maybe they should've made this episode The Movie

Yeah it was more the fault of the medium I am sure the writters had so many ideas they couldn't fit in that limited timeframe

I love it when we forget that this is a little girl's show. It's really easy to overlook that fact sometimes isn't it?

This.

Not only did the breakdown of the first five ponies seem incredibly rushed, the plot seems really too big for two television episodes.

I'm just going to leave this here for anybody who missed it the first time I posted it.

I just read that an hour ago, and yes, I immediately thought of your post when writing my comment above. Thank you!

I wonder how rushed part 2 is going to be. They're gonna have to bring the mane cast back and find a way to beat Discord in 20 odd minutes. It doesn't sound like there's as much that needs doing as in part 1, but we should still be wary.

at least the set up is out of the way

edited 21st Sep '11 9:22:02 AM by gingerninja666

In the beginning of the episode, I thought that Discord was the type of trickster god that Moe is complaining about and I would have found that annoying as well, as his motivation would be effectively non-existant, but he isn't. It's a bit of a Beware The Superman case (except for a villain). He's so powerful, that he does what he feels like when he feels like it, enjoying the misery he causes. He's like a kid with a magnifying glass, thinking of new and interesting ways to fry the ants. He's terrifying in a way that makes him a good villain. He could kill everyone anytime he wants and doesn't because he enjoys making them suffer.

EDIT: Wow, this thread moves fast!

edited 21st Sep '11 9:24:04 AM by Sereg

At some point Discord would probably just troll ponies rather than break them, because it's funnier.

edited 21st Sep '11 9:37:45 AM by AceOfScarabs

Lauren reply◊ to this◊

edited 21st Sep '11 9:41:28 AM by DeathCloud

True. I think that I overstated that a bit. He enjoys messing with people just to mess with them. That makes him a troll. But once a mind is broken, it's less fun to play with. It's part of what makes him effective. He's a very real and dangerous threat, but there's a good explanation for why he doesn't just end the cast now.

edited 21st Sep '11 9:42:41 AM by Sereg

Woah.

I don't think he'll ever just flat out kill someone, it isn't his style. He's all about chaos, not murder. You kill someone, that's one less pony that'll be unhappy.

edited 21st Sep '11 9:48:12 AM by gingerninja666

Do not diss the Walker!

Chuck Norris' character is a God Mode Sue, but I honestly went in expecting that—Norris trained under Bruce Lee, after all, and Bruce Lee was pretty much always a God Mode Sue as well. In both cases, rather than being a detriment its part of the fun, as the whole point is going in and seeing which douchebag is dumb enough to pick a fight with Lee/Norris today.

/derail

Getting back to the issue of Nightmare Moon, personally I go with the theory that (because of Luna) she was partially sabotaging herself. I disagree with the notion that Discord has accomplished more than she had—she managed to hold up the Summer Sun Celebration and scare a lot of ponies witless, at the very least. Oh, and convince some stars to aid in her escape... we still don't have a story on that.

That's actually another thing I like about NMM—she feels more like a mythological villain, with a lot of broad strokes here and there, so you get a sense that there's more to her than what you see on screen. With Discord, he feels like he's just some guy. Granted, this (and only this) could possibly be due to how much buildup each respective villain got.

I'm honestly of two minds about that scene: I actually chuckled the first time, but its also the scene where I totally gave up on Discord being a convincing villain. You just made his weakness the butt of a joke—nothing is more emasculating than that.

But there's one scene I expected more people to mention, but nobody does: Pinkie Pie's turning. Am I the only one who has a problem with her saying "this is different, they're laughing at me."? It's one of the few moments in the episode where somepony seemed rather OOC.

That's my point.

Nightmare Moon escaped and scared people. Discord did that right at the beginning. Then he toyed with everyone, getting exactly what he wanted.

edited 21st Sep '11 9:52:20 AM by Sereg

What theory is that? An idea I had is that each season's Big Bad is a dark twist on each of the main characters, where Nightmare Moon is the dark Twilight Sparkle, and Discord is the dark Pinkie Pie. So yeah, a villain based on Fluttershy could be someone who rules through fear because she refuses to face her own fears.

What I like to think is that Fluttershy worked through a lot of her issues with anger and inadequacy after the Gala, so when Discord tries to pull a similar scenario on her, she ignores the bait and trolls him right back. That's the cool thing about Fluttershy for me, that she makes a real effort to change according to what she learned in her last adventure.

I thought so two but it was so ovious to me I did not say anything.

edited 21st Sep '11 9:51:28 AM by RandomChaos

I know, I was just agreeing with you

edited 21st Sep '11 9:52:28 AM by gingerninja666

That's an interesting idea.

Just explaining why I like him.

Cool.

We must avenge the untimely death of Fluttershy

@ This: D'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw.

Yeah, I saw those last evening. I'm really moved by the honest appreciation on both sides of the discourse.

Fluttershy ather was seduced by the dark side of the Force. She ceased to be Fluttershy and became Darth Monarch. When that happened, the good pony who was Fluttershy was destroyed. So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.

I thought Lauren wasn't leaving the show, only that she wouldn't be in charge anymore. Her reply to the fan letter sounds like she's leaving for good.

Her role in Season 2 is "creative consultant", or something like that. That basically means "the writers can ask her what she thinks of their ideas if they want to".

She's not going to be on-set, overseeing what happens. She'll be too busy with Milky Way and The Galaxy Girls.

edited 21st Sep '11 10:25:00 AM by Kerrah