Episode review: S9E05: "The Point of No Return"

"You realise you've just brought me a thousand timeshare ads?"

Another milestone in the list of "finals" we'll be facing as Season 9 of Friendship is Magic wears on: last Saturday's episode was G. M. Berrow's last. She's been writing for the show since S5's "The One Pinkie Pie Knows", and her first MLP chapter book (also a Twilight one!) appeared way back in early 2013. Her episodes have generally been middling for me, but I was hopeful "The Point of No Return" would let her go out on a high? Did it? After the break we'll find out!

Well, this wasn't too bad a way for Berrow to finish up. It wasn't an all-time classic for the series by any means, and it did have one especially notable fault, but for the most part it was entertaining and good-natured. It was quite a low-stakes episode (in terms of there being no existential threats to Equestria) and in some ways was quite reminiscent of how the show used to be five or more years ago.

To save you the suspense, the big fault this episode has was that there wasn't really enough to fill 22 minutes. You don't have not one, but two montages otherwise. I don't mind a simple storyline – that fits with the early-series atmosphere this episode had – but maybe do a little more with it, eh? It also suffered a little from reminding people of "Amending Fences", which was a masterpiece. This episode, for all its entertainment value, isn't in the same league.

The abacus! :D I don't think we've seen that since "Hurricane Fluttershy"!

The link, of course, is Moondancer. It was really good to see her in the show again, and even better that she got a speaking role that wasn't just two words. A shame she disappeared after her single scene, but oh well. The episode had a lot of callbacks, ranging from unicorn!Twilight's magic aura being her lighter S1 shade to Spike's Power Ponies comic to to the return of Restaurant Row. (Sadly, there was no sign of either Coriander or Saffron.)

I wasn't entirely convinced by the out-of-nowhere premise about Twi's late library book, since you'd think she of all ponies would have remembered something like that at some point since she left Canterlot. Still, it led us to the library and eventually to Dusty Pages, who was the best thing about "The Point of No Return". She had more depth to her character than I'd expected, and the moral she delivered was a good one, if hardly original.

All in all, this was the sort of episode I can happily watch in the quieter parts of mid-season, and I expect it'll pass the time nicely enough as a rewatch – though there are many others I'd choose before it. I said recently I sometimes yearn for earlier FiM times, and this episode does do a fair job of reminding me of the simpler days. A bit of a mixed bag, then, but I think pleasant enough for a three. The writer's swansong is very much a Berrowsode.

Moondancer happy and (in both senses) animated? You can't help but smile

Best line: Twilight: "My G1 Starswirl figure!"
Best moment: Smolder's very briefly seen tea party
Worst moment: The montages. Really rather dull

Yays

• Seeing Moondancer again, and in a speaking role at that!
• Dusty Pages was a nice guest character
• Some really nice callbacks to earlier episodes
• Derpy got to speak once more
• Decent, albeit unoriginal, moral

Neighs

• Rather struggled to fill its 22-minute running time
• One montage is enough. Really
• Twilight freaking out yet again, even if the upshot was enjoyable
• Comparing yourself to "Amending Fences" never ends well!

★★★