REVIEW: “The Crystal Empire” – My Little Pony Season Three Premiere
Fall is ending, and the cold dreary winter months are setting in, yes it’s that time of year again. I am, of course, referring to a new season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Season Three of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic premiered this past Saturday on The Hub and like the unstoppable juggernaut of love and tolerance the show perpetuates, Season Three’s two-part season premiere delivers.
The episodes are based on the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire, which magically went missing after the expulsion of an evil pony warlord who seized control and enslaved the crystal ponies. Since it has returned after 1000 years, it is up to Twilight Sparkle and the gang to save the Crystal Empire from King Sombra who has become a shadowy monster attempting to spread hate and anger throughout the Empire. Let’s clear the air about this… Crystal Ponies and Crystal Empire are highly tied into the marketing line for the new Crystal Pony toys, but every TV show exists to sell something anyways, and all things considered it felt like the point of the episode was to tell a story. Don’t get me wrong “ Aren’t they beautiful, wow I wish I could be a crystal pony, blahblahblah,” was definitely apparent on a somewhat sublim(BUY CRYSTAL PONIES!
Unlike the series premiere which gave the main characters items which were not used until the following season premiere. The premiere of Season Two, which had some pretty impressive casting and funny character driven story elements, saw many of the main characters acting against character. The season premiere had character-based humor and, much like the end of the second season, included original, plot-driven, musical numbers and a very action-oriented plot-line and resolution. It’s still based on friendship, love, and understanding but it actually feels like the stakes couldn’t be higher.
It’s hard to tell if this is because the show wants to appeal to its “male viewership,” but considering (and I love the classic MLP as well) the source material solved their problems through song and fluff writing, and very rarely tackled life, death, and eternal servitude (I believe one of the classic episodes dealt with the ponies getting a bad makeover as the ultimate problem… seriously that was the plot-line) it is a welcome aspect of the show.
There are many shows out there which have an aesthetic that caters towards traditional female roles. This does not make these shows bad but there is no need to clarify a female and male dichotomy for the “all ages” crowd who truly enjoy the show and/or watch with their kids. Since MLP;FiM incorporates elements of magic, well placed danger, excitement, and humor, it is able to rise above just being a piece of nostalgic fluff and proves that a show with a VERY feminine aesthetic and traditional female mindset of problem solving can still thrive and can in fact be cool. If the rest of the season is anything like the premiere it’s going to be a fantastic season.
