My Little Pony's Justice 2 - Official MLP Thread v2

[Snatcher2047]

"Uneventful" is the correct word to use here.  This might be the most slice-of-life episode we've gotten in an series full of episodes of the like.  At the first commercial break, my response was, "This is an episode?"  It wasn't bad or great, it was just... there.  And as an AJ fan it was kind of difficult to watch.  At least there was some good humor involved and for once Rainbow Dash came across as rather likeable as opposed to her portrayal in some recent episodes (or even EQG movies).  Humble Dash is better Dash. 

On 5/23/2016 at 5:01 AM, Ducktor Naldush Repulsa said:

I would be fine with this being the final season. Everything is wrapping up, and it would be perfect to end it with the movie. Nothing lasts forever, and this show had a very good run.

 

This series has been very fortunate to have lasted as long as it has and still produce decent episodes and only a small handful of duds every season like it has, unlike many other current running animated shows.  As much as I would hate to see a favorite show end, I'd like for it to go out while it's still respectable.  But I'm sure it will keep going as long as it's seen as profitable.

[AdventChild]

After a pretty neat episode last week, how does Applejack’s Day Off fare?

I’ll sum it up with three words: Snore, Chore, Bore.

The only thing I liked about the whole episode would probably be the parts with Rainbow Dash.

The humor felt really, really lacking in this one and nothing really sticks out that often. Well, maybe the AJ chicken dance, but I find it to be plain dumb and not really funny. Some scenes just stretch on that could have been better shortened. It makes it feel like filler and the having the moral being taught twice and hammering it in doesn’t help matters either. It’s like the plot they were given couldn’t fit a 22-minute timeslot and it makes the episode feel redundant as a whole. The pacing is affect too as it makes things feel slow, making it a slog to go through. Even the way they had to teach AJ the lesson felt ridiculous with the tedious list and felt unnatural and more for the plot’s sake.

Definitely an episode that is major steps lower than last week’s and just an overall boring experience to sit through without much substance. Apple Bucking Season has a more entertaining workaholic AJ than this.

[Nix]

I'm sure there was a way to make it seem like Applejack was doing more work than she needed to that didn't involve making her out to be the worst and most inefficient farmer ever, but whatever.

Boring episode.

[Strickerx5]

Well, this episode has been a long one coming. If I remember correctly, this episode has been tossed around by writers in various panels since like season 4 (second only to that Fluttershy dragon episode that's apparently been a thing since season 3). Fluttershy having a brother has been an idea going around the fandom since the early days and now that it's canonized, I can safely say that this is probably not what anyone was expecting... and that's not a bad thing. Actually, I quite liked this episode because of it.

I'm going to say this now since I know this character is about to become a love it or hate it part of the show for the fandom. He's literally the MLP equivalent of Kuzco. He's a character that brings the best out of the ones around him and takes an extreme amount of environment force to get him to evolve past what he is. That being said, I loved what they did here with him.

I absolutely adore Fluttershy in this. Actually, this might be my favorite showing of her to date. The progression this character has made is on full show. Her and her brother have a true sibling relationship. You love them, you'll do close to anything for them, you'll help them when they need it, but damn if you're not their hardest critic. Seeing Fluttershy step up where her parents couldn't (btw a great treat to actually see them now... all that's left is Rainbow's) was amazing to watch.

Also, I have to add how well the main six were utilized here. The one's who weren't plot important didn't overstay their welcome. It was a nice call back to Fluttershy's and Rainbow's close past to have them work off each other for the most part here. Though, I love how when the situation didn't call for Rainbow, she wasn't there. It gave Fluttershy a true chance to shine here. It's a level of character positioning that I just don't think this show has reached until now.

Honestly, I just don't think there's anything wrong with this one. I could have said something about Spike's ignorance to what Zephyr was doing but you can really just chalk that one up to him being a kid. Don't get me wrong, him being nothing more than a comedy source is a problem I will always point out. Though, here, it really is understandable.

Some could point to the ending and say that it's not realistic to think that Zephyr could change his ways that fast but there are two things about that. One, while it's not easily seen, there has been a jump of time between the song and the cut to them back in the house. It's not a stretch at all to assume that it could have easily been a substantial amount of time. Two, there are a lot of times where putting someone to rock bottom and making them see where they should be if they don't change their ways is the catalyst for real change. Plus, we see at the end that he still has a ways to go to a real turnaround so I don't see this as anywhere near as rushed of an ending as this series has become known for.

I could harp on Fluttershy's parents being complete push overs but it really does make sense given what Fluttershy has been. Plus, Zephyr is their son so there was bound to be some give. I mean, the only thing I really come away with as a negative (and it's more of a nitpick at this point) is the use of the Everfree Forest... again. Seriously though, what has happened to that place? It use to be a setting no one in the show would dare enter back in season 1. Now, for the last few seasons, no one gives it a second thought.

Overall, I have to say that this is another big win for this season. It's nice to see the world expand with family members coming in. Add in another great moral and I just don't have much negative to say towards this one. Though, again, I think the reactions to this one are going to greatly depend on whether you get the purpose behind Zephyr or not.

 

On a side note: This is an episode that also really hit home for me. Being halfway through college and coming home for the summer, you can literally feel the similarities to actual life here. I'll even go as far as to say that this isn't an exaggeration of the situation at all. In the area I'm in, it's all basically an unspoken rule. You will turn heads if you're home and, A: don't have a job and, B: aren't actively trying to make your own way. At that point, while there is always some exceptions of course, the situation can easily be this.

And damn this post went on a lot longer than I ever planned it to be...

[Dark Qiviut]

Flutter Brutter is a complete chore to sit through. Fluttershy and Dash were great. Twilight, Spike, Opal, and Rarity were good in their limited roles. The moral itself about how to stand and confront your fear of failure is very admirable, and I appreciate its mature tone it was trying to relay.

 

But it screwed up a ton on three major points: Zephyr, the moral, and the "freeloader" implications.

1. Zephyr is a colossal asshole. Stereotypes are one of the show's biggest flaws. Often, when DHX uses them, they're at their own disadvantage, and they RUIN the story, not help it. The only time season six handled a stereotype well was when cartoon shenanigans made a mockery out of Garble; the jokes worked because he deserved them. The stereotypes killed the episode here. Zephyr is a combination of two classic stereotypes: the diva and the freeloader. A diva because he was flamboyant to the point of over-the-top, selfish, and manipulative. As the episode progressed, Zephyr became more and more insufferable. Him not shutting up is a problem already. But when he knowingly destroyed his parents' cloud collection and flowers and not even give a damn, Zeph turned into one of the most hateable characters of the show. I don't give one shit how he "made up" at the end. You don't have the right to destroy anyone's property, prized or not! If he truly cared about his family, he wouldn't dare attempt this garbage!
   
   But in Act 2, he gets worse. When assigned jobs by Fluttershy and her friends, does Zephyr even bother trying to get any work done? No. And keep in mind, these jobs are very simple in Equestrian standards; any competent pony can accomplish these goals. Zephyr is completely capable of cleaning the windows, dying the cloth, and kicking the clouds. Instead, what does he do? Weasel his lazy ass into duping others to do his work while he watches. When he was threatened if he tried to weasel his way out, he quit! And the episode's telling me he feels completely incapable of doing them? Give me a break!
2. The moral is fantastic and is something all of us feel and experience. One of our biggest fears, if not the biggest, is failure. No one wants to fail. And it can be very devastating when we fail. I don't wish it upon anyone.But FB executes the fear of failure so poorly, because everything that happens up to this point completely contradicts it. Zephyr behaved so terribly to his family, periodically returns to his house to freeload, intentionally destroyed his parents' sentimental possessions, and didn't bother trying to work on the simplests of tasks. He claimed that he was struggling in mane therapy because he feared he'll fail, but given his lackadaisical arrogance throughout the first two acts, then that's not fear of failure. That's laziness.
   
   So when the episode rushes in the idea that by trying and succeeds in the face of his fears, his triumph lacks any satisfaction. Instead, it gives me the impression that I'm watching two separate ideas merged into one. Rather than flowing through, the story is a mess.
3. There are serious implications in the conflict's delivery, which PuppyKit pointed out here. Fluttershy mandates that he can stay until he finds a job. But because Zephyr's a freeloader stereotype, the episode paints a false impression that everyone who lives with their parents, friends, or roommates is lazy and and takes everything from their parents because they can. It's a complete lie. Were in an economy where living alone has become more and more expensive. Not everyone can live on their own. Parents and adult kids live together all the time, and in cities where rent can cost so much, sometimes they have to. When the child is disabled, then sometimes they have to live with their parents or live off them, for they can't make a living on their own. One of my closest friends is intellectually disabled and relies on his mom to help him.

To echo Wind Chaser, if Flutter Brutter didn't pull off such offensive stereotypes and treat the conflict with genuine respect, then Zephyr's fear of failure would feel more genuine. Let's say we see him try and fail and isn't narcissistic. With the efforts, he fails, but each time he fails, it becomes worse to the point where he feels like doing nothing will be more helpful than not helping at all. That way, when he tries and succeeds, then it's rewarding. The TUGS episode handles the fear of failure way better than FB.

 

It has some highlights, but the bad outweighs the good. Out of all the episodes in this show, Flutter Brutter is personally the most difficult to watch, because I hate Zephyr so damn much. He represents everything I hate about a character and amplifies it. Not even Princess Spike was this difficult.

 

FIM's supposed to deliver likable characters who we're supposed to root for. Fluttershy is the Mane Eight character here, but this is a Zephyr episode, not Fluttershy episode. How am I supposed to root for him when he's more hateable than villain!Sunset (yet not as hateable as Radiant Hope from IDW's Siege of The Crystal Empire) and doesn't give me any good reason to root for him? In short, a terrible episode.

[MetalSkulkBane]

Ok, this episode is a bit close to home for me, so I'll talk about everything else then message.

1 I agree with Dark Q, Zephyr is just annoying. I know that's the point, but when he destroys his parents collections he's almost a villain. Still, I liked every time Rainbow cringed when people suggested she has a crush on him. I'm weird, but stuff like that make me laugh.

2 With Rainbow and Rarity achieving their dreams I wondered how others will "peak" in this season. I was afraid Fluttershy will learn to not be shy for thousandth time, so I highly applause what they did here. Actually taking initiative is really impressive for her.

3 Tiny thing, but Zephyr tried 3 jobs. After failing with Rainbow I though "Okay, who's next: Pinkie or Applejack?" And show just skipped them. THANK YOU.

Over all it's a mix bag for me. Great episode for Fluttershy, but with her brother, not so much.

[Kevin]

Now that was a great episode! Much better than last week's! I'm glad we got to learn more about Fluttershy's family, and I have to say, her parents weren't were whom I was expecting to me character-wise.

I'd say the biggest strength of this episode was Flutershy herself and that she didn't need to learn how to be assertive this time and how exactly how to be assertive towards her brother, even showing her parents to be more assertive as well. It's one of her best character moments so far and shows how she's really progressed.

As for Zephyr himself, jesus christ was he something else. That's all I have to say about him! I will say his voice actor did a great job though!

[AdventChild]

Eh, I’m just going to say it outright that I wasn’t very fond of this episode. And the main problem personally is the character this episode centers around, Zephyr.

I do like some of the interactions and reactions from Dash and others, the moral, and the Link pony, and Fluttershy’s characterization.

Fluttershy’s parents were interesting but I wish they weren’t such pushovers and had more backbone. It also comes off that Fluttershy’s shyness is hereditary/genetic which I didn’t like and would rather have her shyness more of a personal trait than something passed down and have a more diverse family.

Then, we come to main problem, Zephyr himself. I just really don’t like the guy and didn't find him funny. He comes off as too annoying and obnoxious throughout and been made much unlikable even after learning his lesson. Even as much as to destroy his parents’ property and underhoofed manipulation to get his way that paints him more as a villain. Also, he is basically an extreme of the lazy freeloader stereotype that it makes him less relatable. Mordecai and Rigby from Regular Show are slackers and lazy, but at least, they’re more likable and not as obnoxious (and have jobs despite not good at it). Heck, TV, Jake and Lady Rainicorn’s son who still lives with his parents, is more likable due to him being much a daydreamer and more into videogames that blurs his perspective between reality and fantasy which is something even I can relate to at times (and not because he is voiced by Dan Mintz AKA Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers). Also, I don’t get a fear of failure from the stallion, it just seems more like laziness.

Also, I don’t like how it depicts people who lives with their parents in a negative way as leeches and manipulative, even if it is unintentional. As a 26-year-old who still lives with his parents and graduated college a while back, I have two-part time jobs and don’t make enough money to live on my own yet STILL trying to find full-time employment. Why? Because living alone is very expensive! And it gets more and more expensive each year and it also the state of the economy is also a factor with companies laying people off and cutting man power and expenses, lowering pay and making it hard to find work. Not to mention some people even out of college still don’t know what to do for their life as well and things just don’t go as planned. Like for me, who wanted to be a video game designer but after trying it out in some classes, it felt rather difficult and I wasn’t getting good grades along with math courses getting tougher so I had to switch majors to English because I was doing better there the very least. Not expecting much realism, but still some factors should be included.  

Also, it is a missed opportunity to show how Fluttershy earns a living. We know she takes care of animals, but we don’t see anything that indicates her running a business or do anything like an employee/customer transaction that could show an example/motivation for Zephyr.

Oh, and I honestly didn’t like the song at the end. I find myself skipping it and it felt kinda tacked on and Daniel Ingram has done better, it felt generic.

Yeah, sometimes all it takes is for one obnoxious, annoying character that is an extreme stereotype to drag an episode down and Zephyr fits the bill and honestly made it hard to watch because of his attitude. This is a miss for me.

[Your Vest Friend]

 

Tomorrow's episode seems to have a Bollywood influence to it. Unfortunately, the episode title "Spice Up Your Life" doesn't remind me of Bollywood as a British woman who was a kid in the 90's...

 

I had this on cassette for goodness sake!

 

 

Oh, uh, if you want something pony, have the clip in question.

Spoiler

 

 

[MetalSkulkBane]

Well that was...meh.

"Don't follow the trends, be unique". In theory a good lesson, probably with some commentary on industries these days, but it's killed the the execution.

Rarity tries to make place look like every other one. RARITY! The one with very name contradicting such behavior. We even had this lesson when she hired Sassy. Song was kinda catchy (if not repetitive), but I hated it because of the lyrics.

Also, I know that MLP hates rich classes, but isn't making a reviewer a villain a bit weird? How she even became popular reviewer? What's her cutie mark? Does she has a talent for knitting, but her rich daddy forced her to take more prestigious job?

(Also, fixing the map was really unimportant. Couldn't it just work from beginning?)

[AdventChild]

Well, my reaction to this episode is overall meh.

There seemed to be very little here that I liked. I guess some of the Pinkie parts, some of the background ponies, and Saffron Masala and her dad are fine.

The whole rebooting of plot convenience map felt unnecessary and could’ve just happened off screen. It just seemed to give Starlight unneeded minor spotlight/role. Humor did felt mostly lacking. The plot was a bit predictable and forced at times and while I do like the message, its execution isn’t that great. Also, it felt Pinkie could have been replaced by any other Mane here too (but still at least, it isn’t Applejack again).

Following trends and make everything the same as others, Rarity, the mare who had gotten tired of mass producing the same trending dress in Canterlot Boutique? That seems rather hypocritical you! Also, the argument that she is a fashionista and not a chef is rather weak and still this feels rather inconsistent with her character and it’s screwy with continuity. It felt something created for the plot’s sake. Also, did reviewer had to be the villain here? It just seems a bit weird and the whole antagonizing aristocrat/snobbish rich is getting tiresome and overplayed, IMO.

Didn’t like the song either as it felt repetitive esp. lyric wise. With the repetition of Work, I thought Rihanna or Fifth Harmony would step into sing.

This episode just overall comes to an underwhelming meh and nothing much to write home about.

[Strickerx5]

Honestly, I don't really have to much to say about this one. It was a pretty, by the books, map episode. Can't really say I'm either disappointed or happy to see that plot line return (as it seems to not let any other of the cast outside the main six participate) but it hasn't done that much harm yet. Plus, we've seen the show fully able to forgoing that story-line for a while so I don't think it's too much to worry about.

That being said, I can't say that I enjoyed Rarity's and Pinkie's interactions too much in this. They just seemed to not communicate with each other for the sake of conflict which goes back to what I said about writing an episode around the plot and not the characters. They just ended up coming off as off character in the end. Plus, on a side note, you'd think the elements of harmony would be big enough names by now to get enough pull in drawing a crowd. :/

I will say that I liked where the episode actually went from what I was expecting mid way through it. Up until the final act, it seemed like a pretty predictable episode where they were going to, some how, pull together the restaurant to impress and the critic would learn to expand their viewpoints. I'm glad to see that didn't happen and that they just decided to go their own ways. It was an interesting change from this show's norms.

Also, while I can't say I liked the lyrics of the song, it was a nice way to montage the changing process without showing it step-by-step (it also had a nice beat to it).

Overall, while this isn't the strongest episode to end this half of the season on, it did have some redeeming factors. Definitely a fun watch in the end.

 

So yeah, that's it for pony for a while. So far, I'm pretty impressed with this season. We've had some stinkers but I have to say that, overall, it's been a spectacular showing. Though, still no signs of a Celestia episode... But more LUNA so... it comes out positive in my book. DHX still needs to gtf on that though.

Man, I can't say I've grown any fonder of these mid-season-hiatuses but I understand if it's to make the show better. Also, why wait to release episodes if they're already done I guess? Welp, time to go catch up on Wonder Over Yander and Space Dandy or something.... does anyone know what the hell Steven Universe is doing?

[Kevin]

I have to agree with the people who were saying that Rarity wasn't out of character. Keep in mind that she's a fashion expert, not a food expert, so it's understandable to see how she was portrayed here.

I also want to say I love the interactivity between Pinkie and Rarity. They really work well off one another.

The song was pretty good. My only major complaint about this episode was that the resolution was too quick. I know it's a 22-minute episode and all, but I personally wished they built up to it a little more.

[Dark Qiviut]

A few months ago on the MLP Forums, I posted my tops and bottoms of season five. Please read if you have the time.

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Season 6’s first half has concluded. As a result, time to list the tops and bottoms up to this point, each of which may change once the season finale (likely) airs in the fall. Because we’re only twelve episodes in, the lists/categories are much shorter, and the full list is subject to change.

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Episodes

Bottom-3 episodes:

3: No Second Prances

If not counting Manehattan Mysteries, NSP has easily Trixie’s best characterization in the series. Starlight Glimmer’s path to comprehending the Magic of Friendship progresses, initially for the worse and later for the better. But there are three problems here, two of them related to characterization. Twilight and Celestia are really out of character here. Celestia has manners, so to visibly act like she wants nothing to do with Twilight’s party or anyone else there is incredibly rude of her. Twilight’s reserved judgment and lack of will to trust Trixie is fine, but given how she and Trixie parted on good terms, there’s no reason for her to sabotage their friendship together. The climax implicated that Trixie was attempting to kill herself, while Twilight and Starlight watched. Guys, she’s attempting a trick she can’t do on her own, and she’s not in the right of mind. Do something the second she tries to enter the cannon!

2: Flutter Brutter

There aren’t many episodes where it becomes very difficult for me to sit through at any point. Flutter Brutter eclipses Princess Spike as the most difficult. And the biggest reason is because Zephyr Breeze takes everything that I hate about a character and amplifies it. He’s a complete creep towards Dash, obnoxious, a combination of the diva and freeloader stereotypes, completely destroys his parents’ prized possessions with complete disregard for importance, and manipulates her friends just to get out of very simple tasks.

Despite being a major hate sink, the episode flips its tone upside-down to suggest that he deserves sympathy. If he was likable, not a stereotype, and actually tried his best to succeed, then his efforts when he does succeed will feel far more rewarding. On top of that, the morals (fearing failure and fearing his or her first step towards doing something) are fantastic, but attaching a freeloader stereotype to it to suggests that everyone who lives with their parents are as lazy as him when in fact it’s not even true. And the overall quality of this episode is such a shame because Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are excellently characterized.

1: Newbie Dash

Easily the worst episode of the season, and the rest of the season will have to do a lot to get this bad. Rainbow Dash’s sensitivity to the trauma-triggering insult makes a whole lot of sense, but she’s far more rational than to willingly force Scootaloo into taking part of a task in which she should know she can’t do. Once more, the Wonderbolts are assholes; when they call her “Rainbow Crash,” they don’t hint friendly banter, but nagging, which in turn worsens the training for the event. Ever single “nickname” was incompetence-laden and not verbally pleasing. Lastly, the moral of tolerating and embracing hazing “because it’s good fun” is one of the worst of the entire show.

On top of this, this is a milestone episode: Rainbow Dash officially joins the Wonderbolts. Joining the Wonderbolts has been her lifelong dream, which she stated midway in FIM, Part 1. It’s a major change in the status quo! If this was a common slice-of-life episode, then the quality of the writing won’t sting. But this is like Equestria Games or Spongebob’s Truth or Square: Newbie Dash reminds the audience that she’s joining the Wonderbolts and how important her dream is. You can’t separate it from the episode.

Dishonorable mention: Spice Up Your Life.

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Top-3 episodes:

3: Gauntlet of Fire

The three main flaws in this entire episode are Garble still being a stereotypical bully, Celestia and Luna being plugged in as mouthpieces for exposition, and thrusting in Twilight and Rarity to merely be the vessels to force the audience into a reaction. Aside from that, the rest of episode easily overcomes the three flaws in many ways, particularly four huge strengths.

Dragon Quest helped destroy dragon lore, but GoF changed that by making the dragon race competent and not a sexist representation of society.

Spike, Ember, and Torch are really well-written here. Factually, this is Spike’s best role in a Spike-centric episode: Instead of writing him as that usual “Spike-is-a-buttmonkey/idiot/scapegoat” role, Lewis and Songco treat him like an intelligent, competent character and use his strengths to both win the tournament and bridge the relationship between ponies and dragons.

Neither concept of masculinity nor femininity are written to be better or more important than the other. Princess Ember and Spike have qualities considered “masculine” and “feminine,” respectively, but both sides of the conflict are treated as equally valid, and characters can still keep these concepts while still developing and understanding the other side.

Instead of treating Dragon Land as being completely inferior than Equestria, the ponies and dragons are written to being able to understand and learn from each other.

2: The Saddle Row Review

Compared to the more-heavy-handed works over the past three seasons, this was a huge change of pace and the status quo. TSRR forgoes the traditional FIM formula and parodies the traditional reality TV format by cutting the story into the ReMane Six and Plaid Stripes answering questions from Buried Lede, who in turn writes a review for Rarity’s Manehattan boutique branch, Rarity for You. The sharp dialogue, lighthearted tone, and excellent timing of their jokes makes this episode one of the funniest of the series. To read more about my analysis of the comedy and dialogue, click here.

1: A Hearth’s Warming Tail

There are two minor weaknesses here: the story is very bare, and the pacing early was rushed. Yet, compared to the rest, it’s so small. FIM is more than a storytelling medium. It’s an animation and sound medium, too. And the animation, music, and set design compensate the story. Applejack, Pinkie, and Luna are excellent choices to represent the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, respectively. Graphics/set design is well crafted and gorgeous! Apparently, so much time was spent on perfecting the complex animation and special effects, and the time was definitely well spent. And oh, my God, the songs are amazing! Each of them told a story in themselves and helped progress the episode smoothly, especially Luna’s Future.

Honorable mention: On Your Marks.

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S6 episode ranking (in order):

1. A Hearth’s Warming Tail: A
2. The Saddle Row Review: A
3. Gauntlet of Fire: A-
4. On Your Marks: B+
5. The Crystalling: B
6. Applejack’s “Day” Off: C
7. The Gift of Maud Pie: C-
8. Spice Up Your Life: C-
9. No Second Prances: F
10. Flutter Brutter: F
11. Newbie Dash: F

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Top-13 episodes (in order, updated):

1. The Best Night Ever
2. Crusaders of the Lost Mark
3. Amending Fences
4. Sisterhooves Social
5. The Cutie Map
6. Party of One
7. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
8. Pinkie Pride
9. Suited for Success
10. Lesson Zero
11. Sleepless in Ponyville
12. A Hearth’s Warming Tail
13. The Cutie Re-Mark

Honorable mentions: The Saddle Row Review, The Return of Harmony, The Cutie Mark Chronicles

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Bottom-13 episodes (in order, updated):

1. One Bad Apple
2. Bridle Gossip
3. Newbie Dash
4. Dragon Quest
5. The Crystal Empire
6. Rainbow Falls
7. Princess Spike
8. The Mysterious Mare Do Well
9. Owl’s Well That Ends Well
10. The Show Stoppers
11. Flutter Brutter
12. Putting Your Hoof Down
13. Appleoosa’s Most Wanted

Dishonorable mentions: Trade Ya!, Daring Don’t, Boast Busters

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Moral

Bottom moral:

Newbie Dash: Even if what he or she says insulted you or hurt your feelings, as long as it’s in “good fun,” everything is okay.

Everything about this episode was tied down to the Wonderbolts hazing Dash “in good fun,” Dash feeling emotionally hurt by it, and later accepting it on hurtful excuses. You’re entitled to not participate in an activity or culture if you feel uncomfortable about it. It’s okay to tell your peers, “Your culture is destructive, and it makes me uncomfortable. Please keep me out of it.” No one is entitled to be bullied! Even worse, this episode centers on hazing, which some municipal governments outlawed because people were injured or killed. Many attempted suicide because the psychological scars from hazing haunted them. These “rituals” ranged from being beaten up to raped. This moral invalidates her feelings and says that hazing of any kind is okay. It’s not okay and not worthy of any false praise!

Dishonorable mention: N/A

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Top moral:

Flutter Brutter: Sometimes the hardest part of your idea is your first move. You don’t know where it’ll go or if you’ll like it in the end. The fear of the unknown is real and valid.

In the beginning of a Joy of Painting episode (the 17^th series, IIRC), Bob Ross decided to let go of his realistic approach to landscape painting because often people don’t know what to do before laying that brush on the canvas. Their give is fearful, which represses their ability to lie out their ideas. It’s normal to have this fear. It seems like Zephyr not only feared failure, but also feared the unknown. Unfortunately, Zephyr’s so horrendously executed that the moral itself loses its weight.

Honorable mention: Working hard and trying your best doesn’t mean refusing to spend quality time with others (A Hearth’s Warming Tail).

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New Characters

Characters that appeared on screen prior to S6 (even when in the background) don't count, so no Sunburst.

Bottom new character:

Zephyr Breeze. Worst. FIM character.*

 

*Outside of Radiant Hope or Sunset Shimmer, of course.

Dishonorable mention: Zesty Gourmand (stereotype of critics).

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Top new character:

Princess Ember. An embodiment of a character with qualities society calls “masculine,” but not a character written to be flat or a stereotype of “masculine” people or characters. Despite not featuring any of the physical qualities of a leader Torch expects, she’s a dragon with intangible, tangible, and mentally strong qualities. People male or female can relate to her conflict and desire not to let her species/culture down.

Honorable mention: Tender Taps.

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Mane 8 (includes Spike and Starlight)

Bottom M8 character:

Applejack. Newbie Dash is one of the worst episodes of the entire show, but it’s less to do with Dash’s characterization and more with everything else. Thus far, AJ’s had only one prominent role in an episode: Applejack’s “Day” Off. Here, she was fine in the first half, but when she revealed her tedious method into feeding the pigs, she looked really dumb and incompetent. ADO is as average an episode as FIM ever had, but this was a bad look on her.

Dishonorable mention: Rainbow Dash.

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Top M8 character:

Spike. Give me less episodes with higher quality roles than a character who surfaces so much with more average or poor roles. Spike’s lone bad role this season was his usual buttmonkey status in Newbie Dash. Other than that, he’s had his best season. The Crystalling, Gauntlet, ADO, and Tail are all episodes with respectable roles at worst and excellent roles at best.

Honorable mention: Starlight Glimmer.

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Full M8 rank (in order):

1. Spike
2. Starlight Glimmer
3. Fluttershy
4. Pinkie Pie
5. Rarity
6. Twilight Sparkle
7. Rainbow Dash
8. Applejack  

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Moment:

Bottom-2 moments:

2. Starlight and Twilight watch Trixie enter the cannon. The worst part of these implications occurs after falling out. Starlight Glimmer knows that Trixie isn’t in her right frame of mind when she presses on with the trick knowing she can’t do it on her own. Meanwhile, both Twilight and Starlight sit and watch. Trixie’s life’s in danger! Help her before she tries a trick that’ll kill her!

1. The Wonderbolts reveal to insulting her out of “good fun.” Seriously? Seriously?! The Wonderbolts pull this shtick on her, rub it in her face to remind her not to screw up, and they had no idea that the more she heard it, the worse Dash became. And at the end, they reveal that they do it to everyone. Protip: Just because everyone does it and others have worse insults than “Rainbow Crash” doesn’t dismiss the Wonderbolts of their insolence!

Dishonorable mentions: Zephyr destroys her parents’ prized possessions; Zephyr’s tantrum in the forest.

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Top-2 moments:

2. The Cutie Mark Crusaders disband for the day. Apple Bloom struggles to find any hobby she can enjoy while not being with SB or Scootaloo. Her belief that the CMCs were no more pushed her into trying something interesting. Dancing (and helping Tender Taps earn his Mark) was a turn of events to help her grow more into her own. None of this would happen if session wasn't dismissed.

1. Spike interrupts his story so he and Starlight can locate Sunburst. The little dragon doesn’t have a very positive record, but his role firmed here. It marked how much he grow, how proud he is of his job, and most importantly, how he and Starlight began to forge a close friendship.

Honorable mention: Sunburst reveals to not being a wizard; Rarity’s “NO SPOILERS!”.

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What I want for the second half of Season 6:

This is what I wrote for my Season 5 review:

Quote

What I want for Season 6:

Continued growth for Starlight. Re-Mark implied an addition of Starlight as part of the Mane cast, and The Crystalling further enforces that notion. Of every character introduced thus far, she's the best candidate to be a part of the team. She's learning the true Magic of Friendship, has a close friendship with Spike now, and will learn more later this season. Don't be surprised if she comes into her own following the season finale.

Better characterization for Spike and Rainbow Dash. The Crystalling was his best characterization since Lesson Zero. Less of him being a butt of jokes and more of him as a legitimate character who belongs with the Mane cast. Also, better characterization of Dash as a lead. If I want to compare her episodes to Spike's, I want the comparison to be a positive, not negative!

Cut down on the stereotypes. They're a shortcut and a major flaw in this show. If you're going to use stereotypes, then why the hell should I believe you care about the quality of your work? This show is supposed to teach people (especially kids) that people are more than just false representations, but this show sometimes screws this up badly. Put in some effort into your tropes!

A more consistent quality of work. This show's good, but it's also really inconsistent sometimes. You have good work, and then you have work that flops so badly. Does it need to be perfect? No. But it deserves better. More consistent effort into high-quality work.

Watch out for unfortunate implications. I hammer this all the time. Unfortunate implications are terrible because of the unintended real-life consequences they could have on us as an audience. The fact that kids are impressionable is one key reason why the "it's a kids' show" strawman fails miserably. Poor execution, poor wording, a terrible moral, you name it. Season five did better, but it can also do better.

 

What I wrote applies today. But here are more.

Higher quality roles for Twilight and Applejack. Twilight’s out-of-characterization in No Second Prances really hurt the episode and damaged her credibility as the Princess of Friendship. AJ in ADO was smart in one role, stupid the next, stretching her very thin.

More insight to the Twilight/Starlight dynamic. Starlight may be TS’s pupil, but the relationship between them hasn’t evolved so much. Currently, it’s still at the fringe. Starlight’s friendship with SG’s more developed than with Twilight.

Better execution of the serious and gray material. Spice Up Your Life, No Second Prances, The Crystalling, On Your Marks, Newbie Dash, Gauntlet of Fire, and Flutter Brutter are all considered the more serious episodes this season. Only three of them (The Crystalling, On Your Marks, Gauntlet of Fire) are good. Whatever the quality, the ideas within them range from decent to great, but there’s little polish. More consistency in the quality.

Continuation of Spike’s character. After five seasons, it looks like the show finally has consistent characterization and use for Spike. I believe it has something to do with Haber (who wrote Spike well in the past, including Simple Ways, Friendship Games, and Re-Mark). His earlier Spikabuse status is kept to a bare minimum, and it hopefully finally goes away in the second half.

More exploration of Equestria outside of the usual places. Its theme is Exploring Equestria. The areas explored: Manehattan (twice), Canterlot, and Dragon Land. Dragon Land is the “newest” land explored. Thus far, season five follows the theme better than here.

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Verdict:

Season five is my favorite of FIM and may be the best of the show. So far, season six is a disappointment, and it’s either tied or just under the fourth as second-worst season so far. Ones like The Saddle Row Review, A Hearth’s Warming Tail, and Gauntlet of Fire are excellent, but ones like No Second Prances, Flutter Brutter, and Newbie Dash really hold the season back. Unlike season five, there are lot of early changes to the status quo, but if you’re going to break it through, then execute it well. So far, the executions are very inconsistent with Newbie Dash being easily the worst of them all. Now, does this mean season six is bad right now or won’t get better? No. S6 is average, and the second half could improve it. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[AdventChild]

Might as well say my piece about the season so far.

It felt kinda underwhelming for me compared to previous seasons. Little bit hit (Saddle Row and Rec, Gauntlet of Fire, A Hearth's Warming Tail, Gift of Maud) and some misses (Newbie Dash, Applejack's Day Off, Flutter Brutter, On Your Marks). And this season had a weak premiere as well.

And even after all this Starlight hasn't really grown on me and still thinks she went from a somewhat intriguing antagonist to a generic character where the only thing interesting about her are the ponies around her i.e. Sunburst and S5 premiere ponies.

Also, for a season whose theme is Explore Equestria, we barely see much new locations out of it and revisiting places we've seen already before. Still hoping we get to see Saddle Arabia, Trottingham, and others (and still no episode by the friggin' beach?) in next half of the season or else it'll be false advertisement and ton of disappointment.

[Kevin]

I feel Season 6 has been a mixed bag so far compared to Season 5 which I personally think is one of the best seasons of the series so far. I definitely agree with Dark Qiviut's opinion with Newbie Dash and A Hearth's Warming Tail is the worst/best episodes of Season 6 respectfully. I'm hoping things improve in the second half.

[ShadowSJG]

http://www.equestriadaily.com/2016/07/more-equestria-girls-legend-of-everfree.html

So here is some new Legends of Everfree information.

Hmmm, not enough for me to judge, but this could go either way. I really hope that the others still manage to get some character development at least and this Timber guy........let's hope he's more interesting than Flash Sentry.

[Kevin]

We have a confirmed start date for the second half of Season 6 and it's July 30th.

Not a long hiatus thankfully. I just hope things improve from the first half.

[ShadowSJG]

Legends of everfree trailer

 

[Kevin]

Now that was a great episode! We've all met someone like Quibble Pants at one point or another and he's a very love to hate kind of character and they did a great job with the moral of the story here.

Another thing I really liked about this episode was the adventure part of it. It was so much fun and I loved the interaction between Rainbow and Quibble. I think Oswalt did a great job playing him and he gets bonus points for the improv of that end credits rant!

Overall, a great start of the second half of Season 6!

[Nix]

The interaction between Rainbow Dash and Quibble Pants are what saved this episode.  They worked well together and Oswalt did a fantastic job voicing him.

My Little Pony has almost always been terrible about this, but Quibble's disbelief that the things in the later Daring Do stories are possible is completely asinine in a world filled with fantastical creatures and magic.  I mean you're talking shit to the Wonderbolt/National Hero who is the only pegasus in Equestria that can do a Sonic Rainboom, learn your place mortal.

Side question though, did Rainbow ever get Twilight's book signed?  I feel like she didn't.  Twilight's never allowed to have fun anymore.  

Also, episode-wise, Twilight's been an alicorn longer than she's been a unicorn now.

[ShadowSJG]

Did anyone notice the Ranma pony?

[Strickerx5]

That episode was just... wow. I've never seen so many things hit home for me in a single episode! Anyone who has been to a convention should be able to relate to most things in this episode. It hit every beat of what an encounter like that would be like flawlessly. Actually, it was almost too perfect at points as even I found myself getting annoyed at Quibble Pants in certain scenes. Not because he was stubborn mind you, but because his arguments were valid as hell. Almost made you go on his side honestly. XD

Plus, I gotta say that Rainbow shinned here as well. It's great to see her character portrayed in a less showboat-y way. Nice to see her upward trend from Flutter Butter continuing. As for Twilight... well, she was certainly post-season 3 Twilight... *snores* Eh-Damn, they really need tot do something with her.

Overall, I gotta say that this was a great start for this second half. It's definitely another great entry in the Daring Do series of episodes, provided some great fandom humor and references with the convention center (I did notice that Ranma cutout @ShadowSJG though I believe it was a previously used asset from Scare Master), and it was just an all around great Rainbow episode in general. Add in those fantastic credits (I was seriously dying through them XD) and I think it's safe to say that this season is off to a fantastic start.

 

1 hour ago, Nix said:

Also, episode-wise, Twilight's been an alicorn longer than she's been a unicorn now.

Wow, really? I mean, I guess I should have seen it coming but I never thought about it that way. I... kind of don't know what to think about that. XD I just hope they bring back her character quirks and make her interesting to watch again at some point. Ever since she turned into an alicorn... I just don't think she's been utilized well in a multitude of areas.

[AdventChild]

So the second half of S6 starts off with Stranger Than Fanfiction.

The best word I could describe this episode is: “Meh”-ta (more on this later). Or just average.

I do like the convention setting (and questionable body pillow) and some of the interactions with Dash and Quibble as well as the message at the end.

First off, small nitpick but I would have renamed the episode, Con With the Wind.

Secondly, I’m fairly mixed on Patton Oswalt’s character. Again, I do like some of the interactions he has with RD but his attitude and the stuff he rants can get annoying after a while esp. with the whole not believing the chain of events that were happening. Also, complaining about something “unrealistic” feels kinda ludicrous considering living in a world where magic and mythical and fantastical creatures exist and towards a Wonderbolt/National Hero who had done much world saving as well. I honestly prefer the cute koala internet diva, Nom Nom from We Bare Bears over him.

As for “meh”-ta, the whole thing feels too meta for my tastes at points esp. Quibble’s ramblings and some fandom jabs in general. Though I do wish that there were more from the con setting itself than quickly rushing into the jungle scene.

Also, Daring Do was just there for the plot exposition and setup and barely did much just to prove that she exists to Quibble. Still much like a recolored RD (at least with Moondancer they changed the hairstyle a bit). Also, still prefer the idea of Daring Do as a fictitious character as RD already has real life heroes in the form of the Wonderbolts, why can’t she has a fictional hero to look up to? Not to mention having a possible spin-off series with similar yet different world to explore with her IMO.

So somewhat of a meh/average episode for me.

[MetalSkulkBane]

Quibble is annoying character IMHO. He has few points, but that makes things confusing.

Why did adventures of changed so much? Did she got dumber after third adventure? Did the bad guy run out of plan and started to be more cliche?

I know that this is a meta story, but fact that DD is real, messes the whole argument.

"Geez, new Sonic games suck"

"Ah, but you see (dramatic reveal) Sonic is real"

"Wow, he really does comments about ring every 5 seconds. And gets glitched into a wall"

EDIT: Also the "you like your things, I like mine" lesson ignores the fact that DD will publish another 12 books and only Quibble won't enjoy any of them, but I guess not every fandom thinks in that categories.