My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - "A Bird In The Hoof" - Talkback [04/08]

[The Nameless]

Friday, April 8 @ 1:30 ET on The Hub

I noticed we didn't have one of these ready yet, so here it is. I don't know what my preliminary thoughts on this episode are.

Fluttershy borrows the Princess's sick bird so she can heal it.

[The Huntsman]

We didn't have one because it doesn't premiere until tomorrow and the talkback thread would have been created at midnight. Please do not make them early in the future.

[The Nameless]

Sorry. I thought it was okay to do that.

[Don_East]

Another Fluttershy centered episode! I'm just so excited I can just cheer...

***DEEP BREATH***

Yaaaaaaaaaay. :anime:

[Scirel]

ooh I hope this'll be up tomorrow after seminar. While I will NEVER complain about an episode centered on fluttershy, dosen`t it feel like Twilight Sparkle has been neglected lately? we need more episodes focusing on her.

Any news on a season 1 DVD yet?

[MetroSparkster]

dosen`t it feel like Twilight Sparkle has been neglected lately?

What do you mean by that? She's been in every episode so far learning morals on friendship, not to mention occasionally/actively being in certain adventure episodes.
Or are you talking about an episode centered specifically on her?

[Tobias]

Any news on a season 1 DVD yet?

I'm going to assume that Shout Factory's going to be handling the DVD release, but I wouldn't expect anything more than a half season release (13 episodes) sometime after the season finale airs.

We should be hearing something soon, though, I hope. I'll buy up a season set of this show in a heartbeat.

[zoombie]

ooh I hope this'll be up tomorrow after seminar. While I will NEVER complain about an episode centered on fluttershy, dosen`t it feel like Twilight Sparkle has been neglected lately? we need more episodes focusing on her.

If you want to talk about negleted characters, Princess Luna. She hasn't appeared since the second episode.

[Scirel]

If you want to talk about negleted characters, Princess Luna. She hasn't appeared since the second episode.

Actually lauren faust confirmed she would be in season 2.

And before I was talking about episodes that focused on TS, not simply had her in them.

[Animationerd]

One thing that bugs me about this series is that Celestia is a Princess instead of a Queen. I know this topic has been done over and over (thanks NC), but if you are in absolute power and complete authority over the land, you are a Queen.

I didnt mean to rant, but it just annoys me.

[The Huntsman]

One thing that bugs me about this series is that Celestia is a Princess instead of a Queen. I know this topic has been done over and over (thanks NC), but if you are in absolute power and complete authority over the land, you are a Queen.

I didnt mean to rant, but it just annoys me.

I asked Lauren Faust about that and she said that it was Hasbro's decision, as they believed Queens are too often associated with evil characters. I just pretend that Princess Celestia refused to take the title of Queen out of respect for her sister, so that they retain equal rank and rule together.

This was an alright episode. I figured the bird would be a phoenix and it was, so that wasn't a surprise, although the ponies all took its apparent death rather well. It was nice to see Twilight Sparkle become unhinged again, and the royal guards having a more active role was welcome.

[Mandouga]

As I predicted, this was just another unfunny comedy episode that plays not only the moral, but the entire premise for laughs(and which fills time with gags that I felt were unnecessary). Long story short, it was just one half-hour joke followed by a punchline: Fluttershy tries to take care of Princess Celestia's sick bird, but it turns out that Celestia's "sick" bird...is a phoenix! Afterwhich we "learn" that We Could Have Avoided All This if Fluttershy had just asked Celestia first. The problem here is, I think Fluttershy actually would have...but then we wouldn't have an episode otherwise, hence another forced moral (and again, one that's nothing more than a medium to play for laughs).

This is one of those episodes that feels more like a generic comedy series w/ recognizable characters/concepts rather than an actual "My Little Pony" episode (BTW, there was another not-title drop near the end). With these inconsistant production values between episodes, I'm just not sure that watching a second season will be worth it; not if it's just going to just be more of the same. That said, I think the only way I might watch a second season is if it tries something at least a little bit different, because at this point, I personally don't think this show knows which direction it wants to go in.

At this point I can only hope the next episode will actually be watchable...

[The Huntsman]

This is one of those episodes that feels more like a generic comedy series w/ recongnizable characters/concepts rather than an actual "My Little Pony" episode (BTW, there was another not-title drop near the end). With these inconsistant production values between episodes, I'm just not sure that watching a second season will be worth it; not if it's just going to just be more of the same. That said, I think the only way I might watch a second season is if it tries something at least a little bit different, because at this point, I personally don't think this show knows which direction it wants to go in.

At this point I can only hope the next episode will actually be watchable...

With all due respect, you keep saying that week after week and yet you keep watching. I haven’t noticed any varying degrees in quality. I don’t think anybody has except you. I’m not sure what, exactly, you keep expecting to happen. You say it doesn’t seem like “My Little Pony”, but what is “My Little Pony” supposed to look like? People love this show. It’s become an internet phenomenon for a reason. It would seem that, contrary to your claims, the series has been doing just fine. I would recommend that you simply stop watching the series if you don’t like it, because they’re not going to change what they’re doing.

[TurboMan]

I don't know about you guys, but NOT being like your usual My Little Pony plot isn't a bad thing to me at all.

[Mesousa]

This is anotehr of those peiosde that just starts off really...weirdly, beginning with Philesia's (is that spelled correctly?) appearance.

Highlight of the episode, however, actually goes to Twilight, due to her facial expressions, panicky sitiation and her "Tough love, baby" line. She was quite fun, somehow.

Anotehr thing I like is that Celestia is actually a bit mischievous at times (the coffee scene, thinking about Philesia's shedding being too dramatic).

[nakak]

I don't know about you guys, but NOT being like your usual My Little Pony plot isn't a bad thing to me at all.

Ditto. Part of the appeal is that the creative team completely retooled it so that it's (almost) nothing like the previous MLP cartoons.

I liked it. A rather simple plot with funny stuff thrown in. Twilight being panicky fits her perfectly. And Rainbow Dash making faces to the guards.

I guess the show's staff really love Benny Hill; this is the second time they used that gag (the first being in "The Ticket Master"). They even use the same music from that episode.

[Rynnec]

As I predicted, this was just another unfunny comedy episode that plays not only the moral, but the entire premise for laughs(and which fills time with gags that I felt were unnecessary). Long story short, it was just one half-hour joke followed by a punchline: Fluttershy tries to take care of Princess Celestia's sick bird, but it turns out that Celestia's "sick" bird...is a phoenix! Afterwhich we "learn" that We Could Have Avoided All This if Fluttershy had just asked Celestia first. The problem here is, I think Fluttershy actually would have...but then we wouldn't have an episode otherwise, hence another forced moral (and again, one that's nothing more than a medium to play for laughs).

This is one of those episodes that feels more like a generic comedy series w/ recognizable characters/concepts rather than an actual "My Little Pony" episode (BTW, there was another not-title drop near the end). With these inconsistant production values between episodes, I'm just not sure that watching a second season will be worth it; not if it's just going to just be more of the same. That said, I think the only way I might watch a second season is if it tries something at least a little bit different, because at this point, I personally don't think this show knows which direction it wants to go in.

At this point I can only hope the next episode will actually be watchable...

Y'know, if you're gonna link to tvtropes, ATLEAST link to the laconic page of a trope instead of the main one.

Anyway, pretty decent episode, Twilight's panicking was funny, as was Pinky Pie's antic's. (though, that's a given.)

That Phoenix trolled them good.

[Scirel]

Ditto. Part of the appeal is that the creative team completely retooled it so that it's (almost) nothing like the previous MLP cartoons.

I liked it. A rather simple plot with funny stuff thrown in. Twilight being panicky fits her perfectly. And Rainbow Dash making faces to the guards.

I`m going to go ahead and third this. "Not being like my little pony" is the reason why most people like it. IMO, it was a pretty fun episode, reaffirming the reason why I watch is because of the charachters themselves are so well differentiated and play off of each other incredibly well. Also adds to the mythology of the world about phoenixes, likely most high fantasy creatures live in equestria.

Celesita strikes me as someone who is an expert about keeping up appearances as royalty, but a normal person on the inside.

[Mia]

As I predicted, this was just another unfunny comedy episode that plays not only the moral, but the entire premise for laughs(and which fills time with gags that I felt were unnecessary). Long story short, it was just one half-hour joke followed by a punchline: Fluttershy tries to take care of Princess Celestia's sick bird, but it turns out that Celestia's "sick" bird...is a phoenix! Afterwhich we "learn" that We Could Have Avoided All This if Fluttershy had just asked Celestia first. The problem here is, I think Fluttershy actually would have...but then we wouldn't have an episode otherwise, hence another forced moral (and again, one that's nothing more than a medium to play for laughs).

This is one of those episodes that feels more like a generic comedy series w/ recognizable characters/concepts rather than an actual "My Little Pony" episode (BTW, there was another not-title drop near the end). With these inconsistant production values between episodes, I'm just not sure that watching a second season will be worth it; not if it's just going to just be more of the same. That said, I think the only way I might watch a second season is if it tries something at least a little bit different, because at this point, I personally don't think this show knows which direction it wants to go in.

At this point I can only hope the next episode will actually be watchable...

Hey, I've lurked around the Pony talk backs and you never seem happy with an episode. I'm confused as to what you think My Little Pony should be? While a great show, at it's core it caters to a certain audience for Hasbro and no matter what we can't change that, but it doesn't make the episodes unwatchable.

I'll admit, I guessed where this episode was going, but the journey was fantastic in my opinion.

[Juu-kuchi]

Meh, alright episode but one of the weaker ones in the season. It needed better set-up to Fluttershy taking the bird instead of well... JUST taking it, and the inclusion of the other ponies felt incredibly more shooed-in than usual. This episode could've easily worked if it had been just Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash (if only for her meddling with the guards), but having them all there didn't feel right.

We had too much of a drag inbetween the setup and the punchline, and for some reason seeing those rather exaggerated reactions from Fluttershy felt off (although Twilight's was hilarious). But I DID like the development of Princess Celestia's character, and hopefully we see her more during the second season.