CJF's MLP Reviews: Castle Sweet Castle

As expected, we move from an adventurous plot to a slice of life plot, and like I said in the last review, it's nice to have a change of pace. With that said, this was a nice breather episode, and the more I think about it, the better the episode gets. Why is that?

The episode starts with Twilight helping Fluttershy washing the animals. Twilight is wondering if there are any animals left to wash, and Fluttershy says that they're the only two. Did Fluttershy just call themselves "animals" even though ponies are highly civilized? That's like if humans called themselves animals. When Fluttershy mentions Twilight should return to her castle to rest, Twilight suspiciously wants to stay by "accidentally" splashing Angel Bunny in the mud. Considering how much of jerk that bunny was in the past, he had it coming, and it's funny to watch.


By the first couple of minutes, Fluttershy and the other ponies notice that Twilight has been distancing herself from the new castle by continuously helping her friends out. Avoiding that cliche in which Twilight would confess by the last few minutes of the episode, she eventually confesses, as she doesn't feel right at home. Twilight's friends decide to help her out by redecorating the castle while she and Spike go to the spa.

When Spike shows up, he is seen holding a Rarity plushie...

...and no one but the audience notices, That part cracked me up, though it is only going to spawn more crazy shippers.

"Let's do this, little dragon!"

I don't have much to comment about the spa scene. Twilight briefly gets Anime hair and Bulk Biceps has an amusing scene preparing to give Spike a really rough massage... YEAH!

Then comes this episode's musical number, "Make This Castle a Home." It's decent and it has a nice beat. Rainbow Dash's singing voice was pretty off, though. Remember when she was singing in the "Best Night Ever," "Magical Mystery Cure," and even Rainbow Rocks? She sounded good, but here... not as much. Though this is only in the beginning; the rest of the song she sounds fine. I mean no offence to voice actress Ashleigh Ball, given that she's a singer herself. I just thought I had to point that out.

Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie each bring in decorations that more or less suit them more than Twilight. Predictably, the end result is a mess. Spike shows up as Twilight is still in the spa and notices the riff-raff. Rarity assigns him to keep Twilight away from the castle until sunset by convincing him with her charms rather seductively.

Well done, Rarity, your manipulation skills only rival Fluttershy's Stare.

Spike continues to stall Twilight, when eventually they run into the ruins of the old library. Let these two shots sink in:

The scene is brief, yet really powerful. It was shocking and sad to see it destroyed in "Twilight's Kingdom," and it's heartbreaking to see its remains in this episode. I started to choke up a little, as they both expressed how much they miss it. This is practically the episode's main highlight. It really goes to show that the series has a lot of heart, which makes it overall commendable, but it doesn't stop there.

The ponies are running out of time and they try to find out how they can make Twilight feel right at home. They recall some memories, referencing episodes like "Sonic Rainboom" and "Look Before You Sleep," and Pinkie Pie makes a "too soon" joke about the library being destroyed. Unlike "Filli Vanilli," she realizes how bad the comment was, so that's a step forward. They head to old library with some shovels, asking Spike to stall Twilight a little bit more.

Twilight and Spike return to the castle to find the roots of the old library hanging on the ceiling like a chandelier. Underneath the roots contains gems with images of old memories, even when she first arrived in Ponyville in the first episode. Given the fact that it's been nearly five years since the show first premiered, the nostalgia is starting to kick in a little. It's not done yet, as they also put in their own personal touches in the other rooms of the castle. Cue the obligatory group hug and the feels that came along with it, then cut to credits.

I love this episode because of how much heart it has. Sure, it has the following familiar cliche where the main character is being distracted while a surprise is under construction. However, take note that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic uses cliches a lot, yet they feel fresh and new when we watch them. At times, they can even defy our expectations, like the above example at the beginning of this post.

The comedy is great, especially some of the brief moments like Angel Bunny getting dirty or Bulk Biceps' one scene wonder, or even Twilight's first words after waking up:

"I'm pancake, I mean, awake."

The song, while not my favorite, it moves the plot forward. Lastly, it is very touching episode. Once again, my praise goes to the scene where Twilight and Spike visit the old library and how it handles drama without being too sappy. I was actually feeling some of these emotions deep inside.

This episode was nicely made, and this was done by first-time writers of the show, and they seem to have understanding for it. This episode gets a...

5/5

I will admit: Twilight looks great with that mane-style.