I KNEW I wasn't the only one who thought this today!

lol. My only complaint is that this wasn't a two-part episode. I think that would have helped. Oh well. I'm just glad that he wasn't entirely reformed

Comments

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728597 I know: My favorite DIsney movie, my favorite villian, and... (I've been waiting for a chance to share this here:)

fotos.fotoflexer.com/0ffeb52a63d22b219a7e4de155adfa37.jpg
My roommate insists that I am Fluttershy. *fangirl squeal*

[Ledomare]

I didn't think of this until now, but oh god it's so perfect.

A shame about the episode, though. I agree; it should've been a two parter. Maybe then they would've had more item to flesh out the character progression and not have to pull the "I just needed friends, now I'm good(ish)" card.

Good episode, but if they're going to pick up after that ending, they need to make sure he shows up later on doing something important. Or inexplicably rebelling. After all, a freelancing (lancing, get it?) chaos god isn't going to just disappear. And he better not stop snarking.

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728749 I see what you did there... Yeah, I heard a rumor they were planning on a two parter. I think that would have helped for the friendship between Discord and Fluttershy to be more significant. Oh well, maybe in the future.

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728952 I know. I hope he becomes a secondary character now on a more permanent basis. Maybe he could be like Zecora...

Oh Whooves, they NEED to have a conversation! Zecora and Discord!

[War brony]

My heart exploded. But not in a Awwwwww kind of way. More like,

WHAT THE FFFFUUUUU-
*Boom*

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729681 BWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! That's for....well, I'm sure you did something that makes you deserve it!

[Csquared08]

728749

Maybe then they would've had more item to flesh out the character progression and not have to pull the "I just needed friends, now I'm good(ish)" card.

Actually, that sort of sudden realization is a very realistic thing. Because, you know, the phrase, "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone."

[War brony]

729786 I made pinkie pie watch the hidden cut-seen for Luna Game 5.. On Friday the 13th.. At midnight.....

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729891 Still, I felt like the friendship wasn't really built up enough. I mean, for a kids show it was fine but I think it just needed a little more time for her friendship to change him and for them to become attached to each other outside of her just wanting to help him.

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729956 ....YOU! You're the one to blame for this Pinkamena nonsense!

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729960
Have some Skype stuff as an answer:

[9:57:02 PM | Edited 9:57:11 PM] Samuel Cook: It was enough if they'd had the ending I'd been hoping for.
[9:57:10 PM] twow443: And what ending was that?
[9:57:24 PM] Samuel Cook: An ending wherein Discord isn't actually reformed.
[9:57:29 PM] Csquerade: But he isn’t reformed.
[9:57:41 PM] Samuel Cook: : /
[9:57:54 PM] Samuel Cook: An ending wherein Discord isn't befriended.
[9:58:02 PM] cheezesauce: ^agreed.
[9:58:08 PM] Csquerade: But that made a lot of sense given the build up.
[9:58:12 PM] twow443: Hmmm. That could have worked.
[9:58:17 PM] Csquerade: Fluttershy’s gamble, while incredibly risky, worked.
[9:58:19 PM] Samuel Cook: Not befriending him made more sense.
[9:58:21 PM] cheezesauce: I mean, how can Discord still go around creating chaos with THIS sort of ending?
[9:58:27 PM] twow443: Maybe another two-parter could have worked.
[9:58:32 PM] cheezesauce: He's basically been reduced a little.
[9:58:33 PM] Csquerade:

First, the bad. This ending is rushed beyond compare. Discord's sudden turnaround happens so damn fast that it physically hurts. This really, really needed to be expanded on, perhaps by cutting out some of the pointless zany gags from earlier.

Actually, I disagree. First off, Discord didn't really "turnaround." He's still a being determined to spread chaos. He simply has a new aspect of life to consider: the possibility of friendship. In that moment when Fluttershy yelled at him and said she no longer wanted to be his friend, he realized just what it meant to have a friend. That sort of sudden realization is a very real thing. After all, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. And he realized he didn't want to lose that friendship, so he compromised. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it that way, thus making the ending rushed but in a manner that's supposed to be rushed. That's how that sort of thing works in real life, so it works like that in the show.
[9:59:02 PM] Samuel Cook: And that's the only reason that I can tolerate this.
[9:59:08 PM] cheezesauce: Should've totally turned him back to stone.
[9:59:45 PM] Csquerade: [9:58 PM] cheezesauce:

<<< I mean, how can Discord still go around creating chaos with THIS sort of ending?
Send him to the Everfree, obviously.
[10:00:01 PM] twow443: Lol
[10:00:08 PM | Edited 10:00:13 PM] Samuel Cook: I can say to myself, "He's chaotic neutral, and as such, does only what he wants. If he wants to have a friend more than he wants to be a dick, okay, fine, I can keep my grumbling to a relative minimum."
[10:00:31 PM] Samuel Cook: But that wasn't the ending they built up to.
[10:00:33 PM] Csquerade: Doesn’t it make a lot of sense that Everfree is a remnant of Discord’s rule? A forest that manages itself? Given Discord, that makes a lot of sense.
[10:00:48 PM] Csquerade: [10:00 PM] Samuel Cook:

<<< I can say to myself, "He's chaotic neutral, and as such, does only what he wants. If he wants to have a friend more than he wants to be a dick, okay, fine, I can keep my grumbling to a relative minimum." But that wasn't the ending they built up to.
Yes it was :/
[10:00:50 PM] Samuel Cook: They had about 10 seconds of episode that hinted at this ending.
[10:01:01 PM] Csquerade: They hinted at it the whole time.
[10:01:02 PM | Edited 10:01:06 PM] Samuel Cook: And I do not exagerate.
[10:01:28 PM] Samuel Cook: No, they hinted at it when, at that dinner, Fluttershy called him his friend and he seemed to consider it.
[10:01:28 PM] Csquerade: Discord was constantly refusing to behave himself. Fluttershy was constantly putting her trust in Discord to behave himself. Eventually, one had to give.
[10:01:55 PM] Csquerade: B_P, you’re looking for specifics when the whole thing hints at it clear as day.
[10:02:01 PM] Samuel Cook: Yes, that hinted at a confrontation.
[10:02:12 PM] Csquerade: And given RoH, Fluttershy wasn’t gonna give.
[10:02:18 PM] Csquerade: Discord was gonna break first.
[10:02:26 PM] Samuel Cook: Dude, I'm not talking about the confrontation, OF COURSE that had to happen. I'm talking about the ending.
[10:02:42 PM] Samuel Cook: RoH?
[10:02:45 PM] twow443: Oh you two.
[10:02:57 PM | Edited 10:03:18 PM] Csquerade: The result of the confrontation? Where he accepted her friendship? It led up to that just as much as the confrontation.
[10:03:06 PM] Csquerade: RoH = Return of Harmony. Season 2 opener.
[10:03:36 PM] Samuel Cook: I'mma just disagree on that.
[10:03:38 PM] Csquerade: He couldn’t actually corrupt Fluttershy. He had to force it on her.
[10:03:45 PM] twow443: Yup
[10:03:47 PM] Samuel Cook: The leading-up-to-just-as-much bit.
[10:04:19 PM] Aquillo: We talking 'bout the episode?
[10:04:22 PM] Samuel Cook: Mhm.
[10:04:29 PM] cheezesauce: Yup, theee episode
[10:04:35 PM] Aquillo: I kinda liked it. A lot better than I thought it'd be.
[10:04:47 PM] Samuel Cook: Mhm. I liked it quite a bit. Just not the ending.
[10:05:00 PM] cheezesauce: Well it's definitely more interesting than the Applejack one.
[10:05:37 PM] Csquerade: Everything Fluttershy did was to become his friend. Everything she did was just for that purpose. Everything she did was to lead up to that confrontation. She knew she would have to promise not to use the Elements. She knew he couldn’t resist taunting her friends upon his victory. She knew that would happen because that’s how Discord rolls. So she gambled that when he realized just what it meant to have a friend, he’d change his ways. A perfectly legitimate alternate title for the episode is “Fluttershy’s Gamble”
[10:05:57 PM] twow443: ^
[10:06:04 PM] twow443: My words exactly.
[10:06:27 PM] Samuel Cook: You're assuming a bit too much, I think.
[10:06:46 PM] cheezesauce: She mentioned none of that, if that was her plan.
[10:07:04 PM] Samuel Cook: Yes, she went in with the intention of playing him, just as he went in with the intention of playing her.
[10:07:05 PM] cheezesauce: And does she actually look as if she can think of something in that kind of depth?
[10:07:08 PM] Csquerade: She doesn’t need to mention it. Do you need everything explained to you bit by bit to understand? By god, I hope not.
[10:07:29 PM] Csquerade: [10:07 PM] cheezesauce:

<<< And does she actually look as if she can think of something in that kind of depth?
...Are you really that dense and bad at character analysis?
[10:07:44 PM | Edited 10:07:45 PM] Samuel Cook: You do assume far too much about the specifics of how she thought about this.
[10:08:07 PM] Csquerade: Fluttershy is almost always the one who figures out what needs to be done, but no one ever listens to her. It’s always someone else who says the exact same thing that gets the credit.
[10:08:58 PM] Samuel Cook: "Almost always"?... That's, like, two or three times.
[10:09:17 PM] Csquerade: And how often does something like that happen? Maybe 4 times.
[10:09:29 PM] Samuel Cook: Something like what?
[10:11:08 PM] Csquerade: [10:07 PM] Samuel Cook:

<<< You do assume far too much about the specifics of how she thought about this.
This is literally the only thing that would work. She does everything she can to befriend Discord, but given that it’s Discord, this would only lead up to a big confrontation at which point he realized exactly what it meant to have a friend. Sure, not every specific was planned out, but when you think about it, this is the only way it could have worked.
[10:11:33 PM] Samuel Cook: Sure, but you went on about all those specifics.
[10:11:58 PM] Samuel Cook: I'm inclined to think she more put faith in near-blind hope in the inherent goodness of others.
[10:12:15 PM] Samuel Cook: Which, in MLP, is generally a safe bet.
[10:12:31 PM] Csquerade: That’s true, but there was clearly a lot more to it than that.
[10:12:40 PM] Samuel Cook: Some more. Not a whole lot.
[10:12:46 PM] Samuel Cook: No real planning, I don't think.
[10:12:59 PM] Csquerade: She knew there had to be a confrontation that forced Discord to realize what it meant to have a friend.
[10:13:02 PM] Samuel Cook: Just, "I'll be as good a friend to him as I can be so he'll see what he's been missing".
[10:13:53 PM] Csquerade: About the only thing that would make her yell at him like she did is if he started taunting her friends over his apparent victory, which meant the Elements couldn’t be used.
[10:13:58 PM] Samuel Cook: Not, "I know he'll make me promise not to use the elements, I know he's going to taunt me, and because of these things, I'll X."
[10:14:30 PM] Samuel Cook: Look, all I'm saying is that Discord wanting Fluttershy's friendship as much as he apparently does wasn't built up to enough.
[10:14:41 PM] Samuel Cook: I can accept that this outcome happened.
[10:14:44 PM] Csquerade: “After all, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.”
[10:14:49 PM] Samuel Cook: But on Discord's side, not enough was shown.
[10:14:52 PM] Csquerade: “It makes a lot of sense if you think about it that way, thus making the ending rushed but in a manner that's supposed to be rushed. That's how that sort of thing works in real life, so it works like that in the show.”
[10:15:37 PM] Samuel Cook: People in real life aren't like Discord. You'd expect him to be harder to get to.
[10:15:41 PM] Csquerade: That is how it works. When someone who was always there is suddenly gone, you realize just how much that person meant to you. Sudden realizations are about a guarantee at that point. Discord had one of those.
[10:16:09 PM | Edited 10:16:17 PM] Csquerade: Fluttershy was clearly the only pony who had bothered to even be nice to the guy.
[10:16:56 PM] Samuel Cook: We got a single bit, no longer than a couple seconds, showing that Discord was actually starting to care, and it was barely distinguishable from the times when he was just acting like he was starting to care.
[10:17:06 PM] Samuel Cook: I just wanted more.
[10:17:38 PM] Samuel Cook: More wouldn't have even been hard.
[10:18:06 PM] Csquerade: That’s because Discord didn’t even realize he cared.
[10:18:13 PM] Samuel Cook: A dash of remorse here, a bit of genuine interest there, and things would have been more believable.
[10:18:14 PM] Csquerade: That’s often how it works.
[10:18:19 PM] Samuel Cook: So?
[10:18:24 PM] Csquerade: He took it for granted.
[10:18:32 PM] Csquerade: So obviously he wouldn’t care.
[10:18:33 PM | Edited 10:18:35 PM] Samuel Cook: Whether or not a character realizes something has no bearing on what the audience is shown.
[10:18:41 PM] Csquerade: When it was gone, he realized he did actually care.
[10:18:58 PM] Csquerade: If Discord doesn’t realize it, he’s not gonna show it off to the audience.
[10:19:10 PM] Samuel Cook: Yes, that's when HE realized it, but it's also when I realized he was going to realize it.
[10:19:11 PM] Csquerade: It was a very realistic look at how this sort of thing works in real life.
[10:19:15 PM] Samuel Cook: Hence, not enough buildup for me.
[10:19:31 PM] Samuel Cook: He showed it off in that ten seconds.
[10:19:35 PM] Samuel Cook: Just a couple more things like that.
[10:19:43 PM] Samuel Cook: Just to suspend my disbelief.
[10:19:44 PM] Csquerade: There’s never any realization for either party. The only pony who should have had an inkling of this happening was Fluttershy.
[10:19:48 PM] Samuel Cook: It wouldn't have been hard.
[10:19:57 PM] Csquerade: But then it wouldn’t have been as realistic.
[10:19:58 PM] Samuel Cook: I'm not a pony.
[10:20:02 PM] Samuel Cook: I'm an audience member.
[10:20:11 PM] Samuel Cook: Disagree.
[10:20:26 PM] Samuel Cook: I'm not saying I wanted it to be clear as day.
[10:21:12 PM] Samuel Cook: I honestly thought he might still have been acting when she said he was her friend and he was surprised.
[10:21:22 PM] Csquerade: The audience isn’t supposed to know everything. Sometimes, realizing things with the characters enhances the effect. This was one of those times. However, I don’t think many people expected to have that sudden realization with Discord. They got caught up in having things explained to them up front. This sudden realization caught the audience off guard.
[10:21:33 PM] Samuel Cook: Now that I know he wasn't, even that looks kind of hamfisted.
[10:22:58 PM] Samuel Cook: Damnit, I'm going to rewatch the episode now.
[10:23:06 PM] Csquerade: Lol
[10:23:10 PM] Samuel Cook: I'll try and come closer to your line of thinking.
[10:23:17 PM] Samuel Cook: But right now, I'm not hopeful.
[10:23:30 PM] Samuel Cook: Bbs.

[War brony]

729966 In my defense, her hear didn't ' deflate,' until I forced her to listen to the audio file of a femoral artery snapping under its on stress.... That's when she went all . And I started going all

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729982

Actually, I disagree. First off, Discord didn't really "turnaround." He's still a being determined to spread chaos. He simply has a new aspect of life to consider: the possibility of friendship. In that moment when Fluttershy yelled at him and said she no longer wanted to be his friend, he realized just what it meant to have a friend. That sort of sudden realization is a very real thing. After all, you don't know what you got 'til it's gone. And he realized he didn't want to lose that friendship, so he compromised. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it that way, thus making the ending rushed but in a manner that's supposed to be rushed. That's how that sort of thing works in real life, so it works like that in the show.

Alright. I do see your point. I meant more like when she hugs him, calls him her friend and he automatically believes it. In my experience,friendship doesn't come so quickly(I'm a far northerner so that also might be a factor. lol)

729987 *shakes head* Well, too late to change it now. She's gone loopy.

[Ledomare]

729982

Dear Jesus, that's a long chunk of text.

I do agree that friendship is a powerful thing, though. He did spend well over 1000 years in stone, fully conscious, and receiving mostly insults. To have somepony who actually considers him a friend is a powerful thing.

Just not, in my mind, cause for immediate reform. While I suppose that his demeanor following the event was still affected by Fluttershy's acts, I wouldn't expect that he'll still be the stainless soul that he was at the end of the episode after a week or so of being "coached" for good. It'll take some intense coaching from Celestia to get him to behave, and I sincerely hope that he returns, with his old sense of humor intact and refitted to use for a less evil purpose.

I'm not sure how well I can tolerate this episode unless they follow up with an episode about Discord warping reality around them to face a stronger enemy and push their limits (a la Q and the Borg). Or something like that. Really, anything that allows him to be his old self, but not be inherently evil.

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730382

Just not, in my mind, cause for immediate reform.

But that's the thing. I don't think he's completely reformed. Not yet, anyway. He's still Discord for all intents and purposes. However, for the time being, he's trying to figure out what this whole friendship thing means to him. So he'll behave while he sorts things out. Once he's sorted things out and given the matter a lot of thought, then whatever decision he makes will be a good one because it wasn't sudden. He'll have spent time thinking on it and reaching his own conclusions.

[NightCore]

Well this episode went as expected. I laughed at Discord's antics, but was disappointed with the ending. If anything I would have liked there to be something that showed he was living with Fluttershy for more than a day before he reformed(It looked more like 2.eh.). I also would have liked if the ending was a bit more open ended. I was actually hopping that it would end leaving a hint that Discord will have a role to play in the season finale (be the villain maybe?). I did like that Celestia still doesn't trust him. Kinda sad to see that the others seemed kinda lax with him at the end. Hehe, I loved their faces after Fluttershy said he can be sweet when you get to know him, especially Celestia's xD.

Love the picture btw :D

~Have a good one.

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730382 DON'T PROVOKE THE BORG!