My body is ready. I kept myself spoiler free for this.

>>36794781
Though there weren't really any (significant) spoilers to begin with. All we got was a single ~40 second clip which just briefly discussed the conflict of the episode.

I guess this season Hasbro is really cautious about releasing teaser clips.

>>36794782
I thought we got a lullaby.

>>36794783
Yes...? What's your point?

Time for pony!

Well...that was a very fast transition.

In this episode, we learn that cutie marks are completely meaningless, so you can just say they're about whatever you want.

Did they just take that roll call joke from the comics?

HABER YU HACK U CAN'T EVEN WRITE UR OWN JOKES

>>36794786
501 cold open- season shaping table
504 cold open- Babs Seed killed Snips and took his Cutie Mark

What do we have now? Nightmares?

Wait, what?

How does that even work?

>>36794790
Well, one of the trading cards very strongly hinted Luna would be visiting Apple Bloom in her usual way

[URGE TO STRANGLE A COUPLE FILLIES INTENSIFIES]

Of course when you get a cutie mark you won't be friends with the CMC's anymore.

Remember poor old Twist...

>STILL showing commercials for an episode that aired 3 weeks ago

Another episode similar to an LPS episode?

Not sure if Luna or Starlight.

You've betrayed the family! Get out!

>Pinkie this time

Okay, that was kinda funny.

Aaaand the cards called it.

And why does Luna sound completely different?

Hah, a hand mixer! I didn't know those things still existed.

  Dan outta dan

Damn. That was pretty good. I really liked it, and I'm not really a sucker for Luna either. Nice dream sequences too, especially as they went on and became more obvious with the visuals.

So does Luna have a different VA or am I just imagining that because I haven't heard her speak in a year?

>>36794806
It's still Tabitha. Kind of feel like her Luna voice is slightly inching closer to sounding like her Pepper voice.

>>36794806

I think it's still Tabitha, but I also think she tried harder to differentiate her voice from Rarity's, since sometimes it sounded a bit like her in past episodes. I think it worked, and her "new voice" still sounds pretty solid imo.

Is... is it weird to say that I'm not the biggest fan of this episode? I don't think it's bad, per se, but... it's certainly weaker than the last two.

I gotta say, this is the first one in a while I haven't really liked. It all had a very gloomy and oppressive feel to it, and the nightmares themselves weren't very entertaining to watch on their own. It reminded me somewhat of A Christmas Carol, except instead of her nightmares teaching her a lesson, they were just really scary. The eventual moral that she shouldn't be scared about who she is, and that her friends are all probably scared of similar things was a good one, but overall the episode just fell flat for me.

I'd give it a 2/5 for not completely offending my senses.

That was seriously one of the best episodes to air in a very long time.

10/10

>pic
They're definitely getting them this season

>>36794807
It definitely sounded a lot different from what I remember. And...what I remember is mostly Luna Eclipsed. It sounds different than that.

>>36794808
Her LE voice already sounded different than Rarity.

>>36794812

Some of her lines in LE sounded really similar to Rarity though...the "Fine! Be that way!" near the beginning of her introduction to the town sounded no different than how Rarity could have said it to me. I just think Tabitha may have tried to change her voice a bit so the potential overlap would be lessened.

It was kind of neat that for the third episode in the trilogy of the CMC getting nightmares, it ends with all three meeting up in the dreamworld.

>>36794810

I'm glad I'm not alone. Maybe I'll like it more on rewatches, and it's certainly not bad like, say, Somepony to Watch Over Me, but... I dunno. Maybe going back over the story scene by scene will really help me to formulate my thoughts.

One thing that hasn't changed I feel is Josh Haber's propensity for safe/predictable writing.

>>36794815

Yeah, good point. Kind of nice to close out the CMC nightmare episodes that way.

And so the legend of Dərpy Fins was born.

>>36794815
>>36794817

I dunno, that has to be against some kind of dream laws. Very invasion of privacy like.

>>36794816

Well it sure was predictable. After the first couple of minutes, I could've written the bulk of the episode myself.

>What if these terrible things happen?!
>None of those terrible things will happen. Go to sleep.
>Those terrible things happen.

>>36794816
A lot of S1 episodes were "safe and predictable", doesn't make them bad.

I dunno, something about this episode just really has me happy. Dan outta dan.

Also, another episode to add to the list of "LPS episodes that are similar to FIM episodes".

>Super Sunil <--> Leap of Faith
>What, Meme Worry? <--> Green Isn't Your Color
>In The Loop <--> Bloom and Gloom

>>36794821
>>What, Meme Worry? <--> Green Isn't Your Color

LPS had an episode about memes?

>>36794822
Sadly, yes. Kinda annoyed me too. It was pretty much a poor man's version of GIYC.

>>36794820
I liked it.

I dunno about that rooster that laid an egg (pic). Seems like it should have tipped AB off that she wasn't operating IRL.

But-- isn't that where cockatrices come from? Rooster eggs?

The best S5 episode so far.

I guess that's the fun of being an individual. Sometimes your own tastes and opinions will stray from the general consensus. Kind of like how I am also lukewarm on Party of One or how I hate the show Bones.

I'm sad that I missed the live stream. I bet it was fun.

Man, the CMC VAs are clearly aging...

WE NEED TO GO DEEPER

BVWOOOOOOOOOOON

>>36794827

Well after the second run of things she already realized something was up, even if she didn't understand what.

>>36794829

I'd dispute that, as I feel the Premier was better. but yes, it was good.


I was quite surprised; I Generally HATE applebloom and her episodes. she's usually a terrible pony. But this one actually worked.

The atmosphere felt good, AJ was neat. and Applebloom's fears were shown in a good manner. Her feeling like crap because she got a cutie mark in being an exterminator was a very well done part of it, and Diamond tiara and Silver spoon were HORRIBLY in character (in a good way). They made me hate them in a way that good villains make me hate them.
I will admit, I was kind of expecting the Shadow to have been an actual villain or starlight glimmer being set up for later in the season (like an evil individual who starlight would get duped into working for), but it was still good as just her fears.

One thing I DIDN'T enjoy was the family part with Big mac talking; that just didn't feel right to me. I liked the "No non-apples allowed" joke (Its a classic that comics have been done about tons of times by now), but I feel Big mac doing all the speaking kind of made it feel off.



One thing I'm kind of wondering about is if this episode nixed AB being a potion maker or not since this was a dream with made up marks.
I rather like the idea of AB being an apothecary.


Also, sad to see that we probably Won't get an upcoming episode about Sweetie singing at a competition with Rarity as a judge. (Though that nepotism joke with Rarity giving Sweetie the sole 1 out of the bunch was INCREDIBLE XD).






On a random note, I honestly think its a bad idea to kick ponies out of being cutie mark crusaders once you get your mark; it would make sense to me for some pony who has already gone through getting their mark to act as a senior member in giving the younger members advice.





9/10

Well, this episode was ok-crappy-good.

The first third was pretty ok. Standard CMC stuff, with Apple Bloom worrying about her cutie mark, as well as some world-building with the shock bugs (if they're a real thing, that is). The old Bugpony was also rather entertaining as a character.

Of course, everything goes downhill the moment Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon show up. I was fucking scratching my table when they showed up, every single fucking line that those two cunts say makes me long for suicide, double homicide, or double homicide followed by suicide. I hate those bitches and I hope they join Well-to-Do in a Hydra's digestive tract.

It didn't help that the next two dreams were fairly predictable shit, just "OOOOH APPLE BLOOM IS SEEING HER FEARS COME TO LIFE" bullshit that I saw coming a mile away. Doesn't help that they had Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom act like Diacunt Tiara and Silver Spoo, Like, thanks, it's been, what, two minutes of reprieve? Thanks for further sapping away my will to live.

Fortunately, the last third brings the episode right back around, with some good gag humor (Pinkie as a rooster, and Apple Bloom's Apple Bloom cutie mark winking at her) followed by a pretty cute conclusion, It's always nice seeing Luna again.

Though I don't fully understand AppleShadow. What exactly was she supposed to be? Is she some kind of creature that Luna often has to vanquish in her job? Is she a construct created by Luna to teach Applebloom a lesson? Or is she just the manifestation of Applebloom's fears?

Well, kudos to the writers for leaving something open to interpretation. 5/7.

>>36794838

I figured it was her fears come to life.

>join them in the hydra's stomach


PLEASE! think of the hydra! The poor thing is already suffering enough with well to do in there, you want to add more burdens to it?! That's outright animal cruelty!

>>36794840
Except unlike him, they don't survive.

What I'm saying is that I wish that they were dead.

I fucking hate them.

I really liked it. Apple Bloom is my favorite CMC so no surprises there. It was pretty predictable that it was going to be her dream episode but pretty much all episodes are predictable so hey ho.

+Moar Apple Bloom
+While I don't usually like the whole "it was just a dream" -thing, it worked really well here and we got some nice scenes out of it.
+Always warms my heart to see Applejack trying to make Apple Bloom feel better and I just like the sisterly interaction between them.
+Didn't have to listen Rarity whining and bitching about something again.

Not really any significant minuses... Actually I can't think of any right now but since nothing is perfect I give it 9,9/10.

>>36794842

>S5 finale: Diamond tiara and silver spoon become the new villains due to being possessed by random 1000 year old villain
>The mane six sadly are forced to vaporize them to save equestria
>Much sadness ensues.

>>36794837

I would assume that that part with Big Mac doing all the talking was supposed to feel really off; the entire thing has gone off the rocker by then, so it makes sense. Also the only time Big Mac has talked at length was during serious situation like Ponyville Confidential, so him doing all the talking would in Appleblooms mind be an indicator of how serious the situation was. Anyway, I liked that part.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 11:54

>>36794845
No, not sadness, rejoicing. They throw a Mexican fiesta, with nachos, and salsa, and horses dressed only in sombreros and ponchos, AND A FUCKING CAKE SHAPED LIKE THEIR BLOODY SKULLS, CULMINATING IN THEIR WHOLE FAMILY BEING BURNED TO ASH IN THE TOWN FUCKING SQUARE.

>>36794847

They do have parents who like them you know.
>granted, he's an asshole with WAY too much power over local government, but still....

>>36794848
WELL TOO BAD BECAUSE I FUCKING HATE THEM. THEY BRING DOWN THE QUALITY OF ALL EPISODES THEY APPEAR IN.

Few things.

The place where Twilight turned into an alicorn was made by, or is primarily used by, Celestia due to Luna's use of an extremely similar sort of realm, only in her own colour scheme as opposed to celestia's.

This throws Twilight's alicorn state into a bit of question, as it now just seems like Celestia gave her a promotion rather than the magic itself provoking the transformation.
----
They used the fucking "Applebloom has a cutie mark of herself" gag.
-----
Is the pestpony dream the first time we've seen an advanced contraption specifically meant to be used by earth ponies?
-----
Rarity gave Sweetie a 1, thats adorable.
-----
Voices were weird all across the board, the cmc sounded older while luna was "Do you have a cold?" tier
------
The ending dragged on too long, there's "giving a message" and then there's "Pounding that message into your head with all the subtly of a brick to the face."


Decent episode overall though.

>>36794850

Every episode needs some sort of antagonist, even if they're minor...

>>36794853
Aren't Apple Bloom's fears enough? At the very fucking least they don't make me want to kill a pony.

>>36794855

But diamond tiara and silver spoon WERE Applebloom's fears!

/mind fuck

>>36794856
NO. GET THEM THE FUCK OUT OF THE SHOW.

Well, that was odd. And a bit disappointing. I was hoping the part about Babs getting her cutie mark would be part of the dream as well. Nothing about Babs has ever said hair stylist to me. The scene with Octavia, Vinyl and Sweetie singing turned out to be a throwaway. The moral was heavy handed. (Heavy hooved?) Luna seemed a bit tacked on at the end this time, rather than being more involved. Overall I don't think I'll be rewatching this one much.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 12:16

>>36794859

Well, there's a stereotypical character of slightly overweight black female hair stylists, and babs kind of feels that part. that's the only reason I can think of for it.

>>36794857

/agree to disagree

I kind of like assholes every so often... :(

If anything, they were less evil than the CMC from the equestria girls christmas comic.

>>36794860
And I hate when the assholes are not funny, are not imaginative, are not charming, and always get away scot-free with their assholishness.

Wow this was a lot better than I was expecting. Season 5 has been off to a pretty good start. I was expecting it to be really boring, but it did a good job with the narrative and actually had nice humor (pinkie-rooster, Rarity's HILARIOUS nepotism, the Apple Family kicking Applebloom out for not getting an apple cutie mark, etc.) Applebloom, who I do not particularly care for, was entertaining. Luna also melded into the narrative quite nicely without it seeming forced or jarring. I just LOVE how Luna's job is healing other's nightmares and their emotions. It's such a great concept for her character.


However...

Applebloom mentions her potion cutie mark is due to Twilight's lessons and not Zecora's
And instead of a random dolphin cutie mark, she should have been ostracized for having either an orange or a pear cutie mark.

Because of these glaring faults, instead of a 8.5/10 it is now 0/10 worst episode ever but seriously the ignoring Zecora part does kinda piss me off. That and the moral at the end was reeeeeeaaaaalllly laying it thick. The complete lack of subtlety actually broke my immersion.

>>36794848
Is this real? Did they actually talk about taxes?

>>36794852
eeeeeeeehhhh not really. I mean unless it's specifically stated that the two realms are the same/similar, I would just chalk it up to them wanting a dreamy background rather than them actually implying it's the same place. i dunno tho youc ould be right

>>36794837
Haha I was totally thinking that the Shadow was some force in-league with Starlight

>>36794862
Well it's hard to punish something that's just Apple Bloom's subconscious.

Well, on less rage-inducing topics, anybody else found it cute (and a bit sad) that as soon as Scootaloo found out that she was in a dream, she immediately started flying around?

>>36794864
No it's not, just imagine them being ran over by an army of bowling balls.

>>36794862
It was a part of Applebloom's dream though. It wasn't actually them, it was a manifestation of Applebloom's fear of being ridiculed so they have to be assholes

>>36794866
Well, they're just as bad as the real thing.

How does an earth pony use scissors anyway?

>>36794781
I almost did that. But then I was in Skype with you and HB at a bad time. Given your comments it became clear what was going on pretty fast.

Sweetie Belle gets one of these episodes next? Since we already had the Scootaloo one?
Hooray for music pones.

>>36794863
>Applebloom mentions her potion cutie mark is due to Twilight's lessons and not Zecora's
>but seriously the ignoring Zecora part does kinda piss me off.
Zecora hasn't really been helping Apple Bloom make potions, unlike what was shown in TT. She had Apple Bloom pick up ingredients for the cure of poison joke and told her what she did in Cutie Pox, but not with the intent to teach Apple Bloom herself how to make the stuff.

>>36794865
They kind of already passed that dream a while back by the time Apple Bloom realized she was dreaming, so she wouldn't be on her mind at that point.

>>36794869
>Sweetie Belle gets one of these episodes next? Since we already had the Scootaloo one?
What, a dream episode? She got one last season.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 12:35

>>36794870
Well go back there and have them be eviscerated by raptors, god damn it.

I'm going to learn lucid dreaming just so I can see them getting butchered by velociraptors. It's going to be the most restful sleep of my life.

>>36794863
>she should have been ostracized for having either an orange or a pear cutie mark.
They literally have cousins in manehatten who are the orange family.

And the scene was both too familiar but also too different to be a straight copy paste / colour filter job.

They clearly remade it, so i'm left wondering if Twilights entire alicorn state will be called into question at some point, based on the nature of that whole realm thingy.

Although now that i think about it there were two main differences aside from the colour.

Celestias had windows.
Luna's had doors.

I'm thinking it might be indicative of their cutie marks and general roles as alicorns.

Celestia has the whole "Everything the light touches" scthick, which would fit her personal realm having windows through which to view every pony.
Luna is the night mare, so she has doorways into every ponies subconscious.

Cadence might have a realm too, but i cant think of anything other than a giant shipping board.

And i cant think of a single thing for twilights equivlant that isnt already covered by the magic table.

>>36794870
It hasn't been shown, but I just like the dynamic (or potential dynamic) of Applebloom and Zecora better so if they implied they had been spending time together, especially for something like making potions I would have been really happy. I'm not actually pissed, it was just a little nerd-sperg

>>36794872
>They literally have cousins in manehatten who are the orange family
That's exactly why it would have been hilarious.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 12:47

>>36794872
I think Cadence's realm is a large stained glass platform representing the pony she's talking to, adorned with several other ponies close to the pony's heart.

>>36794874
nyeeh, it would seem out of place to me, since the two familes dont seem to hate each other at all.

>>36794875
You realise that if they even hinted towards that, everyone would shit Orichalcum+ bricks?

>>36794876
Oh don't lie to yourself, that would be awesome.

“I am a shadow… The true self…”

>>36794872
I think they are all the same nonphysical (astral?) realm, and the differences in how they appear are only due to differences in the personalities and moods of those who occupy them at the moment.

Celestia, Luna, and maybe Twilight (but not Cadence she's dumb) are magically strong enough to consciously shape this realm into whatever they need at the moment.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 13:06

4/10. Not offensively bad, but I found very little enjoyable in it.

+ That dolphin
+ Apple Bloom facing the voice, woo!
+ The evil face
+ Luna blowing away the cloud

- What's with Scootaloo's voice? It's not just me, is it?
- "Big sis, I have SO MANY WORRIES!" "STFU and go to sleep. 'Night!" (Wow, real helpful, AJ. At least she had a lullaby for that exact occasion?)
- Cockerel laying an egg? I doubt it's a folklore reference.
- Not showing Scoot and Sweetie's fake cutie marks? Boo.
- "But I want my cutie mark" is kind of her normal shtick, CMC-abandonment dream ending.
- That Apple voice-swap didn't work.
- Pinkie as the chicken again... Not doing it for me.
- Wow, stallions get all the sucky jobs.
- That Scoot literally dreams about actually flying does make it sadder if she doesn't ever whilst conscious. Lousy...
- This "care package" thing again. So odd.

>>36794880
>- What's with Scootaloo's voice? It's not just me, is it?
Honestly, the whole CMC sounds a bit off to me. Age is clearly starting to catch up with them.

>>36794880
>- Not showing Scoot and Sweetie's fake cutie marks? Boo.
that was on purpose. >>36794811

They're setting the stage for the CMC to get their marks later this season. The theme of the season is cutie mark magic, so it makes sense to do it now.

>>36794811
>>36794883
Ah. Well, I'll believe it when I see it: I suppose it's not impossible, but I wouldn't be surprised if they milked it forever.

>>36794882
I've noticed the other two being off before, but Scoot just seemed extremely non-Scoot to me.

So I'm going to watch the episode again more thoroughly to see exactly why I'm so mediocre on the episode. I don't think it's bad, but I want to see if I can pinpoint specifics.

>"So... she's good at cutting stuff?"

Babs would have to be if she lived on the wrong side of Manehattan.

>"She can't be a Cutie Mark Crusader if she's already got her Cutie Mark."

...I guess technically true, but... why not still an honorary member? You know, she could always still try to help the other Manehattan CMC with theirs. I think the idea of a complete severing of connections seems... a bit wrong.

"Can you imagine getting stuck with a Cutie Mark you didn't like?" Well... considering that a Cutie Mark is supposed to be a representation of you yourself, I get the feeling that wouldn't ever happen. Then again, they are children, so they don't know. (For the record, if I were to have a cutie mark, I theorized mine would be an egg with a heart in the middle.)

>"Not helping."

Sweetie Belle is still best CMC.

>Applebloom's freakout.

No joke, that was the moment I knew the entirety of the rest of the episode. I knew each of those plot points would be hit, likely in a dream.

>The lullaby.

...Amazing. I don't know why, but that song... It's so powerful in its simplicity. Critical hit to the feels.

>Applebloom snoring.

Did you know that tonsilectomies are most common nowadays as a treatment for childhood obstructive sleep apnea? *Medical board preparation fact of the day.*

>Twittermites.

Huh. They must feed on Tumblrweeds.

"You're gonna need to stop repeating everything I say."

Good joke. Plus, I do wonder if Twittermites are real. Either way, cool concept for a creature in Equestria. I also really enjoy watching Apple Bloom catch them all. (I've heard people compare it to Ghostbusters, but I get more of a Luigi's Mansion vibe.)

>Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon

Okay, so this was just a dream, but I've really, really wanted to see more depth to Silver Spoon ever since Family Appreciation Day. She was the first to clap to the story, leading me and others I've talked to to believe that she isn't as corrupt as Diamond Tiara. Yet here she seems almost more malicious. It just seems... wrong.

>Shadow pony

I know it makes sense in the story to be Apple Bloom's self doubt, but I really, really wished that it had a connection to Starlight Glimmer.

>Somepony's home getting destroyed

Too soon.

>So many pancakes.

I really want pancakes now.

>"I'm just glad Princess Twilight's lessons finally paid off!"

Did Zecora never teach her anything? No? Ah well...

>Sweetie Belle/Scootaloo stop being friends with Apple Bloom

Again, this is a dream, but Apple Bloom should KNOW that this wouldn't happen in either case. We've SEEN how the girls would act if Apple Bloom got a cutie mark in The Cutie Pox! They were so happy and proud when they thought it had happened! I think THAT might be my biggest point of contention with the episode. This is a worry Apple Bloom has that we know she shouldn't. If The Cutie Pox didn't already happen, I could probably buy this moment, but I can't.

>"Technically the clubhouse is for Crusaders only."

Isn't the clubhouse on the Apple's property, making it Apple Bloom's clubhouse she allows the others to use for the CMC meetings (and the Rainbow Dash fan club, lest we forget)? Wouldn't that make Apple Bloom the pony with the best claim on the building out of the three?

>Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie is best Scootaloo.

>Luna

YAY LUNA. Plus the lighting in this scene is fantastic. That said, I actually feel that this is Luna's weakest appearance... or at least weakest appearance with actual plot relevance. Also, during the scene where she looks into other dreams, it'd actually be neat to see other blank flanks other than the main CMC.

>Scoots flying in the dream.

...*sadface*

>"I know! Let's put together a care package for her!"

I think that's really sweet and a wonderful idea.

>Song reprise.

So nice. <3

There we go. Those are the major thoughts I had during my second watch that made me pause the episode to write. That might be while the episode is so mediocre in my mind. There are a lot of nitpicks that I was able to point out that broke flow for me. Are any of the issues major? Not really. The closest one to do so was the second dream sequence. There are definitely some nice moments throughout, but in the end, I just can't bring myself to call it amazing. It's... decent at best.

  >>36794884
>I suppose it's not impossible, but I wouldn't be surprised if they milked it forever.
A promo teased that something is finally going to happen that people have been waiting for and they've been building up to. I'm not sure what much else there is that's been set up that people have been waiting for outside of Dash becoming a Wonderbolt, and in a season focused on cutie marks it would be fitting for them to get their cutie marks.

>>36794886
>>Sweetie Belle/Scootaloo stop being friends with Apple Bloom
>Again, this is a dream, but Apple Bloom should KNOW that this wouldn't happen in either case.
It's because that's what AB did to Twist.

Pretty solid!
-- Gotta love the way MLP handles surreal dream stuff.
-- Ya know, I actually kinda wanted Applebloom to be Equestria's Dale Gribble, or maybe Ghostbusters would be a better comparison? Pony Dale Gribble as a ghostbuster? Yeah, I'll just go with that.
-- Dat AJ lullaby! Holy shit, cutest thing in MLP to date!
-- Love it when MLP messes with conventions, so having the old exterminator guy call Applebloom out on parrot exposition was great!
-- Couldn't help but notice that all of their dreams contained hints as to their true marks. Sure it was blatantly obvious with Sweetie and Scoots, but I also noticed that 'Bloom fixed the clubhouse offscreen during the my-friends-are-gunna-leave-me part.
-- The barn is never safe, even in the dream world!
-- So, Big Mac gets a major speaking role here. Anypony think this means anything? Did AB dream it because it would be strange, or do we find it strange because AB is more used to hearing him talk than the audience? Is there a meta joke? Like, Big Mac only gets lines in our dreams?
-- Good lord, flying Scootaloo hit me right in the feels...

Well that's enough of that. I'mma give this episode an adorableApplejackmoment/10

>>36794889
I also loved the balloon RD in the clubhouse.

>>36794887
obviously its all of the mane six becoming alicorns. People have been talking about that since season 1.

I think my biggest complaint with it is the amount of tension. There's no real rest period because you know it's all a dream, so even the seemingly happy parts feel awful because you can tell what's about to happen. I watch the show for comedy, but this episode felt like a real nightmare.

>>36794900

That's actually one of my favorite parts of it! It had a chilly vibe without being really dark.

>>36794891

That was adorable; it wasn't just the RD balloon doll though, it was ALL the rainbow stuff scoots had up in there, like the rainbow banner on the ceiling.

>>36794888

KARMA!

>>36794880

Dang :/
This is one of the few times I've really disagreed with you on something time lord; find most of those points to be completely different from my views.

>>36794888
Why does everybody assume that it was Apple Bloom who cut all ties?

Almost forgot to mention, looks like we found out what this pony's purpose was.

>>36794900
This definitely wasn't much of a comedy episode. I don't mind episodes like this as a change of pace. And I thought this episode was actually creepier than the Halloween/Nightmare Night episode.

I wasn't sold on this episode at all at first, because all that technically happened was that they kicked Babs out of the CMC and then they slept. I also almost always HATE dream sequences because as I said, NOTHING IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. I'm also not a fan of CMC episodes because it's always cutie mark something something. However, as it went on, I actually started to get invested, and the ending with Luna actually really got to me. This may be my favorite CMC episode ever, despite the fact that it didn't really feel like an episode of My Little Pony. I never thought I would like an episode that's both a CMC episode and a dream episode. It really reminds me of the excellent Scootaloo scared in the woods with Rainbow Dash episode. 7.5/10 would watch again.

Well this felt incredibly lazy. Everything needed to be said about this episode is said by the 4 minute mark. No surprise, no real effects from anything (yeah, dream episodes kinda suck if you don't deal with waking world stuff too), just repeating Applebloom's worries and going through the same process again and again.

Then again, Josh Haber has a history of writing either dull or just stupid episodes that take one stale idea and stretch it far past it breaking point

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 18:15

>>36794916
If it were just Applebloom dreaming about her worries, I'd agree with you. The ending with Luna is what really pulls it together for me and makes the other stuff worthwhile. But I can certainly see why you wouldn't like it. On paper, I wouldn't think I'd like it either.

(also I really thought the whole Applebloom's shadow thing was cool and payed off well.)

>>36794917
I thought a Crusader facing her fears made manifest was also a very nice idea.

I also liked it a lot more when Scootaloo's fears actually impacted her in the real world.

Now they could've done that in this episode too, but there had to be ripoffs of Cutie Pox to get in there too plus just enough resemblance to Starlight Glimmer's message to thoroughly disappoint anyone expecting this episode to actually matter.

>>36794916
Not every single episode needs to be super important. FIM is still an episodic show, y'know.

Sure, the episode doesn't really have a "purpose" to the overall "arc" (as little as it is), but it's still a hell of a thrill to watch.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 18:49

>>36794912

Yeah, kind of sad there; I thought we might get an episode with some awesome Steam punk ponies, but it looks like he was just an exterminator. (Ok, "Pest control" pony, since they aren't allowed to kill even insects on the show it seems XD)

>>36794921

Pretty much this; not every episode has to be a Uber huge episode like MMC. Its okay to have slower paced, less impactful episodes.


that being said, I thought it actually made some real progress with the CMC growing up; they seemed to mature quite a bit on their views of cutie marks in this episode IMO. Plus, babs DID get her cutie mark.

Wonder if that means she's going to be off limits to the comics for a while until the show canonizes what her mark looks like?

I'll admit that the idea of Starlight Glimmer being involved in this episode did cross my mind, the first time it went to the creepy forest scene, but come on guys. That would be way beyond the scope of this show. Yeah things like the Tirek fight kind of pushed the boundary, but this would have been a huge and profoundly sinister story arc if it had happened.

Anyway, I was really impressed by the structure of this episode but the actual content was just OK. Probably my favorite of the season so far, but in my case early impressions don't typically hold up after rewatches (I liked OBA better than TMPP on the first watch, and I have nooo idea what I was thinking).

  >>36794928
I'm kinda hoping Starlight kidnaps the CMC, shenanigans happen, the CMC are rescued, get their cutie marks, and Starlight is redeemed.
>cue song

>Turns out to be a Best Princess episode.
Excellent.

>Technically a CMC episode.
That's okay too, I guess.

>Looks like Sweetie Belle's cutie mark will probably be related to singing and Scootaloo's will probably be related to scooting.
Surprising no brony who saw season 2.

>Recursive dream sequence.
Saw it coming before she woke up the first time. Dat telltale "this is a dream" fade.

>Dat Applejack song.
Awesome. I remember back in season 1 when Pinkie Pie used to sing a few bars. Interesting to see Applejack doing it. Wish Pinkie Pie would do it more often again.

>I must judge things by numbers arbitrary assigned to them, so please tell me how you really feel.
Solid episode, Euler's number / Pi.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 21:13

  >>36794930
Kelly Sheridan does Starlight's singing voice too, not Lena Hall.

And I don't think they would hire a guest voice actor like Hall and only to have her sing for a character and not voice act for them too.

>>36794928
>I'll admit that the idea of Starlight Glimmer being involved in this episode did cross my mind, the first time it went to the creepy forest scene, but come on guys. That would be way beyond the scope of this show. Yeah things like the Tirek fight kind of pushed the boundary, but this would have been a huge and profoundly sinister story arc if it had happened.


I don't follow. I don't think it'd be any way shape or form more sinister than what we've gotten so far.

>>36794933
>>36794930



I'm probably in the minority, but I'd actually like it if Starlight WASN'T redeemed. I kind of dislike all the villains constantly being redeemed, and I very much would like to see some that remain evil, like how chrysalis is or the dazzles remained evil, just depowered.

I do wonder what that song might be from though...

>>36794935
It's from an episode Amy Rogers wrote. That much has been revealed.

>>36794936

well, it'll probably be a good one then; Rogers is probably the second best writer, after Larson. (she also seems to be the only one to do Pinkie really well too)

>>36794935
Let's look at other recurring villains this show has had...

Trixie: Runs away at the end of her episode, returns to do battle with Twilight and torment Ponyville.

Discord: Defeated, is brought back to be reformed but continues doing bad things and trying to manipulate Fluttershy, betrays the mane 6 and joins Tirek briefly.

Starlight Glimmer: Runs away at the end of her episode...returns to indoctrinate children under their families' noses?? Can you imagine how Applejack would have reacted if Starlight had actually gotten to Apple Bloom? That would be the real nightmare. And if Starlight kept that kind of thing up, Twilight's "mission to spread friendship" would turn into more of a mission to thwart Starlight's plans on a regular basis. And with that happening every few episodes, lighthearted slice of life episodes in between would start to feel out of place.

>>36794937
>she also seems to be the only one to do Pinkie really well too
Is NostalgiaSchmaltz asleep yet?

>>36794818
Dərpy Flukes.

>>36794938
>Can you imagine how Applejack would have reacted if Starlight had actually gotten to Apple Bloom?

IF though; this show tends to run on the heroes triumphing. If it were an attempt by another entity (like starlight) to indoctrinate Applebloom, it would still end on a very happy note so long as Luna caused her to shake it off, not unlike how the Villagers threw off starlight's attempts gave CM a cheerful ending.

>>36794941
OK, not even if she had succeeded. Just that she tried. I'm pretty sure that's still one of the biggest textbook "adult fears".

>>36794943
This being the CMC we're talking about, I would expect they accidentally take over Starlight's cult about 5 minutes after joining.

>>36794940
>>36794818

I found applebloom's cutie mark of herself to be a better cutie mark personally XD

>>36794943

Hey, the show can do adult fear; Applebloom almost got herself eaten before wandering off like an idiot in STWOM and that wasn't that dark. (In fact, the chimera was the ONLY upside of that episode)

>>36794945
>that wasn't that dark
Because the chimera was a gag character. Starlight isn't.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 21:59

>>36794945
The little wink that it gave propelled the joke from "Kinda funny" to "fucking hilarious".

>>36794947
I wondered if maybe that wink was about brony recursive cutie mark comics/pics.

Last edited at Sat, Apr 18th, 2015 22:20

>>36794946

I don't think it was that comical. It still wanted to eat applebloom and was pretty evil looking.

SG trying to indoctrinate young ponies just doesn't seem that much darker than other things that have happened in the show.

>>36794947
/bro hoof, damn straight man!

Also, Pinkie seems to be used for a lot more quick visual gags this Season. I do hope that's an actual trend, because that is a lot more funny than her random screeching of previous seasons.

>>36794886
>Did Zecora never teach her anything?

Zecora taught her about potions; if I remember aright, TS was teaching her alchemy. Kind of like the difference between pharmacology and chemistry.

>>36794937
>AKR
>writing Pinkie well

>>36794855
I'm getting the impression that you're taking this character very personally.

>>36794953
>Zecora taught her about potions; if I remember aright, TS was teaching her alchemy.
They never called it alchemy, they said it was potion-making. And Twilight was specifically teaching her potion-making with the intent for her to know how to make potions.

Zecora had Apple Bloom fetch ingredients for a potion that she was making to help the mane six, and she explained her job in Cutie Pox, how she can make healing potions and how she was using the Heart's Desire plant for a potion for a crow. Apple Bloom may have made a potion in Zecora's house, but it did not come out well, and Zecora most certainly wasn't trying to teach how to make a potion nor did she approve of what Apple Bloom was trying to do.

I imagine Zecora is considerably better at potions than Twilight Sparkle. It only makes sense Apple Bloom would need to master the basics before getting into the advanced course. (Not to mention it's not particularly safe to make regular forays out into the Everfree Forest for no good reason.)

Last edited at Sun, Apr 19th, 2015 08:09

>>36794957

That's just how 441 is man.

>>36794955
Applebuck season, Best night ever and Last roundup were bad pinkies? Or bad IN GENERAL?

She did Bridle gossip, which is seen as one of the DEFINITIVE best scenes of pinkie yet, with her making Fluttershy do the stew song with her.

>>36794959

I doubt they'd ever use the word "alchemy" in show, simply because it sounds too exotic; you don't want to take the chance of some crazy soccer mom thinking its teaching kids witchcraft when "Potion making" is virtually the same.

Thinking about it, alchemy in the common mind isn't even proper alchemy, since people are just used to video game alchemy where its only for making potions instead of for trying to transmute objects.

>>36794961
Her S1 episodes were fine.

TLR was the first instance of Pinkie being obnoxiously lolrandumb. And just about every other AKR-written episode after that (in which Pinkie was not a major part of the story) featured that same "lolrandumb" Pinkie.

Worst offender being FV, where AKR claimed she enjoyed writing Pinkie that way. Doesn't exactly make me confident in future episodes.

It's not exactly that she's incapable of writing Pinkie well, it's just that she's the worst offender when it comes to "Pinkie getting flanderized and/or exaggerated because she's not the focus".

Last edited at Sun, Apr 19th, 2015 11:06

>>36794963

Pinkie's not been that bad this season, I'm willing to chalk that up to S4 issues with them trying to try and do some new things with Pinkie.



The premier was perfect pinkie with no screeching; so lets wait and see if AKR hasn't taken criticism over FV pinkie to heart. After all, the ONLY real criticism of AKR is pinkie screaming: Her depiction of other characters has still been perfect (TT123 for example hit the other non-pinkies perfectly)

>>36794965
CSC still featured a good bit of "lolrandumb" from her. Not on the level of FV, but still enough to be obnoxious.

I chalk that up as "new writers" though, because RD and Rarity felt off as well.

>>36794966

I will admit the last 2/3 did have her descend into screeching. but the first 1/3 of CSC was actually really good for her; the pancake gag was really funny, and they managed to make the spoon joke work without being obnoxious.

Okay, so in my annoyance yesterday I'd completely forgotten about For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils, which again deals with Luna interacting with a CMC member and helping them overcome a real world issue that's also affecting their dreams (and vice versa).

The thing is though, in both those episodes we have both the waking world where things actually matter and the dream world that provides a physical manifestation for Sweetie and Scootaloo's fears in a surreal and interesting ways. We get a little of that with the shadow in Bloom and Gloom, but we have to sludge through each one of Applebloom's scenarios first, none of which matter at all. She could have slayed Discord and become an alicorn and none of it matters. And the fix is so easy: just show her wake up for real and have others actually react to her growing anxiety.

This isn't some concept that was dead in the water like Spike at Your Service, we know Crusaders + Anxiety + Nightmare + Luna works. We have 2 episodes of that. But Haber's lazy writing destroys the execution.

>>36794981
But it's not really a problem that needs her to wake up. The problem was entirely mental, it wasn't something that had a real world issue like Scootaloo being afraid to sleep and Sweetie messing with Rarity's work, along with their relation to Rainbow Dash and Rarity respectively. Therefore it makes sense that it's entirely focused on just the dream if its an entirely mental thing.
>And the fix is so easy: just show her wake up for real and have others actually react to her growing anxiety.
Why would that fix things? It would show some effects on her physically to show that her worries are messing with her, but the growing surrealism in her dreams also exemplify they're wearing on her, just in a mental way which is what the problem mainly is, so taking breaks from the dreams wouldn't really add much to the story.

Last edited at Sun, Apr 19th, 2015 13:32

But does anyone notice how Season 5 is beginning to develop a pattern where the first act is a solid - excellent start, before the second act does something not immersion killing (Season 3 and 4 are especially guilty of this), but determental to the episode as a whole, before recovering nicely in the 3rd act. Of course, these are first 2 episodes sandwiched in-between the book ends, so there's massive room for this to change, but it wouldn't surprise me if the majority of episodes end up like this.

As for Bloom and Gloom, this was better than I expected it to be. Over the past 5 years, Applebloom has ended up in an awful position, because Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have actualy gotten personalities, while Applebloom is still largely a one-dimensional character, completely obsessed with her Cutie Mark. This episode actually tackles her obsession head on, and actually ends up putting Applebloom in a place for her to actually grow as a character.

However, the episode isn't without flaws. Just like Castle Sweet Castle, the episode is dragged down with head-scratching character writing. Not only do Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are given an awkward transition when they kick Apple Bloom out of the CMC for getting her 2nd Cutie Mark, but Applejack's interaction with Applebloom can come off as inconsistent with other instances. Still, it's way better than what happened last season.

Really the final score for this episode will be determined by how Applebloom is written the rest of the season. If she's still stupidly obsessed with her Cutie Mark after this episode, then this will go down in the vein of many Season 4 episodes which ended up being utterly meaningless to the characters they were featuring.

Overall this makes 4 worthwhile episodes. Season 5 is not off to a bad start.

Last edited at Sun, Apr 19th, 2015 14:06

>>36794983
It's not bad character writing if it doesn't actually happen.

>>36794983
Huh... you do have a point, the last episodes do seem to have ok beginnings, mediocre middles, and great ends. I do wonder if this is an actual trend as the writers decided to try a new method for this Season or just a funny coincidence.

>Not only do Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are given an awkward transition when they kick Apple Bloom out of the CMC for getting her 2nd Cutie Mark, but Applejack's interaction with Applebloom can come off as inconsistent with other instances.
Keep in mind that all the characters that Apple Bloom meets up until the end are all figments of her imagination, and are more or less a representation of her fears and anxieties rather than actual ponies that she knows.

>>36794983

Yeah, I will admit that CSC had a rather mediocre middle ground when they slammed all their ideas together; it was really nice that it ended up managing to recover from that with the mane six realizing their mistake and taking steps to correct it. Reminds me somewhat of how in wonderbolts academy they stopped the "Dash can't come to terms with being the 2nd pony instead of the leader" and had her being mature about it instead of complaining for long.

>>36794982

Dream-narratives have a problem in that anything can happen in a dream, and as Damon Knight put it: "if anything can happen, who gives a shit?" In addition, there's a deus-ex-machina problem with Luna coming in to stop the nightmare if the nightmare is the only thing going on. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had real-life issues with their surrogate and real-life big sisters that they had to resolve by themselves. Apple Bloom has no actual problems with Applejack or anyone else; she's freaking out over nothing, and when Luna comes in and says "Jan, cut the crap" that's pretty much the end of the episode.

Last edited at Sun, Apr 19th, 2015 17:45

>>36794992
>Dream-narratives have a problem in that anything can happen in a dream, and as Damon Knight put it: "if anything can happen, who gives a shit?"

That's an awfully pessimistic way to look at dream sequences.

>Luna comes in and says "Jan, cut the crap" that's pretty much the end of the episode

Might have been playing off of the whole "face your fears" thing from SiP. Sure, Luna could have just stepped in at any moment and ended the nightmare, but AB wouldn't have learned anything from that now would she? Something to that effect.

http://arcade.equestriagaming.com/2012/05/story-of-blanks.html

>>36794998
YES! You have no idea how okay I am with this comparison!

>>36794998
>>36795000
The ep made me think of several fan things, but oddly not that one... I can see how people got it, but it didn't strike me.

>>36794776
Sorry I"m late on this. Was working and doing other stuff.

So then the start is a bit easy, nothing to really take note of that I can see aside from Applebloom's voice starting to sound a lot more mature.

0:55 Oh, this is interesting. A fear of the wrong cutie mark?

1:00 Most of her family? Who doesn't?

3:05 a light switch outside of the room?

Also, why does she have shuttered windows on the interior wall?

3:50 Calling it, dream sequence. Losing interest.

Seriously.. I don't think I want to keep watching anymore.

ON TO THE NEXT EPISODE.

  >>36795091

>>36795097
Your video cuts off the sound at the last part.

And yes, seriously. It screams dream sequence and I'm frankly not interested in it in the slightest.

>>36795099
Why? Just because "Oh nothing is actually going to happen"?

Motherfucker, dream sequences are still prime material for deep character introspection and surreal imagery, just because running away from a hydra is not going to be all that exciting doesn't mean that dream sequences as a whole are garbage.

>>36795100
It's not exciting because I know how it's gonna go. There is no surrealness or deep character introspection because the audience must believe that it is not a dream sequence thus everything must play out as normal. It is only at the end when things start turning funny do we get the big reveal.

>>36795102
>It is only at the end when things start turning funny
Things actually seem sort of funny early on. It kind of builds on the surrealness the longer it goes, rather than wait until near the end of the episode to unleash it at once.

>>36795103
Holy shit, I didn't notice the breakfast before, neat.

>>36795103
....That's a fluke. It doesn't happen again.

Show me it hapening a second time and I'll watch it just for that.

>>36795099
Works for me.

I'm surprised you would blanketly disregard the episode instead of judge it for its content. That's something I'd only expect from an exceptionally few number of people. Call it shit if you want, but watch it first.

>>36795106
Well there's variations of how the rooster is handled when Apple Bloom wakes up. First time the rooster crows off screen. Second time, we see it and the rooster lays an egg. Last time it's done, it's Pinkie in her Nightmare Night costume.

Last edited at Tue, Apr 21st, 2015 16:46

>>36795108
Multiple day dream sequence?

Alright, I'll watch it later.

>>36795108

Pinkie there was probably the best part of that episode XD
ah, that callback. Plus, pinkie sight gags are far better than her sound gags.

>>36795107
>>36795091


I'm actually surprised here myself; cranky is normally one of the most gungho positive posters about FIM that I've met; So seeing him hate an episode that I find to be EXCELLENT is just quite a shock :/

>>36795115
I didn't say I hate it.

>>36795115
>>36795118

I said I hated it, and thus far I still do, though I have to give it a second go yet. It's been a while since I've disliked an episode, but this is definitely one I did not like.

>>36794935
Very interesting.

>>36794950
That was one of the highlights of the episode.