This review will contain spoilers for those who have not watched the latest episode.
The premise for this episode is that, when a villain threatens to break free from Tartarus, Princess Celestia chooses Discord over Twilight in an effort to stop them. Feeling disheartened by this, Twilight tries to prove her worth by solving the mystery of the chest given to her by the Tree of Harmony.
So, we come to the season finale at last, and it's a two-parter at that. The last time we had a two-part episode closing out the season, we got my all-time favourite MLP story, "A Canterlot Wedding". As such, this story has a very high benchmark to reach. Fortunately, like every other two-part story I've seen from this show, it's quality is far higher than the usual episodic outings we're given. But then, I always suspected that would be the case. This show, after all, as yet to give me a two-part episode that I would call "bad". Oh sure, a story like "The Crystal Empire" from last season might have been comparatively underwhelming, but it was still entertaining.
Like every other two-part story we've had so far, this one is all about Twilight and her development as a character. I remember thinking to myself back in the season opener, that now she's become more used to being a Princess and an alicorn, that there would be little the show could do to further her more. On that count, I was both right and wrong. Right in the sense that having her overcome a great evil to try and prove her worth is something the show has done frequently, and indeed is often the central premise of every two-parter we've had. But, even though that basic framework is re-used, I never once found myself unengaged with seeing her overcome this sort of trial yet again.
And that really is the key aspect of why I hold the two-part episodes of this show as being so good, Twilight herself. I have said many times before that she is one of the most endearing, likable and engaging main protagonists I have encountered in my life, at least in terms of animated shows, and not once have I ever been unable to feel her plight in whatever circumstances she's thrown into. The emotional moments always ring true for me and I was greatly moved by a number of scenes here involving her character. As such I must give my usual tip-of-the-hat to the great Tara Strong for doing such a wonderful vocal performance with her yet again.
The decision by Equestria's other leaders to have Twilight keep her new abilities from her friends is something I can't help but have mixed feelings on. On the one hand, their reasoning makes sense, as knowing about it could make them a potential target for the enemy. On the other hand, this show has tried to teach us time and again to value and trust our friends even in the most difficult of times, so this choice seems to undermine that. On top of that, her friends have been proved to be very trustworthy over the years, and Celestia and the others should no this, so for them to come off like they don't think they can be trusted with this seems odd. Pus, this show has showed us many times that Twilight is at her best when her friends are with her an supporting her as best they can, which makes this whole thing come off as a poor decision, as it could easily lead to her friends getting the wrong idea from this secrecy
And speaking of emotional moments, this story, like most of the great MLP episodes, is packed full of them. When they arrive, you really feel for what the characters are going through and just how much danger they're in. The dramatic moments not only include the characters, but their very world. There were some moments that just had me gawking at the screen with shock, most notably the decision to wipe out Twilight and Spike's home at the library. That place has been pretty much MLP HQ since this show began, and to just blow it away like that makes a very clear statement, that the old status quo is gone and is never coming back. For a show meant to be watched primarily by very young children, that is a remarkably gutsy move for the writers to make. Legitimate drama like that doesn't come along often in shows for young kids, so when it happens, I cannot help but salute.
As my brief premise probably gave away, this episode sees the culmination of the season-long story arc that began at the start with "Princess Twilight Sparkle", wherein the Tree of Harmony gave a mysterious box which required a number of keys in order to unlock. Now, I have mentioned this several times in my reviews this season, but I, like many fans over the past few months, correctly guessed that the keys in question were the seemingly useless objects that the girls have been gathering during their various focus episodes. Now, I'm not certain if it was the plan of Hasbro's writers to make this reveal a shock or to have it be obvious to us, but the bottom line is that is was fairly easy to figure out, even though I don't think that takes away from the conclusion of it.
What does take away from it is what the contents of the box ended up being. Again, many fans, including myself, theorised that what was inside was a way of replacing the elements of harmony as a means of defeating evil-doers. Now, I fully acknowledge that a powerful force like this would have been needed to overcome a villain like Tirek, but even so, this seems like a dissappoitment to me. When the elements were given back to the tree, I remember thinking that this was good for the show, that the girls would have to come up with new and inventive ways of overcoming the various obstacles they came across. But with this, it just seems like they traded one deus ex machina solve-every-issue magical force for another. I'm not saying that makes the episode bad, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it does make the build-up to this big reveal seem like something of a let-down.
However, the fact that the Tree of Harmony was able to give the main six a power like this does raise a very important question. If it's job is to maintain harmony in this world, and is able to give power to others to let them preserve that harmony, then why did it not do so when Celestia and Luna needed aid against Discord? Why instead did it do nothing, which forced the two of them to have to take the elements from the tree? It's a question that's has been on my mind since I watched the episode and I cannot, for the life of me, come up with a reason as to why the tree gave such important power to Twilight and her friends, but not to anyone else, even during times of crisis.
In addition to that, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge what I'm sure many fans will be eager to point out about this new "rainbow power", that it and the forms it gives the main six is another means for Hasbro to sell toys. This is a complaint that has been raised many times against other decisions made in this show, like the introduction of Cadence and Shining Armour, the reveal of the crystal ponies, and even the transformation of Twilight into an alicorn. I will say to those people about the rainbow power what I have always said before. Hasbro makes it's money by selling toys, which means that if we want them to continue to make shows like MLP, which we all love, we're going to have to put up with stuff like this. It may not be perfect, but it's the way it is.
The inclusion of Discord as an ally to help fight against the main antagonist is a notion that I have mixed feeling towards. On one hand, it makes sense, given that this was largely the reason he was reformed in the first place. Back during last season, it was made clear that his magic could be used for good, so it stands to reason that when a threat like this came about, he would be used against it. On the other hand, I have made it no secret that I have a great dislike for his character. I bear no ill will towards his voice actor, the great John DeLancie, but Discord himself always gets on my nerves. So to have him in a position where I'm actually going to have to root for him in some way is a pretty bitter pill for me to have to swallow.
But then, it seems I didn't have to swallow for long, because there is the matter of his betrayal. This was a very interesting road to go down, that a former villain would be corrupted by a new one, and I found it to be one of the more engaging parts of the story. In particular, the sheer hurt that the other characters felt at what he had done really impacted me. Still, I will give Discord this much, as this arc of his is perhaps the most interesting thing they've done with him since he was first introduced.
However, it does put me in a very difficult position. For as long as he's been reformed, I have been saying that it didn't matter to me and that I still disliked him. This act of betrayal did little to change my mind about him, and indeed, I may even dislike him more than usual, which is saying a lot. I kept going on about how this reformation and forgiveness would come back to bite them, but few listened to me about it. Under normal circumstances, I might take some pleasure in being shown to be right like this, but that is not something I can do here.
For the way the other ponies were affected by this, and Fluttershy in particular, damn near broke my heart to see, and it's one of those moments that really affected me. I suppose, in some strange way, that act could be seen as Discord's ultimate victory, not just against the ponies, but against me personally. I have, after all this time, finally been proved right about him, and yet the pain his betrayal caused the others means I can take no satisfaction from it.
But, as I suppose I should have expected, he gets his redemption in the end. This was something I should have really seen coming, as it was the entire point of his reformation episode, that friends are worth having, so it was unlikely they'd have him stay a traitor forever. After this act, I am as unwilling to forgive him as ever, but, as before, I'm willing to tolerate him in future, if only because the characters I do like are willing to give him another chance.
And then we have our central villain, Lord Tirek. From what I've heard from a few others, this character was actually a recurring antagonist back during the days of the original 1980's show, making him, as far as I know, the only villain from those days to have been used in the modern show. This puts me in an interesting position as far as these reviews go because I have never watched the original show. My only real exposure to the MLP franchise is this new series made by Lauren Faust, so I have no idea if this guy is a good recreation of the original villain, nor will I be able to tell people how he stack up against him.
However, what I can say is that, to me, he absolutely fits the bill for a great MLP villain. I know it's a cliche to pick on King Sombra as being a mediocre antagonist at best, but I will confess that, after seeing Tirek, he's completely blown out of the water. Everything about Tirek, from his slow reveal, to his rather creepy abilities, to the sheer threat he poses all combines to make him, as far as I'm concerned, the first truly intimidating antagonist this show has had since Queen Chrysalis back in season two. And like Chrysalis, I find I have a great dislike for him as a person, which is always a good sign as far as MLP villains go. If I can really feel bitter about seeing him, I know he's doing something right, or wrong in this case.
Plus, I think it's probably safe to say that he is, perhaps, the darkest character we've had yet on this show. His introduction alone is enough proof of that as far as I'm concerned. True, all he might have been doing in that scene was taking some random pony's magic, but the way they shot it, and especially the way they ended it, made the whole moment feel more akin to a back-alley murder scene. I don't know if that was the intention of the MLP staff, but it was damn-near impossible for me not to be shocked and aghast that a moment like that made it into a kids show.
In addition to that, he poses perhaps the greatest threat to this world we have yet encountered. Magic is something that has been deeply entrenched as part of this world and the characters that inhabit it. Twilight in particular is a prodigy of magic and holds it as the part of herself that she values above all else. So having a villain whose powers can take that magic away makes him a legitimate challenge for all the ponies of this world, especially considering how important magic has been in saving the day in past episodes. So, all-in-all, if you were to ask me what I felt a challenging, intimidating and memorable villain for this kind of show, Tirek here is pretty much what you'd get from me, and I give a massive thumbs up to the creative staff for this one.
And it is in that area where we have what could be called the only real gripe I have with this episode's story. Or perhaps it would be better to call it a missed opportunity. That being that, as expected, this two-parter had a happy ending. Now, I may probably come off as being cruel or harsh by saying this, but I think this episode would have been far stronger if the effects of Tirek's actions, most notably his stealing of magic, had remained by the end of the story, if not with all then at least some of the ponies. I know that, as a kid's show, that wasn't going to happen, but it is something that has hampered a lot of villains in this show, the knowledge that they have no real lasting impact on this world.
Granted there may be dark moments caused by their actions, as indeed we have with Tirek, but you always know that things will largely be back to normal by the end. If they'd gone the hard road, and kept his theft of magic permanent, that could have opened up a slew of new story possibilities for this show. True, the Equestria of seasons five and beyond would probably be a much more depressing and bleaker place than we've known it to be if they went down that road, but consider what could be done with this. We could have the ponies of Equestria struggling to cope with the loss of their powers and what, in their minds, made them special, perhaps having to find new ways to get on in life.
Or, better yet, we could see how this loss of so much magic could have affected Twilight and the others. They've always prided themselves on having saved the day time after time, so imagine what they would have to go through to try and deal with the fact that, although Tirek was vanquished, they didn't manage to save everyone. It's a depressing thought to be sure, but it would also have served as a good message for kids, that you can't always have things end with sunshine and rainbows, and that bad people can have a lasting impact on you and the life you lead. Given how young the target demographic is, I know that kind of ending was probably never going to happen, and as such it just seems like a wasted opportunity.
The inclusion of a battle scene is something that really took me aback when I saw it. Granted, this show has never exactly shied away from battles, like the changeling invasion of Canterlot back in "A Canterlot Wedding", but even so, most conflicts tend to be resolved by magical means. The fight between Tirak and Twilight seemed fairly brutal by MLP standards, but was nevertheless a fairly exciting conflict. Though it did beg the question of why Tirak never attempted to steal her magic during the fight, since he had little difficulty doing so to others throughout the story.
Time to discuss the humour of the episodes now and, much like most of the two-parters thus far, the jokes play a very small role in comparison to the more dramatic and character-focused elements of the story. The jokes are there, they're just not the focus. However, do not take that to mean that there is nothing to laugh at here, far from it. Pinkie Pie's moments are always something you can bank on as being funny, even though her humour this season has been very hit-and-miss for some people. However, the humour also stems from the involvement of returning character, Discord. I have gone on many times before about how I feel about him and his brand of humour, but needless to say it, yet again, was not to my tastes.
When it comes to songs, this week we have a rather enjoyable number featuring Twilight, Celestia, Luna and Cadence. Back in my review of "Magical Mystery Cure", I remarked how Celestia's singing voice was nice to listen to, and that remains true here. Luna has not had a song before, but muck like her regular voice, I imagine they used the singer they use for Rarity, which as usual was very well done. As for Cadence, her singing voice is always something I've liked ever since it was featured in season two as both halves of my all-time favourite MLP song, "This Day Aria". Twilight's voice has been among my favourites of this show and hearing her in her siolo segment here was very emotional and engaging. Combined, these four have wonderful harmony together and the song itself was both emotional and memorable, even though I did struggle at times to make out the lyrics.
But, like most season finales, this episode can't settle for just one song, and by the end we get another number to cap off the whole story. It features yet another solo number from Twilight before we break out into a complete group number. I've said many times that songs involving the whole group are fun to listen to and that they have good harmony together, and this song is no exception. It might not be as memorable as the first song of the episode, but it was nevertheless very enjoyable to hear.
Onto the moral of the story now and in this episode it seems that it doesn't really have it's own moral, but rather a recap of the respective morals the group has learned over the course of the season. This is no real issue for me as season finales have very rarely had the same kind of clear and straight lessons that the more episodic outings have had. And besides, those lessons have not diminished since they were first learned, so being reminded of them is hardly a mark against the episode.
So, how did the episode fare overall? Well, as I predicted, this was yet another two-parter that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. The scale and threats faced by our heroines are far more grand than the standard MLP fare, the character moments were, for the most part, completely spot on, Twilight's character remains as engaging as ever and the episode was one of those stories I just couldn't pull myself away from, which is always a good sign. It may take a while for me to decide how it ranks among my favourites of this show so far, but for now, I strongly reccomend these two episodes. "Twilight's Kingdom" was a joy to watch and served as a very strong end to the season.
Now then, with this being the final review of the season, it is customary for me to give my final thoughts on the season as a whole, and on that count, I have a great deal to talk about. First and foremost is that I adore what they did with Twilight's character in this season. Her final outing back in season three left me wondering if they could do anything further with her, and this season has put those fears definitively to rest. Having her gradually come to terms with her new status as an alicorn and Princess was very well done, and the hinted notion that she would serve as a teacher to others was also shown in a convincing manner, showing her to advise a number of characters, including her own friends, during the difficult moments of their lives. They achieved what I didn't think was possible for her, made her a stronger character, and for that, I give this season a massive salute.
As for the other characters, it is usually a point in my end-of-season reviews that I discuss how I felt that some characters were handled well but that others were just outright ignored. Well, that isn't the case this time. I've said this in a few reviews already now, but this season has managed to give the spotlight to every single main and major supporting character this show has, from the main six all the way down to the CMC and even the two Princess sisters. Every one of those characters got development, from the main cast learning about their respective virtues in new ways, to the CMC learning to appreciate themselves and their elders, to Celestia and Luna's history being more fleshed out to us. This is, thus far, the only season to have remembered to pay attention to all the characters I want it to focus on, which means that, for once, I leave this season completely satisfied.
However, even though the focus has often been on such characters, as it should be, I will say that this season gave us a slew of very interesting and memorable one-shot characters that have very quickly become fan-favourites. Characters like Pinkie's sister, Maud Pie, Coco Pommel, and the enthusiastic Cheese Sandwich, all left their marks on this show and I hope these guys make future appearances, which is a rare thing for me to say when it comes to one-shot characters such as these.
However, the question that may well be on some people's minds right now is how I felt about it in comparison to the previous season. This is difficult for me to say because, from what I've heard from many fans, I enjoyed season three more than most seemed to. Granted it's opening two-parter might have been rather underwhelming, and it's finale was probably the most controversial and divisive episode the show has ever done. But even so, it still entertained me and even gave me some episodes, like "magic Duel" and "Sleepless in Ponyville", that I rank among my all-time favourites. However, even though I still enjoyed the third season, I will admit that this season is probably stronger. Not only was there no character forgotten, but it had far stronger opening and closing episodes. So yeah, back me into a corner and I'd say that this season was better.
All-in-all, this was a very strong season, with many interesting episodes, a great deal of character development, and a multitude of entertaining moments. I know it's cliche for me to say this at the end of a season, but I once again think that, if the show ended right here, it would be on yet another strong note. That really is something we can praise this show for, that they give us season endings that leave us that satisfied. But, as we all know, a fifth season is already in the works, not to mention a second Equestria Girls movie slated for release later this year. I will, naturally, intend to watch both and let you all know what I think of them. But for now, this is the end of my MLP reviews.
Thank you all, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
The premise for this episode is that, when a villain threatens to break free from Tartarus, Princess Celestia chooses Discord over Twilight in an effort to stop them. Feeling disheartened by this, Twilight tries to prove her worth by solving the mystery of the chest given to her by the Tree of Harmony.
So, we come to the season finale at last, and it's a two-parter at that. The last time we had a two-part episode closing out the season, we got my all-time favourite MLP story, "A Canterlot Wedding". As such, this story has a very high benchmark to reach. Fortunately, like every other two-part story I've seen from this show, it's quality is far higher than the usual episodic outings we're given. But then, I always suspected that would be the case. This show, after all, as yet to give me a two-part episode that I would call "bad". Oh sure, a story like "The Crystal Empire" from last season might have been comparatively underwhelming, but it was still entertaining.
Like every other two-part story we've had so far, this one is all about Twilight and her development as a character. I remember thinking to myself back in the season opener, that now she's become more used to being a Princess and an alicorn, that there would be little the show could do to further her more. On that count, I was both right and wrong. Right in the sense that having her overcome a great evil to try and prove her worth is something the show has done frequently, and indeed is often the central premise of every two-parter we've had. But, even though that basic framework is re-used, I never once found myself unengaged with seeing her overcome this sort of trial yet again.
And that really is the key aspect of why I hold the two-part episodes of this show as being so good, Twilight herself. I have said many times before that she is one of the most endearing, likable and engaging main protagonists I have encountered in my life, at least in terms of animated shows, and not once have I ever been unable to feel her plight in whatever circumstances she's thrown into. The emotional moments always ring true for me and I was greatly moved by a number of scenes here involving her character. As such I must give my usual tip-of-the-hat to the great Tara Strong for doing such a wonderful vocal performance with her yet again.
The decision by Equestria's other leaders to have Twilight keep her new abilities from her friends is something I can't help but have mixed feelings on. On the one hand, their reasoning makes sense, as knowing about it could make them a potential target for the enemy. On the other hand, this show has tried to teach us time and again to value and trust our friends even in the most difficult of times, so this choice seems to undermine that. On top of that, her friends have been proved to be very trustworthy over the years, and Celestia and the others should no this, so for them to come off like they don't think they can be trusted with this seems odd. Pus, this show has showed us many times that Twilight is at her best when her friends are with her an supporting her as best they can, which makes this whole thing come off as a poor decision, as it could easily lead to her friends getting the wrong idea from this secrecy
And speaking of emotional moments, this story, like most of the great MLP episodes, is packed full of them. When they arrive, you really feel for what the characters are going through and just how much danger they're in. The dramatic moments not only include the characters, but their very world. There were some moments that just had me gawking at the screen with shock, most notably the decision to wipe out Twilight and Spike's home at the library. That place has been pretty much MLP HQ since this show began, and to just blow it away like that makes a very clear statement, that the old status quo is gone and is never coming back. For a show meant to be watched primarily by very young children, that is a remarkably gutsy move for the writers to make. Legitimate drama like that doesn't come along often in shows for young kids, so when it happens, I cannot help but salute.
As my brief premise probably gave away, this episode sees the culmination of the season-long story arc that began at the start with "Princess Twilight Sparkle", wherein the Tree of Harmony gave a mysterious box which required a number of keys in order to unlock. Now, I have mentioned this several times in my reviews this season, but I, like many fans over the past few months, correctly guessed that the keys in question were the seemingly useless objects that the girls have been gathering during their various focus episodes. Now, I'm not certain if it was the plan of Hasbro's writers to make this reveal a shock or to have it be obvious to us, but the bottom line is that is was fairly easy to figure out, even though I don't think that takes away from the conclusion of it.
What does take away from it is what the contents of the box ended up being. Again, many fans, including myself, theorised that what was inside was a way of replacing the elements of harmony as a means of defeating evil-doers. Now, I fully acknowledge that a powerful force like this would have been needed to overcome a villain like Tirek, but even so, this seems like a dissappoitment to me. When the elements were given back to the tree, I remember thinking that this was good for the show, that the girls would have to come up with new and inventive ways of overcoming the various obstacles they came across. But with this, it just seems like they traded one deus ex machina solve-every-issue magical force for another. I'm not saying that makes the episode bad, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it does make the build-up to this big reveal seem like something of a let-down.
However, the fact that the Tree of Harmony was able to give the main six a power like this does raise a very important question. If it's job is to maintain harmony in this world, and is able to give power to others to let them preserve that harmony, then why did it not do so when Celestia and Luna needed aid against Discord? Why instead did it do nothing, which forced the two of them to have to take the elements from the tree? It's a question that's has been on my mind since I watched the episode and I cannot, for the life of me, come up with a reason as to why the tree gave such important power to Twilight and her friends, but not to anyone else, even during times of crisis.
In addition to that, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge what I'm sure many fans will be eager to point out about this new "rainbow power", that it and the forms it gives the main six is another means for Hasbro to sell toys. This is a complaint that has been raised many times against other decisions made in this show, like the introduction of Cadence and Shining Armour, the reveal of the crystal ponies, and even the transformation of Twilight into an alicorn. I will say to those people about the rainbow power what I have always said before. Hasbro makes it's money by selling toys, which means that if we want them to continue to make shows like MLP, which we all love, we're going to have to put up with stuff like this. It may not be perfect, but it's the way it is.
The inclusion of Discord as an ally to help fight against the main antagonist is a notion that I have mixed feeling towards. On one hand, it makes sense, given that this was largely the reason he was reformed in the first place. Back during last season, it was made clear that his magic could be used for good, so it stands to reason that when a threat like this came about, he would be used against it. On the other hand, I have made it no secret that I have a great dislike for his character. I bear no ill will towards his voice actor, the great John DeLancie, but Discord himself always gets on my nerves. So to have him in a position where I'm actually going to have to root for him in some way is a pretty bitter pill for me to have to swallow.
But then, it seems I didn't have to swallow for long, because there is the matter of his betrayal. This was a very interesting road to go down, that a former villain would be corrupted by a new one, and I found it to be one of the more engaging parts of the story. In particular, the sheer hurt that the other characters felt at what he had done really impacted me. Still, I will give Discord this much, as this arc of his is perhaps the most interesting thing they've done with him since he was first introduced.
However, it does put me in a very difficult position. For as long as he's been reformed, I have been saying that it didn't matter to me and that I still disliked him. This act of betrayal did little to change my mind about him, and indeed, I may even dislike him more than usual, which is saying a lot. I kept going on about how this reformation and forgiveness would come back to bite them, but few listened to me about it. Under normal circumstances, I might take some pleasure in being shown to be right like this, but that is not something I can do here.
For the way the other ponies were affected by this, and Fluttershy in particular, damn near broke my heart to see, and it's one of those moments that really affected me. I suppose, in some strange way, that act could be seen as Discord's ultimate victory, not just against the ponies, but against me personally. I have, after all this time, finally been proved right about him, and yet the pain his betrayal caused the others means I can take no satisfaction from it.
But, as I suppose I should have expected, he gets his redemption in the end. This was something I should have really seen coming, as it was the entire point of his reformation episode, that friends are worth having, so it was unlikely they'd have him stay a traitor forever. After this act, I am as unwilling to forgive him as ever, but, as before, I'm willing to tolerate him in future, if only because the characters I do like are willing to give him another chance.
And then we have our central villain, Lord Tirek. From what I've heard from a few others, this character was actually a recurring antagonist back during the days of the original 1980's show, making him, as far as I know, the only villain from those days to have been used in the modern show. This puts me in an interesting position as far as these reviews go because I have never watched the original show. My only real exposure to the MLP franchise is this new series made by Lauren Faust, so I have no idea if this guy is a good recreation of the original villain, nor will I be able to tell people how he stack up against him.
However, what I can say is that, to me, he absolutely fits the bill for a great MLP villain. I know it's a cliche to pick on King Sombra as being a mediocre antagonist at best, but I will confess that, after seeing Tirek, he's completely blown out of the water. Everything about Tirek, from his slow reveal, to his rather creepy abilities, to the sheer threat he poses all combines to make him, as far as I'm concerned, the first truly intimidating antagonist this show has had since Queen Chrysalis back in season two. And like Chrysalis, I find I have a great dislike for him as a person, which is always a good sign as far as MLP villains go. If I can really feel bitter about seeing him, I know he's doing something right, or wrong in this case.
Plus, I think it's probably safe to say that he is, perhaps, the darkest character we've had yet on this show. His introduction alone is enough proof of that as far as I'm concerned. True, all he might have been doing in that scene was taking some random pony's magic, but the way they shot it, and especially the way they ended it, made the whole moment feel more akin to a back-alley murder scene. I don't know if that was the intention of the MLP staff, but it was damn-near impossible for me not to be shocked and aghast that a moment like that made it into a kids show.
In addition to that, he poses perhaps the greatest threat to this world we have yet encountered. Magic is something that has been deeply entrenched as part of this world and the characters that inhabit it. Twilight in particular is a prodigy of magic and holds it as the part of herself that she values above all else. So having a villain whose powers can take that magic away makes him a legitimate challenge for all the ponies of this world, especially considering how important magic has been in saving the day in past episodes. So, all-in-all, if you were to ask me what I felt a challenging, intimidating and memorable villain for this kind of show, Tirek here is pretty much what you'd get from me, and I give a massive thumbs up to the creative staff for this one.
And it is in that area where we have what could be called the only real gripe I have with this episode's story. Or perhaps it would be better to call it a missed opportunity. That being that, as expected, this two-parter had a happy ending. Now, I may probably come off as being cruel or harsh by saying this, but I think this episode would have been far stronger if the effects of Tirek's actions, most notably his stealing of magic, had remained by the end of the story, if not with all then at least some of the ponies. I know that, as a kid's show, that wasn't going to happen, but it is something that has hampered a lot of villains in this show, the knowledge that they have no real lasting impact on this world.
Granted there may be dark moments caused by their actions, as indeed we have with Tirek, but you always know that things will largely be back to normal by the end. If they'd gone the hard road, and kept his theft of magic permanent, that could have opened up a slew of new story possibilities for this show. True, the Equestria of seasons five and beyond would probably be a much more depressing and bleaker place than we've known it to be if they went down that road, but consider what could be done with this. We could have the ponies of Equestria struggling to cope with the loss of their powers and what, in their minds, made them special, perhaps having to find new ways to get on in life.
Or, better yet, we could see how this loss of so much magic could have affected Twilight and the others. They've always prided themselves on having saved the day time after time, so imagine what they would have to go through to try and deal with the fact that, although Tirek was vanquished, they didn't manage to save everyone. It's a depressing thought to be sure, but it would also have served as a good message for kids, that you can't always have things end with sunshine and rainbows, and that bad people can have a lasting impact on you and the life you lead. Given how young the target demographic is, I know that kind of ending was probably never going to happen, and as such it just seems like a wasted opportunity.
The inclusion of a battle scene is something that really took me aback when I saw it. Granted, this show has never exactly shied away from battles, like the changeling invasion of Canterlot back in "A Canterlot Wedding", but even so, most conflicts tend to be resolved by magical means. The fight between Tirak and Twilight seemed fairly brutal by MLP standards, but was nevertheless a fairly exciting conflict. Though it did beg the question of why Tirak never attempted to steal her magic during the fight, since he had little difficulty doing so to others throughout the story.
Time to discuss the humour of the episodes now and, much like most of the two-parters thus far, the jokes play a very small role in comparison to the more dramatic and character-focused elements of the story. The jokes are there, they're just not the focus. However, do not take that to mean that there is nothing to laugh at here, far from it. Pinkie Pie's moments are always something you can bank on as being funny, even though her humour this season has been very hit-and-miss for some people. However, the humour also stems from the involvement of returning character, Discord. I have gone on many times before about how I feel about him and his brand of humour, but needless to say it, yet again, was not to my tastes.
When it comes to songs, this week we have a rather enjoyable number featuring Twilight, Celestia, Luna and Cadence. Back in my review of "Magical Mystery Cure", I remarked how Celestia's singing voice was nice to listen to, and that remains true here. Luna has not had a song before, but muck like her regular voice, I imagine they used the singer they use for Rarity, which as usual was very well done. As for Cadence, her singing voice is always something I've liked ever since it was featured in season two as both halves of my all-time favourite MLP song, "This Day Aria". Twilight's voice has been among my favourites of this show and hearing her in her siolo segment here was very emotional and engaging. Combined, these four have wonderful harmony together and the song itself was both emotional and memorable, even though I did struggle at times to make out the lyrics.
But, like most season finales, this episode can't settle for just one song, and by the end we get another number to cap off the whole story. It features yet another solo number from Twilight before we break out into a complete group number. I've said many times that songs involving the whole group are fun to listen to and that they have good harmony together, and this song is no exception. It might not be as memorable as the first song of the episode, but it was nevertheless very enjoyable to hear.
Onto the moral of the story now and in this episode it seems that it doesn't really have it's own moral, but rather a recap of the respective morals the group has learned over the course of the season. This is no real issue for me as season finales have very rarely had the same kind of clear and straight lessons that the more episodic outings have had. And besides, those lessons have not diminished since they were first learned, so being reminded of them is hardly a mark against the episode.
So, how did the episode fare overall? Well, as I predicted, this was yet another two-parter that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. The scale and threats faced by our heroines are far more grand than the standard MLP fare, the character moments were, for the most part, completely spot on, Twilight's character remains as engaging as ever and the episode was one of those stories I just couldn't pull myself away from, which is always a good sign. It may take a while for me to decide how it ranks among my favourites of this show so far, but for now, I strongly reccomend these two episodes. "Twilight's Kingdom" was a joy to watch and served as a very strong end to the season.
Now then, with this being the final review of the season, it is customary for me to give my final thoughts on the season as a whole, and on that count, I have a great deal to talk about. First and foremost is that I adore what they did with Twilight's character in this season. Her final outing back in season three left me wondering if they could do anything further with her, and this season has put those fears definitively to rest. Having her gradually come to terms with her new status as an alicorn and Princess was very well done, and the hinted notion that she would serve as a teacher to others was also shown in a convincing manner, showing her to advise a number of characters, including her own friends, during the difficult moments of their lives. They achieved what I didn't think was possible for her, made her a stronger character, and for that, I give this season a massive salute.
As for the other characters, it is usually a point in my end-of-season reviews that I discuss how I felt that some characters were handled well but that others were just outright ignored. Well, that isn't the case this time. I've said this in a few reviews already now, but this season has managed to give the spotlight to every single main and major supporting character this show has, from the main six all the way down to the CMC and even the two Princess sisters. Every one of those characters got development, from the main cast learning about their respective virtues in new ways, to the CMC learning to appreciate themselves and their elders, to Celestia and Luna's history being more fleshed out to us. This is, thus far, the only season to have remembered to pay attention to all the characters I want it to focus on, which means that, for once, I leave this season completely satisfied.
However, even though the focus has often been on such characters, as it should be, I will say that this season gave us a slew of very interesting and memorable one-shot characters that have very quickly become fan-favourites. Characters like Pinkie's sister, Maud Pie, Coco Pommel, and the enthusiastic Cheese Sandwich, all left their marks on this show and I hope these guys make future appearances, which is a rare thing for me to say when it comes to one-shot characters such as these.
However, the question that may well be on some people's minds right now is how I felt about it in comparison to the previous season. This is difficult for me to say because, from what I've heard from many fans, I enjoyed season three more than most seemed to. Granted it's opening two-parter might have been rather underwhelming, and it's finale was probably the most controversial and divisive episode the show has ever done. But even so, it still entertained me and even gave me some episodes, like "magic Duel" and "Sleepless in Ponyville", that I rank among my all-time favourites. However, even though I still enjoyed the third season, I will admit that this season is probably stronger. Not only was there no character forgotten, but it had far stronger opening and closing episodes. So yeah, back me into a corner and I'd say that this season was better.
All-in-all, this was a very strong season, with many interesting episodes, a great deal of character development, and a multitude of entertaining moments. I know it's cliche for me to say this at the end of a season, but I once again think that, if the show ended right here, it would be on yet another strong note. That really is something we can praise this show for, that they give us season endings that leave us that satisfied. But, as we all know, a fifth season is already in the works, not to mention a second Equestria Girls movie slated for release later this year. I will, naturally, intend to watch both and let you all know what I think of them. But for now, this is the end of my MLP reviews.
Thank you all, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
