MLP SEASON 6 REVIEW: #1: The Crystalling (2-Part Premiere)

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 26/2/16 - Written by Josh Haber 

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

------------

So here we are, Season 6 is now upon us. It's come way earlier than anyone expected, but more pony so soon after a season ends is always a good thing, right?

Anyway, after the Season 5 finale surprised many and confused others, it's time for this generation of My Little Pony to go into a season treading unknown ground. As many of the core plot points, story arcs and rivalries that have followed its characters for the last 5 years have been resolved, Season 6 will open new doors, give life to new characters, open up new places and most importantly, as evident by this premiere, bring forth a new royal life for all to see. As a result, this season has started with optimism abound for the Bronies watching, however, as we know from previous premieres, it's never a simple group of episodes to watch, let alone review. Will the combined two-part episode that aired on Saturday have enough outside of the initial reveal to have it be regarded as a premiere to be remembered? Lets find out.

STORY AND NARRATIVE

With the episode being promoted as being centred around the Royal Baby, it came as a shock for me to have Starlight's first friendship lesson take up most of this two-parters run time. From the moment the first episode started, I had worries that this two-parter would struggle trying to maintain both essential plots at the same time. In many ways, those worries were proven correct.

Changing frequently from the anticipation, euphoria and frantic drama of Flurry Heart to the awkward and slow interactions between Starlight, Spike and Sunburst really hurt the perception of cohesion in the strength of the narrative, in turn symbolising the episode had a hard time trying to find its identity. It couldn't make up its mind up on whether to be the dramatic and intense like we've become accustomed to in these types of episodes, or be an emotional continuation of the end of Season 5. As a result, the episode feels unorganised and a bit messy, feeling much more like a test to see if this type of structure will work in the future rather than  come out of the gates fully functioning. While I will give them credit for transitioning from one plot to another, trying to replicate the tone each time to resolve the pace issues, it didn't rectify the the problem. The pacing wasn't helped as the first part feels inconsequential, drawn out without much consequence and only existing to pad the second part out. This rings true as the "Previously on My Little Pony" flashback did a better job than the whole episode itself.

The saving graces for this episode stems from both plots finishing at different times, making it end with pacing problems finally resolved at the end of its 44-minute run time. The two-parter is also noteworthy as it had a unique narrative structure, starting with a disequilibrium stemming from the end of the last season's events. This allowed the episode to stand as a platform for showcasing continuity from the not just the season that preceded it, but helping reference past episodes from even further back, reminding some of how important and essential the Crystal Empire is as well as how deep the lore of this series has grown to become. While the reveal of the baby and her actions were shocking and refreshing, which is a major positive, outside of that, the rest of the events of the episode were heavily foreshadowed, no mater how subtle. This made the whole episode come across as predictable, which isn't a pleasant thing to watch.

Overall, the writers tried too hard to make both plots feel like they were worth their time, when both could have filled individual episodes. As a result, continuing ahead with two came at the expense of this episodes cohesion and pacing, which for a premiere is disappointing to see, especially after five seasons in perfecting its formula.

RATING: 1 out of 5.

WRITING AND VOICE ACTING

As showcased by the picture above, this episode had an abundance of characters involved, which makes sense considering the episode was surrounding a historic event for the lore of the series. The Mane Six, Shining Armour, Princesses Cadence, Celestia and Luna and the debuting Flurry Heart are all on show here, out of shot there's Starlight Glimmer, Spike, the debuting Sunburst and the residents of The Crystal Empire, as well as Twilight's Mum and Dad making a small cameo. You can easily see that trying to give at least 17 characters ample screen and speaking time is a major challenge, a challenge that some of this shows premieres and finales have balanced incredibly well. Sadly this wasn't the case here, as most of the cast wallowed in the shadows of others who were much more important to the progression of the narrative as a whole.

While Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity did get occasional moments to shine, they didn't have enough space to properly stand out, with minimal dialogue to support them. Even the Royal Princesses failed to make their mark, and while Twilight's role was heavily holding the first part aloft, her presence in the second part diminished over time, as well as proving more cumbersome too. Pinkie got a surprising amount of dialogue, which was used nicely to bring comedy to a very tense situation no matter how forced it seemed, especially given the tense atmosphere from the first scene onwards. Shining Armour got a lot more dialogue than expected but it came at the expense of his character, which routinely showed him as inept and incapable of remaining calm, which got tiresome the more it played into the narrative. However in having Shining Armour provide this irritating comedic role, it allowed Spike to take on a more humble and understanding supporting role that, when combined with his chemistry with Starlight Glimmer, gave him to shine as the one character who seemed to know what he was doing and excel at it. Starlight Glimmer and Sunbursts anxious interactions may have been intentionally awkward to increase tension, but it showed off their weaknesses while allowing them to build up to their inevitable strengths being showcased later, showing great growth and balancing for both characters.

Flurry Hearts role as the cute but deadly baby was nicely executed as it wasn't too overbearing and proved essential in moving the narrative along, with perfect voice acting by Tabitha St. Germain of all people to bring the rambunctious tyke to life. The varied ranges  on show with Starlight, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Shining Armour coupled in with their well written roles to make them the lynch pins that hold the episodes core elements up higher than they rightfully should be. I could have done without the citizens of the Crystal Empire showing themselves to be very stubborn, ignorant and egotistical, it did little to take away from what was a stellar set of performances that I loved. Sure... we could have had a new villain but as Flurry Heart was the pseudo-antagonist of this premiere along with the snowstorm, it wasn't an aspect that was missed, and won't take down this category from an area it surprisingly excelled in against all odds.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

ANIMATION

If you come into a premiere expecting animation to be at the forefront, you are for the most part mistaken. This is because the finale can take all shine away from it easily, especially when you look at what has taken place over the last two or three seasons. Therefore, I wasn't disappointed with the lack of major animation elements on show here, however if you think this will be an entirely negative aspect, you are once again mistaken.

When there is a lack of significant, one-off piece of animation work on show, you can always look for the more subtle, smaller elements that can bring together a nice portfolio that an episode can be proud of. Thankfully this two-parter had a lot of them to fall back on. The list is quite large, including the beams of magic from the horns of alicorn and unicorns alike, the ice effects on ponies bodies, the design of the Twilight's snowflake invitation, the feel of cramped space inside Sunbursts house using greatly placed angles and the cornucopia of facial expressions on show from not just Pinkie Pie but Starlight Glimmer and Shining Armour were a delight to see. You also you have the designs of the two new characters, with Sunburst essentially being a male version of Moon Dancer, with glasses that move smoothly to boot, and Flurry Heart's design includes those big eyes and a fully formed mouth to highlight how different she is from normal babies due to her status as a newborn Alicorn. In the biggest animated set piece, you have the light effects from the Crystalling Ceremony itself, both on Flurry Heart, flowing through the roads of the Crystal Empire and finally spewing out of the Crystal Castle as a result, FINALLY helps deliver on the spectacle that this event should have without going over the top. Finally, before I forget, the smoke transition from Starlight Glimmer's flashback scene with Spike interrupting was glorious. 

While a bigger flourish is missing, along with a lack of detail on the  Crystal Empires humble abodes for its citizens, this episode showed that through little pieces, it managed to shine brighter than it ought have. I can be thankful for that. It may not be perfect, but it did enough to please, all I could ask for.

RATING: 3 out of 5.

MESSAGE

Even though the narrative faltered, the message of the episode proudly holds its head up high to be the star of this episode, which when you consider the problems I've alluded to so far, it's a big relief.

While it took its sweet, sweet time in delivering itself, the message about Twilight giving Starlight Glimmer space in figuring out things for herself was well executed in using the tension of the episode to showcase the flaws in Twilight's teaching methods, and use her students enforced but polite disregard for them as a way for both characters to build confidence in themselves as their relationship continues to grow going forward. It made the long, tiresome wait feel worth it, especially when it offshoots in helping Sunburst realise his importance once given the space and time to realise his worth. If there is one criticism, having Spike tell Twilight that she is a better teacher than she thinks she is despite her teachings not working dampened its impact to a degree. While she still has a lot of work to do in order to become as good a teacher as Celestia was to her, it's a little too early for her to be taking the credit, especially when it was SPIKE who did all the work and proved a better teacher on this occasion, having learnt from all around him.

Thanks to that niggle, I can't call this message completely perfect but it comes mighty close. Considering the issues this episode had in building it up, I will give credit where credit is due in realising it as good as this. It shouldn't be so well done, but they pulled it off somehow, congratulations.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

MUSIC

With premiere's and finales in this series, you would expect the musical elements to be jacked up to eleven, and contain an extra flourish in comparison to the norm. Sadly for a premiere, these episodes did very little to excite the ears.

The backing music was supposed to support the narrative, writing and animation in establishing tone, but due to the episode being awkward, stilted and uninspiring in a lot of moments, the music couldn't find itself the opportunity to bring itself to life, even if it had been given the breathing room to try. While the scenes with Flurry Heart had higher tempo to replicate the frantic nature surrounding her, and the Crystalling Ceremony itself finally adding some gravitas to the occasion, the rest of the episode musically came across as lacklustre. This episode needed a musical number to really give the episode something to shout about, sadly with the dialogue and actions (or lack thereof) being enough to substantiate itself, it wasn't needed. However, it would have re-energised the first part for sure, especially if it were executed during Starlight's flashback, as the transition subtly alluded to.

Overall, outside of the typical orchestral fare, this episode severely needed to replicate the vibrancy and colour of some of its visual counterparts. Sadly, it failed to capitalise on it, and came across as mundane and flat. While I will give some credit for the LITTLE they did to give this episode some musical life, it's disappointing to know it was left so far behind when the rest of the episode tried so hard to give itself depth, something this category could've offered.

RATING: 1 out of 5.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Premieres are hard to rate, as you have to balance hype and the rest of the seasons potential based on what you've just seen at the same time. When looking at "The Crystalling", in my opinion that hype isn't well justified and it didn't create that much intrigue.

The predictability of the episodes inevitable conclusion when combined with the pacing issues and an awkward tone made this episode surprisingly uneasy watching, feeling like it was never going to end. While the second episode did manage to salvage the problems that were laboured from the first part, it has a hard time standing up on its own two feet as a particularly memorable set of episodes outside of the occasional fleeting moment and great piece of character building. When put in contrast with "The Return Of Harmony", "Princess Twilight Sparkle" and "The Cutie Map", episodes that started their respective season with a bang, a flourish and a sense of gravitas, it's no competition at all. In fact, it reminds me more of the initial two-parter "Friendship Is Magic" and "The Crystal Empire" from Seasons 1 and 3 respectively, in that this two-parter tried too hard to but all its eggs in one second part basket while devoting too much time to its set-up the first time round, which makes it look like a lopsided duo that only exists to connect the finale together with it, in the hope that the finale will gloss over and make you forget the frailties that were exhibited here. While this episode did have its moments of quality, which explains why my rating isn't as low as it could've been, it struggled to stand out as an episode that got me excited for the twenty-four episodes that have to follow it. I know that a lot of Bronies loved watching this episode and felt it did the series justice, but for me it was too predictable and disorganised at its core for me to have it be an episode that is anything more than average.

Coming into this premiere, I was full of optimism while also feeling a lot of uncertainty. I was unsure as to what this show will do to kick off a new chapter in its history. It's simple to say that these two episodes represent the baby steps that Hasbro and DHX have taken to test new ideas out, which may be done going forward. From the first frame, that uncertainty is displayed by the laboured pacing, bland music and static, tense scenes, all of which took this episode downhill. While it was saved by its animation, message and writing fronts, there's a lot still needed to be done from here to give me reassurance that Josh Haber and his writing team can do better. It did the little required to pass into average territory, but going forward I expect a lot better.

FINAL RATING: 12 out of 25.

LETTER GRADE: C-

------------

I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been an MLP Episode Review for The CC Network Blog, and I'll see you next week for the next review. Cheers!