My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 104 - Applebuck Season

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There’s certainly a good message behind Applebuck Season, but it was obvious at least a third of the way into the show.  Seeing Applejack tired for the whole episode wasn't really funny, and nothing was gained by dragging the premise out so long.  Writer Amy Keating Rogers displays a nagging recurring tendency to merge the mane six into one, but fortunately it doesn't last too long this time.  As would also happen in successive episodes, Pinkie Pie has the best moments in a supporting role, but these are unfortunately rather few overall.  This would not be the last time the whole town will gather to celebrate a single member of the mane six, but it isn't any better when Applejack gets over-loved again in The Last Roundup, and certainly not when Rainbow Dash is celebrated in The Mysterious Mare Do Well.  Some problems may start out small before spiraling out of control (such as drinking), but it was obvious Applejack needed an intervention as soon as she drowsily appeared at her own town event in the first act.  Twilight seemed to know it too, but didn't do anything until lesson time arrived.  An episode with such a potentially important message shouldn't be treated as filler, but that’s apparently what Rogers did, as Ap­plebuck Season needed a lot of padding to reach its 22 minute runtime.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 103 - The Ticket Master

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Much like Luis Buñuel’s film Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie, The Ticket Master finds Twilight Sparkle forever sitting down to lunch but never eating.  Sadly, adding a comprehensible plot weakens things greatly.  The Ticket Master is the start of the Grand Galloping Gala “arc”, but the true payoff for the episode only comes later in the season.  For now, the rest of the mane six decide to be as annoying as possible once they find out Twilight received a +1 to the event.  I remember when I received one to my uncle’s wedding.  Nobody was cleaning up my house or bringing me food.  It probably didn't end up mattering, since according to this episode I likely would've lost any friends I had.  Thankfully my brother was smart enough not to extend me the same “courtesy” to his.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 101-102 – Friendship Is Magic

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A popular opinion among the bronies seems to be that the pilot isn't very good, and the series only got better afterwards.  I think the pilot gets a bad rap, actually.  While understandably a little raw, Friendship Is Magic is also a dramatic and entertaining introduction to all of the characters.  And yes, all the characters includes the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Luna, and Derpy.  This two-parter is the sole writing effort by series creator Lauren Faust, and only M.A. Larson has embraced the spirit of having all the ponies go on adventures together seen here.  While slightly over the top, the characterization is (perhaps unsurprisingly) good from the very start.  All of the ponies feel fully formed already, and each is featured enough to seem like they have an important part.  The rawness prevents the pilot from ranking with the series’ best episodes, but it’s much better put together than the rest of a rather shaky first half of the season.  There are a lot of fun touches I enjoy, even if they don’t add up to a lot of spectacular moments.  Series pilots are usually a mixed bag, and while not everything from the opening caught on, it’s rather amazing how well-defined the characters and setting are right from the start.