W&D S01EP22 - A Bird in the Hoof

[BlackFang]

Also, Celestia is totally a dictator. Come on, she banished her sister for a thousand years. That is at least ten human lifetimes.

Do you doubt her tyranny?

but no... she banished the evil alter ego that took over her sister and was trying to banish all daylight FOOOOREEVEER!!! its different

offtopic: wootwoot, finally brony status

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Do you really think that 1000 years is THAT big for a Unicorns lifespan though?

besides - IN pony years, that could be a lot shorter...!

I'm pretty sure real ponies only live to be about 30-40. Faust has stated the human age of the main ponies, but has not stated how long they actually live in the ponyverse. Why? Well, because in kid's shows, no one ever truly dies.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Also, Celestia is totally a dictator. Come on, she banished her sister for a thousand years. That is at least ten human lifetimes.

Do you doubt her tyranny?

but no... she banished the evil alter ego that took over her sister and was trying to banish all daylight FOOOOREEVEER!!! its different

offtopic: wootwoot, finally brony status

Also, guess what. Celestia gets the love of her subjects, and a Phoenix. Luna gets NOTHING.

[Hippo]

I think Equestria is either an absolute monarchy or a theocracy.

[Systemdertoten]

I think Equestria is either an absolute monarchy or a theocracy.

I'd go with the latter.

[Bramble Rose]

I really, really enjoyed this episode.

The first five minutes, to me, held all the best stuff. Classy Alice in Wonderland reference. Angel Bunny being dominant. Fluttershy being flighty.

Rainbow Dash ... oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash. Questioning the guards. Making faces at the guards. Getting bored. BRILLIANT.

Poor Rarity. Poor Applejack. Poor everyone freaking out over Celestia being there.

Which... I don't get what everyone doesn't get about that. Imagine, for just a moment, that suddenly, the Queen of England, the president of the United States, and your favorite author/actor/sports hero all were going to have dinner at your house, all of a sudden. You KNOW you would freak out and worry about every tiny detail.

Of course Equestria is an absolute monarchy. Princess Celestia rules it.

I don't get theocracy. o.O They haven't ever mentioned any god or religion for the kingdom, how could it be a theocracy? And if this is the whole 'Celestia is God' thing... BLECH. First off, that's not a theocracy, that'd be a deiocracy, perhaps. And that's only *if* you consider Celestia to be a god, which I find a bit ridiculous. That'd be like folks in Tolkien considering elves or Aragorn to be gods... or Sauron to be a god... the ponies are all guardians of the natural order of things. Celestia's just the top tier of the same thing that all the rest of the ponies do.

Celestia the prankster, with that cup of tea. That just... that makes her all the more *real* to me. Giving her a sense of humor about the whole situation.

Pinkie Pie doesn't care who's there. She's just gonna be Pinkie Pie.

And again, poor Applejack.

Rarity's exit.

Just... a whole lot of awesome there.

the rest of the episode was rather standard fare, but with all sorts of cuteness tossed in here and there.

"whatcha guys doin? You racin? I wanna race too! 123go!"

The look on fluttershy's face with the ashes. Yeah, absolutely.

Ultimately, a good character episode. Just a lot of fun, with the established characters.

[RCTwilightSparkle]

Very weird episode, but it was pretty funny

[brianblackberry]

I don't get theocracy. o.O They haven't ever mentioned any god or religion for the kingdom, how could it be a theocracy? And if this is the whole 'Celestia is God' thing... BLECH. First off, that's not a theocracy, that'd be a deiocracy, perhaps. And that's only *if* you consider Celestia to be a god, which I find a bit ridiculous. That'd be like folks in Tolkien considering elves or Aragorn to be gods... or Sauron to be a god... the ponies are all guardians of the natural order of things. Celestia's just the top tier of the same thing that all the rest of the ponies do.

LOL.. I agree, people always misinterpret what "theocracy" means. Beside we all know their god is called Fyre-Flye

[Teh_Brawler]

I don't get theocracy. o.O They haven't ever mentioned any god or religion for the kingdom, how could it be a theocracy? And if this is the whole 'Celestia is God' thing... BLECH. First off, that's not a theocracy, that'd be a deiocracy, perhaps. And that's only *if* you consider Celestia to be a god, which I find a bit ridiculous. That'd be like folks in Tolkien considering elves or Aragorn to be gods... or Sauron to be a god... the ponies are all guardians of the natural order of things. Celestia's just the top tier of the same thing that all the rest of the ponies do.

LOL.. I agree, people always misinterpret what "theocracy" means. Beside we all know their god is called Fyre-Flye

Actually, according to dictionary.com, a theocracy is indeed a system of government where a deity is the recognized leader over all. However, considering the circumstances around that, it's much more common to think of a theocracy as a system of government led by a religious institution.

Either way, I don't think that applies to Celestia's rule. I think the easiest thing to do is to compare it to the medieval England monarchy, since most creators of fantasy settings use that idea for the government.

[brianblackberry]

I don't get theocracy. o.O They haven't ever mentioned any god or religion for the kingdom, how could it be a theocracy? And if this is the whole 'Celestia is God' thing... BLECH. First off, that's not a theocracy, that'd be a deiocracy, perhaps. And that's only *if* you consider Celestia to be a god, which I find a bit ridiculous. That'd be like folks in Tolkien considering elves or Aragorn to be gods... or Sauron to be a god... the ponies are all guardians of the natural order of things. Celestia's just the top tier of the same thing that all the rest of the ponies do.

LOL.. I agree, people always misinterpret what "theocracy" means. Beside we all know their god is called Fyre-Flye

Actually, according to dictionary.com, a theocracy is indeed a system of government where a deity is the recognized leader over all. However, considering the circumstances around that, it's much more common to think of a theocracy as a system of government led by a religious institution.

Either way, I don't think that applies to Celestia's rule. I think the easiest thing to do is to compare it to the medieval England monarchy, since most creators of fantasy settings use that idea for the government.

Well technically a theocracy is a form of government ruled by "immediate divine guidance" but by clergy, who are believed to be divinely guided. But in any case, you are right, she isn't worshiped or prayed to by the ponies, just held in royal esteem. Really that alone is enough to make any average pony host a nervous wreck.

[Parodius]

Princess Celestia just looked so sad in the party. Every time she tries to go for a casual visit, everypony flips out and throws a frilly froo-froo fancy party. Because a visit from royalty is never casual. Even if they want it to be.

She must have been so sad until Luna was back. Only one she could relate to on the same level, and she had to lock them away to protect everypony else.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Wasn't Rarity wearing her Gala dress at the party?

[BlackFang]

Also, guess what. Celestia gets the love of her subjects, and a Phoenix. Luna gets NOTHING.

like i said, wasnt Celestia's fault (nor was it Luna's)

Celestia just chose what (to me at least) was the best option to evade an Armageddon (no daylight -> no photosynthesis -> EVERYTHING DIES)

i mean, it was probably that, waiting for the Elements of Light to fully awaken with the girls (or whenever) or actually killing/banishing Nightmare Moon forever and Luna with her.

also yes, that was her Gala dress

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Also, guess what. Celestia gets the love of her subjects, and a Phoenix. Luna gets NOTHING.

like i said, wasnt Celestia's fault (nor was it Luna's)

Celestia just chose what (to me at least) was the best option to evade an Armageddon (no daylight -> no photosynthesis -> EVERYTHING DIES)

i mean, it was probably that, waiting for the Elements of Light to fully awaken with the girls (or whenever) or actually killing/banishing Nightmare Moon forever and Luna with her.

also yes, that was her Gala dress

Ponies do not live that long! Why did it take so long for the Elements of Harmony to regather?

[BlackFang]

Also, guess what. Celestia gets the love of her subjects, and a Phoenix. Luna gets NOTHING.

like i said, wasnt Celestia's fault (nor was it Luna's)

Celestia just chose what (to me at least) was the best option to evade an Armageddon (no daylight -> no photosynthesis -> EVERYTHING DIES)

i mean, it was probably that, waiting for the Elements of Light to fully awaken with the girls (or whenever) or actually killing/banishing Nightmare Moon forever and Luna with her.

also yes, that was her Gala dress

Ponies do not live that long! Why did it take so long for the Elements of Harmony to regather?

go ask Lauren.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

go ask Lauren.

Well played.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Most. Awkward. Party. Ever.

Pinkie Pie must have been trying to compensate for everypony else walking on egg shells by being extra carefree. I guess that is a hidden moral of the story in this episode: don't get so worried about being perfect that you can't do anything. I know some people who could stand to learn that lesson.

I suppose since most of Twilight's experience in helping with small critters comes from taking care of Spike, she'd be more used to having to deal with stubbornness.

Luna: Nobody adores the moon like they adore your sun, it isn't fair!

Celestia: Trust me little sis, it is better that way. At least you can have fun at parties.

[Skye]

This episode was awesome. The latter half seemed a little too standard fare after the absolutely awesome beginning. Celestia with the Tea...even though I saw it coming I still thought it was -hilarious-!

[Bramble Rose]

Also, guess what. Celestia gets the love of her subjects, and a Phoenix. Luna gets NOTHING.

like i said, wasnt Celestia's fault (nor was it Luna's)

Celestia just chose what (to me at least) was the best option to evade an Armageddon (no daylight -> no photosynthesis -> EVERYTHING DIES)

i mean, it was probably that, waiting for the Elements of Light to fully awaken with the girls (or whenever) or actually killing/banishing Nightmare Moon forever and Luna with her.

Ponies do not live that long! Why did it take so long for the Elements of Harmony to regather?

Because it wasn't enough to wait for six Elements of Harmony to be ready ... she also had to wait for the stars to align. And that's the problem with epic-level banishments - you can't really give a pardon. they're enforced by powers beyond your control.

Luna: Nobody adores the moon like they adore your sun, it isn't fair!

Celestia: Trust me little sis, it is better that way. At least you can have fun at parties.

And thus why we think of parties as the 'night life'

[Tam]

I thought this episode was cute, but what I'd call a "filler" episode. There were some good comedic moments, but no real plot progression. Everyone stuck to their tropes.

Celestia was bemused at all off the fuss around the visit/party and tried to joke - she had the most 'development' for that reason alone, I think.

Twilight was a bundle of anxiety over Celestia's visit.

AJ was a simple country girl who didn't quite get them big city ways.

Pinkie Pie was stupid and ate a lot.

Fluttershy was mousy and did her best to be polite and helpful.

Rainbow Dash was a prankster.

Rarity was obnoxious about her clothes.

Spike made an appearance.

So yeah, no development, no real revelations. We found out there are phoenixes in the pony world, and Celestia keeps one as a pet.

Like I said, it was cute; I did laugh a fair bit and there were a lot of great reaction shots that I see being turned into icons/avatars. But from a plot standpoint... eh!

[Manestream]

I thought this episode was cute, but what I'd call a "filler" episode. There were some good comedic moments, but no real plot progression. Everyone stuck to their tropes.

So yeah, no development, no real revelations. We found out there are phoenixes in the pony world, and Celestia keeps one as a pet.

Like I said, it was cute; I did laugh a fair bit and there were a lot of great reaction shots that I see being turned into icons/avatars. But from a plot standpoint... eh!

Pretty much this. I enjoyed the episode, but after waiting two weeks- I had my expectations set a bit high. I'm hoping the CMC episode coming up that focuses on Twi, Rainbow and AJ is going to be spectacular because of it.

Still liked the episode, but mostly just that, liked.

[janglehooves]

Well, it wasn't as dramatic as the last episode but it was rather a fun one! (and a Fluttershy ep at that....yay!)

The phoenix twist was a little obvious (I guessed it about halfway through, although my initial theory was that Princess Celestia wasn't so powerful that she couldn't get ripped off by the pet shop...) but it was enjoyable getting to it. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were both very much on form and flustered Twilight was rather sweet. Once again, the animation was great and I certainly wasn't expecting to see a Benny Hill parody in MLP!

Yes, it didn't do much for plot progression but from a character development point of view, it had it's moments. I would have thought that Fluttershy's nervousness would have prevented her from taking Philomena but clearly she has a more impulsive side when it comes to things she feels strongly about. I suppose it has been hinted at before but it was interesting to see it come more to the fore. We also got to see Celestia's fun side which gives her character more depth. So yeah, maybe not groundbreaking stuff but in my opinion there was more going on there than you'd think at first glance.

[brianblackberry]

I thought this episode was cute, but what I'd call a "filler" episode. There were some good comedic moments, but no real plot progression. Everyone stuck to their tropes.

I am really hoping that the next episode will make up for that if the rumors are true and we get to see how the main six received their cutie marks.

Filler episodes seem to happen a lot towards the end of seasons, right before the final one, or few big episodes where a lot of the focus on character development and story progression happens (although the three before this week's were generally top notch).

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

I might not have been the best episode in my book, but it was enjoyable. It wasn't until the end brought everything to a screeching halt that I got the inkling like there maybe ought to have been something else in there to tie it all together. I like that the show has something for everyone, and this one certainly had a lot for people that are more into the wacky and zany slapstick mode than I am myself.

I've been to some awkward social gatherings before, so I can definitely relate to that feeling -albeit a bit painfully- and that's really what draws people I think. It is that sense of "I can see myself there," when you watch something you can relate to. It doesn't even have to be a situation you would ever be in yourself, just as long as you can put yourself in that position while you are watching.

For me, the dinner table... when all nine of us are sitting there, and eating together, were and are always the most special times we were shooting the show.

- Adam Baldwin said that in regards to Firefly, and it is a quote that has always stuck with me whenever I'm thinking about telling a story. You can have excitement, drama, danger and action, but it is those bits of every day life that smooth out the rough edges, grounds everything and really brings it to life.

So I guess what I felt was missing was maybe a little bit of extra connection for how the drama related to Fluttershy and Twilight. Getting banished and locked away in a dungeon was a good gag, don't get me wrong, but I couldn't help but wonder what was the the real motivation.

That being said, I really don't mind that they mix things up every now and again, at least in the sense that this is an episodic show. I think it would be a bad sign if the series got into a rut in the first season. I mean seriously, can you imagine if people judged STNG by its first season?

[Dessa]

It was a filler episode, but it establishes a few things going forward:

1. Everypony has met Celestia, so there will be no need for introductions. Just like "Winter Wrap-Up" was a set up for "Fall-Weather Friends." WWU told us ponies control the changing of the seasons so they didn't have to in FWF.

2. Celestia's personality was developed, but I still wonder if she has any personality flaws. Nice to see she's not just the generic benevolent ruler pony at least.