Episode Review - S7E1 & 2, Celestial Advice and All Bottled Up · 4:33pm Apr 15th, 2017
"It's time for me to send Starlight Glimmer away!"
So, after some good Discord trolling (including bathing in Twilight's teacup, which she is not at all surprised by and just chats with him when he does it), Twilight talks to Celestia about what to do with Starlight now that her friendship lessons have plateaued. She comes to the conclusion that, like Celestia did with her, Twilight has to send Starlight away to grow on her own.
Twilight basically spends the middle act giving us fanfic prompts as she ponders Starlight going to live with the changelings, the dragons, or Sunburst, and the good and bad that could come of it. We see Ember again, yay. Also disappointing, the Sunburst scene was the big trailer of the magical runic circle they made. So one of the trailers for the season that showed Starlight and Sunburst performing a cool magic ritual, was just Twilight's fantasy sequence. Hn. Also Celestia's laugh is delightful.
So, here's my pros and cons for this idea. Pro - we really haven't examined the idea of Twilight as Starlight's mentor, she's mostly just been her friend. Twilight never really grew into her Celestia role to Starlight, which she shouldn't have, Twilight is not Celestia and should not be, but all the same she never really acted like Starlight's mentor, just a wise and experienced friend. So this is good to see.
On the downside... really? Starlight has reached the end of her education after just one season and a small handful of spotlight episodes? Twilight spent years studying before Celestia sent her away, and then spent three seasons to grow into alicornhood. Are they seriously telling us that Starlight is as good as Twilight after just one season? This episode seems to be equating saving Equestria and having strong magical power with an understanding of friendship, which is just ridiculous.
We then get into the highlight of the episode, Celestia admitting she went through the same questions during Twilight's education. After a flashback to Filly Twi (and yes, Moondancer and the other Canterlot unicorns from Amending Fences appear), we get Celestia pacing the throne room pondering what to do; she had a suspicion about Ponyville and the Mane Five, but what if it doesn't work? In these two minutes Celestia exhibits more depth than in all past six seasons combined, which is wonderful.
Anyway, the episode ends with a fake-out, Starlight isn't going anywhere.
Episode 2 isn't a Part 2; as the episode title hints, it's just a stand-alone episode, making this a unique one-part season premiere, a nice change of pace. Starlight is now helping Trixie to train her magic, and when Twilight and the Mane Five leave for a weekend because the writers wanted them gone (the activity they go to is one of those "escape" things; literally just getting locked in a room for the duration of events). Trixie tries a teleportation spell without proper supervision and accidentally teleports the Cutie Map somewhere else.
So, the rest of the episode hinges on a very plot point - Starlight's emotions are tied to her magic. Um, huh? This of course has never been brought up before, and doesn't really gel with established canon. When Starlight gets angry at Trixie a dark cloud manifests from her horn, and as Trixie acts completely flippant and dismissive of the map's vanishing, Starlight gets angrier. She decides to literally bottle up her anger in a jar she keeps with her for the next act, siphoning her anger into it when it manifests. And this keeps happening because of course Trixie is acting OOC and doesn't care at all the map is gone. She reacted with appropriate concern when Starlight mentioned changelings in S6's finale, if Starlight explains the map's powers to her, Trixie would care.
Eventually Trixie demands to know what's up with the bottle, it shatters, and Starlight's anger infects other ponies, who proceed to yell at Trixie all the things Starlight has been holding back. Starlight admits her anger to Trixie, absorbs it back, and learns not to keep anger from her friends. Obvious moral is obvious. They find the map, get it back, all is well. We also get a completely out of place song from the Mane Six, which may be the most tacked-on song the show has ever done. It isn't used ironically to contrast Starlight and Trixie or anything, the Six just sing about how good friends they are. There's a good joke where it costs them the time record on the escape they otherwise would have beaten, but it's still really forced. Song isn't that good anyway.
This episode is pretty weak, relying on Starlight's anger issues, a lame metaphor for her bottling it up, and Trixie being a dismissive jerk. The one takeaway is that when Starlight confesses her anger, Trixie says outright "The Starlight I love is passionate." Shipping intensifies. Showrunners just teasing us at this point.
So yeah, actual premiere, pretty good. Second episode, kinda lame, but that quote will fuel up the StarTrix ship for years to come.
Yeah, pretty much my thoughts on this hour of pony.
The entire episode with Trixie I just screaming "SUNSET WOULD MAKE A BETTER BEST FRIEND"
4497196 Sunset makes a better everything than Starlight.
4497197 pft I wouldn't mind Starlight and Sunset being friends honestly I think it'd be great; Trixie is a dick in virtually the same way Daffy Duck is xD Seriously they are super similar.
Daffy Duck: Vain, unapologetic, insane, greedy, spiteful, clever and multi-talented when need be, jealous of main character but is best friends with main characters other friends.
Trixie: Vain, borderline insane, low key multi-talented, shamelessly jealous of the main character, greedy, virtually unapologetic.
See? I still love the Duo, I just think it'd be better if Sunset was around. He'll a trio of Sunset, Starlight & Trixie? That writes itself
I'd argue that it does a lot to explain Starlight fighting Twilight to a draw in "The Cutie Re-Mark." She was devoting every scrap of herself to revenge.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand of course you fail to realize THE EMOTION THING WAS BROUGHT UP EARLIER. Not just with Starlight but with Twilight herself. Remember her Rapidash evolution? Oh and Sombra's dark magic.
Let's not forget the best line ever uttered from Celestia
"There is no wrong way to fantasize."
I'm just waiting for the avalanche of smut.
4497435 Twilight was nothing of the sort. Sombra's dark magic has no canonical explanation outside the comics, and that's a different type of magic so no.
4497597 Yes it was. They specifically show that the Dark magic that caused the black crystals to form was made through hate and anger. There was a difference.
Edit: Also until proven guilty? The comics ARE canon to the show sooooo YEAH.
4497598 the constant Nightmare Moon contradictions say otherwise.
When did they show that?
4497604 That doesn't stop you from claiming the EqG movies are canon when there's inconsistencies there to. Ever heard of soft canon? It's when there's enough it can be canon but also just a small amount it can be it's own thing.... but I forgot that would imply Starlight's a good character.
Nothing Is Canon! And Everything Is Canon!
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4497606 Yes, this is all because I hate Starlight and refuse to accept her on the cast, while Sunset Shimmer is awesome and therefore I forgive EqG's inconsistencies. You've seen through my pretenses, well done.
4497992 .... I'm sorry. I had a really bad day dealing with allergies and had to deal with a troll on a different site I'm a user at... I came in at bad timing. I was really irritable.