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| "And now you can deal with the seventeen manticores you also summoned..." |
Written by M. A. Larson
15 Apr 2011
My original rating: N/A
IMDB score: 9.0
The one with tree sap.
Thoughts: Perhaps the least surprising five-star rating I've ever given! This episode is glorious. Let me count the ways. For a start, it's a brilliant example of how to write a busy, info-filled story without it feeling rushed or clunky. The reason for the Mane Six's special bond is immensely satisfying. The ponies' filly forms are absurdly cute. Filly Fluttershy sings. (Fun fact: "So Many Wonders" was the first song I ever performed at a con karaoke.) 'Shy is also a bit lanky, as you'd expect from a pony a year older than Pinkie Pie. The ep is frequently very funny – to name just one example, the cut from Rarity's section to Twilight's is supremely well done. The dialogue often fizzes: "You're going down!" "In history, maybe!" The sonic rainboom is still special at this point, and its depiction is, well, awesome. Manehattan is good, more so than it became through overuse later on. Rarity's "Dumb rock" is a nice match for her sister's "Dumb fabric" five episodes ago. We get one of the all-time classic Mane Six hug scenes. Scootaloo and (at the end) Spike's touch of cynicism help stop the sugar-sweetness becoming overpowering. Problems? Well, Fluttershy's butterfly rescue is more than a bit ludicrous. Otherwise? Er... I'll get back to you on that one. An undisputed classic, and still one of the best episodes FiM has ever produced.
Choice quote: Pinkie Pie: "And that's how Equestria was made!"
New rating: ★★★★★
Next up is "Owl's Well That Ends Well", which has never been anywhere near my favourites list. I don't expect that to change – but there's always hope!
Logan, my good friend, I think in copying the review template for the previous review, you forgot to change the IMDb score, given this episode has a 9, not a 7.3. You changed the link, but not the score. How's that for a turn-up for the books?
ReplyDeletePhenomenal, iconic, top-tier episode otherwise, and the one I was most excited to revisit out of all of Season 1, if only to rebask in the glory that was this episode which, like many, I had not seen in quite a while. Obviously some of the backstories are more iconic then others, though I think Rarity's is the only one that feels even slightly weaker then the rest. As expected of Season 1, there's plenty of neat structural tricks - the way it starts off as seemingly a CMC episode and by the time it becomes clear its a main-characters-backstory episode (around the time we realise Fluttershy's story isn't about Rainbow Dash, it just features her) we're long since won over. I adore the wistful, nostalgic tone the Mane 6 have on looking back at these events that don't seem that important anymore with age. I also admire the episode for being one of those types of stories where a character's origin is not told at the start, but later, and it colours in their stories so far and gives them and the characters additional value (similar examples of this technique include a Season 5 episode of Teen Titans, as well as The Powerpuff Girls Movie).
And the impact this one had on fandom! While Rarity and Applejack's backstories weren't as mined due to not changing their circumstances, the other five directly influenced a treasure trove of fan content, giving fans just enough to cause a deluge of headcanons to breed like rabbits. The only episodes that possibly - possibly! - had more of an influence on fan content (not just fanfiction, though that is primarily what I am thinking of here) is the series' two-parter Premiere, by virtue of setting up the series, and maybe a Canterlot Wedding, both for giving up Shining Armor and Cadence but more for being the only canon source for thousands of changeling stories. Even so, this episode probably has those two beat.
This episode marked my first 10/10 for the series (I do give half-marks, so a few had received 9.5/10 to this point), indicating its practically, though not literally, perfect, and if there are any flaws there, they demand to be brushed aside with an "oh, but that doesn't matter." For sure it doesn't, and I'm equally sure "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" will remain in the series top ten even after I have definitive scores for every episode by later. Incidentally, 5-star reviews are rather rare for you too Logan (this is only the second one this season, and I think "Frenemies" was the only one in all of Season 9 - who knows whether that'll hold true now the Season 9 finale brought its promise for the future crashing down around our ears: a topic for another day). So hen Logan gives out a 5-star review, you better believe it means something, folks!
Thanks for the heads-up -- fixed now!
Delete5-star reviews are rather rare for you too Logan (this is only the second one this season
Yes, and that's what I'd rather expected. I thought "Suited for Success" might scrape a five, but I didn't think "Green Isn't Your Color" would. In the event, it was the other way around.
And yes, "Frenemies" was the only five in S9. Good question as to whether knowing about Grogar will damage it. I suspect it may not, actually.
If not for Party of One, easily the best episode of season 1, and one of the best of all time. :D
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're going to entirely like my "Party of One" review, then! Just a hunch based on recent viewings.
DeleteOf all the episodes of the first season, there's no denying that this episode is among the best they've put together. Not only do we get a further understanding about cutie marks, but we also get to see the ponies long before they became friends and how well they are all connected. Plus it's interesting how they got their cutie marks:
ReplyDelete- Applejack realizing that what she wants is in her own backyard.
- Fluttershy's encounter with animals when she wasn't doing well in Flight school.
- Rarity's quest to find a means to make her costumes for a play 'fabulous'.
- Pinkie's inspiration to bring fun and laughter to her family.
- Twilight wanting to go to Magic School and her first real meeting with Celestia.
- Rainbow's passion for speed when she was racing for a friend's honor.
Overall, the episode had some fun moments. Especially seeing how annoyed Scootaloo was with these detours, when she mainly wanted to meet 'one' pony. And it's a rather interesting concept: The friends you eventually meet with that connection, like seeing a rainbow in the sky. It may not always happen but it's rather touching when we think about it.
Not merely among the best in S1, but among the best in the entire show. For me, at least.
DeleteRainbow's passion for speed when she was racing for a friend's honor.
And a good reminder that, unusually for the Mane Six, those two were close friends long before S1 began. (I suspect Rarity and Fluttershy were as well, but I can't prove that of course.)
If "Green Isn't Your Color" is the episode that represents the core of the show, "Cutie Mark Chronicles" is what represents its Potential. Like Mike said above, it is an iconic episode that blows the world wide open. Of course, that the episode is also perfectly paced, and drips with character-based humor, is just icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to imagine what ponyfic would be like without the concept of Cutie Marks. It elevates its very idea from silly marketing gimmick, to this beautiful metaphoric representation of destiny, potential, and character, that makes the shows' world seem much vaster than it is.
It is hard to imagine what ponyfic would be like without the concept of Cutie Marks.
DeleteYeah, that's absolutely true, yet somehow I hadn't properly connected this episode with that. So vast swathes of Fimfiction have, in some way, "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" to thank. Can I give it six stars now?
Yeah, this one has everything going for it. One of the things that makes it particularly brilliant, as far as I am concerned, is the strong positive portrayal of each pony's personality, particularly as it relates to their cutie marks/destiny.
ReplyDeleteI often wish that Larson had taken over as showrunner from Faust. He not only had (has) fantastic writing chops, he really seemed to love all the characters. (And how many times have you seen an episode where the writer seemed to fundamentally dislike one or more of them? *cough*Spike Episode*cough*)
Oddly enough, there is an episode where I have a character-based beef with Larson. It's a long, long time since I saw that one, though, so I'll reserve judgement on (and won't name) said episode until I get there.
DeleteI would have been happy with Larson as showrunner overall, though. Certainly happier than I was with those we got later on -- Lewis and Songco excepted.
This ep was one of the S1 highlights for me, though I'm a little surprised to see the rating that high. Though I confess, I don't know whether that score comes from critics or viewers. CMC eps have never rated well with viewers, though there are a few notable exceptions.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I loved this. It's a well-done anthology format, in flashback mode, no less, but where a lot of this type end up as a filler ep that recycles material from previous ones, this is all new! Each one of them had a great story, and the way they intertwined was clever as well. Then Spike and Scootaloo giving the virtual eye-roll was nice. As much as many shippers liked the Sweetie Belle x Spike pairing (myself included), this makes a good play for Spikealoo.
I'm a little surprised to see the rating that high
DeleteThe IMDb rating, or mine? Assuming the former, I would have been very disappointed if it had been much lower. I don't know how well it was received on debut, but I've always considered it a classic.