A Matter of Principals episode

[Mana Minori]

If there are some here who watch the episodes of FiM, "A Matter of Principals"'s concept about Discord feeling left out of being invited to the school doesn't really hold up well when you consider that according to the episode, "Non Compete Clause", the school has been open for at LEAST 9 months, for Fluttershy to have gotten picked as Teacher of the month so many times, and for Fluttershy not to have invited Discord to the school in all that time is kind of out of character for her. So the episode doesn't really hold water.

There's also the fact that it was established a while back in the comics that Spitfire was afraid of and didn't know how to handle children, which was why she's a military officer. But still, she was shown to be a substitute teacher for the School of Friendship. I know some might say that the comics aren't canon to the show, but still, that was a small issue that bugged me. Trixie and Maud being there too is also annoying due to the fact that I feel like Starlight just brought them in because they're her friends and bias, rather than looking for someone with actual teaching experience, like Cheerilee.

the line from Starlight also makes it seem like she's throwing Twilight under the bus as a bad teacher/ Princess of friendship, when she says "I was so worried about doing things Twilight's way that I didn't stop to think about being a good friend." I really don't know how else you can interpret that.

But what did everyone else think of this episode?

[tailrustedtealeaf]

I thought it was fine, just not my favorite sort of episode. Discord eps just tend to irritate me.
Didn't we already have a lesson about not doing things in Twilight's way?
I preferred the Yakkity Sax ep a lot more because I found that lesson a lot more relevant and relatable.

[scifipony]

Personally, I really enjoyed the episode.

for Fluttershy not to have invited Discord to the school in all that time is kind of out of character for her. So the episode doesn't really hold water.

I honestly don't let little things like that bother me enough to ruin the episode. As long as it was enjoyable, kept me entertained for the entire runtime, and had a good moral, I'm content.
As for it not lining up with comics continuity, it's already been confirmed from the show's staff that the comics canon doesn't apply to the show's canon. So, something from the comics shouldn't be accepted as canon until it's featured or mentioned on the show in some way. (Like Star Trek)

On a side note, I'm really confused as to why season 8 has been received with so much negativity from the fandom. The earlier seasons were not criticized nearly as much, despite having many more flaws in terms of both writing and animation.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

On a side note, I'm really confused as to why season 8 has been received with so much negativity from the fandom. The earlier seasons were not criticized nearly as much, despite having many more flaws in terms of both writing and animation.

Ugh, I agree so much with this. I hate to be like "it's just a cartoon" but...it's just a cartoon! 

[Mana Minori]

I thought it was fine, just not my favorite sort of episode. Discord eps just tend to irritate me.
Didn't we already have a lesson about not doing things in Twilight's way?
I preferred the Yakkity Sax ep a lot more because I found that lesson a lot more relevant and relatable.

but even so, looking past that little nitpick of Fluttershy having not invited him over the span of nearly a year in our time, is the fact that it has already been established that all of the mane 6 are Discord's friends now, according to "What About Discord?", so still, I have to ask- why hasn't anyone invited him in all that time? The episode still doesn't make sense in the frame of continuity that they try to establish thus far.

[tailrustedtealeaf]

but even so, looking past that little nitpick of Fluttershy having not invited him over the span of nearly a year in our time, is the fact that it has already been established that all of the mane 6 are Discord's friends now, according to "What About Discord?", so still, I have to ask- why hasn't anyone invited him in all that time? The episode still doesn't make sense in the frame of continuity that they try to establish thus far.

What would Discord want to do in a school? It didn't seem like the mane6 have invited any of their other friends into the school aside from substitute teachers.

[scifipony]

Ugh, I agree so much with this. I hate to be like "it's just a cartoon" but...it's just a cartoon! 

Exactly! I didn't want to use the "it's just a cartoon" line because that tends to get people upset, but that's exactly it! I don't understand the need to over-analyze every bit of each episode. I think it's so much more enjoyable when I just sit back and watch it for what it is: an entertaining cartoon about colorful ponies.

[Mana Minori]

but even so, looking past that little nitpick of Fluttershy having not invited him over the span of nearly a year in our time, is the fact that it has already been established that all of the mane 6 are Discord's friends now, according to "What About Discord?", so still, I have to ask- why hasn't anyone invited him in all that time? The episode still doesn't make sense in the frame of continuity that they try to establish thus far.

What would Discord want to do in a school? It didn't seem like the mane6 have invited any of their other friends into the school aside from substitute teachers.

heck if I know. Heck, I don't even like the guy, personally. But for the sake of continuity *insert Silver Quill* , you wouldn't think this would've been an issue to even have an episode of, in the first place. It could also be argued that the Mane 6 also have no business running a school, as they're not qualified to teach. (There's also the fact that the school's existence in general kinda craps on how Twilight herself was taught, as was established in "The Crystalling" and "Celestial Advice." Even in "Non Compete Clause", where the Student 6 learn friendship outside of the school environment. But I digress.....

Post Merge: August 06, 2018, 05:44:35 PM

Ugh, I agree so much with this. I hate to be like "it's just a cartoon" but...it's just a cartoon! 

Exactly! I didn't want to use the "it's just a cartoon" line because that tends to get people upset, but that's exactly it! I don't understand the need to over-analyze every bit of each episode. I think it's so much more enjoyable when I just sit back and watch it for what it is: an entertaining cartoon about colorful ponies.

I may be a teensy bit critical of it, which may be due in part to enjoying critique and analysis from others, as well as liking to create my own theories and headcanons and analysis myself, which may hinder me from actually watching the episodes and taking them as just mindless entertainment, but that's only because I love the series and am passionate about the details that do or don't make sense. I nitpick because I care.

[Minty_Magic]

Ugh I'm glad someone brought up this episode because it honestly really upset me. Like I wasn't even thinking about continuity or anything, that kind of stuff doesn't bother me, but good lord Discord was such a jerk in this episode. I haven't liked his character ever since he got "reformed" (which is so debatable in itself) but his behavior actually made me uncomfortable in real life. I felt so awful for Starlight. If he had beef with not being invited or whatever why pick on her? Why send Twilight who founded and had the idea for the school away and pick on her friend who's really just there to be supportive and play her own small role? Frankly he proved why he shouldn't have ever been allowed the school in the first place by putting the students in actual harms way. And then the episode ends with "aww he was just misunderstood! Temper tantrums are just your friends showing you they feel hurt (:" Which, if the writers had any sense of subtlety, could have been a great moral on reading body language and helping your friends through issues they may not want to talk about, but this just felt so irresponsible. I genuinely believe Starlight shouldn't have had to apologize at the end, it should have been him.

Discord episodes would feel so much more natural if they hadn't ever reformed him and left him as a recurring villain.

[StarSwirl05]

The ep felt rather predictable to me. I knew that Discord wasn't going to be kind from the get-go and not sure Starlight knew what ponies would be best to accompany her given that neither of the ponies she picked were really cut-out to be teachers of any kind.

[Mewtwofan1]

It’s not one of the best episodes in my opinion, but I can sort of rationalize what the characters did. Before I say anything else, I agree. Discord was waaaay out of line, even for him. Glad to know a bit of old, pre-questionable reform discord is there. Old habits I guess.
More thoughts on discord and starlight in this episode.

Spoiler

Discord has never been one of the nicest guys. He’s done some rather awful things. But I can kind of see why he acted out like he did. Discord’s still learning about friendship. It’s new ground for him. And feelings of envy towards others must be new, seeing as he’s presumably never felt friendship or jealousy before. When faced with a new situation, discord had been observed to revert into his old habits of hurting others. He has no other way to explain how he’s feeling. It doesn’t forgive any of his actions, but it provides a bit of an explanation that I feel kinda satisfied with. He was acting out similar to a child because he had no clue how to express his feelings.
     Personally, I feel quite happy to see starlight still can learn lessons about friendship even after graduating from twilight. Seeing when your friends are upset is a valuable skill because sometimes, they might not be able to find a way to get it off their chest. Part of being a good friend is knowing when something’s wrong, and at least asking if you can help. I think both characters benefited from this. It’s a good thing to express your feelings, and not just bottle them up and behave rudely because you’re bitter. And it’s good to know when your friend is upset, and could be calling for help.