S6 - Episode 16 - Discussion

[Steamworks 95]

Where to watch:
(Some of the pages have the episode title in them already. If you can't bear to even know that, you should probably avoid them until it's time for the episode.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/mylittlepony/comments/4c13r3/mlpfim_season_6_episode_streams/
 
(Stranger Than Fanfiction, The Cart Before the Ponies, and 28 Pranks Later are airing as a run up to the new episode. If you're behind, here's your chance to catch up.)

• The Best Pony
• The Brony Network Channel 1
• The Brony Network Channel 2
• BronyState Random Theater
• Brony TV
• Equestria TV
• Otaku Ascended Live
• PonyTube TV
• PonyTube TV SD
• World of Equestria

DailyMotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4pk6ak_hd-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-s06e16-the-times-they-are-a-changeling_animals

YouTube:

http://newhorse.vman315.com/

[TheGamerBronyPony 2]

OMG!! Just watched The episode!!

 

[DictatorDuck 9]

8/10 I didn't like how quickly Shining Armor changed and the song particularly well but the overall episode was quite nice, mostly because we finally see changelings.

 

[Lord Nanfoodle 1,904]

Yeah, Shining and the guards' opinions changed WAY too fast. I actually kinda hoped Shining would have waited for Spike's ballad (which I think we could have done without) to end, and then been like, "Nah, we're still gonna fry him. National safety, and stuff......... I don't like changelings." and just before they did, someone (probably Starlight) should of stood up for Spike and Thorax. Then, I don't know...

[[ ] 28]

http://newhorse.vman315.com/ has been update with the latest episode.

[Steel The Bat 1,561]

I thought the episode was okay. The song at the end was nice. I hated how racist the poines were.THAT's racism folks. not color or a different language or simply a different culture. get it right. Race is a sub species of that species I.E Pony/horse is the species and the sub species or RACE is,Earth Ponies,Peagsus,Unicorn and Alicorn. Changeling is a completely different race/species. Anyways with that out of the way...  I  also did not like how he said Chrysalis was evil. That bugged me greatly. I Overall thought it was a nice episode.

7/10 nice to see Changelings again.

[Nova S. Aurora 438]

6/10.

The guards are awful at their job.

[Lord Nanfoodle 1,904]

16 minutes ago, Nova S. Aurora said:

The guards are awful at their job.

What do you expect? They're members of the greater Equestrian Armed Forces. EVERYONE in Equestria's military sucks. I think they could save so many taxpayer bits if they just admit the entire defense of their nation relies on six mares & a chaos god and just disband the military already. 

[TaliaKirana 41]

That was a cute episode. My suspicions we'll be seeing Chrysalis in the finale have strengthened. Considering the way Thorax offhandedly mentioned the changeling kingdom... I'm predicting they'll have to go there in the finale to rescue a kidnapped Flurry Heart and need Thorax's help. (The finale title is "To Where and Back Again," after all.)

[Skyrazer 663]

I swear, every time the show reforms someone / changes major stuff via a song just drives me a little bit more insane.

It was fine the first time during Magical Mystery Cure, that was a musical episode, but god dammit you can't pull the same trump card every time you have to get stuff done in a short span! I'll take Rainbow Lasers of Doom over songs any day, at least those events you can say "Oh, it's magic or some such!" and not just a character or six randomly bursting into a song and rolling a nat 20 on persuasion to make everything right.

Stuff like this just makes me want to roll up a large manuscript and strangle the writer who though: "Shit we can't fit this complicated ark / character development ark into a 22 minute episode, better wrap it all up in a 1 minute song!" 

 

The episode was good regardless, guards are incompetent, fanboys/girls are crazy and Shining Armor is paranoid. Also Changeling disguised as a rock, how has this country not fallen yet if they can disguise themselves as inanimate objects!?

I give it a 6/10 and an 8.5/10 for Spike's song.

[AaronMk 501]

Hug the bug.

[Steamworks 95]

DailyMotion and YouTube now in OP.

 

Twilight wasn't taking any of Starlight's shutting down her freakout.

Spike is Carrottop confirmed.

Spike used "Summon pony". It's super effective.

Intense paranoia. Is it trying to be topical in the post-9/11 world?

I like that Cadance still uses the rhyme to verify it's Twily.

I want more of these guards' voices.

Did Spike just crotchplant into that rock?

I wonder if Changelings are telepathic.

Spike's actually applying the lessons about racism they've had in the series, but I'm not entirely sure it's justified in this instance.

And the guards and Shining bringing the hammer down on Changeling approval.

This Changeling is about to get buttfucked hard by 2 princesses, Starlight, and the guard.

Thorax's little giving in to the expectations kind of mirrors Nick's sentiments in Zootopia.

Is this the first Spike song? I think it is.

Quick turnaround, but what can you do with only 22 minutes?

[Badshot 168]

You all know my opinion on this episode already.

[Revanche 61]

I liked this episode but it had pacing issues, and worse, first Spike and then the rest of the cast did a 180 turnaround at a point. Spike betrayed Thorax and immediately reversed this, and the ponies changed their minds about Thorax utterly and absolutely via a song, rather than good wiritng. Spike's song was nice, though.

[Dark Qiviut 562]

 

 
(Link to "YES!" design here.)
 
Originally, Gauntlet of Fire was the best Spike episode.
 
The Times They Are a Changeling changes that.
 
This is an amazing episode. So much here is done so well. Thorax is oh-my-Luna adorable and such a fantastic character in his own right. He's the best character introduced this season. You can see how much he wants to be accepted, but he feels ostracized because he doesn't enjoy what Chrysalis did, and no pony accepted him because of who he is. For Spike to be the one to bridge the gap is an excellent idea in itself and helps bridge it.
 
But what good would it be without Spike? Ever since Princess Spike, his character turned around spectacularly. Who was originally a character with no consistency has the most consistent characterization this season. Times is his best characterization as a flawed character, period. He shows his flaws, but he means well. At no point he did act dumb or greedy. His reasons were very believable. When he failed to stand up for Thorax, he felt obscenely guilty and wanted to make things right. Think about it, he was willing to sacrifice his reputation at The Crystal Empire over standing up for someone of a race that nearly took over Canterlot. His character development is super-strong while maintaining consistency and dignity.
 
And the song at the end…good golly, it's so good. Really hones in the entire theme of the story, Spike's characterization, Spike's decision to sacrifice his fame, and moral. On its own, it's excellent. Attached to the episode itself, it really becomes powerful. My eyes felt like welling.
 
It's not just my favorite episode this season. It may be the best of season six so far. Well done!

[Arix 38]

A lot of people seem to have problems with the song changing everyone's opinion. Personally, I don't have issues with it. I've always seen the musical numbers as not actually happening in-world, more being a sort of "short-term montage", for lack of a better term. The song was representative of Spike actually arguing, fighting for, and defending the changeling. Twilight being the first to come forward makes sense - both her position as the princess of friendship and being the closest one to Spike means she would likely need to least convincing. And her then passing it on to her brother and Cadance, who would be the most likely to follow her lead. And then when the rulers of the empire are cool with it, it then makes sense for the guards to turn around in turn.

Was it a little fast? Yeah, but it's not like they can just ignore the constraints of an episode's time limit.

[Askre 24]

6 hours ago, Arix said:

A lot of people seem to have problems with the song changing everyone's opinion. Personally, I don't have issues with it. I've always seen the musical numbers as not actually happening in-world, more being a sort of "short-term montage", for lack of a better term. The song was representative of Spike actually arguing, fighting for, and defending the changeling. Twilight being the first to come forward makes sense - both her position as the princess of friendship and being the closest one to Spike means she would likely need to least convincing. And her then passing it on to her brother and Cadance, who would be the most likely to follow her lead. And then when the rulers of the empire are cool with it, it then makes sense for the guards to turn around in turn.

Was it a little fast? Yeah, but it's not like they can just ignore the constraints of an episode's time limit.

Was going to say something but this summed up my thoughts on on the song.

 

I liked this episode fine, if it had been embracing all changelings and even forgiving Queen Chrysalis then I would have had some issues with it, but we got one guy and even that guy acknowledged that his people weren't all that great and needed to learn and we don't even know if they are willing. Somehow doubt Queen Chrysalis will be this open minded.

 

I have to say that season 6 has been pretty good in terms of Spike for me, I like the little guy fine but I usually cringe when hearing that he's getting a focus episode. This season I have actually looked forward to Spike episodes, that's a first. 

[Arix 38]

I have similar thoughts. I have nothing against Spike, but find he usually can't carry an episode as the focus. But between this and Gauntlet of Fire, he's done well this season.