An Overview of MLP: Season 5, Part 2 · 5:10am Dec 4th, 2015
Season 5 has finally drawn to a close. And, as always, it's now time for me to look back over the recent half-season to give a summary of my thoughts over each episode as well as give each episode a score. As always, the thoughts presented here are all my opinions and I am interested in hearing what the rest of you agree/disagree with me about. Let's go ahead and get started!
Episode 14: Canterlot Boutique
This was a very enjoyable start to the second half of Season 5. It was nice seeing Rarity's fashion career take a huge step forward. Sassy Saddles was an interesting addition to this season's guest roster and I liked seeing her learn to follow Rarity's path instead of going down one similar to that of maybe Suri Polomare. The song was pretty good and there were some fun background characters to be seen. I give Canterlot Boutique an 8/10.
Episode 15: Rarity Investigates
While the title probably could have used a bit more thought, the episode overall was very fun. It was great seeing Rarity and Rainbow Dash get their first episode together and I liked the resolution to the, admittedly, predictable mystery. Seeing the Wonderbolts again was nice and the noir theme was a very entertaining touch. I give Rarity Investigates an 8.5/10.
Episode 16: Made in Manehattan
This was another episode I really enjoyed. It was nice seeing just how far Applejack and Rarity's friendship has developed since Season 1. The return of Coco Pommel was a welcome addition and the whole episode just had a very heartwarming feel to it. Throw in some funny references and a good moral and you've got yourself a pretty good episode. I give Mane in Manehattan an 8.5/10.
Episode 17: Brotherhooves Social
In spite of stirring up an asinine "controversy", I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. It was great seeing Big Macintosh get some time in the spotlight and his antics as "Orchard Blossom" were hilarious. Seeing the Sisterhooves Social again was nice, the connection with Made in Manehattan was an interesting touch, and the final scene between Big Mac and Apple Bloom is easily one of the most heartwarming scenes this show has ever produced. I give Brotherhooves Social a 9/10.
Episode 18: Crusaders of the Lost Mark
This was a truly great way to celebrate MLP's fifth anniversary. In spite of suffering a bit from the same pacing issues that plagued Magical Mystery Cure, this episode still managed to be fun, heartwarming, and surprising. The redemption of Diamond Tiara could have been slowed down a bit and maybe been hinted at more prior to this episode (similar to the gradual redemption of Pacifica in Gravity Falls) but I was overall satisfied by it. The songs were great and it was incredibly satisfying seeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders FINALLY earn their cutie marks. I give Crusaders of the Lost Mark a 9/10.
Episode 19: The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows
This was another very fun episode. Pinkie Pie was hilarious in this episode and the many facial animations she was given throughout were great. It was nice seeing Shining Armor and Princess Cadance again and them having a foal has the opened the door for some very interesting episodes in the future. I give The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows an 9/10.
Episode 20: Hearthbreakers
The timing of this episode's release was a bit off but, aside from that, this was a pretty solid holiday special. It was great to finally get to know the rest of Pinkie Pie's family and I enjoyed seeing them interact with the Apples. And, by the end, the episode just left me with a very warm feeling inside. I give Hearthbreakers an 8.5/10.
Episode 21: Scare Master
A very mixed bag of an episode. The first half is plagued by Fluttershy's shyness being amplified to annoying extremes. However, the second half proved to be a lot of fun and ended with a very good moral. Some little bits of Fluttershy's development can be seen, the return of Nightmare Night was nice, and the Mane 6's costumes were very enjoyable. But, still, that annoying first half knocks this episode down a few pegs in spite of the mostly solid second half. I give Scare Master a 6.5/10.
Episode 22: What About Discord?
Easily my least favorite episode of Season 5, which was apparently written by the same person who wrote the teleplay for my previous least favorite Season 5 episode: Princess Spike. While Twilight and Spike have some good moments together and some of Discord's antics were enjoyable, the rest of the episode was just a huge bore-fest. Twilight acts dumbed down in some parts, the Mane 6 act OOC in some parts, and Discord's actions feel like his previous developments had been negated. Hopefully, the two promised Season 6 Discord episodes will be able to make up for this one. I give What About Discord a 4.5/10.
Episode 23: The Hooffields and McColts
This was a very fun and enjoyable episode. It was nice seeing Twilight and Fluttershy get another episode together after so long and I liked seeing them work together to solve the conflict. Add in some interesting pony designs and a pretty well-done ponified retelling of the real life Hatfield-McCoy feud and you've got yourself another solid episode. I give The Hooffields and McColts an 8.5/10.
Episode 24: The Mane Attraction
This was a solid Applejack episode. Coloratura/Rara was a great addition to the Season 5 guest roster and the songs were all very enjoyable (well...aside from "The Magic Inside" which was simply AMUHZING). Again, this was a very good episode for Applejack and I look forward to seeing more episodes with her that stray away from her previous typecast roles. I give The Mane Attraction a 9/10.
Episodes 25 and 26: The Cutie Re-Mark
After further thought, these episodes have truly solidified themselves as being my favorite MLP finale thus far. Twilight, Spike, and Starlight got a lot of moments to shine in this finale. The alternate timelines were very interesting to see and it was refreshing to see MLP go a bit dark. And it was just a great time travel story overall. Add in an enjoyable ending song and some very interesting and thought-provoking possibilities for changes to come and the result is the best MLP finale and 2-parter thus far (in my opinion, of course). I give The Cutie Re-Mark a solid 10/10!
Final Thoughts
Overall, Season 5 is easily my favorite season of MLP thus far. It gave me what I wanted from MLP and so much more. Great continuity references, wonderful character returns, great songs, awesome developments, welcome fan service, enjoyable new characters, and much more. I can not wait to see what the future of MLP holds in store for us. Season 6, Equestria Girls 4, the 2017 MLP movie. It's going to be a very interesting ride.
Before I close this out, a list of some of my further Season 5 thoughts:
Favorite Episode: Tie between Slice of Life, Amending Fences, and The Cutie Re-Mark
Least Favorite Episode: What About Discord?
Favorite Song: "The Magic Inside"
Least Favorite Song: "Our Town"
Favorite New Character: Starlight Glimmer
Favorite Moment: Tie between Moondancer's outburst at Twilight in Amending Fences and Doctor Whooves saying "Allons-y" in Slice of Life
And this concludes my overview of Season 5, Part 2 (and Season 5 as a whole). What about the rest of you? Do you agree with me? Disagree with me? I'm interested in hearing your Season 5 thoughts as well. 
I agree a lot with you but I would Have given Crusaders of the lost mark a 10/10. I'm trying to dig up as much info on season 6 as best I can so far not much has come up I think it's to early to get any info but I'll keep looking. Also the very end of EG3 foreshadowed the season 5 finale when Twilight walked through the portal saying something about time travel.
For Season 6, I'd like to see episodes involving any of the following Mane 6 match-ups that the show hasn't done before: Twilight & Applejack, Rarity & Pinkie, and Twilight & Rarity. Can't you just imagine the possibilities? Also, I have no doubt in my mind that the season premiere will involve the birth of Shining Armor and Cadance's foal. The only question I do have is will Queen Chrysalis make a return appearance? If so, that would be interesting.
Speaking of Chrysalis, as a bit of a side note, would you agree that the following MLP: FIM arc villains from Seasons 1-5 each represent an antithesis to the Elements of Harmony:
* Nightmare Moon - Generosity
* Discord - Laughter
* Queen Chrysalis - Honesty
* King Sombra - Kindness
* Lord Tirek - Loyalty
* Starlight Glimmer - Magic
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Dang. I didn't realize that until now. Consider Season 5's tribute to all of MLP having come full circle.
I would minutely disagree by swapping your two least favorite episodes, Princess Spike and What About Discord. Do you know the Nostalgia Critic and his review of the movie "Blank Check"? He called it the most bland, uninteresting, forgettable movie ever; not bad, just…not good either, doing nothing new or original and sitting perfectly between anything that could give it a unique identity. That was What About Discord for me, it was just…there, bland, neutral, it successfully avoided earning a score. Princess Spike, on the other hand, has valid reasons to dislike. It would be sufficient that Spike only started using his power and influence for selfish reasons after Cadance brought it up that he could do that, but then it went and only had go wrong and come back to bite him the first few things that Spike had done when he was honestly trying to help, though with…incomplete plans. If they'd tried to have the moral be more along the lines of "if you're going to do something, make sure you know what the heck you're doing first" or "think through the possible future outcomes of your present actions", then it might've fit, but trying to say not to let power go to your head? This episode either gave the wrong moral for the right reason, or the right moral for the wrong reason, and that's just poor storytelling.
Other than that, maybe Moondancer as favorite new character over Starlight, Sassy Saddles and Coloratura close behind.
I bet I know one of the main reasons why Season 5 is your favorite season: Fluttershy. Specifically, Fluttershy has been shown to be more assertive here than in any of the previous seasons. As I've mentioned before, probably the most notable examples of this have to be in Tanks for the Memories, when she used tough love in order to help Rainbow Dash cope with her problem, and Make New Friends But Keep Discord, when she berated Discord for trying to send Tree Hugger into another dimension just because he was jealous of her making a new friend.
Sadly though, Fluttershy's Season 5 characterization wasn't entirely consist. Case in point, her only solo focus episode for this season Scare Master has received some backlash for what many people take issue with most of her other focus episodes: Fluttershy having to learn to overcome some form of shyness. I'm sorry, but it feels like every time the writers put Fluttershy in the spotlight of an episode they have to reset her personality in order to make the plot work. This is a major reason why she along with Applejack rank pretty low in the Mane 6 for me.
What I mean is that when it comes to focus episodes, Applejack and Fluttershy seem to be the most typecast. As I've already mentioned, Fluttershy's episodes seem to revolve around her learning to be less introverted. In the case of Applejack, her episodes seem to either have her learning not to be so stubborn or involve her family in some manner. Now don't me wrong, I'm not saying I hate either Applejack or Fluttershy. I like them just as much as the rest of the Mane 6. I just feel that, compared to the others, they get the least amount of variety.
Anyway, aside from that, I will agree that Season 5 has indeed been Fluttershy's best outing in the entire series.
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I definitely agree with you about Fluttershy and Applejack constantly get "typecast" in their focus episodes. I've actually gone into that a bit in my reviews of the episodes. I enjoyed seeing episodes this season that pushed these characters away from their typecast roles. The Hooffields and McColts for Fluttershy and The Mane Attraction for Applejack are prime examples.
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Still, am I correct about Fluttershy showing more of a backbone in this season than in the previous four one of the main reasons why Season 5 is your favorite season of Friendship is Magic so far?
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Granted, there are many reasons why I loved Season 5 but, yes, Fluttershy's mostly consistent characterization was one of them.
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Would you say there are enough reasons for a Top 10 Countdown List?
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Maybe...