User blog:Fluffbrain/Fluffbrain's List O' Ratings

I'd been planning to make one of these for a bit but avoided it because I didn't want any subconscious bias to influence my enjoyment of the show - as in, I didn't want to have an arbitrary pre-set expectation looming over me every time I sat down to watch an episode. I think at this point, however, I feel pretty comfortable and consistent about what I think of each one.

Just as a disclaimer: these aren’t necessarily ratings on quality. Since "quality" is often both complex and subjective, my rating scale is based only on the likelihood of me watching that specific episode when I sit down to watch one, all other things being equal. This means not everything is exactly “best to worst” as you’ll notice from some of my notes. That might be confusing but it makes the show so much easier to rate since it's only based on one intuitive variable, as opposed to the many that I would normally apply.

5 - About as good as I could possibly expect the episode to be; accomplishes its potential pretty fully (*see note below)
4 - Superb episode; easily enjoyed all the way through
3 - Solid episode, average for the show; reliably watchable at any given time
2 - Lackluster but not bad; may be skipped depending on the situation, but still watched on a regular basis
1 - Poor episode, missing a lot of the qualities that drew me into the show originally; difficult to watch more than once every great while
0 - Terrible episode; not worth watching even once

[-] = close to lower number
[+] = close to higher number

Note: "Honorary" membership in the 5/5 Allstar League is for episodes that would barely miss 5/5 status on account of one or two scenes but make up for it in the extraordinary (beyond 5) quality of the rest of the material.

April 2018: With the apparent continuation of the strikingly different stylistic direction introduced to the show in season six, no further seasons will be added to the list.

January 2020: With the passage of time, the more temporal elements of the show such as narrative continuity/fan catering, needlessly refined visuals, and internet humor have become even less interesting to me, causing the enjoyment floor to drop in episodes that focus more on these elements. The overall effect of this is that seasons 3, 4, and 5 are generally less enjoyable to watch than seasons 1 and 2; I don't intend to go through the entire list to redistribute ratings accordingly, however, and therefore make this disclaimer that the "likelihood of watching" metric is outdated by about two years, which thus tilts the list to give more favorable ratings to later seasons than I would probably give them now. In other words, a rating of 3 in season 5 is somewhat less than a rating of 3 in season 2.

Chronological Order

Season One

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01+02	Friendship is Magic (both parts)	4+	Honestly I relate more with the Twilight shown in these two episodes than with any other character at any other time... save for, perhaps, Pinkie Pie
03	The Ticket Master	4
04	Applebuck Season	3+
05	Griffon the Brush Off	3	The resolution scene is very well done
06	Boast Busters	2+
07	Dragonshy	3+
08	Look Before You Sleep	4
09	Bridle Gossip	4
10	Swarm of the Century	3+
11	Winter Wrap Up	4
12	Call of the Cutie	3+
13	Fall Weather Friends	3+
14	Suited For Success	3+
15	Feeling Pinkie Keen	3	Great first half, slower second half
16	Sonic Rainboom	3+
17	Stare Master	3
18	The Show Stoppers	4-
19	A Dog and Pony Show	2+	The story pacing is a bit off but Rarity's antics and animations are pretty top notch
20	Green Isn't Your Color	4	One of the episodes most saturated in pure silliness
21	Over a Barrel	2+
22	A Bird in the Hoof	3-	Were it not for the pacing issues this would probably be a 4-/5
23	The Cutie Mark Chronicles	4-
24	Owl's Well That Ends Well	3-
25	Party of One	5	Honorary member of Fluffbrain's 5/5 Allstar League and recipient of the Superb Cold Open Award
26	The Best Night Ever	4	Recipient of Superb Cold Open Award

Season Two

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01+02	The Return of Harmony (both parts)	4	Some of the best material in the series in my opinion; effectively surreal to the point where it's almost difficult to watch
03	Lesson Zero	4	A solid step up from the previous season in terms of storytelling
04	Luna Eclipsed	4
05	Sisterhooves Social	5	Honorary member of Fluffbrain's 5/5 Allstar League and recipient of the Superb Cold Open Award
06	The Cutie Pox	4
07	May the Best Pet Win	3
08	The Mysterious Mare Do Well	4+	Really top-notch humor in some scenes, great animation work
09	Sweet And Elite	4-
10	Secret of My Excess	4-
11	Hearth's Warming Eve	4-
12	Family Appreciation Day	4-
13	Baby Cakes	2
14	The Last Roundup	3+
15	The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000	3
16	Read It and Weep	5	Member of Fluffbrain's 5/5 Allstar League
17	Hearts and Hooves Day	4
18	A Friend in Deed	3+	Hits home a bit
19	Putting Your Hoof Down	3
20	It's About Time	4-	It's a bit slow in the latter half but the humor here is absolutely some of my favorite in the series. Also the music in the disaster-proof montage is so wonderful I've added it as a separate entry on my MLP music playlist.
21	Dragon Quest	2	Recipient of Superb Cold Open Award; favorite cold open in the series
22	Hurricane Fluttershy	4-	Actual quality probably 4 or even 4+
23	Ponyville Confidential	5	Member of Fluffbrain's 5/5 Allstar League
24	MMMystery on the Friendship Express	3
25+26	A Canterlot Wedding (both parts)	4+	Similar level of quality as The Return of Harmony, except less depressing

Season Three

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01+02	The Crystal Empire (both parts)	3
03	Too Many Pinkie Pies	2+
04	One Bad Apple	3
05	Magic Duel	3
06	Sleepless in Ponyville	5	Honorary member of Fluffbrain's 5/5 Allstar League
07	Wonderbolts Academy	3
08	Apple Family Reunion	3
09	Spike at Your Service	3-
10	Keep Calm and Flutter On	4	The story's climax is very well done
11	Just for Sidekicks	3+
12	Games Ponies Play	4+	Misses 5/5 for minor reasons
13	Magical Mystery Cure	4	4 because of the music

Season Four

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01+02	Princess Twilight Sparkle (both parts)	2+	Easily the weakest two-parter up to this point, but ultimately not that terrible
03	Castle Mane-ia	4	Evidence that Josh Haber **used** to be cool
04	Daring Don't	3
05	Flight to the Finish	4	Evidence that Ed Valentine **used** to be cool
06	Power Ponies	2
07	Bats!	3-
08	Rarity Takes Manehattan	3
09	Pinkie Apple Pie	2
10	Rainbow Falls	3
11	Three's a Crowd	3
12	Pinkie Pride	2+	This one keeps growing on me, used to be a 1
13	Simple Ways	4
14	Filli Vanilli	3+
15	Twilight Time	3
16	It Ain't Easy Being Breezies	2+	Solid humor, story gets a bit drawn-out
17	Somepony to Watch Over Me	2
18	Maud Pie	2+	I actually really like Maud's character
19	For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils	4
20	Leap of Faith	2
21	Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3	3-	Similar to Princess Spike, a solid episode let down heavily by its resolution scene
22	Trade Ya!	4
23	Inspiration Manifestation	4-
24	Equestria Games	3
25+26	Twilight's Kingdom (both parts)	3	Not bad, I even thought the "Dragon Ball Z" scene worked well enough. Less humor than most other episodes, and the story, though well-told, isn't **that** compelling.

Season Five

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01+02	The Cutie Map (both parts)	3-	Starlight is actually somewhat intriguing as a villain in these episodes. Aside from The Cutie Remark, her subsequent appearances are just below average at best.
03	Castle Sweet Castle	3	The first episode of MLP I ever watched
04	Bloom and Gloom	4	Not perfect but nails certain themes really well, also I really like Applejack's lullaby
05	Tanks for the Memories	4+	Really superb pacing, effective portrayal of the "loss" theme, wonderful song
06	Appleoosa's Most Wanted	2	Troubleshoes' dialogue could have portrayed his "simple" character in a more varied manner, as it is his lines are a bit dull.
07	Make New Friends but Keep Discord	3+	At first Tree Hugger rubbed me the wrong way, but taking all the context into account her character actually works pretty well.
08	The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone	2	Could have done a lot better characterizing the griffons/Griffonstone.
09	Slice of Life	2+	I like a lot of the finished product, but I can't shake the feeling that several scenes were trying too hard to be "cool"
10	Princess Spike	2+	The ending feels very ham-handed to me, but I actually think the rest of the episode is pretty good overall.
11	Party Pooped	3-	Another episode where some scenes feel like they're trying too hard, but otherwise pretty enjoyable.
12	Amending Fences	2+	Didn't really feel the resolution scene
13	Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep	4-	Good Luna characterization, great use of the dream scenes
14	Canterlot Boutique	3	I can't find much to complain about with this one
15	Rarity Investigaes	4	Has some minor let-downs but otherwise great theme and stylistic references.
16	Made in Manehattan	2
17	Brotherhooves Social	4	I'd say 3+/4- for most of the episode, 5 for ending.
18	Crusaders of the Lost Mark	5	Member of Fluffbrain's 5/5 Allstar League
19	The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows	2+	The first "new" episode I watched
20	Hearthbreakers	1+	Nothing really novel in the way the plot plays out
21	Scare Master	2
22	What About Discord?	1	2- for most of the episode, 0+ for the ending
23	The Hooffields and McColts	1	The new characters are pretty uninspiring, though it does receive the coveted Superb Cold Open Award
24	The Mane Attraction	1+
25+26	The Cutie Re-Mark (both episodes)	2	For a "serious" episode, one that tends to trade off humor for story, I don't find it terribly compelling. Not bad though.

Season Six

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01+02	The Crystalling (both parts)	0
03	The Gift of the Maud Pie	0
04	On Your Marks	1
05	Gauntlet of Fire	0-
06	No Second Prances	0-
07	Newbie Dash	1
08	A Hearth's Warming Tale	0+	You can tell it had some production quality gone into it
09	The Saddle Row Review	0
10	Applejack's "Day" Off	0-
11	Flutter Brutter	0
12	Spice Up Your Life	0+
13	Stranger Than Fan Fiction	0+
14	The Cart Before the Ponies	0-
15	28 Pranks Later	0
16	The Times They Are A Changeling	0
17	Dungeons & Discords	0
18	Buckball Season	0-	Bordering on 0- and 0
19	The Fault in Our Cutie Marks	0
20	Viva Las Pegasus	0
21	Every Little Thing She Does	0
22	P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)	0
23	Where the Apple Lies	1-
24	Top Bolt	1-
25+26	To Where and Back Again (both parts)	0-

Season Seven

Episode number	Episode title	Rating	Notes
01	Celestial Advice	1-
02	All Bottled Up	0
03	A Flurry of Emotions	1	Some scenes are pretty decent and/or affect me personally
07	Parental Glideance	0
08	Hard to Say Anything	0	The title reminds me of "Neigh Anything", which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Sadly this doesn't affect the episode's rating.
09	Honest Apple	1+	Gah... for the first time since I started watching the show (after The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows), I actually legitimately enjoyed myself for stretches at a time. I really want to give this a 3+, but it spoils itself with the standard post-S05 issues too many times.
10	A Royal Problem	0	Thoughts can be found here
11	Not Asking for Trouble	0+	The first half had some laughs
12	Discordant Harmony	N/A	Watched up to Discord talking with himself on the park bench. Lots of wacky antics but nothing really clever.
13	The Perfect Pear	0	Boiled-down version of possibly the most generic love story, given no compelling variation or comedic backdrop. The absurdity of the underlying conflict may have worked were it not trying to be taken seriously. Also the VA work was oddly uninspiring.
14	Fame and Misfortune	0	I don't think there was a single interaction that didn't prompt me to think "who acts like this?"
15	Triple Threat	1-	Thorax in the first half was decent. Otherwise predictable and dull.
16	Campfire Tales	N/A	Watched intro only. A minute of needless, soulless self-referencing doesn't exactly stoke me to keep watching.
18	Daring Done	N/A	Watched intro and Somnambula portion. The former featured jokes that had potential but whose punchlines were delivered too deliberately, and the latter, though tolerable, displayed clear symptoms of the newer style.

Miscellaneous

Title	Rating	Notes
My Little Pony: The Movie	1+	Possibly the most significant mediocre experience I’ve ever had. See here for qualifying statements.
Legends of Magic Issue 5	4+	I had long since given up on liking anything new from the franchise, which is why this deserves a spot on my otherwise comic-less ratings list.
Grannies Gone Wild (S8)	0	Drawn in by a clip of RD yelling into an earpiece
Uprooted (S9)	0	Watched in Spanish but I'm counting it anyway

Ordered by Rating

5/5 – Fluffbrain's Allstar League

Ponyville Confidential -S2
Read It and Weep -S2
Crusaders of the Lost Mark [*honorary member] -S5
Party of One [*honorary member, Superb Cold Open Award] -S1
Sisterhooves Social [*honorary member, Superb Cold Open Award] -S2
Sleepless in Ponyville [*honorary member] -S3

4/5

Season 1

Friendship is Magic [+, *lots of very personally meaningful content]
The Ticket Master
Look Before You Sleep
Bridle Gossip
Winter Wrap-Up
The Show Stoppers [-]
Green Isn't Your Color
The Cutie Mark Chronicles [-]
The Best Night Ever
[*Superb Cold Open Award]

Season 2

The Return of Harmony [*5 in quality but mildly depressing to watch]
Lesson Zero
Luna Eclipsed
The Cutie Pox
The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well [+]
Sweet and Elite [-]
Secret of My Excess [-}
Hearth’s Warming Eve [-]
Family Appreciation Day [-]
It’s About Time [-]
Hearts and Hooves Day [*brought down slightly near the end]
Hurricane Fluttershy [-]
A Canterlot Wedding [+]

Season 3

Keep Calm and Flutter On
Games Ponies Play [+]
Magical Mystery Cure [*4 because of music]

Season 4

Simple Ways
Inspiration Manifestation [-]
Flight to the Finish
For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils
Trade Ya!

Season 5

Bloom and Gloom
Tanks for the Memories [+]
Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep [-]
Rarity Investigates! [*boosted by theme, let down by resolution scene]
Brotherhooves Social

Miscellaneous

Legends of Magic Issue 5 [+, *comic]

3/5

Season 1

Applebuck Season [+]
Griffon the Brush Off [+]
Dragonshy [+]
Swarm of the Century [+]
Call of the Cutie [+]
Fall Weather Friends [+]
Suited for Success [+]
Feeling Pinkie Keen
Sonic Rainboom [+]
Stare Master
A Bird in the Hoof [-]
Owl’s Well That Ends Well [-]

Season 2

May the Best Pet Win!
The Last Roundup [+]
The Super Speed Cider Squeezy 6000
A Friend in Deed [+]
Putting Your Hoof Down
MMMystery on the Friendship Express [*quality is 4]

Season 3

The Crystal Empire
One Bad Apple
Magic Duel
Wonderbolts Academy
Apple Family Reunion
Spike at Your Service [-]
Just for Sidekicks [+]

Season 4

Castle Mane-ia
Daring Don’t
Bats! [-]
Rarity Takes Manehattan
Rainbow Falls
Three’s a Crowd
Filli Vanilli [+]
Twilight Time
Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 [-, *great episode in many ways but ruined by ending]
Equestria Games
Twilight's Kingdom

Season 5

The Cutie Map [-]
Castle Sweet Castle
Make New Friends but Keep Discord [+]
Party Pooped [-]
Canterlot Boutique

2/5

Season 1

Boast Busters [+]
A Dog and Pony Show [+]
Over a Barrel [+]

Season 2

Baby Cakes
Dragon Quest [*Superb Cold Open Award]

Season 3

Too Many Pinkie Pies [+]

Season 4

Princess Twilight Sparkle
Pinkie Apple Pie
Power Ponies
Pinkie Pride [+]
It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies [+]
Somepony to Watch Over Me
Maud Pie [+]
Leap of Faith

Season 5

Appleoosa’s Most Wanted
The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone
Slice of Life [*quality of 3]
Princess Spike [*ruined by ending, otherwise 3+]
The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows [+]
Scare Master
Amending Fences [+]
Made in Manehattan
The Cutie Re-Mark

1/5

Season 5

The Hooffields and McColts [*Superb Cold Open Award]
What About Discord
Hearthbreakers [+]
The Mane Attraction [+]

Season 6

On Your Marks
Newbie Dash
Where the Apple Lies [-]
Top Bolt [-]

Season 7

Celestial Advice [-]
A Flurry of Emotions
Honest Apple [+, *strange mix of 3 and 0]
Triple Threat [-]

Miscellaneous

My Little Pony: The Movie [+, *film]

0/5

Season 6

The Crystalling
The Gift of the Maud Pie
Gauntlet of Fire [-]
No Second Prances [-]
A Hearth's Warming Tale [+]
The Saddle Row Review
Applejack's "Day" Off [-]
Flutter Brutter
Spice Up Your Life [+]
Stranger Than Fan Fiction [+]
The Cart Before the Ponies [-]
28 Pranks Later
The Times They Are A-Changling
Dungeons and Discords
Buckball Season [-]
The Fault in Our Cutie Marks
Viva Las Pegasus
Every Little Thing She Does
P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)
To Where and Back Again [-]

Season 7

All Bottled Up
Parental Glideance
Hard to Say Anything
A Royal Problem
Not Asking for Trouble [+]
The Perfect Pear
Fame and Misfortune

Miscellaneous

Grannies Gone Wild [*season 8]
Uprooted [*season 9]

Aired But Not Watched (up to season 7)

Season 7

Rock Solid Friendship [*watched intro]
Fluttershy Leans In [*watched intro]
Forever Filly
Discordant Harmony [*watched just past intro]
Campfire Tales [*watched intro]
To Change a Changeling
Daring Done? [*watched intro and Somnambula scene]
It Isn't the Mane Thing About You
A Health of Information
Marks and Recreation
Once Upon a Zeppelin
Secrets and Pies
Uncommon Bond
Shadow Play