MLP:FiM 2x01 "The Return of Harmony Part 1"

[Kemaiku]

I know, they're already a couple, they go everywhere together in season 1 and they're probably going to be showing up a lot in season 2.

Oh and...

 

[Roger Wilco]

Haha, I like it even more the second time through.

Sweetie Belle: "It's not chaos, you dodo"
Scootaloo: "Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of"

- Pinkie loving the chaos weather
- Rarity perfectly dressed for chocolate milk rain

Pinkie: "hey look, we're famous"
Pinkie: "oh well, if anyone needs me I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a giant swizzle straw"

- Discord's (and de Lancie's) general awesomeness
- Fluttershy basically beating Discord
- Rainbow wanting to box with Discord

And Discord totally cheated btw. Rainbow only took the wings after she was hypnotised.

 

[Gepard]

And Discord totally cheated btw. Rainbow only took the wings after she was hypnotised.

Well, yeah. He's not really interested in playing fair; he's interested in beating them. And to do that, he needs to dissolve their friendship. There's a nice analysis of that in the EqD comments thread:

I think a lot of people are missing the bigger picture here. Discord isn't trying to corrupt all of the elements of harmony, just one: Twilight's. He's not tricking anypony, he's tormenting them and then using them as puppets to make Twilight feel like her friendships are falling apart. It's not about them, it's about her.

Let's look at the rather deft use of imagery throughout the episode. Discord is portrayed as a puppeteer, in the stained glass windows and again in the "Grove of Truth" scene. I think this is meant to be taken literally: he's not manipulating the ponies into abandoning their elements, he's using them as puppets. When he "possesses" them or whatever he's doing, their color drains away. They lose something vital: free will, or the ability to make their own choices, or whatever it is that makes them who they are, however you define it. They do what he wants, even if he doesn't have a direct mind control link.

This raises an important question: if Discord is a puppeteer, who is the puppet show meant for? I think it's pretty obviously Twilight. At the end of Applejack's scene, he could have chosen to reunite her with any of the others, but he chose Twilight because he wants her to see her friends at their worst. Likewise, after each scene, as another pony rejoins the group, it's Twilight who reacts to her changed behavior. The writers take the time to show us her reaction, and in a 22-minute episode about six characters with a whole mess of backstory, that's quite a red flag. Those reactions are important.

But what about Dash? Doesn't he offer her a choice? No. He's really just feeding her a cue. We know that Dash wouldn't choose to abandon her friends when Cloudsdale is in danger because she didn't do it earlier when Clooudsdale was having a nasty cola storm. She stayed in Ponyville to help them clean up the cotton candy clouds. She doesn't really have the choice, he's just using her to make another wrinkle.

What's the point of all the theatrics, then, if he's just hypnotizing them? Why bother to lure Applejack to the Grove of Truth, or make Pinkie Pie doubt her laughter in the balloon park, or show Rarity the illusion of the diamonds? Because he's sadistic, and he's playing with them. He only loses his cool and zaps Fluttershy because she's ruining his fun. He's just bucking with them. Because he can. This isn't a game; there aren't any rules; he's not really giving them a choice. He's just torturing them. For fun.

Granted, I can't really offer a full reading of the show because, like the rest of you, I've only seen half of it so far, but I think that the whole point of this has been to get to Twilight. She's the one who felt the "spark" of friendship in Season 1 Episode 2, which makes her the weak link. Discord isn't really a trickster; he's a bad dude who's trying to extinguish that spark by using Twilight's friends against her. If he is playing a game with them, he's using Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Dash as the pieces, and Twilight Sparkle is his true opponent.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Yeah, very good points he makes there.

 

[Amaris]

First: SQUEEEEE! NEW MLP!
Second: Discord is a total badass! John DeLancie is the man!
Third: Pinkie Pie, you're so random!
Fourth: Flootershy's too kind to succumb on her own to his tricks. Suck it, Discord!
Fifth: Rainbow Dash wanting to box Discord is priceless.
Sixth: CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK!

 

[Jetfire]

Great ep and can't wait for next week.

 

[Gepard]

Oh and...

*giggles* Oh, Celestia, you saucy strumpet.

 

[Jetfire]

 

[Gepard]

Lead storyboard artist Sibsy stated in one of the interview she did online that the artist's room is a pretty raunchy place, full of not-safe-for-kids music and discussion. I bet they do this on purpose.

I'm pretty sure there's an Empire Strikes Back visual reference in the establishing shot of Canterlot. It does a push-in on the whole city, then a transition to a close-up looking through a window as the princess paces back and forth restlessly.

The framing and music are similar. I wouldn't normally think that's enough for it to be deliberate, but Jayson Theissman already admitted they used Cloud City as a reference for Cloudsdale in "Sonic Rainboom," so I have a feeling they did here, too.

 

[milo bloom]

While quite a change of pace, it was still MLP:FIM. de Lancie was de-lightful and not being able to break Fluttershy and having to force the change? That's a Chekov's Gun folks, that will come back to bite him in the but.

And Rainbow Dash channeling Donald Duck was LOL.

And nice to get a bit of world building with the reveal that Discord used to be in charge. Can't wait to see what the fanfic does with that.


Oh, and Pinkie not turning into Pinkemina threw me for a second, but it makes sense that it's Discord's magic holding her in thrall, not an actual psychological breakdown on the part of Pinkie Pie.

 

[Count Zero]

Oh yeah, that was an intriguing detail. One would think that the ponies were always a happy bunch living in peace and harmony. But apparently, at first they weren't, on the contrary, they suffered a lot and had to contend with something of a cruel god-like being playing with them like toys.

 

[Amaris]

Yep. LOTS of nice exposition. Lots of action. Lots of character moments. Great work and skill to cram that into 22 short minutes!

 

[CorporalClegg]

Wow what a fun episode!

It was definitely a lot different than season one. It's almost as if the writers are catering to the real audience as apposed to the intended one.

I mean, how could you not get a "Hide and Q" vibe from that?

And really, it's almost as if they created Discord with the intention of JDL voicing him.

 

[Gepard]

And RarityxRock shipping continues.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Like a rock?

 

[Guartho]

I eagerly await the fall of Discord, and the next day's Youtube clip of the end overdubbed with DeLancie's "Oh Fuck" from the end of Torchwood Miracle Day.

 

[Amaris]

I eagerly await the fall of Discord, and the next day's Youtube clip of the end overdubbed with DeLancie's "Oh Fuck" from the end of Torchwood Miracle Day.

Well, if it wasn't going to happen before, it will now.

Oh, and:

 

[Gepard]

Poor Spike. He's been out-competed by geology.

 

[Amaris]

Poor Spike. He's been out-competed by geology.

I like how the rock is blushing.

 

[Gepard]

In some strange way, I feel validated that the two elements of the episode that most raised my eyebrows are being memed to death.