Talk:My Little Pony Best Gift Ever/@comment-5837525-20181028072845

Finally, after summarizing and transcribing, I can share my thoughts on this special.

This was one of the best holiday episodes/specials the show has produced. It gives all of the Mane Six an equal amount of screentime, builds upon what was established by previous holiday episodes (with references/callbacks to Hearth's Warming Eve and Hearthbreakers), gives minor lip service to seasons 7 and 8 (with the inclusion of the Young Six, Sugar Belle, and Grand Pear, among MANY other side characters), introduces some great and fun new characters to the world of MLP, has a couple of great and catchy songs and tons of funny dialogue, one-liners, facial expressions, and self-awareness jokes, and makes some very amusing and clever references to famous Christmas movies.

The ultimate lesson is of course cheesy as all get-out, but that's pretty par for the course for MLP. As they say, it's about the journey, not the destination. And the journey this special took me on was really... well, special. I'm a complete sucker for Christmas specials, and for me, this one delivered in practically every level. This was a perfect coda for season 8 before leading into season 9.

Highlights:
 * Marble's reaction to Big Mac and Sugar Belle (kind of sad, but demonstrates the writers' commitment to continuity)
 * Maud's line, "Don't rock it 'til you try it"
 * Fluttershy saying she likes everything (delightful)
 * Rainbow Dash and Discord's banter (also delightful)
 * Derpy's scene (extremely delightful)
 * Pistachio (I LOVE THIS BOY)
 * The Gift Givers are a lot of fun (Alice is easily my favorite)
 * Fluttershy kicking a rock and hurting her hoof (I died with laughter)
 * G.I. Joe references (I died with laughter a second time)
 * Discord remarking on the "reindeer ex machina" is the ultimate irony
 * Spike's song (absolutely beautiful)
 * The character montage in The True Gift of Gifting

Closing point - you know what this felt like in a lot of ways? A supremely better version of Trade Ya!