Poll MLP:FIM S7E12 - "Discordant Harmony" & "

[Amaris]

The end of the mid-season hiatus presents us with two episodes to open. So make sure to vote in BOTH polls.

EPISODE 1

Episode Title: "Discordant Harmony"
Air Date: Aug. 5th, 2017, 11:30 AM Eastern Time (3:30 PM GMT/UTC)

Summary: "Discord invites Fluttershy to his realm for tea, but he worries she won't be comfortable there and begins to change it—and himself."

Live Streams:
HaxMega
BronyState Theaters
Brony Network
Equestria TV
Otaku Ascended

REMEMBER: NO OPEN SPOILERS UNTIL 4 PM EST (8 PM UTC/GMT) the day the episode airs.
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Ruminations:
It's Discord's turn to host a tea party for himself and his dear friend Fluttershy. We all adore Fluttershy [/threatening undertones] and know she truly is the only pony who can handle Discord at his most Discordian, so how will she react when she finally gets to be the guest, and not the host?


EPISODE TWO!

Episode Title: "The Perfect Pear"
Air Date: August 12th, 2017, 12:00 PM Eastern Time (4:00 PM GMT/UTC)

Summary: "Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big McIntosh learn about their parents' love story and discover that they are half-Pear."

Live Streams:
HaxMega
BronyState Theaters
Brony Network
Equestria TV
Otaku Ascended

REMEMBER: NO OPEN SPOILERS UNTIL 4 PM EST (8 PM UTC/GMT) the day the episode airs.
=-

Ruminations:
It finally happens! We finally get to know Big Mac, Applebloom, and Applejack's parents! This is 7 seasons in the making, but it's finally happening!

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Now, since we're past the spoilers (thank you, Australian fans for keeping things quiet until we could all watch here!), I can give a full review.
"Discordant Harmony"
This one was classic DisQord. He is the Master of Chaos, though it seems to be tempered with his growing feelings for Fluttershy. Those feelings seem to be reciprocated, but I digress. Discord wants to pay Fluttershy back for her tea parties by hosting one himself. It was fun that he asked Pinkie for advice and she gave good advice. However, it was not great advice for Discord. It was so sweet of him to worry about what would make Fluttershy comfortable, but the price of him acting pony-normal was too high. And as if the shippers weren't getting enough ammo, Fluttershy goes to great lengths to help her friend stay in phase. That was so darned cute!
Another thing I loved was the "what the buck?!" reaction other ponies who weren't in the know had upon realizing that Fluttershy and Discord were even acquainted, much less close friends. Discord is correct when he says Fluttershy gets him. And he really does get her.
I give this episode an A!

"The Perfect Pear"

This is it, folks! We have been waiting for over six years now to see the Apple parents! And the writers did not disappoint us! I'll admit I watched this episode early, as soon as it was on YouTube, and I've watched it a few times since. This was a beautiful story and it was complex too. It had flavors of Romeo and Juliet, but without the mutual suicide or the "we just met and we're in love" trope. I've seen enough Romeo and Juliet stories in kids' cartoons that I know the tropes. What was missing in those tropes, though, was a couple that did indeed last more than a week and children that were left behind.

I loved William Shatner as Grand Pear. The first moment we hear and see Grand Pear, he's low key and just doing his work as a businesspony. And then he sees his youngest grandchild for the first time. You can see he's getting emotional, but doing a masterful job of holding it in. Shatner's performance was lower key than his portrayal of James Tiberius Kirk or even the infamous Denny Krane and that's one thing that made it memorable. I could gush for a while about this, but I won't go much further. I must say, though, it was fun to see William Shatner in pony form and in such a good role.

And now, onto the rest of the story. It was very interesting to see the Apple kids searching for answers and how simply it started. I loved seeing Goldie Delicious again, and her interaction with her felines. And I loved how certain denizens of Ponyville knew their parents and clearly loved them. Some fans might ask why it took so long for this to be known to the Apple kids, but it doesn't surprise me. Granny Smith clearly loved her son. And she ended up loving her daughter-in-law. I'm certain that after Grand Pear left, Buttercup grieved for days. Granny Smith might've been angry with Grand Pear, but she couldn't be angry at the pony her son loved for very long. In fact, I'm sure that as she got to know Buttercup more, Granny loved her as a daughter. The feud really began to die with that marriage. And when questions about their parents came up, I'm sure it hurt Granny Smith too much to talk about it. So we got to meet Burnt Oak and know a bit more about Chiffon Cup Cake, nee Chiffon Swirl and Mayor Mare.

This episode gets an A+!

 

[Amaris]

Discordant Harmony

Yep! Watched it early! Anyhoo, this episode had many fine points in its favor. I'll focus on one in particular:

We get to see that Fluttershy's friendship with Discord is unique. Granted, some may disapprove, as we see in the episode, but no one knows Discord like Fluttershy, and as we quickly discover, Discord knows Flutters better than he thinks, once he stops trying to be someone he's not. I'm not usually a Discord fan, as odd as that sounds. I mean, I like him and I love John DeLancie, but I'm not a chaos type person. Still, Discord is so clearly his own person, and it shows here. As a result, he shines, and the defining lines between what makes him and Fluttershy so different is also what makes their friendship so valuable.

This episode had a great lesson to it, and I hope to see more episodes like this, where differences are celebrated, and friendships grow stronger. This episode gets a solid B+.


The Perfect Pear

Flawless.

This episode was everything I hoped it could be.

So we get to see Applejack's parents as foals, fillies, and then as teenagers and young adults. We learn about how they met, and then fell in love. In the process, we learn more about her side of the family, and meet new ponies we never knew were a part of the Apple's lives. Honestly, I'm not sure there's much I can say about this episode except it made me cry in the best way. William Shatner, and Felicia Day are spectacular, and Felicia even sings a song in this episode. I totally didn't maybe possibly cry when she sang it. She is a treasure. ♥

We also learn a little more about the pony naming process, which helps clear up a few things. Honestly, just watch this episode. I can't describe it. I can grade it, and I gave this episode an A+. Best episode of the season, hooves down.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

"The Perfect Pear" is a tearjerker for many reasons. I think one thing that got to me is that Grand Pear didn't reconcile with his daughter before she passed. Another thing was just how sweet Bright Mac and Buttercup were with each other.

 

[Amaris]

"The Perfect Pear" is a tearjerker for many reasons. I think one thing that got to me is that Grand Pear didn't reconcile with his daughter before she passed. Another thing was just how sweet Bright Mac and Buttercup were with each other.

That ending got me. I mean, it just sucker punched me right in the chest.