I can never make a list of my favorite episodes because my opinion of individual episodes change constantly :/

Yay, pagetoppper

edited 11th Aug '12 9:03:46 PM by GreatGodPan

Oddly enough RD didn't seem to care much about Trixie's boasting (until she felt personally challenge) and just did it in order to placate AJ.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:04:18 PM by Mio

The problem with Griffon was less the moral and more as said, the Black and White Morality of it all. Gilda had the potential to be a more complex and motivated, if still suitingly repulsive character, but just came off as a one note jerk, making the episode seemed a bit awkwardly paced through.

And as mentioned Boast Busters was very Anvilicious about boasting, and the problem was more the ponies quickly attribute "creating stage mystique" to being an egotistical jerk, though after Trixie does act up it works better.

True RD seemed to just be over appeasing the other more goody ponies, and at least she was honest about her hypocrisy ("You don't have to show off like that, that's MY JOB!"). RD seemed more like someone who wanted a rival than getting self righteous.

Bridal Gossip is an interesting case, since while a lot of the ponies (particularly AJ) are acting rather OOC, it's actually what makes it stand out and makes for an amusing dynamic. It's interesting to see Apple Bloom as an Only Sane Man for example.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:06:19 PM by Psi001

Actually, my main problem with Boast Busters is that it basically blames Trixie for the whole Ursa mess even though Snips and Snails are more directly to blame, and they got off really easy. Griffon is...okay, I felt like Gilda was kinda flat, but it gets points for subverting the whole "she's not a bitch, you're just jealous" moral that it looked to be setting up in the first half. It actually caught me off guard when she turned out to actually be a jerk.

I like Cutie Mark Chronicles way more then most people here seem to.

I liked this episode a lot. Filly Twilight was .

To be honest, I usually am put off by the crazy amount self-praise that certain performers will lavish on themselves in their own performances. Rappers, in particular. Stage performances need to operate under Show, Don't Tell just as much as any other form of media. AJ and Rarity grumbling about it doesn't seem that off to me.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:08:21 PM by PerpetualLurker

I actually skipped a few episodes of S1, since I wanted to get up to date fast, and they seemed too sugary-sweet for me.

Why isn't the video loading...

Darn.

Well let's see, the only episode I can say I actively liked, at the moment, is Over a Barrell. It was just so hilarious.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:08:59 PM by dRoy

I guess I just prefer Boast Busters because I find Trixie so much more enjoyable than Gilda, who I just find slightly annoying. I don't think Trixie was really blamed for the Ursa, she ran off before any hooves could be pointed.

Griffon is still probably one of my favorite episodes. I personally felt the conflict was a lot less black and white then people think, even if the episode came down on one side of it. It also left the possibility that the conflict could be explored more, but that is unlikely.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:09:46 PM by Mio

One of the episodes I actively liked was Over a Barrell.

It was just so darn hilarious.

The episode didn't actually come down entirely on one side. Halfway through the episode, Twilight flat out told Pinkie that she was being jealous and needed to back off and give Dash and Gilda some space. It's just that Pinkie's actions stopped being the focus of the moral once it became clear that Gilda really was a jerk. There might have not been a letter to Celestia about jealously and knowing your friends boundaries, but the episode still had a little moral about it.

Have you not liked many episodes? I haven't been around for your liveblogging.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:11:13 PM by Bluespade

True I thought they were more just annoyed with her because after all of that, she was still an egotistical ass. Either way Twilight was the one to have proper moral high ground in the episode and she was never really bothered by Trixie throughout the whole thing.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:14:09 PM by Psi001

@Perpetual: I'd generally agree with you, but when it comes to stage magicians the whole "PREPARE TO BE AMAZED BY MY WONDEROUS FEATS" thing is pretty much standard boilerplate for that kind of thing. The only real issue is that Trixie kept the pretense up offstage.

Also, the remark about Griffon's moral being realistic is right on. I remember being really impressed that the show was actually willing to admit that no, some people will continue to be jackasses even if you're nice to them.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:12:42 PM by JapaneseTeeth

@bluespade - I liveblogged season 1 a while ago so I can't really remember much.

I agree it was a good moral and it was kind of cool how composed and rashional (for once) RD dealed with Gilda, as said though, she was a rather one note character. There are people who are total asses in real life, but Gilda's actions as a whole seemed very basic and even a tad inconsistant, taking out the realistic value.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:13:37 PM by Psi001

@D Roy: Ah, I thought you'd been doing them the last few days.

@whoever: I'm hoping for an episode where Dash tries to reconcile with Gilda and try to change her for the better rather than just writing her off forever.

I agree that she was kinda flat, but I didn't find her actions all that inconsistent. I got the picture that she enjoys hanging out with RD because RD also thinks she's awesome, and Gilda doesn't need to work hard to keep up the pretense. It hardly seems weird that Gilda would be a jerk when RD isn't around.

It's less she's a jerk and more she is a jerk in rather generic ways. One minute she's aloof and hates being around anyone else, next she's a bully and prankster, the other she's an childish Attention Whore. It seems odd she'd even come to Pinkie's party, or at least with anything above a grin and bear it attitude to fool RD, but she actually comes off as wanting to be the center of attention for people she previously hated.

Surely they could have made her unsympathetic while keeping some basic characterization.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:22:43 PM by Psi001

I just sort of assumed she was being an opportunist. She has no desire to hang out with RD's friends, but if they're going to give her presents and cake, whatever. Her modus operandi was basically to get stuff she wanted from everybody else, whether it's food (from the cart), amusement (being mean to Granny), or admiration (From RD). So she'd be willing to put up with other ponies if she thinks she can get something from them.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:23:53 PM by JapaneseTeeth

Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee sleeeeeeeeeeep.

Goodnight:

Oh, about the S3 leak...

I really can't believe they would turn Trixie into an actual villain, especially since she's so popular for some reason. I expect there's something else going on...

I'm kind of surprised she's returning at all. At any rate, we'll see what the team does with her.

Maybe but still she seems too irratic and basic a character (this coming from someone who favors Depending on the Writer to some degree), and some of the dialogue seemed a bit awkward in the episode, so I still think it's hit and miss.

There was still plenty of awesome stuff in the episode though, eg. the prank montage, positive RD and Pinkie interaction, and the constant Aesop subverting was admitedly clever.

If Trixie is a villain, it's likely in a petty Daffy Duck sort of sense, more out to outshine other ponies or aggrandise herself than do anything out and out heinous.

edited 11th Aug '12 9:28:39 PM by Psi001

Hmm. ATG prompt is decisions/waffling. Dang, my "trying something new" submission◊ would actually work perfectly for that. Okay, something else, something else...

Usually, but if the focus is on the gangsters they sometimes get away with it.