuck Norris."
Ticket Master
Reason: For the first stand alone episode there's not much friendship in it and some of the mane six's reason for wanting to go are pathetic.
Swarm of The Century
Reason: The big question here is why Twilight didn't ask what a parasprite was or even bother to look it up? Plus the mane six minus Pinkie Pie's plans for getting rid of the parasprites were not very good. And at the end Pinkie Pie reminds us that she's not a miracle worker and that Twilight can't expect her friends to fix all her problems for her.
Winter Wrap Up
Reason: The song in this episode is really good but the plot is a bit stupid. You'd think they'd love to have magical assitance so they can actually wrap up winter on time for once but no they have to bash Twilight for the very thing she's good at. Rarity uses her magic to build bird's nests and nopony attacks her for it.
Call of The Cutie
Reason: We got some good memes from this episode later on such as Doctor Whooves a.k.a Time Turner sounding like the 10th doctor and Apple Bloom as an imperial guard but I really hate how Appe Bloom just stopped hanging out with Twist because she earned her cutie mark. That makes her as bad as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Also you might as well get use to seeing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon picking on the CMC for no reason because Hasbro doesn't seem to want to take the time to give them a reason.
Stare Master
Reason: The CMC just don't see to care about their own safety as long as there's a chance they'll get their cutie marks. And the Scootaloo chicken jokes that this episode spawned may have been funny at first but now they're just the opposite.
Best Night Ever
Reason: Not a bad Season finale but Celestia pulled a Batman Gambit. Fluttershy's breakdown is a memorable moment but otherwise there's really not much that sticks out in this episode aside from Rarity's "Afraid to get dirty?!" line.
Number of so-so epiodes: 8.
Firstly, it would be interesting to check if your account of the production is still accurate - a lot of stuff wasn't yet known back then and nowadays we actually have a version of the show bible. (You might want to add some paragraphs while you're at it.)
Secondly, I should warn you that I don''t dislike a single episode of this season, so your sorting method probably won't work for me - It'd just end up as "Excellent!!", "Great!" and "Fine". I do wonder if I should post my own opinions on those episodes here or make a blog of my own... I would like to discuss them with you though (and perhaps see if later seasons have altered your assessments of any).
5026196 You're welcome to do so, I'm quite curious about some of your opinions on not just this season but the entire show. I should mention that for the first six seasons I have updated my thoughts some on Deviant Art, last year on my account there I did some journals that I could link you to if you're interested.
5026369
Well i can post here and perhaps we can discuss them, and then I might make a blog of it later... I think I've seen other people doing something like that?
5026372 Sure.
5026375
Tomorrow then (I'll use this post).
Okay then, Season 1! Before we get started, a few ground rules.
chronologicalairinggenerally acknowledged order - simpler for my autistic mind. Might compile some kind of "bests-and-worsts" at the end.So without further ado...
Friendship is Magic Part 1
The (mostly) slice-of-life half of the pilot, it gives a decent introduction to our basic characters and settings while building hints of mythological doom for the second half.
Rating: Good. (Although given what most viewers were comparing it to - the tail end of G3 - it's no wonder it felt Excellent at the time.)
Friendship is Magic Part 2
And the adventure half! In retrospect it's pretty rushed (and some of the "trials" kind of dubious) but at the time it stretched the imagination with regards to what you could do on My Little Pony.
(I do sometimes wonder if it might have been better to save the villain/quest for the end of the season, after the Mane 6 had grown together more naturally - but if there hadn't been action, adventure, eternal night and rainbows, would it really have been popular out of the gate? Somehow I doubt it - you need a "hook", and this was the one that got people to care about these characters enough to watch them in anything.)
Rating: Good. Although among two-parters, it's ahead of the curve.
Ticket Master
If the pilot is the in-universe introduction of these characters to each other (with a focus on their virtues) then this is an alternative introduction of them to us, the audience (focusing on their vices and desires). And of course, with plenty of comedy and the seeds of our first "arc" of sorts.
Rating: Good. I think it complements the opener well, and by watching them together you should hopefully have a basic understanding of this world and set of characters while still wanting to see more of them.
Applebuck Season
And here the show delivers, shifting focus to one of the other characters (at the cost of their opposite going out of focus). It certainly took Applejack's biggest flaw head-on (although perhaps not as head-on as Faust first intended) and let us know early on such important facts as that cows could talk and ponies vomit.
Rating: Good. I'm really starting to sound like a broken record here, but I did warn you - and I think it's the sheer freshness the show still has at this point that appeals to me. You're only young once, as they say... This is the first episode where SPB12 agrees with me, though.
Griffon the Brush Off
Okay, first you take what would have been a solid episode in it's own right, with two of the remaining unexplored characters bonding and a surprisingly mature moral about pranks, and then you just fold it up into an opening act without even making it seem rushed? And this is so you can spend most of the episode showing off the show's first "social villain", who's not even a pony but a cool mythological creature instead? Yeah, at the time it felt more or less of a kind with the others, but looking again at just how structurally elegant this is...
Rating: Excellent. I guess I couldn't tell the first time round because so many good episodes were just blurring together... SPB12 liked this one too, for some of the reasons I didn't bother to mention above.
Boast Busters
So Gilda set a high bar for guest characters/social villains/character foils, one you might expect to go unsurpassed for a while... so the show just goes and tops her in the very next episode! Trixie might not bring a whole new species or backstory links to the table, but she has character and style in spades, moral ambiguity... you can see why she was so popular in fandom even before they brought her back.
And it's not even as if she's the only thing this episode has to offer - we have magic lore and spectacular practical demonstrations, fantastic beasts, Twilight/Spike dynamics, Snips and Snails... Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't get lost in individual elemnts, but this ep has just so many wrapped around a decent and multifaceted moral to boot.
Rating: Excellent again. Which makes for my biggest difference yet with SPB12, who didn't like this one - I notice there are a lot of Trixie fans who don't, which is a bit weird, because without it she wouldn't exist!
Halfway through my initial run, so a good place to post! To be continued!
Dragonshy
A very influential episode. Two of the reasons are right there in the name - we learn a lot about FIM dragons (so an important episode for Spike fans even though he's not in it much) and Fluttershy gets some exposure (even though she'd have been quite happy not to). But there's also a subtler one - it's the episodes unique "quest" structure in a standalone episode, which was never really repeated again in the show but produced countless fanfics in which the gang served as Celestia's troubleshooters. (Personally, my retroactive interpretation is that any "misson" was mostly in Twilight's head.)
Rating: Good. Which seems to be separated from Excellent by the presence or lack of a strong guest... SPB12 likes it too.
Look Before You Sleep
Our first bottle episode - three characters, one building, one night! And what a pair of polar opposites (and neutral, oblivious mediator) they are! Even if this pairing is a little overused sometimes and maybe shouldn't have been Rarity's first spotlight, it still works well.
Rating: Good. SPB12 doesn't agree, but I think that's just Pinkie withdrawal.
Bridle Gossip
Okay, Zecora is totally a Magical Negro and I can see why some people might have problems with that, but for me she's just too good at it for me to complain. And she's not our only new face this episode - we may have glimpsed the adorable Apple Bloom before, but it's here that she really comes into her own. And if you prefer to focus on the main cast - well, they each have an amusing affliction to display for your (and Spike's) enjoyment. Plus an anti-prejudice message too!
Rating: Excellent. (At this point, I don't know if it really is the guest characters which make the difference, or if I'm just using that rule to differentiate among an endless parade of top-class episodes.)
Swarm of The Century
A bit of an unusual episode, with the usual character interaction sidelined as everypony tries to deal with a crisis - flying tribbles! I liked the change of pace - so much so that...
Rating: Excellent. The first one not to introduce a recurring guest character!
Winter Wrap Up
Our first winter episode - sort of. And our first real musical number - and our introduction into the full scale of pony control of nature... Yeah, the season is moving into high gear here! (Although speaking of seasons, if they were barely ever going to show winter again then they might have been better off not fixing it to a 3-month length.)
Rating: Excellent. I guess I'm on a high here - no wonder I became an obsessive brony pretty quickly!
Call of The Cutie
All the hallmarks of a Poorly Disguised Pilot here, down to the character who will be dropped for the actual show (poor Twist, we hardly knew ye). It also kind of reminds me of how the Babysitter's Little Sister books related to the main Babysitters Club ones - although the Crusaders are IMO closer to the age of the latter.
Rating: Good. I know it introduces a lot of new characters, but there are *too* many of them to get the guest star bonus.
We're now up to the end of my initial blitz - you can see why I'm still with this show 9 years later, right?
Fall Weather Friends
The first episode I watched new! And that's about all to say, as it's a pretty straightforward story - two leads, two acts, two commentators... Definitely one for the athlete (or sports fan) in all of us (mine is buried pretty deep down).
Rating: Good. I consider this probably the most average episode of the season, but it's a heck of a season!
Suited for Success
Okay, so Rarity had to wait a little longer for a (pure) focus episode than most of her friends, but does this one deliver or what? It probably helps that it's essentially the lament of a creative leashed by various arbitrary constraints, forced to turn out a flawed product with their name on it and take the blame... No, I can't imagine how that might be a resonant theme for staff working on a kids toy show.
Rating: Excellent. (Probably even without the song, but it sure didn't hurt.) And like SPB12 says, it's way better than a fashion episode "should" be - much like Rarity is far too awesome to be a fashionista. Or perhaps it's just our perceptions of things which are narrow...
Feeling Pinkie Keen
A bit of a zanier episode than usual, and quite controversial at the time due to an awkward delivery of the moral. (This controversy seems to follow the writer, Dave Polsky, around.) Still, there's plenty to enjoy here (titbit: what Twilight is missing is that to have arrived at the codifed Pinkie Sense she has now, Pinkie must be a pretty good scientist).
Rating: Fine. The lowest any episode will drop this season. And I do think that this is a real side of Twilight's character - see Bridle Gossip, where she handles a similar (but better delivered) moral.
Sonic Rainboom Probably the first episode of several where I have "love/like dissonance" - I have nothing against an episode the rest of the fandom (including SPB12) considers the hottest thing since sliced bread. There's certainly plenty to enjoy here, from our first real sight of Cloudsdale and pegasus culture to some great character stuff for Rainbow, But I can't help but be thrown off by some bits, like Rarity's OOC-seeming behaviour and how some things that happened here (like Rainbow's prize) seem to be forgotten later. (I suppose that isn't actually this episodes fault...)
Rating: Good. I may not like it as much as many, but it at least deserves that.
Stare Master
What stands out most to me about this episode (besides Twilight's grisly near-fate - I bet she was an inch away from telling Rockhoof "it's not as fun as it looks.") is how single-mindedly devoted to it's moral it is - I don't think there's a single character, from Rarity to Elizabeak, who doesn't bite off more than they can chew and face the consequences.
Rating: Excellent. A good first outing for the CMC, even if it probably shouldn't have been (see below).
The Show Stoppers
Following on from our earlier Poorly Disguised Pilot, we now have our first actual episode of My Little Pony: Cutie Mark Crusaders, which should probably have aired before the above "crossover" with it's parent show. (But it doesn't really matter, because this "spinoff" is to a normal one what Siamese twins are to the regular sort.) We establish the characters, (some) of their talents, their obliviousness to same, a headquarters... Yep, after this one the CMC are ready to roll!
Rating: Good. A lot of folks felt that this and other CMC episodes were weaker than the ones focused on the Mane 6, but I didn't see why... yet.
A Dog and Pony Show
An episode with many interesting parts, but not quite a flawless gem. The Dogs are adequate villains (and a lot better than the show bible versions) but seem to lose almost too easily (have they never heard of a gag?), and all in all the whole thing comes off less of a moral about how ladies can be strong even without fighting and more of one about how whining at violent kidnappers leaves you better off instead of worse - a bit of a dangerous one even if few viewers will ever have a chance to apply it, no?
Rating: Fine. The good parts more than balance out the weaknesses.
Just the 20s to go!
Okay, had this done up to Chronicles before losing it - I hate redoing stuff I already wrote, so sorry if some of this is a bit off.
Green Isn't Your Color
A nicely multilayered episode, with the problem between best friends Rarity and Fluttershy in the foreground while in the background friendship newbie Twilight Sparkle and omnipresent Pinkie Pie clash over the ethics of secret-keeping. Photo Finish is a bit of a jerk, but she's kind of the antagonist so I don't mind it like SPB12 did - and I don't even understand his problem with the whole secret-keeping theme.
Rating: Excellent. A good example of how different layers of the plot can feed into each other.
Over A Barrel
Definitely one that will ruffle a few feathers with it's Old West "Cowboys and Indians" theme. I'm not American though, so to me it's just a new setting with a new race and new characters - and I like expanding the toybox. (In retrospect, it also makes a refreshing contrast to the Map missions - the Mane cast just exacerbate the problem, which the locals eventually resolve among themselves without help.) And we get our first train, with less colour but more horsepower than it's successors.
Rating: Good. I had fallen into the trap of thinking of this as one of the worst Season 1 episodes (and therefore a Fine) but there's actually a lot of good stuff here ("I'd like to be a tree...) so I think I'll swim against the crowd here. And apologies to SPB12, but just because Pinkie means well doesn't mean she can't make things worse.
A Bird In The Hoof
A nice little Fluttershy showcase, which also gives us the most of Celestia we'll get this season - albeit mainly via the old adage that people and their pet's tend to resemble each other. Philomena may not look like much to start with, but that's the trick - and the reveal IMO works well both for those of us who already know about phoenixes and young viewers first discovering the concept. (Although I hope that they don't jump to the conclusion that their pets will just come back to life no matter what they do to them...)
Rating: Excellent. An episode as quietly beautiful as it's star (no, not you Philomena). SPB12 seems to agree.
Ok, all redone, now posting!
Cutie Mark Chronicles
Oh boy - one thing you should know about me is that I'm kind of a backstory fan, and I thoroughly approve of laying out the key points of the Mane 6's here (while still leaving plenty of room for later elaboration). To go through each vignette in order:
And having them all tied together meant that it wasn't just the viewers and the CMC learning things this episode - the Mane 6 also learned that there was more destiny to their friendship than they had thought. Might have worked well with the "Elements at end of season idea"...
Rating: Excellent. As if there was any question. (And I agree with SPB12 that the Filly Six were adorable - did you know that my idea for the Season 5 finale would have featured them all in a teamup with Spike and the CMC?)
Owl's Well That Ends Well
Our first Spike episode, and everybody knows that he didn't get a good one until Season 4 or even 6, right? Well. everybody except me, who never had any problems with this one (although retroactively, you'd think a dragon living nearby would matter more). A neat way of playing with the assumption that Spike was Twilight's pet - just don't ask me to spell that bird's name.
Rating: Good. Seriously, I don't see what's so OOC about them.
Party of One
This would have been a creepy episode even if most of the fandom hadn't at least heard of that fic, Can't really think of much else to say about it, though.
Rating: Good. Or maybe Fine - it's surprisingly unmemorable. But I can't remember anything wrong with it either, so I'm inclined to be generous.
The Best Night Ever
A rather ironic title for a finale which stands out from subsequent ones in a few ways. Firstly, it's not focuses on any great crisis or big changes - perhaps because it was designed as the penultimate episode, a mirror to Ticket Master just as the first two two-parters would play off each other. (I think that makes it the first sequel episode also, with the addition of Suited for Success in the middle forming the first "arc".)
Secondly, it focuses mostly on the other 5, with Twilight in the smallest role. Of course, the portrayals here aren't the most flattering - like it's mirror, the episode uses their wishes to excite their vices - contrast how the following episodes invert their virtues instead.
And lastly, there is really no lasting effect (unless you count Rainbow meeting the Wonderbolts, which she was supposed to have done already offscreen).
Rating: Good. A solid if somewhat cynical close-out to the season - wouldn't have been so good for closing the series, but then that was what the following episodes were for.
Season 1 Overall
10 Excellent +14 Good + 2 Fine = an overall rating of Excellent.
The season that most of us fell in love with, as well as many who have since left the fandom because they felt subsequent seasons didn't measure up. I'm kind of in between - I don't think that any other season has been as consistently good as this one, but plenty of individual episodes have surpassed the ones shown here. Partly, this is because this era is simpler and fresher - the world is still unfolding for us bit by bit, and it's still amazing that My Little Pony can be this good. Did this quality create standards that the show would struggle to measure up to or surpass? Or was it simply the magic touch of Lauren Faust and Rob Renzetti? In the end, we may never know - but even pony could only be young once, so we should appreciate this era whether we feel it gets better or worse from here on out.
5031949 Not a bad overview by any means. There are definitely some classics, and I'm surprised there are those who find "Sonic Rainboom" underwhelming but "Feeling Pinkie Keen" is alright.
5031951
FPK is how I learned not to put too much weight in others opinions - I had mostly been following along with one set of reviews for the series, and that guy absolutely hated it to the point of refusing to review it. And that happened to be the one time I'd peeked before watching the episode too - so I must have been quite worried going into the episode, only to find that it was still perfectly good pony.
And as for Sonic Rainboom - it's not that it's bad (although Rarity is kind of OOC - is that spell obscure because of psychotropic side effects?) but rather that eveyone else seems to LOVE it while I just like it. You'll see a few more examples of this kind of disconnect if I continue these reviews.
Any other reactions you found noteworthy? And do you feel the show has improved from this season, worsened, or just changed?
5031956 I feel it has most certainly improved, how much is debateable.
5031986
Really? I was once a moderate declinationist, but have since adopted an "it's complicated" stance - still, as I've said, even if this season lacks some of the strengths of later ones it also has yet to know true weakness. I wonder if the tradeoff was worth it...