"So the town was founded by the department of education?" Given that one of Starlight's slogans is "No Pony left behind", maybe. Also, Starlight's VA is the voice of Barbie. Which is kinda creepy.
To be fair, Discord, Sunset, and Luna weren't "forced" to be their friends. The rainbow-laser-thing can't do that. They all became friends *afterwards*, and it even took awhile for Discord to be reformed. Tirek being a prime example of someone who got hit by it and is still probably evil.
Technically the main six didn`t have the intention of forcing friendship when they used the elements of harmony, more so they were subduing a threat and the friendship was a bonus
What is this "Except for the Colors" stuff? Everypony shown with an Equal Cutie Mark is clearly shown to have their color visibly dulled, to the extent where Equal Fluttershy and Equal Sugar Belle look white in their primary colors. It is pretty close to the level of color drain that each of them started out at when the Mane Six were Discorded in Season 2.
Eh, it's definitely George Orwell inspired. I can kinda see what you're getting at with it having a few similarities to Animal Farm. Especially with the total power leads to total corruption ordeal.
0:12 Let's analyze the Mane 6's expressions in this one second of time. Rarity: What's going on? Fluttershy: OH NO OH GOD OH JESUS Twilight Sparkle: I AM SO AWAKE RIGHT NOW Applejack: Did I remember to turn off the lights at home? Rainbow Dash: Meh. Pinkie Pie: About to fart but realized bad thing is happening
Fluttershy was never my favorite, but when she started saying how wonderful the place was she dropped down the list pretty fast, but then she redeemed herself by completing her mission and then some. Good job Flutters you back to number 10 on my list.
Wolf Gear I can see why Fluttershy disappointed you, but consider this for a minute. I remember her saying earlier that she 'wished everypony was this nice'. Now, consider her childhood. She was bullied by her peers and, at one point, knocked off a cloud and sent plummeting to her death, whereupon no one came to rescue her except some butterflies (though I'm going to assume that the kids were racing unsupervised and one of them eventually ran to get help when she was gone for too long). We see the townsfolk being jerks to her in 'Putting Your Hoof Down'; the folks in Manehatten and Canterlot are rather jerkish (though the Manehattenites are arguably nicer); and at least one of her pets treats her like garbage. A town that's very nice, despite being very brainwashed, might seem somewhat appealing given all that.
True, I did forget about her childhood for a moment, and ponyville's residents nature changes episode to episode, one time their nice, next their jerks. And Flutters isn't a very social pony, so everypony being nice out right would look very appealing. As for Angel though, that's on her, I don' t know their history, but their is no reason Angel should treat her like he does, and flutters shouldn't tolerate it.
Wolf Gear Fluttershy is pony with severe self esteem issues because she's mediocre at best at the things pegasi are known for. Here entire life she has been below average and the things she's excels at are either not impressive to most others or kept to herself to avoid further rejection. For her a society where your imperfections and failures don't matter would be a step up; she can finally be in a group where she's not an outcast and is just as "normal" as everyone else. IRL cults prey on people like this because they are the ones who are the most desperate to belong; to be an important part of a group.
DaBatGuy I'm just so glad she has friends who were able to detect this as "Creepy Town" and tell her so (sort of). Otherwise, I fear she would be the exact ideal victim for someone like Starlight Glimmer.
The "friendship cannon" doesn't force friendship on someone, it's powered by friendship. It is a straight up smack down machine. Whether or not the villain becomes their friend has to do with the reason they became a super powerful villain and how they deal with being defeated.
Yeah. Like in the main series, only Luna becomes friends with them after the rainbow beam, and it's implied she was kinda possessed. Oh and maybe also that unicorn from the Philars' times.
For all those who watched the episode and thought it showed the follies of egalitarianism as a philosophy, the whole point is that the town wasn't really egalitarian at all, it just seemed that way. It actually consisted of a rigid hierarchy with one person on top and everybody else subordinate, even though they were convinced that they were really free. At the end, the town actually seems to become truly egalitarian as the townsfolk become able to trust in each other because of their differences rather than deferring to a leader above them who tries to stamp their differences out. I see the theme as more unity-in-uniformity vs. unity-in-diversity rather than egalitarianism vs. anti-egalitarianism.
Damn I wish I could like this video more then once! ... wait a second! I ahve about a dozen channels! Be right back! _clicking the thumbs up an unfair amount of times later_ okay - were have I been? Oh yeah - not joining the "best premiere ever"- club right now, but it was pretty amazing and I might come around eventually (especially if the premise of a new even better season spanning arc gets fullfilled) But I sure did love that review of yours - gave me some real good laughs on the way ^^
AnY Entertainment i would say it is best in the sense of structure. most premieres, and finales, have one or two large flaws in them. in terms of fun, that is more debatable. i really enjoy4ed it but i think i enjoyed discord's antics much more.
@@jamiecelia. Oh, yeah! It was from that episode that had Tempest's voice actor as Juliet Hobbs. Lisa the Drama Queen. Do not confuse that episode with Lisa the Beauty Queen. July 1, 2019, 8:52pm
I'm glad I discovered your channel. Your reviews are a refreshing change from all the other people I've seen. Funny, yet insightful. Looking forward to your next video.
Excellent work with this review. You single-handedly changed my outlook on it. I also think its pretty chilling to have someone who can remove cutie marks loose in equestria. I wonder if they will have this villain being chased from one place to another this season.That would be something new. XP
I'm amazed the premier managed to establish so much world building opportunities, character building and interaction with the main six and the villagers, and we got a season long story arch that doesn't have a set in stone goal like the key box in season 4, but a journey that we're left in the dark and eager to find out where we go next. We know it has something to do with the other mystic items but that's it. We don't know what happens until it happens. The Villain is also a step in the right direction. Her views on cutiemarks are interesting but the only one issue I have with her is her back story and motivations. I mean why does she hate cutiemarks? She says they cause conflict but without any evidence of this from either her own or the villagers experience, we're left without reason behind this villain. I hope this gets explained more throughout the season. Oh and Balloon binoculars and bridges?! I Ship It!!!!
It was a great start to the season. And it seems Equestria is a diskworld. I'll keep my eye out for death trotting around. But a serious question. Did she have a bigger plan for the cutie marks?
Vector Brony Well, it could just be that Equestria is the name of a country and not the name of a planet. That's not my theory, by the way; one of the analysts (I'd like to say Silver Quill, but it might have been the Voice of Reason, Commander FireBrand, or AnYPony) came up with it in a review of 'Three's a Crowd'.
George Andrews img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130619232913/my-little-pony-roleplay-is-magic-mlp-rp/images/0/02/Equestria_map.png That is the official map of Equestria. There is definitely additional land to the North and South, as well as an arrow indicating additional land across the eastern body of water. So you are correct; Equestria is the name of a Country, not a Planet.
FINALLY! SOMEBODY SAID IT! I am SO glad I'm not the only one who thought about the Equalists invading Equestria while watching this episode! you have just read my mind!
Just found your channel thanks to this video! Watched through most of your videos and loved them all! You are remarkably entertaining with truly intelligent opinions that I agree with! Fantastic work! Here's hoping you do a review for each MLP FIM episode this season!
I thought this premiere was really good too! One literary reference I had in the back of my mind was Animal Farm, with the communism feel and the leader blatantly bending their own rules that had seemingly good intentions at first
2:21 "So the town was founded by the department of education" HA! Exactly what I thought after the line "No pony left behind" LOL. I was also thinking that the pegasus and unicorn ponies still having different physical abilities might be a secret metaphor for "you can never have complete equality"
Absolutly fantastic episode. Watched it with several other Bronies and we all agreed that this episode was one of the best premiers ever. This is going to be a fantastic season. Next episode is a Slice of Life but from what I can tell, its a very important one.
Great review, and while it wasn't the greatest Season Premier for the show, I say it did its job greatly. Also, if Wikipedia is to be believed, episode 6 of this season takes place in AAAAAAAppleoosa. Something to look forward to.
JeeeeeZus it's been a while since I've seen your pony design. Anyway, yes, YES, YES. FAVORITE Season opening by far! Most unique, funniest, and I love how many different facets of different issues they're able to talk about in ways that are a) subtle (for this show anyway) and b) CREEPY AS SHIT. Yes, the "countryisms" line was hilarious. I'm not sure what else to say beyond I'm 100% with you on this. Like, literally 100%. Though I guess I COULD say Sugar Belle's introduction was my favorite overall scene. And yeah, this is slowly growing to be one of my favorite all around episode.
Very clearly, it's Our Town. (Okay, it's not directly stated, but a name like Our Town actually fits the philosophies that Starlight Glimmer created. . . . that's what I'm going to believe.)
Well with the case of Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon and Sunset Shimmer, my headcannon is that the Elements of Harmony function like the Sword of Shannara in the book of the same name by Terry Brooks, which (SPOILER FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T READ THE SWORD OF SHANNARA BY TERRY BROOKS) forces the one who it is used upon (as well as the user for the sword) to face the truth about themselves. Once they face that truth, I suspect they naturally begin to feel remorse for their actions and actively try to change their ways to be more amiable to others. As for why the EoH banished Nightmare Moon to the Moon the first time around and turned Discord into stone both times, I was at first at a loss for this inconsistency until someone else suggested that those instances might have been subconsciously self-inflicted because they refused to face the truth in that they would rather banish themselves/turn to stone rather than face the truth. This is not true for the Rainbow Power it seems, as it only depowered Tirek and shattered the Dazzling's amulets, which leads me to believe that Rainbow Power is a simple power nulifier.
I wonder what the CMC would think of this place after talking to the residents. They seem to think getting their cutie mark is a way for them to know exactly what they want. But obviously, that was the source of confusion for these ponies. I really hope we revisit this town with the cmc
As for my thoughts on the episode, I thought it was really good. The "perfect, creepy utopia" plotline has always been a personal favorite of mine, and I think they did it really well here. It's usually very disturbing, but mostly in a good way. The comedy was pretty good: Pinkie having to eat all the muffins was really funny, as well as the part with Fluttershy trying to leave Starlight's house to go to the cutie mark vault. It's also a real nice change of pace to have the Mane 6 NOT be the ones to ultimately save the day. (Technically anyway.) Also, I *love* Pinkie's characterization in this episode. Her going all Metal Gear Solid in the beginning, and her constant looks of suspicion in the first half, are fucking hilarious. And considering Pinkie is all about smiles and making people happy, it's perfectly in character for her to be suspicious of how unsettling-ly cheerful everyone is. And of course, being a huge Fluttershy fan, seeing her get to go all solo in the 2nd half of this episode was really cool. :) The song was... all right, but it did at least have a purpose in terms of the story, so I can't harp on it too much. The moral it taught was a really good one as well. Because, honestly, if friends never had disagreements, their friendships would be incredibly boring. I was also really surprised to see that Scott Sonneborn helped write this episode, though that might explain some of the humor. (Since Trade Ya had some funny moments, and while I hate Somepony to Watch Over Me, the song fakeout in that episode was really funny.) Overall, a great start to the season. I'd say, for now anyway, it's tied with Return of Harmony for my favorite season premiere. I'm liking where this season is going so far. The Mane 6 have basically become the Pony, Friendship equivalent of the Knights of the Round Table, and I find that pretty awesome. I have high hopes for the rest of the episodes here. :)
Absolutely fantastic premier, and a much needed message for a lot of current idiocy we're dealing with as a society. So, so glad this episode happened. ^__^ 10/10
Can we plz acknowledge how much Starlight changed?! She went from stubborn and assertive to just plain boring. I get She is now ‘nice’ and on the good side, but her personality is gone
IT'S CONFIRMED! CELLSPEX HAS A FACE! lol. Seriously I love this video!!! Your Oc reflects your vibrant personality. I loved the visual foreshadowing in this video. I should have guessed something was up when you see that Starlight's colors are still bright. There's gotta be a connection between her and Twilight since their names and patterns are similar.
Another thing I hope is that when they head to the next place, they will show more characters to help and it will prove that this is avenger with ponies as they will make friends and they form teams. We got one so whats to say we won't get another. FRIENDSHIP ASSEMBLE!
board of education, brilliant! I always felt the cutie Mark does not represent one's talent, but is a reflection of their heart, does this mean it can't change? If you pay attention cadence's does in fact change when she assumes the title of Crystal Princess. so in theory, In order for the cutie Mark to change the core of who you are has to change. so I believe the spell that removes the cutie Mark might actually, take a piece of their very sold and the = enforces regulation on physical and mental prowess to a certain extent..... pretty dark stuff If you think about it. Also, "tweets make no sense to me" Also "starlight has a Eva weapon! starlight has a Eva weapon!"
Ya know, if you didn't realize this yet, you can see Starlight Glimmer in the background of the Moondancer episode. At the restaurant. She's in the corner with her menu up to hide her face. But you could see the obvious hairstyle and colors. And it being a unicorn.
... HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS SO FAST!?!?!?!? I LOVE IT! pretty good review and yes one of the best season openers even when it was the most "mellow" (not world destroying treat, just a pretty disturbing one) Also three random things to note: 1) You'll never let go the "forcing friendship is wrong" bit now do you? xD (althought it is fair in Sunset Shimmer's case... in the first movie) 2) Speaking of Sunset Shimmer... why do i think our Amon expy for the season is how they WANTED to make Sunset Shimmer in the first movie but for obvious reason *cof*HASBROWANTSTOSELLTOYS*cof* they couldnt? i mean Starlight has a freakin army there (at least that's how the song sounded to me) 3) I'll give it 3 episodes before we go somewhere else... i really REALLY hope im close
omg thank you for that starlight reference omg that was my favorite thing when I was little. this episode was like the Jonestown of mlp, I'm honestly still shook, after what, three years?
I found the premiere 'okay'. But then again, I finished watching Attack on Titan that same day so my focus and emotions were all over the place. XD great video, helped a lot to see the episode more in depth. The speaker bit reminds me of one of the worlds in Alice Madness Returns, after playing for a few minutes it really gets on people's nerves haha
So YOU WERE RIGHT! :D They *did* go somewhere else, and it was _within_ the first ten episodes! Griffinstone! Good call! And it *was* Nineteen Eighty-Four: "Freedom is Slavery" "War is Peace" "Truth is Ignorance" "Love is Hate"
When reviewing this episode, Keg Standard and Phantom Horn expressed their apprehension that this episode shows a trend to have the Mane 6 be treated as superheroes rather than characters with personal issues to overcome. That's a pretty legitimate concern, I think, but for me two things that really helped put me at ease are a) this felt more science-fictiony than action-adventure, sort of like classic Star Trek, and that helps push the world-building and philosophy-debate aspects above the mindless villain-punching. Also b) it was the rest of the ponies that actually saved the day, which suggest that heroics are something that commoners in Equestria will still engage in, which helps keep the mane 6 from feeling overpowered. Also, I've been preaching everywhere how I love that by having the townsfolk save the day instead of the mane 6, the writers did a better job promoting the idea of equality as something believable and desirable than Starlight Glimmer's little experiment ever did.
Oh my gosh thank you thank you thank you I have been trying to find that Vonnegut story for almost 20 years but couldn’t remember who it was by or what it was called…
I thought the premiere was boring and average, but the lesson and ending was good. There were a few good jokes and it's probably a good thing that the villain wasn't beat by rainbows. Maybe we're get a more adventure oriented season with new places, but who knows we could be stuck in ponyville for 10 episodes like you said. Also thanks for pointing how no one did anything to stop the theft of their cutie and Cellie thank you very much for not going COMMUNISM, COMMUNISM, COMMUNISM, it's getting annoying. You even found a much better comparison, a cool movie about equality that I never heard of before, you're awesome Cellie. This premiere didn't get to me to like ponies as much as I used to, I'll still watch the next episode and any pony reviews you continue because I'm not into pony reviews/analysis as much as I used to, but you're still great at it.
congrats! you got your wish! Season 5 episode 8- The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone Synopsis- Rainbow Dash and Pinkie pie are called by the map to the ancient kingdom of Griffonstone but have conflicting ideas as to what problem they have been called to fix. Thanks to equestria daily
This was a great season opener but what you said about the elements of harmony forcing friendship I have to disagree I think they just dispel or contain evil magic from corrupted ponies or powerful beings in the 1st season and equestria girls celestia and twilight offered friendship to luna and sunset shimmer after the elements of harmony freed them from their dark magic in the 2nd season the elements of harmony just turn discord back to stone I think with the elements of harmony they just dispel or contain magic they don't force friendship onto others if that were the case discord would have been reformed back in season 2. Besides that great video
I saw a lot of the Dai Li and the Manchurian candidate in this. Also, could be I'm just playing borderlands 2 right now, but that loudspeaker reminded me of the area with the robots.
THANK YOU! Thank you for being one of maybe two or three people (and even reviewers) I have seen to compare Starlight's philosophy to that in Harrison Bergeron. Most compare it to communism or socialism (or social Marxism), and Silver Quill compared it to a cult, as well as Animal Farm and 1984, but I have looked high and low for someone who would reference Harrison Bergeron. I finally found one! THANK YOU!
I was really intreiged that they didn't reveal anything about starlight a backstory That's something they've never done before and I like that it gives us room to speculate
I agree with you, this was an amazing premeir and it is my favourite as well, it was wroth the eleven month long hiatus, it really was, oh and, nice references.
Well I was thoroughly creeped out by all the staring wide eyes and grins, and I was kinda amazed by the pony who could build a functioning bridge out of balloons! As far as references, the one thing that I thought of was IT from A Wrinkle In Time, particularly the part of the song where Starlight corrects the one pony that's out-of-synch, which just makes me think of the boy who bounced his ball out of synch with the others who gets taken away. At least there wasn't a pony with red eyes.
I really liked this premiere. And I do agree that the villain here was great even if she was your everyday pony, she was still very threatening. I can't say its my favorite two part episode, but I do prefer it over other 2 part episodes like Friendship Is Magic, A Canterlot Wedding, and The Crystal Empire.
I love how this show captures the creepy vibe of early 60s scifi TV, like The Twilight Zone or the more out there TOS Star Trek. It's almost as if the writers spent the hiatus watching Over the Garden Wall and Gravity Falls to see what they can get away with.
Kurt Hunter That would be cool, however, if they were of disharmony, they would really be able to work well together, so I don't know if that would be a good idea.
Here's hoping the Mares of the Round Table continue going to places outside of Ponyville, heck maybe not even as a group maybe just who's needed to help someone in a different place. Also you might have missed that Apple Commercial involving 1984.
I am planning to help the writing staff continue Friendship is Magic past Season 9 with my literal season's worth of ideas to contribute to the show, in part by doing more with the Equal 4. One of these ideas is to give Flower Flight (a pink pegasus background pony from this episode with sea green hair) an episode and flesh out her character. She tells Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy why she gave up her cutie mark and how furious she felt when Starlight turned out to have a fake equal cutie mark. She became good friends with Double Diamond. Unlike Party Favor, Sugar Belle and Night Glider, who doubted being equal, Flower Flight and Double Diamond adjusted to equalization pretty well after losing their cutie mark until they learned the truth about Starlight Glimmer thanks to Fluttershy. I also want to have Ashley Tisdale from Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch voice Flower Flight. July 1, 2019, 9:07pm
I have to completely agree. I loved this episode, and I thought the fact that they finally gave the background characters and especially the males, something to do. Party Favor was my favorite of the town ponies.
This has been bugging me for days: How can I see Starlight Glimmer as a tragic villain? I can understand her hiding her cutie mark and having a break down when her plans fall apart, but up until that point there's nothing hinting at her being a misguided individual. She constantly patronises everyone she talks to, almost like she's talking to her pets. She does terrible things without showing any empathy and wears a smug grin while she does it. If these are subtle hints at a dark troubled past and a delusion of righteousness I fail to see it.
"So the town was founded by the department of education?"
Given that one of Starlight's slogans is "No Pony left behind", maybe.
Also, Starlight's VA is the voice of Barbie. Which is kinda creepy.
wratched XD imagine Barbie saying that
No that makes sense barbie is fucked up
Same as Gabby Gossip from Ninjago lol
Sunset Shimmer
Starlight Glimmer
Seafood Dinner
Soulless Sinner
Spiteful Winner
Swirly Spinner?
Shuffle-And Shimmy??
Samosa Skinner???????
Ben Covert nice
I can see shuffle and shimmy as a couple villain team not love but 2 girl pony’s
Fidget spinner (dead meme)
More like Seymour Skinner.
"I can't even make country-isms no more!" I'm Texan... that hurt me quite a bit when Applejack said that. xD
Same.
+Ningenix I'm a Kentucky guy over here. I cringed pretty hard too.
Missourian. I'm cool with it.
To be fair, Discord, Sunset, and Luna weren't "forced" to be their friends.
The rainbow-laser-thing can't do that.
They all became friends *afterwards*, and it even took awhile for Discord to be reformed.
Tirek being a prime example of someone who got hit by it and is still probably evil.
Technically the main six didn`t have the intention of forcing friendship when they used the elements of harmony, more so they were subduing a threat and the friendship was a bonus
"The town was founded by The Department Of Education?"
Exactly Cell, Exactly. Every child in school that has any general intelligence will agree.
XD
Yep
As a child, i agree
The school system sucks.
@@salimaa9209 American one does. I heard that in S. Korea they have the best education
What is this "Except for the Colors" stuff? Everypony shown with an Equal Cutie Mark is clearly shown to have their color visibly dulled, to the extent where Equal Fluttershy and Equal Sugar Belle look white in their primary colors. It is pretty close to the level of color drain that each of them started out at when the Mane Six were Discorded in Season 2.
think it has to do with colors can be seen as a form of individuality, because that's different
It's probably my favorite premiere as well. Also, I think there might have been a bit of Animal Farm in there.
Eh, it's definitely George Orwell inspired. I can kinda see what you're getting at with it having a few similarities to Animal Farm. Especially with the total power leads to total corruption ordeal.
PaleoSteno I liked it didn't have the transformations from the last season finale. I hate those.
you want something better? ruclips.net/video/dd6EYqdutDU/видео.html
0:12 Let's analyze the Mane 6's expressions in this one second of time.
Rarity: What's going on?
Fluttershy: OH NO OH GOD OH JESUS
Twilight Sparkle: I AM SO AWAKE RIGHT NOW
Applejack: Did I remember to turn off the lights at home?
Rainbow Dash: Meh.
Pinkie Pie: About to fart but realized bad thing is happening
LMTO
Fluttershy was never my favorite, but when she started saying how wonderful the place was she dropped down the list pretty fast, but then she redeemed herself by completing her mission and then some. Good job Flutters you back to number 10 on my list.
Wolf Gear I can see why Fluttershy disappointed you, but consider this for a minute. I remember her saying earlier that she 'wished everypony was this nice'. Now, consider her childhood. She was bullied by her peers and, at one point, knocked off a cloud and sent plummeting to her death, whereupon no one came to rescue her except some butterflies (though I'm going to assume that the kids were racing unsupervised and one of them eventually ran to get help when she was gone for too long). We see the townsfolk being jerks to her in 'Putting Your Hoof Down'; the folks in Manehatten and Canterlot are rather jerkish (though the Manehattenites are arguably nicer); and at least one of her pets treats her like garbage. A town that's very nice, despite being very brainwashed, might seem somewhat appealing given all that.
True, I did forget about her childhood for a moment, and ponyville's residents nature changes episode to episode, one time their nice, next their jerks. And Flutters isn't a very social pony, so everypony being nice out right would look very appealing. As for Angel though, that's on her, I don' t know their history, but their is no reason Angel should treat her like he does, and flutters shouldn't tolerate it.
Wolf Gear
Fluttershy is pony with severe self esteem issues because she's mediocre at best at the things pegasi are known for. Here entire life she has been below average and the things she's excels at are either not impressive to most others or kept to herself to avoid further rejection. For her a society where your imperfections and failures don't matter would be a step up; she can finally be in a group where she's not an outcast and is just as "normal" as everyone else. IRL cults prey on people like this because they are the ones who are the most desperate to belong; to be an important part of a group.
DaBatGuy I'm just so glad she has friends who were able to detect this as "Creepy Town" and tell her so (sort of). Otherwise, I fear she would be the exact ideal victim for someone like Starlight Glimmer.
The "friendship cannon" doesn't force friendship on someone, it's powered by friendship. It is a straight up smack down machine. Whether or not the villain becomes their friend has to do with the reason they became a super powerful villain and how they deal with being defeated.
Yeah. Like in the main series, only Luna becomes friends with them after the rainbow beam, and it's implied she was kinda possessed. Oh and maybe also that unicorn from the Philars' times.
For all those who watched the episode and thought it showed the follies of egalitarianism as a philosophy, the whole point is that the town wasn't really egalitarian at all, it just seemed that way.
It actually consisted of a rigid hierarchy with one person on top and everybody else subordinate, even though they were convinced that they were really free. At the end, the town actually seems to become truly egalitarian as the townsfolk become able to trust in each other because of their differences rather than deferring to a leader above them who tries to stamp their differences out.
I see the theme as more unity-in-uniformity vs. unity-in-diversity rather than egalitarianism vs. anti-egalitarianism.
"It's not criminal to be an individual!"-Marco Diaz, St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses
April 3, 2019, 9:16am
I actually read Harrison Bergeron *after* watching this. So I read the first sentence and shouted "Well, crap. Starlight Glimmer took over." xD
Damn I wish I could like this video more then once!
... wait a second! I ahve about a dozen channels! Be right back!
_clicking the thumbs up an unfair amount of times later_
okay - were have I been?
Oh yeah - not joining the "best premiere ever"- club right now, but it was pretty amazing and I might come around eventually (especially if the premise of a new even better season spanning arc gets fullfilled)
But I sure did love that review of yours - gave me some real good laughs on the way ^^
I laughed when she pointed out the interrupted friendship speech!
Amazing Review! I am subscribing.
Janos Audron That was the most amazing face EVER.
I know! Bulging veins!
AnY Entertainment i would say it is best in the sense of structure. most premieres, and finales, have one or two large flaws in them.
in terms of fun, that is more debatable. i really enjoy4ed it but i think i enjoyed discord's antics much more.
I agree this premier was fantastic!
I wonder where the league of friendship will venture next
I choose to call this town equilibrium.
I called it Equalia... (It's a Simpsons reference) :3
@@jamiecelia. Oh, yeah! It was from that episode that had Tempest's voice actor as Juliet Hobbs. Lisa the Drama Queen. Do not confuse that episode with Lisa the Beauty Queen. July 1, 2019, 8:52pm
A better title would be “Welcome to Ba Sing Se”
“So basically the town was founded by the department of education?” No no no, that comes LATER! Don’t worry (:
I'm glad I discovered your channel. Your reviews are a refreshing change from all the other people I've seen. Funny, yet insightful. Looking forward to your next video.
Excellent work with this review. You single-handedly changed my outlook on it. I also think its pretty chilling to have someone who can remove cutie marks loose in equestria. I wonder if they will have this villain being chased from one place to another this season.That would be something new. XP
I'm amazed the premier managed to establish so much world building opportunities, character building and interaction with the main six and the villagers, and we got a season long story arch that doesn't have a set in stone goal like the key box in season 4, but a journey that we're left in the dark and eager to find out where we go next. We know it has something to do with the other mystic items but that's it. We don't know what happens until it happens. The Villain is also a step in the right direction. Her views on cutiemarks are interesting but the only one issue I have with her is her back story and motivations. I mean why does she hate cutiemarks? She says they cause conflict but without any evidence of this from either her own or the villagers experience, we're left without reason behind this villain. I hope this gets explained more throughout the season. Oh and Balloon binoculars and bridges?!
I Ship It!!!!
I love your incredibly loud and enthusiastic method of reviewing. It's a nice change of pace from the more mellow reviewers I've seen.
It was a great start to the season. And it seems Equestria is a diskworld. I'll keep my eye out for death trotting around. But a serious question. Did she have a bigger plan for the cutie marks?
Vector Brony Well, it could just be that Equestria is the name of a country and not the name of a planet. That's not my theory, by the way; one of the analysts (I'd like to say Silver Quill, but it might have been the Voice of Reason, Commander FireBrand, or AnYPony) came up with it in a review of 'Three's a Crowd'.
George Andrews Yeah, I'm pretty sure Equestria is a country. There's apparently a separate land for griffons.
George Andrews img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130619232913/my-little-pony-roleplay-is-magic-mlp-rp/images/0/02/Equestria_map.png
That is the official map of Equestria. There is definitely additional land to the North and South, as well as an arrow indicating additional land across the eastern body of water. So you are correct; Equestria is the name of a Country, not a Planet.
xTheRedMagex Thanks. 'Dragons Be Here', indeed. :)
this is 10 times better ruclips.net/video/dd6EYqdutDU/видео.html
No one praised this episode better than you, Cell Spex. Your review really did this justice. November 17, 2017, 2:38pm
"Fanfiction writers, to your stations!"
That's my cue!
FINALLY! SOMEBODY SAID IT! I am SO glad I'm not the only one who thought about the Equalists invading Equestria while watching this episode! you have just read my mind!
This was a creepy episode
Like I fricking witnessed a cult at 7
But oh god this was a good episode
The rainbow is hart magic to help them see the beauty in friendship
I'm eager to see which places the Mane 6 go to next since this premiere was so awesome! Personally, it was worth the wait! :3
Just found your channel thanks to this video! Watched through most of your videos and loved them all! You are remarkably entertaining with truly intelligent opinions that I agree with! Fantastic work!
Here's hoping you do a review for each MLP FIM episode this season!
I thought this premiere was really good too! One literary reference I had in the back of my mind was Animal Farm, with the communism feel and the leader blatantly bending their own rules that had seemingly good intentions at first
2:21 "So the town was founded by the department of education" HA! Exactly what I thought after the line "No pony left behind" LOL. I was also thinking that the pegasus and unicorn ponies still having different physical abilities might be a secret metaphor for "you can never have complete equality"
Absolutly fantastic episode. Watched it with several other Bronies and we all agreed that this episode was one of the best premiers ever. This is going to be a fantastic season. Next episode is a Slice of Life but from what I can tell, its a very important one.
I think you nailed all of them, really. My favorite season opener is still 2. I just love Discord that much.
Great review, and while it wasn't the greatest Season Premier for the show, I say it did its job greatly.
Also, if Wikipedia is to be believed, episode 6 of this season takes place in AAAAAAAppleoosa. Something to look forward to.
JeeeeeZus it's been a while since I've seen your pony design.
Anyway, yes, YES, YES. FAVORITE Season opening by far! Most unique, funniest, and I love how many different facets of different issues they're able to talk about in ways that are a) subtle (for this show anyway) and b) CREEPY AS SHIT.
Yes, the "countryisms" line was hilarious.
I'm not sure what else to say beyond I'm 100% with you on this. Like, literally 100%. Though I guess I COULD say Sugar Belle's introduction was my favorite overall scene.
And yeah, this is slowly growing to be one of my favorite all around episode.
Very clearly, it's Our Town. (Okay, it's not directly stated, but a name like Our Town actually fits the philosophies that Starlight Glimmer created. . . . that's what I'm going to believe.)
Well with the case of Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon and Sunset Shimmer, my headcannon is that the Elements of Harmony function like the Sword of Shannara in the book of the same name by Terry Brooks, which (SPOILER FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T READ THE SWORD OF SHANNARA BY TERRY BROOKS) forces the one who it is used upon (as well as the user for the sword) to face the truth about themselves. Once they face that truth, I suspect they naturally begin to feel remorse for their actions and actively try to change their ways to be more amiable to others. As for why the EoH banished Nightmare Moon to the Moon the first time around and turned Discord into stone both times, I was at first at a loss for this inconsistency until someone else suggested that those instances might have been subconsciously self-inflicted because they refused to face the truth in that they would rather banish themselves/turn to stone rather than face the truth. This is not true for the Rainbow Power it seems, as it only depowered Tirek and shattered the Dazzling's amulets, which leads me to believe that Rainbow Power is a simple power nulifier.
I wonder what the CMC would think of this place after talking to the residents. They seem to think getting their cutie mark is a way for them to know exactly what they want. But obviously, that was the source of confusion for these ponies. I really hope we revisit this town with the cmc
As for my thoughts on the episode, I thought it was really good. The "perfect, creepy utopia" plotline has always been a personal favorite of mine, and I think they did it really well here. It's usually very disturbing, but mostly in a good way. The comedy was pretty good: Pinkie having to eat all the muffins was really funny, as well as the part with Fluttershy trying to leave Starlight's house to go to the cutie mark vault. It's also a real nice change of pace to have the Mane 6 NOT be the ones to ultimately save the day. (Technically anyway.)
Also, I *love* Pinkie's characterization in this episode. Her going all Metal Gear Solid in the beginning, and her constant looks of suspicion in the first half, are fucking hilarious. And considering Pinkie is all about smiles and making people happy, it's perfectly in character for her to be suspicious of how unsettling-ly cheerful everyone is. And of course, being a huge Fluttershy fan, seeing her get to go all solo in the 2nd half of this episode was really cool. :)
The song was... all right, but it did at least have a purpose in terms of the story, so I can't harp on it too much. The moral it taught was a really good one as well. Because, honestly, if friends never had disagreements, their friendships would be incredibly boring. I was also really surprised to see that Scott Sonneborn helped write this episode, though that might explain some of the humor. (Since Trade Ya had some funny moments, and while I hate Somepony to Watch Over Me, the song fakeout in that episode was really funny.)
Overall, a great start to the season. I'd say, for now anyway, it's tied with Return of Harmony for my favorite season premiere. I'm liking where this season is going so far. The Mane 6 have basically become the Pony, Friendship equivalent of the Knights of the Round Table, and I find that pretty awesome. I have high hopes for the rest of the episodes here. :)
Absolutely fantastic premier, and a much needed message for a lot of current idiocy we're dealing with as a society. So, so glad this episode happened. ^__^
10/10
Can we plz acknowledge how much Starlight changed?! She went from stubborn and assertive to just plain boring. I get She is now ‘nice’ and on the good side, but her personality is gone
IT'S CONFIRMED! CELLSPEX HAS A FACE! lol. Seriously I love this video!!! Your Oc reflects your vibrant personality. I loved the visual foreshadowing in this video. I should have guessed something was up when you see that Starlight's colors are still bright. There's gotta be a connection between her and Twilight since their names and patterns are similar.
Another thing I hope is that when they head to the next place, they will show more characters to help and it will prove that this is avenger with ponies as they will make friends and they form teams. We got one so whats to say we won't get another. FRIENDSHIP ASSEMBLE!
Celly, I love your snarky attitude when you review things. Would you mind reviewing more mlp stuff?
CellSpex: Oh, my God!
*Shows picture of the God of all ponies: Princess Sun Butt*
Great episode, well written, and well paced.
So worth the wait!
board of education, brilliant!
I always felt the cutie Mark does not represent one's talent, but is a reflection of their heart, does this mean it can't change? If you pay attention cadence's does in fact change when she assumes the title of Crystal Princess. so in theory, In order for the cutie Mark to change the core of who you are has to change. so I believe the spell that removes the cutie Mark might actually, take a piece of their very sold and the = enforces regulation on physical and mental prowess to a certain extent..... pretty dark stuff If you think about it.
Also, "tweets make no sense to me"
Also "starlight has a Eva weapon! starlight has a Eva weapon!"
It's my favorite season premiere so far, I really hope Starlight come back this season, there's so much potential.
***** I already told you Twilight it's a freak show for eggheads. D:
Ya know, if you didn't realize this yet, you can see Starlight Glimmer in the background of the Moondancer episode. At the restaurant. She's in the corner with her menu up to hide her face. But you could see the obvious hairstyle and colors. And it being a unicorn.
And now she's coming back for the season finale, it's great, I knew it was going to happen.
... HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THIS SO FAST!?!?!?!? I LOVE IT! pretty good review and yes one of the best season openers even when it was the most "mellow" (not world destroying treat, just a pretty disturbing one)
Also three random things to note:
1) You'll never let go the "forcing friendship is wrong" bit now do you? xD (althought it is fair in Sunset Shimmer's case... in the first movie)
2) Speaking of Sunset Shimmer... why do i think our Amon expy for the season is how they WANTED to make Sunset Shimmer in the first movie but for obvious reason *cof*HASBROWANTSTOSELLTOYS*cof* they couldnt? i mean Starlight has a freakin army there (at least that's how the song sounded to me)
3) I'll give it 3 episodes before we go somewhere else... i really REALLY hope im close
Thank you so much for ACTUALLY SAYING CULT not many mlp reviews say that.
"The one with the cult" mood
omg thank you for that starlight reference omg that was my favorite thing when I was little. this episode was like the Jonestown of mlp, I'm honestly still shook, after what, three years?
I found the premiere 'okay'. But then again, I finished watching Attack on Titan that same day so my focus and emotions were all over the place. XD great video, helped a lot to see the episode more in depth. The speaker bit reminds me of one of the worlds in Alice Madness Returns, after playing for a few minutes it really gets on people's nerves haha
The way you described Starlight kind of reminded me of Lord Business.
When it comes to starlights village I call it star cove but I'm not gonna lie meadowbrook actually kind of kind of sounds like an intresting name
So YOU WERE RIGHT! :D They *did* go somewhere else, and it was _within_ the first ten episodes! Griffinstone! Good call!
And it *was* Nineteen Eighty-Four:
"Freedom is Slavery"
"War is Peace"
"Truth is Ignorance"
"Love is Hate"
It was a good episode. Glad that they were able to pull it off and yes to all of it. Also awesome job Scott Sonneborn & M.A. Larson & Meghan McCarthy
"Crystal vein playset" okay I think that beats the "middle finger castle"
When reviewing this episode, Keg Standard and Phantom Horn expressed their apprehension that this episode shows a trend to have the Mane 6 be treated as superheroes rather than characters with personal issues to overcome.
That's a pretty legitimate concern, I think, but for me two things that really helped put me at ease are a) this felt more science-fictiony than action-adventure, sort of like classic Star Trek, and that helps push the world-building and philosophy-debate aspects above the mindless villain-punching. Also b) it was the rest of the ponies that actually saved the day, which suggest that heroics are something that commoners in Equestria will still engage in, which helps keep the mane 6 from feeling overpowered.
Also, I've been preaching everywhere how I love that by having the townsfolk save the day instead of the mane 6, the writers did a better job promoting the idea of equality as something believable and desirable than Starlight Glimmer's little experiment ever did.
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
from George Orwell's 1984
Oh my gosh thank you thank you thank you I have been trying to find that Vonnegut story for almost 20 years but couldn’t remember who it was by or what it was called…
I sure hope the whole season is like this
You can think Paleo for telling me about you. Excellent video.
Prince Thunderflare Rather I'm the one thanking him for introducing me to this great channel
I thought the premiere was boring and average, but the lesson and ending was good. There were a few good jokes and it's probably a good thing that the villain wasn't beat by rainbows. Maybe we're get a more adventure oriented season with new places, but who knows we could be stuck in ponyville for 10 episodes like you said. Also thanks for pointing how no one did anything to stop the theft of their cutie and Cellie thank you very much for not going COMMUNISM, COMMUNISM, COMMUNISM, it's getting annoying. You even found a much better comparison, a cool movie about equality that I never heard of before, you're awesome Cellie. This premiere didn't get to me to like ponies as much as I used to, I'll still watch the next episode and any pony reviews you continue because I'm not into pony reviews/analysis as much as I used to, but you're still great at it.
Took me a while to get that "don't look in the fireplace" joke. God that was a long time ago...
I was thinking of "Welcome. Welcome to City 17 You have either chosen or been chosen..." @ 5:30
congrats! you got your wish!
Season 5 episode 8- The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone
Synopsis- Rainbow Dash and Pinkie pie are called by the map to the ancient kingdom of Griffonstone but have conflicting ideas as to what problem they have been called to fix.
Thanks to equestria daily
This was a great season opener but what you said about the elements of harmony forcing friendship I have to disagree I think they just dispel or contain evil magic from corrupted ponies or powerful beings in the 1st season and equestria girls celestia and twilight offered friendship to luna and sunset shimmer after the elements of harmony freed them from their dark magic in the 2nd season the elements of harmony just turn discord back to stone I think with the elements of harmony they just dispel or contain magic they don't force friendship onto others if that were the case discord would have been reformed back in season 2. Besides that great video
OH MY GOD! ANOTHER PERSON MADE AN AMON REFERANCE! YES OH MY GOD! YES! YEEES!
I’m SO GLAD I’m not the only one that likes this premiere
I saw a lot of the Dai Li and the Manchurian candidate in this.
Also, could be I'm just playing borderlands 2 right now, but that loudspeaker reminded me of the area with the robots.
Cellspex: Oh my God, DON'T LOOK IN THE FIREPLACE!!
*Soldier pops out* LOOK IT UP!
5:27 I can't stop thinking "the it is in control" from the original wrinkle in time movie
I think that this episode was as good as the return of harmony, which was my favourite two parter (in fact, my favourite story) in the entire series.
THANK YOU! Thank you for being one of maybe two or three people (and even reviewers) I have seen to compare Starlight's philosophy to that in Harrison Bergeron. Most compare it to communism or socialism (or social Marxism), and Silver Quill compared it to a cult, as well as Animal Farm and 1984, but I have looked high and low for someone who would reference Harrison Bergeron. I finally found one! THANK YOU!
The Mane 6 are all on a great Friendship Crusade to bring the magic of Friendship all along Equestria!
I think the town's name was "Our Town"
***** Exactly why I think that's also the town's name.
efefettu6t
I was really intreiged that they didn't reveal anything about starlight a backstory
That's something they've never done before and I like that it gives us room to speculate
AMERICA? FROM HETALIA? OH MY GOD!
This is everything that The MLP Movie should have been and wanted to be. April 1, 2019, 12:55am
I agree with you, this was an amazing premeir and it is my favourite as well, it was wroth the eleven month long hiatus, it really was, oh and, nice references.
Well I was thoroughly creeped out by all the staring wide eyes and grins, and I was kinda amazed by the pony who could build a functioning bridge out of balloons! As far as references, the one thing that I thought of was IT from A Wrinkle In Time, particularly the part of the song where Starlight corrects the one pony that's out-of-synch, which just makes me think of the boy who bounced his ball out of synch with the others who gets taken away. At least there wasn't a pony with red eyes.
I really liked this premiere. And I do agree that the villain here was great even if she was your everyday pony, she was still very threatening. I can't say its my favorite two part episode, but I do prefer it over other 2 part episodes like Friendship Is Magic, A Canterlot Wedding, and The Crystal Empire.
Wait, you watch Discovery Family for MLP and not Hub? Be right back.
* runs around screaming * I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE!
I love how this show captures the creepy vibe of early 60s scifi TV, like The Twilight Zone or the more out there TOS Star Trek. It's almost as if the writers spent the hiatus watching Over the Garden Wall and Gravity Falls to see what they can get away with.
One of the sound effects was from the death scene from FNAF 3!
The village was creepy, no wonder why it was In the Middle of nowhere.
You know that part where he breaks the glass with the stick, it's a apple commercial reference
What if Starlight is one of the ponies of disharmony? and later on we see other ponies like Starlight on the main six's travails.
O.O
Kurt Hunter That would be cool, however, if they were of disharmony, they would really be able to work well together, so I don't know if that would be a good idea.
I like Starcatcher from the older pony franchise when i was 5. I did watch the episode on youtube and I liked it.
I love the Story of the Blanks reference.
Here's hoping the Mares of the Round Table continue going to places outside of Ponyville, heck maybe not even as a group maybe just who's needed to help someone in a different place. Also you might have missed that Apple Commercial involving 1984.
This was a brilliant episode.
That room with the message on repeat is definitely 1984. I'm should know cause I was a stagehand in our theater's production of the play 1984.
I am planning to help the writing staff continue Friendship is Magic past Season 9 with my literal season's worth of ideas to contribute to the show, in part by doing more with the Equal 4. One of these ideas is to give Flower Flight (a pink pegasus background pony from this episode with sea green hair) an episode and flesh out her character.
She tells Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy why she gave up her cutie mark and how furious she felt when Starlight turned out to have a fake equal cutie mark. She became good friends with Double Diamond. Unlike Party Favor, Sugar Belle and Night Glider, who doubted being equal, Flower Flight and Double Diamond adjusted to equalization pretty well after losing their cutie mark until they learned the truth about Starlight Glimmer thanks to Fluttershy. I also want to have Ashley Tisdale from Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch voice Flower Flight. July 1, 2019, 9:07pm
I have to completely agree. I loved this episode, and I thought the fact that they finally gave the background characters and especially the males, something to do. Party Favor was my favorite of the town ponies.
it was foreshadowing. many seasons later. but still.
This has been bugging me for days: How can I see Starlight Glimmer as a tragic villain? I can understand her hiding her cutie mark and having a break down when her plans fall apart, but up until that point there's nothing hinting at her being a misguided individual.
She constantly patronises everyone she talks to, almost like she's talking to her pets.
She does terrible things without showing any empathy and wears a smug grin while she does it.
If these are subtle hints at a dark troubled past and a delusion of righteousness I fail to see it.