The Epic MLP Season 2 Post
So I've finally found a way to watch season 2 again: Max and I are done with Transformers Animated and not looking forward to starting the Unicron Trilogy, thus are looking for reasons to procrastinate. Hence: two-week marathon.
So rather than just listing off a bunch of stuff I like and don't like, I'm streamlining my second-round reviews this time. I'll give the Good, the Bad and the Ugly for each episode, while listing them in order of preference. What this means: the Good is reasons to watch the episode, reasons why it's a good episode (I will try not to include continuity with everything, because continuity is good and there's lots of it); Bad obviously enough is then reasons why the episode sucks, cringe-worthy moments, and other oversights; the Ugly is what you get when you start reading between the lines. I'm talking unanticipated consequences, unintended lessons, and all-around bad news that mars some of the best episodes in the season. This kind of thing shows up a lot more in season 2 than 1, but for an example, let's look at Over a Barrel.
OVER A BARREL
Good
+ Buffalo!
+ Wild West town!
+ Pinkie in a can-can dress!
+ Wild West pie fight shootout!
Bad
- Braeburn. D:
- Wild West puns. DX
- Pinkie's worst song ever.
Ugly
~ Historical. Inaccuracy.
Something like that. I think that's all the intro this needs, so let's get cracking!
The Last Roundup
Good
+ DERPY! Seriously, even if you're watching the edited version, she's amazing!
+ Love Letter!
+ Cherry Jubilee!
+ I LOVE LUCY! The best reference scene ever!
+ Pinkie as the "big guns"! Chimicherrychanga! Pickle barrel kumquat!
+ What happens when you break a Pinkie Promise!
+ "Rarity catch me!"
+ An Applejack episode where she gets actual character development!
Bad
- An Applejack episode where she's the least interesting part. It's not that she was bad: she was really beyond the top of her game. It's just that all the other amazing stuff overshadowed her. This is actually one of the best Pinkie episodes of all time.
Ugly
~ The only thing ugly about this episode has nothing to do with the episode itself. I am of course talking about the Derpygate fallout that came afterward. It was the brony fandom's darkest hour, and the less said about it, the better.
A Friend in Deed
Good
+ Pinkie Pie 80's laughter training montage!
+ Smile, Smile, Smile!
+ Cranky Doodle Donkey! As a grouchy foil for Pinkie Pie, he's surprisingly both consistent and sympathetic!
+ Felt Pinkie!
+ Pinkie's Welcome Wagon! Fuckin' three songs and a reprise in a single episode! Cake in the confetti cannons!
+ Best chase scene ever! ("Really, really, really...!")
+ Old timey Grand Galloping Gala!
+ Honestly heartwarming tragic backstory! I would call this the most 'mature' episode, in terms of sensibilities, in the entire show to date!
+ DIFFERENT ENDING SONG :D
Bad
- Matilda comes out of nowhere, making her presence somewhat obvious as far as where the story is going. Unless you forget that she exists in the middle of the episode, like me.
- Pinkie Pie, you're such a racist! (Okay, that's actually really amusing.) Also, she has no sense of personal property.
Ugly
~ I think the ugliest thing in this episode might just be Cranky's face. In other words, there's nothin' to put here!
Hurricane Fluttershy
Good
+ Thunder Lane! Cloud Chaser! Flitter! Rumble! BLOSSOMFORTH!
+ Steroid pony YEEAAAHHH!
+ YEEAAAHHH!
+ Fluttershy overcoming her performance anxiety!
+ YEEAAAHHH!
+ 80's Fluttershy training montage!
+ YEEAAAHHH!
+ Best uplifting ending ever!
Bad
- As dumb playground taunts go, that's one of the dumbest and you have to hear it a lot.
- OH GOD THE EYEBALLS D: That is one of the most frightening scenes in the show!
- Creepy wing-based things happening.
Ugly
~ This episode is so not ugly. This episode is the opposite of ugly. You won't learn meteorology from it, but this episode is completely fucking amazing.
The Sisterhooves Social
Good
+ Sweetie's primary function is failure! :D
+ Rarity's parents!
+ Rarity has the best faces in this episode!
+ Scootie Belle!
+ Sweetie's primary function is failure! :D:D
+ Sheep!
+ Apple Belle? And Apple Bloom being overprotective of Applejack. :D
+ Probably the twistiest twist since Twist!
+ Eventual actual Sweetie Belle and Rarity bonding!
+ Wet mane Rarity!
Bad
- But they wouldn't let Berry Punch burp in Call of the Cutie. :(
- They totally missed a spot for a song. Thankfully, MandoPony comes through for us.
Ugly
~ Absolutely nothing. This is maybe the most wholesome episode in the season, if not the show, and it's completely amazing.
Luna Eclipsed
Good
+ So many costumes! Halloween episode!
+ Star Swirl the Bearded! (And the running joke with the costume!)
+ Pipsqueak!
+ Chicken Pie! (It goes far beyond the costume!)
+ The first of many fantastic Derpy appearances! (Well, she had a big cameo in Lesson Zero, but her costume is amazing, as is the cork thing!)
+ Zecora!
+ The CMCs as the Universal Monsters!
+ Fuckin' LUUUUUNAAAAAA! :D:D:D:D:D (And the night guards!)
+ Royal Canterlot Voice!
+ Raven!
+ Fluttershy vs. Luna!
+ So many catchphrases!
Bad
- Okay, let's face it, Pip is a little too cute sometimes. He's a serious sympathy sue.
- No Rarity, sadly. :( (Her scene got cut.)
- Luna kind of fucks everything up in the middle there.
Ugly
~ It really is kind of shitty that they kept this holiday around after Luna came back.
~ So many fanfics destroyed. Of course, this is not really a bad thing, unless you wrote one. :V
A Canterlot Wedding
Good
+ Epic two-part season finale!
+ BBBFF! (The song, not the phrase.) And not only is the song great, but the sequence explains how he became a guardspony without ever saying it; I loved that! Not to mention there's 3 songs and two reprises across the two episodes!
+ WILD FIRE! :D
+ Lyra speaks!
+ Cadence is actually evil and she sends Twilight to hell! :D
+ Actual villain song! And the escape sequence is pretty amazing!
+ The princess rushing to rescue the knight!
+ Defeating evil bridesmaids with a bouquet!
+ Changelings! Specifically Chrysalis, who is best pony! :D
+ Chrysalis vs. Celestia! (Although Celestia getting beat was kind of wha?)
+ Epic mane cast on mane cast battle! Fluttershy fakeout! Gatling Twilight! Party cannon! Flutterdash kiss!
+ Trimmings of matriarchal society!
+ Vinyl Scratch!
+ Love Is in Bloom! One of the best songs this season!
Bad
- If you didn't watch this on TV, be glad. You didn't have to deal with Tori Spelling's face all the time. D: The hype machine around this pair of episodes was just awful and one of the worst things Hasbro's done with the show.
- Suddenly Twilight has a brother and an old friend and we're supposed to care about them! That wasn't completely pulled out of nowhere!
- Rainbow Dash can just perform Sonic Rainbooms on command now? Lame.
- BBBFF. (The phrase, not the song.) Also PFF. Way to suck, Applejack.
- "Twily". UGH.
- Unnecessary family drama! Just one more thing we're supposed to care about.
- Cadence is such a terrible character. She stands against everything Lauren Faust tried to do with this show. I'm probably going to have to write an entire post about this.
- Luna exists... and she gets a whole three lines. D: One of which makes no sense.
- The whole "royal wedding" parody was done very well, except it was untimely as fuck. Who really cared about it at time this episode aired? Did 9 year old girls care?
- Why is Rainbow Dash excited about being a bridesmaid?
- I have... issues with This Day. It's just too... perfect. And kind of telly.
- Chrysalis revealed herself, and her plans, too early and easily.
- You must get to the Elements of Harmony! Except that you never do because none of you serve any purpose whatsoever in this episode! (All Twilight is there for is to introduce us to Shining Armor, move the plot along, and save Cadence.) Because our brand-new character who we know nothing about is going to save the day instead of you!
- Chrysalis's plan was really stupid. It's hard to feed off of love when your food source is running in fear.
Ugly
~ It's never explained exactly what Cadence's power is, therefore it's possible that she can mindrape ponies. (The not-ugly explanation is that she rekindled the love between Wild Fire and Lucky.)
~ Twilight's friends are, once again, massive dicks and don't believe her at all.
~ Cadence is marrying Shining Armor for his sister. D: That is so creepy.
Secret of My Excess
Good
+ Rarity's epic bedroom eyes!
+ Junebug!
+ Various stages of grown-up Spike!
+ Pediatrician pony! Veterinarian pony!
+ TwiJack bondage!
+ "I'm assaulting him with cake!"
+ King Kong with a dragon!
+ I'm not a big fan of Spikity shipping, and this is as close as the show has gotten to actually shipping them. I do nevertheless like what actually happened. So, no exclamation points, just a soft plus.
Bad
- Rarity's such a gold digger. D: Seriously, it was his birthday present! It would have been worse if her doing that hadn't saved the day.
- Before it becomes apparent what's going on, Spike's behavior is kind of uncomfortable to watch. Luckily, though he ends up the villain in this episode, it's not his fault, but see below.
- Worst Zecora rhyme ever. D:
- The Wonderbolts couldn't do shit! :(
Ugly
~ Spike spent the past, what, four, five, six years getting one book for his birthday because Twilight never thought to get him anything else, or more.
~ There's a real unfortunate nature vs. nurture thing going on here. Dragon physiology eventually overrides mental faculty. One day, Spike will grow up into a large, mindless, rampaging monster, gather a hoard, and fly away, forgetting all about his friends and Ponyville, forever.
Sweet and Elite
Good
+ Jet Set and Upper Crust!
+ A look inside Canterlotian high society! And they are snobs! :D Also fashion! And sniping at all of the above, which is what makes Rarity episodes great!
+ Fancy Pants! Who is actually not a bad guy at all! And a complete troll! Also Fleur de Lis! :D
+ More Wonderbolt names!
+ Second-best song of the season!
+ Bererity!
+ Twilight has no fashion sense! Nor can she dance! :D
+ Party cannon!
+ "What croquet mallet?"
Bad
- Hayseed Turniptruck. D: Worst character ever.
- Rarity being ashamed of her friends. And like, everything about herself. :/ I mean, yeah, but no.
Ugly
~ Rarity lied to her friends and got away scot-free. No one even though to call her out on it. There were no repercussions. That's a major oversight, though I tend not to dwell on it because I like the song so much. It's still an oversight, though, and one of the worst in the season.
~ Rarity also let her high-society ambitions get in the way of making something nice for her friend. Opal was the only one among them who had her priorities straight. That amazing dress never happened. :( What a way to repay Twilight's generosity and understanding.
Dragon Quest
Good
+ Everything you ever needed to know about dragons in Equestria!
+ Awesome teenage dragon designs!
+ CRACKLE IS BEST PONY ANYTHING FOREVER!
+ Wild phoenixes! Phoenix chicks! PHOENIX USED SOLARBEAM!
+ Spike doesn't let peer pressure trump his conscience!
Bad
- This does eventually enter some dark territory with the egg-smashing.
- AAAAAHHHH WHAT WAS IN THAT LETTER D:
Ugly
~ This episode poses the nature vs. nurture question, again, and conflicts with Secret of My Excess. The dragons are jerks because of their society, I guess? And also they aren't greedy monsters, but still. In the end, it's decided that Spike is better off not being part of dragon society. In the first place, this is more cultural supremicism from the ponies; their culture is obviously superior because it's not filled with teenage jerkwads. Secondly, Spike grew up meek and liking aprons, etc., because he was raised in pony society. Thus this one falls on the nurture side of the equation, and resolves exactly nothing.
~ Spike totally stole that egg from its parents. Peewee will grow up an orphan, never understanding where he came from.
The Return of Harmony
Good
+ John DeLancie as Discord, who is basically Q!
+ Chaos! So much chocolate raaaaaain, so many dancing buffalo!
+ Pinkie Pie freaking out about the chocolate raaaaaain!
+ Thousand-year-old backstory about the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony!
+ Discorded ponies! Especially Flutterbitch! :3
+ Tom!
+ Screwball!
+ Discord drinking the glass! Exploding chocolate milk!
Bad
- Fast pacing due to needing to introduce everything all over again for some reason.
- Oh god bunny deer make it stop D:
- No, seriously, most of the first episode is awful if you know anything at all about season one.
- Discord just stands there and takes it at the end.
- Also, I thought the Star Wars ending was really dumb, even after finding out about the reference. Maybe especially after finding out about the reference.
Ugly
~ If the Elements were in the Ponyville library all along... It just doesn't make any sense. Celestia thought they were in the chamber she was keeping them in, but that book was already hollowed out. Was that Discord's doing? If it wasn't, why aren't the Elements kept in a place where they're, I don't know, easily accessible by their wielders in times of emergency?
Hearts and Hooves Day
Good
+ Cheerilee gets an episode! Big Mac gets more than two lines! Sweetie Belle gets a real song!
+ JELLY PONY! Best face ever!
+ Canon shipping! (And I mean the act of shipping two characters together, not the relationship.)
+ Sweetie Belle in top form! ("OH, COME ON!")
+ Big Mac and Cheerilee making horrible baby talk at one another! Seriously, the whole lovecapade is amazing!
+ Big Mac pulling a house!
Bad
- I really hate that skipping animation for some reason.
- Why in the hell does Scootaloo care about romance?
- The episode ends far too easily. There's no conflict or complication; their plan just goes off without a hitch.
Ugly
~ The sad, sad lesson of this episode is "Shipping destroys lives." ;_;
The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
Good
+ Ponies are really dedicated to their cider!
+ The Flim Flam Brothers! The Flim Flam Brothers Song! (Best song of the season!) Music Man homage! Granny Smith singing! My god, it's amazing! Also our first antagonist song!
+ The bad guys actually win!
Bad
- Worst. Letter. Ever. I mean, come on, Applejack, couldn't you have at least elucidated what it was you already knew? This is supposed to be an educational show! The ending really drags this episode down.
Ugly
~ There's a definite "technology vs. tradition" story here, and a couple ways to look at it. On the one hand, the moral is "haste makes waste". On the other, the brothers did win the contest, even if they ultimately lost the day. So the takeaway is either, "Technology will always win out over traditional methods" or "Technology is never going to be as good as tradition". Neither is terribly palatable.
Family Appreciation Day
Good
+ Zap Apples!
+ Filthy Rich!
+ Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon doing what they do best!
+ Founding of Ponyville linked to the Apple family by way of Granny Smith's family!
+ Young Granny Smith!
+ Timber wolves!
Bad
- Yeah, Granny's behavior is a little embarrassing. But then so is the puppetting of her sleeping corpse. <.<
Ugly
~ Granny Smith may have been right all along, but at the end of the day, she's still crazy and lapsing into senility, and should probably be committed to a home.
It's About Time
Good
+ Future Twilight! Metal Gear/Escape from LA reference!
+ Time travel! This really has a great time travel plot.
+ Cerberus! Tartauros!
+ Madame Pinkie! Friendship Is Witchcraft is canon!
Bad
- Twilight being OCwaaaaiiiitdidn'twealreadyseethis? This episode doesn't quite make up for Lesson Zero, either. It's still a better "Twilight freaks out" episode overall, but did we really need two in one season?
- I do really wish they hadn't redone the two Twilights scene. It was completely unnecessary.
Ugly
~ This episode does confirm that the future is predestined in Equestria, at the very least. Or, well, when you time travel, it is.
Putting Your Hoof Down
Good
+ Nerd pony!
+ Pinkie's duck season routine!
+ Minotaur! Iron Will is pretty amazing! He has catchphrases! Also goats!
Bad
- Ponies are kind of dicks.
- Though ostensibly the antagonist, Iron Will was really not a villain at all. He wasn't trying to ruin Fluttershy or anything. To be honest, she was the villain in this, because she took everything to extremes. Iron Will was just trying to get paid for his services. His only crime was in not being terribly clear on how to use his techniques. This episode is a slight mess for it all, if amusing.
Ugly
~ Rarity demonstrates that you can get anything you want through batting your eyelashes and false flattery. Especially if you're a woman and they're a man.
~ Pinkie Pie demonstrates how to usurp the capitalist regime via trickery and outright lies.
~ Fluttershy is one push away from becoming an unstoppable ball of rage. (Admittedly, I find this part of her character hilarious, but not everyone appreciated it.) Pinkie and Rarity are one push away from becoming nervous, bawling wrecks. Also they're terrible friends.
MMMystery on the Friendship Express
Good
+ Mr. Cake's fainting gag!
+ Awesome desserts! (Except the Mousse Moose.)
+ Gustave le Grand! Finally another griffin!
+ The return of Pony Donut Joe!
+ A Sherlock Holmes homage and a mystery! Pinkie in a deer hunter! And you can totally see clues like the eyelash during the episode if you know where to look!
+ Gustav as an old-timey silent movie villain! Donut Joe as James Bond! Mulia as a (completely ridiculous) ninja! Three really amazing sequences! (Especially given that the cake is always sliced!)
Bad
- Worst. Title. Ever.
- I get who she is, but Mulia Mild is kind of the worst character ever.
- Twilight's deductive skills come from reading mystery novels. Wat.
- I really wish Pinkie would stop referring to it as "MMM", because that's retarded.
- SPRINKLES IN HER WRINKLES D: WHYYYYYYYYY
Ugly
~ Never before has an episode been so transparently about selling a toy. But it won't be the last!
~ Pinkie's friends are all dicks. Serious, great, throbbing cockbags. Why in the fuck would they do something like that? This episode teaches us that delayed gratification is for suckers. The lesson is driven home when Pinkie devours the whole thing at the end.
~ FYI, a recent interview with a writer confirmed that Applejack took a bite of the cake, too; she didn't leave any clues, and the scene was cut for time. So she's not off the hook, either.
Baby Cakes
Good
+ Ponies havin' babies! And they're kind of adorable!
+ Mr. Cake having a five o'clock shadow and not understanding pony reproduction!
+ Pinkie being a giant baby nut!
+ Pinkie's birthday/monthaversary song!
+ One-month old characters having distinct personalities!
+ Pinkie doing actual standup!
+ Trainspotting reference! It's actually really creepy though. D:
Bad
- Oh god that oink song. D: I would like to thank the Cake twins for expressing the audience's reaction.
- This episode begins a disturbing trend in season 2 of Pinkie Pie crying a lot.
- Another slightly dull chase scene! The end of this episode falls a little flat.
Ugly
~ But seriously, Cup Cake was fooling around on Carrot, that's what's going on here. :V
~ Scootaloo is totally outclassed by a one-month-old.
~ Also, the more you think about this episode, the more your mind will wander to things like pony poop and Mrs. Cake's vagina. It's sad, but true.
May the Best Pet Win
Good
+ Fluttergasm!
+ First song of season 2!
+ So many awesome animals: flamingo, bat, hawk, that amazing monarch butterfly, and of course TANK!
+ The radicalness competition! I mean, seriously, it's so wacky!
+ Pause for dramatic effect!
+ Dun-dun-DUUUUUUN!
+ Rainbow Dash finally ends up with a pet!
+ Tankcopter!
Bad
- I still think there's something wrong with this song. It's hard to pin down; I just don't like it as much as others do.
- First instances of CREEPFACE! D:
- Dash whistling the background music.
Ugly
~ Nothing beyond "Rainbow Dash is shallow, self-centered and kind of stupid," but we already knew that. I've just always felt like this is a lackluster episode, and I've never been able to explain why.
Ponyville Confidential
Good
+ So many foals! Roly Poly, Cloudy Skies, Featherweight!
+ Diamond Tiara doing what she does best! Also being J. Jonah Jameson!
+ Apple Bloom's baby pictures!
+ Cakelestia!
+ Big Mac and Applejack switching lines!
Bad
- This episode is so not believable. I mean, the whole town reading a school newspaper? And like, so much drama over nothing.
- Ugh, the snooping. It comes back to bite Rarity in the flank, but it's yet another black mark on her record for this season. And even if Rarity started things down the wrong path, it was still all Diamond Tiara's fault, which is fine.
- Seriously, more Pinkie crying. Why is that necessary?
- This episode is pretty boring, honestly.
Ugly
~ Featherweight and Cloudy Skies orchestrated the whole thing to discredit Diamond Tiara so they could take over the paper.
Hearth's Warming Eve
Good
+ Christmas-ish episode!
+ Equestrian history presented in play format!
+ I'll just sum it up: basically everything about pre-Equestrian society is amazing!
+ Chancellor Puddinghead! Thinking inside the box! Reading the map wrong! The dirtiest dirt in the whole dirt world! Pinkie was amazing in this!
+ More Star Swirl the Bearded!
Bad
- The song is really forgettable.
- They somehow made an episode about the founding of Equestria boring. I think the issue was the framing story was thoroughly uninteresting, and as it's the last thing we see, it leaves the entire thing feeling lackluster. They really should have left off at the song rather than that final scene.
Ugly
~ Ponies do not know how to play I Spy. It was more like "I Am Currently Looking at and Telling You About".
~ If the ponies begin fighting again, the wendigoes will return to shroud the land in ice and snow. They literally have to all get along, every day of their lives, or they will face icy death. Of course, I took this as a good thing, because it meant we got to reject all warfics from EQD for diverging from canon. :V
Cutie Pox
Good
+ PONY BIG LEBOWSKI! Possibly the best reference in the entire show!
+ Allie Way!
+ Apple Bloom lisping with a chipped tooth!
+ Apple Bloom speakin' in fancy!
+ Retreat cloud!
Bad
- The idea of Cutie Pox, that she can't stop performing each talent, is really neat, and the results are amusing, but overall it didn't make for a particularly interesting episode.
- Such a stupid solution to the problem.
Ugly
~ Nothin' ugly, just a boring episode.
Read It and Weep
Good
+ Rainbow Dash self-insert!
+ Tons of adventurous action!
+ Screwloose!
Bad
- "Rainbow Dash loses her wings" was cliche way before this episode.
- Rats are also predators.
- I get that Ahuizotl is supposed to be based on something, but oh god I detest his design.
- Rainbow Dash is really, really stupid and every one of her episodes this season was terrible.
- Why is Ahuizotl winning bad again? What was he going to do?
- Daring Do is neat and a great idea, but her presence in such a flat and poorly-conceived episode really tarnished her in my eyes. I can't care about her.
Ugly
~ The final days of cancer pony. (See the song sequence in Hearts and Hooves Day.)
~ That reading is still so unpopular that they would even consider making an episode based around someone thinking that it's not a good thing to do. It's the dumbest plot ever.
Lesson Zero
Good
+ Twilight being super-duper OCD!
+ Rainbow Dash destroying a barn with a Sonic Rainnuke!
+ Fluttershy (not actually) fighting a bear!
+ Rarity's drama chaise!
+ Smarty Pants!
+ Big Mac as a stand-in for the fandom!
Bad
- I totally know that feeling or trying to make sure everything's exactly even.
- The. Worst. Possible. Catchphrase. D:
- The first instance in a long line of Twilight's friends not taking her seriously.
- Some of those faces... my god, they're nightmarish. D:
- Celestia leading everypony on that way. I mean really, she should be ashamed of herself.
- Contrived way to extend the series by letting everyone do friendship reports, thus making Twilight no longer the main character.
- Really bad animation as Celestia flies away.
Ugly
~ I'm like the only person who hates this episode, but I still hate it. I think I identify with Twilight far too much to enjoy her freakout. Furthermore, the idea that Twilight is so afraid of Celestia, the pony who mentored her for most of her life, that she would think that missing or being late with a single friendship report would result in horrible consequences -- and that Celestia would not, say, be open to discussing it -- just completely goes against everything set up for her character in season 1.
~ Even further, that she would purposefully make things worse just to give herself a way to make them better is just awful. I hate this episode because Twilight is the villain, and she shouldn't ever be the villain.
~ Also, I detest mind-control magic; what was done in the season opener was not mind-control, but sort of a telepathic reminder of everything they'd been through that allowed each pony to break the Discord spell on their own. In the end, Celestia wasn't angry at her for missing her report, but for using that fucking spell and making things worse!
~ Why is this episode so popular I will never understand it. :(
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
Good
+ AppleDash kiss!
+ A pony superhero who's totally a homage to Darkwing Duck!
+ Batman musical homage!
+ Bucky McIlligoddy and Kicks McGee!
Bad
- So much not continuity! D:
- Rainbow Dash is shallow, self-centered, and kind of stupid. And how.
- That chase scene at the end is really dull. I think maybe I don't like chase scenes.
Ugly
~ "We need to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson about not bragging about her exploits!" "Let's undermine all her efforts and then brag about them in front of her!" The mane cast were DICKS in this episode. Dicks to Rainbow Dash, dicks to Ponyville (endangering the town just to prove a point?), my God in Heaven. And then to top it all off, they go against the fucking moral of the episode. That's why this is the worst episode ever. And on top of that, it's pretty boring, all things considered. The only way it could have been worse is if Rainbow Dash had pulled a Lesson Zero and made things purposefully worse.
So there you have it! I think I'm always going to be a season 1 purist. Looking back over my writeups, I think the preponderance of "X pony was the villain in her own episode" was a big reason why this season was crap. For everything great they gave us, there was something awful as well. The one fully positive thing that I can say about season 2 is that the animation was through the roof. I mean, the whole production was severely improved over what it was in season 1, and I hope they stick with that.
Except for the creepface. D: They can lose the creepface.
There were 13 songs this season. I don't actually remember how many there were last season, but it sure felt like we didn't have as many, if only because it took so long to get to them. There were more episodes that had two or more, meaning fewer with any song at all, which also didn't help. Boy was there some great stuff, though I still count Art of the Dress as my overall favorite.
Favorite Songs
5) The Perfect Stallion
4) Smile Smile Smile
3) Love Is in Bloom
2) Becoming Popular
1) The Flim Flam Brothers Song
Also, if you count reprises and the new remastered intro, it's 19 total. @_@ Wow. Now for my overall top ten ep list from the two seasons. Unsurprisingly, season 2 just doesn't quite make it to the top.
Top 10 Overall
10) Dragonshy
9) Green Isn't Your Color
8) Luna Eclipsed
7) A Dog and Pony Show
6) Sisterhooves Social
5) Hurricane Fluttershy
4) A Friend in Deed
3) Cutie Mark Chronicles
2) The Last Roundup
1) Party of One
Oh, let's do a bottom 5 as well, because some of this shit was just so shit that I want to figure which shit was the shittiest shit in the whole shit world.
Bottom 5 Overall
45) Read It and Weep
46) Owl's Well That Ends Well
47) Over a Barrel
48) Lesson Zero
49) The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
And Read It and Weep wasn't even that bad, but I was definitely disappointed less by Look Before You Sleep. I'm scraping up to the 'meh' tier episodes there. Also, in hindsight I've decided that I actually like Griffon the Brush-Off far more than I used to and it doesn't really belong on this list. But yeah, there you go: proof that season 2 was way crappier than season 1.
So rather than just listing off a bunch of stuff I like and don't like, I'm streamlining my second-round reviews this time. I'll give the Good, the Bad and the Ugly for each episode, while listing them in order of preference. What this means: the Good is reasons to watch the episode, reasons why it's a good episode (I will try not to include continuity with everything, because continuity is good and there's lots of it); Bad obviously enough is then reasons why the episode sucks, cringe-worthy moments, and other oversights; the Ugly is what you get when you start reading between the lines. I'm talking unanticipated consequences, unintended lessons, and all-around bad news that mars some of the best episodes in the season. This kind of thing shows up a lot more in season 2 than 1, but for an example, let's look at Over a Barrel.
OVER A BARREL
Good
+ Buffalo!
+ Wild West town!
+ Pinkie in a can-can dress!
+ Wild West pie fight shootout!
Bad
- Braeburn. D:
- Wild West puns. DX
- Pinkie's worst song ever.
Ugly
~ Historical. Inaccuracy.
Something like that. I think that's all the intro this needs, so let's get cracking!
The Last Roundup
Good
+ DERPY! Seriously, even if you're watching the edited version, she's amazing!
+ Love Letter!
+ Cherry Jubilee!
+ I LOVE LUCY! The best reference scene ever!
+ Pinkie as the "big guns"! Chimicherrychanga! Pickle barrel kumquat!
+ What happens when you break a Pinkie Promise!
+ "Rarity catch me!"
+ An Applejack episode where she gets actual character development!
Bad
- An Applejack episode where she's the least interesting part. It's not that she was bad: she was really beyond the top of her game. It's just that all the other amazing stuff overshadowed her. This is actually one of the best Pinkie episodes of all time.
Ugly
~ The only thing ugly about this episode has nothing to do with the episode itself. I am of course talking about the Derpygate fallout that came afterward. It was the brony fandom's darkest hour, and the less said about it, the better.
A Friend in Deed
Good
+ Pinkie Pie 80's laughter training montage!
+ Smile, Smile, Smile!
+ Cranky Doodle Donkey! As a grouchy foil for Pinkie Pie, he's surprisingly both consistent and sympathetic!
+ Felt Pinkie!
+ Pinkie's Welcome Wagon! Fuckin' three songs and a reprise in a single episode! Cake in the confetti cannons!
+ Best chase scene ever! ("Really, really, really...!")
+ Old timey Grand Galloping Gala!
+ Honestly heartwarming tragic backstory! I would call this the most 'mature' episode, in terms of sensibilities, in the entire show to date!
+ DIFFERENT ENDING SONG :D
Bad
- Matilda comes out of nowhere, making her presence somewhat obvious as far as where the story is going. Unless you forget that she exists in the middle of the episode, like me.
- Pinkie Pie, you're such a racist! (Okay, that's actually really amusing.) Also, she has no sense of personal property.
Ugly
~ I think the ugliest thing in this episode might just be Cranky's face. In other words, there's nothin' to put here!
Hurricane Fluttershy
Good
+ Thunder Lane! Cloud Chaser! Flitter! Rumble! BLOSSOMFORTH!
+ Steroid pony YEEAAAHHH!
+ YEEAAAHHH!
+ Fluttershy overcoming her performance anxiety!
+ YEEAAAHHH!
+ 80's Fluttershy training montage!
+ YEEAAAHHH!
+ Best uplifting ending ever!
Bad
- As dumb playground taunts go, that's one of the dumbest and you have to hear it a lot.
- OH GOD THE EYEBALLS D: That is one of the most frightening scenes in the show!
- Creepy wing-based things happening.
Ugly
~ This episode is so not ugly. This episode is the opposite of ugly. You won't learn meteorology from it, but this episode is completely fucking amazing.
The Sisterhooves Social
Good
+ Sweetie's primary function is failure! :D
+ Rarity's parents!
+ Rarity has the best faces in this episode!
+ Scootie Belle!
+ Sweetie's primary function is failure! :D:D
+ Sheep!
+ Apple Belle? And Apple Bloom being overprotective of Applejack. :D
+ Probably the twistiest twist since Twist!
+ Eventual actual Sweetie Belle and Rarity bonding!
+ Wet mane Rarity!
Bad
- But they wouldn't let Berry Punch burp in Call of the Cutie. :(
- They totally missed a spot for a song. Thankfully, MandoPony comes through for us.
Ugly
~ Absolutely nothing. This is maybe the most wholesome episode in the season, if not the show, and it's completely amazing.
Luna Eclipsed
Good
+ So many costumes! Halloween episode!
+ Star Swirl the Bearded! (And the running joke with the costume!)
+ Pipsqueak!
+ Chicken Pie! (It goes far beyond the costume!)
+ The first of many fantastic Derpy appearances! (Well, she had a big cameo in Lesson Zero, but her costume is amazing, as is the cork thing!)
+ Zecora!
+ The CMCs as the Universal Monsters!
+ Fuckin' LUUUUUNAAAAAA! :D:D:D:D:D (And the night guards!)
+ Royal Canterlot Voice!
+ Raven!
+ Fluttershy vs. Luna!
+ So many catchphrases!
Bad
- Okay, let's face it, Pip is a little too cute sometimes. He's a serious sympathy sue.
- No Rarity, sadly. :( (Her scene got cut.)
- Luna kind of fucks everything up in the middle there.
Ugly
~ It really is kind of shitty that they kept this holiday around after Luna came back.
~ So many fanfics destroyed. Of course, this is not really a bad thing, unless you wrote one. :V
A Canterlot Wedding
Good
+ Epic two-part season finale!
+ BBBFF! (The song, not the phrase.) And not only is the song great, but the sequence explains how he became a guardspony without ever saying it; I loved that! Not to mention there's 3 songs and two reprises across the two episodes!
+ WILD FIRE! :D
+ Lyra speaks!
+ Cadence is actually evil and she sends Twilight to hell! :D
+ Actual villain song! And the escape sequence is pretty amazing!
+ The princess rushing to rescue the knight!
+ Defeating evil bridesmaids with a bouquet!
+ Changelings! Specifically Chrysalis, who is best pony! :D
+ Chrysalis vs. Celestia! (Although Celestia getting beat was kind of wha?)
+ Epic mane cast on mane cast battle! Fluttershy fakeout! Gatling Twilight! Party cannon! Flutterdash kiss!
+ Trimmings of matriarchal society!
+ Vinyl Scratch!
+ Love Is in Bloom! One of the best songs this season!
Bad
- If you didn't watch this on TV, be glad. You didn't have to deal with Tori Spelling's face all the time. D: The hype machine around this pair of episodes was just awful and one of the worst things Hasbro's done with the show.
- Suddenly Twilight has a brother and an old friend and we're supposed to care about them! That wasn't completely pulled out of nowhere!
- Rainbow Dash can just perform Sonic Rainbooms on command now? Lame.
- BBBFF. (The phrase, not the song.) Also PFF. Way to suck, Applejack.
- "Twily". UGH.
- Unnecessary family drama! Just one more thing we're supposed to care about.
- Cadence is such a terrible character. She stands against everything Lauren Faust tried to do with this show. I'm probably going to have to write an entire post about this.
- Luna exists... and she gets a whole three lines. D: One of which makes no sense.
- The whole "royal wedding" parody was done very well, except it was untimely as fuck. Who really cared about it at time this episode aired? Did 9 year old girls care?
- Why is Rainbow Dash excited about being a bridesmaid?
- I have... issues with This Day. It's just too... perfect. And kind of telly.
- Chrysalis revealed herself, and her plans, too early and easily.
- You must get to the Elements of Harmony! Except that you never do because none of you serve any purpose whatsoever in this episode! (All Twilight is there for is to introduce us to Shining Armor, move the plot along, and save Cadence.) Because our brand-new character who we know nothing about is going to save the day instead of you!
- Chrysalis's plan was really stupid. It's hard to feed off of love when your food source is running in fear.
Ugly
~ It's never explained exactly what Cadence's power is, therefore it's possible that she can mindrape ponies. (The not-ugly explanation is that she rekindled the love between Wild Fire and Lucky.)
~ Twilight's friends are, once again, massive dicks and don't believe her at all.
~ Cadence is marrying Shining Armor for his sister. D: That is so creepy.
Secret of My Excess
Good
+ Rarity's epic bedroom eyes!
+ Junebug!
+ Various stages of grown-up Spike!
+ Pediatrician pony! Veterinarian pony!
+ TwiJack bondage!
+ "I'm assaulting him with cake!"
+ King Kong with a dragon!
+ I'm not a big fan of Spikity shipping, and this is as close as the show has gotten to actually shipping them. I do nevertheless like what actually happened. So, no exclamation points, just a soft plus.
Bad
- Rarity's such a gold digger. D: Seriously, it was his birthday present! It would have been worse if her doing that hadn't saved the day.
- Before it becomes apparent what's going on, Spike's behavior is kind of uncomfortable to watch. Luckily, though he ends up the villain in this episode, it's not his fault, but see below.
- Worst Zecora rhyme ever. D:
- The Wonderbolts couldn't do shit! :(
Ugly
~ Spike spent the past, what, four, five, six years getting one book for his birthday because Twilight never thought to get him anything else, or more.
~ There's a real unfortunate nature vs. nurture thing going on here. Dragon physiology eventually overrides mental faculty. One day, Spike will grow up into a large, mindless, rampaging monster, gather a hoard, and fly away, forgetting all about his friends and Ponyville, forever.
Sweet and Elite
Good
+ Jet Set and Upper Crust!
+ A look inside Canterlotian high society! And they are snobs! :D Also fashion! And sniping at all of the above, which is what makes Rarity episodes great!
+ Fancy Pants! Who is actually not a bad guy at all! And a complete troll! Also Fleur de Lis! :D
+ More Wonderbolt names!
+ Second-best song of the season!
+ Bererity!
+ Twilight has no fashion sense! Nor can she dance! :D
+ Party cannon!
+ "What croquet mallet?"
Bad
- Hayseed Turniptruck. D: Worst character ever.
- Rarity being ashamed of her friends. And like, everything about herself. :/ I mean, yeah, but no.
Ugly
~ Rarity lied to her friends and got away scot-free. No one even though to call her out on it. There were no repercussions. That's a major oversight, though I tend not to dwell on it because I like the song so much. It's still an oversight, though, and one of the worst in the season.
~ Rarity also let her high-society ambitions get in the way of making something nice for her friend. Opal was the only one among them who had her priorities straight. That amazing dress never happened. :( What a way to repay Twilight's generosity and understanding.
Dragon Quest
Good
+ Everything you ever needed to know about dragons in Equestria!
+ Awesome teenage dragon designs!
+ CRACKLE IS BEST PONY ANYTHING FOREVER!
+ Wild phoenixes! Phoenix chicks! PHOENIX USED SOLARBEAM!
+ Spike doesn't let peer pressure trump his conscience!
Bad
- This does eventually enter some dark territory with the egg-smashing.
- AAAAAHHHH WHAT WAS IN THAT LETTER D:
Ugly
~ This episode poses the nature vs. nurture question, again, and conflicts with Secret of My Excess. The dragons are jerks because of their society, I guess? And also they aren't greedy monsters, but still. In the end, it's decided that Spike is better off not being part of dragon society. In the first place, this is more cultural supremicism from the ponies; their culture is obviously superior because it's not filled with teenage jerkwads. Secondly, Spike grew up meek and liking aprons, etc., because he was raised in pony society. Thus this one falls on the nurture side of the equation, and resolves exactly nothing.
~ Spike totally stole that egg from its parents. Peewee will grow up an orphan, never understanding where he came from.
The Return of Harmony
Good
+ John DeLancie as Discord, who is basically Q!
+ Chaos! So much chocolate raaaaaain, so many dancing buffalo!
+ Pinkie Pie freaking out about the chocolate raaaaaain!
+ Thousand-year-old backstory about the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony!
+ Discorded ponies! Especially Flutterbitch! :3
+ Tom!
+ Screwball!
+ Discord drinking the glass! Exploding chocolate milk!
Bad
- Fast pacing due to needing to introduce everything all over again for some reason.
- Oh god bunny deer make it stop D:
- No, seriously, most of the first episode is awful if you know anything at all about season one.
- Discord just stands there and takes it at the end.
- Also, I thought the Star Wars ending was really dumb, even after finding out about the reference. Maybe especially after finding out about the reference.
Ugly
~ If the Elements were in the Ponyville library all along... It just doesn't make any sense. Celestia thought they were in the chamber she was keeping them in, but that book was already hollowed out. Was that Discord's doing? If it wasn't, why aren't the Elements kept in a place where they're, I don't know, easily accessible by their wielders in times of emergency?
Hearts and Hooves Day
Good
+ Cheerilee gets an episode! Big Mac gets more than two lines! Sweetie Belle gets a real song!
+ JELLY PONY! Best face ever!
+ Canon shipping! (And I mean the act of shipping two characters together, not the relationship.)
+ Sweetie Belle in top form! ("OH, COME ON!")
+ Big Mac and Cheerilee making horrible baby talk at one another! Seriously, the whole lovecapade is amazing!
+ Big Mac pulling a house!
Bad
- I really hate that skipping animation for some reason.
- Why in the hell does Scootaloo care about romance?
- The episode ends far too easily. There's no conflict or complication; their plan just goes off without a hitch.
Ugly
~ The sad, sad lesson of this episode is "Shipping destroys lives." ;_;
The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
Good
+ Ponies are really dedicated to their cider!
+ The Flim Flam Brothers! The Flim Flam Brothers Song! (Best song of the season!) Music Man homage! Granny Smith singing! My god, it's amazing! Also our first antagonist song!
+ The bad guys actually win!
Bad
- Worst. Letter. Ever. I mean, come on, Applejack, couldn't you have at least elucidated what it was you already knew? This is supposed to be an educational show! The ending really drags this episode down.
Ugly
~ There's a definite "technology vs. tradition" story here, and a couple ways to look at it. On the one hand, the moral is "haste makes waste". On the other, the brothers did win the contest, even if they ultimately lost the day. So the takeaway is either, "Technology will always win out over traditional methods" or "Technology is never going to be as good as tradition". Neither is terribly palatable.
Family Appreciation Day
Good
+ Zap Apples!
+ Filthy Rich!
+ Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon doing what they do best!
+ Founding of Ponyville linked to the Apple family by way of Granny Smith's family!
+ Young Granny Smith!
+ Timber wolves!
Bad
- Yeah, Granny's behavior is a little embarrassing. But then so is the puppetting of her sleeping corpse. <.<
Ugly
~ Granny Smith may have been right all along, but at the end of the day, she's still crazy and lapsing into senility, and should probably be committed to a home.
It's About Time
Good
+ Future Twilight! Metal Gear/Escape from LA reference!
+ Time travel! This really has a great time travel plot.
+ Cerberus! Tartauros!
+ Madame Pinkie! Friendship Is Witchcraft is canon!
Bad
- Twilight being OCwaaaaiiiitdidn'twealreadyseethis? This episode doesn't quite make up for Lesson Zero, either. It's still a better "Twilight freaks out" episode overall, but did we really need two in one season?
- I do really wish they hadn't redone the two Twilights scene. It was completely unnecessary.
Ugly
~ This episode does confirm that the future is predestined in Equestria, at the very least. Or, well, when you time travel, it is.
Putting Your Hoof Down
Good
+ Nerd pony!
+ Pinkie's duck season routine!
+ Minotaur! Iron Will is pretty amazing! He has catchphrases! Also goats!
Bad
- Ponies are kind of dicks.
- Though ostensibly the antagonist, Iron Will was really not a villain at all. He wasn't trying to ruin Fluttershy or anything. To be honest, she was the villain in this, because she took everything to extremes. Iron Will was just trying to get paid for his services. His only crime was in not being terribly clear on how to use his techniques. This episode is a slight mess for it all, if amusing.
Ugly
~ Rarity demonstrates that you can get anything you want through batting your eyelashes and false flattery. Especially if you're a woman and they're a man.
~ Pinkie Pie demonstrates how to usurp the capitalist regime via trickery and outright lies.
~ Fluttershy is one push away from becoming an unstoppable ball of rage. (Admittedly, I find this part of her character hilarious, but not everyone appreciated it.) Pinkie and Rarity are one push away from becoming nervous, bawling wrecks. Also they're terrible friends.
MMMystery on the Friendship Express
Good
+ Mr. Cake's fainting gag!
+ Awesome desserts! (Except the Mousse Moose.)
+ Gustave le Grand! Finally another griffin!
+ The return of Pony Donut Joe!
+ A Sherlock Holmes homage and a mystery! Pinkie in a deer hunter! And you can totally see clues like the eyelash during the episode if you know where to look!
+ Gustav as an old-timey silent movie villain! Donut Joe as James Bond! Mulia as a (completely ridiculous) ninja! Three really amazing sequences! (Especially given that the cake is always sliced!)
Bad
- Worst. Title. Ever.
- I get who she is, but Mulia Mild is kind of the worst character ever.
- Twilight's deductive skills come from reading mystery novels. Wat.
- I really wish Pinkie would stop referring to it as "MMM", because that's retarded.
- SPRINKLES IN HER WRINKLES D: WHYYYYYYYYY
Ugly
~ Never before has an episode been so transparently about selling a toy. But it won't be the last!
~ Pinkie's friends are all dicks. Serious, great, throbbing cockbags. Why in the fuck would they do something like that? This episode teaches us that delayed gratification is for suckers. The lesson is driven home when Pinkie devours the whole thing at the end.
~ FYI, a recent interview with a writer confirmed that Applejack took a bite of the cake, too; she didn't leave any clues, and the scene was cut for time. So she's not off the hook, either.
Baby Cakes
Good
+ Ponies havin' babies! And they're kind of adorable!
+ Mr. Cake having a five o'clock shadow and not understanding pony reproduction!
+ Pinkie being a giant baby nut!
+ Pinkie's birthday/monthaversary song!
+ One-month old characters having distinct personalities!
+ Pinkie doing actual standup!
+ Trainspotting reference! It's actually really creepy though. D:
Bad
- Oh god that oink song. D: I would like to thank the Cake twins for expressing the audience's reaction.
- This episode begins a disturbing trend in season 2 of Pinkie Pie crying a lot.
- Another slightly dull chase scene! The end of this episode falls a little flat.
Ugly
~ But seriously, Cup Cake was fooling around on Carrot, that's what's going on here. :V
~ Scootaloo is totally outclassed by a one-month-old.
~ Also, the more you think about this episode, the more your mind will wander to things like pony poop and Mrs. Cake's vagina. It's sad, but true.
May the Best Pet Win
Good
+ Fluttergasm!
+ First song of season 2!
+ So many awesome animals: flamingo, bat, hawk, that amazing monarch butterfly, and of course TANK!
+ The radicalness competition! I mean, seriously, it's so wacky!
+ Pause for dramatic effect!
+ Dun-dun-DUUUUUUN!
+ Rainbow Dash finally ends up with a pet!
+ Tankcopter!
Bad
- I still think there's something wrong with this song. It's hard to pin down; I just don't like it as much as others do.
- First instances of CREEPFACE! D:
- Dash whistling the background music.
Ugly
~ Nothing beyond "Rainbow Dash is shallow, self-centered and kind of stupid," but we already knew that. I've just always felt like this is a lackluster episode, and I've never been able to explain why.
Ponyville Confidential
Good
+ So many foals! Roly Poly, Cloudy Skies, Featherweight!
+ Diamond Tiara doing what she does best! Also being J. Jonah Jameson!
+ Apple Bloom's baby pictures!
+ Cakelestia!
+ Big Mac and Applejack switching lines!
Bad
- This episode is so not believable. I mean, the whole town reading a school newspaper? And like, so much drama over nothing.
- Ugh, the snooping. It comes back to bite Rarity in the flank, but it's yet another black mark on her record for this season. And even if Rarity started things down the wrong path, it was still all Diamond Tiara's fault, which is fine.
- Seriously, more Pinkie crying. Why is that necessary?
- This episode is pretty boring, honestly.
Ugly
~ Featherweight and Cloudy Skies orchestrated the whole thing to discredit Diamond Tiara so they could take over the paper.
Hearth's Warming Eve
Good
+ Christmas-ish episode!
+ Equestrian history presented in play format!
+ I'll just sum it up: basically everything about pre-Equestrian society is amazing!
+ Chancellor Puddinghead! Thinking inside the box! Reading the map wrong! The dirtiest dirt in the whole dirt world! Pinkie was amazing in this!
+ More Star Swirl the Bearded!
Bad
- The song is really forgettable.
- They somehow made an episode about the founding of Equestria boring. I think the issue was the framing story was thoroughly uninteresting, and as it's the last thing we see, it leaves the entire thing feeling lackluster. They really should have left off at the song rather than that final scene.
Ugly
~ Ponies do not know how to play I Spy. It was more like "I Am Currently Looking at and Telling You About".
~ If the ponies begin fighting again, the wendigoes will return to shroud the land in ice and snow. They literally have to all get along, every day of their lives, or they will face icy death. Of course, I took this as a good thing, because it meant we got to reject all warfics from EQD for diverging from canon. :V
Cutie Pox
Good
+ PONY BIG LEBOWSKI! Possibly the best reference in the entire show!
+ Allie Way!
+ Apple Bloom lisping with a chipped tooth!
+ Apple Bloom speakin' in fancy!
+ Retreat cloud!
Bad
- The idea of Cutie Pox, that she can't stop performing each talent, is really neat, and the results are amusing, but overall it didn't make for a particularly interesting episode.
- Such a stupid solution to the problem.
Ugly
~ Nothin' ugly, just a boring episode.
Read It and Weep
Good
+ Rainbow Dash self-insert!
+ Tons of adventurous action!
+ Screwloose!
Bad
- "Rainbow Dash loses her wings" was cliche way before this episode.
- Rats are also predators.
- I get that Ahuizotl is supposed to be based on something, but oh god I detest his design.
- Rainbow Dash is really, really stupid and every one of her episodes this season was terrible.
- Why is Ahuizotl winning bad again? What was he going to do?
- Daring Do is neat and a great idea, but her presence in such a flat and poorly-conceived episode really tarnished her in my eyes. I can't care about her.
Ugly
~ The final days of cancer pony. (See the song sequence in Hearts and Hooves Day.)
~ That reading is still so unpopular that they would even consider making an episode based around someone thinking that it's not a good thing to do. It's the dumbest plot ever.
Lesson Zero
Good
+ Twilight being super-duper OCD!
+ Rainbow Dash destroying a barn with a Sonic Rainnuke!
+ Fluttershy (not actually) fighting a bear!
+ Rarity's drama chaise!
+ Smarty Pants!
+ Big Mac as a stand-in for the fandom!
Bad
- I totally know that feeling or trying to make sure everything's exactly even.
- The. Worst. Possible. Catchphrase. D:
- The first instance in a long line of Twilight's friends not taking her seriously.
- Some of those faces... my god, they're nightmarish. D:
- Celestia leading everypony on that way. I mean really, she should be ashamed of herself.
- Contrived way to extend the series by letting everyone do friendship reports, thus making Twilight no longer the main character.
- Really bad animation as Celestia flies away.
Ugly
~ I'm like the only person who hates this episode, but I still hate it. I think I identify with Twilight far too much to enjoy her freakout. Furthermore, the idea that Twilight is so afraid of Celestia, the pony who mentored her for most of her life, that she would think that missing or being late with a single friendship report would result in horrible consequences -- and that Celestia would not, say, be open to discussing it -- just completely goes against everything set up for her character in season 1.
~ Even further, that she would purposefully make things worse just to give herself a way to make them better is just awful. I hate this episode because Twilight is the villain, and she shouldn't ever be the villain.
~ Also, I detest mind-control magic; what was done in the season opener was not mind-control, but sort of a telepathic reminder of everything they'd been through that allowed each pony to break the Discord spell on their own. In the end, Celestia wasn't angry at her for missing her report, but for using that fucking spell and making things worse!
~ Why is this episode so popular I will never understand it. :(
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
Good
+ AppleDash kiss!
+ A pony superhero who's totally a homage to Darkwing Duck!
+ Batman musical homage!
+ Bucky McIlligoddy and Kicks McGee!
Bad
- So much not continuity! D:
- Rainbow Dash is shallow, self-centered, and kind of stupid. And how.
- That chase scene at the end is really dull. I think maybe I don't like chase scenes.
Ugly
~ "We need to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson about not bragging about her exploits!" "Let's undermine all her efforts and then brag about them in front of her!" The mane cast were DICKS in this episode. Dicks to Rainbow Dash, dicks to Ponyville (endangering the town just to prove a point?), my God in Heaven. And then to top it all off, they go against the fucking moral of the episode. That's why this is the worst episode ever. And on top of that, it's pretty boring, all things considered. The only way it could have been worse is if Rainbow Dash had pulled a Lesson Zero and made things purposefully worse.
So there you have it! I think I'm always going to be a season 1 purist. Looking back over my writeups, I think the preponderance of "X pony was the villain in her own episode" was a big reason why this season was crap. For everything great they gave us, there was something awful as well. The one fully positive thing that I can say about season 2 is that the animation was through the roof. I mean, the whole production was severely improved over what it was in season 1, and I hope they stick with that.
Except for the creepface. D: They can lose the creepface.
There were 13 songs this season. I don't actually remember how many there were last season, but it sure felt like we didn't have as many, if only because it took so long to get to them. There were more episodes that had two or more, meaning fewer with any song at all, which also didn't help. Boy was there some great stuff, though I still count Art of the Dress as my overall favorite.
Favorite Songs
5) The Perfect Stallion
4) Smile Smile Smile
3) Love Is in Bloom
2) Becoming Popular
1) The Flim Flam Brothers Song
Also, if you count reprises and the new remastered intro, it's 19 total. @_@ Wow. Now for my overall top ten ep list from the two seasons. Unsurprisingly, season 2 just doesn't quite make it to the top.
Top 10 Overall
10) Dragonshy
9) Green Isn't Your Color
8) Luna Eclipsed
7) A Dog and Pony Show
6) Sisterhooves Social
5) Hurricane Fluttershy
4) A Friend in Deed
3) Cutie Mark Chronicles
2) The Last Roundup
1) Party of One
Oh, let's do a bottom 5 as well, because some of this shit was just so shit that I want to figure which shit was the shittiest shit in the whole shit world.
Bottom 5 Overall
45) Read It and Weep
46) Owl's Well That Ends Well
47) Over a Barrel
48) Lesson Zero
49) The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well
And Read It and Weep wasn't even that bad, but I was definitely disappointed less by Look Before You Sleep. I'm scraping up to the 'meh' tier episodes there. Also, in hindsight I've decided that I actually like Griffon the Brush-Off far more than I used to and it doesn't really belong on this list. But yeah, there you go: proof that season 2 was way crappier than season 1.