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.
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)
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)
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-)
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-)
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)
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)
'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)
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
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
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.
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