MLP Thread #448: Season 9 as Final Season Confirmed(Page 22)

[Eunös ✈]

So you will never have another Season Opener from this generation again.

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

[Eunös ✈]

No Breakfast Club this opener.

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

Apr 6, 2019 11:51:57 GMT -5 Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast said:

those clones really did break her brain

and that's the last we'll see of them too .....

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

Next week:

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

[Deleted]

"The Beginning Of The End"...gets a 9/10 from me.

Pros:
-Holy buck! That is definitely how you start your final season! A story where it really felt like everything was on the brink of destruction (this was perhaps the first 2-parter since the Season 4 finale where it really gave off the vibe that Equestria was on the verge of destruction), every character got a chance to shine, lots of call-backs to previous episodes, the set-up of an awesome villain group (and introducing really what feels like the greatest challenge the mane six have ever faced) and King Sombra was actually made into a pretty threatening villain in his reappearance. Definitely liked it.

-Of course, I would lie f I didn't say that the focus on Twilight was so entertaining. I loved how her friends have gotten so used to her behaviour by now that they named it "Twilighting" and how they can foresee how she acts. And I just adore my bookhorse princess freak-outs. But it was also moving to watch from a character standpoint how she felt overwhelmed by it all by the end and how honest she was in saying that this came all of a sudden.

-The others had some good scenes as well: Pinkie's reaction to the Sombra cake, Fluttershy's and Discord's interaction (I bet that made the Discoshy shippers happy; I like it but I still prefer Flutterpie), Rainbow and Fluttershy working together to subdue the flying squadrons and many more group interactions. Just goes to show why I felt in love with them in the first place.

-For the supporting cast, Discord made a pretty good appearance in this ep and I loved his "dying speech" (really, did anybody really think that they would kill him off) and his immediate reaction afterwards (I have to say that the ponies are far more forgiving than they were in previous episodes). Also loved Starlight having her own Twilighting moment in this ep as well as Starswirl's appearance being awesome with Celestia and Luna.

-Have to say, Grogar made a good first impression and he really appears as the biggest threat the mane six have ever face. And thank Celestia, I avoided spoilers like the plague because Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow playing a part in this came as a really good surprise out of nowhere and I love to see where this will be going. Too bad, King Sombra is apparently already gone. I thought he would reappear in the Legion Of Doom HQ again.

-Really unsettling and dark images throughout (Sombra capturing Flurry, chaining the Crystal Family up and telling them to kneel before Zod...um, Sombra as well as the hypnotized and mind-controlled ponies [especially AJ's and Rarara's reactions to their sisters being controlled] as well as shattering the Tree Of Harmony) make this a pretty dark MLP episode.

-Also loved how part of the first episode was essentially a two-parter condensed into a one-parter (Empire gets conquered, get the elements, blast the villain)..

Cons:

-Felt the whole introduction of "Oh, we want to retire and make you and your friends rulers of Equestria" was introduced a bit ho-hum like it was not really a big deal. Felt that it needed a bit more gravitas given the situation. Also in that Twilight's friends seem to take this all in pretty good stride. Um, you do know that you won't have times to do wonderbolting and dress making and animal caring etc. when you rule the country, right? Shouldn't that have been given some thought?


Otherwise, it was a very good season opener and I am happy to take this ride as long as it goes!

[CMWaters]

[Eunös ✈]

Remember when Shining Armour bought Cadance a Bowling Ball with his name on for her birthday?

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

[Eunös ✈]

528 minutes left.

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

you think that's bad cozy ..... you have yet to meet .....

spoilered for the sake of Eunös ✈ sanity

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

[CMWaters]

I just realized...there was a missed opportunity in this episode.

Had Stygian had a speaking part in this episode, this would have been the first episode in the entire show to have all the major season premier and ending villains having a speaking role.

We had:
-Nightmare Moon (technically, since it was Luna) from the Season 1 premier
-Discord from the Season 2 premier
-Chrysalis from the Season 2 and Season 6 endings
-King Sombra from the Season 3 premier
-Tirek from the Season 4 ending
-Starlight Glimmer from the Season 5 premier AND ending
-Cozy Glow from the Season 8 ending

Didn't count Neighsay because he was just a bigot who wanted Equestria's safety but thought wrong about it.

And we also had the Season 4 premier "villain" there too in the form of those vines from Everfree.

So yeah, no Stygian representing the Pony of Shadows means a missed opportunity IMO.

[Deleted]

Something else that led to the episode getting a 9....I guess Rainbow Power is now firmly established as being a one-time fling? Otherwise, they would not have been so worried about the elements and the tree being destroyed. But this is something that could have been clearer.

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

Wouldn't that also be a tree-based power since it required the tree and the locked box to unlock?

[Deleted]

Maybe, but shouldn't that also mean that the tree's destruction should have an effect on the cutie map or the friendship castle as well?

[Alyce: Old Media Enthusiast]

They'll likely address a bit of this next episode