Really liked the first three episodes, the "Princess Twilight Sparkle" two parter and "Castle Mane-ia", of Season 4. "Daring Don't" had a lot of great things but for me it was a little messy in spots narratively. Hopes would be high for anybody that likes 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's' slice of life episodes and the character of Rainbow Dash. Count me in as one of those people on both counts, the show does well on this type of episode and the best Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo-centric outings are brilliant.
Sadly "Flight to the Finish" falls short of the brilliance of the best Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo-centric episodes. To me, it even fell short of greatness. There is a lot to like and nothing is done disastrously, but to me it was a bit uneven in overall quality and a lot of elements are done inconsistently, a mix of very well done and in other places bland. It is marginally better than "Daring Don't" (am aware that the present ratings here do not agree), but is not as good as the season's first three episodes. Generally liked "Flight to the Finish" and it's an above average effort but didn't find myself loving it.
"Flight to the Finish" does a lot very well. The animation is typically great, very beautifully detailed and vibrant and the improvement from Season 1 to now in the animation quality is evident (it was great from the start but got better and better). Nothing is as striking perhaps visually as the season's first three episodes, but it's very well crafted still. The music on the whole is harmonious with the action and pleasant to listen to, with a good deal of energy, groove and charm.
The writing does have some nice humour, though not as much as the previous two episodes, especially with Rainbow Dash and Silver Spoon's "blank flank" line. The story has many instances where it is fun and heart-warming with one of the season's best and most relatable lessons and it is carried by the characterisation and character interaction which is near spot on. The voice acting is also on point, especially Maddy Peters as Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash is great comic relief and while the Cutie Mark Crusaders in general are very well done Scootaloo gives the episode pathos and is relatable. Mrs Harshwhinny is a nice three dimensional character, the conflict has tension thanks to the brilliantly done character interactions (all the character relationships work) and Silver Spoon is amusing.
Diamond Tiara not so much, found her a bit dull here. Some of the story did strike me as on the too conventional side where all is done right with good intentions but there is not much original and on occasion the episode was a bit bland. At times it could have done with more heart as some of the episode is a bit flat in that and the emotional moments weren't enough outside of Scootaloo. The reaction to her quitting seemed rather uncharacteristically cold and indifferent.
In my view, Season 4's first song was disappointing. 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" is usually very successful when it comes to its songs, but this one was rather forgettable and some of the graphics were on the stiff side. "Flight to the Finish" would have been even better if it didn't try to do too much tonally (similar to "Daring Don't" but not quite as muddled as that episode) and stuck to one or two tones instead of like five, again there are also a lot of gear changes and some are abrupt.
Overall, above average but had potential to be more. 6/10
Sadly "Flight to the Finish" falls short of the brilliance of the best Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo-centric episodes. To me, it even fell short of greatness. There is a lot to like and nothing is done disastrously, but to me it was a bit uneven in overall quality and a lot of elements are done inconsistently, a mix of very well done and in other places bland. It is marginally better than "Daring Don't" (am aware that the present ratings here do not agree), but is not as good as the season's first three episodes. Generally liked "Flight to the Finish" and it's an above average effort but didn't find myself loving it.
"Flight to the Finish" does a lot very well. The animation is typically great, very beautifully detailed and vibrant and the improvement from Season 1 to now in the animation quality is evident (it was great from the start but got better and better). Nothing is as striking perhaps visually as the season's first three episodes, but it's very well crafted still. The music on the whole is harmonious with the action and pleasant to listen to, with a good deal of energy, groove and charm.
The writing does have some nice humour, though not as much as the previous two episodes, especially with Rainbow Dash and Silver Spoon's "blank flank" line. The story has many instances where it is fun and heart-warming with one of the season's best and most relatable lessons and it is carried by the characterisation and character interaction which is near spot on. The voice acting is also on point, especially Maddy Peters as Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash is great comic relief and while the Cutie Mark Crusaders in general are very well done Scootaloo gives the episode pathos and is relatable. Mrs Harshwhinny is a nice three dimensional character, the conflict has tension thanks to the brilliantly done character interactions (all the character relationships work) and Silver Spoon is amusing.
Diamond Tiara not so much, found her a bit dull here. Some of the story did strike me as on the too conventional side where all is done right with good intentions but there is not much original and on occasion the episode was a bit bland. At times it could have done with more heart as some of the episode is a bit flat in that and the emotional moments weren't enough outside of Scootaloo. The reaction to her quitting seemed rather uncharacteristically cold and indifferent.
In my view, Season 4's first song was disappointing. 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" is usually very successful when it comes to its songs, but this one was rather forgettable and some of the graphics were on the stiff side. "Flight to the Finish" would have been even better if it didn't try to do too much tonally (similar to "Daring Don't" but not quite as muddled as that episode) and stuck to one or two tones instead of like five, again there are also a lot of gear changes and some are abrupt.
Overall, above average but had potential to be more. 6/10
