 |
| Despite its fast pacing, the clubhouse scene was really touching |
S5E18: "Crusaders of the Lost Mark"
My original rating: ★★★★★
IMDb score: 9.2
Thoughts: This episode is very special to me. It came out not only on the fifth anniversary of Friendship is Magic, but while I was at UK PonyCon 2015. And I adore it. Sure you can find quibbles: Spoiled Rich is a bit of a caricature, and while I don't mind the CMC's mark designs they are a bit awkward-looking at first. But my honest view of that is: yes, but who cares? This works. Even now I find it hard to watch the "cutie marks" scene with dry eyes. I'll never quite forgive Hasbro for denying Diamond Tiara another speaking line in the entire series, but reforming her here – something which blindsided everybody, even those who suspected this might be the Crusaders' cutie mark episode – works really well. Having Silver Spoon finally rebel is quite a moment – and the literal "mending fences" shot post-DT-reformation is lovely. This is of course S5's musical episode, which inevitably reduces the time available for speaking storyline progression, but the songs help with that – and in any case they're just so good. "Light of Your Cutie Mark" is among my favourites in the entire series. I believe it was a deliberate choice that this episode be written by one of the OG writers, and Amy Keating Rogers really made it work. This is an episode I have watched many times, and that I will watch many times more. No, it's not as beautifully constructed as "Amending Fences" – but, as I say, I really don't care. For me it's as worthy of its five-star rating as ever it was. I love "Crusaders of the Lost Mark".
Choice quote: Silver Spoon: "You wanna hear how? Sorry, I'm not allowed to speak."
New rating: ★★★★★
Next
up is "The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows", which was G. M. Berrow's FiM writing debut. Generally remembered as "Oh yeah, that one" given what came before. Unfairly so? We'll see.
| cond after Sassy's "Everypony loves royalty!" |
S5E14: "Canterlot Boutique"
My original rating: ★★★
IMDb score: 7.9
Thoughts: After the first of FiM's
irritating mid-season hiatuses, we did at least have the stalwart Amy
Keating Rogers in the writing saddle for the show's return. It's a good
episode, too, albeit perhaps the least of the run from "Amending Fences"
to "Rarity Investigates!" We see Rarity in her fashion designing mode
more centrally than since "Suited for Success", and personally I prefer
Canterlot as the big target for her than Manehattan as happened later in
the series. Sassy Saddles (voiced by Kelly Sheridan, incidentally) is a
decent sidekick, albeit not one with enough sass to be truly
memorable. A hint of a troubled past career ("another failed boutique"?)
but she was neither unpleasant enough to be a "love to hate" pony or
sympathetic enough for the redemption to really click. I still don't
like the very last joke, which is a bit too close to "let's make fun of
the weird-looking pony" for comfort, though it wasn't AKR's fault. A
couple of the other shop customers were fun, though, especially the
gothy Moonlight Raven. One small criticism of Rarity: the customer who
complained her Princess Dress wasn't what she ordered was correct,
yet she was portrayed almost as the bad guy for saying so. Still,
overall the episode's core plot of "creative job made into a chore" was
fine and appropriate. It was executed pretty well, there's a nice song by Jona Lewie and even though it's not an outstandingly memorable episode it is good. I think it's perfectly worthy of a very solid three. No change to this ep's star rating!
Choice quote: Rarity to Twilight: "In every poll Sassy Saddles took, you were the most popular princess!"
New rating: ★★★★★
Next
up is another Rarity-centric episode, "Rarity Investigates!" – it's
widely seen as an excellent ep. Certainly in 2015 I agreed with that
consensus. I hope I shall have at least as much fun with it this time
around!
I've always loved this one too. There was a kind of overcorrection in the years immediately following this, where I saw a lot of people recant their earlier praise as having been unduly influenced by the relief of the climax - but honestly, I loved this even before the bit finish, when it was just the Diamond Tiara Redemption Musical. I agree these are some of the best songs in the show's run, and if the ending took me by surprise in that I couldn't initially properly process it live (to the extent I wondered if it was really happening permanently), by the time we hit the break in the song I was getting overwhelmed; I remember being proud of myself for keeping it together through "aw, sugarcube, if Mom and Dad were here..." only to completely lose it at the CMC flashback montage.
ReplyDeleteSure there are technical and storytelling problems. What of them? I'll love this forever.
Oh yes, and in terms of a parent bonus, "Light of Your Cutie Mark" contains some stealth road safety advice (appropriately since it takes place with the characters not paying attention to traffic!), with the chant of STOP!... WAIT!... LISTEN! proving very helpful to drill that idea into my children's heads!
DeleteI'd never even thought about that! Brilliant! :D
DeleteComing into the fandom when I did, I’m in the more unique position of never having had nearly five seasons of buildup to the Crusaders finally getting their Cutie Marks that made this episode so fulfilling. Just over a month for me. On top of that, this episode feels very different now, given Diamond Tiara was relegated to Background Pony status after this (apparently because Hasbro insisted her story was done), and the CMCs episodes predictably fizzled thereafter with their core personality defining trait now gone. It’s especially sore for Diamond Tiara, who actually retains her personality here (making others do what she wants, but for good now). So this really does feel like a finale for these characters, even more so than Season 5 does for the show as a whole.
ReplyDeleteAs many of this episode’s detractors have noted (nothing like Twilicorn, a small group, but a vocal one), this is in full “Magical Mystery Cure” mode of songs substituting for plot. It’s far objectively better, being a story that (somehow) fits in one episode and having the status quo change that comes from the episode’s main plot make some sense (not much, mind). But I am obliged to note that from a purely writing perspective, Diamond Tiara’s reformation is very suspect, not really fitting with her as written prior (granted, her writing was always inconsistent, her “I’m a smart young business pony” direction got phased out early on for one-note bully seasons prior), and falling back on excusing her by introducing another irredeemable character as the reason for her behaviour. The quality of the songs (“The Pony I Want to Be” legit makes me tear up) is the only reason this flies in the moment at all, and it’s debatable whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But many musicals do this (hello, Frozen!) and on that, it works in the experience of watching it. Plus, bringing Diamond Tiara to a very low point first makes her reformation go over better.
The thing that startled me the most this time around was the voting plot. It’s actually kind of great, doing politics in the only way you can for children, and having it with proper internal logic and making sense (the subtle way the CMCs build up Pip and downplay DT in their song is really neat, on top of the episode doing the “politician wins by making promises they end up being unable to keep” thing).
And the CMCs marks… while I don’t agree with writing this episode off for the direction taken, I must acknowledge their marks are a complete 180 from where their arc was going all along (predictable as it has been ever since “The Show Stoppers”) and gets by largely because of the euphoria of the moment. I’m not immune to it, but it is largely just lights and smoke, and unlike Diamond Tiara’s plot which does get around its writing holes, this doesn’t. At least when thinking about it.
For all that, this is still a great episode to watch. The plot, while rushed, isn’t so rushed it reeks of it. There’s so much going on that’s entertaining and great and smart. And, yes, sweet – I felt especially moved this time around by the CMCs not holding their past experiences with Diamond Tiara against her and pledging to help, not hesitating for even a fraction of a second. The songs, while less Broadway musical than the prior musicals, still have plenty of charm, ranging from catchy to tearful to smile-inducing.
The end result is an episode where the watching experience transcends its flaws, and though they must be acknowledged, that’s a great achievement. Enough for it to be effortlessly the show’s 2nd best musical episode (sorry, “A Hearth’s Warming Tale”, Christmas Carol-type episodes are just so rote for me, and “For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils” did that story archetype more subtly two seasons prior). I totally understand why many unreservedly love this one.
"Crusaders of the Lost Mark" – Production Changes
ReplyDeletePREMISE
Meghan McCarthy's premise (titled just "CMC Musical") is quite accurate, though it doesn't specify where the songs would go (she probably knew Amy Keating Rogers would take care of that). Only real difference is the CMC successfully encouraging Diamond Tiara to use her talent to unite their classmates, rather than her seeking a power upheaval.
OUTLINE & 1ST SCRIPT
Like some past scripts, basically every change from the outline carries over to the 1st draft. Only four songs here, without Diamond Tiara's sad solo or the prelude at the start. In fact, the whole 1st act is quite different, opening on Pipsqueak's campaign failing to gain ground against Diamond Tiara's "vote for me because I say so" words. Thus, the CMC decide to intervene themselves, so the campaign – and their song – is more about putting Diamond Tiara down that raising Pip up (as a consequence, Diamond Tiara's uplifting song near the end is a reprise of this one). Amusing detail include the position being Queen Bee, Diamond Tiara writing "ME!" on her ballot, Silver Spoon's defiance being rather meek, thinking everypony else would vote for DT, and a cameo for Minty as one schoolpony (chewing mint leaves and with chronic halitosis, according to DT).
The CMCs get dialogue as they watch DT's mother bullying her (Sweetie Belle recognises her as one of Rarity's toughest customers), spelling out why DT is the way she is. There's no cut to the next day, with the CMCs asking DT over there and then. Oddly, the first draft of what would become "Light of Your Cutie Mark" has flashbacks to helping Trouble Shoes (earlier drafts of "Appleoosa's Most Wanted" has the CMCs openly realising they have a knack for helping with Cutie Mark problems).
Due to all the above and being song-heavy, very little dialogue matches the final episode. The script itself is on the short side at 26.5 pages, wise for a musical where songs need more screentime. The short length does show in a few scenes (the clubhouse scene, asking DT over) going by quickly, with far less of DT putting on a brave front.
Song lyrics change much through the drafts except where the script demands it.
OTHER SCRIPTS
Usual stuff – the 2nd draft is almost a page-one rewrite, getting very close, and further drafts just make small dialogue tweaks. Among the few things that don't survive to the final script are the detail of the CMC having tried running against Diamond Tiara before (either to stop her or in the hope one of them would get their Cutie Mark) and the CMCs having an idea for DT to help Pip before she has her own idea (in that draft, DT's opened up more to the CMC in her confession).
Also, Spoiled Rich went through being called "Married Rich" and "Stuck-Up Rich".
SONGS
Daniel Ingram heavily rewrote the song lyrics (two of them enough that Amy Keating Rogers didn't get lyrical credit). Though Roger's versions generally match the thematic point and what happens. Some observations:
* The “We’ll Make Your Mark” prelude was only introduced in the 2nd draft.
* “The Vote”’s musical reference is “What is This Feeling” from Wicked. This comparison doesn’t hold for the song we got, of course. The specific pony “freaks” were present, just addressed with different lyrics.
* “The Pony I Want To Be” was named “Shine” and had some lyrics carry over, though most were rewritten. With no visual descriptions, it didn't even fill a page, a very good example of how more songs means more time cuts to fit 21 minutes.
* “Light of Your Cutie Mark” was originally just the CMC singing, not a duet.
* The reprise of “The Pony I Want to Be” was originally a reprise of “Light of Your Cutie Mark”.
* The final song (called just “Make Your Mark”, ha) had extra/different reactions for the CMCs sisters, a lengthy CMC/Mane 6 verse, and different placements for the spoken interludes.
[animatic-stage changes and final thoughts below]
[continued from above]
DeleteANIMATIC-STAGE CHANGES
Because songs always require more runtime than spoken dialogue, this episode had lots of trims to get to 21 minutes. Omitting song-related cuts (except visual moments), the following constitute the notable losses.
* As stated by Rogers on Twitter, the opening scene had rhyming dialogue recapping many of the CMCs past attempts at getting Cutie Marks (which Sweetie Belle lampshades: “Mountain climbing and all this rhyming!”).
* When Pipp asks for the CMCs help, Sweetie Belle mentions Diamond Tiara had been President since Kindergarten. Yeah… that might have caused debate about both the foal cast’s age and how the Ponyville/Equestrian school system works!
* After the title song, the CMCs psyche Pip up, reminding him today’s the day after a hard week of campaigning.
* Diamond Tiara’s mention of the window Discord broke had a flashback cutaway to said broken window.
* The script clarified that Diamond Tiara’s one vote was for herself. Nice side effect of cutting this, trusting the audience to figure that out.
* After roasting Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon says loudly that she voted for a kind, generous candidate who listens, and Diamond Tiara doesn’t fit that. More unneeded clarification.
* Before the CMCs invite Diamond Tiara over, Pip addressed everypony proclaiming he would be talking to the school board today. Another cut we did fine without, given his dialogue later (though it does make him running away from the school with everypony a little odd).
* The clubhouse scene had a few trims, none of note except the CMC elaborating on overhearing Diamond, referring to what she said in her song (“you’d like to be more shiny!”). Obviously this only matched the prototype song lyrics. Another “shine” reference after “The Light of Your Cutie Mark” got cut too.
* One song cut of note: Silver Spoon got a few lines in the original (vastly different) reprise of “The Pony I Want to Be”.
* When the CMC get their Marks, they all say each others’ marks are the CMCs emblem before realising they share the mark.
* Diamond Tiara had a verse in "We'll Make Our Mark" that got cut for time (you’ve probably heard it, it’s among the most listened-to songs out of the 2019 leaks).
Animatic additions/changes include:
* Pip being unable to reach the high hoof and Sweetie Belle levitating him into it.
* The first commercial break happened in between Cheerilee announcing the votes had been counted and declaring the winner. Sensible to move, it’s obvious to even a child Pip had this in hoof.
* The CMCs weren’t revealed to be watching Diamond Tiara until her song was done (granted, the song had no visual descriptions).
* Virtually all visuals during any song which were not crucial to the plot were board additions.
Animatic feedback was extensive enough to fit two pages. Mostly reinstating some cut lines, improving Spoiled Rich's introduction, and fretting that DT's "hoofprints" should be "hoofsteps", but they decided it wasn't worth the cost to re-record. Discovery Family pointed out every instance of a hoof over somepony's mouth, and cautioned a ball under the lifted building musn't look like a bomb.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
For the most part, this episode landed early and had a smooth development, though the song lyrics were changed more than usual (hard to complain with the results, mind!). The early differences are interesting, being the rare outline that doesn't have to be pared down for runtime, and smart enough to start right in at the conflict without wheel-spinning (arguably too smart, given Rogers added a new teaser highlighting the CMCs mark quest). Weird seeing the CMC helping Pip just to put DT down too. There were small focus changes throughout on how explicit to make DT's turmoil and other details, which generally landed on not spelling it out. That's pretty nice!
Really, it's just a few small details – the core elements were there from day one.
I'm sorry, "Married Rich"? That is fantastic. :D If they'd kept that name, I never would have questioned it, oh my god, I'm kinda mad that got changed. XD
Deletegets by largely because of the euphoria of the moment.
ReplyDeleteFar be it from me to badmouth this episode, but Mike kinda hit the nail on the head, here. <.< Putting any thought into what happens here -- and I'm talking really nitty-gritty stuff, so it's not like it's important -- a lot of the plot falls apart. But in the moment? This is just the best episode ever. And of course, the catharsis of them getting their cutie marks after 5 years was unspeakable, I did not care what they looked like (and honestly? I still don't!)
Though I will say, this is a way better episode, musically speaking, than MMC, which was uneven at best and brought us the absolute nadir of MLP:FiM musicality in "Behold, the Princess Twilight Sparkle". :B
I also much prefer the music in this one. What a great episode! I liked the campaign song even more than the big number. They made DT into a genuinely sympathetic character while continuing their portrayal of Filthy Rich as not such a bad guy. Plus it gave us Lily Longsocks. Definitely a classic.
DeleteI can't help but wonder how Faust or Larson would have handled the Crusaders getting their marks. As it was, they were treated more as a unit than individuals, which meant that there was no dramatic tension between them, and their character arcs were pretty much over.
ReplyDeleteAs Mike and PP said, emotionally satisfying in the moment, but created a dead-end for the three of them. There's a reason we never heard from Diamond Tiara, Babs Seed, etc again: the original dynamic was gone, and the writers would have to start from scratch.
I'd have commented on this earlier, but now people will think that this comment's a joke, and I swear to Celestia this isn't.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Crusaders of the Lost Mark is victim to what I'd probably call "the Frozen effect" - something that's widely acclaimed upon release, but as time goes by, people become more divided about its merits. I've made it clear that I now hate this episode, and much of it has to do with Diamond Tiara.
I'd bring up how she blackmailed the Crusaders and mocked Scootaloo's disability... but I don't need to, because this episode is very two-faced with Diamond Tiara's handling. In the first half, she's a loathsome toad, yet when her mother is introduced for the second half, we're suddenly expected to sympathize with her, and I don't. Everything that's happened to her up to that point felt justified, but if the second half had been a separate episode, that'd be one thing. Having both stories taking place in the same episode makes me feel like the writers wanted to have their cake and eat it too.
Also, as an aside, I would rank "The Pony I Want to Be" one of the worst songs of the show because it tries too hard to make the audience care for Diamond Tiara's situation. It falls flat because we never saw her mother beforehand, nor was there any indication that she was told to act this way.
If I could name another character who had gone through something similar to Diamond Tiara but was handled better, it'd be Pacifica Northwest from Gravity Falls. She started off as the most popular girl of the titular town and was descended from its (supposed) founder Nathaniel Northwest. I say "supposed" because she's handed proof that it's false, but after interacting with Dipper and Mabel, Pacifica started to abandon her family's conceited attitude and distance herself from its dirty history, and the finale suggested that she will eventually become her own person. And that was all within two seasons! By the time Gravity Falls ended, MLP was in its sixth season, so it had no excuse to handle Diamond Tiara's redemption arc the way it did.
Frankly, Lost Mark contributed more to fandom debates over whether or not the show had gone through seasonal rot than The Cutie Re-Mark did. At least after said finale, Starlight Glimmer actually contributed something meaningful! The fact that Diamond Tiara didn't have another role after season five also set a precedent for how the show would handle most of its villain redemptions for the remainder of its run.
Oh, and the Crusaders getting their cutie marks at the end? Feels like it was tacked on as an afterthought.
Agreed 100%. Diamond Tiara's redemption here was not an exploration of her character. It was a blatant retcon. "Blank flank" was a playground taunt, except when it's suddenly something a grown adult would ever care about. This is literally the first time in five seasons we see ANY indication that Diamond Tiara had any conflict about the nasty stuff she was doing on her own initiative.
DeletePlus, they conveniently skip over Filthy Rich in all this. Yeah, remember when his debut showed he was a relatively decent guy? This episode doesn't!
A Diamond Tiara episode is a good idea, but the execution here is sloppy at best. The Pacifica Northwest comparison just makes that even more obvious.
And another thing!
DeleteWe talk about how disappointingly out-of-nowhere Diamond Tiara's redemption was, but her mom's portrayal is a big part of the problem.
Literally her whole thing is that she's "rich and snobby", but she's so one-dimensional and weak that Diamond Tiara can boss her around without a real fight and none of Spoiled Rich's appearances DO anything with her. Her entire reason for existence is to be booed at.
She's such a pathetic strawman character that it makes Diamond Tiara's "turnaround" and "victory" look even more unconvincing.