Thoughts on Shadow Play parts 1 and 2
Spoiler
I thought it was pretty good but I liked the Season 6 finale better. It was nice to see that the Legends of Equestria were actual ponies and connections to past episodes. I'm always happy to see Sunburst doing something besides controlling Baby Flurry Heart. The build up was interesting but I really didn't like Starswirl. All of the times he's been mentioned as being a really good and wise wizard but then he kept berating Twilight and acting like she didn't know anything and Twilight did the same in a lesser way to Starlight. I know they both apologized at the end but it was a lot for both Twilight and Starlight to endure. I felt bad for Starlight when Twilight wouldn't listen to her even after Starlight told her that not every pony that does bad things is a lost cause.
I also didn't like how quickly everyone agreed to give the Elements of Harmony up to stop the Pony of Shadows. Is that the best StarSwirl could think of?
The Mane 6 found the artifacts a little too easily. It should have been harder. Were those things in the flashback supposed to be the Sirens from Rainbow Rocks? Why were Celestia and Luna not included in the fight with the Pony of Shadows? I know the Mane 6 often saves Equestria without them but this time they weren't missing or captured so why leave them out? I would have like more interactions with the Legends of Equestria. You would think that after being gone for over 1000 years they would have had more to talk about.
With so many ponies making cameos it would have been nice to see Thorax and Ember again although I'm okay with them not appearing in the finale.
I sort of wish Starlight would stop feeling bad for manipulating time. Didn't that happen 2 Seasons ago? What she did was wrong and almost caused Equestria to fall but she's made efforts since then to reform even though sometimes I feel she's still a little too quick to use certain spells that she doesn't know the full effects of.
Ponyfan
If anyone noticed, the message on Ponehenge said "poni rules" in Elder Futhark. Har, har, DHX.
Spoiler
I enjoyed Shadow Play well enough, and actually enjoy it more as I think about it. I liked Starswirl being a curmudgeon to tell the truth. Magical Mystery Cure gave us a hint he might be like this since he couldn't complete his "Make me an alicorn" spell due to his lack of knowledge of friendship. Even how the Pillars are named, being individual qualities rather than how you interact with others, gives a sense he does not think much of friendship. So, him turning a blind eye and tin ear to Stigeon is an effective way to incite the conflict here.
The conflict was also personal for him. This wasn't just some random monster, this was a person he knows and had come to hate. So, he is blinded to any alternatives. Twilight in turn is blinded by her idolization of him.
Also, unlike Daring Do, we have the advantage of time passing with these now living legends. Their lives have had a chance to be romanticized and separated from reality over the past millennium plus.
I think the first part should have been spread out over the season. It was just a collect-a-thon. That way, the second part could have been the two-parter with everything more fleshed out.
What would have crashed this episode for me is if the Pillars had been sent back into the cornfield at the end. That would have made this just a one off stunt. With the Pillars remaining, it feels like a new beginning with possibilities before us.
Spoiler
I think I'm liking this episode more as I think about it too. :)
Now that I think about it, it does make sense that Starswirl wouldn't be a pleasant pony to be around. He had disappeared for over 1000 years with the other Pillars and Equestria has changed a lot. Also feeling like Stigeon not only betrayed them but caused them to disappear and having so much time to brood over that fact.
Was Twilight the only one to notice Stigeon struggling to escape from the Pony of Shadows when the Pony of Shadows was being pulled in to the portal? IIt was nice seeing each of the Mane 6 have a parallel to one of the Pillars. It's interesting that the three ponies that told the legends of RockHoof, MistMane and Magnus ending up being their parallel in Modern Equestria.
I agree it should have taken more time to find the objects maybe like FIM did with the Chest of Harmony arc where each of the Mane 6 had to find their key to open the chest. I would have also liked to see more conflict with gathering the objects also. The ponies are suddenly taking things that should mean a lot to the ponies of Equestria and no one is trying to stop them? Maybe they explained why they wanted the objects but we only saw the Dragon objecting because he wanted the shield to surf lava and the caretaker of the garden not wanting the last thing of beauty to be removed from the garden. .
I'm also happy that the Pillars are staying in Equestria and hope we see more of them in Season 8
Ponyfan
Spoiler
I agree. I would have liked to see more of the Pillars and how they influenced Equestria and how the Elements of Harmony are part of them.
I agree that the scene with Applejack arguing over whether RockHoof was a real pony or just a legend seemed a little silly
Is this Pony of Shadows the same one the Mane 6 was afraid of back when they were in the Castle of the Two Sisters?
Ponyfan