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Official Discussion Thread - S04E05 Flight to the Finish


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Alright, it is time for the discussion about Flight to the Finish, the fifth episode of the fourth season! Our first Cutie Mark Crusader episode of the season and what looks the be the second Scootaloo episode of the series. :halo: What will happen? Well, watch and discuss, or if you haven't seen yet, guess and discuss! :D We just ask that if you want to discuss said spoilers, please use the spoilers tag. For the rest of us, the episode is of course at 9am (CST) December the 14th.

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Cutie Mark Crusaders are a go!

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Scootaloo is gonna get her cutie mark!

Watch it be a chicken.

Edit: Episode was cute. I think it was balanced -- nothing gasp-worthy but the message was front and center, cute new song, and the mystery behind Scootaloo's flightless status is properly explained. Lots of Rainbow Dash, but she didn't steal the show. I'd give it a 7/10.

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Hmm... well, it was probably the weakest episode of season four so far, but if it feels like a slight disappointment it might just be a result of the bar being set so high. My review after two consecutive watches, as always, spoilered for length:

I thought it was a fairly serviceable CMC episode. CMC episodes in general have always kind of been a mixed bag for me. I'm not really crazy about any of them from Season One. They fared much better overall in Season Two, Hearts and Hooves Day being a great episode and Ponyville Confidential being one of the very best episodes of that season. Season Three gave us a couple CMC episodes, one (Sleepless in Ponyville) I thought was very solid and another (One Bad Apple) that I thought was kind of heavy handed.

Now we have our first season four CMC episode. Going into this new episode, I had those two season three episodes on my mind actually. This episode was about Scootaloo like Sleepless, and like One Bad Apple seemed from the animatic released this summer like it might deal with somewhat serious issues. The latter kind of worried me as, pony really kind of does come across as overwrought when it tries to do stuff like this. Considering that, this episode actually did a very good job keeping it all in check. Everything was tackled sincerely and I didn't ever find it too cloying or trite. A lot of that had to do with the very strong performance of Madeleine Peters as Scootaloo. She hit the right notes for it, and that's a lot of why I think it ultimately worked more than it didn't.

It was our second week of Dash and I think she was written well here. She had an energy that really just popped and the crucial scene at the end between her and Scootaloo was the high point of the episode for me. The emotions were right. The other characters were good too. The other crusaders did what they needed to do; Sweetie Belle was all kinds of adorable. Also always gotta love Diamond Tiara being evil and planting the seeds of doubt. Her and Silver are kinda adorable too. And Ms. Harshwhinny got a second episode, something that might have surprised me if the animatic hadn't hinted at it all those months ago; she was decent as a foil for Dash and seems and interesting enough character, but for my tastes her scenes with Dash kind of lasted a bit too long.

The song was good. first of the season and Daniel Ingram still has it. I was kind of unsure first time listening to it since it's so different from most of the songs in the show, but yeah, it does what it sets out to do. It's an anthem; it stomped along and ultimately dug into my head; when the brief reprise started up, it was hard to not get pumped up for the climax. The harmonizing of the fillies was quite nice. They lyrics were maybe kinda meh, but in this kind of song they're probably the least important part. It sounded good and did what it was supposed to.

it's kind of hard to pin down exactly why I didn't think this episode was as good as previous ones this season since I don't have too many bad things to say about it. I want to say the pacing was off, there were maybe a few moments where it dragged a little; even with the song in there, the story seemed to struggle to fill the whole 22 minutes. Or maybe it just felt it as certain things that should have been amusing really weren't. The CMC's act when done right wasn't really as impressive as Dash or Harshwhinny seemed to think it was and when done wrong didn't bring quite the laughs of their other on stage failure. Perhaps a lot of it really just is me enjoying the last four episodes so much and this one just not seeming to not be quite as much fun. I dunno.

Still, for what it was, it was pretty good. I can't really complain. If this is what we can expect from our second new writer, Ed Valentine, like Haber a couple weeks ago, I'll be interest to see what else he comes up with. it keeps the bar set for Season Four set high as we enter the weirdness of this Power Ponies concept next week at the very least. It's just too bad we didn't get to see Diamond and Silver's routine.

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I gotta agree with you on this one, I (I bet others are also just the same as me) wish for this episode to nail it once and for all when our expectation for Scootaloo's natural flying will finally be answered,

but sadly, NO CIGAR! No answer at all! We're still left hanging to answer this mystery, will we get to see her fly and be trained by RD? Nope. Will we get to know if Faust's handicap theory is true? No idea as of yet. So wow.... what a cliffhanger on this one or maybe the episode had caused us to generate more questions when we're actually begging for a single answer but none came by.

My overall rating on this episode is I gotta say, based on the animatic clip with the idea of Scoo cannot fly and she desperately needs help with flying, it's 5 Stars, but now it dropped to 3 Stars. Oh dear.... SAD! :(

But I can't blame Dashie for this season as it is a very busy event when the Equestria Games is going on about. Since she knew Scoo's flight problem, but she has no time to solve her personal flight issue when the Equestria Games event is the main priority. Oh yeah, not to mention being blank flanks. But I gotta say, Harshwhinny managed to, if I were in her hooves, Scoo's lack of flight and they all lack of cutie marks may be major flaws, but the whole performance have increased its score by the Crusader's epic performance and being declared the winner.

Oh by the way, in the future, I predict this....

Cinema Sins will call the ending as a sin because the CMC & RD are rushing back to the Crystal Empire by their natural ways of rushing both by wings and a scooter. But of course, in real life, we can suffer with fatigue and tiredness which the 4 ponies don't during the episode.

Speaking of that, I wish the ending could have been executed as the CMCs quickly gather to meet each other in town first or more precisely Carousel Boutique, Scoot's not around for some reason after the wait, then they gather at Scootaloo's house (or orphanage, I don't know). Meanwhile, at the train station RD counts the contestants but the CMC is missing, she quickly hurry back to Ponyville to find them, gladly she found Apple Bloom & Sweetie Belle walking out of Scoot's house in sadness and then they start talking about Scoo's major doubts and possible consequences. They all gather in Scoo's room, which then the dialogue extends to RD will promise helping Scoo to fly in the future, just not right now when the Games are running. After they resolve the problem, they get back to the train station ON TIME, RD help them get comfortable inside the train while the 2 bullies come to them and wish them "luck" or further discouraging them, but of course, the CMCs counter. Times passed, everypony performs and such and wolla, the ending which the CMCs won.

Well, what a write, but sadly, my story above could have applied but I got the feeling time constrains is the major culprit which is forced to be cut short to all the way to the final scene.

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I don't even know why some you were disappointed by this episode: this was easily the best of Season 4 so far for me. The CMC deliver such amazing episodes despite this show's long run it's amazing!

I cried tears of joy. I could nitpick some things but the main message was delivered well.

10/10. 5 stars! BG PONIES GALORE! Totally not over-rating based on first viewing! Loved it!

I want more from this new writer. MOAR! :smirk:

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I gotta agree with you on this one, I (I bet others are also just the same as me) wish for this episode to nail it once and for all when our expectation for Scootaloo's natural flying will finally be answered,

but sadly, NO CIGAR! No answer at all! We're still left hanging to answer this mystery, will we get to see her fly and be trained by RD? Nope. Will we get to know if Faust's handicap theory is true? No idea as of yet. So wow.... what a cliffhanger on this one or maybe the episode had caused us to generate more questions when we're actually begging for a single answer but none came by.

My overall rating on this episode is I gotta say, based on the animatic clip with the idea of Scoo cannot fly and she desperately needs help with flying, it's 5 Stars, but now it dropped to 3 Stars. Oh dear.... SAD! :(

But I can't blame Dashie for this season as it is a very busy event when the Equestria Games is going on about. Since she knew Scoo's flight problem, but she has no time to solve her personal flight issue when the Equestria Games event is the main priority. Oh yeah, not to mention being blank flanks. But I gotta say, Harshwhinny managed to, if I were in her hooves, Scoo's lack of flight and they all lack of cutie marks may be major flaws, but the whole performance have increased its score by the Crusader's epic performance and being declared the winner.

Oh by the way, in the future, I predict this....

Cinema Sins will call the ending as a sin because the CMC & RD are rushing back to the Crystal Empire by their natural ways of rushing both by wings and a scooter. But of course, in real life, we can suffer with fatigue and tiredness which the 4 ponies don't during the episode.

Speaking of that, I wish the ending could have been executed as the CMCs quickly gather to meet each other in town first or more precisely Carousel Boutique, Scoot's not around for some reason after the wait, then they gather at Scootaloo's house (or orphanage, I don't know). Meanwhile, at the train station RD counts the contestants but the CMC is missing, she quickly hurry back to Ponyville to find them, gladly she found Apple Bloom & Sweetie Belle walking out of Scoot's house in sadness and then they start talking about Scoo's major doubts and possible consequences. They all gather in Scoo's room, which then the dialogue extends to RD will promise helping Scoo to fly in the future, just not right now when the Games are running. After they resolve the problem, they get back to the train station ON TIME, RD help them get comfortable inside the train while the 2 bullies come to them and wish them "luck" or further discouraging them, but of course, the CMCs counter. Times passed, everypony performs and such and wolla, the ending which the CMCs won.

Well, what a write, but sadly, my story above could have applied but I got the feeling time constrains is the major culprit which is forced to be cut short to all the way to the final scene.

This was as close to "Scoots will never fly" as we were ever going to get. Faust had a lot of great ideas but the chances of some of them seeing the light of day were always slim. To me, the fact she didn't fly, the subject was broached and Dash says it doesn't matter if she ever flies or not, is as close as we will get to Scootaloo being a lil 'ol crippled pegasus.

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So, our 1st CMC episode of the new season...

I overall enjoyed this ep a lot! The CMC can sometimes get a bit annoying but the "woo cutie marks"-ness was dialed back a lot this time. I thought the premise was excellent and is obviously leading up to the EQ Games being a big episode(Or maybe even the S4 finale). I loved the new song! It was cute and had a good rhythm to it. All in all I think this is my favorite episode of the season so far. At least until we get a Rarity episode ;)

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"Sniffle" Can somepony get me a tissue or two? I'm still feeling a tad weepy from the episode.... :(

Anyway, with that out of the road, it's time to provide my two bits on what I consider one of the greatest CMC episodes not only in season four, but in the entire series so far.

As always, to quote from my tweet from the live reaction to the episode:

"If a picture can tell a thousand words, I think we may seen one of the best CMC episodes of the series."

As the episode is still a bit fresh and out of respect for those who haven't seen it yet, my thoughts on the episode itself are below (spoilered):

What can I say? The hype, excitement and anticipation for this episode have paid off in many ways and the episode itself lived up to those expectations, especially the first musical number of the season really getting the toes tapping and the heart racing. (even if it meant trying to keep the noise down and not waking up the entire household. Blasted time zone differences!)

Scootaloo and even Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were great in this episode, but the highlight of the episode was mainly on Scoots from start to finish and the way the writers handled the flying situation was absolutely amazing with a few scenes including for a moment where the CMC's broke apart for a brief period.

But the scene that made it for me was when Scootaloo was about to throw in the towel and give up all together. The posters being torn off the wall, her scooter being thrown in the bin and then breaking down briefly in tears was more than enough to get me weepy myself.

Although it wasn't the end many of the fans wanted to see, the window is still open for Scootaloo to fly fully if the chance arises. But overall as I mentioned in the tweet above, if a picture can tell a thousand words, I think we may seen one of the best CMC episodes of the series.

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I don't think we need to be told for sure if she is ever going to be able to fly or not. For one thing, how would Rainbow Dash even know? Then theres the fact that not having a firm answer makes it more difficult for Scootaloo to have to come to terms with it because there is no firm answer. If she has Wingitis and can't fly then if a jerk points out she cant fly then she has a medical reason for it. Simply being underdeveloped is harder to conceptualize as its so vague and is something that I am sure many viewers can relate to even if they don't have a physical handicap, especially if or when they go through puberty. Sometimes not having an answer is worst then having a negative answer. .

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I think the whole 'Is Scootaloo handicapped' thing was summed up as best they could, along the lines of the 'Are AJ's parents dead' thing in Apple Family Reunion. The answer is yes, the Hub can't officially say yes, but wow they will imply it.

Also, that song is stuck in my head. I can't wait for Alex S to get his hands on it.

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I am surprised no one mentioned this yet, but we got not only to see Scootaloo's bedroom (and it was obvious from the Rainbow Dash poster), but we also got to see her house. What this means is that she has a family of some sort, even if it's a single parent (something I also would think is worthy for the show to explore).

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I really enjoyed this episode. It was good, but not perfect. The song was good, and it's probably one of my favorite ones so far. As for a cutie mark crusader episode, it's not my favorite.

I liked the plot. It was actually unique to see the CMC split for a brief moment because of internal turmoil.

Otherwise, not much else to say.

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Well rjrgmc28 , it'll only be a matter of time. Let's hope this season will finally give the actual answer of her flight problem when this episode fails to give an answer. Yes, RD said fly or not, but let's put common sense a little bit, I did wrote the part is when the Equestria Games is running, RD has no time to solve her personal flight issues as of right now. So that one has to be postponed till the games are over.

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I wouldn't say she's handicapped. Her wings just haven't grown yet. Either way I think this is set up for her eventual flight, probably during a scene when she'll have to save her friends or do something really important by learning to fly.

Then she'll become an alicorn. Season 4 finale, believe.

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I enjoyed the episode. The song was cute. The animation was really good as usual for this seasons...I do like how Scootaloo went right up into Diamond's face in the early bit. Kind of got her a little on the scared side... And loved the bits with 'Snowflake' (The really big pony). He's afraid of Butterflies? o_o I just really hope Scoot's CM isn't the same as her previous generations....

I am surprised no one mentioned this yet, but we got not only to see Scootaloo's bedroom (and it was obvious from the Rainbow Dash poster), but we also got to see her house. What this means is that she has a family of some sort, even if it's a single parent (something I also would think is worthy for the show to explore).

Either that, or it was Scoot's room in the pony orphanage!

If Ponyville's citizens were serious about having all three pony types live together in friendship, they'd let unicorns use magic during Winter Wrap Up. :-|

Eh, the town was founded by Earthies, so they just stuck to the old traditions...

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Just like how you told us to believe that Twilight Velvet would be revealed as Daring Do author last weekend? :lol:

Many of us do when the speculation got busted itself, I don't know how Velvet got those awards on the wall, we all thought so until it was Yearling herself impersonates a character that was thought fictional but it's actually real. But I'm still kind of bugged with the name of choice as I wish it was a ponified mare of George Lucas or any of the Indiana Jones producers or directors.

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I wish it was a ponified mare of George Lucas or any of the Indiana Jones producers or directors.

Lucas and Spielberg ain't authors, though. XD

And I also heard somewhere that A.K. Yearling may actually be a pun on MLP writer Amy Keatling Rogers. Curious, huh?

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