S05E01-02: The Cutie Map

Episode, movie, and comic book discussion threads are kept here once they have been released.

Moderators: Perrydotto, Dexanth, Venusy, Wayoshi

Re: S05E01-02: The Cutie Map

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 10:56 pm

PictishBeast wrote:Some great staging here:

Image

They don't change the camera angle which emphasizes the claustrophobia of the little room, and they indicate the passage of time by elongating the sunbeams, which eventually form an equal sign.


Here's the other three for the record:

Image

Image

Image

Also a reminder that ponies eat hay. :-I
Wayoshi
User avatar
Paper Fluttershy
Stare Masters
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

Postby Xaradius (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 10:56 pm

¿Maybe we know more about those magical artifacts that Twilight mentions in certain point along the season? Doubt that this is simple casuality...
Image Image
Xaradius
User avatar
Retrovideoholic.
Joined: Sep 27, 2014
Location: Spain
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:07 pm

Xaradius wrote:¿Maybe we know more about those magical artifacts that Twilight mentions in certain point along the season? Doubt that this is simple casuality...


Kind of hoping they were just a red herring. I really liked that this episode wasn't about a threat to Equestria, and I'd be fine if it stayed that way all season.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby Wildfire (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:10 pm

So Starlight's VA is Kelley Sheridan. According to IMDB she's done a lot of G3 work, and was Melody in the G1 MLP Tales,along with what looks like every Barbie special ever made.
She also did Leena from one of my favorite animes: Zoids New Century Zero. :awesomedash:
Image
Wildfire
User avatar
Semper Pie
Joined: May 09, 2011
Location: Location Location
Gender: Male

Postby Davyinatoga (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:14 pm

Wayoshi wrote:http://foudubulbe.deviantart.com/art/Dissidents-post-episode-strip-524706851

Image



It would be cool, but probably not anytime soon. But hey, they're out there now and the show could still have several seasons ahead.

:lol: -in' at the amount of reasonable discussion in the comments.
Image
ImageImageImageImage
Davyinatoga
User avatar
Whoo, the backdraft from last night's chili causing all sorts of havoc tonight!
Semper Pie
Joined: Jul 12, 2011
Location: Country country, USA
Gender: Male

Postby SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:16 pm

Observations:
  • Princess Twilight Sparkle's Castle Playset still gleams in the sunlight, but they appear to have angled it downward to avoid cooking the town.
  • :serious: Something's rotten in... whatever the name of this village that we're in right now!
    I don't think they ever bothered naming it.
  • No pony left behind
  • AJ definitely has a weird deep-voiced moment early on: "Careful, Pinkie!"
  • Rarity gets very nervous under Party Favor's unblinking stare when they're introduced.
  • Without cutie marks, ponies lose the ability to open doors.
  • Rarity pawing at Starlight Glimmer's door when she escapes. :lol:
  • Double Diamond's voice is really corny.

So there's that scene during the song when one of the mares doesn't have her hair done up in the official town pigtails:
Image

...but I think Starlight missed one. :wat:
Image

"Fluttershy's joining the village? Ha, ha... that's... great. Just great."
Image

"Our lives are in your hooves, Fluttershy!"
Image

:starity:
ImageImageImage

Image

A puppy wearing a party hat cutie mark. A cheese cutie mark. A... spilt milk cutie mark...?
Image
SlateSlabrock
User avatar
The information's unavailable to the mortal man.
Celestia's Champions
Joined: Feb 14, 2011

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:23 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:A... spilt milk cutie mark...?

He/she is a therapist who uses the same line for every problem:

:serious: : No use crying over split milk! :iamapony:
Wayoshi
User avatar
Paper Fluttershy
Stare Masters
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

Postby Ragnar (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:53 pm

Wayoshi wrote:http://foudubulbe.deviantart.com/art/Dissidents-post-episode-strip-524706851

Image


marksism
Image

Aramek wrote: :eyebrow: Hmmf, Ragnar the Red indeed.
Ragnar
User avatar
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Feb 14, 2011
Location: large gutter
Gender: Male

Postby Aramek (?) » Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:54 pm

The equalized ponies had better manes.
Aramek
User avatar
Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Feb 25, 2011
Location: Chicago, IL.
Gender: Male

Postby MasterOfKnees (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:10 am

It was okay. Like, it didn't do anything bad at all really and the concept itself is pretty cool, but the story itself was a bit thin imo, much like Princess Twilight Sparkle it really didn't feel like as huge an episode as The Return of Harmony or The Crystal Empire, at least to me. In a sense I don't feel like the scale of it was much bigger than a regular episode, obviously not as laid-back as many other episodes, but it didn't really do much more for me than something like Dragonshy or Magic Duel. A lot of this is due to the climax, it really wasn't quite as exciting as the huge colorful explosions they've thrown our way in the past. Yeah, I'm getting kind of tired of magical explosions saving the day too, but I don't really think a bucket of water solving the conflict is much better.

I think it might have been able to work as a single episode, that meaning not as the season opener, as is I didn't really feel like much was accomplished in the first part, and it took too long to accomplish anything in the second half. Skip all the introductory stuff with the magic table, less time being spend wandering around in the city looking for clues and trying to figure out a plan to get out of that little prison cell, less trivial conversations, you get the idea, trim the fat. As a single episode I'd have loved it, because I do like the mood and the theme of the episode, but as a two-parter it does feel a bit naked. On the other hand, you could argue it'd be quite a big concept to pick up for a regular episode, so obviously there are arguments for both sides, and I'm not really going to argue against them either, but personally I think it'd have been cool to have a more serious regular episode like this, could be one of the all-time greats in terms of episodes then, because as a two-parter it doesn't really hold up to past examples, of course all in my opinion.

Either way it was simply okay for me, I do slightly prefer it over Princess Twilight Sparkle as an opener, but that's about it. Sorry if I come off as pessimistic or anything, that's not really my intention, to be honest I really wasn't expecting much, so it being okay is absolutely fine with me.
Last edited by MasterOfKnees on Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
MasterOfKnees
Joined: Jun 08, 2012
Location: Denmark
Gender: Male

Postby Davyinatoga (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:12 am

Aramek wrote:The equalized ponies had better manes.

You're so biased; all of their bangs look like your mustache. :-P

Speaking of which, is it me, or did all the male ponies share the same one hairstyle while the females had a choice of three acceptably different hairstyles?
Image
ImageImageImageImage
Davyinatoga
User avatar
Whoo, the backdraft from last night's chili causing all sorts of havoc tonight!
Semper Pie
Joined: Jul 12, 2011
Location: Country country, USA
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:20 am

Here's our Starlight Glimmer VA.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0792198/

Anime roles include Sango from Inu Yasha, and Hitomi from Escaflowne. She's also done some old gen ponies, including CHeerilee at one point. And she's been Barbie a few times.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby MochaBean (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:34 am

That was a lot of fun, glad to have the pones back!

My thoughts pretty much echo what a lot of y'all have already said: Nice to have a two-parter where the fate of Equestria isn't in the balance, and Starlight Glimmer is probably my favorite villain of the show so far, I hope we see more of her. I also enjoyed the townsponies a lot, they reminded me of the way Ponyville was characterized in the earlier seasons - sweet as can be, but not the sharpest tools in the shed.

Starlight interrupting Twilight's speech was my favorite gag hands down, I love it when they subvert kid show cliches like that. :lol:

I was a bit apprehensive going into the season, but these episodes put me at ease. Looking forward to what comes next! :party:
MochaBean
User avatar
Take it from me, little buddy
Semper Pie
Joined: Mar 25, 2011

Postby Wylie (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 12:52 am

There are some fabulous entries for the Youtube Captioning thread now that the episode's up there.

Image
ImageImage :fancyhat:
Wylie
User avatar
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Jun 08, 2011
Gender: Male

Postby Weird Autumn (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:25 am

Oh Jesus Christ pony show is back it's been a while I'm not sure if I'm up for this anymore

-Pinkie Pie knows a Stepford when she sees it.
-What is it with these villains whose names are synonyms for "Twilight Sparkle"? Is this some kind of universal constant thing? Are they just being on-the-nose with their antagonists who reflect on the protagonist?
-Glimmer looks kind of like Cherry whatever from the "Applejack is #2" episode way back when. I'm pretty sure it's the hair.
-Not to get too Soapbox, but the vibe I get from this town is a real kind of conservative, reactionary-type version of equality, where you accept everybody equally but only so long as they act exactly the way you want them to and believe exactly what you believe. Like, the kind of men who'll let women into their boys' club but only so long as they're "one of the good ones" who will just accept how things are done without question, objection, or complaint. Or, perhaps more to the point, it's a "colorblindness" version of equality that says we're all equal because we're all the same, when the reality is that we're all equal because we're all different. We're all human, but we all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences and react to the world in different ways; every life is unique, which means that every life is valuable, and the fact that we're all different and we're all valuable means that none of us is better or worse than anybody else. I'm extrapolating a lot about the moral from the first act of the first episode but, I dunno, I'm into it. Even if they're not being very subtle with this song.
-It's interesting to me that Fluttershy is finding this town appealing. On the one hand, she's definitely one to shy (HA HA HA HA) away from confrontation, so this outward veneer of "everybody's always happy and nobody ever argues and we always get along" probably would be appealing to her; after all, this entire town is evidently built around putting on a happy face and silencing or ignoring any part of you that might think differently or be uncomfortable, which is exactly what you do when you smile and nod and pretend everything's fine instead of confronting people when there's a problem between you. On the other hand, Fluttershy is a very particular pony with her own particular habits, behavioral needs, and coping mechanisms, and I don't think she'd do very well in an environment that demands conformity.
-Gee Twilight's horn is actually a good bit bigger than a normal unicorn's these days. I didn't even notice until she and Not-Twilight the Second had their heads next to each other in the same shot.
-don't look at me like that, glowlight glamor
-There was a store with a quill and a pen across the street from the shitty peasant cloak store. I wonder what kind of literature comes out of this town?
-Wait a second, is this episode about Mormons? Well, okay, I don't really like to shit on Mormons specifically, so what I mean is the whole "being uncomfortably obsessed with the newcomers and overbearing helpfulness as a form of soft evangelism" thing reminds me of some Christian groups I've bumped into.
-Rarity, you hurt that poor pony's feelings! Fluttershy was right about not being rude.
-2 muffins a piece. Twilight and pals are livin' the high life on the Equestrian taxpayers' dime.
-Huh. Being utterly baffled by things that contradict what you've been taught and reciting those teachings to prove your view must be correct? Actually I might be on to something with this religious angle.
-"Accidentally" eaten cardboard, Pinkie? Suuuuuure.
-"Daydreaming is one thing, but actually getting it back seems extreme." This is getting cultier and cultier. Have I started conflating cult mentality and religion? Eh.
-Y'know Twilight I think you might be whispering your secrets a little loudly.
-Pinkie you done fucked up
-Hmm. Why'd Nettleguy make this thing in the first place? What was he trying to accomplish? Are we gonna run into the other 8 magic things?
-And why does the = sign appear after removing the cutie mark? Could the magic be modified to just take away the cutie mark and leave flanks blank? Or does the = appear naturally, because a My Little Pony can't be without a cutie mark once it develops? If that's the case, why the = specifically? Could this staff be used on somebody who already has the = mark? Would that just stick a new = on them? Could you dupe infinite = marks and sell them to a vendor for infinite bits? Why am I asking these questions when I'm 99% certain none of them will matter?
-Losing their cutie marks doesn't seem to have affected our heroes much, at least not yet, but then it did just happen all of ten seconds ago so we'll see how things go in the second half. Still, I have to wonder if the cutie mark isn't necessarily directly tied to personality. Maybe the town's behavior comes out of a longer process of indoctrination instead. I know this'll be answered so I should really just keep watching and stop wondering about it.
-I wish Spike was here and hadn't been written out with some lame "boys and their sports" gag. I'd like to see how a creature that doesn't have cutie marks would fit into this plot.
-Oh okay, indoctrination it is. Looks like the cutie mark does have some kind of magical effect on personality, though. Personally I think that's kind of lame, traits and talents should be an innate internal thing, not tied to some magic picture on your butt.
-"Even tweets don't make sense anymore!" yeah okay
-Turns out Applejack's real special talent was folksy similies.
-Wait, "Meadowbrook?" Huh. I thought that word was "Nettle."
-Hey wait a second, they're all outside now, aren't they? Why not make a break for it? Cutie marks or no, it's not like a village full of nobodies can overpower a gaggle of protagonists.
-What's a cult without witch hunts, eh?
-Fluttershy shoulda pointed the hoof at somepony who wasn't part of that group. I doubt Shinespark Lantern wouldn't believe her, no matter how hard the accused denied it.
-You know I'm sure at least half of the mane six could smash a loudspeaker no problem.
-Well of course she still has a cutie mark, hypocrisy is a central part of any successful cult
-The fact that we didn't see any of Party Favor's time in the brainwashing house makes me suspect he's now a double agent.
-+1 for lecture interruptus
-I think getting their cutie marks back changed their hair.
-BALLOONS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY
-Apparently "moving at any speed greater than sluggish" is a universal pony talent.
-You know I think sculpting snow into a particular shape isn't really a baking-related skill.
-balloons still don't work that way
-He sounds like a surfer dude, but he's actually a ski-dude!
-SHOW'S OVER, EVERYONE LAUGH

Well, okay, that's a season opener. I think I like where this is going with the adventure-of-the-week setup they've opened up. I'm not sure I'm entirely satisfied with this episode's exploration of cutie marks as a concept but hey, whatever, if that's what I wanted I was looking for the wrong thing. I'm still a little unclear on what Moonlight Sonata's motivation even was, and the "she's like Twilight if she doubled down on studying magic instead of making friends" thing they just kinda throw out there at the end doesn't quite make for a satisfying character (plus it just adds to my sense that she's a lot like Sunset Shimmer but without the leather jacket so she's not as cool). It kind of seems like we'll be seeing more of her this season, though, so maybe it'll go somewhere in the long run?
Weird Autumn
User avatar
Better beware
(she's a real mad operator)
Try not to stare
(at the fault line indicator)
Pretend you care
(about a gamma ray generator)
Brace yourself, she might be anywhere.
Faithful Students
Joined: Feb 14, 2011
Location: Philadelphia
Gender: Female

Postby Highbrow Dash (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:30 am

Niels Olof wrote:
The vector crowd has also been busy:
Image


This was such a S1 wacky face, I loved it :-P
Image
Highbrow Dash
User avatar
but why would you post such a thing??
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Oct 15, 2011
Location: Spain
Gender: Male

Postby Marioland1 (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:34 am

Opposing Farce wrote:Personally I think that's kind of lame, traits and talents should be an innate internal thing, not tied to some magic picture on your butt.
I would agree, if it hadn't already been done in the show, or have you forgotten Applejack trying to make dresses?
Opposing Farce wrote:-BALLOONS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY
Tell that to Generic Non-Pinkie Pie clone #47.
ImageImage
Marioland1
User avatar
Trouble in Horse Town
Joined: Jun 30, 2014
Location: Behind Minecraft_B5's TTT Control Panel (and autoslay system)
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:41 am

-BALLOONS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY


They do now. Our new Element of Laughter commands it!

:-I Congratulations, Party Favor. You're the new Pinkie Pie.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:47 am

Flutterface of the year:

Image
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 1:57 am

You can do Orwell in lots of different ways, and so many properties have taken the same basic concept and made an episode out of it, from Camazotz to Paradise. But while I was prepared to expect Pony to try it too at some point, never in a million years did I expect them to tackle it this face-on.

Like, I was ready for Stepford Wives riffs and maybe some magical brainwashing, and probably a musical montage of ponies rediscovering the joys of individualism or something. But I was emphatically not ready for "I think we're being watched" and meeting the resistance in the cellar and being locked in a fucking Room 101 cabin with a pile of Kim Il Sung books and a loudspeaker reciting Big Brotherisms and a giant Apple ad parody. This is a show for goddamn ten-year-olds, right? Right?

That fuckin' song, holy jesus. YOU CAN'T HAVE A NIGHTMARE IF YOU NEVER DREAM :twonk:


Also, is it just me or was this one of the least funny episodes the show's ever done? I don't mean they did bad jokes that fell flat, I mean they were being straight-up serious, with the humor kind of tacked on after the fact once they realized they'd signed themselves up to do a much more terrifying-because-of-its-relevance-to-the-real-world story than pretty much anything they've ever tackled to date?
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Aramek (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:01 am

I really liked the baddy because she exerted herself and dominated a whole community of ponies through her powers of fear and willpower.

She's basically Doctor Doom and I love that so, so much.

I'm basically saying she deserves to win.
Aramek
User avatar
Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Feb 25, 2011
Location: Chicago, IL.
Gender: Male

Postby The Outlander (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:01 am

Headless Horse wrote:Also, is it just me or was this one of the least funny episodes the show's ever done? I don't mean they did bad jokes that fell flat, I mean they were being straight-up serious, with the humor kind of tacked on after the fact once they realized they'd signed themselves up to do a much more terrifying-because-of-its-relevance-to-the-real-world story than pretty much anything they've ever tackled to date?


It's not just you, this was the most intense episode of the series so far. My mind was going a mile a minute about everything that I couldn't believe was happening, but most of all that I hope they don't get any complaints from concerned parents about Ponies being too serious. :v:
Kate wrote:there are as many female characters in the base game as there are Cole McGraths
The Outlander
User avatar
Oh Barry~
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Oct 21, 2012
Location: Bradford, PA

Postby Aramek (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:04 am

Image
Aramek
User avatar
Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Feb 25, 2011
Location: Chicago, IL.
Gender: Male

Postby Ransom (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:05 am

On Glimmer's motivation: I can see her as a 'sincere' villain but with a mess of contradictions. I'm sure she's telling herself, "As soon as I've equalized all of Equestria, then I'll give up my mark." But I'm guessing even if it somehow came to that she'd find some excuse in her mind, allowing herself to keep it.

I could also buy her as a total charlatan but her emotional reaction seemed to be a bit deeper than that.

I do wonder, with her retreating deep into the caves, what's her next move? I'm willing to bet there are several non pony parties who would find a pony with ability to drain other ponies of their talents very useful.

Also, could she take the next step and apply stolen cutie marks to another pony, or herself?. Oh dear...
:anticipation:
Ransom
User avatar
Joined: Mar 24, 2012
Gender: Male

Postby PonyHag714 (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:07 am

Aramek wrote:Image


Awesome. :excellent:
Image You can't deny the prize, it may never fulfill you.
PonyHag714
User avatar
Now let's go round again!
Joined: Mar 18, 2013
Location: Oromareocto, Canterda
Gender: Male

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:09 am

I'm also kind of bowled over by the amount of characterization they packed into Double Diamond and Party Favor and the other townsponies once they got restored. They'd spent the bulk of the runtime being these weird, corners-filed-off versions of themselves to the point where their sameness was the entire premise of the episode; and it's like the moment they were given their personalities back, they had to establish those personalities in about five minutes flat. And with their little one-liners like "My newest recipe" and "My old skis" and so on, they somehow managed to reveal more about themselves in just that little bit of screen time than a whole bunch of supporting characters from stuff like The Crystal Empire ever even tried to do.

The whole foundation of the episode could have been revealed as being on very shaky ground if once the townsponies were restored they were just as anonymous and interchangeable as they were before; but they went the extra mile to establish them as real, likable characters in their own right, and that really drove home the point excellently.
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Weird Autumn (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:10 am

Marioland1 wrote:I would agree, if it hadn't already been done in the show, or have you forgotten Applejack trying to make dresses?

I dunno, wasn't the point that time kind of the opposite? That their cutie marks didn't match their personality or their skills and they were unhappy because they felt compelled to do things they don't enjoy and aren't good at? Applejack got Rarity's cutie mark, yeah, but Rarity's personality and skillset didn't come with it.
Weird Autumn
User avatar
Better beware
(she's a real mad operator)
Try not to stare
(at the fault line indicator)
Pretend you care
(about a gamma ray generator)
Brace yourself, she might be anywhere.
Faithful Students
Joined: Feb 14, 2011
Location: Philadelphia
Gender: Female

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:11 am

Wayoshi wrote:http://foudubulbe.deviantart.com/art/Dissidents-post-episode-strip-524706851

Image


I fuckin' love this fandom :allears:
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:16 am

Wayoshi wrote:
Image

Image


This cracks me right the hell up. They actually tried to make it make sense :lol:

The colors around the edges oh god I cannot deal with this
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Wayoshi (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:19 am

Party Favor defies physics with his balloons, common among "silly" cutie marks. I bet he's met up with Cheese Sandwich before. :hiiiii:
Wayoshi
User avatar
Paper Fluttershy
Stare Masters
Joined: Oct 26, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

Postby everyponytothelimit (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:29 am

I really liked this episode. I think everyone's covered the reasons but to recap- good humour, nice adventure that doesn't involve over the top stakes, great villain, cute faces, pony pony pony. Waking up and thinking "there is new pony today" is the best start to a day.

Anyway, I think that Starshine genuinely believed in her cause and was coming from a place of hurt- previous friendships ended over differences of opinions, or an argument gone too far, or perhaps a failed ambition. She values friendship and community in the abstract sense and desires it, but she's incapable of dealing with the bumps that entails. She can't handle rejection or dissension and so decides that the only true and pure relationship is one with literally no differences at all, and that no amount of potential positives that can arise from said differences (or for chasing your dreams) could be worth the pain of rejection or of failure. Of course she's the one either setting the standards or is above them- in the macro sense she's the town leader and has all the power, but even little things like how she's exempt from the standard mane style. It's also easy to see how such a philosophy would attract followers in those who have been hurt or rejected, and finding a welcoming community with zero chance of rejection would be valued over individuality (add in brainwashing (magical and psychological) for those less than fully convinced).

I think in terms of mirror-darkly Twilights, if Sunset was Twilight who doubled down on studying and never discovered the magic of friendship, then Starshine did but then got to "Look before you sleep" and freaked out.


There's also a lot of parallels with Amon and the Equalists, Legend of Korra's season 1 villains. Both groups remove a unique ability or identifier, both leaders have special abilities (blood bending/cutie mark removal magic) that a)is the source of their power, b)they hide and attribute to something else (spirits/artifact) because being open about it would lessen their legitimacy and c)are undone after being splashed with water. Though like I said I think that Starshine genuinely believed in her cause, instead of
everyponytothelimit
User avatar
The Spike is to the limit.
Joined: Oct 18, 2011

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:38 am

The Outlander wrote:
It's not just you, this was the most intense episode of the series so far. My mind was going a mile a minute about everything that I couldn't believe was happening, but most of all that I hope they don't get any complaints from concerned parents about Ponies being too serious. :v:


Or from the fans, or hell, from the network. I mean, I was expecting "LOL pony communism :v: " but instead got "OMG pony communism :starity: "
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby PictishBeast (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:40 am

Headless Horse wrote:That fuckin' song, holy jesus. YOU CAN'T HAVE A NIGHTMARE IF YOU NEVER DREAM :twonk:


That line really struck me. It's horrifying but it's also true, and it's such a concise, perfectly-worded metaphor that I started wondering if it's actually some well-known saying that I just had never heard before.

Opposing Farce wrote:-I wish Spike was here and hadn't been written out with some lame "boys and their sports" gag. I'd like to see how a creature that doesn't have cutie marks would fit into this plot.


Yeah the "LOL guys like sports" gag seemed kind of out of character for the show. Rather than Fluttershy getting scared into action by sports, maybe it would have been funnier if Dash almost didn't go with the rest of them because she wanted to stay and do the hoofball thing.
PictishBeast
User avatar
Character Select: Winter Nickel
Abilities: Cynicism lv1, Ennui lv1
Inventory: Turnip
Diamond Dusters
Joined: Aug 12, 2012
Gender: Male

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:44 am

Well, having Spike would have presented a few problems. One he has no Cutie Mark, so he can't be affected by Starlight, and second, he could have just sent word to Celestia and Luna once the six had their Cutie Marks zapped away.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby Highbrow Dash (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:45 am

Plus he would have missed his hoofball meetup.
Image
Highbrow Dash
User avatar
but why would you post such a thing??
Rarity's Roughnecks
Joined: Oct 15, 2011
Location: Spain
Gender: Male

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:46 am

PictishBeast wrote:That line really struck me. It's horrifying but it's also true, and it's such a concise, perfectly-worded metaphor that I started wondering if it's actually some well-known saying that I just had never heard before.


One way or another it's damn good lyric-writing. Like, top-tier, no-qualifiers. I really hope they came up with it on their own.

Yeah the "LOL guys like sports" gag seemed kind of out of character for the show. Rather than Fluttershy getting scared into action by sports, maybe it would have been funnier if Dash almost didn't go with the rest of them because she wanted to stay and do the hoofball thing.


Out of character for what the show has become, maybe. But weirdly, it feels perfectly in line with the kind of gender ribbing that early eps like The Ticket Master indulged in.
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby Ransom (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:47 am

Headless Horse wrote:
This cracks me right the hell up. They actually tried to make it make sense :lol:

The colors around the edges oh god I cannot deal with this

I loved that bit too. They were definitely going for him as the "Pinkie" of the group.

To go back to another point you said, it's great that you got a lot of characterization in such a short time. Though you could guess that Sugar Belle once had a talent for baking in the scene of the terrible cupcakes.

And yes, it was surprisingly intense, even dark at times.

I still stand by my fan canon that Spike just wanted to prod Fluttershy into going. In hindsight, having a non-cutiemark powered ally could have helped...but of course that was exactly why he didn't go. :gotcha:
Ransom
User avatar
Joined: Mar 24, 2012
Gender: Male

Postby Headless Horse (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:48 am

One way or another I'm glad they've made hoofball an actual thing now. :crack:


Spike's double gem juice hat :lol:
Headless Horse
User avatar
The yoke is strictly ornamental
Faithful Students
Joined: May 23, 2011

Postby The Doctor (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:50 am

Headless Horse wrote:One way or another I'm glad they've made hoofball an actual thing now. :crack:


Spike's double gem juice hat :lol:



Maybe we'll get that "Boys Night Out" episode this season. Spike, Big Mac, and Shining Armor.

This would have been a great chance to do like with "Games Ponies Play" and "Just for Sidekicks" and show what he and Big Mac were doing.
Last edited by The Doctor on Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
The Doctor
User avatar
Turner of all things timey wimey
Celestia's Champions
Joined: May 05, 2011
Location: Time & Space
Gender: Male

Postby PictishBeast (?) » Sun Apr 05, 2015 2:51 am

Opposing Farce wrote:-It's interesting to me that Fluttershy is finding this town appealing. On the one hand, she's definitely one to shy (HA HA HA HA) away from confrontation, so this outward veneer of "everybody's always happy and nobody ever argues and we always get along" probably would be appealing to her; after all, this entire town is evidently built around putting on a happy face and silencing or ignoring any part of you that might think differently or be uncomfortable, which is exactly what you do when you smile and nod and pretend everything's fine instead of confronting people when there's a problem between you.


Fluttershy is really, really uncomfortable around arguments and confrontations, so it seems in-character to me that she'd respond well emotionally to this village as being a safe place (even if she knew intellectually that something was off).
PictishBeast
User avatar
Character Select: Winter Nickel
Abilities: Cynicism lv1, Ennui lv1
Inventory: Turnip
Diamond Dusters
Joined: Aug 12, 2012
Gender: Male

Previous Next

Return to Pony Media Release Threads

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest