“Pinkie Apple Pie”

…takes us on a genealogical roadtrip to uncover the truth of whether the Apples and Pies really are related! I mean technically ALL the ponies are each others’ cousins at the end of the day but y’know. The genealogical connection between AJ and Pinkie Pie is distant enough in any case that I can’t reference a certain Boyzvoice song when we get to “Hearthbreakers” about a season from now.

…Is anypony here familiar with Boyzvoice? Just me? OK.

But anyways, speaking of songs: this episode also has a fun musical number, and was also the episode that got me to randomly declare Apple Bloom as my favorite pony — a status which she has held almost continuously for nearly a decade already.

And speaking of Apple Bloom: she references an old fandom meme in this episode! And another non-fandom meme is referenced in a background detail of this episode, see if you can spot it.

This episode’s title was misspelled in the opening credits when it first aired. I hope somepony was fired for that blunder haw haw haw haw!

“Rainbow Falls”?

…Yeah, they tend to do that. Or rather, this episode showcases the titular town of Rainbow Falls, which will be the primary setting of another episode later this season — and will also have a few more minor appearances later down the line. Our first visit to this prideful town is for Ponyville’s aerial relay team training to qualify for the Equestria Games under Rainbow Dash. However, Rainbow Dash is having her Element of Harmony tested! This is Rainbow Dash’s “key” episode for this season’s “Chest of Harmony” arc, and it’s got appearances from Bulk Biceps and a certain other pony, whose appearance made fans rejoice.

“Three’s a Crowd”

…is a standout of the post-reform Discord episodes, as our favorite John de Lancie Dragonhorse has fallen sick with the 'rona and has infected several of the other ponies in order to mess with Twilight and Cadance. This episode also has one of the most iconic songs in the whole show (IMO) — “Glass of Water” — which I believe is the only song in the show performed by Discord himself.

…Actually, wasn’t there an episode review series named after that song? By that YouTuber who went on to make that two-hour-long “Steven Universe is Garbage and Here’s Why” video I never watched?

But I digress.

“Three’s a Crowd” also provides some minor setup for one of next week’s episodes; shows off a cool creature extremely loosely based on Alpine folklore, which is never seen again; and also shows off a really cool-looking train that’s also only ever seen in this episode as far as I’m aware.

“Pinkie Pride”

…just might be the standout episode of tonight’s batch. Why? Well, you read this post’s title, didn’t you‽ Weird Al’sD U N K in this episode!!! Yes, the very same “Weird Al” Yankovic of polka parody song fame!!!

Yankovic’s character, Cheese Sandwich (an anagram of Nice Cashew Shed), is competing against Pinkie Pie to prove who’s the best partythrowin’ pony of them all. This is Pinkie Pie’s “key” episode for this season’s “Chest of Harmony” arc; it’s also, fittingly, MLP:FiM’s second musical episode, and also the episode with the second most songs behind only the first musical episode (the season 3 finale).

This episode also gives us some “closure” for the season 1 episode about settler-colonialism. Remember that? Sheesh.

By the way, Cheese Sandwich will get another dedicated episode in season 9, as well as a few other namedrops and cameos here and there — and he will make a very striking (albeit non-speaking) appearance in the MLP:FiM series finale, so look forward to that in mid friggin’ January!

“Simple Ways”

…sees one small business owner impersonate another in the name of the Almighty Woog. Which is to say that a famous fashion writer, parasocially fancied by Rarity, has caught an eye for Applejack while visiting Ponyville — prompting Rarity to LARP as a Country Girl™ for the writer’s attention, while AJ does everything in her power to avoid the writer’s attention.

That fashion writer won’t be seen again in the show but will have a few minor, fleeting appearances in Equestria Girls.

“Filli Vanilli”

…is so named because children growing up in February of 2014 would sure know a whole lot about a music controversy that happened like 20 years before they were born. For those actually familiar with Milli Vanilli, however, which I’m assuming most of you boomers are, this episode’s title is really a pretty fitting summary of what this episode’s about… Almost like somepony just came up with a pun in the shower one night and decided to write a script around it. Hm.

What makes the lipsyncing in “Filli Vanilli” more interesting, however, is that it’s a mare filling in for a stallion’s voice, calling back to the season 1 episode in which Zecora was introduced (remember that? sheesh) — and also that the public’s response to the lipsyncing in “Filli Vanilli” is the dead opposite of the response to Milli Vanilli’s.

• Child in peril (“Pinkie Apple Pie”)
• Small animal stuck in place (“Pinkie Apple Pie”)
• Gender stuff that may or may not be problematic…? (“Rainbow Falls”, “Filli Vanilli”)
• Disabling injury both real and feigned (“Rainbow Falls”)
• Contagious disease (“Three’s a Crowd”)
• Fight between a sapient and a non-sapient animal defending its home (“Three’s a Crowd”)
• Harry Potter reference (“Three’s a Crowd”)
• Reference to terminal illness (“Three’s a Crowd”)
• Some “Cowboys and Indians” coded content / settler apologia (“Pinkie Pride”)
• A pony is crushed as a result of negligence (“Pinkie Pride”)
• Bodily deformation (“Simple Ways”)
• Unwanted romantic advances; parasociality (“Simple Ways”)
• Cringe comedy with like racist or classist themes…? (“Simple Ways”)
• African Witch Doctor Zebra (“Filli Vanilli”)
• A character with social anxiety is suddenly in the spotlight and later brought to tears (“Filli Vanilli”)

Please tell me if there’s anything I should change about or add to this list.