First note about this episode: Apple Bloom is so fucking cute. Like her voice was so high-pitched in the earlier seasons, shes so tiny, her eyes are so big and full of hope.... idk i love her so much
I know that people don't really like the CMC episodes as much as episodes starring the Mane 6, which is fair enough but I feel like their experiences are very relatable to young children and should not be disregarded. Figuring out who you are is tough, especially when it seem's like everybody else has got it figured out.
I think it was cute seeing the other ponies take Apple Bloom under their wing to try to help her find her cutie mark. I also loved the introduction of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, bc Apple Bloom deserves only good things and I'm happy to see her have her own best friends!!
I feel like I don't have too much to say about this episode because it was very simple in premise, but I generally enjoyed it. Solid episode, nothing too crazy or notable about it.
Final Rating:8/10
This episode is absolutely peak omg. Peak rewatchability, peak song, peak EVERYTHING.
i MIGHT be a bit biased bc I love the Winter Wrap Up song, and I love Twilight-centric episodes in general, but to me this episode is just peak nostalgia to the point where I started crying while rewatching it...
I think it's really interesting to see the kind of societal structures of Ponyville vs. Canterlot, seeing as Ponyville was founded by earth ponies and Canterlot is mostly unicorns. I kind of wish that the show went more in-depth on these aspects but obviously the show is more character-driven than story-driven so I can't blame them for that.
Anyways I think it was so cute how Twilight was so excited to participate in a new tradition, as I feel like it sends a positive message to kids that different traditions are a good thing and should be embraced.
I also think it's a sweet message that everyone's skills have value and can be an essential contribution to a task. I know that when I was younger I had a big inferiority complex because certain skills didn't 'click' to me as well as they did with other kids. It's nice to see a message that my talents are valuable regardless of my shortcomings. I hope that makes sense im very tired right now lol
Overall I love this episode. I love Twilight Sparkle. I love Winter Wrap Up.
Final Rating:10/10
holy shit i forgot about this episode completely that was such a throwback
Lowkey I thought the way that the message of this episode was presented was kinda strange and I feel like it never really wrapped around my head as a kid
Basically the point of the episode was to have more faith in your friends and listen to their perspectives, even if it doesn't make sense. But... Pinkie Pie didn't really explain her perspective that much? Like the only indication that she really knew anything was the fact that she knew what a parasprite was, but she never once properly communicated that the musical instruments were necessary to save Ponyville from the parasprites, so I feel like you can't really blame her friends for thinking she's being ridiculous.
In spite of my complaints, I actually enjoyed watching this episode. I think that the mane 6's dynamic is really nice in this episode and they all bounce off of each other very well. Idk it just makes me happy to see them interacting and stuff and I think it's very cute and charming. It was also very funny, I laughed a lot while watching it
Final Rating:6/10
This was MLP's first attempt at tackling racism in an episode..... and..... they def tried?
Like idk it wasn't bad by any means especially for 2010/2011 but it also wasn't great? Like I feel like at the end of the episode some of the ponies were still prejudiced...
In particular, I didn't like the way they made Rarity comment about how "creepy" Zecora's home decor was at the end of the episode, even when Zecora explained what they meant. Also I feel like I was just bothered in general by the way the other mane 6 (besides my GOAT Twilight) were immediately freaked out by Zecora, because I feel like they've been shown to be more sensible by now? Like two episodes ago u were facing off against a dragon idk
But I get that the message was "don't judge a book by its cover" and I think that is def a valuable lesson to teach kids, I just wish they were more culturally sensitive about it but once again this was released 15 years ago.
Final Rating: 5/10
To me, this episode embodies everything I love about classic My Little Pony. It's just a cute little episode that does a great job at showing character dynamics.
This episode is def what launched me into becoming a Rarijack shipper like omfg stop fighting and kiss already idk.... but besides shipping fuel I just think it was nice to see the way their extremely different lifestyles interact with one another, and how they learn to become closer because of their differences.
Also I cannot talk about this episode without talking about my GOAT Twilight Sparkle. She is SOOOOOO cute in this episode omg I love how excited she gets about having a sleepover and how particular she is about making sure it's perfect according to her slumber party book..... shes so awesome
One thing i will say is that i was lowk on Rarity's side for most of it but that might just be bc i like being neat and clean and would have also found some of Applejack's behaviors to be gross.... but idk thats just me
All in all, I have nothing bad to say about this episode and I love it sooooo much
Final Rating: 10/10
I'm going to review this episode relative only to what I've seen so far from the season. I feel like it'd frustrate me a lot if I didn't, because I feel like this is the start of the issue of earlier Fluttershy episodes: she makes some progress, but then regresses in her next episode. Overcoming anxiety is absolutely not linear, but when it comes to a storytelling perspective, repeating the same story over and over gets stale pretty fast. I feel like there are other ways to portray overcoming anxiety.
That being said, I did enjoy this episode. In part because of the more adventure/quest-like set up where all of the ponies get together to fulfill a mission (although this feels like something that Celestia shouldve handled herself as a diplomat and the ruler of Equestria but wtv), but I also really liked the message conveyed with Fluttershy in this episode.
Being brave does not mean the absence of fear, but bravery is persisting in spite of your fears. I also liked seeing the different side of Fluttershy for the first time when she stands up to that dragon. And in spite of her firmness, she is still incredibly kind to the dragon, which is very admirable.
Also special shout out to Applejack for being a real trooper and finding another path around the mountain for Fluttershy.
I also liked the overall message of never losing faith in your friends. I feel like some people just need people to believe in them to be able to truly shine. While Rainbow Dash was really mean this episode, I like that it came back to bite her when she was overly aggressive towards the dragon. The friend who had the least faith in Fluttershy ended up being the one paving the way for Fluttershy to save the day.
Overall, very solid episode for what it is. I wish this was more of a one-note episode for Fluttershy rather than many of her other episodes following the same type of character journey. However, we will get to that when we're on her other episodes.
Final Rating: 9/10
I definitely have very mixed feelings on this episode, especially regarding Trixie.
I feel like I've seen a very large camp of people arguing that Trixie did nothing wrong in this episode, and that as a performer, it's her job to show off. I'd say I agree to an extent, but highkey after rewatching this episode, I just think that Trixie was kind of a dick. There's nothing wrong with exaggerating and doing over-the-top performances when your job is literally being a performer, but idk the way she heckled the crowd and highkey insulted everyone wasn't really appropriate? I was a little put off at her introduction though when the other ponies were calling her a show-off when she hadn't done anything yet.
The message of this episode is pretty chill, it's good to be good at things, just don't act like you're better than anyone because of your skills because everybody has their strengths.
I do kind of have a soft spot for this episode bc it introduces Trixie, who later becomes one of my favorite characters, but obv this is before her redemption arc.
Snips and Snails lowkey need to go though
Final Rating: 6/10
I feel like i remember people saying they didn't like this episode back in the day because they thought that Gilda's reaction to the pranks at the end was valid, but I'm actually going to have to disagree on that one
Like, we see earlier in the episode that Gilda is incredibly rude to the ponies in Ponyville with her "pranks," and I'm a firm believer in "don't dish what you can't take." Plus, none of the pranks were actually harmful, just a little embarrassing.
I do also appreciate the message of the episode being that you can't control who your friends choose to hang out with, and that you can only control your behavior. I don't think Pinkie Pie did anything wrong in this episode, and in fact gave Gilda much more grace than she deserved.
I also thought that Pinkie's and Rainbow Dash's dynamic in this episode was really cute and I wish we got to see more of that later on
Final rating: 8/10
I just wanted to start off by saying that I really like the message of this episode. At least for myself, the message is a good reminder that it's okay to accept help from your friends, and that relationships are a give and take, not just a "give."
The episode did feel a bit repetitive with its structure: Applejack messes up bc she's overworking herself, Twilight offers to help, Applejack refuses, and so on. I also forgot how season 1 used to insert Twilight into every episode so that she could do the "Dear Princess Celestia" at the end lol
This episode was pretty fun and silly though and it had a lot of iconic scenes that i remember became memes in the early 2010s brony fandom
I was also very thrown off by how much Big Mac talks in this episode, bc later episodes obv characterize him as a man of few words. I also forgot that other animals in Equestria used to have sentience (like cows). I'm glad that they changed it though bc we don't need Animal Farm-esque dynamics between ponies and other animals lol.
I have a lot of smaller notes abt the episode's quirks as well (such as the fact that a bunny stampede was Twilight's last straw and not the fact that Applejack poisoned half of Ponyville) but I won't go into all of those little caveats
All in all, just a silly episode with a good moral :3
Final Rating: 7/10
Damn I genuinely had no memory of any part of this episode but that was actually such ragebait (still enjoyed it though)
I found it really funny how the show tried to convince you that all ponies had equally good reasons to go to the gala when there were some clear differences. I'll break their reasons down:
Applejack wanted to go to sell products for Sweet Apple Acres so that she could earn enough money to do some repairs to her farm. Rainbow Dash wanted to show off to the Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie wanted to party? Rarity wanted ponies to take her seriously as a high-class pony (+ fall in love with Prince Blueblood). Fluttershy didn't even want to go to the gala bro she just wanted to go to the Canterlot gardens.
Obviously Applejack has the best reason to go so I would've given the ticket to her. Out of everyone else though I think Rainbow Dash and Rarity MIGHT be ok picks because Rainbow Dash wants to network and Rarity has an understanding as to what type of event the gala is. Idk what Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are on though.
I felt very frustrated at the other ponies for Twilight because of how pushy they were with her but I understand that's quite literally the point of the episode I just feel for her bc shes my favorite pony. However the way they made it up to her was very sweet.
This episode sets up what is vaguely the overarching storyline for the season (the Grand Galloping Gala), however it's not as prevalent as we see in later seasons.
In general, I'd say it's a fine enough episode. It just definitely frustrated me a lot for the obvious reasons but I get it.
Final Rating: 6/10
With the sheer number of episodes in the series, it had been a while since I'd sat down and watched the premiere, and holy fuck the nostalgia was crazy
I absolutely loooooove the introduction of this episode. I wish more episodes had scenes in the storybook-esque art style that gave details about Equestria's history. It's a really nice and simple way of providing worldbuilding and exposition that I def wish was utilized more in the show.
Anyways this two-part premiere is absolutely fantastic. I think it provides a very solid foundation for the show and does a great job of introducing the main characters and showcasing their strengths and personalities. The first part was really cute, seeing everypony meeting Twilight for the first time. I love how unique each character is. While it's more common to see that now, back when I was a kid I didn't see much variety in the casts of cartoons made for girls. Having each pony be so different from each other sends the message that there's no "right" way to be a girl, which is one that I really appreciate.
The first part ends on a really nice cliffhanger, and the second part really picks up the action. While the concept of the "Elements of Harmony" is kinda cheese (as is expected of a children's show), I love how they develop the mythos and show how each character represents their element.
The end of the episode was always fairly intriguing to me. I felt as though it presented Princess Celestia as this mysterious, god-like figure. However, throughout the show this ic clearly shown to be false as she gets a solid amount of screen time. I'm not too bummed about that though. We also get to meet my fav princess, Luna! Yay!
All in all, really great premiere that does its job properly of introducing the audience to the main cast.
