My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

[Mike Wheeler]

On the subject of Nick Confalone, I'd say he's so far my favorite writer who started in Season 5, although that really isn't saying that much, because I thought Neal Dusedau's episodes were terrible, and Gillian M. Berrow's The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows was a mixed bag, although Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco were at least decent.

 

[SonicMario]

Video Link

(Song Used: Full Moon - Sonata Artica)

When this episode's synopsis was revealed. I couldn't help but feel but have Phoenix Wright vibes, it wasn't that long ago that I started getting into the series at the time. I was suddenly hoping we'd get Rarity at least yelling out one loud Objection! somewhere in the episode. While we didn't really get that. What we got was still kinda nice. Even to the disappointment of Phoenix Wright fans we got just classic noir stuff rather then what we hoped. Though unfortunately the episode gets also a bit predictable, with first new character we meet Scooby-Doo cliche predictable with Wind Rider the former Wonderbolt trying to frame Rainbow before she has the chance to break his record (What is with recent episodes messing up the Wonderbolts reputation? You have Rainbow Falls and then this where even an honored member that retired is disgraced). On a side note it's fun to have this episode follow-up straight up on a previous episode. With Rarity in the Canterlot Boutique and Sassy Saddles appearing again. Not many non Two-Parters happen like that where the next episode feels like it could start the next day after the previous episode. So it definitely stands out.

While the episode certainly doesn't get any points for any huge twist, it's something fans of old mysteries can enjoy. And we don't see a Rarity and Rainbow episode all that often. So fans of the two ponies that work as hard as they can to reach the glorious futures they strive for can enjoy this one.

I feel like this episode is also a little underrated similar to Party Pooped. As again it's an episode that shows Pinkie as a character and not just a gag. The problem is maybe is that in previous episodes and even afterward there are points where Pinkie acts not too different from her clones to it doesn't feel as consistent. (Three's a Crowd has the worst of this where Pinkie is distracted by a balloon TWICE, considering the Pinkie clones were zapped for simply looking out the window, it makes you almost feel Twilight missed one Pinkie clone and the real Pinkie is somewhere else in Three's a Crowd). But Too Many Pinkie Pies does show what a Pinkie with actual character is like among her one-dimensional clones. There is a fair bit of convenience when Spike and Twilight find a book on the mirror pool in a secret compartment in the Library. And there is the scare of what just would happen if Twilight zapped the real pinkie when testing all the Pinkie's. It also may be considered yet another Dave Polsky controversy on whether this was even the right thing to do with the Pinkie's. As even if they are one dimensional, some may argue that they didn't deserve the fate they got. Because you could argue Twilight mass murdered those Pinkie clones. It doesn't help that there was at least one clone that did show emotion early on in the episode expressing stress to the real Pinkie. That alone gives a solid argument to some that the Pinkie's weren't just mindless clones. And depending on anyone taking it seriously enough may put this episode a lot lower then I do.

But as awkward that all is. I do feel they just had to do it because I don't know where they really would put a whole army of Pinkie clones. As disturbing Twilight zapping them might be to some, there's not a lot of options to do with them and might just have to be seen as a decision that had to be done. Again, that's kind of the controversy that most pre-Season 4 Dave Polsky episodes had with them. For some reason there was always something to argue about in his episodes. So maybe it's a little controversial to have this episode even this high up, but I feel a fair bit of the humor and another episode that actually helps Pinkie feel like a character justifies it.

*The Scariest thing of all: ANIME!

Scare Master is simply a reminder that not everybody is on board with certain holidays. While the theme is definitely Halloween and people who might be too scared or shy to go out and trick or treat. It can also be applied to Christmas for those who either aren't Christian or into the commercialism that holidays like Christmas bring and that's ok. On a side note this is the episode that leaked like an entire month early. With about three or 4 episodes and a movie that still had to air before this one. One of those being the huge CMC get their Cutie Marks. We should be lucky the CMC's flanks are covered by their Costumes. Because imagine if say it had been The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows that had leaked instead where we see the Cutie Marks on the CMC straight-up in view and we saw it before the big episode that contained them receiving those marks. Thankfully it was just a Halloween episode that could of aired anytime and wouldn't have mattered. But it's certainly a bullet dodged there. But anyway, it's an interesting episode that shows more of how Nightmare Night goes aside from what we got in Luna Eclipsed with more opportunity to see Ponies in costumes. With scary mazes and everything. Fluttershy's "scary tea party" certainly was something a little amusing with Fluttershy's making her attempt to make mundane things sound scary.

Though the episode will probably be more remembered for what Fluttershy performs at the end, even adorning a Flutterbat costume (They must of listened when they asked for more Flutterbat, considering we also got Flutterbat back in Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?) and legitimately being able to scare her friends which upon seeing her faces she backs down and apologizes. And despite her friends telling her it's ok and even perhaps asking if she could more of that another year she refuses saying it's not her thing. Which goes in fine, cause as said before everybody not quite into holidays can relate. If there's one nit pick I have with this episode is that Rainbow's kind of a douche here, I mean back to Early Season 1 Dash douchery, I feel she should be better then that at this point. But oh well, not too big of a deal.

This is the episode that first followed up what we got in Pinkie Apple Pie from Season 4. Where it was revealed it's possible the Apple Family and the Pie family may have a common ancestor and thus related. And the obvious result was to have the Apple Family meet up with Pinkie's family for Hearth's Warming Eve. Just like Scare Master the episode centers around a moral based on Holidays. Though instead of those who don't celebrate, it's those who celebrate it in a different way. The episode teaches instead of forcing traditions on each other, it's best to make up entirely new ones that both families can appreciate.

We're also properly introduced with Pinkie's 2 other sisters that we hadn't seen since Pinkie's flashback in Cutie Mark Chronicles. You have Marble Pie that quickly became a fandom darling for being practically perhaps the return of Season 1 Fluttershy (Though arguably she's even shyer then Fluttershy ever was, running away and only saying "Mhmm"). And then there's Limestone Pie who's rather bitchy overtones certainly got her more of a mixed response, but you can see she's just a hard boss that wants to keep the Rock Farm on it's toes. (Not to mention really protective of Holder's Boulder). While differences quickly arise not all is lost, as heck Marble Pie and Big Mac get all blushed throughout the episode. For once you can't blame the fandom for shipping ponies, the episode itself wanted us to view them as cute together. It did result in a little debate on whether this was kind of incestuous, but many did look things a little more and found it's quite possible they're distant enough cousins that should they become a couple it should be alright. Though you could also say maybe the Apples and Pies aren't family… yet. And through a Marriage between Big Mac and Marble (or for some of those who still cling on despite Pinkie Apple Pie and this episode, Applejack and Pinkie) they would become an official family then. Anyway, Hearthbreakers is a sweet holiday episode and only time will tell if we get a little more of the relation between the Apples and the Pies.

Big Mac being our only recurring male character aside from Spike (Unless Shining counts, though even Cadence at this point has probably had twice as much screentime as he has) is someone that's often in the background of this show mainly centered around our female cast. Doesn't help that he's been pretty quiet aside from the opening scene of Applebuck Season (Possibly implying he was going to talk more but they decided from Season 2 onward that his stallion of few words would be his endearing quality) and a switcheroo scene in Ponyville Confidential doesn't get the chance to speak everything he means aside from a yes (Eyuuuuup) or no (Noooooope). Well at least for this episode this changes, granted most of his speaking lines is when he's pretending to be a mare but hey it still counts right? Well either way, Big Mac definitely talks more unique lines he has in this one episode then he has in the previous 107 episodes combined.

Also I know initially this got a lot of people, especially on Tumblr where it's a big deal that this episode would be making fun of Transgender people. But as it turns out, this episode actually is actually kind of open minded. If an episode like this aired in a different show even just 10 years ago or beyond, I definitely think there would be characters questioning a male participating in a race meant only for sisters. But as it turns out the Sisterhooves Social allows any kind of bond regardless of gender and possibly even species (It would of been cool if Twilight and Spike participated as a result, maybe would of given Twilight SOMETHING to do since she was so bored which I probably should of mentioned that there's another neat continuity thing going on where the reason this episode even happens is Applejack is called by the map for Made in Manehattan) as long as they show something of a strong bond that the Social sees as ideal. So it's just Big Mac that's mistaken, still he insists on continuing as Orchard Blossom probably partly because he wants to set a good example that he can be the sibling that Applejack is to Apple Bloom. It's also great that Scootaloo and Sweetie aren't fooled whatsoever, Sweetie outright bluntly knows Orchard is Big Mac in a dress. It's good when characters aren't as fooled as they could be. Also aside from Big Mac and Apple Bloom there's another importance racer that aren't sisters that show further how the rules aren't limited to just sisters. With Scootaloo and Rainbow which excellently follows up something that's been there since Sleepless in Ponyville back in Season 5. They're not related but Scootaloo looks up to Rainbow as a big sister figure. And that's good enough for the social to allow it and that's really great. It's cool to see how open minded Equestria can be as that's what we want to see from this show. The utter positivity is one of the things that drew us to the show in the first place.

Speaking of positivity though, the best part of this episode is definitely the ending. Although Orchard doesn't win the social due to being disqualified (Notably not for being a Stallion, but just reckless behavior) Apple Bloom and Big Mac sit under a tree with a beautiful sunset in the background. Apple Bloom wants Big Mac to know that everything's fine despite what happened, and then Big Mac starts speaking and not in his Orchard Blossom voice, his actual natural voice in telling how Apple Bloom used to look up to him when she was younger and he misses being that person because now that Applejack is one of the Elements of Harmony where she's helping save Equestria and spreading the message of Friendship with Twilight and the others while he's just working on the farm, and he hoped that winning the Social would make Apple Bloom look up to him like she used to again. And Applebloom reassures him that he'll always be a hero to her, and apologizes for never making that clear. Resulting in a very heartwarming hug, and even when Granny Smith says Applejack has returned. Apple Bloom decides to stay a little longer with Big Mac, asking how Orchard would react to the Sunset they 're currently watching. Big Mac obliges in voicing his alias one more time before one more final laugh as the episode ends. Definitely one of the sweetest endings of an episode in the show yet. And it certainly provides us a better picture of Big Mac's character then we've had for a while.

 

[Mike Wheeler]

Okay, I loved Too Many Pinkie Pies. It's a flawed episode (the questionable climax, Pinkie Pie not knowing if she's a clone or not), but for me, it's hands-down the most entertaining episode of the show. I also really liked Brotherhooves Social, mainly because the ending caught me off guard due to how emotional it was.

 

[SonicMario]

Video Link

(Song Used: Rapture - Hurt)

We've reached the Top 50 now! This is more traditionally the halfway point but we technically counted down 112 instead of 100. But we're at the point where at least in my opinion a lot of these episodes are really good. Some of the next few episodes particularly in this set may still be a little bit on the fence. But otherwise considering there's episodes in the 70's part of the list that I do really, really like in parts it should say good things about the episodes placed from here on out.

Ever since the pilot we've known Rarity has an affinity for the town of Canterlot. When Twilight mentions she's from there, Rarity says she's always dreamed of living there. And well while she doesn't move to Canterlot. She gets to expand her business to Canterlot which is still a pretty big thing for her. Cause now her business can become a franchise in the future if the Canterlot shoppe is successful. She even gets a manager to help with this sector, though trouble becomes quick when this manager has a particular direction she wants it to go that disagrees with Rarity's ideals.

Upon making the Princess dress for Twilight (Who is notably considered the most popular princess in the polls interestingly enough). Sassy Saddles wants to mass-produce it, making Rarity make the same exact dress down to the very details. Even just slightly changing it up angers the customer who wanted the Princess Dress. Eventually Rarity has had enough and threatens to close the store in protest of just making the one dress. As with many other Rarity episodes you gotta look at it in an artists lens. You can have a really successful art piece but if that's all you sell, you risk becoming a one trick pony (No pun intended). So Rarity has to show what else she can do, and she finds more customers of which to recommend clothes to in what was supposed to be the closing sale. At the same time she's also showing Sassy what Rarity calls the "Rules of Rarity" so she can understand why Rarity continues her business while Sassy's strategy of one popular dress being mass produced ends up running things in the ground (As she mentions, she doesn't want to be part of another failed business implying this happened before). Sassy see's Rarity's way working and apologizes for forcing her way into things. As a result, Rarity keeps the shop open and presumably gives Sassy control of the shop while Rarity goes back to the Ponyville boutique. (One thing I don't know how to feel about is the scene at the very end with the really chubby pony, I almost actually feel a little sorry for her that Rarity and Sassy simply say No when she came for the Princess Dress of which she gets a confused expression in her face).

I assume we'll probably see Sassy and the Boutique again some day (And I mean aside from the already mentioned reappearance in Rarity Investigates the very next episode afterward) so we should see how Sassy Saddles does in the future.

This is probably the one two-parter most are pretty split on. Most agree it's probably a let down if you compare it to how epic Canterlot Wedding was given that was the previous episode prior to it. But it also has some really good bits here and there that has some feeling it may be actually one of the more underrated episodes. Most of the criticism is mainly how Sombra feels much more like a natural force rather then a character, and how the Crystal Empire really just pops out of nowhere and how it's all given to Cadence and Shining. I mean we know Cadence and Shining were pretty rushed in as much as some of us may like them but even the place they rule over had to pop out of nowhere too which doesn't help with of the criticisms toward them. Though in at least defense in one of these, Sombra still felt like he was a dangerous looming threat. And if it weren't for a precise wife throw from Shining, Sombra would of gotten the Crystal Heart and won. For me the best scene of the two-parter though was definitely the Fear Door scene. I think it's great when we see firsthand what the characters fear the most. Twilight fears failure and rejection from the mentor she looks up to the most, and Spike in turn fears being abandoned by Twilight. I think it's a really great scene that show's something we definitely want to know about our characters because we get a feeling of how much they care about those they fear losing the trust or care of and everything.

On a side note, in this one episode we can see how much Twilight's improved in Magic since the first season. Granted even in Season 1, Twilight was awesome with magic given Boast Busters and the Cinderella-esque spells in Best Night Ever. But now she's reversing gravity and using dark magic. On another note, this is also the only episode that's the closest to less then subtle foreshadowing Twilight's ascension to an Alicorn at the end of Season 3. Aside from Luna holding Starswirl's journal that would prove crucial in Magical Mystery Cure. We have two things in the beginning of Crystal Empire. You have Celestia mention a Next Level of Studies. There was a moment prior to the episode's release where the first 11 minutes were leaked, upon hearing Celestia's words of next level of studies speculation started on what exactly Twilight's next level of studies is. And as it would turn out it would be her ascension into an Alicorn. The other one is a little more on the subtle side but there's a moment where Twilight and Luna are talking to Twilight and in the background their Cutie Marks appear behind them, and the same happens for Twilight. While it's a little arguably if it is foreshadowing to Twilight's ascension, it certainly would be a weird coincidence if that's not what they were going for. Going back on topic on the episode, it is pretty awesome Spike gets a key role for once in a two-parter. As he doesn't do much in the Pilot, Return of Harmony, nor Canterlot Wedding so for him to step up big is really cool. He and Cadence together save the Crystal Ponies from Sombra. Which speaking of which this seems to be the only time a villain in the show has been outright killed cause there has been no sign of any attempt to bring Sombra back and I even think Meghan has confirmed they don't plan on bringing him back (That's besides the alternate timeline thing, doesn't quite count).

So be careful around Princess Cadence guys, she may be the pretty pink princess probably partly made so they wouldn't make Celestia toys pink anymore. But Cadence is the only protagonist with confirmed blood on her hooves. Don't mess with the Princess of Love, folks! This episode also has a pretty large impact considering the Crystal Empire has appeared quite a bit since then. While this is a two-parter no one can really agree just how good or bad it is, I feel this is a good spot that it's high enough to recognize it for what it did right but still recognize that it has some flaws to make it one of the lower of the two-parters.

When it comes to smaller lists like Top 10's and especially Top 5's it can be kinda hard to know how to react to the most recent Season Finale episode that normally is still so fresh on the mind. I do think Equestria Daily often runs their best episode poll a little too early cause often it's the Finale that wins by a landslide due to everybody going nuts over it when they haven't even reflected back on the whole season. Not to mention we still don't know yet what kind of impact the episode will have on the future even if we can give guesses. Like obviously we're going to be seeing more of Starlight in the future, but we still have the question of just how much Starlight is coming upon Season 6? Will she actually be considered a 7th member of the Main Cast? Or will she be more of a secondary character ala Spike and the CMC where she can make supporting appearances but isn't necessarily one of the Main 6. With this big of a list though I can put the Finale in a pretty decent middle spot where it's easy to just say time will tell how big this episode will be. Maybe it will rise up in the future if any plot threads brought up in the episode come in Season 6? I do have to say however that the episode so far feels like it will be the lowest ranks of the Finales even if it does rise up in the future. As spoiler alert, the next Finale in the list won't come up until we're close to the Top 25. An episode would have to not only become really important later on but I'd have to personally have an epiphany that a past episode is just that brilliantly done. Which at the moment even if we do get a lot of Starlight in the future doesn't feel like will happen.

I think it's still a fun episode to watch what with the alternate timelines and scenarios given, but by the end of episode I didn't feel any sort of that Season Finale hype that most of those Finales had me feeling. Even Best Night Ever had me still reeling from Flutterage. But somehow this one did not really wow me whatsoever. I mean it was kinda cool to see the return of many of villains that couldn't otherwise make easy return appearances for a little bit. Though unfortunately it just looked like an excuse to bring them all back for a short time rather then a legitimate different scenario. I personally think there are much more fun things they could have done with the whole Alternate Timeline thing, like what if all the stress of having Equestria and no pony to help her free her sister. Celestia goes mad and eventually becomes like the Day version of Nightmare Moon? (I think one of the official MLP Card game stuff had something like that, Was it a timeline that was cut?) Some more inventive timelines like that could of been appreciated. Though my favorite of the timelines certainly was the Sombra timeline where the Ponies are still fighting a war with him. While War has been mentioned as a thing even as far back as Season 2 in this show, it's a whole nother thing to actually show some of it with major characters having scars and the effect War has on the ponies. But when we got to the like the really short mini-timeline parts where Twilight and Spike are there only for a few seconds it just made me wish they only spent the time on 2 or even 3 timelines. As it feels kinda pointless to just show Tirek destroying stuff, Discord chasing Celestia and Luna around (As funny as that was), and (I still say is rather WTFish) the Flim Flam's renovating the place other then the service of "Well we showed all these villain timelines, let's throw in a few more!" I would of much rather they used that time to make the scene where Starlight and Twilight are in the abandoned wasteland to make the scene more poignant or more time to explain Starlight's motive.

Though speaking of both these things, the Wasteland is probably subtly the best scene in the Two-Parter. Cause the scariest thing is not knowing what exactly happened, you can't know for sure what really happened, you can come up with theories like all the villains came out at once and the resulting destruction killed all life in Equestria, but again you won't know for sure. It definitely remains as one of the darkest scenes of the show when you really get what this all implies. However Starlight's motive is a different story where it really comes off as a weak motive. And unfortunately we have to wait until Season 6 to possibly get any kind of closure on it. We must have Starlight at least see Sun Burst again so we find out if there was any more to this split then the flashback in the finale had time to show (Cause they still needed time for the happy ending, as much as it is rather sudden). If Starlight's always been that kinda overreactionary or if Sun Burst proves to have become a jerk after getting his Cutie Mark then maybe we'll understand a little more. But as it is we don't know and it makes it difficult to really be happy for Starlight at the end because of it. I'm not sure I feel entirely sympathetic for her yet and that's what kinda bums out the episode for me.

As much as I said this episode could rise with importantence, I could also see it go down fast if we don't get any proper and/or satisfying answers in Season 6. All the time travel stuff is neat, but just because it has a cool concept doesn't mean it's going to get too far. Consider where this episode is at a cautionary spot. It may definitely change when Season 6 shows what this episode means for the future. I suppose the good news on that end is where we’re actually really close to the start of Season 6. We won’t have to wait nearly a year to find out what Cutie Re-Mark means for the future.

This is another episode that leads into something coming up in Season 6. Now we know what Cadence's foal looks like already but again like Cutie Re-Mark we still gotta see where the show goes with Flurry Heart. This episode could also be seen kind of as Pinkie's comeuppance for Green Isn't Your Color where she bothered Twilight about keeping things a secret. Now she has to keep a huge secret, especially from Twilight, and she nearly goes crazy about it. There's even something that could be a bit of a callback with Rarity mentioning "FOREVER". The episode is pretty much a fun one through and through, like I said with Party Pooped I feel Season 5 got Pinkie right consistently and this episode is no exception. Plenty of good dialogue throughout. This episode was also written by G.M. Berrow who before this episode only wrote some of those small story books. And I think for her first time she did a pretty good job. I think my favorite line in the episode is "THERE'S ALOT OF THINGS I KNOW, THAT YOU DON'T KNOW I KNOW" which considering that basement of files from Party Pooped may very well be true.

A bit of a weird part of the episode is the part where Shining and Cadence seem to be delayed but then they're not. I thought at first that possibly meant the baby was going to appear at the end of the episode was because the delay was because… well… you get the idea. Oh, and Shining geeking out over the room they made for him was pretty funny. We don't really get a lot of Shining after Canterlot Wedding and Crystal Empire so something for us to laugh about with him was nice to see for once. We have yet to see how Flurry Heart will go, but certainly it's nice to have her pre-birth announcement resulted in a pretty fun episode.

This was the first and probably the best out of the three map episodes of Season 5. Cause the other two were Twilight and Fluttershy stopping a feud between two families in a pretty overdone plot and while the return of Coco Pommel was nice. I wasn't seeing a lot into that one either. But this episode features the return of Gilda, who we haven't seen since early Season 1 and to top it all off. Both Rainbow and Pinkie are coming along. And we're also seeing the griffon lands for the first time. Despite Twilight's praise of the place it turns out not to be as great as it sounded in the book Twilight had. The Griffons themselves aren't much better, they ask for payment for nearly every little thing you ask them for. It's in this episode we learn that Gilda's former friendship with Rainbow is enough to make her have a little bit of good in her, at least compared to all the other Griffons anyway. As I said when mentioning Griffon the Brush-Off it makes the confrontation at the end feel somewhat tragic. As we see a flashback of a young Gilda meeting Rainbow for the first time, and despite what happened back in Season 1. Gilda remembers that moment fondly. And when Rainbow is stuck in a canyon with no way to come back, she goes and rescue when a different griffon just shrugs and leaves Rainbow there because she doesn't have the payment at the time.

It's a pretty sweet moment to have Gilda and Rainbow back in good graces, and as I keep saying Season 5 Pinkie brings many good jokes along with it. (PInkie flirting with the King Grover statue is definitely one of my favorite parts in the episode) It's a shame the other Map episodes couldn't follow the slack of this first one but then again the other two duos don't have a personal character we haven't seen a while to really connect to like Gilda and Rainbow & Pinkie. Though maybe seeing Philomena again for Twilight and Fluttershy might be a close second to it. (I definitely wouldn't mind that being an episode in the future)

 

[Mike Wheeler]

I actually think The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows is overrated. Yes, the idea of Shining Armor and Cadence having a baby was great, but honestly, if it wasn't for that part, I think I would have disliked this episode. I thought it suffered from a lot of contrived moments, as well as a repetitive plot that tried way too hard to be funny.