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[Rhomega Beta]

Those bedroom eyes...

 

[draetenth]

Well, I'm back and this is going to be a very short (ish) summary (watching 2 Dr. Who episodes and 3 MLP episodes in a row after a long day with poor memory abilities probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.. >.>).

Forever Filly - I honestly didn't mind this episode, though it was merely okay. Rarity isn't the first pony/person to forget that people do get older and their tastes do change. I didn't really get the need for the other plotline as someone who's been around a lot of dogs who's temperament didn't really change when going from pup to dog (especially given how quick dogs grow...).

The RD parent one - I didn't care for this one. Some of the expressions were too wacky for my tastes. And how does Scootaloo get so lucky to not only make it to Cloudsdale from such a height and distance, but to find the parents. The episode also made me think of MMDW. Why did I get the impression RD got turned into the bad guy for yelling at her parents? Sure, maybe she was a bit too harsh and did need to apologize, but as an pretty introverted person myself, I hated how loud and obnoxious the parents were about everything. I would have yelled too... Boo fucking who Scootaloo (was this a nod to her being an orphan?), but there's a big fucking difference between being supporting and loudly cheering every single thing you do. Did the parents even apologize themselves for going overboard?

Today's episode - wow, that's a lot of talking from Big Mac. I guess he and Cheerilee didn't even try after the potion thing. He should have known better than to expect the CMC to help (seriously what would they have known about love?). And is the other dude related to PP or something. He sure showed up out of nowhere at the right time...

I think I'm all caught up now (other than last week's episode which I'm guessing will show next week).

 

[SigmasonicX]

I liked "Hard to Say Anything." The show's at its best when it waxes a little self-aware, and Sugar Belle's growing annoyance at her treatment really made the episode as a whole work, as well as the absurdity of an adult taking the advice of what's basically a group of tweens on love.

Plus Feather Bang's frosted tips were so on the nose, it was hilarious.

Or maybe i just liked this better because i was drinking an IPA while watching.

I did find it funny how everyone was getting dating advice from them without a shred of hesitation. And like I mentioned, I am warming up to the episode a lot after letting it settle.

Those bedroom eyes...

This episode was full of stuff like that. Like this moment that totally represents two friends going inside to talk.

Well, I'm back and this is going to be a very short (ish) summary (watching 2 Dr. Who episodes and 3 MLP episodes in a row after a long day with poor memory abilities probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.. >.>).

Forever Filly - I honestly didn't mind this episode, though it was merely okay. Rarity isn't the first pony/person to forget that people do get older and their tastes do change. I didn't really get the need for the other plotline as someone who's been around a lot of dogs who's temperament didn't really change when going from pup to dog (especially given how quick dogs grow...).

The RD parent one - I didn't care for this one. Some of the expressions were too wacky for my tastes. And how does Scootaloo get so lucky to not only make it to Cloudsdale from such a height and distance, but to find the parents. The episode also made me think of MMDW. Why did I get the impression RD got turned into the bad guy for yelling at her parents? Sure, maybe she was a bit too harsh and did need to apologize, but as an pretty introverted person myself, I hated how loud and obnoxious the parents were about everything. I would have yelled too... Boo fucking who Scootaloo (was this a nod to her being an orphan?), but there's a big fucking difference between being supporting and loudly cheering every single thing you do. Did the parents even apologize themselves for going overboard?

Today's episode - wow, that's a lot of talking from Big Mac. I guess he and Cheerilee didn't even try after the potion thing. He should have known better than to expect the CMC to help (seriously what would they have known about love?). And is the other dude related to PP or something. He sure showed up out of nowhere at the right time...

I think I'm all caught up now (other than last week's episode which I'm guessing will show next week).

I liked "Forever Filly" more than many people here. The dog maturing was kind of weird, but remember that Equestria animals are pretty human-like.

With "Parental Glideance", I didn't get the impression they were trying to make Rainbow Dash the bad guy, but rather she didn't appreciate how her parents supported her for her entire life until Scootaloo gave her outside perspective, which is a common thing with all children. I don't think it was being judgmental about that. Her parents didn't apologize in the episode, but they did get embarrassed from Rainbow's show, so unless they show up next time Rainbow Dash appears, they learned their lesson. As for Scootaloo, most interpret the episode as confirming she's an orphan, yes.

Concerning "Hard to Say Anything" and Cheerilee, even in the "Hearts and Hooves Day" days, many people interpreted the episode as saying she and Big Mac used to be in a relationship then broke up, but managed to stay friends. Thus, they didn't feel any desire to get back together after the love potion incident. Still, I would like an episode where Sugar Belle comes to Ponyville and Cheerilee finds herself feeling jealous. About Feather Bangs being related to Pinkie Pie, that makes me think, it could be fun if he was actually Cheese Sandwich's brother or something.

When you say "last week's episode", are you referring to the Canadian episodes? After today, they're actually three episodes ahead, having aired "Honest Apple", "A Royal Problem", and "Not Asking for Trouble". "Honest Apple" airs next week.

 

[DrForester]

There have been some subtle hints about Cheerilee and Big Mac. Not jsut including them going to be alone at the end of Hearts and Hooves Day.

Flirting with eachother in Filli Vanilli...

Heck, just a few episodes ago we find out they had their picture taken together.

I like this episode, but I am going to miss CheeriMac. It was cute, and I'd be all for an episode with lots of Cheerilee.

 

[SigmasonicX]

There have been some subtle hints about Cheerilee and Big Mac. Not jsut including them going to be alone at the end of Hearts and Hooves Day.

And from "Where the Apple Lies"

I like this episode, but I am going to miss CheeriMac. It was cute, and I'd be all for an episode with lots of Cheerilee.

I think fans will continue making CheeriMac art; they're still making Fluttermac art, after all. As for hints in the show itself, I'll miss those too, but hopefully we get random cute Sugarmac scenes now. I would like another Cheerilee episode too.

 

[draetenth]

When you say "last week's episode", are you referring to the Canadian episodes? After today, they're actually three episodes ahead, having aired "Honest Apple", "A Royal Problem", and "Not Asking for Trouble". "Honest Apple" airs next week.

I only watch when it comes on in the USA... Just checking wikipedia, it seems that I may actually be caught up. I could've sworn my DVR indicated "Parental Glideance" was episode 7 and "Hard to say anything" was episode 9 with one episode missing (8), but it seems I probably misread the 8 as a 9...

 

[DrForester]

So the last EQD special is out in polish and...

well...

Spoiler

Sunset gets Starlight, the human 6 get captured, Sunset get's captured and it's up to Wesley to save the ship Starlight to save everyone.

I mean, they literally have Sunset get captured separately from the Human 6. Why on earth couldn't they make this a teamup video where they both work to stop the bad guy?

First half was kind of fun. Great to see Pony Sunset again. But the second half just turns into a Starlight love-fest and totally trashes the EQD cast.

It's like that final episode of Enterprise, except I actually like the EQD cast.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I didn't realize the Polish episodes aired this early. Well, in any case.

Today's episode is:

In Poland
Equestria Girls special - Mirror Magic
As the pages in her journal run out, there's only one thing for Sunset Shimmer to do: return to Equestria to get a new journal! There, she meets Starlight Glimmer and agrees to bring her back to experience life at Canterlot High. But while Sunset Shimmer was away, a revenge-seeking Juniper Montage finds a beautiful hand mirror enchanted with Equestrian magic. Not only can it provide a window into another land, but if you push the right button, it can also make things disappear into limbo, trapped between the two realms!

Episodes that can be discussed freely
1. Celestial Advice - Twilight Sparkle agonizes over Starlight Glimmer's future and receives some much-needed advice from her very own mentor – Princess Celestia.
2. All Bottled Up - While the Mane 6 are on a friendship retreat, Starlight Glimmer loses Twilight Sparkle's friendship map. Afraid her anger might get out of control, Starlight Glimmer casts a calming spell while the ponies search for the lost map.
3. A Flurry of Emotions - After planning a jam-packed day, Twilight Sparkle also agrees to babysit her niece, Flurry Heart. But with Flurry Heart along for the ride, Twilight Sparkle struggles to maintain her title as 'The Best Aunt Ever' while keeping Flurry Heart out of trouble!
4. Rock Solid Friendship - When Pinkie Pie learns that Maud might move to Ponyville, she does everything she can to make sure her sister sees that it has more to offer than just rocks.
5. Fluttershy Leans In - Fluttershy is determined to make her career dreams come true with the help of some very special ponies. But when her true vision is not being executed properly, she must find a way to stand up and fight for her ideas.
6. Forever Filly - When Rarity surprises Sweetie Belle with a special day together filled with all of her favorite activities, she quickly learns that her little sister is no longer the little foal she used to be.
7. Parental Glideance - When Rainbow Dash's parents discover she's a Wonderbolt, they show up at every event to cheer her on. However, their unabashed enthusiasm proves to be rather embarrassing and pushes Rainbow Dash to the brink.
8. Hard to Say Anything - When the Cutie Mark Crusaders discover that Big Mac has his first crush, they vow to help him win Sugar Belle's heart before Feather Bangs does it first.

I only watch when it comes on in the USA... Just checking wikipedia, it seems that I may actually be caught up. I could've sworn my DVR indicated "Parental Glideance" was episode 7 and "Hard to say anything" was episode 9 with one episode missing (8), but it seems I probably misread the 8 as a 9...

Yeah, it's one of those weird things where the production order doesn't match the broadcast order. I don't believe the actual episode 8 has been revealed even in Canadian episode lists yet.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Season 8 confirmed and I'm still not even close to having catched up.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Just finished watching Mirror Magic with subs. Thankfully, it's more on par with Dance Magic than Movie Magic in terms of quality-

Spoiler

so long as you're able to get past the fact that Starlight is ultimately the one who saves everyone.

By and large, I enjoyed Sunset's interactions with Starlight in this short and I think this is the best example of characterization we get out of Sunset in these shorts, with her spending a good chunk of the short worrying over the magic that's appearing in the human world and why her and the HuMane 6 have all gotten those new powers in LoE. Essentially Sunset knows nothing is happening right now, but she's worried about what's to come.

There's also some good humor with Sunset having to get used to being a pony again and also some brief moments with Starlight adjusting to being a human (though tragically she doesn't have the shriek of terror that we got from Princess Twilight in the first EQG film).

Honestly, the weakest part of the short is Juniper Montage. She's a pretty meh antagonist and her redemption arc feels old, especially since we've all seen this Song & Dance before with Sunset, SciTwi and Starlight in previous EQG films and in FiM in general.

 

[Ogodei]

The ship i preferred was Mac x Marble Pie, which is why i'm kind of miffed that Sugar Belle comes in out of nowhere.

 

[ShinySylvee]

Sounds like I disliked the episode more then Forester lol. As usual I'll do a more detailed post on Mirror Magic later (much later) but for now all I'll say that the villain might just be the worst villain they've ever had on the show. Also not sure how I fully feel about Starlight's portrayal but I will say that she might even not be in the top 5 problems with the episode. There was potential for something really good here but for some reason they gave this episode to Polsky and some new writer and on top of that they only had 22 minutes to work with. There were some actually good moments which certainly puts it above Movie Magic but there's a lot of really glaring problems that make me focus more on what could have been then what we got. I'm sure by the time I actually have time to write out my analysis of it I'll be saying that it's not THAT bad since there were a good chunk of things I actually liked quite a bit.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Sounds like I disliked the episode more then Forester lol. As usual I'll do a more detailed post on Mirror Magic later (much later) but for now all I'll say that the villain might just be the worst villain they've ever had on the show. Also not sure how I fully feel about Starlight's portrayal but I will say that she might even not be in the top 5 problems with the episode. There was potential for something really good here but for some reason they gave this episode to Polsky and some new writer and on top of that they only had 22 minutes to work with. There were some actually good moments which certainly puts it above Movie Magic but there's a lot of really glaring problems that make me focus more on what could have been then what we got. I'm sure by the time I actually have time to write out my analysis of it I'll be saying that it's not THAT bad since there were a good chunk of things I actually liked quite a bit.

I have to agree with this, at the very least.

Sounds like I liked it more than you did overall, but then I've only seen it the one time so far.

 

[SigmasonicX]

The ship i preferred was Mac x Marble Pie, which is why i'm kind of miffed that Sugar Belle comes in out of nowhere.

I have a theory about that, actually. I think they really did intend for Big Mac and Marble to be a couple, but when "Hearthbreakers" came out, a lot of people were confused about whether the Apples and Pies were actually cousins or not. It's their own fault, really, for playing up the cousin aspect so much in dialogue without clearly pointing out that they aren't actually that closely related even if there is a shared ancestor. Eventually, they decided that it wasn't worth the confusion and paired Big Mac with someone else.

On the subject

Creator's description: Leave an unfinished pie, you ...die.

 

[UberTag]

Mirror Magic

Spoiler

Juniper Montage makes vintage Trixie (back in her nefarious villain days with Snips & Snails) look like a rocket scientist by comparison. Of course, we've seen this exact plot involving Trixie in Season 3's Magic Duel (this episode's FiM corollary) so it's a natural comparison to make.

That said, I get the impression that I wound up enjoying this more than just about everyone here simply due to how this lofty premise managed to get pulled off without too many hitches.

Sunset's characterization was given some depth which naturally followed her progress in Legend of Everfree as the over-protective magic pony in a human world who is understandably worried about the continued influence of magic in a realm that's normally devoid of it. She's the only regular in this cast capable of playing this role because everyone else is a human being first.

This uniqueness was further highlighted by her return to Equestria, her meeting with Starlight Glimmer and being presented with an opportunity to bring somepony back with her to the human world that would be able to approach these challenges from a shared perspective. Starlight being curious about the opportunity to tag along felt natural (although let's face it - Twilight MUST have assumed this outcome was a possibility leaving her alone to play messenger) and the set up of having her as the only person capable of saving the day made sense. That and being able to reason with Juniper having gone through a similar experience herself.

Now that said, would all of this have benefited from being a two-parter? Of course. We were robbed of being able to appreciate a number of moments that should have been treated like a bigger deal (Sunset returning to Equestria, interacting with Starlight, Starlight going to Dougverse) and just about any possible tension of this situation was lacking due to time constraints and Juniper's undeniable vanity and overall ineffectiveness.

Approaching this episode on the terms that I went in expecting these challenges, I was even able to enjoy Pinkie Pie's zany antics in hammerspace mirrorspace and I haven't enjoyed much of her in either show of late. And one other positive I'll take away is that if this ever does transition into a full-length series I think adopting a storytelling approach that has more of a rigid focus on continuity (like a serial) would be a great way to help distinguish it from Friendship is Magic and its slice of life one-off episodes.

One last observation... it probably doesn't help that we only went 8 days total between Starlight Glimmer helping Princess Celestia and Princess Luna work through their communication barriers via her Cutie Map mission to her saving the entire Equestia Girls cast. It only adds fuel to the fire of folks like DrForester who consider her to be an infallible tool of the writing staff even though I saw plenty of faults and lapses from Starlight in both episodes. In other words, I think Starlight was handled fine but the proximity of these two episodes and the significance of her impact within them only helps to encourage the perception that she's a Mary Sue trope being paraded around a little too liberally. I still love her, though.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Mirror Magic

Spoiler

Juniper Montage makes vintage Trixie (back in her nefarious villain days with Snips & Snails) look like a rocket science by comparison. Of course, we've seen this exact plot involving Trixie in Season 3's Magic Duel (this episode's FiM corollary) so it's a natural comparison to make.

That said, I get the impression that I wound up enjoying this more than just about everyone here simply due to how this lofty premise managed to get pulled off without too many hitches.

Sunset's characterization was given some depth which naturally followed her progress in Legend of Everfree as the over-protective magic pony in a human world who is understandably worried about the continued influence of magic in a realm that's normally devoid of it. She's the only regular in this cast capable of playing this role because everyone else is a human being first.

This uniqueness was further highlighted by her return to Equestria, her meeting with Starlight Glimmer and being presented with an opportunity to bring somepony back with her to the human world that would be able to approach these challenges from a shared perspective. Starlight being curious about the opportunity to tag along felt natural (although let's face it - Twilight MUST have assumed this outcome was a possibility leaving her alone to play messenger) and the set up of having her as the only person capable of saving the day made sense. That and being able to reason with Juniper having gone through a similar experience herself.

Now that said, would all of this have benefited from being a two-parter? Of course. We were robbed of being able to appreciate a number of moments that should have been treated like a bigger deal (Sunset returning to Equestria, interacting with Starlight, Starlight going to Dougverse) and just about any possible tension of this situation was lacking due to time constraints and Juniper's undeniable vanity and overall ineffectiveness.

Approaching this episode on the terms that I went in expecting these challenges, I was even able to enjoy Pinkie Pie's zany antics in hammerspace mirrorspace and I haven't enjoyed much of her in either show of late. And one other positive I'll take away is that if this ever does transition into a full-length series I think adopting a storytelling approach that has more of a rigid focus on continuity (like a serial) would be a great way to help distinguish it from Friendship is Magic and its slice of life one-off episodes.

One last observation... it probably doesn't help that we only went 8 days total between Starlight Glimmer helping Princess Celestia and Luna work through their communication barriers via her Cutie Map mission to her saving the entire Equestia Girls cast. It only adds fuel to the fire of folks like DrForester who consider her to be an infallible tool of the writing staff even though I saw plenty of faults and lapses from Starlight in both episodes. In other words, I think Starlight was handled fine but the proximity of these two episodes and the significance of her impact within them only helps to encourage the perception that she's a Mary Sue trope being paraded around a little too liberally. I still love her, though.

I'm completely with you on this one.

Spoiler

I especially agree with your suggestion about making a potential EQG shot more of an ongoing serial with its narrative, to help differentiate it from the main MLP show.

And I think it seems like that'd probably be the route they go with if this does become a full-time show, given how Mirror Magic calls back to both Dance Magic and Movie Magic narratively and how the HuMane 7's magic crystals from Camp Everfree seemed to have some sort of mystery lore to them, given how the Mirror's hold over Juniper Montage became more pronounced and "magic-fied" her in the short's climax once Sunset got captured in the mirror too.

And that's not even going into Sunset's little character arc in the short too. Whether it be another movie, more shorts or a full-on show, it's pretty clear that Hasbro has something planned for EQG moving forward.

As a final note, I definitely agree with you on Starlight. She's really not a problem in this short, but if you're someone who's inclined to dislike her like Dr. Forester, seeing Mirror Magic just a week after seeing an episode like A Royal Problem is only going to throw more fuel to the fire of how "Starlight is a Mary Sue." I will say though, seeing as how Sunset pointed out that she hasn't seen Starlight's counterpart in the Human World yet, I bet we're gonna end up seeing Human Sunset and Human Starlight pop up in the future at some point.

 

[DemWalls]

I haven't seen the previous shorts, but given its premise I couldn't resist watching Movie Magic.

Spoiler

Stalight is as awesome as ever, few hours in the human world and she's already capable of backflipping like a professional traceur.

 

[ShinySylvee]

I haven't seen the previous shorts, but given its premise I couldn't resist watching Movie Magic.

Spoiler

Stalight is as awesome as ever, few hours in the human world and she's already capable of backflipping like a professional traceur.

Think you might be referring to Mirror Magic there. Movie magic is the Daring Do episode

 

[DemWalls]

Think you might be referring to Mirror Magic there. Movie magic is the Daring Do episode

Indeed. Freudian slip

 

[UberTag]

I am curious about something given Mirror Magic's official planned airdate (July 8th) and its role in Season 7's FiM continuity.

Spoiler

Was Starlight holding fort at Twilight's castle with her away on urgent friendship business intended to imply this was during her trip to Yakyakistan at Pinkie's request? With Twilight giving her permission to hang around Dougverse a while longer, perhaps we should expect Starlight to be MIA for the next few episodes starting with Discordant Harmony instead of keeping up her recent string of recurring appearances.

(Not that this will be any different from Season 6 where they habitually ignored her outside of her bucket episodes. Hopefully Starlight can help reform Dougverse Trixie before she returns.)

 

[SigmasonicX]

I am curious about something given Mirror Magic's official planned airdate (July 8th) and its role in Season 7's FiM continuity.

Spoiler

Was Starlight holding fort at Twilight's castle with her away on urgent friendship business intended to imply this was during her trip to Yakyakistan at Pinkie's request? With Twilight giving her permission to hang around Dougverse a while longer, perhaps we should expect Starlight to be MIA for the next few episodes starting with Discordant Harmony instead of keeping up her recent string of recurring appearances.

(Not that this will be any different from Season 6 where they habitually ignored her outside of her bucket episodes. Hopefully Starlight can help reform Dougverse Trixie before she returns.)

Related to that, it occurs to me that the tie in between the comic and season is even stronger than I thought. I pointed out before that the preview for Friendship is Magic #54 was meant to come out right before "Fluttershy Leans In" aired, and that the preview for #55 should come out around the time "Not Asking for Trouble", the episode it ties into, airs in the US. I thought it was odd that the "NAFT" tie in would be a two parter, but perhaps that was meant to account for the hiatus! And the August release of #57, which ties into "Discordant Harmony", seems to be closer to that episode's airing than I thought it would be... I hope that doesn't mean the US hiatus lasts until August.

Speaking of which, I looked at the OP and realized that the Equestria Girls specials were announced to go on Netflix before Discovery Family. I don't recall seeing them in Netflix's June releases, so I guess that's not happening.

EDIT:

Source

 

[Chained Prometheus]

I am curious about something given Mirror Magic's official planned airdate (July 8th) and its role in Season 7's FiM continuity.

Spoiler

Was Starlight holding fort at Twilight's castle with her away on urgent friendship business intended to imply this was during her trip to Yakyakistan at Pinkie's request? With Twilight giving her permission to hang around Dougverse a while longer, perhaps we should expect Starlight to be MIA for the next few episodes starting with Discordant Harmony instead of keeping up her recent string of recurring appearances.

(Not that this will be any different from Season 6 where they habitually ignored her outside of her bucket episodes. Hopefully Starlight can help reform Dougverse Trixie before she returns.)

Spoiler

The common guess I've seen is that it might be taking place during either the Season 7 finale or perhaps during the upcoming MLP movie itself, seeing as how EQG entries tend to be set shortly after the most recent season's finale (i.e. Rainbow Rocks briefly showing Twilight at her then-new castle post S4 and getting the diary via a bunch of books being shipped to her and her cameo at the post-credits scene in Friendship Games referring to her time travel fight with Starlight in the S5 finale).

 

[UberTag]

What Mirror Magic tells me about theoretical FiM future storylines...

Spoiler

Sunset Shimmer is clearly in play to join a Mane 6 equivalent led by Starlight Glimmer. There's been speculation of her indirectly building her own crew via her connections to Trixie and Maud and this clearly continues that trend as she solidifies her friendship posse. Sunset is in constant communication with Twilight in Equestria and, presumably, she would be in contact with Starlight as well via her newly received inter-dimensional journal and is able to be summoned back home should the need arise.

Now you might think that three unicorns is a little much but I'm also rolling with the assumption that, given her established magical potential and the clear affinity towards her from the writing staff, that Starlight Glimmer has alicorn duties in her future.

Who are the leading pegasi candidates for her squad? Will it be the obvious choice in Lightning Dust? Or is this Derpy's time to shine?

 

[Chained Prometheus]

What Mirror Magic tells me about theoretical FiM future storylines...

Spoiler

Sunset Shimmer is clearly in play to join a Mane 6 equivalent led by Starlight Glimmer. There's been speculation of her indirectly building her own crew via her connections to Trixie and Maud and this clearly continues that trend as she solidifies her friendship posse. Sunset is in constant communication with Twilight in Equestria and, presumably, she would be in contact with Starlight as well via her newly received inter-dimensional journal and is able to be summoned back home should the need arise.

Now you might think that three unicorns is a little much but I'm also rolling with the assumption that, given her established magical potential and the clear affinity towards her from the writing staff, that Starlight Glimmer has alicorn duties in her future.

Who are the leading pegasi candidates for her squad? Will it be the obvious choice in Lightning Dust? Or is this Derpy's time to shine?

That's a very interesting thought.

Spoiler

Personally, I was figuring that Sunset was being shaped up to act as the team leader for the HuMane 7 in the EQG series.

That said, seeing as how Sunset is from Equestria and we know there's bound to be a human counterpart elsewhere in that world, I can definitely see the writers potentially having her go home and introduce her human counterpart into the EQG series.

As for pegasi and earth ponies joining Starlight's own Mane 6, I think Sugar Belle is likely to join the team. Especially now that she's dating Big Mac.

 

[UberTag]

Spoiler

As for pegasi and earth ponies joining Starlight's own Mane 6, I think Sugar Belle is likely to join the team. Especially now that she's dating Big Mac.

Spoiler

I would agree with you on this except for one small little detail. As per the decidedly lewd muzzle nuzzling scene above, Sugar Belle is a unicorn as well.

Of course, that doesn't mean she can't have a role on such a team either taking the place of Trixie or Sunset Shimmer. Or we could also be looking at an all-unicorn team which would rule out Maud and open up the door for the possible inclusion of Moon Dancer, Sunburst and others.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Spoiler

I would agree with you on this except for one small little detail. As per the decidedly lewd muzzle nuzzling scene above, Sugar Belle is a unicorn as well.

Of course, that doesn't mean she can't have a role on such a team either taking the place of Trixie or Sunset Shimmer. Or we could also be looking at an all-unicorn team which would rule out Maud and open up the door for the possible inclusion of Moon Dancer, Sunburst and others.

Spoiler

Oh wow, I completely forgot about that. Huh.

In any case, it might be that they just throw out the rulebook on the team having to be comprised of two unicorns, two pegasi and two earth ponies and base the team on personalities instead and have an odd number of however many type of ponies for the group.

EDIT: I definitely think Maud is going to be onboard for the potential team led by Starlight.

 

[UberTag]

Spoiler

In any case, it might be that they just throw out the rulebook on the team having to be comprised of two unicorns, two pegasi and two earth ponies and base the team on personalities instead and have an odd number of however many type of ponies for the group.

EDIT: I definitely think Maud is going to be onboard for the potential team led by Starlight.

Spoiler

Oh I definitely think that rulebook's already been tweaked given that the existing Mane 6 consists of one alicorn, one unicorn, two pegasi and two earth ponies. Main reason I don't have a problem with three unicorns in play assuming Starlight is destined for alicorn duty. Means the remaining 3 would consist of one earth pony and two pegasi... or two earth ponies and 1 pegasi. Only having one pegasi would actually make a lot of sense, IMO just as a counterbalance. I'm definitely with you on Maud being part of the team. Boulder would be an honorary member as well.

I do like your idea of considering ponies from Starlight's village as candidates for the team given they have a pre-existing relationship with her. Although she's been a non-entity since her debut in The Cutie Map two-parter, Night Glider would be another candidate as a potential pegasi. Seeing how Rebecca Shoichet voices Sunset Shimmer, Sugar Belle AND Night Glider, odds are good that at least one of her characters would make the cut.

 

[DrForester]

Sounds like I disliked the episode more then Forester lol. As usual I'll do a more detailed post on Mirror Magic later (much later) but for now all I'll say that the villain might just be the worst villain they've ever had on the show. Also not sure how I fully feel about Starlight's portrayal but I will say that she might even not be in the top 5 problems with the episode. There was potential for something really good here but for some reason they gave this episode to Polsky and some new writer and on top of that they only had 22 minutes to work with. There were some actually good moments which certainly puts it above Movie Magic but there's a lot of really glaring problems that make me focus more on what could have been then what we got. I'm sure by the time I actually have time to write out my analysis of it I'll be saying that it's not THAT bad since there were a good chunk of things I actually liked quite a bit.

With this EQG special, I think the first half is pretty great. Unlike Royal Problem were my issues with the episode were less centralized. I think it's easier for me to look at a pretty excellent first half and just ignore the 2nd half.

Spoiler

Once the Mane 6 get captured, and especially once Sunset gets captured, the thing just goes to crap for me.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Spoiler

Oh I definitely think that rulebook's already been tweaked given that the existing Mane 6 consists of one alicorn, one unicorn, two pegasi and two earth ponies. Main reason I don't have a problem with three unicorns in play assuming Starlight is destined for alicorn duty. Means the remaining 3 would consist of one earth pony and two pegasi... or two earth ponies and 1 pegasi. Only having one pegasi would actually make a lot of sense, IMO just as a counterbalance. I'm definitely with you on Maud being part of the team. Boulder would be an honorary member as well.

I do like your idea of considering ponies from Starlight's village as candidates for the team given they have a pre-existing relationship with her. Although she's been a non-entity since her debut in The Cutie Map two-parter, Night Glider would be another candidate as a potential pegasi. Seeing how Rebecca Shoichet voices Sunset Shimmer, Sugar Belle AND Night Glider, odds are good that at least one of her characters would make the cut.

Spoiler

Good point there.

As for Starlight becoming an alicorn... I can definitely see it being a possibility, but I'm not entirely sure if the show will go in that direction again or not.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if Sunset will go back to Equestria permanently, especially seeing as how her character arc in Mirror Magic revolved around her pondering and worrying over why she was given her magical powers and what potential threat is waiting around the corner for her and the others in whatever is next for the EQG series. However I could potentially see that changing down the road.

With this EQG special, I think the first half is pretty great. Unlike Royal Problem were my issues with the episode were less centralized. I think it's easier for me to look at a pretty excellent first half and just ignore the 2nd half.

Spoiler

Once the Mane 6 get captured, and especially once Sunset gets captured, the thing just goes to crap for me.

Spoiler

Yeah, I was worried about how the short would handle the whole "Sunset gets captured too" angle, because I had been hoping it'd be Sunset and Starlight teaming together to save the others.

However I think it ended up working fine overall and I get the feeling that Sunset had to get caught too so that scene in the Mirror Realm could happen. That all felt like it was foreshadowing that the HuMane 7's magic crystals are a double-edged sword of some sort, in that while it gives them their powers, it also runs the risk of also augmenting other Equestrian magic they're bound to run into whatever future adventures are in store for the EQG series.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Is Starlight MLP's version of Roman Reigns now? LOL

At least she doesn't seem as terrible.

 

[Fat4all]

Is Starlight MLP's version of Roman Reigns now? LOL

At least she doesn't seem as terrible.

We gotta push her for SUMMERSLAM

 

[ShinySylvee]

Is Starlight MLP's version of Roman Reigns now? LOL

At least she doesn't seem as terrible.

Bro if Starlight is not shit Roman Reigns then who is John Cena?

Starting my post for Mirror Magic. If there's no other posts I'll just edit it on to this one

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Eh, I personally enjoy Starlight.

That being said,

Spoiler

that particular formula of the character arc she's shared with Sunset and SciTwi was definitely worn out as hell when it came to Juniper Montage.

 

[Fat4all]

Bro if Starlight is not shit Roman Reigns then who is John Cena?

Starting my post for Mirror Magic. If there's no other posts I'll just edit it on to this one

Twilight Sparkle is John Cena. Everyone wants to hate her for always winning in the end, but they respect the work she puts into the game.

Spike is X-Pac

 

[DrForester]

Is Starlight MLP's version of Roman Reigns now? LOL

At least she doesn't seem as terrible.

Starlight is basically MLP's Wesley Crusher.

Sometimes she's S1 Wesley. Pretty much a Mary Sue that has to save everyone and as a result, makes the others look bad, and is just annoying.


Sometimes she's S3, red-shirt Wesley. A gifted, but grounded member of the crew that helps out. A team member, not the Uber Wunderkind,

 

[Fat4all]

Make sure to buy your "I Love Applejack" shirts from Hasbro's website!

Make sure to buy your "I Hate Applejack" shirts from Hasbro's website!

Starlight is basically MLP's Wesley Crusher.

Sometimes she's S1 Wesley. Pretty much a Mary Sue that has to save everyone and as a result, makes the others look bad, and is just annoying.


Sometimes she's S3, red-shirt Wesley. A gifted, but grounded member of the crew that helps out. A team member, not the Uber Wunderkind,

I can't wait for the weird alien-dimension guys to come take her away.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Bro if Starlight is not shit Roman Reigns then who is John Cena?

Starting my post for Mirror Magic. If there's no other posts I'll just edit it on to this one

I would say Twlight tbh

Starlight is basically MLP's Wesley Crusher.

Sometimes she's S1 Wesley. Pretty much a Mary Sue that has to save everyone and as a result, makes the others look bad, and is just annoying.


Sometimes she's S3, red-shirt Wesley. A gifted, but grounded member of the crew that helps out. A team member, not the Uber Wunderkind,

I should really watch Star Trek one of these days but i'm not sure if to start from the very beginning or enterprise. Plus free time is hard to come by right now.

 

[DrForester]

I would say Twlight tbh



I should really watch Star Trek one of these days but i'm not sure if to start from the very beginning or enterprise. Plus free time is hard to come by right now.

Start with TNG. Don't start with Enterprise, there's no reason to watch the franchise chronologically.

 

[ShinySylvee]

This was definitely the upcoming EQG episode that people were looking forward to the most. It features a bunch of stuff that a lot of people were excited for: Sunset returning to Equestria, Starlight and Sunset meeting, and Starlight going to Dougworld, on top of a pretty high-stakes conflict featuring a new villain we haven't heard of before. Which is why it's bewildering that they passed it off to show newcomer Rachel Vine (Who has written 1-3 episodes for Dawn of The Croods, Wander over Yonder, and Rainbow Brite) and fairly mediocre veteran David Polsky. Polsky traditionally has done fairly silly episodes which I've generally not hated but never really been a fan of, but he has made some legitimately great episodes that tackled more emotional subject matter in Rarity Takes Manehattan and For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils (or maybe he's just good at writing Rarity, that is also a possibility) so although he's no Meriwether Williams he's definitely a step down from McCarthy, Larson, Rogers, Lewis and Songco, Vogel, and Confalone, who I consider to be the top tier of writing talent the show has had over the years. On top of Polsky and the newcomer taking on a fairly ambitious story they have to tackle it in only 22 minutes. Everyone is saying it but it totally should have been a two-parter, although to be honest I don't think that it being only one episode hurts from the quality of the episode, just that a lot of things that could have made it better were forced to be omitted due to time. Overall there's some hits and misses here, but if you're willing to overlook one, arguably two MAJOR issues that that episode has then there's some good stuff here to enjoy and I think you'll walk out satisfied. But man those issues are colossal and at least for me significantly hamper my overall view of the episode.

Spoiler

I'll get the big problem I have with the episode out of the way right now: Juniper Montage might be my most hated MLP character ever, and she's certainly the worst villain. Sure crystal guy was kinda lame and only talked about crystals, and Sunset was a generic high school bully with no thought put into having that make any remote amount of sense for the overall storyline of the show, but neither of them could bother me enough to actively hate them. Juniper kills every single scene she's in for pretty much the entire episode. Where to even start with what's wrong with her? As I said in Movie Magic, her main plan makes no sense at all and isn't remotely grounded in reality. She's shown 0 acting skills and all of the sudden she thinks she's capable of playing the lead role in a major blockbuster movie because she likes the brand and is a niece of the director? I was hoping that maybe she actually was qualified for the job and wasn't just being unreasonable but they doubled down on that here, and then doubled down again. She doesn't have any clue what's she's doing the entire episode and is never shown off to be an actual threat. It's hard to be fearful of her because she's mainly just a pathetic and generally awful person. Roughly the first half of the episode she spends the whole time slacking off at her job and trying to come up with excuses for not doing it. She comes off as an extremely lazy person that thinks that she deserves good things to happen to her without putting any actual work into it. And her obsessing over becoming famous comes off as extremely vain and doesn't endear me towards her character at all. Also as Rainbow points out literally all of her problems in her life are entirely self-inflicted so it's hard to feel bad for her when they try to pull out the sympathy card.

To compare her to another that I think did a similar job WAY better, Starlight at least when you stripped away the fact that she was a sociopath that later became hell-bent on revenge was at least trying to do the right thing for everyone and came off as being incredibly competent when you consider that her competition for villains are almost always extremely powerful demigods. Additionally she's presented as a legitimate threat to the protagonists because she's intelligent and most of her plans are actually make a lot of sense, on top of being pretty good at magic. As opposed to it being because she stumbled upon some super powerful magical artifact that drastically inflates her power level so she can be presented as a credible threat. Juniper is a complete bozo that's too busy obsessing over herself to do anything threatening, and mainly just accidentally stumbles into being a problem because she found the mirror.

On top of just being generally shit she is a completely unnecessary character that does nothing to justify her existence. A lot of people complain when Starlight got reformed and at the prospect of Chrysalis eventually getting reformed citing that too many reformations already happen in the show, but I feel like those are entirely justified because they feel like fitting parts (not conclusions) of their character arcs and I personally think that Starlight has more then justified being reformed. The main problem is that too often in the show characters get reformed because they want to have a happy ending, or because reforming a bad guy is an accomplishment for the person that reformed them. The problem with the show and reformations isn't that they're doing it at all, it's all of the unnecessary ones that were done for reasons other then because it made sense for the character to do that. (Sunset was probably the major culprit to the point where they had to create an entirely different personality for her because nothing from her old self was salvageable. But I feel like Diamond Tiara is another one that didn't need to happen, and to a degree Discord as well) Why did they even feel like Juniper needed to exist? As they point out in this episode they've already got 2 ex-villains in the core group of 7, even more if you count the Shadowbolts and Starlight if she makes another appearance. Starlight at least was fairly unique in being an ex-villain in the main show and I feel was partially created so they could sort of have her be the old Twilight that doesn't exist anymore. Juniper doesn't fill any niche, and her story itself is so overdone (especially in EQG) that it doesn't come off as a surprise. Her character itself is so horribly unlikable that I don't really care what happens to her next. And they already have 7 main characters, they don't need her.

And since I'm on a bit of a mean streak, dafaq was that moral? Makes sense that Polsky was writing this because "don't think about planning ahead for stuff and assume everything will work out fine" is almost as bad as "there's stuff in the world that won't make sense for you so don't bother trying to make any sense of it and just accept it as true."

On to some other stuff that I did like, I felt like most of the scenes in this episode that didn't have to do with the moral, weren't part of the climax, and didn't have Juniper in them were really good. Granted that's a massive chunk of the episode that I'm excluding here but I thought up until Sunset gets sent into the mirror world things were pretty good when Juniper wasn't destroying all of my enjoyment of the episode. It's a bit weird that Sunset doesn't know how to pony given that she went back to Equestria a couple years ago and know how to walk on all fours and use teleportation magic then. And Starlight first showing up in Dougworld was pretty good too. I just wish that there was more of these scenes. Starlight is for the most part pretty good and Sunset shows a lot more vulnerability as well, which is nice since Legend of Everfree was displaying her as being a paragon of friendship that always knew the right thing to do. She's still firmly the "responsible" one but at least we're seeing how that role is affecting her emotionally which gives her a bit more depth. Still skeptical as to whether or not that alone will be enough to make her character interesting but at least in this episode she was pretty good.

Back to the bad, the climax is hot garbage. Apparently if you put the 7 magical elements in a mirror world together it makes the person outside of it super big and evil, and if anyone else besides the person that first picks up the mirror tries to use it the thing doesn't work despite it showing no indication of that being the case up until that point. Alright makes perfect sense to me. (Insert fluttershytwokeks.jpg here) Also all Starlight has to do is say the f word and Juniper instantly backs off and lets the mane 7 out of the mirror. The whole climax is just a total disaster and gives me zero investment in it. Frankly the thing has so many problems with it that that lack of agency from the mane 7 is, as I said before, not even in the top 5 things wrong with it I would say regardless of how you feel about Starlight.

Overall your enjoyment of the episode I think is going to be entirely dependent on how easily you can look past Juniper and the second half of the episode. There's a couple of legitimately great scenes in the first half, but due to the fact that this episode is a one-parter there's just not enough of them and the awful villain and Climax ruin everything else for me. When the clips are eventually uploaded in English on to youtube I'll definitely have fun rewatching Starlight and Sunset meeting, as well as when the Mane 6 first get trapped in the mirror world, but for watching the whole episode the bad stuff outweights the good overall for me. It's certainly more interesting then Movie Magic but I think it's closer to that episode in terms of quality then Dance Magic. (Although I'm biased since I LOVED that episode)

 

[SigmasonicX]

It is weird how everyone forgets that Sugar Belle and Party Favor are both unicorns (one spoiler post misremembered Sugar as an earth pony). I think a big part of it is that both have roles typically given to earth ponies (baker and party pony), and both have poofy hair that can distract from their horns.

Anyway, "Hard to Say Anything" follow up. Note that I'm excluding stuff I posted earlier.

PREVIOUS EPISODE
One thing for "Forever Filly".
Pointy Ponies - Forever Filly - Derpibooru users are surprisingly bad about uploading these on time. The artist's blog has GIFs for every US episode, but Derpibooru only goes up to here. So, other Pointy Ponies embeds in this post are from the blog.

Still a ton of stuff for "Parental Glideance".

Scootaloo
Scootaface
In another AU

Family
Family Photo
Supportive Embarrassment

Good morning, sweetheart
Windy Whistles

Number One Cake
Pointy Ponies - Parental Glideance

Comic
Follow Up - Parental Glideance

NOTES
This isn't about the episode itself, per say, but rather Beauty and the Beast. Earlier in this thread, the term "Blondettes" was used for the three blondes that follow Gaston around in the movie, but the more common term for them is actually "Bimbettes", including in this Wikia. This is the term used in many of the fan art titles below.

Also worth pointing out, another ship from this episode.

Double Diamond forever alone.

SCREENCAPS
Charlie's Angels pose
Pretending to be apples (embedded)
Fairy tale drawing
Sleeping Sugar Belle
Big Mac face before kissing (embedded)
Sugar reacting to Big Mac's kiss (embedded)

Big Mac on apples with annoyed Sugar
Big Mac and Sugar's country outfits
Hug nuzzle
Feather heart
Feather at the beach
Flower boys - Wait, hold on, zoom in.
Feather making a body pillow pose!
eye <3 horseshoe (embedded)
Angry Sugar
Sugar has special eyes
Sugar is 200% mad - Edit of the above.
Big Mac vs. Feather with flowers
Pony pile
Super happy Sugar (embedded)

Shelves! God I love shelves! - Screenshot comic.
The CMC help Gaston - Screenshot comic.

GIFS
Arrr Apple Bloom
Big Mac is healed Legend of Zelda II style - Edited.
Accidental nose boop
Sugar Belle's reaction to the above
Pie turning
DJ scratchin' (embedded) - Edit of the above.
Big Mac brings a flower, sparkles everywhere
Feather Bang's epic hair flip - Edited, and tweeted by Vincent Tong!
Sugar Belle walk cycle
Sugar getting confused then smiling
Sugar's majestic landing (embedded)
Feather lifting up Sugar
Feather and Sugar spinning
Angry Sugar backing away from Feather
Sugar Belle sure likes that counter
The lewdest MLP scene, now with no mosaic!
Bimbettes giggling at Feather
Feather and CMC hair flip

Note that the first embed is an edit.

FAN CONTENT
A couple of things about my search for fan content for this episode.
* There are zero remixes of "Battle for Sugar Belle". I suppose it would be hard to make one, but still, a bit disappointing.
* A new ship brings out all the art! Even when the episode synopsis came out, high quality fan art was made, so there was a lot of art when the episode aired in Canada. And as a fan of Sugar Belle's design from back in "The Cutie Map", I'm happy to see a lot more art of her. Also more Feather Bangs art than I expected.
* Oddly enough, a lot of art was made on Thursday and Friday of this week in particular. Were people taken aback by the end of new Canadian episodes and thus decided to go back to draw art for this one? Only one of these is included here.
* One thing that surprised me was that there was a lot of art of Sugar pregnant, and from multiple artists. I thought it was a fetish, but they were all her sitting serenely or working at her store or something. I decided to look at the source blog for one of them, and if it wasn't a pregnancy fetish blog, I'd include it here. It was a pregnancy fetish blog.
* I wonder how the art made here compares to the art made when "Hearts and Hooves Day" first aired. I guess you guys will find out tomorrow in the Community thread!

Sugar Belle
Sugar Belle
Sugar Belle's Peaceful Place - Made a week ago.
Quiet place - Made two weeks ago.

Big Mac and Sugar Belle
Word through Apples
First Love
Apple Of My Eye - Made a week ago.

Big Mac and Sugar Belle - Made a week ago.
SugarMac - Made a week ago.
Sugar Belle and Big Mac Love - Made two weeks ago.

Apple of My Eye (by Dragonfoxgirl) - Made two weeks ago.
Synopsis reaction - Made two months ago!
Hard to Say Anything (by Spottedlions) - Also made two months ago!

)
Express Your Feelings - Made two weeks ago.

Pointy Ponies - Hard to Say Anything

Feather Bangs
What the hell was Feather Bangs and why was he so likable? - Made a week ago.
Feather Bangs - Total Horsebando! - Made on Friday.
gotta bang - Made a week ago.

The Hard Way - Made two weeks ago.
Feather and Sweetie

Bimbettes
Aahhh...
The Bimbettes Mares - Made two weeks ago.
Bimbettes - Though Feather is in front, including here due to the title.

Cheerilee
Forever Alone - Made two weeks ago.
And the Ship Came Tumbling Down

Other groupings
Hard to Say Anything Equestria Girls - Made two weeks ago.

Supportive Siblings - Made two weeks ago. Adding onto the image I posted for "Parental Glideance".
Again you - Made two weeks ago.
Reviewers vs. Vincent Tong - Besides the three ponies being voiced by Vincent Tong and ones fans love to hate, there appears to be an additional in-joke.

Comic
Let's Fighting Love - Luna reacts to the new ship.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Last thread, I posted about how two Equestria Girls songs were uploaded in Russian and low quality. I thought they were going to be in the specials, but I probably don't have to tell you that they weren't. So, not a huge shock, but a guy who went to the Licensing Expo says more Equestria Girls online shorts are coming.

EDIT: Looks like no new episodes in July on Discovery Family. I hope Canada doesn't show new episodes while the US is on break.

 

[SigmasonicX]

A thought occurs to me. I typically avoid livestreams due to low quality and the risk of parts of the episode being cut off by in-stream ads or bad connections, but we have a sort of unique opportunity in that we already have good quality versions of "upcoming" episodes available. So, is anyone interested in livestreaming tomorrow's episode for a PonyGAF group chat? Granted, I have no knowledge of how to do this myself, so even if we do decide to do this, it probably won't happen until next week. Plus, if it's just like three people, it might not be worth it, haha.

If it works out, this could also be a good way to have stuff to talk about during the break.

On another note, there's still "Parental Glideance" art coming in, so dumping it here.
Our Daughter's a Wonderbolt
Rainbow's Family
Mom and Daughter
Proud Parents

Comics
Origin - Depicts Rainbow's origins in multiple ways.
Her First Dash - Plays in a similar space to the above.

On that note, I'd also like some feedback about the roundup posts. Are some images too small? If you want to comment on something in particular in the post, are you getting dissuaded by how much stuff there is? Does anyone not actually like these posts?

EDIT: Pinkie Pie Says Goodnight: Twitchy Tail

 

[ShinySylvee]

A thought occurs to me. I typically avoid livestreams due to low quality and the risk of parts of the episode being cut off by in-stream ads or bad connections, but we have a sort of unique opportunity in that we already have good quality versions of "upcoming" episodes available. So, is anyone interested in livestreaming tomorrow's episode for a PonyGAF group chat? Granted, I have no knowledge of how to do this myself, so even if we do decide to do this, it probably won't happen until next week. Plus, if it's just like three people, it might not be worth it, haha.

If it works out, this could also be a good way to have stuff to talk about during the break.


On that note, I'd also like some feedback about the roundup posts. Are some images too small? If you want to comment on something in particular in the post, are you getting dissuaded by how much stuff there is? Does anyone not actually like these posts?

Livestreaming episodes when they actually air is not really super convenient for me since I'm usually sleeping when the episode initially airs. I would be interested in something like that if it was at a more convenient time though.

I usually don't read too much of your round up posts since I frequent EQD for news and I browse the MLP subreddit which usually posts all of the better art that gets made. As such most of the good stuff is things I've already seen before. But I'm assuming that the roundups are geared towards people that don't frequent EQD or other pony fan locations so I'm not really in the demographic that they're for.

 

[SigmasonicX]

(Phew, saved from a quadruple and possibly quintuple post)

Livestreaming episodes when they actually air is not really super convenient for me since I'm usually sleeping when the episode initially airs. I would be interested in something like that if it was at a more convenient time though.

Fair enough. Episode groupwatches might be better suited for the Sunday after, either for rewatching that week's episode or watching an older one, so a more convenient time could be set for those.

Where is everyone, anyway? I'm on the US west coast, so I use Pacific Time.

I usually don't read too much of your round up posts since I frequent EQD for news and I browse the MLP subreddit which usually posts all of the better art that gets made. As such most of the good stuff is things I've already seen before. But I'm assuming that the roundups are geared towards people that don't frequent EQD or other pony fan locations so I'm not really in the demographic that they're for.

I suppose the the roundups are more for people like me that enjoy going back through old discussions, so having all the good episode fanart in one place is convenient, since I don't even have to leave the thread. It also seems to be good for people that don't keep up to date. Plus, I'm not sure about Reddit, but ED has been particularly bad about posting episode art this season, so a lot of what I post isn't there.

That said, your lack of feedback actually did provide some feedback. I often mix in bits of commentary about the episode, but you likely aren't noticing them, so some rearranging is probably in order. I did think that having the Notes section after the Previous Episode section perhaps wasn't the best move.

Today's episode is:
In the US
9. Honest Apple (aired in Canada on May 14)
When Rarity asks Applejack to be a judge in a fashion show, Applejack learns that an opinion, however honest, can still be hurtful.

Episodes that can be discussed freely
1. Celestial Advice - Twilight Sparkle agonizes over Starlight Glimmer's future and receives some much-needed advice from her very own mentor &#8211; Princess Celestia.
2. All Bottled Up - While the Mane 6 are on a friendship retreat, Starlight Glimmer loses Twilight Sparkle's friendship map. Afraid her anger might get out of control, Starlight Glimmer casts a calming spell while the ponies search for the lost map.
3. A Flurry of Emotions - After planning a jam-packed day, Twilight Sparkle also agrees to babysit her niece, Flurry Heart. But with Flurry Heart along for the ride, Twilight Sparkle struggles to maintain her title as 'The Best Aunt Ever' while keeping Flurry Heart out of trouble!
4. Rock Solid Friendship - When Pinkie Pie learns that Maud might move to Ponyville, she does everything she can to make sure her sister sees that it has more to offer than just rocks.
5. Fluttershy Leans In - Fluttershy is determined to make her career dreams come true with the help of some very special ponies. But when her true vision is not being executed properly, she must find a way to stand up and fight for her ideas.
6. Forever Filly - When Rarity surprises Sweetie Belle with a special day together filled with all of her favorite activities, she quickly learns that her little sister is no longer the little foal she used to be.
7. Parental Glideance - When Rainbow Dash's parents discover she's a Wonderbolt, they show up at every event to cheer her on. However, their unabashed enthusiasm proves to be rather embarrassing and pushes Rainbow Dash to the brink.
8. Hard to Say Anything - When the Cutie Mark Crusaders discover that Big Mac has his first crush, they vow to help him win Sugar Belle's heart before Feather Bangs does it first.
And "Honest Apple" in a bit.

For those who would like something else to talk about, I'll post a discussion topic in Community in a bit.
EDIT: And here it is. The topic is, what are good first episode recommendations, provided that they must come from season 4 or beyond?

 

[UberTag]

Let's try this again...

Honest Apple

I had no idea having Rarity thrash metal on a guitar was something I needed in my life.
She's just chock full of hidden talents.

Yuuuuuup. Best part of the episode by far for me. lmao

I'd definitely be game to see Rarity metal things up again down the line, be it in MLP or in EQG.

Incidentally, this wasn't the first time we've seen Rarity instantly take to an instrument bestowed upon her by Pinkie Pie and thrash. This was somewhat of a callback to Rainbow Rocks.

 

[draetenth]

Bleh, didn't really like Honest Apple (other than the surprising Rarity guitar scene).

It may not be a bad episode, this episode managed to hit a cringe spot where I get uncomfortable watching so it was hard for me to focus on this episode.

In a rarity, I actually support AJ for once. I share her same views on fashion. TBH, I didn't really like how over the top they made AJ and how they made her the bad guy "given how hard everyone works" (dick move taking AJ to the strawberry lover to prove your point Rarity). You can think fashion is shitty and impractical, but acknowledge that hard work was put into it and people like it. AJ was right in that it was her opinion and she was brought on for her honesty. She could have done that without it making it seem like she was unappreciative of the work other put it...

 

[DrForester]

Today's episode is easily the worst of the season (no, I don't dislike Royal Problems enough to put it at the bottom).

AJ and Rarity are just totally out of character in this episode. AJ isn't tactless enough to just start destroying someone else's work. And Rarity isn't stupid enough to want AJ to judge a high-fashion competition. A more practical fashion show, sure, but not with competitors who think disco balls make for good fashion.


I did absolutely love the scene with Strawberry Sunshine though. That's some tactical precision truth bombs being dropped and wonder how long Rarity has been sitting on that bombshell.

 

[Chained Prometheus]

Yeah, the Rarity Shreds on the Guitar scene and the Truth Bombs via Strawberry Sunrise bit are the only moments in that episode that I personally enjoyed. Beyond that, it's a pretty weak episode.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Honest Apple
From the bits of commentary I saw when this aired in Canada, I think people were underselling how bad this episode was. It was terrible! Among the worst of the entire series!

One bizarre aspect was how the characters were all doing everything they could to fight the premise. When Rarity announced that Applejack would be a judge, no one thought it was a good idea, and no one bought her explanation. It should have been obvious from the moment Applejack first talked to the other judges that it wouldn't work out, but for no reason, Rarity persisted. It felt like Applejack was going so far precisely to show Rarity what a terrible idea it was, more than anything. I seriously don't understand what Rarity was thinking.

At first I thought the one most out of character was Rarity, but then Applejack went crazy with her criticisms. I do think that could actually have been salvaged if they framed the moral a bit differently. As is, Applejack didn't realize she was actually hurting anyone's feelings, but if it was instead about Applejack enjoying being brutally honest and knowing it hurt them but not actually realizing how much it meant to them, perhaps to work out frustrations at the farm, that could have been more of a learning moment and would have explained why she was going so far. Plus, she wouldn't have looked like such an idiot. A jerk, yes, but not an idiot.

I, of course, knew about the rocking out scene in advance: even without the image spoiler tags on mobile issue earlier, ED has a policy of not spoiler tagging images that don't obviously look like spoilers, so they kept on including art of Rarity with a guitar in Drawfriends, because a sudden surge in art of that after an episode airs surely wouldn't make someone think there's a link. They similarly included art of the contestants in Drawfriends and didn't put them in the OC section. Anyway, in a better episode, I possibly would have appreciated it more. Now Strawberry Sunshines, I didn't know about. That scene was great, but again, should have been in a better episode.

The thing is, there are aspects of the episode I like a lot. Rarity holding a contest to help new designers in Ponyville, pulling strings to get the eyes of famous ponies in the fashion industry? Great! Coco Pommel opening her own shop? Great! Though it is odd that Rarity didn't know about it. But then everything else had to warp around this story that obviously wasn't meant to be.

So yeah, terrible episode. Might even be worse than "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" for me.

 

[Fat4all]

"It was pretty good 8.5/10" - IGN