The Second Half of Season 8 v.s. the Second Half of Seasons 1-2 and 4-7 (Episodes Only) · 4:44am Oct 14th, 2018
I've been doing this since Season 4 and I intend to keep doing it. Despite how much I ragged on about the finale being so underwhelming, was it really enough to drag down Season 8 or is it possible that Season 8 is actually better than even I'm giving it credit for? Well, like always this list is purely the result of my personal opinion so please respect it. And first, like always, we rank the episodes in this half. Here's how I rank them from worst to best.
13. A Matter of Principals
12. Father Knows Beast
11. School Raze, Part 2
10. School Raze, Part 1
9. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place
8. Yakity Sax
7. Friendship University
6. The End in Friend
5. Sounds of Silence
4. The Hearth's Warming Club
3. The Road to Friendship
2. The Washouts
1. What Lies Beneath
And now for the episode comparisons across all seasons, after which we'll add up the points from the first half and see how they all stack up. Here's the first half, from back in June, remember that for each episode that wins the season gets a point. And if there's a tie, each season that ties gets half a point.
14. Suited for Success v.s. The Last Roundup v.s. Filli Vanilli v.s. Canterlot Boutique v.s. Stranger Than Fanfiction v.s. Fame and Misfortune v.s. A Matter of Principals:
The winner is: Stranger Than Fanfiction. It's funny how the second half of the season has usually started with a whimper and not a bang recently. "Stranger Than Fanfiction"'s only major competition was "Suited for Success" where the show finally knew what it wanted to be and finally found its niche (the first half of Season 1 wasn't bad but it wasn't exactly clear what it was going to be or what it was going to focus on), and ultimately "Stranger Than Fanfiction" harpens back to what used to be a more positive relationship between the show and the fandom, a sign that the writers did care about fandom criticism and knew how to respect it even if they disagreed. Now it seems like Hasbro could care less about the fandom that made the show so popular, and they're just going to ignore anyone who tries to tell them no. I guess they'll have to crash and burn again in G5 before they realize why they needed Faust to step in and save them for G4.
15. Feeling Pinkie Keen v.s. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 v.s. Twilight Time v.s. Scare Master v.s. The Cart Before the Ponies v.s. Triple Threat v.s. The Hearth's Warming Club:
The winner is: The Hearth's Warming Club. Both it and "Twilight Time" are in the same boat of episodes that really should've been third or fourth to air instead of over half way through their respective seasons. "The Hearth's Warming Club" was the first (and ultimately one of only two) attempts to try and flesh out the student six, it mostly succeeded but I think Smolder kind of regressed a bit and Sandbar just proved to be utterly useless (some say that's the joke but it doesn't work if you expect us to take him seriously as a character, especially considering the finale). But aside from that and parts of the set-up, the episode was a temporary step back in the right direction for Season 8. If we could've gotten more episodes like this that focused on the student six, I feel like Season 8 would've fared a little bit better in the minds of most people.
16. Sonic Rainboom v.s. Read It and Weep v.s. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies v.s. Rarity Investigates! v.s. 28 Pranks Later v.s. Campfire Tales v.s. Friendship University:
The winner is (no contest): Sonic Rainboom. This may be the one Season 1 episode that will never be topped, hardly anything ever comes close to competing with something as iconic as "Sonic Rainboom", the arguably high water mark of Season 1 and one of the earliest cases of fan service. Lately though it seems like the sixteenth episode is just becoming a breeding ground for subpar episodes that need another run through to be fleshed out. "Friendship University" in particular feels like it was supposed to be more and ultimately wasn't.
17. Stare Master v.s. Hearts and Hooves Day v.s. Somepony to Watch Over Me v.s. Made in Manehattan v.s. The Times They are a Changeling v.s. Daring Done? v.s. The End in Friend:
The winner is (reluctantly): Daring Done? and The End in Friend. Yes, that's right, we have a tie. "Daring Done?" started out and ended strong and had a great moral, but the third act saw things fall apart with a bad homeage to "Feeling Pinkie Keen" and the "Leap of Fate" controversy, plus Daring never really did anything to turn her image around, she just exposed Caballeron's scheme and the villagers realized they'd been tricked, and Caballeron was dumb enough to confess to it. Ironically, the third act is when "The End in Friend" actually picked up and became something other than "Non-Compete Clause" take two. It's too bad I can't combine the two into an episode that was strong from start to finish, but it is what it is.
18. The Show Stoppers v.s. A Friend in Deed v.s. Maud Pie v.s. Brotherhooves Social v.s. Dungeons & Discords v.s. A Health of Information v.s. Yakity Sax:
The winner is (in a close contest): Dungeons & Discords. While it's not completely flawless and in fact feels like it could've been a lot more, "Dungeons & Discords" was our first guy's focused episode and in fact was the better one because of it. "Brotherhooves Social" may have been a good testing ground and the emotional impact is still great, it seems to have started a positive trend for Big Macintosh where he actually talks more often now. But "Dungeons & Discords" still holds out the win because of its appeal, and considering what Discord was like in Season 8 it helps to remember a time when he actually could feel bad about his behavior.
19. A Dog and Pony Show v.s. Putting Your Hoof Down v.s. Trade Ya! v.s. Crusaders of the Lost Mark v.s. Buckball Season v.s. To Change a Changeling v.s. The Road to Friendship:
The winner is (no contest): Crusaders of the Lost Mark. It must seem odd to reward the episode that reformed Diamond Tiara only for her to disappear from the show afterward, and the episode that ended the CMC's character arc and left them scrambling in a million different directions since then. But I blame that on what has happened in seasons since rather than what this episode accomplished. The fact that it singlehandedly took one of the most despised characters in the fandom and made her sympathetic and likeable would be more than enough to reward it. The CMC getting their cutie marks was just the icing on the cake. I'll give props to "The Road to Friendship" for a great song though, definitely the best in Season 8 which prior to that point didn't seem to have any big standouts.
20. Green Isn't Your Color v.s. It's About Time v.s. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils v.s. Hearthbreakers v.s. Viva Las Pegasus v.s. It Isn't The Mane Thing About You v.s. The Washouts:
The winner is (in a close contest: For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils and The Washouts. While "For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils" was the first sign of major maturing for the CMC and had more visual and character appeal, "The Washouts" had a lot of emotional impact, a stronger (if at times a bit heavy handed and rushed) story, and a surprising twist where they finally decided to address Scootaloo's disability. I may be a little disappointed that they've rendered her unable to fly, but they tackled the idea of it so well that I'm not bothered and they didn't completely rule out the possibility she might still do so in other ways. So again I have to declare a tie. If Scootaloo's aunts had been in "The Washouts" instead of Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo not quite so thickheaded (even if she was in the angtsy teen phase I can't buy her being so thickheaded that she couldn't notice all the warning signs about The Washouts caring little for safety) I'd probably give this round to it.
21. Over A Barrel v.s. Dragon Quest v.s. v.s. Leap of Faith v.s. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows v.s. Every Little Thing She Does v.s. Once Upon A Zeppelin v.s. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place:
The winner is: Once Upon A Zeppelin. Even if it was taking place in universe before the movie, the fact that this episode came out right after the movie did a lot to show what a difference three years of character growth could do for Twilight. And as much as I despised sticking Iron Will with the villain role (was it so hard to make the ship captain sympathetic and have the princess cruise be an honest misunderstanding, or did they just have to have an antagonist for the conflict) getting to see Twilight's family was a nice touch. "A Rockhoof and a Hard Place" had a chance to succeed here, to take away a point from Season 7, but it fell flat on its face at the start and never managed to get back up.
22. A Bird in the Hoof v.s. Hurricane Fluttershy v.s. Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 v.s. What About Discord? v.s. P.P.O.V (Pony Point of View) v.s. Marks and Recreation v.s. What Lies Beneath:
The winner is: What Lies Beneath. Remarkable, isn't it? The only other episode focused on the student six is also the one giving Season 8 another full point, it seems like the student six might be what's carrying Season 8. Even though we have no idea how Cozy Glow managed to use the catacombs in this episode to establish her little scheme in the finale, this development for the student six was long overdue, Smolder got a chance to show she actually liked being cute instead of being a straight up tomboy, Yona got to show her insecurities and fear of being alone, Ocellus allowed us to see her fears about her species' past, and Gallus of course got a chance to impress with his test (though "The Hearth's Warming Club" already made him more popular). But it was Silverstream who truly shown here, her fear of the Storm King was what finally made her seem like something other than the show's substitute for Princess Skystar. Plus it gave GallusStream a major shot in the arm, even yours truly has gotten on the shipping train.
23. The Cutie Mark Chronicles v.s. Ponyville Confidential v.s. Inspiration Manifestation v.s. The Hooffields and McColts v.s. Where The Apple Lies v.s. Secrets and Pies v.s. Sounds of Silence:
The winner is: The Cutie Mark Chronicles. Spoiler alert, from here on out Season 8 doesn't pick up anymore points, so if you're waiting to see whether it still managed to win your best bet is to skip down to the point tallies! Anyway, "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" could've been dethroned here since so many people praised "Sounds of Silence". But for me it's incredibly overrated, it's like "Winter Wrap Up" in that it has a great song but the story itself is severely lacking. It's a map mission that's extremely by the numbers and chalk full of wasted potential. "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", meanwhile, found a way to squeeze six backstories into one twenty two minute episode and do so in a way that didn't feel rushed or contrived.
24. Owl's Well That Ends Well v.s. MMMystery on the Friendship Express v.s. Equestria Games v.s. The Mane Attraction v.s. Top Bolt v.s. Uncommon Bond v.s. Father Knows Beast
The winner is (in a close contest): The Mane Attraction. Part of what keeps me coming back to this episode is that it was Amy Keating Rogers' farewell, the one who arguably left the show on the best terms (she departed for Disney and it seems her tenure on the show passed with relatively little controversy outside of Derpgate and the backlash over "Filli Vanilli"). But even if that weren't the case, this episode felt like a revisitation of "A Canterlot Wedding" but with an attempt to address all the criticisms people had of that two parter. And it did so in a way that showed understanding of what went wrong and how to fix it the second time around. It's a lesson that Season 8 and Hasbro could stand to learn from, it's natural to make mistakes and it's what you do to correct your mistake and improve for next time that truly defines who you are.
Episodes 25 and 26: Party of One and The Best Night Ever v.s. A Canterlot Wedding v.s. Twilight's Kingdom v.s. The Cutie Re-Mark v.s. To Where and Back Again v.s. Shadow Play v.s. School Raze:
The winner is: Shadow Play. "Shadow Play" is by no means perfect, putting aside my complaints about Starlight and how she was kind of shilled in that episode, the set-up is noticeably there (did no one seriously stop to think about the Pony of Shadows and how freeing the pillars would no doubt release him too) and while it was handled kind of better at this point we were starting to get sick of constantly redeeming villains. But the only complaint I've seen people lodge at this episode when they say it's bad is that the lore was boring, and I don't get that feeling here. In fact, I'd say they made the lore more interesting here, even if they kind of overplayed their hand by revealing the origins of the Elements of Harmony a season or two too early (really should've saved it for the final season when we'd expect a lot of long standing world building details to finally be provided). "School Raze" on the other hand, I dare say was even worse than "The Best Night Ever". At least that finale, as underwhelming as it was, felt like it was trying to do something. "School Raze" was a mess that makes less and less sense the more you think about it, it feels like a very poor man's "To Where and Back Again" but even that finale at least had some good ideas and good moments. I'm not sure if "Shadow Play" can truly be topped, it's one of those cases where despite its flaws the good is just so high that you can't help but love it.
And so, here are the results for this comparison: Season 1 - 2 points. Season 2 - 1 point. Season 3 - 1 point. Season 4 - 3 and 1/2 half points. Season 5 - 3 points. Season 6 - 3 points. Season 7 - 6 and 1/2 points. Season 8 - 5 points. So by a point and a half, Season 8 loses to Season 7, that's actually a lot closer than it should be considering many of the lows of Season 8. Everywhere Season 7 looked vulnerable, Season 8 just couldn't pull off a win. Ironically, if Season 8 carried both of its ties, then it would've won by a point (7 points to Season 7's 6). Alas, Season 8 falls short. What's truly surprising that half a point is what puts Season 4 in third place, and just behind it are Seasons 5 and 6, Season 1 manages to avoid last place by only a single point despite not having any points in the entire first half. Last place is a tie between Seasons 2 and 3, largely because Season 3 never got a second half. Even if we doubled it to assume the length of a proper season, it would only be enough to tie Season 1 for second to last, leaving Season 2 with only one point to its name. Even if Season 8 had only to contend with Season 7, it would still lose out. In a 26 episode contest it would only have 10 and 1/2 half points, leaving Season 7 with 15 and 1/2 half points, a larger margin of victory. To win, Season 8 would have to break the tie at Episode 17, win Episode 21, and carry the finale. All of which it could've done, but ultimately failed to do.
Well, there you have it. Season 8 actually wasn't as bad as it may have seemed even though it failed to top Season 7, it's just that Season 8 almost never hit the same highs as Season 7 and when it failed oh boy did it fail! Anyway, come back tomorrow morning when we'll update the Student Six ranking. And then rank the episodes of Season 8 all together from worst to best.
For me, season 8 hit a few more highs than season 7.
But I'll let my personal numbers speak for themselves.
My rankings of this half of the season are as follows:
As for the comparisons:
Episode 14: Suited for Success v.s. The Last Roundup v.s. Filli Vanilli v.s. Canterlot Boutique v.s. Stranger than Fanfiction v.s. Fame and Misfortune v.s. A Matter of Principals:
Winner: A Matter of Principals. It was hilarious and heartfelt, and gave Starlight another chance to show off how awesome she truly is. Plus the meme references were great.
Episode 15: Feeling Pinkie Keen v.s. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 v.s. Twilight Time v.s. Scare Master v.s. The Cart Before The Ponies v.s. Triple Threat v.s. The Hearth’s Warming Club
Winner: The Hearth’s Warming Club. Of the episodes in this group, this is the most heartfelt, and I love all of the stories.
Episode 16: Sonic Rainboom v.s. Read It And Weep v.s. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies v.s. Rarity Investigates v.s. 28 Pranks Later v.s. Campfire Tales v.s. Friendship University
Winner: Campfire Tales. It's close between this and 28 Pranks Later, but something about Campfire Tales makes me like it more.
Episode 17: Stare Master v.s. Hearts And Hooves Day v.s. Somepony To Watch Over Me v.s. Made In Manehattan v.s. The Times They Are A Changeling v.s. Daring Done v.s. The End in Friend
Winner: The Times They Are a Changeling. This is retroactively giving the win back to that episode, because, in retrospect, I didn’t enjoy Daring Done as much as I did at first. And End in Friend was all right, but nothing special.
Episode 18: The Show Stoppers v.s. A Friend In Deed v.s. Maud Pie v.s. Brotherhooves Social v.s. Dungeons and Discord v.s. A Health of Information v.s. Yakity-Sax
Winner: Brotherhooves Social. It's the most emotional one of the bunch
Episode 19: A Dog and Pony Show v.s. Putting Your Hoof Down v.s. Trade Ya! v.s. Crusaders Of The Lost Mark v.s. Buckball Season v.s. To Change a Changeling v.s. On the Road to Friendship
Winner: Crusaders of the Lost Mark. As much as I love On the Road to Friendship, CotLM IS the pinnacle of the series.
Episode 20: Green Isn't Your Color v.s. It's About Time v.s. For Whom The Sweetie Belle Toils v.s. Hearthbreakers v.s. Viva Las Pegasus vs It Isn’t the Mane Thing About You v.s. The Washouts
Winner: The Washouts. It’s a more heartfelt and entertaining episode than the others in the group. It also showed Dash's development in a great way. Plus, seeing Lightning Dust again was fun.
Episode 21: Over A Barrel v.s. Dragon Quest v.s. Leap Of Faith v.s. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows v.s. Every Little Thing She Does vs Once Upon a Zeppelin v.s. A Rockhoof and a Hard Place
Winner: Every Little Thing She Does. The rest of the episodes in this group are alright at best. This one is REALLY fun to rewatch.
Episode 22: A Bird In The Hoof v.s. Hurricane Fluttershy v.s. Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 v.s. What About Discord? v.s. P.P.O.V (Pony Point Of View) vs Marks and Recreation v.s. What Lies Beneath
Winner: What Lies Beneath. It gave the Student Six development and was just fun.
Episode 23: Cutie Mark Chronicles v.s. Ponyville Confidential v.s. Inspiration Manifestation v.s. The Hooffelds and McColts v.s. Where The Apple Lies vs Secrets and Pies v.s. Sounds of Silence:
Winner: Sounds of Silence. The song is what elevates it for me. If it wasn’t there, I’d be more likely to give the win to Secrets and Pies
Episode 24: Owl's Well That Ends Well v.s. MMMystery On The Friendship Express v.s. Equestria Games v.s. The Mane Attraction v.s. Top Bolt vs Uncommon Bond v.s. Father Knows Beast
Winner: Uncommon Bond. It's a Starlight and Sunburst episode, with a great moral.
Episodes 25-26: Party of One and Best Night Ever v.s. A Canterlot Wedding Parts 1 and 2 v.s. Twilight's Kingdom Parts 1 and 2 v.s. The Cutie Re-Mark Parts 1 and 2 v.s. To Where And Back Again Parts 1 and 2 vs Shadow Play Parts 1 and 2 v.s. School Raze Parts 1 and 2
Winner: School Raze. It was funny, epic, and Cozy was really fun to watch. Pretty much how you feel about Shadow Play is how I feel about this episode.
So for this half, the scores are:
Season 8: 7
Season 7: 2
Season 6: 2
Season 5: 2
And the total scores overall:
1. Season 8: 12
2. Season 7: 7 (funnily enough)
3. Season 5: 4
4. Season 6: 2
5. Season 4: 1 (and that's only on a technicality due to the grouping system. If it was just based on how I'd rank the episodes overall in the series, season 8 would have 13, and season 4 would have none)
And in a head to head battle between seasons 7 and 8, season 8 would still get the win pretty much by default.
I still need to get around to seeing season 7 let alone 8.
I have seen a few epiodes off and on but not the whole thing.
I got it on Netflix when I get a free time I will make sure to bing it.
4953319 Well depending on where you live, Season 8 may not be on Netflix yet.