True to my word, I watched the newest episode for the first time yesterday. Was it awesome?
Fluttershy: "If anything happens to them, Twilight, then so help me…!"
Me: Bursts into laughter
At that point, I knew the episode was going to be amazing. And it was! The fact that they brought back a S1 villain is great into and of itself, but then they kept referencing back to previous episodes and "brony culture" right up to the 4th wall breaking at the end!
Just some cool stuff that I noticed and has probably already been talked about by now… I guess I'll put it in a spoiler tag, for those of you who haven't seen the episode yet and to save space for those of you who don't want to listen to my ramblings.
I'm pretty sure this was the first time we actually heard the term "alicorn" in the show, right? Looks like it's canon now.
Pinkiemouth.exe gets dragged to the trash bin. Words do not describe how funny I found this.
A couple references to previous episodes: parasprites, the mustache, and the rock farm. And, of course, Trixie's magic television was a nice touch. I really enjoyed their little magic duel!
And then… Rule 63 Applejack. What? I mean… what? I was shocked. Amazed, but also shocked. I think the internet is leaking…
Saddle Arabian ponies are actually horses. I guess that makes sense though. However, this also looks like the first mention of another country (besides Equestria/Kingdom of Canterlot). So that's pretty neat too. Looks like there is actually a whole world out there after all!
Trixie: "That was supposed to make you writhe in agony!!!"
Boy, that escalated quickly! Seriously, WRITHE IN AGONY? And I thought this was supposed to be a kids' show!
Now then, some relevant discussion material. Did you notice that Snails' cutie mark changed after the age spell? Do you think this was simply due to the spell, or could a pony's cutie mark actually change with age? Hmmm…
Also, and I know this has been mentioned before, but this episode was filled with what one might call "fan service." In this case, I really don't think it was a bad thing (heck, this episode is probably my favourite of S3 so far!), but how do you think this sort of fan service has affected the show in general? I mean, if it weren't for the fandom, how different do you think the show would be? The episodes seem to be getting crazier and crazier (in general), and maybe even a bit darker, and it seems that the show has evolved far beyond what it originally was.
To sum it up, I wonder what this newest episode (or season, or the show in general for that matter) would have been like if the brony fandom didn't exist… I guess only the little 6-year-olds in some weird alternate universe know for sure.