I seriously just watched that like a dozen times. Twilight does exasperation well.

Hey, a pagetopper. Am I doing it right?

edited 29th Nov '11 10:19:49 PM by Crowfall

So if no one guessed from last night's drawing, the theme is super heroes, so have some creepy superhero Twi.

Maaaaaaybe. I'll just let you go with your own answer there.

edited 29th Nov '11 11:39:26 PM by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

Not gonna lie. The first thing I though of was Twilight clone foursome. Am I a bad person?

Ha, like I even need to ask that.

Not to me, though I'm a bit of a weirdo.

This fandom is fast.

We kinda do. Problem with having just one Pony thread is that all the discussion about the minutinae of Ponykind tends to get lost behind all the creepy talk and going on about arbitrary background ponies you just happened to give a name to.

Speaking of which, is there already a name for that white pegasus that flies by in the season two intro? If not, I opt to call her "Crest Complete."

Anyway, I was honestly about to post a "Season Two so far" entry in my blog, which woulda been capsule reviews of the episodes currently aired followed by thoughts and expectations, but honestly it didn't seem like blog-worthy material. Here it is though, in case ya want something else to talk about:

EPISODE CAPSULE REVIEWS

Return of Harmony pts 1 and 2 - [Redacted since you all know what I have to say]

Lesson Zero - The best episode of the season so far.

Luna Eclipsed - WE ROYALLY DECREE THAT THIS ALSO BE THE BEST EPISODE OF THE SEASON SO FAR!

Sisterhooves Social - This was one of those episodes that was extremely cute (lots of Sweetie Belle d'awww) but otherwise nothing remarkable. Also turned people into wet pony lovers. I hope there's nothing creepy in that.

The Cutie Pox - I would call it one of the best, but honestly it was one of those "I liked it once, but then couldn't do it again" kinda deals for me. Gotta love the fleur-de-lis though.

May the Best Pet Win - I honestly didn't think this ep was that special, except for some cute moments. The song was good but not "At the Gala" or "Cutie Mark Crusaders theme" good.

The Mysterious Mare-do-Well - This episode just didn't leave an impression on me at all. I didn't like it, I didn't hate it. It simply exists.

The hopes and expectations part: I kinda feel like the season so far has fired its best and worst shots already, and now its just emptying the barrel. Though, a gun fired randomly can still hit a target, and the season has eighteen episodes left to pull off something amazing, but it still has its work cut out for it if it wants to top "Lesson Zero."

So, non-humanized Pinkie in a bra, yay or nay? (... Actually, I can't see how there's anything controversial about animals in human clothes, no matter what the assumed implications, so whatever).

edited 29th Nov '11 11:09:28 PM by MoeDantes

Could be... kind of funny, so long as she doesn't wear it over he actual breasts. I don't know why, but that weird me out. Draws more attention to it, I guess. Having her wear it over her chest just seems like it would be funny, especially if she didn't know what it was.

I honestly don't think Lesson zero was that spectacular. No accounting for tastes I guess, but on the whole it was just okay for me.

edited 29th Nov '11 11:18:48 PM by kegisak

It was just another "Let's make Twilight Sparkle totally irritating!" episode like Feeling Pinkie Keen.

I don't think she was irritating. I still enjoyed the episode, but it just felt like it was trying too hard. Like, the expressions felt forced near the end. All of the other breakdowns had nice, subtle and believable expressions, but Twilight's? Bitch was straight-up nuts. It just gave it a bit of a shot in the foot, for me.

"Lesson Zero" wasn't spectacular, but it was entertainingly funny/creepy. Not everything has to be a blowout.

The only low episodes for me in S2 so far have been "The Cutie Pox" (slow second act dragged on too long) and "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" (the writing seems off). Everything else has been great in my book, but even the worst of S2 is still better than the worst of S1 (probably "Over a Barrel" for me).

—R.J.

I thought May The Best Pet Win was great, personally.

The only genuinely unimpressive episode thus far this season for me is Mare Do Well, but it's no worse than Feeling Pinkie Keen (I actually quite like Over a Barrel, I'm not sure why so many bronies have a low opinion of that one) in that regard and they both have a few redeeming qualities. Every season has to have a "worst" episode, after all.

edited 29th Nov '11 11:53:17 PM by TheBlackBaron

I don't think I'd file "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well" under my favorites, maybe I'll re-watch it at some point and see if it does.

It alluded to "Feeling Pinkie Keen", too. Funny how it seems to be shaping up to be like Rainbow's version of that, in my mind. And initially the "let's pat ourselves on the back" scene pissed me off so bad, because everything out of their mouths smacked of Flanderization (though in retrospect, it was probably purposeful, and it was already intended in part to put things in perspective for Rainbow).

edited 30th Nov '11 12:15:18 AM by AnonymousUser

I was asleep; CDRW wanted the Tealove fanart I linked to before?

Also, She's in the season one intro too, y'know Her most common Fan Nickname is Lightning Bolt, and as far as I can remember, the biggest scene she's gotten in the show is being one of the two drooling ponies in "Applebuck Season" (the other drooler being Cloud Kicker).

That's the part that bugs me the most, since at that point it feels like they've gone past trying to remedy RD getting out of hand and making up for when her ego gets in the way of saving ponies, into needless Cherry Tapping coupled with completely forgetting the aesop of Lesson Zero.

Mostly, I prefer to just focus on the BTAS references and the Mare Do Well art and move on from it.

edited 30th Nov '11 12:38:17 AM by TheBlackBaron

I still stand by the belief that the mane cast knew EXACTLY what they were doing and that this was the ONLY way they'd be able to talk to Rainbow.

^^She reminded me of Darkwing Duck. Probably the hat.

So... anyone know why this is in the non-canon pony index?

I saw that scene as less the cast patting themselves on the back and more them going "hint hint, nudge nudge" at Rainbow. They wanted her to figure it out at that point and learn the lesson already, the fact that she overreacted to it and ran off to try and unmask the Mare do Well is all on her.

Yep, Darkwing Duck is what most see with the costume. The posters and the music are where the BTAS stuff comes in. I thought it was all very cool.

I think if they'd come clean once they saw the reaction Rainbow was having to it and it was obvious the MMDW wasn't having the intended effect, I'd have much fewer problems with the scene. As it is, the fact that she got so distressed over it and then they laughed at her for it is what makes it seem like they completely forgot what happened in Lesson Zero.

I prefer not to think that her reacting like that was intentional and part of the plan, because then it goes from them just trying to help their friend in an (imo) suspect way to them really just being complete bitches.

edited 30th Nov '11 1:02:50 AM by TheBlackBaron

Why not discuss the episodes here and the fandom-related things over at the Yack Fest?

You know what would be totally in character?

Pinkie wearing one cup of a bra on her head, assuming it's a party hat for two. MAKE IT HAPPEN

edited 30th Nov '11 1:15:34 AM by thefran

WHAT ELSE COULD THEY HAVE DONE?! All they wanted to do was talk to her, but because of RD's VAST ego that was going to be impossible. They NEEDED to break her down. Soften her up a bit.

It was either going to happen now by their hooves, or later by somepony elses, and if RD had kept going her ego would've only gotten worse, making her eventual breakdown even MORE volatile.

edited 30th Nov '11 1:24:31 AM by gingerninja666

They failed to notice her ego only escalated instead of deflating.

That episode would have been handled much much better if the aesop would have been delivered to the whole mane cast, part of what makes Lesson Zero so powerful.

edited 30th Nov '11 1:33:35 AM by thefran

If they had actually tried talking to her first - doomed to fail, yeah, but at least it shows they tried - then backed off and explained things when it was clear the masked hero plan wasn't having its intended effect, that would probably have silenced 50% of the complains about this episode (the other 50% being the ones about the Schizo Tech that I thought nothing of). As it is, it's basically as if they'd come across Pinkie in Party of One (or Twilight in Lesson Zero) then actively made the problem worse. And as I said, I prefer not to think it was their intention for Rainbow to wind up feeling lonely and depressed on her own Personal Raincloud, any more than it was their intention for brushing Twilight's panic attack off to cause her to send Ponyville into chaos over a doll.

Basically, nobody comes out of this episode looking very good in my eyes. That's why I have a low opinion of it.

edited 30th Nov '11 1:39:25 AM by TheBlackBaron

Pride goeth before the fall. I don't think they were expecting RD to learn her lesson until the MMDW was unmasked.

Again, she was either gonna have that breakdown now... or later. and it was going much, MUCH worse later.

edited 30th Nov '11 1:41:12 AM by gingerninja666

"Stop bragging or the turtle tortoise gets it!"

I just don't see the problem people had with enciting RD's breakdown. It's not like she didn't bring it on herself by reacting the way she did.

Her breakdown in this ep was peanuts... PEANUTS compared to what would've happened had she gone on unopposed. You thought she was addicted to praise NOW, well imagine if a similar incident (with a pony who WASN'T her closest friends) happened somewhere down the line instead.

edited 30th Nov '11 2:00:06 AM by gingerninja666