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Official Discussion Thread - S05E1-2 Cutie Map


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This Episode was Great. 

 

I absolutely LOVED Pinkie in this episode! They didn't portray her as stupid or annoying, like in most of season 4. She seemed to be the only one (besides Dashie) who was suspicious. And because of the smiles! Pinkie was downright awesome! Although I do think that when she was being corrupted by her equal cutie mark, she should have looked like Pinkamena. Just my opinion.

 

The villian was new and exciting. Usually they are some non-pony monster, but Starlight's just a normal unicorn. She seems to have a magical ability that challenges Twilight's. I find it funny that she has the ability to replace cutie marks, but cannot make a magical shield. And the twist about her cutie mark not being real- PERFECT!

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Just saw it and loved it.

 

Most unsettling and evil villain the series has had in my book. Satisfied with what they left her ultimate fate as in the end. There's good potential for more there.

 

Also, a villain song. Gotta love that.

 

Lots of great character moments.

 

Some cool new character designs.

 

All in all, it was great. Possibly my favorite season opener yet, or at least a close second after Return of Harmony.

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This Episode was Great. 

 

I absolutely LOVED Pinkie in this episode! They didn't portray her as stupid or annoying, like in most of season 4. She seemed to be the only one (besides Dashie) who was suspicious. And because of the smiles! Pinkie was downright awesome! Although I do think that when she was being corrupted by her equal cutie mark, she should have looked like Pinkamena. Just my opinion.

 

The villian was new and exciting. Usually they are some non-pony monster, but Starlight's just a normal unicorn. She seems to have a magical ability that challenges Twilight's. I find it funny that she has the ability to replace cutie marks, but cannot make a magical shield. And the twist about her cutie mark not being real- PERFECT!

 

 

And no doubt I agree here. It's interesting to see a non-blood thirsty villain. And refreshing that the villain does not immediately reform.

 

I wouldn't say she's evil. Her intentions were good. And she did not show any ulterior motives. She also seemed incredibly passionate about her ideal, and raged when a pony questioned why she didn't remove her own cutie mark. I'd call her insane.

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And no doubt I agree here. It's interesting to see a non-blood thirsty villain. And refreshing that the villain does not immediately reform.

 

I wouldn't say she's evil. Her intentions were good. And she did not show any ulterior motives. She also seemed incredibly passionate about her ideal, and raged when a pony questioned why she didn't remove her own cutie mark. I'd call her insane.

Either way she's pretty thoroughly loathsome in her actions. She denied others the right to be themselves, in some cases against their will. Basically brainwashed an entire village into thinking as she does for who knows how long, all they while keeping her own talent and magic for herself.

 

Considering her actions, to me, she's a more deplorable character than Tirek was. That was just blind greed and ambition. The mix of extremism, manipulation and hypocrisy, combined with how she forced her ways on others really makes her brand of villainy worse than the sort of I will consume all magic and become all powerful sort of evil bad guy thing.

 

I am really glad they didn't force her to reform at the end. I wouldn't have been ready to accept that for this character.

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It was probably me, but I found the episode had some real deep meanings hidden in it. Though, that's for a few episodes to me. The biggest one I think was the concept of individuality vs conformity and society. Also..Cults. Very culty feeling in that village.

 

Loved the expanded map, What is that nation across the sea to the right of the map?

 

Also, that village shall forever be known to me as: Creepy Smileville. Also, Starlight Glimmer is one cute pony. :razz:

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Strong start to the season -- I certainly didn't expect it to be a commentary on sociopolitical extremism. I think every character was in top form, especially Pinkie Pie. I can't wait to see what the rest of the season brings!

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Im surprised no one's brought up the "Mage MeadowBrook's Enchanted Items"  that was mentioned in the show.  There's 8 according to Twilight.  Maybe it's just me, but I have a habit of noticing particular things (no matter how seemingly insignificant) that stand out to me and make me question if there is some sort of plot relevance.   Maybe Im just thinking too much. 

 

Anyway, Im quite pleased with the episode.  What an interesting idea to explore where no one is greater or less than another, just equal.  I'd like to see more of Starlight Glimmer.  After all, you can't ignore a pony like her with the magical prowess strong enough to change cutie marks.

 

I love the "re-educating house" by the way.  Am I the only one who was slightly surprised none of the girls were finding themselves willingly becoming brainwashed to Starlight's messages in there?  I was almost expecting one of the girls to just stare at the loudspeaker thinking "maybe it's not so bad being just like everyone else..."

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I think every character was in top form, especially Pinkie Pie.

 

Yes, it was a very strong showing without being over-the-top.  

From crying when spike stepped on her farm, to being the first to notice fake smiles, it was quite amusing.

But then, later in the episode when she as greyed, out, it really gave the balloon animal pony a chance to shine in the space she normally occupies.  That was a nice touch.  I'm glad the village has a pinkie-ish pony : )

 

 

I love the "re-educating house" by the way.  Am I the only one who was slightly surprised none of the girls were finding themselves willingly becoming brainwashed to Starlight's messages in there?  I was almost expecting one of the girls to just stare at the loudspeaker thinking "maybe it's not so bad being just like everyone else..."

 

Well, it wasn't given much time to work.  It was believable that none of them were that weak, while still not feeling forced that Fluttershy pretended to be taken in.  It seems like what's her face was in it for the long game.  She was plenty patient.  

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weesh! long time no talk! been a while.

last time Ive seen you in person was from Main Event!

How ya been?

 

Back to topic.

I only got a few words about this season's kick-off.

Hell yeah!

I'm so glad it started off great! I can't say much for now. So, I will give a better crit after a few more episodes.

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I felt that the episode had a leaning towards religious cults and the unfairness that has been presented through some of the major religions. 
It had symbolism with all the equal signs that represented who they were. Ceremonial relics with the staff of sameness (silly name). Pilgrimage to a special place (the cave). They mention becoming enlightened. 
How Starlight tries to argue that her being above them was for the better good, sorta how religious leaders are special and thus are exempt from some restrictions. Jesus asks that we not celebrate riches and yet the pope (for a long time) lived like a king because he was supposedly special.
All the brainwashing tactics and "you're all accepted and welcomed here where everything is perfect" attitude that hid a malicious intent reminded me of cults.

 

To those of you who have played Earthbound, this episode reminded me of Happy Happyism.

You could just tell from stepping into the village that everyone was crazy and yet they all kept talking about being Happy.

That's how I felt this episode was like.

A sort of satire of religious cults. 

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By the way....didn't Twilight's horn look.... longer then usual?

 

Or is it just the mane?

 

I think her horn is slightly longer, it goes with the fact she is taller than she used to be when she was a unicorn.

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the premiere kept on giving me the chills... it's creepy
but awesome at the same time 
it's really something i had expected :D loved it in any other way

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Before I begin my recap and thoughts of the episode apologies if I'm bit late in posting this. I've had to write my usual episode recap blog post without getting sick again and I wasn't up to the challenge in writing a recap without having to think about a certain scene that almost made me lose my dinner. I'll get on to why a little bit later in this post, but let's get into the recap and thoughts of this episode.

To quote my tweet from this morning:

"Wow. What a ride. That season opener was an intense one! A great start to the new series!"

This episode for me was a mixed bag. While I enjoyed the episode and the story, I couldn’t even think of going through with a second screening for a little while.

Don’t get me wrong, I was really getting into the episode until “that” scene with the cutie un-marking happened. I couldn't watch that scene without my PTSD and anxiety getting in the way and I had to turn away from my monitor. I only had the audio of the episode to rely on for that segment and even that didn’t stop me from almost losing it. I never felt that way before when I watched the show and I am still wondering why it happened.

However, I have to give credit to the show staff for actually going in that direction. I actually made a point about that on one of my tweets during the live screening:

"This episode is dark. I don't mean dark in the form of night, but this has taken the series in a new direction."

Overall, while I enjoyed the episode I won’t be seeing this one again any time soon.

I have also have written my full thoughts on the episode itself on my blog, which can be viewed here.

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I really loved the tone of the episode. It was very... Animal Farm. Which kept me on my seat thinking about what was going to happen, given they could have gone any which way with their plot.

 

The one thing I wasn't inclined to like was the lack of internal strife between main characters, and a seeming lack of direction as to who the main character was. I know it's a season opener, and season openers generally focus on the entire cast... Sort of ... but it felt forced here --- like they didn't want to give too much attention to any particular pony. I feel like they could have fixed this if it were about Pinkie's distrust of the new ponies and the other 5 disregarding it as an over-reaction on Pinkie's behalf, or if they'd even chosen to have Fluttershy's trust in these new ponies put on display a little higher than a joke leading to an elaborate ruse in order to retrieve their cutie marks.

 

I felt like Twilight's cutie mark was stolen remarkably easily considering her magical prowess. I get that they were surrounded by other ponies, but none of those other ponies even attempted to fight with them as her cutie mark was stolen. What was to stop her from even attempting to shield herself or her friends around here? I mean. This is, perhaps, one of the, if not the, most powerful magic users in ALL of Equestria. I didn't really buy how easily her cutie mark was removed.

 

That said...

 

I thought the villain was really interesting, and I loved how, ultimately, the mane 6 needed to look outside of their friend group to find a solution to their problem. Party Favor was amazing, and I loved the little details about his personality that made him interesting --- such as his willingness to sacrifice his freedom for the safety of his other friends who missed their cutie marks so desperately. He easily stole the show for me torwards the finale, along with Double Diamond and his skiing tidal wave of snow. xD

 

The episode was charming, but it really left me with more questions about how certain things could have logically happened in the world they've built. I think the tone was the strongest they've put forward in the series, but I feel like they've had stronger openings in seasons past as well.

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Either way she's pretty thoroughly loathsome in her actions. She denied others the right to be themselves, in some cases against their will. Basically brainwashed an entire village into thinking as she does for who knows how long, all they while keeping her own talent and magic for herself.

 

Considering her actions, to me, she's a more deplorable character than Tirek was. That was just blind greed and ambition. The mix of extremism, manipulation and hypocrisy, combined with how she forced her ways on others really makes her brand of villainy worse than the sort of I will consume all magic and become all powerful sort of evil bad guy thing.

 

I am really glad they didn't force her to reform at the end. I wouldn't have been ready to accept that for this character.

 

Well that's what makes her a good villain. But I choose not to call her a evil pony because she didn't do this for a power trip, or to take over the world. Just a very psychotic and misguided pony. The kind of thing that we need in more of these shows, and RPs. Cuz lets face it... it gets kinda boring when your characters actions means absolutely nothing against something that can bathe a land in shadows.

 

I really loved the tone of the episode. It was very... Animal Farm. Which kept me on my seat thinking about what was going to happen, given they could have gone any which way with their plot.

 

The one thing I wasn't inclined to like was the lack of internal strife between main characters, and a seeming lack of direction as to who the main character was. I know it's a season opener, and season openers generally focus on the entire cast... Sort of ... but it felt forced here --- like they didn't want to give too much attention to any particular pony. I feel like they could have fixed this if it were about Pinkie's distrust of the new ponies and the other 5 disregarding it as an over-reaction on Pinkie's behalf, or if they'd even chosen to have Fluttershy's trust in these new ponies put on display a little higher than a joke leading to an elaborate ruse in order to retrieve their cutie marks.

 

I felt like Twilight's cutie mark was stolen remarkably easily considering her magical prowess. I get that they were surrounded by other ponies, but none of those other ponies even attempted to fight with them as her cutie mark was stolen. What was to stop her from even attempting to shield herself or her friends around here? I mean. This is, perhaps, one of the, if not the, most powerful magic users in ALL of Equestria. I didn't really buy how easily her cutie mark was removed.

 

That said...

 

I thought the villain was really interesting, and I loved how, ultimately, the mane 6 needed to look outside of their friend group to find a solution to their problem. Party Favor was amazing, and I loved the little details about his personality that made him interesting --- such as his willingness to sacrifice his freedom for the safety of his other friends who missed their cutie marks so desperately. He easily stole the show for me torwards the finale, along with Double Diamond and his skiing tidal wave of snow. xD

 

The episode was charming, but it really left me with more questions about how certain things could have logically happened in the world they've built. I think the tone was the strongest they've put forward in the series, but I feel like they've had stronger openings in seasons past as well.

 

Also, fraid I am gonna have to disagree here. There really shouldn't be a main character for this episode. And if look closely, the focus is actually drawn to the entirety of the town rather than just one character. Take a look at how many wide shots they have used, and how often the camera has been refocused on the civilians. Take a look at the background, and the architecture. And just how the scene flows and where your eyes are drawn. It was really an interesting touch. 

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I can't say much that hasn't already been said but, I really really enjoyed this one. It was much creepier than I expected and I loved how the other ponies saved the mane six in the end. Also that freaking balloon bridge was just great! I might make an app for Mr. balloon pony.

 

So Is that new town gonna get added to the Canterlot lore? That would be awesome sauce. Also did it have a name? I don't remember a name. Maybe I wasn't paying attention. :razz:

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Ah, yes, the creepy town where everyone is always happy. Still an effective storyline, regardless of the underlying cause. But, just as Capt. James T. Kirk defeated Landru, Twilight and company throw a wrench into the plans of Starlight Glimmer.

 

This was a good premiere episode, very much in keeping with previous ones. Not overly dark like Twilight's Kingdom but still good. Was neat to see Fluttershy take a big role in it.

 

Overall,not bad on first watch.

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The one thing I wasn't inclined to like was the lack of internal strife between main characters, and a seeming lack of direction as to who the main character was. I know it's a season opener, and season openers generally focus on the entire cast... Sort of ... but it felt forced here --- like they didn't want to give too much attention to any particular pony. I feel like they could have fixed this if it were about Pinkie's distrust of the new ponies and the other 5 disregarding it as an over-reaction on Pinkie's behalf, or if they'd even chosen to have Fluttershy's trust in these new ponies put on display a little higher than a joke leading to an elaborate ruse in order to retrieve their cutie marks.

 

Oh, there was absolutely strife!

But they handled it in a mature fashion, and that was exactly the point.  This moved the plot forward because the townsponies were SHOCKED by it.  They disagreed, but still respected and loved each other.  this sort of thing makes me happier than always trying to include strife.  Real friends don't start to hate each other every time the get together.  

 

Also, there was a bit of tension when they came up with the fluttershy plan.  

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Moonshine, how do you know she did what she did and that it wasn't a power grab? It's a classic, classic power grab- take from others so you are the one left above all. 

Awesome episode. Fantastic villain.

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