This blog update is coming to you late on this Sunday because last night I went to watch the Avengers. Go see it. Even if you haven’t watched all of the five films that lead up to it, or any of the five films for that matter, go watch the Avengers because it is mind-blowing. A simplistic story but it has great action, comedy, and character interactions. Anyway, today’s title is a bit of a strange one, and today’s subjects are completely different to what I was previously going to be talking about (though I will discuss those topics eventually). This being the first weekend of a new month means I can start something I’ve been wanting to do, ‘The Month of Positives’ and ‘The Month of Negatives’. Including this post and the three to follow, instead of discussing an episode I will instead discuss my top 10 favourite of a certain thing. This week it’s episodes (including both seasons), then it is songs, then pairings, then characters (note there have been a slight change to my top ten characters and it will also be going into more depth concerning why I like them, same as the ten episodes for today). Afterwards I will have the four posts afterwards address my 10 least favourite episodes, songs, pairings, and characters. With that explained I will now move on.
‘Open to Interpretation’. I had no plan to start writing this one-shot and yet the idea, the story, and the motivation, just came to me. Luckily it is only a one-shot, and is not going to be a very long one at that and so it should not delay the progress of my other story, ‘Magnetism’, which will come out during it’s scheduled time of August. I won’t reveal too many details about it but I will say that it includes FlutterDash, involves more Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie than my previous work, and concerns The Canterlot Wedding. Progress is going well and it should be done soon.
10) Secret of my Excess – Though this episode had quite a bit of competition in the form of A Canterlot Wedding Part 2 and Show Stoppers, ultimately this Spike episode won out. It was nice to see Spike have an episode to himself again, but even better to see an all round greater presentation of the character than that of Owl’s Well That Ends Well.
The beginning is a bit slow, but it has charm and paces itself well as build up for the big element of the episode; Spike changing due to greed. It’s a neat and original element concerning dragons and creates an interesting plot for the episode. First it works well as an element of mystery, and sets up some amusing scenes as Twilight goes from doctor, to vet, to witch doctor (as you would). Then it works well as an element of adventure as Spike begins his rampage and the others try to stop him. The episode reaches its funniest during the moments Spike goes from place to place, but not its best until near the end, when Rarity and Spike start to fall from the sky. That scene...teary eyed I was as I watched and teary eyed I become every time I do. The relationship of Rarity and Spike plays out wonderfully, it feels sweet as first but progresses into there being something beautiful and genuine between the two characters.
I also appreciate this episode for another, entirely different reason. This is the episode that made me a FlutterDash fan. I was already a Sparity fan, but the scenes of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash trying to stop Spike, from their good cop, bad cop act, the hug Fluttershy gives Rainbow as Spike smacks them down with his tail, and the way Rainbow just keeps on grabbing Fluttershy, it made me think something could be between them. From there I went on to read a few FlutterDash fanfics and that was that, I was a FlutterDash fan and it is now my MLP:FiM OTP.
9) May the Best Pet Win – My opinion of this episode improved a slight bit once I became a FlutterDash fan but it wasn’t exactly like it needed much urging. As my 5th favourite episode of season 2, it is not much of a surprise to see it on my top ten list, and here it is at position number 9.
The episode starts off with the creepiest moment in the whole of MLP:FiM, and then proceeds into showing a weekly event the Mane 6 (excluding Rainbow Dash) do, thus we get to see the characters having some normal time together. It naturally follows on with Rainbow Dash wanting a pet, one of Fluttershy’s cutest moments, and then Fluttershy kidnapping Rainbow so they can sing a duet together. I am perfectly okay with this. After my second favourite song in the series Rainbow takes on the role of a coach and puts the pets through various trials. Tank’s determination is both warming and amusing to see, and the ongoing joke of Fluttershy correcting Rainbow is memorable (and reminds me of the Monkey, Mankey joke). The canyon chase is well animated and more exciting than I expected it to be, and the episode concludes with an absolutely absurd but pulled off with a straight face ending. I love the song, liked Tank, and enjoyed the interactions between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
8) Over A Barrel – This episode gripped me with its introduction, and what I still consider the best opening in the entire season. Applejack’s part has me in hysterics and Rarity’s reaction to it was priceless. The conversation the characters have on the train is some of the best writing I have ever heard in a cartoon, and the episode appealed to me the moment it had the factors of them travelling (by train) to a new location, and encounter a new race (the buffalo in this case).
I really like the character of Chief Thunderhooves, his deadpan voice works so well for many of the comedy moments, I found the conflict itself to be both interesting and deep (though how it is resolved, not so much), and the negative reception to Pinkie’s song was such an unexpected twist. I enjoyed it myself but I did not expect anyone outside of a villain to dislike a good guy singing.
7) Party of One - While my favourite moment of this episode is Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's excuse, and Pinkie actually believing said excuse more so than any of the others, Pinkie going crazy is also a lovable moment. As well as Pinkie chasing Rainbow Dash. Pinkie conversing with Applejack. Pinkie's singing telegram. Rarity going so far as to shove her head in a garbage can to make her lie more convincing. Okay, there is a lot to love about this episode in regards to comedy.
But it is not just comedy where this episode shines, this episode goes to great extents to show Pinkie Pie as a much more deep and complex character than we had previously been given evidence to believe. Pinkie's need for friends and her need to make other ponies happy is an original idea as far as characters go, and is interesting to ponder on.
6) Sisterhooves Social –Now I don’t have a sister, but I have three brothers; two older, one younger, and that’s close enough, so I had an ability to relate to an episode about sibling relationships. In a strange case, this is an episode that stands tall not for its action or comedy (although the later is does feature to some extent via Rarity’s voice and dramatisation) but solely on its character interaction and development.
The relationship between Rarity and Sweeite Belle plays out in a manner where you can sympathise with both sides, Sweetie Belle means well but that in turn causes problems for Rarity. Furthermore it does a great job in demonstrating how different sibling relationships can be by presenting Apple Bloom and Applejack as an alternative sister pair. The moral is one of the few I appreciate seeing and the extent Rarity goes to win back her sister’s favour is another tear jerker.
5) A Dog and Pony Show – We need more episodes like this, adventure episodes with lots of action, lots of comedy, a clear group of antagonists, and world building. It also has some Sparity, and was the first time that Spike’s crush was presented as more than that, as truly romantic feelings.
Spike and Rarity both come across well in this episode, the former for things already said and the later for being able to stand up for herself but not in the conventional way. The diamond dog trio are an interesting group, both as a race and as enemies, they come across at first as simple minded thugs who are easily fooled and this creates a good amount of humour but then they surprise you by catching onto the tricks, and demonstrating that they are smarter than they appear. This episode has all the elements I love, including an imagination sequence, and I do wish for more episodes like this (as well as more diamond dogs).
4) Look Before You Sleep – A lot of people seem to be surprised when I cite this as not only my fourth favourite episode but also my favourite episode of the whole of season 1. I found the interactions between Rarity and Applejack to be enjoyable, particularly the fact that even after the first two episodes they aren’t friends, loved Twilight’s naivety and general adorkableness (this is the episode that cemented her as my favourite character), and I just like the charm it all has. It’s a simple plot but a well told version of it with interesting and likable characters, and many humorous moments (It also brilliant abridged versions of it).
3) The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 – It opens Rainbow Dash breaking into Fluttershy’s room and yanking the bed sheets off of her. Well that tipped it, this was going to be a good and holy heck was it a good one.
My complaints regarding this episode are all minor, and are instantly overshadowed by the positives. The opening, the song, the Flim Flam Brothers, the Rainbow Dash trying to get cider subplot, the FlutterDash hints (oh look, Rainbow let Fluttershy before her in the line), the apple rangers, there is just so much love packed into this one episode.
2) Hurricane Fluttershy – We’ve got Fluttershy hugging Rainbow Dash in Secret of my Excess, the two jumping in a haystack together in The Last Roundup, Rainbow bringing Fluttershy along to get drunk with her in The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, the two going on what is clearly a date in Dragon Quest, and Rainbow Dash kissing Fluttershy in A Canterlot Wedding, all artillery for the S.S. FlutterDash. Then we have this episode. The S.S. FlutterDash is now armed with a nuke.
This show’s not just the best interactions between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but also the best interactions between any two characters. Rainbow Dash comes across as more likable than any other episode in the series, Fluttershy’s problem is one that not only can many relate too, but is one of the best presented cases of the long term affects of bullying, and even the minor characters are enjoyable to see with a great variety of designs. The only reason this episode isn’t my favourite is that the one following is unbeatable in regards to comedy.
1) The Last Roundup – I shouldn’t even need to explain myself. Too many this episode is remarkable because of Derpy, for me that was only a nice bonus (I prefer her as a Where’s Wally character than having her as a speaking role minor character), my main focus was on the travelling, the locations, the background music (when they are looking for Applejack in Canterlot I just love the music that plays), the mystery, and of course, the comedy. All of the Mane 6 got some parts to them, Rarity only having a small bit and yet each of her moments was insanely funny, and Pinkie Pie shines. Her comedy is even greater than norm for her, Applejack comes across as both believable and realistic in her problem while still keeping in character, and the chase scene, oh gosh that was glorious.
Here I have put a lot of effort into making my top ten episodes here feel fresh as it were. I realise that I have already talked about my favourite episodes a lot so when composing this one I wanted to give a bit more detail to make it worth it, something I will be doing with my top ten characters as well. Next week though I shall tell of my top ten favourite songs, but probably won’t go into as much detail as I did with these episodes in explaining why I like them. Cheerio till then.
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