My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 405 - Flight To The Finish

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The second new writer of the fourth season does and doesn’t fare as well as the first.  Being tasked with a Cutie Mark Crusader episode for a premiere is not enviable, but like Josh Haber before him, Ed Valentine makes possible caricatures seem more realistic.  Perhaps the best way to describe Flight To The Finish is that it is uneven, but the good moments generally trump the bad.  Characters are both static and developed, while the plot is simultaneously interesting and clichéd.  Our favorite trio spends a decent amount of time montaging in their attempt to carry the Ponyville flag at the upcoming Equestria Games, but then they get burned out and have to rest.  Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon get their usual dose of name-calling in while attempting to sabotage the Crusaders, but share a moment where they admit the “blank flank” plan hasn’t worked and that they’ll have to think of something else.  Rainbow Dash must struggle with her enthusiasm throughout, but the early absurdity is soon understood when the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ routine is actually surprisingly good.  The episode is full of these contradictions, but not all of them work (would the Crusaders really move Harshwinny that much at the end?  It’s doubtful).  Valentine was also likely victim to the same problem that Larson had in season three, in that the third act felt rushed and was likely cut heavily for time.  Even so, the introspective moments push Flight To The Finish away from the dull walkthrough it seemed to start as and into a surprisingly solid offering.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 404 - Daring Don't

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Having missed the second season, writer Dave Polsky seems to be a bit behind everyone else (either that or his scripts keep getting shelved).  While the first couple of episodes in the fourth season point in a different direction, Daring Don’t would’ve felt right at home last year.  There’s no mention of the arc, and the mane six are all shepherded along with the story even if they didn’t really need to come with.  Polsky had a lot of potential given that the script is essentially about a writer, but couldn’t quite find the balance between revelation and action.  At least the latest Daring Do narrative isn’t a complete ripoff of Indiana Jones, but the discovery that all of the characters in the book are actually real doesn’t make a lot of sense.  A fair amount of fiction probably has at least some basis in reality, but certainly Daring Do would at least change the names.  Part of the appeal of Read It And Weep was that Rainbow Dash got lost in fiction during her convalescence, so having the Daring Do novels be autobiographies somewhat undermines that episode.  Still, the story could have been saved by having the mane six interact with Daring Do more, but unfortunately they remain literally on the sidelines until the very end.  Also floated around is the idea of whether it’s right to help someone who doesn’t want it, but no conclusion is really reached.  Daring Do is forced to accept assistance she doesn’t really need, and apparently becomes happy with that at some point.  Even so, Daring Don’t is enough good fun to recommend, even if the episode doesn’t come close to being what it could have.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 305 - Magic Duel

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You knew it was going to happen the instant I complained about this show in my season one top five list.  Despite having difficulty selecting a best episode for the first two seasons, Magic Duel is very clearly the finest outing of the third.  Trixie had no business being given a second episode after the awful Boast Busters, but leave it to M. A. Larson to find a depth of character where there previously was none.  In true My Little Pony fashion, he cobbles together an adventure from many cult favorites (Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, Gremlins), but the episode is positively gripping despite all of the references.  The beginning is a bit slow, with Fluttershy seeming much more worried than usual throughout.  But everything takes off after Trixie’s arrival in Ponyville, and Magic Duel remains as strong as any episode of the series to this point straight through to the end.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 311 - Just For Sidekicks

 

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How good an episode is going to be can often be told just from the premise, or at least its range of potential.  Corey Powell really got the shit end of the stick here, as Just For Sidekicks sounds like another two star or worse outing at best.  Spike has to take care of all the other pets who aren’t worth hav­ing on the show most of the time, and since he’s obviously going to be ex­tremely incompetent at this, hilarity will certainly ensue.  Every other terri­ble Spike-centric episode focuses on what a disaster he is, so it’s to Powell’s credit that she found a way to write a decent episode from a storyline that shouldn’t be part of the series.  Still, there is only so much that could be done with this premise, and the episode can never shed the feel­ing that it’s mostly meaningless filler.  It’s doubtful that any of the other writers could have done bet­ter though, so Powell’s second effort proves she belongs on the writing staff even if Just For Sidekicks is no more than an average episode.  Her cin­ematic style really suits the show very well, and she found a way to in­corporate a large amount of the characters (mane six, Cutie Mark Crusaders, and all six pets plus Spike) and an impromptu trip to the Crystal Empire.  Powell’s characterization is again excellent, although the dialogue is hampered by a few too many clichés (“am I right or am I right?”, “you wouldn’t dare”, “lucky guess”) and the plot is a bit predictable in that Dis­ney sort of way (the ragtag group of misfits naturally reconcile at the end).  Despite be­ing rather painful and Spike proving once again that he can’t carry an epi­sode, Powell’s solid writing and some fun touches from the animation staff (like Spike’s “bionic” throw sound effect) make Just For Sidekicks better than the disaster it was otherwise going to be.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 310 - Keep Calm And Flutter On

 

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Originally, I had hoped M.A. Larson would write Discord’s return as opposed to Trixie’s, but it’s difficult to complain considering how both episodes turned out.  Dave Polsky was probably the best second option among the rest of the writers, although he didn’t quite find all he could from the premise.  Hard as it is to believe, My Little Pony is a series that is calling out for arc-based stor­ies, so another episode that openly refer­ences many of the previous shows is quite refreshing.  Immediately then, Keep Calm And Flutter On feels more substantial than most of the other episodes in the third season since, holy shit, something is actually happening.  Unfortunately, Polsky kind of loses control after a strong opening act, and the episode crash lands its way to an ending everyone but me foresaw (I assumed “predictable” meant TV laws would rule out and Discord would return to stone at the end).  This conclusion only exists to accomplish something that I actually thought should happen while watching: to make Discord a part of the series going forward.  Successfully fitting Discord into the show will continue to be challenging given his established character, but  John de Lancie is so good and fun in the role that he is worth having on the series.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 309 - Spike At Your Service

 

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Unlike most of the bad episodes of My Little Pony, Spike At Your Service is at least somewhat fun.  The episode is extremely lightweight, but charmingly so, even though it’s disappointing that such a short season would need obvious fil­ler.  A split writing credit makes its second appearance, as once again Merriwether Williams is cleaning up another scribe’s unwanted story.  Knowing who to blame for this then is difficult then, since the episode doesn’t really feel like either Williams or Dave Polsky, and it’s unclear how much of a contribution the “story” credit means.  At the very least, Polsky seems to have kept Wil­liams inside the land of Ponyville for one episode, but there still wasn’t any­thing that could be done with this premise.  Williams did find a few laughs, but not enough to make up for the headshaking and painful moments which abounded.  Without thinking about it, Spike At Your Service could almost qualify as a solid episode, but unfortunately that is the exact task in front of me.  Let’s just say it’s always bad news when a character announces they’re bored and have nothing to do.  And it’s equally onerous when a writer invents something that dictates a specific character’s actions that they’ve al­ways had, yet this is the first time we’ve heard about it 3½ seasons in.  Even if Spike At Your Service is enjoyable filler at times, it’s much too lightweight to be considered anything other than a minor episode.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 308 - Apple Family Reunion

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The problem with Apple Family Reunion is that it turns out ex­actly like Applejack’s plan: any potential for great interactions between rarely seen Apple family members is wasted by a bunch of dumb activities.  Thankfully none of the reunions or family gatherings I’ve gone to over the years involved building a freaking barn.  Applejack’s oblivious behavior is clearly leading to a message, but most kids won't really need to hear “don’t plan to do too much at a family party”.  They’ll learn pretty quickly that the adults just want to sit around and chat, and can come up with enough things to do by themselves to not need other activities.  Of course, the “lesson” has been growing more irrelevant as the series goes on, so lacking a meaningful one isn’t necessarily a deterrent.  Unfortu­nately, Morrow had a difficult time finding anything memorable or worth­while from the premise.  We get snippets of potential, such as Granny Smith reminiscing with family members her own age, or the natural return of Babs Seed despite it seeming like she wouldn’t be seen again.  But noth­ing is explored at all, as Applejack’s activities get in the way of anything in­teresting happening.  While there aren’t really any terrible moments to bring things down, Apple Family Reunion feels like we missed out on a fun episode and got a whole heap of nothing instead.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 307 - Wonderbolts Academy

 

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Merriwether Williams only has vague surface-level ideas of the characters and goes off on tangents that are unlikely to be ex­plored

Even though I wrote this in the week before the debut of Wonderbolts Academy, it serves as a fairly accurate review despite not having watched the episode yet.  If M.A. Larson is on another level from the other writers, Merriwether Williams is on a completely different planet.  If it wasn’t clear earlier, Wonderbolts Academy confirms that Williams’ epi­sodes take place in a parallel universe to the actual show.  The characters may look the same but never act like it, while the plot progressions are strange without coming close to fitting in with the rest of the series.  I’m all for not fitting in, but Williams doesn’t have enough skill as a writer to pull what she wants to off.  Coming after the previous two episodes, it is es­pecially shocking to find a show full of clichés (“what are you saying?”) and standard plot developments (of course the most talented pony does something that almost kills everyone, leading to her demotion after the “good” Rainbow Dash won’t stand for it).  Even worse is the necessity of a B story, which is much more common in hour-long shows due to them being twice the length.  Fortunately most of the time is spent on the A story, which is unspectacular but at least watchable.  Williams is unable to find any great moments to rival the previous two episodes, and the story seems designed to be forgotten by the other writers.  While certainly far from the disaster of certain earlier Williams episodes (most of the time), Won­derbolts Academy doesn’t have much to offer My Little Pony’s third season.

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 224 - MMMystery On The Friendship Express

 

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Celestia: What the holy hell is this?

Pinkie: It’s the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness with éclairs and donuts and chocolate mousse moose.  Isn’t it marvelous?

Celestia: Why is there a disembodied moose head on top of this cake?

My Little Pony - Friendship Is Magic: Episode 306 - Sleepless In Ponyville

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Hoo-ah.  No doubt taking my recommendation to heart, My Little Pony found at least one badly needed new writer for the third season.  While the characterization is suspect in places and there were probably a few too many clichés, Sleepless In Pony­ville is as strong a debut from anyone on the writing staff.  Outside of Rarity being way too over the top (even if hilariously so), Corey Powell seems to have had little trouble fitting into things.  Her debut episode is some­thing of an extension on the themes of Luna Eclipsed, while she hap­pily references the events of Sonic Rainboom as well.  Good choices in my opinion, but Powell’s tone is obviously quite different from M.A. Larson’s, which doesn’t end up being a bad thing.  Powell found ways to make funny moments out of clichés (“are we there yet?” well, yes actually), and yet turned in some epic and almost cinematic scenes near the end.  The episode is a bit uneven overall, but the refreshing new voice Powell brings is exactly what a floundering season needed.  She might not be approaching Larson’s levels for a while, but this is the second consecutive episode that pushes the third season toward being better than the first two.