(Song Used: Enter Sandman - Metallica)

A little further now, though these episodes are still very in trouble of being out of the 100 when Season 6 is over. Cause it only takes nearly half of the Season to knock these episodes out. And every season has had it’s fair share of good episodes that’s it’s likely that most of these will also fall out.

*Yeah I know Twilight, this episode was a little lacking wasn’t it?

This was the second of the map episodes in Season 5. While the last one certainly gets much higher in this list it does go to show how at least in my opinion how it kinda failed in comparison to the Key episodes from Season 4 which are spread across the list (Even if one of those Key episodes was listed as the worst episode in the show). This episode starred Applejack & Rarity which has actually become probably the most common pair in episodes maybe even to the point where unless you ship the two it may start to be overused. Now I wouldn’t say this is a bad episode. It’s just this one is still one of those that are pretty ok, but unless you really like RariJack episodes, Coco Pommel, Plays, or Manehattan it doesn’t feel all that special. And for 2 of those 4 things the Season 4 Manehattan episode is a far better one for both Coco and Manehattan in general and there are better RariJack episodes already at this point. It kinda doesn’t help that this episode aired on the same day as Friendship Games, even if you didn’t like Friendship Games you have to admit the episode got overshadowed quite a bit as a result. Cause you have Rarity and Applejack visiting Manehattan again to help Coco set up a local traditional play compared to a huge movie with at least some intriguing plot lines like an entirely new Twilight to meet. 

Though speaking of which, the funny coincidence about this episode being on the same day as Friendship Games is the whole opening scene where Twilight is bored. Friendship Games in all intents and purposes is supposed to take place after the Season 5 Finale (The Stinger basically implies that) but when you take things out of context by assuming order of episodes aired. Sunset in Friendship Games can’t get a hold of Pony Twilight and we just get the rather amusing image of Twilight being so bored that either she doesn’t realize her ringing phone journal is ringing or that she’s bored but not bored enough to want to be human again. Back to the episode though, there are definitely a few good character jokes here and there, like Rarity thinking a pony’s decision to buy a hat she says does not work for the pony buying was the trouble they had to solve that the map called them for but instead just makes a salespony angry. On another note, Applejack’s hat sure gets a lot of abuse in the episode. She even has to throw one in the trash while Rarity hands her an identical one at the end. This got some people a little miffed as some people’s headcanon was AJ’s hat was a hand-me-down from her deceased parents. I think some have changed it a bit to that she actually has a full closet of the hats and keeps the real one in a secret spot. But yeah, a pretty ok episode.

This episode’s a little controversial, though definitely not nearly as much as Feeling Pinkie Keen was. There are certainly pretty good parts of the episode like the charming opening scene in the train that gave birth to the ol’ Fluttertree fandom in-jokes and the introduction of Applejack’s cousin Braeburn. And the Buffalos were pretty good too. Some of the controversy might be towards the episode itself with Pinkie’s attempt to sing again ruining what could of possibly been a great ending to an episode where the buffalos and ponies decide maybe they’ve gone a little far. And also kind of making a true tragedy in America’s Past a bit more lighthearted (That is settlers and Native Americans) where a lick of pie is enough to solve the conflict in the episode. It’s because of the rather good and bad about the episode that it managed to just get out of the 90’s part in the list but is still one of the lower episodes. I think there are genuine classic moments from the episode that definitely feel like they add to the charm that Season 1 had at times. But it is bogged down by some things that definitely have some understandable reasons for some disliking the episode. Moments like the aforementioned train scene, the Buffalo Chief calling Pinkie’s singing the worst performance he ever saw and Braeburn & Little Strongheart being charming characters are good positives to have. But there’s a reason why it Polsky’s improvement in Season 4 came as a surprise in comparison to most of his work for Seasons 1 and 3.

As I said previously with Games Ponies Play this is actually the better of the two episodes that run at the same time even though it focuses on Spike when that’s not usually the case. I think part of it, is that there’s enjoyable reappearance’s by many other characters in the episode as things get a little crazy with Spike trying to take care of the pets. Though still to the point where it’s just a pretty ok episode. Spike’s big WHY is probably the most memorable part of the episode, poor Spike just doesn’t have luck on his side for a lot of the episode. He doesn’t even get to make the cake he wanted. While it does have the neat connection to Games Ponies Play it is somewhat filler-esque but overall just watching the episode is a more enjoyable romp then Games Ponies Play just for the humor and as said before the many secondary characters that make reappearance’s. Some of which hardly get any spotlight these days. It’s not an amazing episode by any means but it’s one of those you can just have fun watching from time to time.

Admittedly I have a bit of a soft spot for this episode. This is one of the least liked episodes of Season 1 overall for making the wait for the CMC’s cutie marks all the more excruciating. But I actually kind of like this one for personal reasons such as this one being the first one I watched live on TV as opposed to every episode before that I binge watched. Now the CMC do have their Cutie Marks at least we can finally look back at this episode with less of the frustration. Though at the very least the cutie marks for maybe somewhat the exception of Sweetie didn’t totally follow what this episode implied was their talents. Aside from the frustration for how long it took to get their Marks, the badly sung song at the end is often cited as a reason people dislike the episode a lot. Even though it was sung badly entirely on purpose. But maybe badly sung music is badly sung music for some. While I definitely can’t say it’s that strong of an episode. It’s one that loomed for a while until the CMC at finally got their marks so it at least was always in the memory of a lot of fans. Even if with each CMC episode that they didn’t get closer to their Cutie Marks the frustration with this episode grew and grew. This episode might have cemented the CMC as Scrappies for some early on in the fandom, though thankfully they grew on people in time thanks to much better episodes in Season 2 and onward.

This was the introduction to another Mane 6 ability that rarely appeared afterward similar to Pinkie Sense. Fluttershy’s stare (Though it’s also possible the The Stare was kind of sort of used in Dragonshy given the kind of looks she gives the red dragon near the end). I believe it is also the first time we get a taste of Sweetie’s singing talent, when she transforms what was a lullaby into one of those upbeat songs you’d hear in a church choir. One awkward thing about the episode though is how they include Twilight in this, where she gets turned to stone by a Cockatrice. Jeez, thank goodness the CMC and Fluttershy were there to stop the Cockatrice otherwise this would of been a shorter show then expected. It did give a good sense of how dangerous the Everfree Forest was though. I wouldn’t say it was the best way of shoehorning Twilight in to give the moral at the end but I suppose it isn’t the worst either. Again I feel limiting the friendship reports that only Twilight could write them really limited the scope of the first season. 

On a side note, this is Chris Savino’s only other episode other then Boast Busters as Chris never returned to write for FiM since. Stare Master is a much better episode then Boast Busters was, but doesn’t really give us too amazing of an impression on Chris overall. This was also the episode that gave birth to yet another old Fandom in-joke with Scootaloo being a chicken. I think even back then fans of Scootaloo got sick of that joke pretty fast though, but it’s amusing that a lot of the most famous in-jokes and/or memes early on were *insert pony* is *insert object and/or animal*. Anyway, the episode was a fine Fluttershy episode nothing too much against it aside from the Stare taking a while to really get any more usage like with Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense. But the Stare works well with Fluttershy, as she has to have something to discipline any animals that disobey her (All part of being an animal person, you need to know when to be tough so they don’t do bad things in front of you). Even she knows the Stare is a little menacing towards them and only uses it when she really has to, but it’s certainly something that’s been a welcome ability for Fluttershy for a long time.