eptwelve6 png
(50.96 KB, 855x482)

eptwelve7 png
(127.29 KB, 854x481)

eptwelve8 png
(181.54 KB, 854x480)

eptwelve9 png
(279.66 KB, 847x479)

I like that when Twilight springs into action, Spike, who throughout the episode has been a bit snarky and not particularly supportive of Twilight, though not mean-spirited by any means, quickly salutes in surprise and dashes off. I feel like it shows that most of the time, he and her treat eachother as sort of equals, but when the chips are down, he’s more than happy for Twilight to take charge. The instrumental reprise of Winter Wrap-Up with the montage of all Twilight’s comfy little innovations for organising and streamlining the wrap-up process is as perfect as the initial song was, and I just enjoy it tremendously. The best part of it for me personally is when the Pegasi clear up the clouds – I adore clouds, I love storms, I’m interested in tornadoes/hurricanes, and a lot of those aesthetically pleasing elements of both are strongly present here. The spectacle, scale and even sound effects are so spot on at itching a scratch so specific it’s hard to know it’s there, again I’m a bit at a loss for words to explain quite why it resonates so strongly with me. Out of all the pieces of animation specifically so far in this show, this sequence, particularly the Pegasi but also the neat flat shot of the ponies carrying carts up the hill, is absolutely top of the list. It’s short, but encapsulates everything both comfy and immersive about this whole world for me. 

I like Twilight getting a jacket with all three team colours. It’s a perfect conclusion to having been unable to choose just one initially – she felt she couldn’t manage even one, and now, she’s all three! However, in terms of the lesson, I have to say I don’t even really like to think about it in terms of a real-life thing. This lesson is so optimistic and hopeful that it could only exist in Equestria, in my view. So many people are without a special talent, and don’t fit in with group activities or even the world of work. I myself don’t feel I have a special talent, I don’t feel particularly good at anything. But this is a world where everyone has a place, everyone can make a difference. And that’s so utopian that I’d rather escape to Equestria in my mind than even have it within the recesses of my brain that the part of me that’s experiencing Equestria is attached to a fleshy sack of water trapped on a rock called Earth. My Little Pony is at it’s best for me when I completely forget that I exist, and but for the fact that I was thinking about the lesson for this review, this episode excels at exactly that. And Spike by the fire in a dressing gown is a perfect comfy ending for this perfect comfy episode. Honestly, if there had to be a catch to going to Equestria, the one I’d choose is living through this episode as a kind of groundhog day. I really, really like this episode, as you can probably tell from this being the longest episode review I’ve done so far, and I think it was probably my favourite one back in the day. I can’t think of any flaws. It’s pretty soon after I first brought it up, but here it is, my first 10/10. I’m not even sure at this point whether I’ll come across another 10/10 as we watch through the show – I hope so, but I’ll be comparing it to this episode as a yardstick from here on.