This DVD does showcase some of the more surprising episodes that MLP - FIM has produced. In Magical Mystery Cure, Twilight studies an old spell and discovers it has disastrous results. The spell ends up switching the cutie marks of her friends, resulting in a group of ponies that attempt to perform tasks and jobs for which they are poorly suited. Twilight finds the solution and ends up writing an addition to the spell which apparently fixes it.
So, there are a few problems with this episode. These might not be problems for a child watching the show, mind you, but I hold at least the season finale episode to a higher standard. First, what was the spell originally intended to do? It was a broken spell, but what the heck was it supposed to do? Actually it seemed to work quite nicely as an offensive spell without any meddling from Twilight. It pretty much ruined the lives of her friends. You know, if you were into that kind of thing. Second, there is so much singing. So. Much. Singing. Third, this all seems a bit arbitrary. Is this really the moment that should result in Twilight’s transformation? It feels like she’s done some things in the past that are more impressive than this. But I suppose it does go with the friendship is magic theme, and this is the ultimate test of friendship. Still, with the season finales of the past, this episode seemed a bit underwhelming. For a fourth point, I would add that there’s just not much explanation. This episode could have really added a lot to the show’s canon by explaining what a princess is, and what it means in this world. Does this mean Twilight will live for a thousand years like Celestia? Does this mean Twilight now has some greater royal duties? Will Twilight now be privy to all the deepest, darkest secrets of Equestria? As far as the episode explains, it just means Twilight is all sparkly, has wings, and now everyone loves her. Le sigh.
An episode I enjoyed more was Magic Duel. In this episode, the disgraced Trixie comes back to Ponyville for a rematch with Twilight. Honestly, this seems like a better test of Twilight’s skills than Magical Mystery Cure’s test, but oh well then. This episode showcases Twilight’s smarts, and a very practical application of those wits. It’s really nice to see that the show’s main magic user is a great character because of her intellect, and not just some mysterious magical power.
The other two episodes are not as big as Magic Duel and Magical Mystery Cure, but they are fun. Lesson Zero sets up the tone for most of the show by setting up the letters to Celestia we see at the end of each episode. Games Ponies Play is a case of mistaken identity, where the ponies spend all episode trying to impress the wrong pony. Mmmystery on the Friendship Express is your standard who done it episode. It includes the necessary stormy night with lightning and thunder. Actually, those three episodes are the least unique to MLP - FIM since they’re filled with a lot of cartoon tropes.
Overall, this is a pretty good DVD. In addition to these 5 episodes, the DVD has the standard one page pdf coloring sheet (it's a picture of Princess Twilight Sparkle) and a sing-along video. I won’t go on and on again about how these DVDs should at least be in order of air date. It would also be nice if these were arranged by seasons. This is how these shows are being sold, and how you can bring home a DVD for rather cheap, so there you go. For the princess fans out there, this DVD has the ultimate princess fest in the Magical Mystery Cure. For MLP fans in general, you might be left wanting a bit more.
