Lesson Zero [Spoilers!]

by Bahlam

It's a pony thing.  If you're not interested go read somepony else's journal.

Okay, firstly i have to say I love the new episode!

The more toony style is just awesome.  I love this new look as much as I love Smartypants.  Err, something like that.  Twilight going completely bonkers was handled so well.  It's like the other side of her freaky organizing abilities in Winter Wrap Up and of course of Pinkie going nuts in Party of One.  Then there's Fluttershy and the bear and Rainbow being pure awesome in dorky glasses.  You knew she was already.  Big Mac and Smartypants?  *snicker*  He was acting like a dog in the last episode and now he's in love with a plushie.  It's weird and I kind of like it.  Twilight is teleporting all over the place, which is nice.  Magic Kindergarten?  Nooooo!

Celestia looked super hot in this episode.  *rowr*

The only thing I didn't like too much was Rarity drama being overplayed in a too-conscious way.  The chaise was stupid.  It's a little nitpick really.

Secondly, the title sequence made me go "Auuugh!".

I should explain.  I write little sketches of various things all the time.  So last night I wrote one of these little sketches that may or may not become part of the stories I've been writing.  It involved the lack of non-magical self-propelled objects in Equestria.  The story snippet involves the introduction of electricity and true locomotives.  In Over a Barrel the train is pulled by ponies even though it has what looks like a locomotive engine.  In the new title sequence there's that train with the awesome engineer.  I want to meet him.  He's pretty cute.  Also Big Mac is in the opening.  Nice!

Still, everything on the road and in the sky is pony powered in season one.  Pinkie's flying contraption is pedal powered.  Twilight's snowplow in Winter Wrap-Up is magically propelled.  The derpy wagon is pegasus powered.  Please correct me if I'm mistaken.  Now there's an honest-to-goddess locomotive in Ponyville.  I actually like the fact that it's there but it still screwed up a good idea.  It was already uncertain since there are hints of technology just offscreen like lights that turn on and off and Twilight's mention of turning up the heat in Look Before You Sleep.

Thirdly, WTF?  Why are there so many inanimate characters in the series?

Season 1: Rocky, Turnips, Sir Lintalot, Madame LeFlour, and Bloomberg
Season 2 (so far): Tom and Smartypants

Have I missed any?

Seriously.  WTF?  Some series have named characters that aren't really animate, especially dolls, but there seem to be an unusual number of them in MLP FiM.

Progress on Trixie's Education (Soon to be renamed)
Part VIII - Showtime!: 50%
Part IX: 30% (the end, leading into the next part)
Part X: 99% (basically done except for revisions)
Part XI: 20% or so

I hope to have more out by Nightmare Night, not by the premiere but by the end of the month.  There's an appropriate theme going on in parts 9-10.

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Added:	13 years, 9 months ago 16 Oct 2011 04:28 CEST

9 Comments on this Journal

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Alfador

13 years, 9 months ago

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Edited 13 years, 9 months ago by Owner

My new theory is this: Locomotives exist and the train in "Over a Barrel" had a perfectly good one... but it had BROKEN DOWN by the beginning of the episode, so a team of ponies had to pull it to the next station.

Either that or they finally reverse engineered how to work the steam engines dug up from the ruins of that mysterious ancient "human" civilization, along with their magically-produced replicas...

jayands

13 years, 9 months ago

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@ Alfador

> Either that or they finally reverse engineered how to work the steam engines dug up from the ruins of that mysterious ancient "human" civilization, along with their magically-produced replicas...
This. ALL the Internets.

Bahlam

13 years, 9 months ago

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Edited 13 years, 9 months ago by Owner

@ Alfador

That's a great retcon of the train. The stallions pulling it are wearing railroad uniforms too.

I'm not comfortable with Equestria being a post-human civilization. It has that feel of being medieval but contemporary. I've constantly toyed with the idea of Equestria existing in a parallel world that's draining energy from the human world in some way and copying technology. That would explain tools obviously designed to be used with hands.

jayands

13 years, 9 months ago

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Twilight really was derpin' it up. Loved the episode, though, as Trollestia looked pissed off (for good reason, but still). Twilight really trolled herself, supporting the "Tyrant Celestia" theory. Of course, that's all fanon, so I'm sure she's not... that... BWAHAAHAHA I can't finish that sentence, I'm sorry, lol.

Fluttershy is Bubbles: this episode confirmed it. It's just too bad that they didn't cast Tara Strong (voice of Bubbles, Twilight, Timmy Turner, etc.) to do her as well; they're both extremely hardcore if you watch long enough. If only DisQord could have seen that Fluttershy, lol.

Bahlam

13 years, 9 months ago

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@ jayands

After watching a couple of times I have to wonder what Trollestia was up to. Was it really Celestia? Since when does she exit by disappearing into the crescent moon? What? Trickster Luna? Is Celestia going to get that letter and wonder why it's late and from all the girls this time while Luna snickers in the background?

jayands

13 years, 9 months ago

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@ Bahlam

Lol it's like she's asking to be sent back TO THE MOOOOOOOONNAAAA!

No, but seriously, I think it was Trollestia, because nothing canon has said she's actually given up the power of the night; after all, last we saw her, Luna was age-regressed, like Alphonse.

Bahlam

13 years, 9 months ago

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@ jayands

Who would send her to the moon now? Return of Harmony confirmed that the mane six control the elements now, not counting access to them in the vault and very fancy case. Anyway, I just like the idea that other things are going on. That exit is still really weird.