What is your "introduction episode?"

[Rhyphte]

Once in a blue moon, I meet someone actually interested in giving the show a chance. Which makes sense, considering that when dealing with anything with this much hype behind it, one might imagine there must be something to it.

Do you recommend a specific episode to them, or just let 'em run wild with whatever they happen to grab hold of? I make an effort to suggest watching "Lesson Zero" before episodes one and two. Why? A lot of people have a hard time appreciating the first few episodes (even certain bronies), because they just don't provide viewers with as much of what many bronies get out of the other episodes. I feel like the character "introductions" are all shamefully flat and done in a hurry, and the humor you see spotting the show just isn't there. I believe you can actually get a better feel for the characters through other episodes, because what you learn by watching them in action dwarfs the pitiful introductions they received.

I'm not trying to make it an express point that the first two episodes are bad, I'm simply stating that it's often difficult for a newcomer to really appreciate the introductory episodes for what they are. I don't believe that they do the show proper justice, and that when trying out the show for the first time (especially if one has drooping expectations), it's better to open with something that will.

This isn't all written in speculation, either. I've had much better results (although this may just be coincidental) recommending Lesson Zero than shrugging and saying, "start at the beginning." Once the viewer has a feel for the show, it will be easier for them to appreciate the first two episodes and the logic behind them. I feel like it's because the show (like all media) has a "style" behind it

that viewers can grow attached to. I'll make a personal example out of my feelings towards the band "Modest Mouse." They jump around between a variety of genres, many of which would be difficult for me to get into. I listened to one of their songs, titled "The World at Large" at a music sharing party, and fell in love with it instantly. I listened to more of the music they produced that was similar to The World at Large, and somewhere along the way, it came to be that it wasn't the songs I liked, but the artist. At that point I found myself enjoying their other work as well; pieces I never would have found anything in before dotted my library because I had fallen in love with their "style," per se. I believe this phenomenon occurs not only in music but in webcomics, art, television, and multimedia in general.

How did I get so far off topic?

Tl;DR?

pOst whtvr Epsode U use to shw mlp 2 ppl.

GOGOGOGOGOGOGO!

[Ashton]

This has been discussed several times.

Most forumites think the best eppisode to start a new person off on is "Applebuck Season" because it relies on no real knowledge of the show's background and it's a laugh-a-minute.

As much as I love "Lesson Zero" I think it's a very bad one to start people off on because it's very dark and psychological, while most of the series is silly and light-hearted, so it gives the wrong impression of the series to a newbie. (Not to mention you have to understand Twilight's mindset to understand what's going on or you miss half the fun...)

Personally I started off with 101 and while I didnt fall in love instantly (it took till I met Rainbow Dash ) I didnt really see a problem, and it's an important episode because it introduces the characters and sets up the entire series.

[RarityDash]

Lesson Zero is good, but yeah, knowing the characters makes it better. At the moment, I'd probably say Swarm of the Century is pretty ideal. It has all the characters, solid humor with a fair number of outside references, and is just an overall fun episode.

[hinata2000100]

Well, I really base it off of who I think that person will like.

For example, if they like Pinkie Pie, I show them "Baby Cakes" or "Swarm of the Century".

If they like Fluttershy, I show them "Hurricane Fluttershy" or "Dragonshy".

You know, episodes focused on the pony I think they'll love the most.

[RarityDash]

Well, I really base it off of who I think that person will like.

For example, if they like Pinkie Pie, I show them "Baby Cakes" or "Swarm of the Century".

If they like Fluttershy, I show them "Hurricane Fluttershy" or "Dragonshy".

You know, episodes focused on the pony I think they'll love the most.

It can sometimes be hard to tell who someone's favorite pony might be in advance though.

I certainly didn't expect to end up loving Rarity best (and she's certainly not the pony I'm most like).

[Erlenmeyer]

I started with the pilot episodes. While I didn't like it as much as other episodes in the series, it did get me started. When I introduce someone to MLP, I try to match episodes to their personalities and interests. I showed my friend Lesson Zero because he's really into psychology and things like that. And the creepiness level that Twilight achieved is almost as high as how creepy my friend can be . But I agree that Lesson Zero does require prior knowledge about the characters. You have to know Fluttershy's personality to understand why the scene with the bear is as shocking and funny as it is.

Anyways, I have a list of episodes that I would use to introduce someone MLP:

• Return of Harmony (parts 1 and 2)
  
• Hurricane Fluttershy
  
• Applebuck Season
  
• Sweet and Elite
  
• Winter Wrapup
  
• Green isn't your color
  

Also I would use Season 1 episodes to introduce because we all know it gets really good in season 2.

[Rosewind]

I was originally hooked by Stare Master, but my "go to" episodes to introduce someone new to FiM would be Applebuck Season or Party of One. I tend to avoid the pilot.

[Lux]

My introduction to the show was Winter Wrapup. It is a good episode as you don't have to know the overarcing plot with that. You have all the characters there, a nice song, and it helps to showcase the show as a whole.

[Parker_Izing]

My first was the pilot (duh) Because back then was the only correctly subbed episode on youtube(June 2011 on "the ticketmaster" and forth subtitles relied on speech recognition, so all of then were wrong, then forgot about the series a whole summer, later(September) I found fansubs for every episode and after a rewatch got hooked...

[Rhyphte]

This has been discussed several times.

Most forumites think the best eppisode to start a new person off on is "Applebuck Season" because it relies on no real knowledge of the show's background and it's a laugh-a-minute.

As much as I love "Lesson Zero" I think it's a very bad one to start people off on because it's very dark and psychological, while most of the series is silly and light-hearted, so it gives the wrong impression of the series to a newbie. (Not to mention you have to understand Twilight's mindset to understand what's going on or you miss half the fun...)

Personally I started off with 101 and while I didnt fall in love instantly (it took till I met Rainbow Dash ) I didnt really see a problem, and it's an important episode because it introduces the characters and sets up the entire series.

I definitely see where you're coming from. I probably should be tailoring the episode to the person, rather than just showcasing my favorite right off the bat. Perhaps it's because I feel like the "Psycho Twi" gives the episode just a semblance of maturity. I don't want people to be thinking, "I am watching a show for LITTLE GIRLS," but "This is a show for little girls?"

And for some reason I feel like being able to rewatch an episode to find something you couldn't have understood previously just adds "rewatch value."

This has been discussed several times.

EVERY COLTDANG TIME.