(I know that the actual title is The Cutie Map but I’m still going to call it Cutie Mark-less just because I like that title for it better :V)

These are just some notes and general thoughts I jotted down as I rewatched the opener. If you still haven’t seen it yet, skip this over.

- The Opening scene is of course what we got from the Animatic a long while ago. Kinda already had my fair share of degree of laughs from when I first saw it so seeing it again didn’t quite have the same effect. But I’m sure many who never saw the Animatic still nonetheless were amused with the start.

- Also from the looks of it Season 5 begins pretty mch directly after Season 4. Which is almost hard to believe given how long it’s been since Season 4 ended in the real world. Genie Twilight will still consider that there was a break between (At least long enough that Return of Saddle Arabia is still canon, cause that is important for what I want to do)

- Rarity loves the castle. Therefore anyone who was complaining about the aesthetics is wrong because Rarity’s the designer! (I’m only kidding, if you dislike how the castle looks that’s your opinion that you can stick to. But personally I think it looks alright. Rarity can have questionable choices some of the time, just look at the outfits she made Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps in Rainbow Falls. *shudder*)

- BTW, I just want to say again I’m really happy there’s going to be a Round table for Twilight and her friends. It’s one thing I expected to happen eventually when Twilight became a Princess. It’s just like that with many other things it just came more slowly then I thought it would.

- And the Intro has another slight change, with the Treebrary out due to a certain evil Centaur from Tartaurus and the new castle. I think that’s pretty much the final nail in the coffin for any plan to just poof up the Library again in the episode where Twilight and Spike lament about the loss of the tree. That’s going to be an interesting episode next week I think. Might be the first serious plot, as Episodes 3’s of the Season are usually straight to some degree of Slice-of-Life Comedy. Ticket Master, Lesson Zero, Too Many Pinkie Pies, and Castle-Mania can hardly say they have their main plots have some dreadful heartbreak for the characters (Well Lesson Zero and Too Many Pinkie Pies can kinda do so. But they’re definitely also pretty much comedic episodes. Twilight going insane? Pinkie Pie clones? Everyone remembers how hilarious those were, not they personally effected the characters. But how are you going to get a mostly comedic episode from two characters being sad about the loss of their old home? So yeah our first pretty serious episode that I like to call the “Season Toners” cause usually regardless of the quality of the episode they usually set the tone in some way or another the rest of the season.

- Looks like M.A. Larson has been made the Story Editor now unless it was just for this episode. That’d be amazing, he’s my favorite writer and he could really do some work with the show. If he was the story editor of the entire season, suddenly I’m even more hyped for the rest of this season!

- And hm, there’s three people involved in the writing of this episode. This is Meghan McCarthy’s story. But written by M.A. Larson and… Scott Sonneborn? Wow a bit of a surprise there isn’t it? Scott was responsible for two episodes of Season 4 that would probably be an understatement in saying is not quite as loved as most of Season 4’s episodes are. Somepony to Watching Over Me especially. (That episode is still a bit of my guilty pleasure episodes of the show. Right up there with Show Stoppers in Season 1). Either way though, even though this being a shared episode he won’t exactly get all the credit I suppose it still puts a little bit of a damper on people thinking he could be like the next “Season 1 Dave Polsky”. I don’t think Scott quite deserves that kinda reputation quite yet. But we’ll keep on a look out if he has a solo written episode in Season 5.

- Pinkie Pie displaying Earth Pony strength by lifting that big rock even a little? Even if she’s kinda crushed by it almost immediately. But then she drags it :V

- Speaking of Pinkie Pie kinda glad they don’t just have her believe those smiles on the people in the town are genuine at first.

- If I may nitpick this episode a bit, Rainbow’s kinda being a little annoying at the start here. I still like the episode, and Rainbow is still my 2nd favorite pony. But nonetheless something about her felt off sometimes in the opener. The expecting a monster thing was a little much.

- The creepiness of the first part begins with how the ponies say “Welcome!” and this really seeps in. This isn’t any normal ol’ episode. I was pretty unnerved throughout most of Part 1 and didn’t know how to feel about it when watching. But it works because that’s what the episode was pretty much going for.

- I was kinda facepalming a bit when Fluttershy was the one bought into it. Though it turned out to be for a good reason in the 2nd Part. Still it was nearly on the level of some of the same conflicting feelings about Fluttershy during Keep Calm and Flutter On at times during the first watch. Sometimes there is such thing as being too trusting and it can bite you in the butt. Because come on “I wish everypony in Equestria was as friendly as these ponies are!” all in the while they’re all staring at them with the creepiest smiles and to some degree tone of voice.

- Twilight’s little wing twitch when meeting with Starlight was pretty cute if I may say. Just wanted to point that out ^^

- Apparently Daniel Ingram has said that “Our Town” was based on WWII Propaganda music. Which definitely adds more to just how unnerving some of the first part is.

- Pretty important to note on the Table scene where the Mane 6 may argue and have opinions that differ and/or at the complete opposite of how the other feels. It’s rare for friends to actually be completely 1:1 on every single possible thing. You may have a friend who may hate an episode of a show that you like, or they may dislike your favorite music band or video game. But as long as you don’t constantly argue over it, you’re still friends because you respect their opinions and just share what you do both like. What you both like isn’t as special if you also don’t have stuff you differ on. People who like everything the other does just ends up being like you’re friends with a mirror.

- Oh poor Pinkie, having to eat all those poor-tasting Muffins. The Cardboard line just makes the joke though.

- Fast forwarding to the scene where Cutie Marks are taken. Man looks like it’s a little painful giving Twilight’s and the other’s struggling

- Jeez, the books being nothing but Equal signs? For a town that wants to apparently teach their different way of thinking they’re not going to even try to have their prisoners read propaganda books? It worked for both Communism (Marx’s books) and Fascism (Mein Kampf)

- At first I was kinda scared the Equal Cutie Mark glowing grey actually would start making the Mane 6 act just like the ponies in the town but instead it’s just taking away more and more of their Special Talents slowly and that’s good because that would be ultimately horrible to think of it having that much mind control.

- Kinda strange that somehow Applejack’s country puns are related to her Cutie Mark. Sounds like if it went that far it’d also take away Applejack’s accent if it was like that. But eh.

- And this is where Fluttershy buying into it earlier worked in. She’s put up as the Mane 6’s “spy” and pretends she joins them.

- And Starlight’s pretty genre savvy in separating the Mane 6’s cutie marks away from the others. She probably had a sneaking suspicion that Fluttershy was a deception. But in the case it was a genuine she wanted to keep up the act. Cause it would of been difficult to explain right in front of the village how Fluttershy was lying. She may not be the most threatening villain, but she’s certainly a pretty smart one.

- But she’s definitely still fooled by the smarter plan by the Mane 6 and Party Favor. What I like most of this scene though is there’s still like 10 minutes left in the episode. I think if this type of episodes was in an earlier Season. The reveal of Starlight being a liar would come 5 minutes or less before the end of the episode. And then the Staff would actually be that magical that destroying it would simply give everybody’s Cutie Marks back no matter what. And then there’d be a celebratory epilogue and the episode just ends. But instead the reveal comes only a little after halfway of the 2nd Part and there’s still decent amount of time for the remaining part of the episode. This is one thing that’s quite different from most if not all previous two-parters. And there’s actually two more of these to go.

- And thus the breakdown as her plan falls apart. She makes quite a bit of angry faces from then on here. Most of which when she tells Twilight to be quiet. KInda amusing actually

-Rarity’s kinda wimpy knocking at the door was both cute and hilarious haha

- The 2nd of the things different is that it’s not the Mane 6 who ultimately save the day but it’s instead the very villagers that they initially came to save. It’s always been the Mane 6 who save the day at the end of every two-parter. It’s different this time around.

- And the last thing that’s different, the Villain isn’t completely defeated. Implying we may see her later in the Season. Whether she’s recurring and starting stuff up in multiple places throughout. Or she’ll be building up a plan that’ll show up in the Finale. Whatever it is. Starlight will be the first villain to go on and still be an antagonist past two episodes.

- Also what the heck, why was there a wilhelm screen during the Final Party scene? That was kinda weird… Some people have complained it was out of place before, but I think that’s the first time it feels like a really random usage xP

And that’s all. All in all, a really solid opener. It’s arguably the best Season Opener in the show just for how solid it is throughout without one really contrived thing. Though personally I’m a little more partial to the Season 4 opener just because for what that episode had to do in transitioning some of the uncertainty of the aftermath of Season 3 into the new Season. But I think I can certainly say I can rank it over Return of Harmony, Crystal Empire, and the Pilot. This season looks very interesting and different even compared to how Season 4 is different. And I take that as a good thing personally. Those who are partial to how Season 1 and/or 2 felt may not be as into it. But the show really is reaching new levels so far it seems. Even though it’s the same show, it feels like we’re really watching something a little more focused. It will never completely lose the charm that the show’s always had. Season 4 and this Opener have just shifted this show quite a bit. This was a great start to Season 5 and I’m excited to see what’s in store for us. I hope you all are too ^^