Yeah, I don’t exactly think Rainbow Falls is close to being the worst of the series for introducing a new place. Rainbow and Twilight were kinda done well in some respects. But still stuff like Spitfire & Fleetfoot trying to get Rainbow to replace Soarin on their team just so they could have a better chance just kinda ruined that. 

And Snowflake supposed name change to Bulk Biceps hardly counts as a problem of the episode. But there is one thing about him in Rainbow Falls that adds another problem. Now I know this series isn’t safe from plot inconsistencies, but I doubt there’s one as obvious as the fact that Bulk Biceps was invited to the Wonderbolt Academy. A place that at the beginning of the episode was said to be invitation only, how could Bulk Biceps have ended up there if he was that bad at flying?

There’s also Fluttershy. Why is she not nervous at all about participating in a sporting event? Especially given her Stage Fright issues we see in Filli Vanilli? The Equestria Games are the pony olympics, there’s going to be a huge crowd watching Fluttershy for the relay.

Also there was a much better way for Rainbow to choose the Ponyville team without resorting to making 2/3rds of the Cloudsdale team/Wonderbolts as jerks. Rainbow could of chosen Ponyville because it represents who she is now. If she went with the Cloudsdale team, she’d be representing something she no longer is anymore. And the awkward feeling about her running as a different place from where she actally lives in front of her friends. Her friends would still support her either way, but regardless Rainbow has changed alot in her days in Ponyville and she should represent what she is now as opposed to who she was. Maybe Rainbow still holds a special part of her heart for Cloudsdale, as seen in Return of Harmony. But I would think it’d make more sense anyway that Rainbow would rather compete with Spitfire to see how she stacks up against her rather then just be a part of the team where she can’t compare speeds other then in practice. I feel it’d be more in-character for Rainbow to want to go against Spitfire for a great race.

It doesn’t help that this episode happens to be Rainbow’s key episode. Meaning we can’t really just ignore this episode happened because otherwise we wouldn’t know how Rainbow got her key before the Finale.

Those are the main reasons I think Rainbow Falls is probably the worst episode of Season 4 so far. It’s not completely terrible, as there were some things that were done well. But regardless it’s the lowest Season 4 has gone to and hopefully is the closest to the bottom it ever gets. The Season’s done a pretty good job of that so far. Having only 1 out of 20 being a bad episode is great in comparison with previous seasons though. Other then Rainbow Falls, every other episode has had something I’ve enjoyed. I hope Corey Powell redeems herself in her co-written episode with Meghan, I don’t know what happened for the writer of Sleepless in Ponyville (Largely considered one of, if not the best episode of Season 3) could go as low as Rainbow Falls was. But it’s left me a bit unsure. Kinda hoping it’s just Cindy Morrow syndrome where she can be pretty inconsistent between seasons where Cindy made two awesome episodes in Season 2 (Sisterhooves Social & Hurricane Fluttershy) to two average or even subpar episodes in Season 3 (One Bad Apple & Apple Family Reunion)