Text Review Roundup: "The Big Mac Question"

I am returnèd from UK PonyCon. I loved it. But if you know anything much about me, then you probably knew I was going to say that. I'll inflict a multi-part con report on you in due course, but for now it's time to get back to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. As far as Text Review Roundup is concerned, the show has a little life left in it yet! Since I didn't get the TRR for "The Big Mac Question" done before I left for the con, here it is.

The written reviewers generally liked this episode, and in many cases they liked it quite a lot, which was nice considering that it was the final "regular" ep before the end of the show's run. It was really only DrakeyC among the regular TRR crew who found it underwhelming. I liked this episode a little bit more than the average, but not by a huge margin.

Cuddlepug – mostly positive (graded B; "delivers some of the more heart-warming scenes of Friendship is Magic [...] Where the episode doesn't quite work is in the random, 'mockumentary'-style scenes [...] However, the episode pulls things back with its fantastic [final scenes]")

Dark Qiviut – extremely positive (graded A+; "The Big Mac Question is really funny, really cute, and really heartwarming. Vogel and Haber tackled all of the emotions at exactly the right time and provided a magnificent cap to several arcs, some of which date back to the first season. This is the new-best Season 9 episode and one of the ten best of the series.")

DrakeyC – mixed ("The CMC's antics [in the third act] were hilarious, Mrs Cake was fine. [However, while] the third act is well-handled and written well and everything comes together nicely[,] on an emotional level, I don't care [...] because [Big Mac and Sugar Belle's] relationship has had no development.)
NB: DrakeyC missed the background LyraBon moment because of stream lag.

Dramamaster829 – mildly positive ("From start to finish, I actually found myself enjoying this episode far more than I was prepared for. [...] While [considering the marriage's effect on AJ] would've made for a more dramatic story than what we got, in the end I was satisfied with what we did get.")

Fiendstorm – very positive (graded A; "I freaking love the cold open [...] a great example of a flashback episode [...] The ending to this episode is probably the most touching [...] a gem of an episode.")

JDPrime22 – very positive (rated 10/10; "I loved this episode. Very cute. Very funny. Very fitting to see off these two characters with a marriage, and to tie it into arguably one of the best episodes of the entire series (Perfect Pear) was absolutely beautiful.")

Louder Yay – very positive (rated 4/5; "I really enjoyed this episode, and there really wasn't much I can fault it on. [...] Discord was at his most Discord-y [...] We've followed Lyra and Bon Bon since S1, and I'm sure that's why [their] moment felt entirely right: not forced, but an organic continuation of the last few years.")

Mike Cartoon Pony – positive ("easily the best episode since “She Talks to Angel” [despite] a plot setup you can see coming from a mile away [...] As for the episode’s sweet final few minutes, it’s all perfectly constructed [...] decent-but-not-great comedy")

MLEEP Reviews – very positive (rated 10/10; "one of the most heartwarming and romantic episodes that I've ever seen throughout the series these past nine years")

Present Perfect – fairly positive ("they finally did an episode with a romance theme and got the message right [...] Discord’s apple gambit was highly entertaining, and the “I thought we were just saying each others’ names” gag was hilarious [but] it’s a retread of all the other SugarMac episodes [and] just left me wishing those had been better. ")

SuperPinkBrony12 – broadly positive ("while everyone is mostly in character and the story does the comedy of errors plot nicely, there are a few minor details that get in the way [...] The CMC's plot also feels like a little bit of a stretch [...] Still, for the first time since "The Summer Sun Setback" we have an episode that is not only fun to watch but also has an enjoyable plot and character moments")

The Railfan Brony – very positive (rated Excellent; "too many funny moments to list [...] I also like how the episode's structure plays out [and Mac and Belle] talking things out before the proposal is one of the best moments of the entire show [...] It's funny, sweet, charming, and has a great ending and moral.")

TheDragonWarlock – broadly positive (rated 8.5/10; "While certainly not one of my all time favorites, this episode was a lot of fun overall. It's a great way to end the SugarMac story arc on a sweet and romantic note. The characters, barring Discord, are all good and well written")