Well here we are… the most controversial episode of the season. And I get to air my opinions about it before Season 4 gets released. It is clear that this episode pretty much split the fandom in half, half were saying it was great, half were saying they hated this episodes guts.
“Magical Mystery Cure” had one job to accomplish, to turn Twilight into a princess. Did it accomplish this? Sort of… the entirety of the episode was rushed to an abnormal extreme, it was jammed together to the point where one scene was comedy and the next was sadness. This provided a very unbalanced experience that dragged this episode down.
What occurs is that there is some sort of problem in Ponyville where the “Mane 6’s” cutie marks have all been shuffled, and they all suck at their new “jobs” (for example, Rarity controlling the weather). May I just say, this idea is AWESOME, I really loved this entire concept. Even if it makes cutie marks seem like destiny-controlling patches of fur, but I can let that slide.
Did this episode utilize this great concept? NOPE! Because in a split second it gets solved, and Twilight gets given two oversized wings, and then happiness and parades for the other six minutes of the episode. If only this episode was a two parter, it could have been a major success.
The entirety of it was done in a musical fashion, which is understandable because of the speed the plot has to progress. But does that excuse the fact that it was rushed? NO!
I must say, the songs were all great, especially the final one. However, the issue is that the story just begun (3 minutes in) and twilight is already knee-deep in figurative shit with trying to figure out what’s going on. The unfortunate bit is, we don’t have enough time in this plot to truly feel sorry for Twilight when she is sitting on her bed sad. Even the pretty song she sings (with a different color palette in the scene) isn’t enough to make me relate and feel bad for her, BECAUSE THE EPISODE JUST STARTED!
These are just some of the issues with the episode being rushed so much. However, it still provided an entertaining bit of TV that I sure as hell won’t forget. It wasn’t overly good, but it wasn’t overly bad either. The entire “Twilight is a Princess” change hasn’t really grown on me either. It’s still something that should have been postponed until the SERIES finale, not the season finale.
I say this because now Twilight has completed her circle (just like Dash, but in a bigger way). For example, when a “Will they, won’t they” couple finally gets married in a sitcom. That pretty much marks the end of their story, and from then on you can expect some repetitive malarkey. I’m hoping that they won’t resort to that with Twilight, but everything points to the fact that they will, because in the end, this show IS catered to a younger audience… and to sell toys.
Right after watching this episode, I already knew some of the stuff planned for Season 4. The entire cliché “oh no! I’m a new princess and I don’t know if I’ll be good!” Episode will probably be the season premier, and from then on they will explore what it’s like to be Princess for her. THIS. IS. NOT. GOOD. If I can guess how an episode will be done, and how it turns out, that automatically makes it BORING.
Now, I’m not saying the story in the premier will be bad, I’m just saying that the lesson (usually a big part of every episode) may be overdone and cliché, which is going to drag the entire episode down. The fact that this show was never truly “the Twilight Sparkle show” made me happy as well, the fact that she was put at the same level as all her friends made this somewhat of an ensemble cast instead of the other five being just supporting characters.
All I’m doing is just assuming, I don’t know anything yet. So it is to be seen soon, with season 4. But until then, I’m highly skeptical. As this episode would have made a decent ending to the show, it doesn’t really make a remarkable ending to a season.
Pros:
– All songs were well sung
– Applejack trying to make clothes
– Pinkamena returns, for a bit
– We get to see Celestia sing
Cons:
– Rushed to an EXTREME!
– Not enough time to relate to the characters problems
– A worrying change that I’m not certain about
– Six minutes of useless parades instead of actual story
Grade: C+
awkwardreviews 
Why ? Whyyy ? I’ve waited for a personality-swap episode since I started the show… And it lasts only half an episode ? And worst of all, it’s no taken in a comedic, but dramatic way ?
And yeah, I don’t like the change too. I’ve always liked Twilight as a bookish nerd, not as a princess (even if she still has the same personality). And like you said, I don’t want to see the show as the ‘Twilight Show’, I liked the fact that one of the Mane 6 was more important than the other, but not as much.
This is why I didn’t fully enjoyed A Canterlot Wedding and Equestria Girls, this was too focused around Twilight, and the Mane 6 were just side-characters.
The fan-service of this episode felt forced, like Pinkamena or Vinyl Scratch appearance.
That said, the songs were all amazing and unique (except “Behold Princess Twilight Sparkle” that just made me wanted to yell).
But I should be patient and see where the creators are taking this in season 4.
Meanwhile, I’d say Magical Mystery Cure is a good time, no alcohol required.