My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 508 - The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone

Rating:

After Trixie’s third season rehabilitation, having Gilda receive similar treatment at least counts as necessary.  Not that Amy Keating Rogers accomplishes what M.A. Larson did in Magic Duel, but thankfully Griffon The Brush-Off wasn’t Gilda’s last memory.  For unknown reasons, the map sends Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash toward Griffonstone; a certain species’ homeland.  Twilight has already familiarized herself with its history, but she won’t be going (a decision that only satisfies My Little Pony’s budget staff).  Once they arrive, Dash and Pinkie see the formerly proud city has fallen into extreme disrepair.  Obviously Griffonstone needs fixing up, but how that should be done isn’t agreed upon.  Rogers visited both extremes during her MLP tenure, and this episode certainly lands on the high side.  But her writing still hits many raw spots, with clichés or Pinkie’s antics detracting from an otherwise positive vibe.  Gilda’s change is probably too quick, while her story of meeting Dash feels clichéd and predictable despite adding badly needed depth.  Her relationship with Dash makes more sense though, and her likely lesbianism feels much less weird.  Calling The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone a full-fledged return seems unlikely, since Dash probably won’t visit Gilda again even if we actually wouldn’t mind that now.  Rogers’ script appears rushed (not necessarily her fault of course) and finds Dash and Pinkie acting slightly stereotypically.  But she also successfully ruminates on lost friendships that maybe shouldn’t have ended.  Making one of the first season’s most unlikable characters tolerable rates as no small accomplishment, as does finding another thread in the “disgust over cutie marks” theme.  This isn’t enough for The Lost Treasure Of Griffonstone to stand with season five’s best episodes, but many parts come rather close.  Dweebs.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 507 - Make New Friends But Keep Discord

 

Rating:

Holy shit, there’s another Grand Galloping Gala coming up!  And it’s today!  A whole year went into planning this important event before, but fuck it, let’s go.  Every previously seen moment of drama is crammed into one episode, including being butthurt over invitations, fancy new dresses, a disastrous main event, and Celestia inexplicably loving it.  But Discord wasn’t around that first time, so now he wants to go because he’ll feel bad otherwise.  While Natasha Levinger (perhaps with certain assistance) finds some surprisingly decent moments outside of her main character, Discord remains front and center.  And just like in Three’s A Crowd, he’s annoyingly awful.  Discord doesn’t understand Fluttershy wanting to take someone else, but then shows why by being obnoxious and rude throughout.  And he remains the focus despite many other interesting things going on around him.  This year’s Gala is Twilight’s first as a princess, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders will likewise be in attendance.  Maud also reappears, and she steals the episode with only two lines in about ten seconds of screen time.  But then there’s Discord doing bad standup comedy (straight out of Baby Cakes), although smashing a watermelon can’t save his act or the show.  For every decent moment scattered about (Pinkie Pie shakes the camera for a dumb reason), Levinger inflicts ten times as much pain.  Oh, I could have made this episode good if I wanted to, but I’d rather make you suffer.  Nothing about Make New Friends But Keep Discord feels right, since almost every second is a miscalculation in some way.  Clearly many other episodes were missed, but then they weren’t because we already saw them during the first season.  Fluttershy acts incredibly shallow, while her friends don’t fare much better.  Two new characters are also horrible for different reasons.  Tree Hugger is a hippie stereotype that does everything but pass doobs, while the Smooze somewhat reprises that 1986 My Little Pony movie’s villain.  His only goals are figuring out how much he can steal and whose clothes to ruin.  Unfortunately, Discord’s mind-numbingly dreadful performance stands out most, and there are no survivors.  Make New Friends rips off season one’s biggest arc while inexplicably making marijuana canon.  Even though the better moments should theoretically produce a higher rating…no, just no.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Season 1 Top And Bottom 5

Many shows have rough beginnings as they try to get a feel for things, and that definitely happened with My Little Pony despite its popularity.  It was a tale of two halves, as the first part was almost uni­formly terrible while the second’s strong stretch surprisingly made up for it.  With the exceptions of (unexpectedly in both cases) series creator Lauren Faust and Megan McCarthy, every writer dropped a turd their first time out, but they also improved in their second and often dra­matically.  M.A. Larson most notably went from ripping off the Tribbles to penning season one’s two best episodes, although Dave Polsky made almost as big a jump.

The ratio of good to bad episodes actually almost matches season two’s, which certainly wouldn’t have been believable fifteen shows in.  Poor outings still abounded though, with no fewer than ten episodes receiving two stars or less, and some twos debatably deserve one and a half.  No single episode was great as all had flaws somewhere, but that didn’t stop much of the second half from being pleasurable.  Multiple mini-arcs definitely helped things, as did just about any time the mane six went on an adventure together.  Those episodes that concentrated on just a couple of ponies were less successful, as were almost every new character introduced and various strange attempts at making My Little Pony more like Looney Tunes.  There was a definite rawness that lasted for most of the first half, but this eventually disappeared as the writers grew more comforta­ble with their characters.  Like every season, a hierarchy between those episodes that belong in the top and bottom lists exists, but the bottom order still remains open for debate.  At least eight low-ranking episodes could make the bottom five, so selecting the worst becomes semantics at some point.  My top list may not feel all that great, but it will have to do until My Little Pony produces a truly great episode that stands with television’s best.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 506 - Appleoosa's Most Wanted

Rating:

Defying many expectations, Dave Polsky’s reinstatement has finally meant the return for (some) of his Over A Barrel Appleloosa characters.  Most fans probably didn’t want a sequel to one rather misunderstood and unliked episode, but Polsky doesn’t provide what you’d think that would entail either.  Once again, our favorite ponies receive a second episode aired shortly after their first, but surprisingly it’s just as good.  Tirelessly (and endlessly) questing, the Crusaders have accompanied Applejack to Appleloosa (probably misspelled in the title) under some naïve belief that they will earn cutie marks at a rodeo.  Apparently Braeburn was hurt somehow and has asked Applejack to fill in, but the adult plot stays mostly ancillary.  After Sheriff Silverstar announces an outlaw threatens to terrorize Appleloosa’s rodeo, the Crusaders set their sights on stopping him.  That they don’t end up needing to is one of many surprises which follow.  Admittedly, Polsky’s style is maddening and features another dose of slapstick and clichés.  He often almost loses control, but Trouble Shoes’ introduction prevents it from happening.  While again neglecting the premiere’s map, Appleoosa’s Most Wanted still fits season five’s theme by discussing dissatisfaction with cutie marks.  Trouble Shoes not only dislikes his, but apparently misunderstands it as well.  Or he doesn’t, and the Crusaders help “make it work”.  Obviously Appleoosa’s Most Wanted is uneven, but Polsky finds a strong yet different tone quite unlike the one he produced for Over A Barrel.  We see everything from the Crusaders’ perspective, which is only odd given a separate plot occurring virtually off screen.  Despite some problems and questionable decisions (Stockholm syndrome probably wasn’t an intended reference), Polsky pulls through with genuinely funny moments, the aforementioned tone, and an interesting conclusion.  Maybe his resolution isn’t concrete, but Polsky provokes thought and initiates discussion regarding a concept that becomes less simple by the episode.  Call it another guilty pleasure, but few scripts are so delightful about their mess.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 505 - Tanks For The Memories

Rating:

Yawn, I’m with Tank.  The little guy spent his eponymous episode almost falling asleep, and so did I.  For Tank, “winter is coming” (actually one of a few decent lines), which means he must soon hibernate.  While silly sounding, tortoise owners actually face this important issue, since improper care often leads to death.  Plus, kids probably should learn about hibernation somewhere, which is fairly common among animal (but not pet) communities.  Furthermore, My Little Pony was on an unprecedented run of five straight episodes earning at least 3½ stars from me.  So naturally everything comes crashing down with Cindy Morrow in charge.  Despite being handed an important lesson, Tanks For The Memories finds Rainbow Dash raging, crying bucket loads of tears, and nearly killing everyone in Ponyville and Cloudsdale due to stupidity.  Structured as an unholy mash-up of Sonic Rainboom, Winter Wrap Up, and May The Best Pet Win, Tanks takes each episode’s worst parts and forms them into something that shouldn’t exist.  Morrow pretends Tank is Rainbow Dash’s BFF, and again finds winter induced by ponies.  Why would you ever have winter if it was a choice?  Snow isn’t worth freezing your nads off.  So now Dash can’t bear living without Tank until March, and decides to prevent winter in increasingly idiotic ways.  Meanwhile, Tank stays bored and sleepy, but continues getting dragged into more unhilarious misadventures.  While Tanks For The Memories looks really nice, it otherwise has nothing in common with season five.  A filler story that could take place almost anywhere which patronizes its audience while reveling in pain makes Tanks completely unnecessary.  Morrow was once the only writer who found some growth in Rainbow Dash, but now she reverts Dash into a petulant child that obliviously causes harm.  Even if it’s eventually almost touching, Tanks’ wall-to-wall discomfort can’t rate any higher.  With clichéd dialogue, another awful song, questionable plotting, an unwanted callback regarding Equestria’s winter, and no punishment for wanton destruction, Tanks For The Memories isn’t remotely watchable in long stretches and unquestionably places amongst the season’s worst episodes.  Maybe that final scene of everyone acting like Tank is dying was prophetic, because he probably won’t be waking up again based on how Dash treats him.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episodes 501-02 - The Cutie Map

Rating:

Nothing shocked me more about season five’s premiere The Cutie Map than its writing credit, which I never would have guessed was possible.  Naturally Meghan McCarthy did the story, but the script was left to a collaboration between Scott Sonneborn (last season’s worst new writer) and M.A. Larson (our savior).  Why Sonneborn would be allowed to even look at a season premiere or be in the same room as Larson’s typewriter are questions that cannot be answered yet.  The Cutie Map plays like an unholy love child between Larson and McCarthy, as a big mane six adventure dealing with unexplored issues regarding cutie marks mingles with another retconned villain and “that was easy” plot solutions.  Now that a small castle has replaced Twilight’s library, the mane six are given thrones and a 3D map of Equestria that directs our ponies toward various problems.  Before anyone can settle in, they are whisked off to a village that is too friendly and whose entire population has an equal sign cutie mark.  Larson’s ideas dominate early, since the real world doesn’t have cutie marks and people may either dislike their “special talent” or not even have one.  Then McCarthy’s adventure takes over, since of course this village is an evil cult whose leader must be stopped.  While a roundabout way to approach it, The Cutie Map’s overall message is clearly diversity makes the world better, and various attempts at racial “purity” and conformity ultimately hurt our own society.  Maybe that’s somewhat lost in a story which doesn’t always reflect it, but the ending’s vibrancy of many different colored ponies cannot be denied.  Other issues aren’t fully addressed, and Larson probably would’ve been better writing the episode himself.  But The Cutie Map still fascinatingly explores a land without cutie marks, and acts as an effective introduction to the fifth season.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Season 2 Top And Bottom 6

To be blunt, season two is not aging well.  And if not for M.A. Larson’s contributions, it would be a complete disaster.  No less than six episodes received bumps down from my original ratings (with none going up), and the argument could be made that there should be more.  Even Larson’s scripts may not be as good as first thought, but at least he was trying.  For an overall theme, the writers pulled out baseball bats to beat our ponies over their heads and anywhere else for laughs, or just outright hated whoever else was around.  Many were also hopefully on some substance while writing, since they took potentially great ideas and came up with the worst or most confounding depictions of them.  While some minor gems still remain, the second season is a profoundly flawed effort that’s just overridden with trash.  As I suspected years ago, it has been necessary to completely revisit and reorder my first top and bottom list, although most episodes on both returned.  However, the order seems even more arbitrary since no clear top favorite stands out, and the bottom list is so full of horrid outings that any of them deserve finishing last.  Second seasons can often seem raw before a series really gets going, and My Little Pony is obviously no different.  At least it improved from this point, but describing season two as “rough” understates things greatly.  While probably an exercise in futility, my revised rankings follow below.  Because of the stark contrast between good and poor episodes, and the latter’s sheer amount, both lists are expanded to six entries.