My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 119 - A Dog And Pony Show

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A Dog And Pony Show is probably the least of the “adventure” episodes of the first season, although the genre is strong enough that it certainly still rates in the top half.  Amy Keating Rogers is again plagued by a few too many cutesy touches of the kind that sank Fall Weather Friends, but this time she finds enough good moments to compensate.  The plot is the darkest of any episode yet aired in the series, and it’s hard not to take the subject seriously even though it’s only played for laughs.  Rarity is kidnapped by three Gollums Diamond Dogs (not of the Bowie variety), who plan to use her to find the ridiculous multitude of gems just lying around Equestria.  Of course, Rar­ity doesn't know how to be scared in situations she should be, and won’t compromise her “principles” no matter what peril she may be in.  It’s extremely doubtful that any kidnapping situation turns out like the one here, as the Dogs’ disgust with Rarity would probably lead to her death rather than them willingly let her go.  That means the point doesn't exactly come off, since acting like Rarity does in a similar situation almost certainly isn't the right thing to do.  Kidnappings aren't generally sources of comedy, so the episode feels somewhat disconcerting overall.  With a large amount of fantasy elements present, it’s better not to take A Dog And Pony Show too seriously, and the various fun parts that Rogers somehow finds do elevate the episode.  Mostly this is thanks to Rarity, who shines even though she has a bit of the stereotypical “fabulous” bug that certain writers often plague her with.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 118 - The Show Stoppers

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For what wouldn't be the last time, two Cutie Mark Crusader episodes were inexplicably aired back-to-back late in the first season.  The Show Stoppers appears to be the point where the Cutie Mark Crusader fetish bloomed, even though the devotion to these characters hasn't entirely been justified yet.  While it turns out the Cutie Mark Crusaders have even more stupid things to try doing, they’re less annoying about it here and mostly keep to themselves.  This culminates in an incredible disaster of a show in which literally everything goes wrong.  However, The Show Stoppers is the first time we actually get a hint as to their future cutie marks, even though the Crusaders themselves of course ignore the obvious. 

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 117 - Stare Master

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I liked the first act of Stare Master better than when I had to watch it a second time in Sisterhooves Social, but not by much.  Stare Master is an episode filled with awkward moments, clichés, and one-offs, but has enough good to make it at least passable.  The dreaded Cutie Mark Cru­saders make their first return in a starring role after being introduced five episodes earlier, and are generally annoying when they are or aren't using cartoon physics.  Outside of events that could only take place in cartoons, this is a pretty accurate depiction of younger kids and the difficult dynamic adults can have in dealing with them.  Flut­tershy is also featured in the episode, and again shows that she can be surprisingly assertive when dealing with animals.  This means we don’t get any of her patented ridiculously cute moments, but it’s refreshing to see there’s a line where Fluttershy won’t be walked over.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 116 - Sonic Rainboom

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There may not be a big message or moving reason behind Sonic Rain­boom, but few episodes in the series are as much of a joy to watch.  Great moments and dialogue are built on top of each other, creating a moving and exciting story where one probably should not exist.  Like its “sister” episode The Cutie Mark Chronicles, some of the details prevent it from being great, although the events of TCMC make the ones here more poignant.  Also like the later episode, Sonic Rainboom ranks among the best efforts of the series so far.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 115 - Feeling Pinkie Keen

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It’s hard to believe that the first season could get any worse after Griffon The Brush-Off, Look Before You Sleep, and Fall Weather Friends, but yet it does.  Most of the writers had difficulty their first time out, but Dave Polsky “tops” them all.  He doesn’t try to hide that his misguided offering serves his agenda and no other purpose.  There isn’t a plot to Feeling Pinkie Keen, nor is there a lesson.  Apparently Polsky hates Twilight Sparkle as much as Merriwether Williams hates Rainbow Dash, since the only thing that happens in this episode is that Twilight gets embarrassed over and over again.  At least it could be argued that Dash is quite overloved by the fanbase.  I doubt Twilight is most people’s favorite pony, but she certainly doesn't deserve this.  Although I completely disagree with the “message” presented in this episode, I do want to point out that isn't the case for The Mysterious Mare Do Well.  I absolutely concur that the Dash love is ridiculous, but it’s still a terrible episode.  Feeling Pinkie Keen is an extremely poor offering no matter what your feelings about faith are.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 114 - Suited For Success

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Suited For Success may take place entirely within the fashion world and deal with a problem that is practically unique to it among other artistic disciplines, but that doesn't make it any less important.  This episode is a middle entrant into the Grand Galloping Gala “arc”, as Rarity takes it upon herself to make her friends dresses for the event.  Conflict arises when the rest of the mane six aren't entirely pleased with her first effort, and an important fashion critic from Canterlot will be in town to see Rarity’s work.  This may not sound like much to go on, but Suited For Success is surprisingly entertaining throughout, as well as pretty accurate in its depictions.  The episode also spawned a couple of memes and features one of the best songs in the series as well.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 113 - Fall Weather Friends

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If our favorite ponies were actually real, then maybe Fall Weather Friends would have been interesting.  But they’re not, so that makes the episode contrived, which it feels like from head-shaking start to disastrous finish.  Having not learned anything from the terrible Rarity vs. Applejack funfest that was Look Before You Sleep, we have Rainbow Dash vs. Applejack instead, which goes just as poorly.  This now makes two out of the five other main ponies that Applejack can’t be friends with.  As the most athletic ponies among the six, Rainbow Dash and Applejack square off in a dodecapentathlon to determine who is the best.  When Dash wins easily, they decide to run a race instead.  That’s about it for plot.  Theoretically, there’s some comment that’s being made about sports, but it isn't close to accurate.  Amy Keating Rog­ers was one of the better writers on the show, so the episode isn't entirely painful.  There was no saving this premise though, and Rogers decided to fill the episode with bad puns, a few clichés, and some references to the old Roadrunner cartoons in an apparent attempt to salvage things.  None of it worked.  That means we’re left with the worst episode in a shockingly weak four episode stretch.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 112 - Call Of The Cutie

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Despite enjoying the rule 34 as much as the next guy, I still have to admit feeling a bit weird about all of the pony hindquarters on show in Call Of The Cu­tie.  This fascination the pony culture has with tattoos continues to amaze me, and the solution to those with “blank flanks” is obvious.  Head down to the local parlor, say you’re 18, and voilà, cutie mark.  That would spare us the most frustrating yet somehow effective arc in the entire series.  Even though the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew each other in the pilot somehow, we still don’t know who they are yet up to this point, so Call Of The Cu­tie acts as an introduction to the later episodes dealing with these charac­ters.  As such, it kind of plays like a streamlined version of The Cutie Mark Chronicles, but without most of the intrigue and revelations (Rainbow Dash does relate her cutie mark story, but not in quite the same amount of detail).  Apple Bloom takes center stage since she hasn’t met her friends yet (even though she has), and she spends most of the episode being an­noyingly mad about not having her cutie mark yet.  Yes, kids usually react like this when they’re at ages when years feel like centuries, but that doesn’t make it enjoyable to watch.  Considering how much attention the Cutie Mark Crusaders receive after this episode at the expense of the mane six, it’s debata­ble how good the “influence” of Call Of The Cutie is.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 111 - Winter Wrap Up

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Like all of us, I have fond memories of the various winter wrap-ups we must all perform every year.  It's a lot of work, but something that must be done since otherwise winter would last all year round.  Wait a minute, now I remember what happened.  I did absolutely nothing and let winter wrap itself up by waiting for the temperature to rise and letting the animals behave naturally.  Surprisingly enough, Spike is spot on in Winter Wrap Up with his lackadaisical attitude.  “Who cleans up winter?  It’s ridiculous,” Spike announces, and this is just in the teaser.  He spends the rest of the episode just trying to get some sleep, and is cranky enough to level some great cheap shots at Twilight (“outhouse”, “natural disaster”).  Unfortunately, having a character accurately criticize an episode doesn't bode well for the show itself.  Like Spike observes, Winter Wrap Up is a mildly pleasant but pointless exercise, which only ends up suggesting that Twilight should have stayed at home and done nothing (and that also means the episode would be better off not existing).  Hmm, staying home and doing nothing.  On second thought, maybe this is an episode I can get behind after all.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 110 - Swarm Of The Century

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And lo, onto this tenth episode of the first season, a savior was born.  Not that you’d realize it from what was presented here.  M.A. Larson has written the best episodes of the first three seasons of My Little Pony, but like all of the other writers on the show, his initial offering is a complete bomb.  Swarm Of The Century is not nearly as bad as the awful string of episodes that came before it, but there’s not a whole lot of positive either.  The plot is a Ponyville update of the classic original Star Trek episode The Trouble With Tribbles.  The Trib­bles and the Parasprites here are basically the same species, in that they’re both incredibly cute, have an insatiable appetite, and are born pregnant.  Only the Parasprites have eyes and wings, and one wonders how they didn't do more damage than they did.  The Star Trek episode survives this somewhat sketchy plot by providing a host of iconic moments, such as the fight on the space station (with the subsequent dressing down of the officers by Captain Kirk), and the scene when Kirk opens a food storage bay only to have Tribbles rain down upon him.  The Tribbles’ conflict with the Kling­ons also provides a number of fun callbacks throughout the series.  Unfortunately, the closest Larson comes to matching those moments happens when Pinkie Pie’s one-pony band marches into town to a rousing march.  Other than that, Swarm Of The Century is a minimally disturbing horror movie that doesn't really have much of a point.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 109 - Bridle Gossip

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After going through the first season episodes again, I honestly didn't remember Bridle Gossip being this good.  A large part of it may be just a fun diversion, but the episode actually shows its lesson in an effective way even if the setup is slightly absurd.  Amy Keating Rogers may not quite match the joy of Dragonshy or the epicness of M.A. Larson’s better episodes, but there’s also very little the show does wrong either.  Not every moment works, as a few too many nudging jokes don’t come off well.  But plenty do, and this is the first episode that feels like the series is hitting its stride (even if that’s only relatively speaking).  The rawness of the previous installments is gone, and the new character introduced here actually returns regularly.  Most of the characterization is spot on, and getting everyone involved (including the first actual part for Apple Bloom after the pilot cameo) works better than isolating a couple of the ponies like in Look Before You Sleep.  The slightly awkward moments affect the mood of the show enough to keep it from feeling great throughout, but most of the time Bridle Gossip is rocking, which is exactly what should be expected from the series.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 108 - Look Before You Sleep

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Hoo boy.  They don’t come much more painful and contrived than Look Before You Sleep.  On the plus side, this episode is the origin of the idea that Twilight does everything “by the book”, which inevitably extends into matters that shouldn't need one.  On the negative side is everything else.  Rarity and Applejack spend almost the entire time fighting, even when they “make up” at the end.  The “odd couple” thing has been done many times before, but never would have inspired a TV series if it had been like this.  The constant bickering grows old during the teaser and never lets up.  Most of the action occurs at an impromptu slumber party at Twilight’s, which never should’ve happened in the first place.  Charlotte Fullerton had to try really hard to force these characters together in a situation that isn't even remotely believable.  I’m not sure what the childish back-and-forth between Rarity and Applejack was supposed to be, but it wasn't funny while barely being tolerable.  To top it all off, the episode demonstrated the exact opposite of the alleged lesson.  Perhaps this was just the writers shaking the rust off, but three of the show’s worst episodes aired in a four episode stretch.  Thankfully internet, because Look Before You Sleep could’ve sunk the show for good.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 107 - Dragonshy

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Dragonshy is the first episode since the pilot to feature the mane six together on an adventure, and unsurprisingly is the best one since then.  This is also the first time an episode focuses on Fluttershy, which is alternately interesting and tiresome.  Even though the rest of the mane six are along for the journey, we get a pretty complete picture of Fluttershy’s character here.  She takes care of a number of other animals around Ponyville, has a tough time getting other people’s attention, is afraid of a whole host of things (not always irrationally), and has a line you’d better not cross before she gets angry.  Seeing her constantly being afraid of something throughout the episode is a bit arduous, but also probably accurate.  The long hike up a mountain is just more time to stay afraid and not deal with the fear.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 106 - Boast Busters

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I’ll see your Gilda and raise you a Trixie.  In many ways, Boast Busters isn't a whole lot different from Griffon The Brush-Off , but at least it has a scattering of decent moments and something of a plot.  Instead of pranks, it’s magic that ends up embarrassing the mane six, although they do react more appropriately this time.  There’s something of a decent message in there that actually gets made, but most of the episode seems like an excuse to embarrass some pony in one way or another.  Long stretches are painful, and it’s surprising how little actually happens.  At least Rarity is good in the Pinkie Pie role, and Trixie is much easier on the eyes than her Griffon counterpart.  Both are rather insufferable though, and given little depth too.  I do have to give props for Applejack getting hogtied, which is a surprisingly kinky moment for the show.  Unfortunately, I can’t really increase the rating just because it’s obvious the episode was written by a guy.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 105 - Griffon The Brush-Off

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Griffon The Brush-Off is the first of two straight episodes to introduce ostensibly one-time-only characters still remembered by the fanbase, but who we really shouldn't have had any desire to see again based on the quality of the shows.  Thanks to Mr. Larson's season three efforts, the choice as to the worst of the two is rather easy.  Usually even the poorest of episodes have some redeeming factor, but I’m hard pressed to think of one positive thing to say about Griffon The Brush-Off.  The show is basically one big prank fest that doesn't really coalesce into a message or anything resembling a story or plot.  It ignores the old friends vs. new friends dynamic, while completely misrepresenting the prank part as well.  Add to all that a thoroughly unlikable guest character, and we have one of the worst episodes of the show ever produced.