Tags
Applejack, Castle of Friendship, Castle Sweet Castle, Fluttershy, Golden Oak Library, My Little Pony, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, review, Spike, Twilight Sparkle
Synopsis:
The girls notice that Twilight Sparkle is spending an inordinate amount of time with them, purposely avoiding going back to the castle. On talking to her, they discover that she misses the Golden Oak Library and that the huge castle doesn’t feel like home. They offer to decorate it for her while she goes to the spa all day with Spike, but soon run into trouble when all of them overdecorate it with things thatΒ they would like in their own homes. By the time they clean it out, the castle is empty and Twilight will be back soon. Finally, the girls get an idea when they realize it was the memories at the library that made it home for Twilight. When Twilight finally returns, she sees the girls have taken the stump of the Golden Oak Library and converted it into a crystal chandelier that holds the memories of her times with the girls in each crystal. In addition, each of the girls have redecorated a separate room in the house to their own tastes. Twilight is overjoyed and announces she’s ready to make new memories with the girls there.
Review:
I’m kind of used to not expecting much from the episodes following the season premiere. This one was another bit of a milestone, as it transitioned the castle into being Twilight’s new home, but even after this episode it still feels some place more “official” rather than the same type of home environment the Golden Oak Library had to it. The overall moral and message to it is solid whether you’re an adult or a child. Anyone who’s ever left behind a well-loved home for a new environment, no matter how nice, knows that. But it’s not anything too terribly earth-shattering or monumental.
On reviewing, this episode is another one of those that feels like it was an idea that didn’t fully pan out. Something the writers thought would make for a good episode but then ended up being light on substance. And sure enough, there’s nothing really that dramatic or wacky about decorating a castle. At the time, “Make This Castle a Home” was a great song, but it would eventually be blown away, along with every other song this season, by the music in “Crusaders of the Lost Mark”.
Still, there were some nice parts to this episode. After Spike got left by the wayside in the season premiere, he featured a lot more prominently in this one, although some fans noticed it seemed to mark a trend where he was becoming more and more an unappreciated “monkey boy” left to constantly serve the Mane Six. What I like about it a bit is that this is probably the only episode in the whole of the series that highlights the Mane Six without Twilight Sparkle. While she definitely seems to be the cohesive glue that gets them to usually stick together, it’s interesting seeing how they get along without her to direct them. I wish they’d explore that concept a bit more, and I’d love to see it in a season finale.
That said, a rather lackluster episode besides. Not bad, but nothing to write home about either.
Fun Facts:
The opening was further altered in this episode to make Twilight look more “wide-eyed” as she looks around after exiting the hot air balloon.
Pinkie Pie eating the whipped cream beard off of her own face is similar to a bit she did way back in Season One’s “A Bird in the Hoof”.
It’s…rather creepy Spike has a stuffed Rarity doll. How many people do you know have a stuffed doll of their crush to sleep with?
Speaking of figures, Rainbow Dash has one of Spitfire.
Spike’s face is just barely poking in the portrait of the girls.
When the girls remember the Golden Oak Library, the episodes are Season One’s “Sonic Rainboom”, “Look Before You Sleep”, and, naturally, Season Four’s “Twilight’s Kingdom”. π
The “Couches and Quills” salespony has diversified to beds. π
Just who took the picture in Donut Joe’s shop? π
Rating:
2.5 Stars out of 5