I apologize if I haven't done individual posts on episodes 16-24. I've been going through a period where I found myself unable to make blogs on individual episodes. I think the reason is that the second half of Season 5 didn't give me enough to talk about. Instead, I'll talk briefly about each of them here, sort of like how PieGuyRulz does his SpongeBob SquarePants reviews.
1-2. The Cutie Map
10. Princess Spike
11. Party Pooped
12. Amending Fences
16. Made in Manehattan
In this next Cutie Map episode, Applejack and Rarity are summoned to Manehattan. It's there that they figure out that they have to help Coco Pommel revive the theater community in her neighborhood.
"Hey, you know what character hasn't had her own episode in a while? Rarity! Of course, let's not just make this one episode, but stretch it out over three... IN A ROW! Now that is brilliant!"
Anyway, I give this episode a:
3/5
Let me get the positives out of the way. First, I got a good laugh out of Twilight being bored with books and her disappointment that she wasn't summoned. Next, I loved seeing Coco Pommel again after she last appeared in "Rarity Takes Manehattan." Lastly, I like this significant quote from Applejack that gave the episode its payoff:
"We stop worrying about what we can't do, and start doing what we can."
So why such an average rating? Because the episode was just average and I felt that the plot was on auto-pilot the whole time. Nothing bad, but nothing to write home about, either.
17. Brotherhooves Social
Because Applejack had to go to Manehattan with Rarity, Apple Bloom becomes bummed out that she doesn't have anyone to go to the Sisterhooves Social with her. Big Macintosh then decides to find a way to spend quality time with her by going to the Sisterhooves Social with her... dressed in drag. Hilarity ensues.
Remember in Season 3 when we had "Games Ponies Play" and "Just for Sidekicks" actually taking place during each other? Both this and the previous episode do that, too. I didn't think it was actually necessary, but it's nice to have another differing point-of-view type of story. The episode gets a:
5/5
Where do I begin? For starters, Big Mac says more than just "Yup" and "Nope." Next, I was in stitches throughout the whole episode. I can tell that voice actor Peter New was having a lot of fun speaking in a high-pitched voice. It's also quite thrilling that he gave such an emotional delivery at the end when he confesses to Apple Bloom that he misses being idolized by her. That will make any viewer go "Aww!"
There are also other things I liked in the episode like Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo bonding as surrogate sisters. I am also glad that when Big Mac gets his cover blown, he and Apple Bloom weren't disqualified due to him dressing in drag. It was actually because of Big Mac's bad sportsmanship during the final obstacle course, eliminating this type of cliche. Though can they really blame him? He's a stallion, for crying out loud!
After the somewhat lacking "Appleoosa's Most Wanted," I'm glad that writer Dave Polsky made up for it by giving us one of the strongest episodes in the season for the mix of his trademark comedy and heartwarming ending.
There are also other things I liked in the episode like Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo bonding as surrogate sisters. I am also glad that when Big Mac gets his cover blown, he and Apple Bloom weren't disqualified due to him dressing in drag. It was actually because of Big Mac's bad sportsmanship during the final obstacle course, eliminating this type of cliche. Though can they really blame him? He's a stallion, for crying out loud!
After the somewhat lacking "Appleoosa's Most Wanted," I'm glad that writer Dave Polsky made up for it by giving us one of the strongest episodes in the season for the mix of his trademark comedy and heartwarming ending.
18. Crusaders of the Lost Mark
On "Magical Mystery Cure 2.0," the Cutie Mark Crusaders help their classmate, Pipsqueak, compete against Diamond Tiara for class president. By the end of the first act, Pipsqueak wins, so what's the rest of the episode about? The Crusaders figure out that Diamond Tiara is kind of a troubled character and they actually attempt to befriend her.
I call it "Magical Mystery Cure 2.0" because it follows the same format as said episode, in which it is driven by several musical numbers. I will say that while I don't find the songs that memorable, they at least get the job done by moving the plot forward. The episode gets a:
4/5
Okay, let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first. The Crusaders finally get their Cutie Marks! The strange thing is that the episode aired on the show's fifth anniversary. Coincidence? Probably not. This was literally my reaction when that moment finally happened:
After all the excitement, though, I began to wonder something: what happened to Sweetie Belle's singing, Scootaloo's stunt work, and Apple Bloom's carpentry? I know "Show Stoppers" isn't a well-loved episode, but since it's a permanent episode from five years ago, there should have been something following up on that.
I mentioned at the end of my "Bloom and Gloom" review that the CMC getting their Cutie Marks would be something I would discuss. It never became a full blog, but I guess this is now a good time to talk about it. What if one of the Crusaders got their Cutie Marks before any of the other two? It might have created an interesting dilemma between the three.
Say Scootaloo was the first to get a Cutie Mark. I can imagine a situation where she would decide to either split up with the Crusaders since she no longer has a purpose of being with them, or just stick with them because of their true companionship. It's obvious that she would choose the latter, but it would have been a great situation to be addressed. However, I know better than to judge episodes by how I want them to be, even though this was a missed opportunity.
My one problem with this episode is that Diamond Tiara's heel-face turn lacked transition. Sure, we got to delve more into her psyche by learning more about her background, resulting in actually sympathizing with her which it succeeds at. However, her mentioning that the Crusaders are now her friends almost came right out of nowhere, making it feel rushed. The Gravity Falls episode "Northwest Mansion Mystery" did this a lot better, because it took its time to develop the show's Alpha Bi-- I mean, Witch.
What I am glad to see in the episode is the changing of the status quo. If it ended with Diamond Tiara going back to being antagonistic, as well as the whole episode being a dream, it would have bombed. Complaints aside, this is one of the biggest wham episodes since Twilight's alicorn transformation.
19. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows
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| Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Pony! Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Pony! Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Pony! |
4/5
The highlight of this episode is the comedy. You think that an entire episode of Pinkie Pie keeping her mouth shut would get old and repetitive really fast. The episode succeeds in keeping the viewer engaged by giving us a lot of variety in jokes and such wacky animation that left me laughing throughout. I could feel Pinkie's frustration and I was at the edge of my seat when she almost spilled it. To be honest, that's pretty much all the episode offers. Not one of the strongest episodes, but it's one of the funniest.
20. Hearthbreakers
The Apple family and Pinkie Pie spend Hearth's Warming Eve over at the Pie family's rock farm. Both families struggle to get over their differences. "Hearthbreakers" gets a:
3/5
While I enjoyed some of the humor, mostly from Maud Pie, the episode felt way too by-the-numbers for me, and this is a show that takes cliches and makes them fresh and new. The steps are: (1) Both families have an awkward first impression, (2) Something goes wrong that breaks them up, and (3) They find a way to make up.
Also, what is up with the ship teasing between Big Mac and Marble Pie? While it has yet to be confirmed that the Apples and Pies are related, there's a possibility that both characters might be cousins. Unfortunately, that still doesn't stop the crazy shippers from eating it up.
By the way, nice Planes, Trains, and Automobiles reference... even though this is not a Thanksgiving episode.
21. Scare Master
Fluttershy has to go out during Nightmare Night, which she is frightened of, to get food for Angel Bunny. It's there that she decides to take part in the Nightmare Night festivities so as not to let her fear of said holiday ruin the fun for them. This episode gets a:
It's not anything groundbreaking, but it's a decent Halloween episode. The most memorable part of the episode is the corn maze scene and the return of Flutterbat... sort of. Bonus points goes to this shocking revelation: Angel Bunny helped devise this plan!
4/5
It's not anything groundbreaking, but it's a decent Halloween episode. The most memorable part of the episode is the corn maze scene and the return of Flutterbat... sort of. Bonus points goes to this shocking revelation: Angel Bunny helped devise this plan!
22. What About Discord?
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| Hiss-terical! |
3/5
I get what they were going for. I couldn't see what's so funny about this joke and I wanted to know more like Twilight does. However, it sacrifices any enjoyment that I was supposed to have in this episode and ended up being pretty dull. Also, the puns got way overboard.
Oh, yeah, and here's a follow-up to Fluttershy's Adorable Faces. I call this one "Much More Important":
23. The Hooffields and McColts
In the next Cutie Map episode, Twilight and Fluttershy are summoned to the Smokey Mountains to stop a feud between the titular neighbors. "The Hooffields and McColts" gets a:
3/5
This is another episode in which I felt that the plot was on autopilot, not really adding much to keep me interested. I will say this, though: it does a better job than the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode "The Great Divide." At least there's no lying used to solve a problem. I have started to notice that the Cutie Map episodes after the season premiere have been pretty underwhelming due to generic plots, with the exception of "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone."
24. The Mane Attraction
The biggest pop star in the world named Countess Coloratura arrives in Ponyville to host a charity concert. It turns out that she was an old friend from Applejack's childhood, nicknamed "Rara." Applejack notices that Rara is being exploited by her manager, Svengallop, for personal gain and tries to expose him. "The Mane Attraction" gets a:
5/5
It just hit me that I find myself fascinated with stories about reconnecting with old friends. "Amending Fences" is one of my all-time favorite episodes in the show because it understands this concept really well. "The Mane Attraction" understands this, too, and I found it pretty heartwarming when Applejack and Rara meet each other for the first time in years in contrast to Twilight meeting Moondancer.
It's a nice use of celebrity voice casting, too, pretty much like how "Weird Al" Yankovic guest-starred in the last season. That's Lena Hall as the voice of Rara and I've never actually heard of her until this episode came out. All the singing she does in this episode is pure gold, especially "The Magic Inside." I also found "The Spectacle" pretty entertaining, and I found it pretty funny on how the show has magic auto-tune.
If I have to name a gripe I have with this episode, it's Svengallop himself. He is way too one-dimensional as an antagonist and adds nothing new to the snobbish manager archetype. Also, the way he was exposed I found way too easy and quick, though that's probably to save room for the climax of this episode.
Other than that, this is a fantastic episode to end on before the season finale. This is writer Amy Keating Rogers' last episode before she left to work at Disney. She definitely ended her tenure on MLP on a pretty good note.
25-26. The Cutie Remark (coming soon)
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