S04E25-26: Twilight's Kingdom

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Re: S04E25-26: Twilight's Kingdom

Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:09 pm

PonyHag714 wrote:
I hope not. There's been enough changes. :starity:



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Postby Tears (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:24 pm

On first watch, there were some wonderful moments - I loved both the songs, and Twilight struggling to control her magic was great. A lot of the visuals and set pieces were amazing, but I felt like the characters were subordinated to the setting, a little.

Like in Return of Harmony, there's a lot of exposition to wade through in the first half of episode one, but then the focus snaps back to the characters and their reactions to what's going on. The visuals in TK are amazing, but I feel like the exposition overwhelmed the interpersonal. It was like the mane six were wandering through a gigantic set that they were lost in. Like the storage warehouse of an IKEA. Is that the exit behind all those sofas? Nope, turns out that tree is inside the store.

And because there was so much to get through, it never really eased back to give us the Rarity/Pinkie/Twilight line that turns it into the mane six reacting to this situation instead of Aragorn or Luke Skywalker or whoever reacting to it. The more the pyrotechnics are amped up and the more widescreen the focus gets, the harder it gets for the characters to be heard over the noise.

There's an inherent absurdity to the more epic stuff in MLP that I sort of love, that this is a proprietress of a small fashion boutique or an outgoing bakery assistant trying to save the world (also they are pastel horses), and when that gets lost entirely and they're just throwing down with a supervillain like there is nothing ridiculous about that at all, it can feel more generic.

The fight between Twilight and Tirek was awesome and the landscapes surrounding it were incredible - like when Twilight comes ploughing through the earth and everything around her is black and red and blasted - but I preferred the rainbow ponies section just because the colour scheme and the music shifted back from the sturm and drang of the previous scene to a kind of symphonic MLP theme and pastel colours, and all of a sudden we are in an episode of My Little Pony and some brightly coloured horses are throwing down against a giant centaur. As great as the blasted, windblown hellscape of the previous scene was, it felt like it could have been in any show where such things take place.

A lot of this is down to preference, I'm not huge on the Lord of the Rings movies (the books are cool) or Star Wars or anything else like that, so when the epic fantasy gets too epic I get a little less involved. And man I cannot take it seriously when huge demon creatures are yelling GIVE ME YOUR ALICORN MAGIC.

But I loved parts of it, and Fluttershy's trust in and betrayal by Discord and everything around that, and even though I wasn't a huge fan of the episode I was still totally captured by the end song, and the way it just tied up the whole season and everything they'd been through over the last 26 episodes in that 90 second song was so great. And the princesses singing? God, call a doctor, honestly.

And I loved the season, and I can't wait to rewatch it all over the arid ponyless future we are currently perched on the event horizon of. So shit got maybe a little too real for my taste, and there was a little too much "the nazgul are storming Rivendell"-type dialogue for my taste, but you still rock, pony show :allears:
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Postby Ransom (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:32 pm

Naw, though it may get upgraded from a small town on the edge of the Everfree Forest to a larger metropolitan area.
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Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:36 pm

You are entering
West Ponyville Greater Metropolitan Area
Pop. 473,209 Elev. 463 ft.
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Postby Strangest Letter (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:37 pm

So if the library has changed (which is the pettiest nitpick imaginable by the way), does that imply a slightly different opening for season 5?
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Postby acksed (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:41 pm

Bravinim wrote:So if the library has changed (which is the pettiest nitpick imaginable by the way), does that imply a slightly different opening for season 5.

I hope so.

I don't want to be reminded of what's been lost. :fluttersmith:
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Postby Tears (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:42 pm

The royal princesses are the real elements of harmony.

Because, they uh... they, um, harmonised. :wingsright:

*confetti rains down, high-fives rampant*


But honestly, I had to take a minute after that song.

E: The "as the sun rises so does the moon" part. I can't-

EE: And the key change in the last part. Just "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:46 pm

Kronos wrote:
Well, for the most important part of the episode to not have amounted to replacing the Tree Library with what clearly looks like something belonging in the Crystal Empire and NOT Ponyville.

...

-Shadow pony from Castle-Mania
-Fluttershy's fang at the end of BATS!
-Every single thing to do with the 'Castle of the Two Sisters' still retaining dark secrets ala the IM book
-The Equestrian Games (which originally looked like it would be a GGG-style event in the season finale, but wasn't)
-The Keys to the Lockbox being anything more than just one-shot substitues for the EoH before never being mentioned again.
-and finally; Twilight's insecurities as being a princess, because nothing ever actually happens beyond her gaining wings. Ever.

The last item is, above all else, why this episode is such a disappointment in the end. Because at the end of this, her ultimate question of what she's meant to do and why she's important was nothing more than what she'd been doing all season. All the ending is ultimately is a song and more or less the restoration of the status quo with one minor change, relatively speaking.


That COULD be an issue down the line, and yeah it kinda sucks. I think it's unfair to the show and this 2-parter to have it count against them in this particular ep, though.

...

-Was confirmed to be just a gag a long time ago
-Pretty much the same once previous was confirmed, it's a Williams 1-shot, come on.
-I'll agree here, I'm not sure what the ultimate point of the Castle was, oh well
-disappointment but not a huge deal for me, this was discussed a lot last week
-I'll address this last point below:

Finally, sometimes we need a reminder that what we're doing in life is just dandy, no need to change anything. I don't think this is the huge negative you're blowing it up to be. Returning to a more confident status quo in some ways is not at all a bad thing.
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Postby The Outlander (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:49 pm

Bravinim wrote:So if the library has changed (which is the pettiest nitpick imaginable by the way), does that imply a slightly different opening for season 5.


Yeah, I hadn't thought about that, but they probably would have to change the intro now that the library is gone. I wonder if it'll be the same except for a big crystal playset shopped in, or if they'll go all-in and record a new intro song set to new visuals?
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Postby Fizzbuzz (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:55 pm

The library isn't really mentioned in the intro song. I think it'll be easy enough to change the very end of the intro (since most of it is still supposed to represent Twilight's first arrival in Ponyville) to where everyone is standing outside the new castle instead of the library.
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Postby Just Scuds (?) » Sun May 11, 2014 11:59 pm

Ransom wrote:Naw, though it may get upgraded from a small town on the edge of the Everfree Forest to a larger metropolitan area.



Or the castle becomes kind of a local attraction / eyesore / curiosity / white elephant.

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Postby Kronos (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:08 am

Wayoshi wrote:
That COULD be an issue down the line, and yeah it kinda sucks. I think it's unfair to the show and this 2-parter to have it count against them in this particular ep, though.

...

-Was confirmed to be just a gag a long time ago
-Pretty much the same once previous was confirmed, it's a Williams 1-shot, come on.
-I'll agree here, I'm not sure what the ultimate point of the Castle was, oh well
-disappointment but not a huge deal for me, this was discussed a lot last week
-I'll address this last point below:

Finally, sometimes we need a reminder that what we're doing in life is just dandy, no need to change anything. I don't think this is the huge negative you're blowing it up to be. Returning to a more confident status quo in some ways is not at all a bad thing.


I will count that stupid tree castle against this show and this two parter for what it's worth because it's effectively the end result of a completely unrelated series of events and the symbolism of everything wrong with the ending acomplishing nothing but DESTROYING one of the most key, subtle elements of the show in that Twilight living in the library fit with the show's theme and made her just one of the six.

Now that her home is that sudden crystal tree castle, the library aspect is lost. Twilight is a princess now, and nothing else. Seriously, it's lazy as all hell, especially in that they clearly are pushing more Crystal Empire garbage by not actually trying to make her 'castle' be anything REMOTELY close to Golden Oaks, and the lack of the library or presence of any fuctionality towards learning (which HAD been a key Twilight personality trait) in favor of those more thrones just makes it clear this is no longer the same Twilight. And there is absolutely no reason for this, because SHE ISN'T DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT AS A PRINCESS.

It's damaging to the show's design as it originally had been by removing Twilight from one of the remaining things that still showed she was still the same Twilight from before. And the fact nobody seems to recognize this because they're too busy going gaga over the rest of the episode makes me wonder if I'm the only one concerned about the future of the show.
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Postby Femto (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:15 am

Pretty much? It;s a show for little girls, and I'm just along for the crazy ride. Compared to some of the stuff I grew up with it's kind of refreshing to see a show not be afraid to change itself and its dynamic slowly and steadily, but I'm weird and it always bugged me when shows didn't do that. Stale characters get boring fast and I like Twilight in charge and starting to fill a big role more than her perpetually being an apprentice figure.
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Postby Wayoshi (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:19 am

We had what, 2 minutes to wrap the episode up after Deluxe Castle Playset sprouts? Do you REALLY think there's not going to be a library somewhere in there? There's no doubt at all that DHX will work it in the best they can.

I hear you, but hey, Hasbro is Hasbro. And you really have zero faith in DHX & the writers when prognosticating here.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:22 am

Kronos wrote:
I will count that stupid tree castle against this show and this two parter for what it's worth because it's effectively the end result of a completely unrelated series of events and the symbolism of everything wrong with the ending acomplishing nothing but DESTROYING one of the most key, subtle elements of the show in that Twilight living in the library fit with the show's theme and made her just one of the six.

Now that her home is that sudden crystal tree castle, the library aspect is lost. Twilight is a princess now, and nothing else. Seriously, it's lazy as all hell, especially in that they clearly are pushing more Crystal Empire garbage by not actually trying to make her 'castle' be anything REMOTELY close to Golden Oaks, and the lack of the library or presence of any fuctionality towards learning (which HAD been a key Twilight personality trait) in favor of those more thrones just makes it clear this is no longer the same Twilight. And there is absolutely no reason for this, because SHE ISN'T DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT AS A PRINCESS.

It's damaging to the show's design as it originally had been by removing Twilight from one of the remaining things that still showed she was still the same Twilight from before. And the fact nobody seems to recognize this because they're too busy going gaga over the rest of the episode makes me wonder if I'm the only one concerned about the future of the show.


I agree with everything said here.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:28 am

@Kronos: Your view is a valid one. But remember, it's not just Twilight's Palace, it's for hew & her friends! It's basically their new Hall of Justice/watch tower/ that really cool Throne room Thing Org XIII in Kingdom Hearts had going on.

If only Twy had ended up with a throne, I'd be right there with yea, but the fact The rest of the mane six & spike have one as well kind of balances things out.

I'm not worried about the future at all, just excited as to what it will bring! :allears: :awesomedash: :-D
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Postby Strangest Letter (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:28 am

You know I never thought there'd be something that would make me as mind numbly frustrated as reading hundreds of posts screaming "TWILIGHT HASN'T DONE ANYTHING AS A PRINCESS, EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE!".

But reading hundreds of posts screaming "TWILIGHT'S LIBRARY IS GONE, EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE!" has certainly proved me wrong. :bluh:
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:29 am

Well, the show has been doing tons of departing from some great parts of the original concept (like the tree library) and it's been really damaging the show for me. I mean, something I loved was the letters to Celestia part, showing that the characters are always learning. It's a lot of the little thins that the show is departing from, that is really making me enjoy it less. I mean, if the show started now with the way it is, I'm not so positive I would be so keen on watching it like I was before.

Honestly, it's the reason I still haven't watched the finale at this point. Not because I fear change, but I feel the departing of some of the biggest things I enjoyed about the show is something that makes me feel like "Should I really watch something if some of the things I've loved are not present?"
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:35 am

Change is part of what makes the show work so well though, these character learn & grow, they have layers, they feel real! Yes we loose the simplicity & the innocence of S1 & 2, but we gain new concepts, new potential, new adventures!

Ponies still works not just because it's fantasy, but because it's Slice of Life, we watch these characters on their journey, their ups & downs, and that..that's beautiful!!

Sure familiarity is nice, but stagnation is never good, if the show had been stuck in S1 mode forever, that would have been a crying shame.
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Postby Kitsune (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:36 am

I'm not concerned about the future of the show because

1) We've seen this new castle for all of two minutes and it is way too early to be complaining that the show's ruined

2) The full significance of Twilight's princess-hood rarely has an impact on slice-of-life episodes anyway

3) Yeah it totally changes up the show's dynamic, that's why they friggin' did it

4) It is most definitely not my place to immediately assume the absolute worst of the writers, because it is not my show, it is theirs, and I would rather see what they're doing with it rather than try to predict it myself

5) The writers have done crazy stuff before and it usually turned out well, Twilight suddenly having a sibling and becoming an alicorn totally broke the rules and didn't set the studio on fire doing so
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Postby Kronos (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:36 am

Wayoshi wrote:We had what, 2 minutes to wrap the episode up after Deluxe Castle Playset sprouts? Do you REALLY think there's not going to be a library somewhere in there? There's no doubt at all that DHX will work it in the best they can.

I hear you, but hey, Hasbro is Hasbro. And you really have zero faith in DHX & the writers when prognosticating here.


Sure, there might be a library, but the fact it's only a PART of Twilight's digs now is exactly why losing Golden Oaks is a problem. Before, the library WAS everything that needed to be said. It was obviously unique in a lot of ways but at the same time it complimented its resident egghead and normally libraries are viewed as public places anyway so the idea that the mane six always met up at the library was a purely natural thing, and with Twilight the only place she'd lived before Ponyville was also mainly a library, so it could be said it was an integral part of her character.

Now? The presence of the library is trivial as her home now serves mainly as a base of operations for the mane six. It was designed for THEM, not for Twilight alone and certainly without any concept of keeping the idea that these are just six friends who are actually friends and not united by some dumb-ass magical destiny. Even Equestria Girls got that part right. By making Twilight's library into a castle centered around the mane six, it's effectively removed any concept of NOT making them stand out among the rest of Ponyville.

It ALSO has the problem of making Twilight not be able to stand on her own. Sure, her friends help support her, but they shouldn't be her goddamn crutch keeping her up so she can actually DO anything. I think Celestia at the end of the episode puts it pretty clearly enough: "What is the Princess of Friendship without her friends?" S4's first two episodes quite clearly give the answer: useless and a liability.

EDIT: Also, I'm sure it also ends all the subtle jokes about how the library actually WAS a tree and was abused as such. Trixie picking it up and shaking it like a salt shaker, Twilight nuking it several stories high out of sheer stress, all the damage from the various times Rainbow crashed into it, and of course Twilight breaking the walls by throwing Tom out of her house.

Now? Fat chance ANYTHING bad happens to that castle for the sake of a gag.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:38 am

That's a fairly overly pessimistic to look at things IMO, but hey, to each their own. :pinkieshrug:
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Postby Discord (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:40 am

Kronos wrote:
I will count that stupid tree castle against this show and this two parter for what it's worth because it's effectively the end result of a completely unrelated series of events and the symbolism of everything wrong with the ending acomplishing nothing but DESTROYING one of the most key, subtle elements of the show in that Twilight living in the library fit with the show's theme and made her just one of the six.

Now that her home is that sudden crystal tree castle, the library aspect is lost. Twilight is a princess now, and nothing else. Seriously, it's lazy as all hell, especially in that they clearly are pushing more Crystal Empire garbage by not actually trying to make her 'castle' be anything REMOTELY close to Golden Oaks, and the lack of the library or presence of any fuctionality towards learning (which HAD been a key Twilight personality trait) in favor of those more thrones just makes it clear this is no longer the same Twilight. And there is absolutely no reason for this, because SHE ISN'T DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT AS A PRINCESS.

It's damaging to the show's design as it originally had been by removing Twilight from one of the remaining things that still showed she was still the same Twilight from before. And the fact nobody seems to recognize this because they're too busy going gaga over the rest of the episode makes me wonder if I'm the only one concerned about the future of the show.


The entire point of PTS, the ending sequence in which Twilight requires her friends, and the rest of season 4 in which her role is fairly downplayed is that Twilight is her own person, independent of being a princess.

TK agrees that Twilight wasn't really doing anything different as a princess. The point of S4 is not about showing how princess Twilight does things differently, but how she will grow and decide what she wants to do with the rest of her life as a princess- which concludes itself in her distinct choice to spread friendship (which, though a natural and obvious progression, is not actually explicated in MMC). It turns out S4 took the development of princess Twilight far more slowly than any of us really expected, but I think it was admirable to do so.

The destruction of the tree is symbolic of a shift, but it is not remotely damaging to the show's core. One cannot be the student forever, and though the series started out like that (and we got 3+ good seasons of that), keeping Twilight's role completely stagnant would be a waste. What point is there in learning things if you do not eventually come to apply it, toward whatever path you ultimately decide upon for yourself?

Twilight choosing her destiny at the end of the episode- to take everything she has learned so far and spread her lessons to teach others- is a tremendous and mature extension of the show's central themes about growth, self-discovery, and personal choice to be who you want to be. Yes, it does mean the show's dynamic is probably going to change in ways beyond even what we had this season, but change is not necessarily a bad thing.

Meghan and the staff clearly knew what they were doing this season, and I see the potential of S5 with the Mane 6 perhaps growing into mentor roles intriguing and opening up more new story opportunities to keep things from getting stale. It isn't what Faust set the show out to end up being, but is it a strong extension of the ideas that Faust set out to put into a show for young girls, and it has grown with its audience in a very natural way, in my mind.

(This I mostly explicate in my effort-post earlier, but I won't self-plug beyond this).
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Postby The Doctor (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:42 am

:pinkieshrug: I'm not against the Tree getting destroyed and Twilight getting new digs more appropriate to her new title.

:-/ I'm against it being an eyesore on the Ponyville landscape though.

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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:47 am

We need brown paint stat! Lots & Lots of brown paint! :twonk:

Anywho, at the very least. One thing I loved about this special, is on a personal note, it proved to me the writers still know how to write Twilight. If we can see this level of Quality Twilight from Meghan again in S5, I'm stoked!!! :spoiler:
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Postby Mr. Big (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:47 am

Foxfyre wrote:3) Yeah it totally changes up the show's dynamic, that's why they friggin' did it

That sums it up. :golfclop:
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Postby ShieldedDiamond (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:48 am

SoundMonkey44 wrote:Change is part of what makes the show work so well though, these character learn & grow, they have layers, they feel real! Yes we loose the simplicity & the innocence of S1 & 2, but we gain new concepts, new potential, new adventures!

Ponies still works not just because it's fantasy, but because it's Slice of Life, we watch these characters on their journey, their ups & downs, and that..that's beautiful!!

Sure familiarity is nice, but stagnation is never good, if the show had been stuck in S1 mode forever, that would have been a crying shame.


Which is why I said I'm not against change. It was really good in season 2 to have all the Mane 6 write letters to Celestia. In fact, probably one of the best changes of the show. That's good change.

But departing from the basic points of the show? I feel like it's almost something not even familiar anymore at some points. And while that may be the case for you, I felt the characters were real and had layers from the first season. And so far, any of the changes since Princess Twilight have really convinced me that like it did before.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:52 am

ShieldedDiamond wrote:
Which is why I said I'm not against change. It was really good in season 2 to have all the Mane 6 write letters to Celestia. In fact, probably one of the best changes of the show. That's good change.

But departing from the basic points of the show? I feel like it's almost something not even familiar anymore at some points. And while that may be the case for you, I felt the characters were real and had layers from the first season. And so far, any of the changes since Princess Twilight have really convinced me that like it did before.



Fair enough. I just think it's important to remember that at this point, ponies, like Life, can be unpredictable. :gotcha:


And I'm not saying the characters were bad in season 1, just that sticking to that formula forever would have been a Shame. I watch Spongebob & Simpsons for mindless formulaic repition, I watch Ponies & AT because their characters & world grow with the Audiance. :twiright:
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Postby Niels Olof (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 12:52 am

The Doctor wrote:
Lets keep in mind that these are the same dignitaries from the Equestria games in the episode right before this. They were already in town.


However, the Mane Six clearly travelled to the Crystal Empire especially for this occasion, so it might be that this was a separate event. Dignitaries presumably have better things to do than just stick around, meaning that this could have taken place quite some time after the EQ.
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Postby Kiith Soban (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:05 am

Finally got around to watching it and I think it's all-around a pretty great episode, except for a couple of things:

1. Discord's betrayal, like others have said, either feels kind of silly (assuming it was sincere) or it takes away from the lesson he was supposed to learn (assuming it was part of a bigger plan). But he's still childish when it comes to social skills, so looking at it that way, I'd rather think it was sincere. With that said, it's going to be interesting if Season 5 has more episodes featuring him being like S1 Twilight, except more powerful and more of a jerk.

2. The library being destroyed was kind of a bummer, especially because it's been replaced with a palace that feels out of place (at least, again, in my interpretation of the whole story), because it's apparently not just Twilight's house, but the entire main cast's house now. Unless they just use the castle as a meeting place or something and live their lives as usual. Maybe they'll introduce new characters and have the Mane 6 show up as mentors. I'd be OK with that.

3. That ending song. Good lord. Equestria Girls tier. :maddash:

But like usual, the good moments more than outweighed the bad. The first song was pretty good, the fight scene was awesome, the conflict was complex (as far as kids' shows are concerned), and the villain was actually pretty scary. I approve.

And now I demand that Tirek show up in Equestria Academy as a guy with the lower half of a human and the upper half of a horse. :smirk:

PS: I'm also pretty happy they went with my preferred pronounciation of Tirek.
Kronos wrote:It ALSO has the problem of making Twilight not be able to stand on her own. Sure, her friends help support her, but they shouldn't be her goddamn crutch keeping her up so she can actually DO anything. I think Celestia at the end of the episode puts it pretty clearly enough: "What is the Princess of Friendship without her friends?" S4's first two episodes quite clearly give the answer: useless and a liability.

None of the other characters is capable of saving the world either. The whole point is that they need other people to support them. Even Cadance needs Shining Armor.
Kronos wrote:Now? Fat chance ANYTHING bad happens to that castle for the sake of a gag.

The conclusion doesn't follow. Why can't they smash up the castle once in a while?
Last edited by Kiith Soban on Mon May 12, 2014 1:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Kitsune (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:07 am

Kiith Soban wrote:Unless they just use the castle as a meeting place or something and live their lives as usual.


Well, the rest of the cast still have their houses, and the ponies have used the main room of the library as a meeting room before. Now they have chairs, too.
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Postby Space Ghost (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:15 am

ShieldedDiamond wrote:It's a lot of the little thins that the show is departing from, that is really making me enjoy it less. I mean, if the show started now with the way it is, I'm not so positive I would be so keen on watching it like I was before.


People bring up how the big fight scene is something to show to people who refuse to watch the show, but you know what? If someone showed that to me and told me to check it out, I would humor them with a "sure", but never follow up on it.

That fight is everything I've ever seen, right down to the typical "superhero/villian gets punched straight through a building/mountain" routine. There is nothing in that fight scene that tells me that this is something I should watch or that this show has something unique to offer me, it tells me this is something I've seen before. I would say the same about the entire episode, it's a by the numbers episode that's all flash and no substance. The characters are forgotten in favor of its epic plot. Sure, there's some flash of character with Fluttershy and Discord, but really all that gets lost in the show moving from one big event to the other and collapsing under its own weight. In the end there isn't anything uniquely "pony" about this episode, it could be any cartoon with humans or talking animals. It's just a thing that exists.
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Postby The Outlander (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:20 am

I don't think the quality or direction of the two parters has ever had a bearing on the actual show. I'm sure they'll follow up on this with the Season 5 premiere, and then it'll get pushed to the wayside in favor of low-key episodes with little influence on the overall, over-arching plotline of the show. That's how the show has always worked, and it's how it always will. It's always been about the six friends getting into friendship adventures, with Twilight's gradual ascension playing out as bookends to each season.
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Postby Niels Olof (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:28 am

I don't really see why Princess Twilight choosing Friendship as her domain (a thing she has been doing for quite a while) is a problem. If anything, it mirrors the appearance of a cutie mark—not a stunning revelation, but a confirmation what the pony in question is already about.

It's what she has done and will continue doing. What has changed is her own confidence. For all her qualities, (Princess) Twilight has always had confidence issues (even within her specific field of expertise, see Lesson Zero and Crystal Empire), and seeing her maturing to accept and embrace who and what she is constitutes a significant step.

The library? It's just a place. I have little doubt that the writers can make us attached to the castle as well. The arrangement of the chairs was, I think, significant—facing each other in conversation rather than lined up in judgement.
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Postby Headless Horse (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:29 am

One of the things I've always loved about the show is that it says what I'm thinking. Like, if something smells like a plot contrivance, some pony as often as not will call it out as a plot contrivance in the next breath.

:ohgawd: Uhhh Twilight, you sure a giant tree is the best place to be in a thunderstorm?
:-I Sure it is when you've got a magical lightning rod installed!
:yikes:

And the other best example I can think of off the top of my head being

:twasnothin: I'll sell apple-themed baked goods at the Grand Galloping Gala! That'll make me a fortune!
Image Hey horse show, I think those things are usually catered. You're really twanging my disbelief suspenders here—
:pcstare: Applejack, didn't anypony tell you this event is catered? Besides I don't recall putting a concessions clause in your invitation.

Over the course of Season 4 the show (usually in the hands of Meghan, but not always) has given voice to every single concern I've had or read about Twilight's role as a princess. Unclear responsibilities? Check. Position relative to the sun/moon/love alicorns? Check. Relatability to her friends/normal Ponyville rubes? Check. Adorkability? Check. Having the chance to catch up and become reacquainted with her estranged cipher sister-in-law? Check. Check check check. It's long ago gotten to the point where if I have a concern about some can of worms that the show is opening up, all I have to do is wait and the show will address it on its own.

It's one of the most self-aware cartoons I've ever seen, and I just know—with the certainty that I know the writers had all talked out and laughed over all the possible major directions that all the fanfic writers had thought to take things long before the show even hit the air and fanfic writers even tried to figure out how GDocs works—that anything we think is a problem for the show and its texture is something that they too recognize as a problem that will need to be addressed.

The only reason we'll have to wait until the S5 premiere for these things to be brought up and set to rights in canon is that it would have been anticlimactic to do it in minute 43 of the S4 finale.
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Postby Strangest Letter (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:34 am

That castle is still probably going to function as a library anyway.

Does anyone really think Twilight isn't going to fill up her new place with with mountains and mountains of books?
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Postby Niels Olof (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:34 am

londonarbuckle wrote:
Pinkie's apartment got destroyed in Secret of My Excess. And the Apple house/barn has been destroyed too, hasn't it?


And the Carousel Boutique suffered severely from a love sick mare in Hearts and Hooves Day (not to mention poor Berry Punch's house).
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Postby Kronos (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:37 am

Bravinim wrote:That castle is still probably going to function as a library anyway.

Does anyone really think Twilight isn't going to fill up her new place with with mountains and mountains of books?


*raises hand*
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Postby Niels Olof (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:42 am

And let me just add for the record that I get a kick out of every time Princess Celestia says "Princess Twilight". Good times.
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Postby SoundMonkey44 (?) » Mon May 12, 2014 1:43 am

Personally I still disagree about negative opinions towards the end song. Yes, it's short , it's cheesy, but I mean look at the lyrics...


It's a song about the show, it's a song about how six unique individuals with special talents are good not only on their own, but as friends can accomplish anything they set their minds to when they work together. The show is called friendship is magic afterall.

I myself love this lil number despite how short /cheesy it is, it's an uplifting catchy lil victory tune! Wonder if there's an extended version for Danny to release in the future!?
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