Pleasant surprises (S7 spoilers) · 7:25pm Apr 15th, 2017
Brief opinions on the new Season 7 episodes below.
I liked them. The tendency of MLP to frantically raise the stakes for season openers and finales has long been a source of aggravation for me. This time, though, we got two unconnected slice-of-life episodes that I found earnestly charming. The brief, but sweet look at Celestia's psyche was delightful (and a possible hint at where Twilight inherited her neurotic tendencies from), and I enjoyed the "I'm not ready to leave!" anticlimax. The notion Starlight has nothing more to learn is very... "dubious" for me, but I found it didn't really get in the way of my enjoyment. As an added bonus, Twilight's mental image of Starlight and Ember's interactions was a damn treat. 
As for episode two, I am a sucker for terrible puns, so the straight-faced play on "bottling up emotions" - combined with Trixie getting some long-overdue comeuppance - really sold me. The Mane 6 were annoyingly perfect together (if I had a nickel for every time "friend" got mentioned that episode...), but I understand that was that was done to establish contrast with the dysfunctioning duo.
Not perfect, but life isn't perfect. These were good fun.
That Twilight and Celestia interaction tho. :3
The Importance of Not Singing Songs, or, Why Griffons Actually Are Better than Ponies.
It was a rather enjoyable Season opening and I hope that the rest of Season 7 is just as enjoyable. I just hope that the Season 7 finale won't be disappointing like the Season 6 finale was.
My little Celestia Fan's Heart melted.
I loved both episodes, and the simple fact that there wasn't a rushed end of the world scenario that needed to to give way for a season of episodes only to be concluded in the finale just made the whole thing better. It gave space for the magic to happen. I know that a lot of people got annoyed at that, but it's only one season opener in seven.
I think that the Mane Six where in that episode to make a counterpoint with Trixie and SG. It was special to me because their friendship is one of the biggest things for me in the cartoon. But as we saw the six and the two, we remembered that to get where they were, the six spent a lot of time were the two are now. I don't know if it was intentional, but it was one of the best moments in the show for me and one hell of a feeling to inspire in kids.