WWE REVIEW: Survivor Series 2016

Survivor Series is thirty years-old and unlike WrestleMania, it doesn't feel like it deserves this accolade. While this is a 'Big Four' event, it hasn't felt like it for many years, with few events since the mid-2000's setting the soul on fire, with Vince McMahon wanting to get rid of it some five years ago. WWE may want its 'Big Four' events to have that same 'WrestleMania-esque' feel by having it be four hours and have a 2-hour pre-show with big matches to sell it, but it's all about how good the card ends up being that defines it, something that Survivor Series hasn't been able to call on for some time.

However, even with that in mind this years event has a certain amount of spice and intrigue. We have a RAW versus SmackDown brand war that permeates five of the six scheduled matches, with titles, allegiances and an entire division of wrestlers at stake. On top of that, we have the rematch no one really wanted to see, but thanks to a video game it's happening anyway to ensure the hype got jacked up a little more. Compared to prior Survivor Series events as a whole, the last time this event had a card felt 'big' was 2005, the last time the brands fought for supremacy over one another. All in all, the card has enough quality wrestlers in enough quality sounding matches to deliver, but with four hours to contain six matches, we'll have to see if they manage to fill the time accordingly and make it all count. That's what this review is here to do, and highlight whether it was done greatly or badly. Will my discouraged temperament for WWE's recent product that has seen their last two PPV's be rated as the worst of the year continue to bog me down, or will this event surprise and renew my interest? Lets dive into this show to see which end of my emotional spectrum it came out on.

SPOILER WARNING - IF YOU DON'T WANT THE RESULTS RUINED, DO NOT READ ON.

If you've never seen The CC Network's video reviews of WWE events before, my review system that I use for those as well as these blogs will be new to you. Matches are given star ratings in accordance with an average, accumulated score of five rating factors: Psychology (in-ring story), Move Variety, Crowd Reaction, Match Length and Pacing, as well as my overall enjoyment as a result of those factors. 

THERE WILL BE NO ACCOMPANYING VIDEO DUE TO MY CURRENT HIATUS FROM UPLOADING NON-FRIDAY FLASHBACK REVIEWS TO THE CHANNEL.

Now time to get into the show. As I don't review the Pre-Show Match(es) as part of the whole televised package, here's the result of those matches:

Noam Dar, Rich Swann & TJ Perkins def Tony Nese, Drew Gulak & Ariya Daivari in a 6-Man Tag Team Match (11:41)

Kane def Luke Harper (9:17)

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TEAM RAW WOMEN def TEAM SMACKDOWN WOMEN IN A 5-ON-5 SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH (17:53)

PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5

MOVE VARIETY: 2

CROWD REACTION: 2

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 3

MY ENJOYMENT: 2.5

FINAL RATING: **1/2

The Women go from main eventing a PPV to opening one in the space of a month. While that seems derogatory towards the hardworking women of WWE, I consider it to be good placement as these (mostly) popular women deserve to go out there while the crowd are pumped and deliver a Women's Survivor Series Elimination match that they actually cared about for the first time in history. Considering the Women involved and the position/quality of matches they've been in this year, I'd expect this match to be better than previous Women's matches from Survivor Series past. While that was achieved, it wasn't to a lofty height I was expecting.

The biggest moment of the match happened before it even begun with Nikki Bella being attacked by an unknown party, causing Team Coach Natalya to take her place, leading to a perplexed and distraught SmackDown team fighting an uphill battle against a much stronger RAW team, that with Nia Jax's physical dominance as well as Sasha and Charlotte's technical prowess were always going to be hard to beat. I'll give the SmackDown ladies credit though, as they went tooth and nail against RAW's team and showed greatly why people praise their minimal division. They have flash with some nice moves and supplied the bangs when appropriate as eliminations for both teams remained even and consistent in the matches' steady but fast pace to ensure both teams looked even. While Sasha was eliminated, I'm disappointed that Charlotte didn't strike or lash out at her, then again it made what she did to Bayley upon RAW's win more shocking, so that did its job I guess.

The match while showcasing some good talent on offer, didn't get out of second gear as it became clear that RAW was going to win. While I predicted it, I still felt leaving two of RAW's women surviving neutered the impact of the match as whole, especially considering how little Bayley did within it. The crowd got into it in parts, but for large sequences especially after Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss were eliminated, interest in the match was lost even with Becky's resurgence. RAW's women's division needed the win, but all in all still came across as weak with their roster not making this match worth the time, speaking of which it went a lot short than thought with eliminations happening quicker than expected making it on retrospect look rushed. I also feel Natalya offered nothing to the match in Nikki Bella's absence, and if that's not properly taken anywhere, it's just a wasted piece of storytelling that this match planted. Overall, while I enjoyed this match, it was a little lacklustre in places that stopped it from being a match that is seen as 'great'. It had the potential to be, but in this case of brand supremacy, making one team look stronger made this contest lose its lustre quickly.

THE MIZ (c) def SAMI ZAYN TO RETAIN THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (14:08)

PSYCHOLOGY: 3.5

MOVE VARIETY: 1

CROWD REACTION: 2

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2

MY ENJOYMENT: 2

FINAL RATING: **1/4

Once again a Canadian wrestler is thrown a screwjob-esque finish in his home country. At least this time we all saw it. Considering The Miz just won the title on SmackDown's 900th Episode this past Tuesday, it would've seemed far fetched to believe he'd lose the title just as quickly, to a RAW guy too. Many had predicted that Zayn would win, so to see this outcome and the way it panned out was irritating and ridiculous to some. For me though, it was quite fantastic and capped off a match that while feeling flat at times managed to weave a good story to it to ensure I will remember it for a little while.

Miz's ring work may not be the best but what he does well is weave his position as a cunning heel into everything he does, finding a cheap shot or escape route within which he can control a match and make the babyface look even more sympathetic, driving the story to make fans WISH to see him beat up, only for him to escape with his title and brag about it. I can now understand why Ric Flair bestowed the Figure Four Leg Lock to him, he is basically the Modern Day Incarnation of The Nature Boy in-ringwise, except by all manner of accounts he's vainer and more up his own arse than the sixteen-time World Champion with less to his name, which makes it work even better. Nonetheless, by using Maryse to help him win again, as well as targeting and working on Zayn's leg for most of the match was nice to see. Having him taunt Daniel Bryan with his moves and gestures once again continues the bad blood between them, where at some point we're bound to see some repercussions, especially after the RAW announcers questioned why the SD staff showed him little faith and support as champion. While Zayn didn't sell the leg periodically while standing he did compound his pain by selling when landing moves, and in particular running slowly for the Helluva Kick, while subtle at times, it was really nice to see adrenaline flowing but the repercussions of the actions become noticeable. The ending was just the icing on the cake to make Zayn look robbed and make his hard fought recovery seem all for nothing. The psychology and story all in all was the highlight of the match as nothing else really came through shining.

This was a match that went way too long for and had a slow build work for the story but not to the benefit of the crowd or its pacing. It was too slow for long periods which kept the crowd disinterested until Zayn's rallying fightback. While they showed early signs of good heat for their fellow Canadian (even giving his announcement from Montreal a pass), due to Miz's grounded offence they didn't care for long spells. While momentum did shift nicely, I do wish it was faster to show the Miz off more but hell, with that steady pace he was able to give a more grounded and realistic story so I can't complain but the rating suffers regardless. While I was enjoying this match in periodical spells, it didn't do enough to warrant my full praise. It nearly hit my halfway mark of ratings but it did so through a nicely told story, but it needed much more to make me feel its worth was justified given the time it had given such little build. If it were Ziggler VS Zayn, I know the move variety, crowd and pacing would've been higher... but the story wouldn't. So I'd have happily had the worse match for a better story. You all may not be happy with that, but it's what matters in the end. Hopefully Zayn goes to SmackDown to exact revenge.

TEAM RAW TAG TEAMS def TEAM SMACKDOWN TAG TEAMS IN A 10-ON-10 SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH (18:55)

PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5

MOVE VARIETY: 1.5

CROWD REACTION: 2.5

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5

MY ENJOYMENT: 2.5

FINAL RATING: **1/2

RAW and SmackDown's women's divisions on paper have the red brand looking strong with the blue brands' looking weaker but being booked stronger and equally. When it's put that way, having RAW's team win makes sense. When looking at both brands tag teams however, it's a completely different story. While both brands have good teams within them, none of them, even their champions look effective due to a lack of good booking and solid opportunities to impress regularly. Therefore, when it came to this match, I was unsure what direction they'd go in to give the viewer an impression of both Tag divisions qualities. Thankfully, we got a sizeable showcase that even if the teams aren't well built, they're not short on talent and surprises to make quite an underwhelming match on paper one that was worth the time.

Shockingly, The New Day, who are just twenty-two days short of tying Demolition's all time record were the first RAW team eliminated, thus giving the rest of the team a chance to shine. A chance they took well with The Shining Stars finagling being given a chance to show off the moves that made them work so well as babyfaces under the Colon name back in 2009. SmackDown's team, already one team down tried to fight on but much like the Women's match earlier on, the power of RAW's team proved too much and if it weren't for some convenient distractions, the even nature of this match wouldn't have been kept. Seeing Cesaro & Sheamus survive to the end was surprising and having the SD Tag Champions be eliminated and have American Alpha not get a good run are where this match lost some points as they didn't look like the stars they are. However, the final flurry of counters, near falls and finishers between The Usos's and RAW's dysfunctional Irish & Swiss Connection was as thrilling a sequence of wrestling you're likely to see on WWE TV this year, even though The Revival and DIY did it better the night before. Having both Sheamus and Cesaro sacrifice themselves for each other and break up falls proved that they indeed could co-exist, however upon winning, just like Charlotte earlier on, Sheamus didn't take the win in a celebratory fashion and resumed their rivalry while The Uso's, even in defeat looked strong.

The match was faster and more intense than the Women's match at times but thanks to the insane amount of competitors the pace had to fluctuate throughout to accommodate the styles of all involved, which neutered its flow to some degree. Thankfully, the final four exchange was worth a fats but physical pace to ensure the crowd who'd been lukewarm until Heath Slater's presence came through would finish this match popping hard. Thankfully as well, these teams took some risks with some nicely executed Plancha to the outside by American Alpha, a top rope elbow by Slater (who looked scared as hell doing it) while Sheamus White Noise off the top rope was undersold and understated, it was the move of the evening prior to the main elimination match later on. This match loses points for much like the Women's match, going a little quicker than expected, especially with the sea of humanity within it. While each team got their moments, seeing them take their time and make it last to show that the tag team divisions of these rosters had more would've been better. Alas, they had to ensure it didn't linger on too long otherwise the crowd would've lost interest, something that did happen midway through. All in all, this was much better than I thought it would be. It told a decent story, kept the crowd invested and was quick and shifting momentum enough for all teams to be given their shot while quite fun at times to watch in the process. If not for one or two more moves and story elements, we'd be looking at a three star match instead of a two and a half, but for this match to get the average, from what little it was built from makes me quite pleased indeed.

BRIAN KENDRICK (c) def KALISTO BY DISQUALIFICATION TO RETAIN THE WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (12:18)

PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5

MOVE VARIETY: 1.5

CROWD REACTION: 1.5

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2

MY ENJOYMENT: 2

FINAL RATING: *1/4

Considering the quality that both men possess as in-ring competitors, you'd be expecting something better out of Kalisto and Brian Kendrick. Then again, since its inaugural PPV outing at Clash Of Champions, the quality of the Cruiserweight matches have declined due to overexposure of its minimal roster, the toning down of its competitors movesets and the separate presentation of its matches. Therefore, the idea that Kalisto winning would send the division to SD under the eye of one of the greatest Light Heavyweights in Daniel Bryan would've been a surefire hit. However, for good story reasons, this wasn't to be. However, I just wish the match accounted for more.

While I was happy that Kendrick, who lauded himself as a cunning and ring savvy wrestler who didn't apply himself to the usual checklist of flips and kicks to get the fans on their feet in the pre-match video package, used this match to back up his claims by taking shots at Kalisto's head throughout, wearing it down with most moves he did so that his Captain's Hook Finisher would have more effect. It was undermined by Kalisto's lack of selling under offence, and the the fact it didn't end the match with Kalisto tapping out was a waste. Kalisto winning was my prediction going in, and seeing him be decimated made his fightback look really bad. While many would complain that Baron Corbin's DQ-causing interference  was a bad move, it made Kalisto come to terms with the punishment he'd been dealt, while also making me wonder why Kendrick even needed to win like this given his dominance. Then again, Bryan chewing Corbin out backstage, only to have The Lone Wolf get right in his face defiantly makes me really want to watch SmackDown on Tuesday for the aftermath.

While keeping the division on RAW in terms of quality of time for exposure of itself is a good idea, I just wish that casual or disenchanted fans who were watching due to Goldberg/Lesnar had the opportunity to see what made the Classic that aired on the Network so popular as this wasn't a good embodiment of it. The crowd were disinterested for the majority and if it weren't for the Apron Spanish Fly by Kalisto, the Reverse Headlock Takedown into the Captain's Hook and the ability by both men to keep pace and counter each others moves, I probably would've joined them in my apathy. The match did just enough to warrant my interest but all in all, I couldn't have been more disappointed with it.

TEAM SMACKDOWN MEN def TEAM RAW MEN IN A 5-ON-5 SURVIVOR SERIES ELIMINATION MATCH (52:51)

PSYCHOLOGY: 5

MOVE VARIETY: 3

CROWD REACTION: 5

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 5

MY ENJOYMENT: 5

FINAL RATING: *****

This was Match Of The Year for me. To say this might seem ridiculous considering the matches that WWE have put on this year, but for nearly a whole hour the best of WWE's current roster tore the Air Canada Centre down in an emotional rollercoaster of a match with high risk spots and memorable moments, all while having every elimination come with a storyline purpose attached to it. As a fan of story driven matches, this couldn't have gone more perfectly, even if Shane McMahon nearly got killed in the process to make it happen.

Where do I honestly start with this? Well, better go with the psychology and story. The commentators ripped into each others teams through discussions of ratings and wrestler worth, Owens and Jericho saved each other and tagged themselves in, with Jericho slapping Rollins chest to tag him in. Jericho still asserts that Ambrose owes him money, Ambrose and Styles brawl with Shane breaking it up, with Styles causing Ambrose's elimination. Bray Wyatt tried to have Strowman turn on his team, which failed, with Orton helping Wyatt set up Shane's death-defying elbow drop. James Ellsworth's decision to stop Strowman getting back in the ring caused him to be thrown off the stage. Owens mocked Styles and Shane, Owens is hit with a phenomenal forearm on the apron, hits Styles with the List of Jericho and is DQ'd. That enables Jericho to lose his mind and scramble for the scattered list and eat an RKO. Ambrose returns post-elimination to take out Styles and with the help of his former Shield cohorts, deliver a Triple Powerbomb through the table causing the WWE Champion's elimination. Then Shane decided to take another high-risk bullet for the team having played the face in peril for its majority, going for a Coast To Coast but eating a Spear in mid-air, leading to his elimination by referee's discretion. Luke Harper came out to support The Wyatt's, with Rollins being eliminated by Orton leaving Reigns to fight against the Family on his own, which he almost does but fails as Orton sacrifices himself by eating a spear allowing Wyatt to get the Sister Abagail and the win.

As you can see, on story alone, this match has already earned enough of my praise, but when you factor in a hot crowd that was strong throughout and were inventive without being distruptive (coming up with a brilliant 'Roman's Sleeping' chant following the effects of his Coast To Coast Spear counter), the match felt important and quite epic, which was compounded by its insane run-time which was more akin to a Royal Rumble than a Survivor Series elimination match. That length would usually be a detriment to a match like this but as they packed a lot in story-wise and had the match fluctuate in pace and momentum shifts with only two eliminations happening in the first twenty-five minutes, it didn't feel laborious at all, to me at least. Finally, while the move variety was a small pool, that metaphorical pool was splashed mostly empty by some big set pieces with the table spots at ringside and on the stage getting the biggest pops, with Reigns counter of the Coast To Coast and Orton's Frog Splash/RKO counter getting the reaction it deserved, with the former getting muted respect due to the fact that Shane was legit injured

This match made the RAW versus SmackDown rivalry feel legitimate and important, with an epic match of this nature highlighting what it meant to the wrestlers even if the teams didn't hold much back from their own teammates. All the risks were taken to make this match a barnstormer considering what kind of main event we'd later get. It showcased the current roster off in brilliant ways and through all of its eliminations set up some kind of story or follow-up on both shows. While it may seem overbooked, it came across as enthralling and entertaining beyond all comprehension. It may not have been as technically sound as John Cena VS AJ Styles at SummerSlam or the Intercontinental Championship Fatal-4-Way at Extreme Rules, the two other Match of The Year contenders, but when it comes to a big time match with big stories to tell, this is showed how to get it done and made me incredibly happy as a result. What a match, what a match indeed. If TLC or Roadblock in December manages to top this, I'll be very surprised, but in all fairness not much in WWE's current product could come close to this. Sublime stuff.

GOLDBERG def BROCK LESNAR (1:25)

PSYCHOLOGY: 1.5

MOVE VARIETY: 1

CROWD REACTION: 2

MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 1

MY ENJOYMENT: 1

FINAL RATING: 1/4

Well... I don't think anyone was expecting this shock result and if you did, you're a liar. Brock Lesnar, the man who beat The Undertakers Streak as well as leaving him beaten in Hell in Cell, decimated John Cena on his way to the title, beat Roman Reigns within an inch of his life and left Randy Orton in a bloody pile got squashed by Goldberg. It's hard to register and is honestly quite baffling. However, even amongst the confusion and amazement, there is still a positive or two that can be taken from it. This match was BETTER than their encounter twelve years ago.

While it is befuddling and perplexing that the biggest 'star' in the company got flattened by a part-timer who hasn't wrestled since that match, to say this match was worse than their WrestleMania XX match is just a result of the adrenaline induced anger at the result and the quickness of the match itself. That WrestleMania encounter should've been the big man match to end all big man matches, and what we got was a steaming turd. It was two guys who weren't invested in the match, playing before a crowd who weren't either thanks to the wonder of the internet. It was a match that had NO redeeming qualities at all and put a massive blemish on a great card. This time, sure the result is just as damming but with a jacked and then shocked crowd and the brief story of Goldberg's dominance (which I expected, but not to be all the match) was enough for me to rank it above that dumpster fire of a prior match. Sure, it only got a quarter of a star, a quarter more than the ZERO its predecessor got but I'll take that over a boring stare down and minimal move match that their last bout was essentially. WWE struck the iron while it was hot and created something that sent shockwaves through the industry.

While many are angry at the result, I can see one major positive stemming from it. Brock is no longer pristine and unstoppable thanks to this loss, which means that the current WWE roster can now take advantage of it. If you put a Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens or Shinsuke Nakamura in front of Lesnar, people won't count them out and believe they could win. We could see them coming to the Rumble or WrestleMania 33 and look good against The Beast, something that no one has really done since his return in 2012. Is The Beast Incarnate leaving the company in 2017? If that is indeed the case, we could see more losses from Lesnar, and it would be to this companies' benefit for its current talent now someone has fired the first bullet. Sure, it was a part-timer who did it, but if another star is made at Lesnar's expense come January or April, you'll be thanking Goldberg's shock victory for it. Mark my words. To wrap this up while the match sucked it has left me salivating at the possibilities of what it could bring. All in all, RAW tonight is essential viewing, moreso than usual.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Survivor Series is an event that has become synonymous with bloated failure in the last decade, and has delivered some of the worst PPV's of their respective years in the process. This year however, thanks to some sturdy and direct booking, as well as some shocking moments, this event came mighty close to pulling itself out of the doldrums with a sometimes predictable but entertaining show that gave the event its lustre back.

With all the 'Traditional' Survivor Series matches having some core meaning, in coalition with the other title matches, the event had purpose and made the results and everything that happened within them matter. While one obviously outshines the prior two in time and freedom given to showcase themselves which resulted in a much deserved five star rating, the other two divisions showed their charms and provided average matches that gave me entertainment and story building that made sense for the most part. While the Cruiserweight and Intercontinental Championship matches were overly long matches with not much to them, they surprised, however the former felt flat when it should've meant a lot more and got lost in the shuffle while the controversial ending to the latter leaves us wondering why the title change last Tuesday was even necessary considering what little difference it made. The main event though, is the biggest talking point. It was a match that ended the night on a shockingly bad note match quality wise and as a result harms the show while the moment of Goldberg's victory gives rise to mass anticipation for tonight's RAW. The matches on offer tonight were nicely average and one case sublime, let down but a very bad apple and one that just didn't deliver on expectation.

With that in mind, rating this event is hard. It was a solid night of wrestling that invested me, but left me clawing at the walls for more to work with. The time didn't prove taxing like it did with SummerSlam, which is a good thing, but when looking at the overall events quality, it was on its way to being an average night of wrestling if Goldberg/Lesnar could have given me the at least ONE STAR match I expected. Alas, I couldn't even get that. This event had more than No Mercy and Hell in A Cell in terms of consistent enjoyment, but its let down by timing issues, match constraints and the booking of one main event to stop it from reaching over into positive territory. Survivor Series got its legitimacy back tonight, but we need next years to blow us away for it to be cemented, as this was a nice building block for this long-fabled event to re-position itself amongst WWE's best.

SURVIVOR SERIES 2016 GETS A 4.75 OUT OF 10!

In relation to other 2016 events, it lines up as follows:

Payback: 7.75/10

Royal Rumble: 6/10

Battleground: 6/10

WrestleMania 32: 6/10

Backlash: 5.75/10

SummerSlam: 5.5/10

Clash Of Champions: 5.25/10

Survivor Series: 4.75/10

Extreme Rules: 4.75/10

Money In The Bank: 4.5/10

Fastlane: 4.25/10

No Mercy: 4/10
Hell In A Cell: 3.25/10

I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been the Survivor Series 2016 Review for The CC Network Blog and I'll see you all next time.

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MLP SEASON 6 OVERALL REVIEW: A Rocky Start, Salvaged To Glorious Fanfare

Well everyone, Season 6 is at an end. It's been a crazy rollercoaster of inconsistency, with joyous highs and sobering lows. It's quality has divided the fandom over the last six months, but one thing I can say is that even with its problems, we have a lot to look ahead to going forward.

After analysing the season at its mid-point during its hiatus after "Spice Up Your Life" aired, it seems fair that I look at the whole season in retrospect two weeks after its conclusion and judge whether it managed to salvage its reputation from the average feel it had halfway through. In this overall review, I will be looking back at the results of the predictions blog that I made before the season started and what did/didn't come true, my reasons behind the best, worst, most surprising and most disappointing episodes of the run, along with the best and worst songs and finally the Character Of The Season Award before I give my final verdict on what has been quite an interesting season to say the least.

Lets get stuck into this.

PREDICTIONS ROUND-UP: Four Correct, Six Incorrect

The week before the season began, I set out a list of predictions for what I wanted to happen for this season to be a 'success' for me as an analyst and reviewer. While some of them were logical, others were not. I however, wasn't going to be deterred, and in a surprise turn of events scored the same amount I had for last season, with four predictions coming to fruition.

Firstly, "On Your Marks" gave me my first correct pick, with Ballet or Dance being involved in an episodes story. I knew it was coming, and while it didn't appear in the episode I was expecting, it was a welcome sight to see that made the second best episode of the season stand out even more. Secondly, Fluttershy's extended family being revealed in "Flutter Brutter" was interesting, even though I would've preferred to see Rainbow Dash's clan more, however the showcasing of Zephyr Breeze and how his position related to me personally was a nice bone for the show to throw and turn my negative perception of him around. Finally, "The Times They Are A Changeling" hit the ball out of the park by killing two birds with one stone as the Spike Solo number was announced before the episode aired, while seeing Sunburst return fulfilled my number two pick to have a male character who debuted earlier in the season come back for another episode in a speaking capacity, something which Thorax also achieved by appearing in "To Where And Back Again".

The other six, when looking back on it were just to big in scope to happen. There was no way that this show would have Granny Smith die, or have Rainbow Dash be punished for crimes from last season or have Spike become a pony. They were just too farfetched and easily plucked from the murky fantasy part of my brain. While it's true that this series couldn't satisfy me in all my predictions, having an Apple Family Member try to take the farm would've made a much more compelling story than what "Where The Apple Lies" proved to be, even though we got possible flashback foreshadowing to my Applejack taking over the farm prediction in the process. While Discord did get an episode (or two), nothing we didn't already know came to light. The closest one of these failed predictions had to coming true was in "The Fault In Our Cutie Marks", where if they exchanged Gabby The Griffon out for a new filly or colt at school trying to fit in, then it would've been good, although I wouldn't take Gabby out, she was great.

At the end of the day, these predictions didn't really mean anything other than me keeping a selfish score. The fact I got any right is a miracle unto itself. While I expected one or two, I got enough to say my list had SOME validity. I guess that counts for something.

BEST EPISODE: A Hearth's Warming Tail (24/25, A)

Occasionally, an episode of this show comes along and surprises in its depth, quality and overall presentation, to the point where very few criticisms can be stated alongside it. For me, "A Hearth's Warming Tail" was the definition of that kind of episode, one that presented a familiar story in as bombastic, emotional and draining a way as possible within this animated medium. It was engrossing from start to finish, with my jaw left on the floor at just how ridiculously fun and great this episode was to watch.

Jim Miller, the supervising director of Friendship Is Magic stated in a tweet the day before this episodes airing that this was one of the best all-round episodes the show had done, and based on its visual and musical scope, as well as finally delivering a Christmas-themed episode that we as viewers can enjoy, I can surely attest that he was telling the truth. While the story of A Christmas Carol has been told many times before, they usually aren't done with as much pomp as My Little Pony did in retelling it, making it feel like everything was refreshing and importantly mattered, all while adding the comedic and musical inflections the show has become known for to ensure it was decided an MLP episode at heart. While some aspects of the Dickens story had to be cut due to time constraints, the episode still held itself high with great pacing, progression and tasteful shifts in tone to make it as encompassing an episode that we've seen rarely outside of a the two-part premieres or a finales. The songs were sublime and all held their place to make this tale as old as time re-encorce its freshness and not make the story come across as stale, which was helped by the vibrant animation choices in setting the ponyverse in Victorian England, which was just the icing on the cake for design diversity.

As you can tell, I love this episode a lot. It proved that even the smallest episode with the right amount of passion and knowledge of the shows capabilities can be stretched out to achieve a lot. It's an episode that wowed my socks off on first and subsequent viewings, making me anticipate that other episodes would go down a similar cinematic route in the future. My only complaint, which stopped it from reaching the perfect twenty-five out of twenty-five on my rating scale, was that there wasn't enough non-musical voice acting. When that is the only issue than can be mustered out of an episode, that says a lot to its quality. This Christmas themed episode may have come out in May rather than the traditional autumn or winter slot, but it did its job and gave the first half of the season a stark wake-up call and a reminder of 'how to get things done'. I'm yet to find an episode of this show that comes close to matching it, and while some have managed to get within a few rating points of it, I don't think many are going to touch it in the future. It's simply sublime, and a testament to how good this show can be when everything is done right to provide an exhilarating, joyous and fun experience.

WORST EPISODE: P.P.O.V. (Pony Point Of View) (3/25, E)

That screenshot sums up my thoughts perfectly regarding an episode that did what I saw as impossible, it was WORSE than "Applejack's "Day" Off". Yeah, when you come to the realisation that the most boring episode of MLP ever, got beaten by an episode within its own season, it's pretty damning. Sure, it also had to contend with the putrid and unnecessary cringefest that was"Where The Apple Lies" too, but thanks to good continuity and message, that episode got saved from the chopping block. As a result, "P.P.O.V." sticks out from quite a few poor episodes this season had produced to be ready and lined for my fury-filled axe.

When thinking about it though, it didn't have the easiest job to do either, as Rashomon episodes are notorious difficult to get right. When you're relying on retelling the same story multiple times with each subsequent telling being different than the last but holding up just enough cohesion to ensure nothing from the core story isn't lost in the process, it's a hard thing to balance while keeping it from getting stale. It's safe to say that the writers understood that their target demographic may not grasp the intricacies of a Rashomon story and wanted to make it as easy to follow as possible. Doing so, without any MAJOR changes from story to story ensured that the retelling of Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity's ill-fated boat trip hyped as an epic sea-faring journey gone awry was nothing more than a mundane squabble over cucumber sandwiches and an unexpected monster induced capsizing. It dragged you along for the ride, throwing inconsistency after inconsistency with little in the way of humour or drama as the repetition set in, with Twilight and Spike's exclamations being the only respite. By the end, the story was so protracted that when what caused it to happen was revealed, I didn't care in the slightest as it had bored me to death and frustrated me with its lack of variance to the point where I just wanted it to end. Yet when it did end, watching them be together on the boat reconciling was nauseating with saccharine, not just in the cheesiness of it, but also as the term "Luxury Boat Party" may be the biggest oxymoron I've heard in a while.

The animation may have scored decently, but the music was surprisingly absent, the story had no structure and went along at a snails pace, while the three core characters at its centre were horribly regressed, acting incredibly immaturely and going against the growth they'd gained as the series had progressed. If that wasn't enough for 'regression', we saw Twilight, the walking capable hero trope to come along and save the day much like a Season 1 episode, which made the message fall flat as it didn't inspire the 'need for communication' that it preached. This episode was a terrible showcase of the issues this season had, and it really was an episode that was devoid of little to praise. While I understood M.A. Larson's desire to see a Rashomon episode, that didn't mean it would be what he expected it to be. As for me, I don't want to see an episode executed in a similar way again, as this experiment failed colossally, to where an episode in "Applejack's "Day" Off", which I considered to be the worst MLP episode overall since Season 3 back in May was made look BETTER by comparison. That's just awful, isn't it?

MOST SURPRISING EPISODE: Every Little Thing She Does (21/25, A-)

A lot of episodes in this series start out with a simple premise and story, that while sounding plain on paper, needs a lot of work to ensure its desired effects are thought out. A lot of episodes, not just in this season but many before it have gloriously failed at being able to translate simple stories into entertaining visual entities. One that I predicted to follow the same route was "Every Little Thing She Does", and boy am I happy to be proven wrong.

Quite a few episodes that are rooted in one central location are of poor quality due to the animation, writing and story being neutred from experimentation and diversity as a result ("Look Before You Sleep" from Season 1 springs to mind). So logically an episode centred around The Castle Of Friendship didn't sound appealing, especially as Starlight decided to hang out with all five characters at once. What helped this episode into my good books is the way Starlight handles the situation and how it came about. By showcasing realistic characteristics associated with social anxiety, it made many of the actions she did to get 'ahead' and her subsequent reactions look quite natural, with the sterile and monotone characters constantly reminding her doing things isn't all about the task and the person you're doing it with but YOUR contribution to it being the most subtle cue of all. As a person with social anxiety issues myself, to see this delicately handled and realistically appropriated to fit the story made Starlight's character examination in the episode an insightful and enjoyable one, to the point where even at its cringiest moments, I was able to enjoy them without my own anxiety flaring up. With all this, the message allowed to form at its own pace as Starlight's anxiety was treated legitimately, not haphazardly like Pinkie's breakdown was in "Party Of One". Starlight's role in the episode wasn't the only high point as none of the rest of the Mane Six took over from her too much, allowing it to flow consistently and thanks to the steady pacing, allowed the message to come through with enough time to let it resonate and get amplified by its ending and Starlight's apology. Oh and the music was varied and had multiple shifts in genre and tone. Animation didn't do quite as well, but still had a few standout moments, particularly from Starlight and Twilight's magical duel at the start.

This episode reminded me a lot of "The Last Roundup" from Season 2, where it seemed very simple, yet held trump cards of subtle meanings, themes and messages all under its plain exterior, making it a great watching experience. To have it resonate with me so much on a personal level helped as well, as Starlight's anxiety and attitude of 'taking things too seriously' hit me like a ton of bricks after being teased in both "The Crystalling" and "No Second Prances" beforehand, so seeing it play out actively was a great bit of continuity and growth. While Starlight Glimmer's episodes were hit and miss this season, there's no doubt that this plain clothed affair shocked me into happiness with its unexpected quality.

MOST DISAPPOINTING EPISODE: The Gift Of Maud Pie (7/25, D-)

It's become a running gag for me to use my criticism of an episode too harshly when summing it up in a review, despite what positives one may have. While some episodes this season have been terrible, even if they leave a VERY bad taste in my mouth, nothing disappoints me more than when an episode infuriates me without even trying, languishing while its potential quality goes up in smoke. While there were a total of FIVE episodes that ranked lower than "The Gift of Maud Pie", this episode not only showcased a glaring weakness for all to see, but hid much worse underneath itself that when uncovered, left me feeling quite sick indeed.

Relying too much on Maud Pie's comedy to drive the episode forward, it felt lacking in core substance, with a very linear narrative that was more predictable the longer it went on. While I could handle the comedy of Maud coming out to sprinkle the episode with fun alongside the music's switching in tempo and pitch for the characters discussions alongside the message coming across well despite some issues, it was the showing of Pinkie Pie and Rarity's mannerisms, relationship and discussions that caused particular ire from me, and signalled that this season was one in which characters we'd loved to see grow regress before our eyes. I already alluded that "P.P.O.V." did the same with Pinkie and Rarity alongside Applejack, however if it wasn't for this episode, I wouldn't have noticed it become a pattern, especially if Rainbow Dash's complete out of character performance in "Newbie Dash" was anything to go by. Rarity acted more like Pinkie Pie's 'support worker or carer' in this episode, trying to stop the hyperactive pony from embarrassing herself and Maud all while trying to talk with the rock-lover and feign interest with disastrous consequences. Pinkie Pie is an independent character with an intelligent yet weird outlook on things, to see her restrained without good reason and come across as a hyperactive baby at times was uncomfortable to watch when coupled with Rarity's condescending and patronising tone of voice coming along with it. When you combine that with a lack of flourish from the animation department, the episode felt like it wasn't trying and while it scored higher than some episodes, it felt like it achieved far worse.

While "No Second Prances" failed to ensure Trixie's return was as good as her prior outings, the rest of the episode didn't have much else to stand on. "The Gift of Maud Pie" on the other hand had the setting, characters and story to make something good of itself and instead, it was just irritating to watch. Given how little of the time was spent understanding and seeing more of Manehattan, something we've not seen since its first appearance in Season 4, it showed how little the city mattered in the broader scheme of things The episode came together with Maud acting as its glue, as it took a lot of her to ensure it held itself up. To rely so much on one character and allow its horrible writing and regression of character growth to be present is something I don't want to see again. While it wasn't the worst culprit of the episodes that fell foul of these issues this season, it was the one that had the most potential to be better, and spectacularly failed, which is why it gets this award, with much displeasure coming with it.

BEST SONG: A Changeling Can Change (from The Times They Are A Changeling)

There were so many good musical numbers this season, as a result choosing the best of the lot seemed on paper, to be a difficult task to complete. When looking at what was in contention, it's easy to see why. 'The Seeds Of The Past' was incredible, 'Hearth's Warming Eve Is Here Once Again' took my breath away, 'Out On My Own' was an emotional tour de force and 'Can I Do It On My Own' hit close to home on a personal level to the point where it improved in quality on every subsequent listen. While all those songs competed for top spot, in the end, it was a surprising easy to find the cherry on top of Season 6's glorious musical cake in the form of a highly anticipated yet against the grain soft, emotional and heartwarming ballad.

The news of Spike's first solo musical number appearing in "The Times They Are A Changeling" was one that held fans' baited breaths, as it was something many had wanted to see yet left some apprehensive of what its quality would entail. Would they go for a heavy rock song to match the type of music that accented his dragon brethren? Would it's lyrics be up to standard? Would Cathy Wesluck's vocals do the job required? All of these lingering questions spun round in my head, making me doubt whether this long-awaited moment could match up to how I viewed it in my mind many times over. Thankfully, what I got with 'A Changeling Can Change' was entirely unexpected, as it was a song that not only offered stark contrast to the tone of the episode it resided in but also amongst the rest of Dan Ingram's catalogue within the show outright. There was no bombastic strings, no crescendo to give it an epic ending and importantly no guitars. What we got an heart welling statement of love for your fellow beings, regardless of creed while also examining other peoples discriminatory attitudes and how you'd be judged for thinking outside of the consensus. It was simple instrumentally, giving the song a massive amount of weight and allowing for Kathy Wesluck's flawless vocals to give that weight some great support. It's a song that I never expected this show to do, let alone have SPIKE be the one to pull it off, but that in hand explains why the song is so great, as given the history of this show, a song like this was never seen coming.

While "The Times They Are A Changeling" was an intense, inspiring and at times uncomfortable episode to watch, it wouldn't have been as good if this wasn't its final party piece. The episode built up to it, and left me wowed at its power. Some may have found it cheesy, which is understandable, however I doubt anyone who says this song isn't great. It may not be as complex, fun or even as large in scope as some others from this show, but it showed sincerity and heart on a scale unseen, all while utilising as little as possible to convey it. They say it takes skill to make something simple become great, and with this song, Mr. Ingram and team certainly exceeded that expectation, delivering one of the best songs this show has produced thus far in the process.

WORST SONG: Luna's Future (from A Hearth's Warming Tail)

Oh how the fandom is going to kill me for this choice. Considering my near universal praise of Dan Ingram's musical numbers this season, there has to be one that doesn't quite hit the mark. While I could've cheated and gone with the reprise of 'Hearth Warming's Eve Is Here Once Again' due to its unnecessary status to finish the episode off, 'Luna's Future' somehow, against all logic, felt even more unnecessary than what came after it. While I understand the irritation some may feel at me stating this, hear me out.

'Luna's Future', while making sense in correlation with the story of the episode, fell completely flat for me, not only because it came so quickly after the wondrous jazz and swing fuelled 'Pinkie's Present', but its composition felt subpar when put up against the intense, pompous and fun songs that had also preceded it. 'Hearths's Warming Eve Is Here Once Again' was insanely over the top in summing up the season with joy, 'Say Goodbye To The Holiday' was a dark villain song that got my skin crawling, 'The Seeds Of The Past's' two parts were Applejack's best solo number this series has produced to date while also wrenching at the heartstrings with its sincerity and 'Pinkie's Present' was just a barrel of fun to hear. 'Luna's Future' in comparison feels lacking in soul, while seeing Luna as the dark embodiment of a future without Hearth's Warming was nice, after all I'd heard it just felt like a letdown, which while a nice contrast to the rest of the episodes' bombastic soundtrack left me bitterly disappointed, all the while helping the end of the episode feel painfully rushed.

Another reason it didn't resonate with me is the immediate praise from other fans it received. I know Luna is a fan favourite character of many, however that shouldn't immediately place this song above many of the better composed and sung that this season offered as a result. It's similar to how "No Second Prances" as an episode is held in such high regard simply because of Trixie's return being at the forefront. While that's great and all, it doesn't make up for the poor quality of THAT episode overall just because you love Trixie so much. I felt the same way for 'Luna's Future', it was a musical number that served its purpose and provided little else for me to care for. Even though Luna's new vocalist did a decent job on her debut, it was the sole highlight this musical number could put forward. 

All in all, it's fitting that the 'darkest' musical number with the series 'most tragic' character at the helm holds up the rest of Ingram's musical contemporaries in the most humbling of ways, in the darkest of places to be. While many of you may not agree with my points, there had to be a worst, and the wooden spoon had to go somewhere whether it is received well or not. I may go against the consensus, but sometimes its best for business.

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Apple Bloom's lack of social life after gaining her Cutie Mark (from On Your Marks)

A truly shocking moment in this series is rare to find. In fact, if you asked me to name what I believed those specific moments were, I could list all of them on one hand with only five such moments occurring over the last six years of programming, with almost all seasons getting at least one to call their own. Considering how difficult it is for a show about pastel-coloured talking ponies to shock me, I was so surprised when this seasons' moment of choice came about, it left me stunned, turning its episode from a good one into a great one almost instantly. Unlike others that have won this accolade in the past, big occasion, but a moment of stark realisation, one that's hidden in the shadows and jumped out from the blue as a sublime piece of storyline continuity that until it came up on screen, I'd completely forgotten about, which makes its gravity much more intense than you'd expect.

Apple Bloom has been one of my favourite characters in this show from her small cameo in the pilot, and has only increased her position since. In Season 1's "Call Of The Cutie", it was noted that Apple Bloom had no friends, and wanted a Cutie Mark so badly she'd be willing to do whatever it takes to do it. Fast forward five seasons, she has two best friends, been on many adventures and gotten the Cutie Mark she craved. In that time however, we never saw Apple Bloom do much without Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle at her side, and after seeing them reprise their loves of riding and singing respectively, it became apparent that in the long time since her major episode debut, Apple Bloom's social life hadn't advanced since that fabled day at Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera. She has no hobbies, no other friends to hang out with and outside of her compulsory farm work, came across as nothing more than an intelligent yet stubborn filly whose purpose in life had been found, and that's it. This added more complexity and depth to Apple Bloom than I'd ever expected there to be. She had proven to be independent and willing to push boundaries in the past, yet with one simple realisation, she was bereft of all she knew, having to start from square one again while her friends pushed on forward. It's quite compelling when you think about it and the fact I'd forgotten about her lack of non-CMC social life made it even more apparent, especially given how much I pride this show on giving me continuity from episode to episode every now and again. While the moment comes across as profoundly negative, in turn it allowed  the episode to become an enjoyable ride to see what she would eventually take on as a hobby, accented by the great musical number that 'Out On My Own', was to be a feel-good and truly satisfying experience to sit through.

I'm not sure how many of you would rank this moment as 'shocking', but for me, no moment in this season had such a stark effect on me, and left me so aghast. It wasn't a moment that will stand out amongst the biggest the series has offered, but it was something that caught me off guard and reminded me how good continuity and storytelling can be if set up correctly. It can surprise even when you're as diligent as me when looking for it every step of the way, and for the show to do that, still leaves me very much impressed.

CHARACTER OF THE SEASON: Spike

While many would see an award such as this to be redundant, it's one that I see as quite important. When reviewing each episode for my archive, I always pick out a character that contributed the most to the episode or stole the show from the rest of their fellow starring brethren with the strongest performance. However, winning the Character Of The Season Award isn't as easy as giving the award to the 'character who won the most' so to speak, but instead to the character who defined the seasons' quality and made me happy to watch them over the course of its entirety, which made Discord's 'win' for Season 2 seem justly unwarranted, but in the context of that season and what quality he brought to the table. It's more than merited as he was the shining star of a season that much like this one, disappointed as much as it succeeded. In similar vein to Discord, Spike may not have appeared much this season, but boy did he make the most of his screen time. Whether it was episodes he had a starring role in or ones in which he played a supporting function, he was for me the talking point of pretty much all of them, firmly increasing his prominence with it and gaining this award as a result. To say it's not been hard-earned is an understatement, especially when you consider his history up until this point.

Over the seasons, Spike's character was one either played for laughs or to explore his position as a seemingly useless part of the multi-coloured cast he was alongside, being the lone male to offer minor aspects of gender diversity to the crew and not do much else. I'm happy to see that after five seasons of occasional but stunted growth, he's finally found a purpose and is the catalyst to many of the seasons' defining moments. He stood up to discrimination and ostracisation while also delivering the best musical number of the season in "The Times They Are A Changeling", risked his own life to save his friends from danger and building positive relationships with his own species in "Gauntlet Of Fire", reassured, encouraged and critiqued Starlight Glimmer to better herself in both "The Crystalling" and "Every Little Thing She Does", he was the comedic relief that lit up "A Hearth's Warming Tail" outside of its dramatic story-retelling and finally, was the lone piece of good comedy in "P.P.O.V." to make it worth my time. He's come quite a long way from the frightened, infantile and exceedingly selfish male stereotype we saw in Season 1, growing into a compelling, driven and selfless embodiment of friendship by Season 6 who is willing to lend a hand and speak up at the right moment, even if his words can be as sharp as a razor at times. Spike's position in those past five seasons was always under the inspection of a frank character examination, often coupled with a myriad of cringe-worthy moments and gigantic mistakes to ensure his immaturity is understood and on notice for all to see. This season, as a character, he's taken on a more mature position and the quality of how his character has changed is from his counterpart of six years ago, is quite extraordinary. While he may still show boastful and selfish tendencies from time (especially prevalent in "Dungeons And Discords"), those traits rarely come to the forefront as much as they used to, as it makes sense for him to act that way through his dragon genetics rather than a result of a male attitude complex, much to the derision of the characters around him and me watching at home.

Spike has always been a favourite of mine, not just because he's a fun character to watch but is one of the lone representations of a male character in this female-dominated show. I've always wanted Spike to be represented positively, something that I've been often left irritated by due to this shows reluctance to show him as anything more than a lump of clay in need of constant moulding. It may have taken six years of attempts, but when under the heat this season, he's showcased great stability and quality that even with Starlight Glimmer's similar growth on show, he managed to outshine her to be the biggest success of the season for me. As a result, the little dragon wins this award with a lot of good will and it is thoroughly deserved. I may have critiqued the writing team this year for the quality of SOME of their work, but if there's one thing I could lavish praise on all day, is that they made Spike the character I knew he could be from day one and I couldn't be happier with it.

FINAL OVERVIEW

When Season 5 ended, I was left with a sense of uncertainty that I wasn't able to shake for some time until the halfway point of this season. Despite some amazing episodes on show, Season 6 spent a lot of its time trying to experiment and surprise while never succeeding in remaining stable, resulting in an up and down period of peaks and troughs that became quite worrying to see. Thankfully, the second half of the season buoyed my perception of it, by giving a supply of good to great quality episodes that restored my faith in the new writing team. While there was the occasional bad apple amongst the latter twelve episodes (with "P.P.O.V." and "Where The Apple Lies" coming back to back), it finished on two great episodes that not only defined the benchmark that future 'Map Episodes' should strive to achieve with "Top Bolt" but with its finale "To Where And Back Again", they succeeded in delivering a finale that made its premiere feel inadequate while bucking many of the supposed trends that those types of episode have by leaving a closed ending, musical number and over the top animation behind in its wake, which is a welcome sign alongside the fact that four reformed villains were at the centre of the story instead of the Mane Six. It is quite a game changer that sets up Season 7 with a lot to live up to.

The graph above highlights the rollercoaster nature of the season as a whole. As you can see, there were some truly great episodes that rank among my favourites of all time, but are rounded out with some utter duds and some that while having some good points, failed to escape mediocrity and negative equity overall. While the season comes across as a mixed bag, I can attest that the finale has left me in a similar position to how Season 4's finale left me: pumped and wanting more, which is something Season 5 failed to do. The season may have started with me clutching at straws, with my standards and expectations of the show somewhat lying in ruin, but this team of mostly new writers over the course of the season have mostly learnt from their mistakes to give it a flourish that I didn't think was possible. With that in mind, it was the episodes involving The Mane Six that floundered and brought the season down as there's just not much for these characters to do, resulting in tired viewing experiences that only saw the characters go backwards, while episodes surrounding secondary characters such as Spike, The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Starlight Glimmer had much more balance in quality and character growth by comparison. The musical numbers were of usually exceptional quality and I can't wait to see what Dan Ingram and his crew have in store for next season and the film, it should be a blast.

Speaking of which, I have hope for the 'Biggest Year Of Pony' come 2017, as along with the feature film and a standard twenty-six episode season we also get three Equestria Girls Specials, and based on the increase in quality of those spin-off films over time, it all looks quite appetising indeed. When you couple that with the quality of this seasons finale, all looks to be pointing in the right direction. Which, after the negative things I said in June, is a reassuring thing to note.

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I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been an MLP Episode Review for The CC Network Blog. I'll see you all next season. Be sure to check on the YouTube Channel within the next few months, as some MLP countdowns will be coming.