Hello there! I'm Sidral Mundet! You may know me from the EQD base or that one MLP fic that hasn't been updated in nearly a year! Anyways what I plan on doing here is just given out my ideas and thoughts on MLP:FIM. Sort of like the analysis guys, just with less special effects, more words and no coherent logic! Also cause I need a reason to rewatch the show!
So let's begin this with a look at my favorite episode: Keep Calm and Flutter On!
First things first: This is all opinion based. There is no right or wrong to any of this. These are just my opinions on the show and I fully expect people to disagree, which is good, since it encourages free thought. Just remember to keep thing civil and respect others.
Anyways onto the episode:
Basic Plot: Discord is back, baby!
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| DO NOT WANT!! |
So the Mane 6 are called forth by Princess Celestia to reform Discord, the Lord of Chaos, last seen in the two-parter Return of Harmony, where he was encased in stone. Celestia says she could use Discord if he can be turned to the Light Side and believes Fluttershy is the pony to do that. Once the Mane 6 released Discord from his stone body, Fluttershy takes him in, hoping to show him what it's like to have a friend. After a chaotic dinner party (well, just look who your host is) the Mane 6 find Sweet Apple Acres flooded by discorded beavers (Must be there time of the month). Fluttershy asked Discord to fix what he's done, but he'll only do it if she promise not to use her Element of Harmony against her, which she does. Discord, of course, doesn't keep up his end. While the rest of the Mane 6 attempt to get Fluttershy to recant her promise, Fluttershy sticks with it, but scolds Discord and tell him she's not his friend. Discord quickly realized he's lost his only friend and reverts things back to normal and the episode end with him accepting the magic of friendship, at least for the time being.
What I like:
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| Whose an abomination against nature? You are! Yes you are! |
- Fluttershy:
- Lets get this one out to bat first, Fluttershy is my favorite pony. She's sweet, cute, and innocent, but not naive or gullible. This is her greatest outing. In it she is kind and understanding, but to a limit. Once things go south, she mans up and takes charge, rebutting the others and telling Discord off, showing that she is understanding but isn't going to take any shit.
- The Mane 6:
- An interesting outing for the rest of our beloved pony heroes. For the most part, we focus on Twilight trying to get a reformation spell going, which has very unfortunate implications (ie forced mind control) and Rainbow Dash attempting to get Fluttershy to act against Discord. While Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity and Spike aren't essential to this episode, they do have there moments and don't bog the story down in the slightest. The thing that really sticks out is that none of them are willing to give Discord a chance, and it's with good reason. They saw what he did during the events of The Return of Harmony and still hold that against him. In other words, the Mane 6 are letting their hate and dislike of Discord dictate their actions and they arguably become secondary antagonists, yet we sympathize with them because they do have good reasons for this dislike given what has happened to them.
- Discord:
- Ever the manipulator, even when acting nice, he's planing his next move. He takes advantage of Fluttershy's kindness, only to end up desiring it at the end, preferring it to his isolation and end up on the good guys side, at least for now. Nice to see a villain reformed through some other method besides shooting rainbow at them
- The story structure:
- This episode is arguably the least MLP like in the way it's told. Instead of Twilight being our hero, it's Fluttershy. Instead of defeating a villain, it's reforming him. Instead of using magical power to save the day, it's the revelation about what friendship means. Heck it's even hard to catagoize. It's too tame to be a grand epic like the two parters, but it's most certainly not slice of life. Basically this episode inverts everything the show usually does while still being about the central theme and characters.
- This episode is one of the few to change once you rewatch it. In the first viewing, we'll generally side with the rest of the Mane 6, since we know Discord and the way he works. On second viewing, Fluttershy's case becomes more sympathetic. It is also one of the few episodes where there is an internal conflict in the group about how to processed and since the Elements are an all or nothing sort of deal, their number one tool is rendered useless.
- The Animation
- As always the animation is top notch! The Elements of Harmony were as sharp as ever and the visual tricks Discord pulls are amazing to watch. I was dizzy after watching him spin Fluttershy's cottage around!\
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| Applejack is not amused |
- The Pacing
- No episode is perfect, there are always going to be stuff one doesn't like and stuff that just feels off. Keep Calm was rushed. The climax where Discord wants Fluttershy's friendship take a whole 30 seconds. But this isn't a game breaker for me like in Equestria Girls or Magical Mystery Cure but it's still noticable.
- Princess Celestia
- The ever wise Princess, she just decided to reform Discord for no adequately explained reason, other than she has uses for him if he was good. For all we know she needed a quickie and thought Discord would be good in the sack. And after giving the Elements to the Mane 6, she just up and leave. Hey Princess, not to tell you how to do your job, but don't you think you might want to stick around, seeing how this creature almost took over all of Equestria last time he was set loose?
Overall:
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| This poster is so 1940 |
Like I said before, Keep Calm and Flutter On is my favorite episode of the entire series. While the pacing is a bit off, the general message is one the resonates with the show, that friendship is valuable and worth having yet doesn't go all sappy, giving the characters realistic way of reacting to their situation. This episode is a Must See, since it reintroduces Discord back into the world of Equestria and is Fluttershy's finest outing! Hit up the comments with your thought and feeling!
