Friendship is Magic S02EP01 - "The Return of Harmony, part 1"

[Motion Paradox]

Oh! Did anyone else notice the nod to episode 8 at the beginning?

Applebloom:....If you were actually victoriful at something

Sweetie Belle: That's not a word!

Compared to their Sister's

Applejack: Well ah'm the gettalongingest Pony yer ever gonna meet!

Rarity: That's not even a word

Also, does anypony else think the boulder is made from part of the dumb rock? Even if it probably won't be mentioned it would be ironic

One possible theory about how this episode arc will be resolved, that it will have something to do with the Everfree Forest, if you think about it the riddle at the beginning it could also be thought of in order to retrieve the elements they need to go back to the Everfree Forest where their friendship began (actually, considering what's happening to Equstria, the Everfree Forest is probably the safest place to be)

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

I think my mind was blown... I'm trying to type down my reaction and I can scarcely think of anything other than "omygoshomygoshomygosh!"

That was waaay creepier than I thought it was going to be. Just the thought of someone messing around inside people's minds make nervous. I was initially worried that it was going to be too creepy, but Discord's writing and John de Lancie's delivery pulled it through in a fantastic style.

Pacing has been a recurring problem in MLP:FiM, but it is pretty obvious why thats the case. They've got so much to do and so little time. Many episodes could stand to be a good 10 minutes longer, at least. That was one of the things Lauren Faust mentioned in her recent interview with Equestria Daily.

I wonder if there are any other spirits held within the statues in the garden... Or in a similar vein, I wonder if there's a spirit of victory hanging out somewhere. (I don't expect that to be a plot point in the second episode, but it still makes me wonder.)

I loved the strange perspectives. When Rarity started walking along a section of the garden maze that was being held sideways, my jaw dropped.

[kamerad]

Yeah gravity-defying Rarity threw my mind for a loop.

[BlackFang]

a lil' something somepony pointed out on the youtube comments

Rainbow Dash flies off the corral cotton candy clouds exactly at 4:12. That awesome shot of her keeping them in line ends at 4:22.

TEN. SECONDS. FLAT. :20:

[Haserman]

The fact that discord was shufflin on Twilights head had me cracking up for ages.

This video came up on the same day

Had me cracking up for longer

Also top rated comment on Youtube:

YOU CAN'T SPELL DISCORD WITHOUT DISCO

homm87

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Haserman, you might get a kick out of this: http://www.discodiscord.com/ You can essentially make your own.

Also, I was re-watching the episode and I saw something that totally knocked my socks off. I didn't notice it the first time around, but somewhere around 8 minutes in, when Discord first makes his appearance, he jumps from one window to another and then the camera rotates and pans. Its a 2d show, and the camera freakin' *rotated!* I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

[brianblackberry]

Haserman, you might get a kick out of this: http://www.discodiscord.com/ You can essentially make your own.

Hours of fun

Seriously!

[BaconofChaos]

Also, I was re-watching the episode and I saw something that totally knocked my socks off. I didn't notice it the first time around, but somewhere around 8 minutes in, when Discord first makes his appearance, he jumps from one window to another and then the camera rotates and pans. Its a 2d show, and the camera freakin' *rotated!* I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

That part was seriously awesome. There were a few moments like that if I recall. I think there was an interview on EqD where they said they they were doing a lot more with the "camerawork" this season.

[Kirby Krackle]

Q is... I mean, Discord is the greatest animated villain I have seen in a long long while. Twisting loyalties, starting out merry and gradually growing more sinister, a style that's practically mustache-twirling! They couldn't have picked a better actor! The writing! The design! Oh, joygasm.

[afropuff]

After all the fan work and stuff, It's nice to know what it felt like to watch a new My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Anyone know what I mean?

[afropuff]

Pinkie Pie totally set herself for really bad jokes in the first five minutes.

*facehoof*

[Whitehawke]

All right, now that I've watched the episode again (err, casually, that is, not frame-by-frame-ly), I can write my thoughts about the episode.

Pre-intro scene is a setup for Discord's escape, basically. I do hope the crusaders show up for the second episode, since it would feel a bit awkward otherwise.

The first part of this episode was definitely rushed. The whole thing is fine, until Rarity pops up out of nowhere already well aware of the chocolate rain that started...15 seconds ago. Then Fluttershy appears out of nowhere too, along with Angel, who grows monstrous deer legs as suddenly as he is introduced because he ate a giant chocolate-rain-fed apple. The whole thing feels like a Big Lipped Alligator Moment, especially as Twilight comes in, not only aware of what is going on, but who has learned a new spell just for this situation, which will fix everything!

Of course, it fails...to do anything, actually, except perhaps creating some flashy special effects. No later than that, the whole thing is solved through teamwork, and the day is saved! Hooray!

It feels like an episode that got squished to fit into the span of 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

The following scene, with Celestia's exposition dump of Discord, is much better, although mostly when Discord comes in. It shed light on Equestria's history, gives some more personality to Celestia, mentions Luna several times and there are several cool parts with Discord, including the out-of-nowhere 3d camera pan.

The maze scene, some people say was just as rushed, but I thought it was just Discord being very efficient at hypnotizing the ponies. I really liked the apple puppets, in fact I thought there was significantly more effort put into AJ's scene than all the others.

Discord transferring his face into the ballon while his body remained headless creeped me out. I'm sure some kids couldn't sleep that night when they saw that, too.

Rarity's "MINE!" just before she turns grey really gives me the chills, because of how convincing the voice actress did it.

Fluttershy resisting the hypnosis at first was hilarious. Discord brute forcing it convinced me he's not fooling around, too.

I thought Rainbow's scene was the weakest, actually. Discord gives her a choice, but brute forces the hypnosis on her as well, so we aren't even given the chance to wonder what she's going to do.

Then again, it was pretty clear what she was going to do, given how easy she fell for his basic hypnosis.

Anyway, the end left me empty and annoyed, because the "To be continued..." screen hit me like a horse-drawn train that the conclusion wasn't going to be aired for another week. I didn't have this problem with season 1 since I joined the fandom in February, but here, I NOW KNOW THE PAIN!!!

Anyway.

Pros

-Large amount of history revealed

-New, great, well-voiced and efficient villain introduced

-Uniquely designed scenes with great effects

-Much needed character development for Celestia

-Luna mentioned after 24 episodes of absence

Cons

-Post-Intro scene was very rushed and confusing

-(Minor) Resource recycling was very apparent in some scenes

Can't wait for Saturday to come.

...

I GO!

[MyLittlePonyTales]

...Big Lipped Alligator Moment...

I lol'd.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

No need to wonder about whether kids might have trouble sleeping... I had trouble sleeping! I might be biased though, the thought of anyone manipulating someone else's mind is one of the most horrifying things I can imagine, and invokes all sorts of 1984~esque concerns.

As for Rainbow Dash's quandary, I get the feeling that her mistake in leaving was based in part on his wording. She wouldn't have been able to save Cloudsdale on her own anyway, Discord twisted the thought around backwards.

[BlackFang]

The first part of this episode was definitely rushed. The whole thing is fine, until Rarity pops up out of nowhere already well aware of the chocolate rain that started...15 seconds ago. The Fluttershy appears out of nowhere too, along with Angel, who grows monstrous deer legs as suddenly as he is introduced because he ate a giant chocolate-rain-fed apple. The whole thing feels like a Big Lipped Alligator Moment, especially as Twilight comes in, not only aware of what is going on, but who has learned a new spell just for this situation, which will fix everything!

i must dissent with this... we were SHOWN 15 seconds between scenes, but the rain could have been going a bit more, just that it took a bit longer to get to Sweet Apple Acres, remember also that RD mentions the same happening all round Equestria, and im pretty sure news dont travel that fast, not with the tech lvl on equestria (well, there's Spike.... but...) giving an even larger margin of actual time between scenes.

so i will promptly scratch your first "con" item, so if youll excuse me.

[Whitehawke]

i must dissent with this... we were SHOWN 15 seconds between scenes, but the rain could have been going a bit more, just that it took a bit longer to get to Sweet Apple Acres, remember also that RD mentions the same happening all round Equestria, and im pretty sure news dont travel that fast, not with the tech lvl on equestria (well, there's Spike.... but...) giving an even larger margin of actual time between scenes.

so i will promptly scratch your first "con" item, so if youll excuse me.

Quite honestly, I've thought about it that way: that the whole thing is actually the remnants of what was(or was planned) to be a full episode, but even from that angle, it's the final product that matters, and the final product tastes like chocolate covered cotton candy. (Your mileage may vary on the taste, but it ain't good for your health, I'll tell ya'll that much).

-Where did the pink cloud(s) come from?

-Why is AJ growing corn?

-What ARE Fluttershy and Angel doing at AJ's farm?

-Much like the one above, what is Rarity doing at AJ's farm? Heck, she and Fluttershy have never gone to the place before if my memory serves! EDIT: WHOOPS, never mind, forgot about Party of One.

-Was Spike needed at all for the scene? His only real use for the entire thing was to give Twilight the letter from Celestia at the very end!

-Before you say anything, Pinkie was comedic relief.

The whole thing raises a bunch of questions and leaves them on the cornfield. It also ignores presentation and a lot of development so that it can reach the conclusion ASAP.

If the situation was comedic this could possibly work, but it wouldn't be up to snuff with the show's usual quality, in my opinion.

I mean, can you imagine an episode where the mane six solve what could be an entire episode's problem in the span of 2 minutes 11 times in a row (with a different problem everytime)?

...

Actually, that would make for a good Pinkie Pie episode.

Save 2 minutes for the conclusion and we could have something akin to Looney Tunes meets ponies!

But yeah, for this 2-parter, I didn't think it fit at all. Who knows though, maybe episode 2 will reveal some meaning behind this stuff. Somehow.

[Hippo]

Alright, I have resisted posting in this thread long enough.

I try to hold out as long as I can, so that my thoughts are clear and that I don't end up saying something that everypony thinks. Here is my analysis and prediction:

- I found it interesting that the cutie marks were represented in Discord's illusions. Except for Pinkie who was slightly different, and a Twilight who didn't have an illusion test, they were symbolic to the T.

- At first I thought the elements were the necklaces. And then, I thought that the elements would be manifestations like the one RD saw. But, I don't think it's either of these things. I will explain later.

- RD leaving being an illusion is an interesting thought. But for that matter, maybe everything in the episode is an illusion. Maybe the show is an illusion. Maybe this website is an illusion. No, but seriously, I think Discord plays by rules. They are his own rules, but they are still rules. Discord tries to reward himself by corrupting ponies in interesting ways. But when all else fails (Fluttershy), he just makes it happen easily. Which means that Discord doesn't just want to mess everything up, he just wants to have fun.

Predictions for Part 2:

- AJ's illusion in the 'grove of truth' (which wasn't a grove at all) is real. Events will happen just as AJ saw them. But the ponies will not be truly mad at each other.

- Cloudsdale is indeed crumbling. (!) Now, I know that this seems pretty horrifying. But, there's a reason why Discord was turned to stone in the first place. I think it will be rebuilt though. After all, it took less than an episode to rebuild Ponyville from Swarm of the Century.

- The elements are probably spiritual rather than physical or metaphysical. And my reasons for believing this are...

- In order to retrieve the elements of harmony, the Mane 6 will have to relive their cutie mark story. As the riddle states: "To retrieve your missing elements, just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the elements back where you began." I believe the characters 'began' with finding who they are, what makes them special, and for this matter, what element of harmony their cutie mark directly represents. If you recall the Cutie Mark Chronicles, the cutie mark stories also reflected the ponies' purpose during the events of "Friendship is Magic." And in the effort to relive these moment's the ponies will meet in Discorded Ponyville and discuss what they must do before Rainbow Dash implies that she hopes she never sees them (their Discorded personalities) ever again.

- After the elements are retrieved and Discord is defeated, Discord will not turn back to stone. I think Discord will dwell in Equestria. He may 'learn his lesson' or be 'banished from the pony kingdom', but he will not be turned back to stone. My reasons for believe this are the fact that the resolves in every episode to date have never resulted in any character's doom, except for NMM, who was arguably a Luna incarnate. It's possible that the friendship mindset this show has prevents it from taking any wicked character and eliminating them with violence or the thought of non-existence. I could be wrong though. MLPFiM usually desires a happy ending for everypony.

[Dessa]

I'm with Whitehawke. Although I will point out that everypony was at AJ's farm during Pinkies birthday part in Party of One.

[Hippo]

The first 5 minutes were very rushed, But the idea was that some sort of chaos is rising in Equestria. Not just Ponyville, either. Rainbow Dash had said that Cloudsdale is already getting a cola storm.

It was rushed though, but I suppose it wouldnt have if they had more than 22 minutes to finish the pre-climax of this story. They needed a way to get all of the ponies together at once, and a chaotic beginning was their best shot and trying to make you miss that. All in all, I doubt this will truly bug most people down the road. Lots of unexplained things have happened before.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

But for that matter, maybe everything in the episode is an illusion. Maybe the show is an illusion. Maybe this website is an illusion.

[Skye]

BIG LIPPED ALLIGATOR MOMENT

I'm sure most of you are familiar with this. Starts at 1m05s in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ3nUfGfKOc

[Mojo]

Riverhippo, these are very interesting predictions. However, I think it'd take too much 'airtime' for the Mane 6 to relive all of their cutie mark stories UNLESS "Return of Harmony" will continue with a Part 3 (or more).

Also, how can a 'being' as potentially powerful as Discord be allowed to continue to 'exist' in Equestria after the Mane 6 defeat him? I know the Princess sisters seem to be rather easy going and 'laid back', but I just can't see Discord having a 'change of heart' and becoming a GOOD guy nor can I see him simply being allowed to 'roam free' and thus become a constant villain to world of Equestria. The one thing that makes THIS incarnation of MLP so awesome is that there ISN'T a consistant villain (or race of villains) out to 'rule the world' or 'destroy all ponies' as in other kinds of 'kiddie' cartoons.

My guess is Discord will be turned back to stone. The symbolism here is that 'discord' can break up friendships, but the 'magic of friendship' can overcome any and all disagreements. This 'ending' would highlight the overall theme of the cartoon.

[Whitehawke]

Anyone want a sneak peek for episode 2? Then follow the link below.

It looks like it's from very early in the episode.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

I suspect that when Discord said he hid the elements in the hedge maze, he was really talking about each of the mane 6, since he separated them right at the very beginning. They sort of are the elements of harmony. They were supposed to find each other, but they got distracted and ran after false leads on their own instead of sticking to the plan. (except for Fluttershy)

((Also, I was not previously familiar with the "big lipped alligator moment."))

[Dessa]

Dat spoiler. Discord is mai hasubando.