6:35 Torch could just flick most things like bugs due to his size. About Smolder, she probably didn't think of it because she keeps forgetting that Spike was raised among ponies.
Twink's reaction to you calling yourself cute was the best! Nice callback to your Gauntlet of Fire review. Honestly, the biggest detriment of the episode for me is the fact that there was so much build up regarding the molt, including the stone casing that Smolder neglected to mention, and yet the only result of all that build up is Spike getting wings. ... That's literally all that happened to him in the end. Spike got his wings. I would have liked the episode better if Spike got to keep some of that diamond pattern or some height.
Maybe a slight growth spurt too would have been nice? I like to imagine Spike having more of a four legged design, call me a nutty Spyro Fan I guess. I agree though the build up could have been better.
Can I just say how happy I am to see folks having a conversation about this episode? I love the new opinions and perspectives folks are sharing with me that I didn't consider. It's one of the things I've missed about reviewing, just having a conversation about it!
Yeah, I like the conversation aspect of it too. But conversation is a matter of novelty, and over time, it gets harder to say anything about the episode that hasn't already been said. I mean, you were just echoing my sentiments at 8:16.
I think the whole "kicking out their young when their stink is attracting predators" thing is less about any threat said predators pose to adult dragons themselves and more a test to see if the young dragons are strong and/or clever enough to survive the harassment of said predators on their own (and simultaneously weed out any potential "inferior weaklings" from the genepool, because that sounds just cruel & Spartan-esque enough for a society of dragons). If they survive the Molt, the new young adult dragons are welcomed back into dragon society (or whatever equates to it), and if not, no one would morn the death of a weakling (again, a ridiculously cruel practice for any sapient race to take with their offspring, but there's a sort of draconic logic to the whole thing).
Ancient Dragons like Torch, who are massive and well experienced in the struggles of life could provide safety for the youngs: if they don't take part of Dragon politic anymore, they can live as hermit of some kind, or simply retired and provide sanctuary and wisdom (and harsh training) for the futur adults
Let's remember humanity has had a few cultures that where just as cruel, Spartans, a highly romanticized culture, threw young they saw as potentially weak or defective off a cliff at BIRTH.
This review had me in giggles with your method of turning from a dragon back into a pony ^__^ the visuals where really nice and the way it was edited was pretty nice too, also that vector at 5:31 of your OC when by the pillows was, *ahem* unexpected ^^;; but still was a well put together vector pose/perspective :) look forward to seeing more reviews ;)
I feel you girl...puberty is the worst for everyone...the smell, the anger issues, etc...but we all have friends and family to support us in those embarrassing moments and even if we didn’t need them they’ll be there anyways rather you want them or not!
I watched this episode live with my five year old nephew. As Spike was going into his chrysalis, my nephew exclaimed, "Spike's gonna get his wings!" My jaw dropped THROUGH the floor. He's FIVE. When this episode came out, he still got his left and right shoes mixed up as often as not. That was really bucking cool.
What 'plot holes'? 1. Their last nest got trashed by dragons and we last saw them flying off from it, they just relocated. Secondly nothing said that first nest was even in the dragonlands at all, this was part of the Dragon Migration, that area could have just been a stop over en route. 2. Operative word on the phoenix feather deafness is 'can', not 'will' or 'does'. Seemed something more like an allergic reaction then anything else, Rarity just happened to be sensitive to it. What was 3? Dragons, yeah they are assholes. They are all about looking out for number one and being strong and tough, this is perfectly in keeping with their whole outlook on things as far as we've seen. But yeah, amazing episode and great use of having another Dragon around to explain things and clarify about the whole Greed Growth thing, as well as giving Spike his wings finally and settling so many questions that have been around since season 1. Also, that music for the change, epic. Now I'm kind of wishing Spike came out of the stone cocoon being voiced by Keith David.
i think the third was the whole phoenix are not suppose to be tame while having celes having one has a pet witch could be a exception a not the norm such has fiew cases of people having pets that was not ment to be pets and thus not the standard
@@frankspick7544 lol guess it works like..when someone's able to own a snake n specific parrots;; or Celestia is just, the ruler of all of Equestria and got permission to own one lol
@@Cheesecake-the-protogen no its like in piccolo voice"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
You've been long overdue for a review, Bliss! This was just so good to see after way too long! Also, Twink's reaction when you called yourself the "C" word!😆
@@OriginalFluffy978 th-cam.com/video/ygrEVnrg3Ic/w-d-xo.html Gargoyles was a 90s kids cartoon from Disney. It was also surprisingly mature and well written, even for a 90s kids show. That's the opening theme.
Pretty good review Bliss. But I think I have a explanation for the dragon thing that got yeah riled up. I think the Dragoness culture is similar to that of Spartan culture. after all Spartans once they get to a certain age (which is around the age of puberty if I understand it right) it is customary for the child of Spartan lineage to survive on their own in very harsh conditions learning important survival skills. I think that's how it's happening there.
my reaction to you saying "what a cute little dragon you are?" even though you said that you hate being cute, amazing job on your review, you are a Rainbow Fighting Gold, pure gold
*fangirl squeal* Okay, your review was awesome but I still cant stop smiling at your new backdrop and your new intro/outro. Hearing Rainbow Brite music makes me feel so happy.
What you suggested about being kicked out used as a test does seem to be what is suggested is the case by Smoulder planning on returning to her family for The Feast of Fire during Hearth's Warming Club, but it is definitely not explained that way in this episode, thus giving the wrong impression. I do think Smoulder intentionally withheld that information as a prank, clearly thinking Spike would get it, but failing to realize his living with ponies his whole life would not give him that foresight to see through her words like other dragons who were raised around other dragons
I see a few people pointing out the Spartan-esque nature of the dragon culture, but when I first sa the episode I came up with a completely different and more reasonable explanation. It has been hinted at a few times in the show that dragons are incredibly long lived creatures, with the frequency of their migration and how long ago the last Dragon lord was chosen. We even saw what looked like the last dragon lord fighting one of the Pillars before they were sealed away, over 1000 years ago. Yet despite this, we KNOW Spike is younger than the main cast since Twilight hatched him, so for him to hit puberty now means that dragons grow up incredibly fast in relation to their life expectancy(12 years out of 1000ish maybe). And all of the 'young' dragons we've seen all seem to be close in age, with Spike and Smolder seeming to be the youngest, with only Spike having not molted yet. This got me thinking that dragons have children every so often, and every generation has to go through this process in order to weed out the weak from the strong, AND to cull their numbers from growing too high and having the world overpopulated by dragons. IF a dragon is sexually mature some time after Molting(like humans are after puberty if this IS a puberty thing) then dragons could have a new generation nearly every 20 years or so. Even if it was every 50 or 100 years for a new generation, that would still be alot for a species capable of easily living 1000 years. Dragon territory is only so big and they only have so many resources, which adults would need alot of being so big, so being biologically inclined to keep the population as low as possible with a seemingly high birth rate would be the BEST thing for the species. If very few of the young survive the Molt, then the population grows slowly and they encroach less and less into the territories of the other races in order to sustain their growing population. Looking at it like this, it makes sense biologically AND culturally why they value the strongest, prey on the weak, and have such a ruthless outlook when dealing with other races. This and later Hearth's Warming club shows that kindness, friendship, and anything that can be seen as weakness aren't something their culture values or teaches. That being said, this episode, Hearth's Warming Club and Father Know's Beast all imply that dragon's do still care for and even look out for their young after molting, and that getting kicked out is only a temporary thing their parents are driven to do due to the smell and maybe out of concern for younger dragons who aren't ready to molt yet. Also, if you think about it this episode explains why Garble and the other teens wanted to destroy the phoenix eggs. If they recently had to survive attacks from giant birds, then it makes sense why they would hate them and take their repressed anger out on smaller birds.
Very nice points, I didn't consider the age might be a factor, but I still can't help and frown at the culture being okay with leaving smaller dragons to fend for themselves just because they smell and attract other predators. As a culture that would want to have a stablized population, you'd think they would do more then just simply say "You smell, I don't want to deal with rocs so cya later and good luck!" If it weren't for Spike's friends he probably wouldn't have survived his Roc encounter too, to put lightly. As a culture you want to expand your population, not decrease it but "weeding out the weak", that's barbaric to me. Though I think what it boils down to with both our views is that this show has several writers on it and obviously they can't go into details about dragon culture too much for one episode to explain why they do what they do, so we viewers have to fill in the gaps. Of course my views are more of an opinion supported by facts and why I feel this way. I like yours for sure though, it gives me more perspective on why things might be as they are. You got me thinking! Thanks so much!
@@lightning-bliss Well, the dragon population IS expanding, just slowly. Even if only a few survive this generation, that still adds to the existing, long lived population. The population would only decrease if the number of new dragons each generation was lower than the number of adult dragons that died during that timeframe. If one elder dragon died and 2 young dragons survived the molt, then the population has increased, but that's an extreme example. Culturally, dragons might have forgotten why they do this and have just accepted it as a way of life, and few dragons question it or feel the need to question it. If they grew up watching countless sibling never return and have had countless hatchlings never return, and down the line for countless generations, then it's NORMAL in their culture, expected even. Even for humans before the advent of modern medicine, high infant mortality was a common and expected part of life, with some families having multiple children with the expectation that not all of them would survive unless you were well off. But yeah, I hate to think that Spike most likely would have died if not for his friends protecting him, but I see that as being more like your snow leopard example. He'd survive just fine if he weren't abandoned, and that might even be what happened to his egg, but ponies intervened and protected him, which is a good thing. It may seem barbaric to us now, but even humans have had similar cultures, like the Spartans. The way I see it, it's not fair to call another culture Barbaric based on first impressions or because they do things we don't agree with or understand. Many cultures exist in a vacuum, like they have in our past before travel and communication became as easy as it is today. Just because we don't agree with their practices, that doesn't mean we should write them off and not try to understand their reasoning just because it makes us uncomfortable. There's always a deeper reason to why people do the things they do, even if the people don't know or can explain it themselves. I'm glad I got you thinking though, and yeah, we might never know what different writers think on the show's deeper cultures if they even thought it out that much. I just tend to take what information I'm given and come to the most logical conclusion in my mind for why things are the way they are. This is just what makes the most sense to me, besides the broad stroke of Dragon's being bad parents and their culture being barbaric. Such simple explanations are fine for a child(and this IS a kids show) but as you get older you understand the world isn't so black and white and such opinions prevent peoples from understanding each other.
I think you both have good points to make here. To use a tumblrism.... I suddenly feel dirty. Pink is noting the possible Watsonian reasoning of this kind of species wide behavior; well Lighting is calling out the possible Doylist reason for the dragons to be written in this manner. It depends on the viewer which is the more valued perspective.
@@Mister-Thirteen True, even though I have no idea who those people are. Different people have different perspectives on things, and it's important to listen to the reasoning of others and understand their viewpoints, even if it doesn't change your own. People think and process thing in different ways after all.
@@PinkSneaselGirl Its a reference to Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle was the author yet in the books the person actually writing the story is Watson; Sherlock's companion. Watsonian is reading a narrative by its own internal standards and the rules governing that narrative. Like say: "If Hyperdrive can destroy a whole fleet with a single ship doesn't this invalidate most of the threats of the last 7 films?" Is a Watsonian question pointing out a break in the internal logic of the narrative. Well asking "Why did the writers feel they had to create a deus-ex machina plot device to escape a situation that is the central point for the entire film?" is a Doylist question that treats the film as an object. In this review Lightning actually plays with both forms of this analysis.
T'was a fun review Bliss, but as some of the comments stated dragons have their own culture and customs. they've probably been doing the 'kick-out during Molt' for centuries, maybe even milennia. Either way, Spike is growing up after so long and hopefully we'll see even more development for the little guy in Season 9 and more MLP shorts. On a side note: 6:15 Are you actively TRYING to attract the NSFW artists!?
I know I'm a little late so let me get all of my fangirling out of the way in a list so you don't have to worry about trying to understand it. 1. OMG! Blissy! I love your new intro! 2. OMG! Yes! Dragon blissy is back! 3. Yes yes yes! Another blissy video. The reason I love them is because she is so beautiful and kind. She helps me smile when I am down so I love her for that. Thanks for getting me ready for a rough day Lightning Bliss. The brave and bold Lightning Bliss!
I’d like to think the whole “kicking the molting kin out because of the smell” thing as more of a coming-of-age test. It’s kind of unsettling to think that dragons would just leave their young the moment they hit this sudden spurt of puberty, especially when it turns out to be temporary. Also, the Gargoyles theme was nice. I miss that show...
6:07 - Pause (paws?) for a huge *SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!* for the leopard cubs. Thank Celestia they have humans to care for them if their mother has abandoned them. They are BEYOND adorable!!!
Okay, the wing-made "air quotes" made me laugh WAY harder than it should have! I don't know why, it just came out of nowhere and smacked me right in the funnybone! XD
10:05 Here is the joke -> They LITERALLY waited the PROPER time for "Spike The Dragon" [franchise item] to develop from his originally child-ish first ever depiction on "Rescue at Midnight Castle" to the point where his development AS A DRAGON should have gotten him wings and a more "young teenager" attitude [aka ~30 years].
I'm also willing to bet that some parents and siblings DO protect their children or siblings during The Molt. But I also have the theory that dragons USED to need The Molt, but got so tough and smart over the centuries or millenia that they ALL survive, unless they're incredibly sickly or stupid.
I think smolder was just trying to get to him and make him freak out for amusement sake, because she states that she's seen other molts before and in earlier episodes that did involve the dragon lands some of the older dragons did care for the young up till teenage years were they tool care of themselves
Huh,you're idea at the end reminds me of Stump Day from the Jim Henson's show Dinosaurs, where they left their child on a stump alone for a bit to teach em the importance of family. They then took em to their version of McDonalds where they got a happy meal.
Blissey boo I have a thought it could be that young dragons going through the molt are actually watched and guarded by elder dragons without them being told of it otherwise I would figure that dragons wouldn't be nearly as plentiful and on a different note it could be that even older dragons experience the molt and like a snake getting ready to molt its skin it is a period of high vulnerability though not necessarily one that has a extended duration
Allow me to offer this theory to help ease your concerns with Smolder and dragons in general - she was jerking Spike's chain. Admittedly, it doesn't make her look much better, but it's still consistent with her character.
But to be fair, many reptiles actually are independent from birth. Snakes, Chameleons, Sea turtles, geckos, Once their eggs are laid the mother usually abandons them. Also dragons are raised on resilience and a strong sense of independence so it doesn't surprise me that dragon parents would kick out their kids when its the time off their molt.
Smolder: The adult dragons abandon their young at the first stone scale. *pause* Lightning Bliss: ... TWINK, THE MIRROR! Twink: *pushes mirror to Blissy* Lightning bliss: *inhale* OH MY GOSH AREN'T YOU THE CUTEST WITTLE BITTLE RAINBOW DRAGON! Twink: 0_0
Just a theory about the abandonment of dragon kids: maybe because dragons are seen as big strong independent creatures then maybe the abandonment is the parents instinctual choice of filing down the weak dragons, in a game of natural selection. If you survive the molt and all its predators, than you are worthy and fit to be a dragon and carry on a legacy
To be honest, it would have made a lot more sense if the feathers of that Pheonix caused Rarity to be in some state of blindness, since Pheonix feathers in Equestria light up pretty brightly it would make sense for it to possibly happen when taken out of the pheonix, just at random times. This wouldn't have changed much, it would've just taken as long as Spike did to finally go to Zakora, she would here some babbling about a rock, someone gasping when Spike got his wings, and possibly when she was being carried for a minute or so she would've thought that Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy was trying to carry her because she couldn't see. Mabey if Hasbro knew this before making this episode officially cannon, they would've realized that making Rarity go blind instead of losing hearing would've not only made more sense, but also might've put in some extra zing into the episode. Well, because of their mistakes, they now have to suffer through the voices of the Brony Community. Though now that I think about it, it kinda makes sense for the pheonix feathers to also make Rarity go deaf, sure, it's a loophole, but it's a plausible loophole. Whenever you see a Pheonix in MLP light up, you hear a strange sound, which isn't just the Phoenix's shrieking. I think that whenever a Pheonix lights up, they can create a mysterious sound frequency, which at times might make others go deaf, in fact, this might've been put into MLP to make this loophole more plausible. Sure, the going blind thing would've made more sense, but Hasbro does what Hasbro wants, I guess
many creatures, inclusive of horses hit puberty, and then, the boys, that are going to be kicked out, with lions as well, as elephants, and they are species that are known to be centient, group animals
i have only 2 comments: 1 during the episode i seen multiple reasons for Silver Quill to rant his running gag of: Continuity! and 2- when spike got wings first thing that came to mind: DAMNED M.A LARSEN!!! (even i like spike with wings now i just could not help it but think that)
and to be fair. dragons are shown as EXTREMELY spartanic and well. draconian. in my mind the abandonment makes sense. if the child can survive through this period in life they will be fit to grow into a full dragon. it's cruel sure. but we also think the spartans were cruel for throwing children not deemed perfectly fit off cliffs now don't we.
In ancient rome, some infants would be abandoned if the were deemed weak or the family was unable to care for it. Either the child would die or be taken in by a family more able to care for it. Ancient Rome was a civilisation with sentient beings, a social order, and laws.
... *Drops gasoline near fire.* Abortion. At least dragons stand pretty good chance of surviving The Molt, thanks to the fire belching and stone transformation. But... humans do worse than this. It's not a NICE thing for me to point out, but it's the truth.
to be fair we have see at least two dragon with they parent one the new dragon lord with her dad and garble with his mum and are we sure the two time we meet other dragon it just a right of passage thing for dragon
Yeah, that's how it came off to me, they just get kicked out while dealing with this, then can come back if they want to. Plus, given Smolder, it would not surprise me in the least if she was exaggerating things a bit.
Nice to see more reviews from you. You may wish to take a look at your audio gain settings. The scene from the show was way too quiet, and the opening and ending themes were quite loud.
Well I can't argue about your reasons that kicking the children out of there home is dumb thing from the parents to do But besides that I can still go back to the episode and enjoy it especially because of the big moment when Spike got his wings 😊 Great new posses by the way👍❤ and the moment when blissy the dragon turned back to the normal alicorn form was really funny😂
I found two baby kittens not long ago..and I’m assuming their mother abandoned them or got killed by some other animal..but we took care of them and gave them new owners now
DRAGON BLISS IS BEST BLISS! DRAGON BLISS IS BEST BLISS! Also...in Brony D&D, am I right in guessing that your character is a Dragonspawn (a human who can change in an out of a dragon form at will?) If yes; then, that is AWESOME! All you need now is a Thu'um and you're the whole package of dragon awesomeness. Just...be careful around Twink, when you're in that form (NOTE: For those unfamiliar with Skyrim, "Thu'um" is the Draconic word for "Shout.")
Considering from Smolder's perspective, parents kick their molting kids out. An older, more adult dragon might describe it as being a time where a dragon has grown enough to leave the nest. We've only got Smolder's interpretation to go off of and we can't exactly take the word of a young teenage dragon as total law on all dragon culture or even most of it when it's still being told by a prospective rather than an adult explanation.
For all we know... Smolder´s parents (or more likely, her older brother) were keeping an eye on her all the time EXACTLY like Rarity, Rainbow and Twilight did on Spike back in S2 on "Dragon Quest" [she just never notice them]; ready to step up if one of those "predators" proven to be too much for her to handle.
@@adolfodef We really just don't know, although I agree that it is quite a good possabiliy. (i don't remember noticing that Smolder had a brother). Although perhaps the single most interesting thing is that we learned from this episode is that Dragons have predators. Even the scariest creatures in Equestria are not top of the food chain, although rarely does it happen.
"This is straight up child abandonment here, dragons or not" Bliss, a good chunk if not ALL of the animal species on earth want to have a word with you.
back then i usually thought that the previous dragon lord was Bahamut who in legend and myth is said to be the king of dragons? so why the heck isn't he shown here!? It would be awesome to see Bahamut in the MLP series! :D
6:35
Torch could just flick most things like bugs due to his size.
About Smolder, she probably didn't think of it because she keeps forgetting that Spike was raised among ponies.
Honestly, I'm just glad the little dude FINALLY got his wings, Luna knows he's earned them by a country wide mile.
Nice use of the Gargoyles theme it was nicely placed and great review as always
TH-camr Critic
Gargoyle! THAT’S where I’ve heard it before!
I KNEW it sounded familiar!
I never thought that would fit perfectly wow
I KNOW RIGHT!!!!
Twink's expression when you gushed over your own cuteness is GOLD! XD
Twink's reaction to you calling yourself cute was the best! Nice callback to your Gauntlet of Fire review.
Honestly, the biggest detriment of the episode for me is the fact that there was so much build up regarding the molt, including the stone casing that Smolder neglected to mention, and yet the only result of all that build up is Spike getting wings. ... That's literally all that happened to him in the end. Spike got his wings. I would have liked the episode better if Spike got to keep some of that diamond pattern or some height.
Maybe a slight growth spurt too would have been nice? I like to imagine Spike having more of a four legged design, call me a nutty Spyro Fan I guess. I agree though the build up could have been better.
@@lightning-bliss oh by the way NARUTO SHIPPUDEN RAMEN he has your picture on Tik Tok
Can I just say how happy I am to see folks having a conversation about this episode? I love the new opinions and perspectives folks are sharing with me that I didn't consider. It's one of the things I've missed about reviewing, just having a conversation about it!
Yeah, I like the conversation aspect of it too. But conversation is a matter of novelty, and over time, it gets harder to say anything about the episode that hasn't already been said.
I mean, you were just echoing my sentiments at 8:16.
Makes sense.
I think the whole "kicking out their young when their stink is attracting predators" thing is less about any threat said predators pose to adult dragons themselves and more a test to see if the young dragons are strong and/or clever enough to survive the harassment of said predators on their own (and simultaneously weed out any potential "inferior weaklings" from the genepool, because that sounds just cruel & Spartan-esque enough for a society of dragons). If they survive the Molt, the new young adult dragons are welcomed back into dragon society (or whatever equates to it), and if not, no one would morn the death of a weakling (again, a ridiculously cruel practice for any sapient race to take with their offspring, but there's a sort of draconic logic to the whole thing).
Ancient Dragons like Torch, who are massive and well experienced in the struggles of life could provide safety for the youngs: if they don't take part of Dragon politic anymore, they can live as hermit of some kind, or simply retired and provide sanctuary and wisdom (and harsh training) for the futur adults
that's what I believe to
I was literally typing down my comment, looked down, and saw someone beat me to it!
My thoughts exactly. A very similar practice done by the Spartan civilization in antiquity called the Agoge.
Let's remember humanity has had a few cultures that where just as cruel, Spartans, a highly romanticized culture, threw young they saw as potentially weak or defective off a cliff at BIRTH.
This review had me in giggles with your method of turning from a dragon back into a pony ^__^ the visuals where really nice and the way it was edited was pretty nice too, also that vector at 5:31 of your OC when by the pillows was, *ahem* unexpected ^^;; but still was a well put together vector pose/perspective :) look forward to seeing more reviews ;)
I feel you girl...puberty is the worst for everyone...the smell, the anger issues, etc...but we all have friends and family to support us in those embarrassing moments and even if we didn’t need them they’ll be there anyways rather you want them or not!
It’s not the rainbows that make me smile it’s the beautiful voice attached to those rainbows
I watched this episode live with my five year old nephew. As Spike was going into his chrysalis, my nephew exclaimed, "Spike's gonna get his wings!" My jaw dropped THROUGH the floor. He's FIVE. When this episode came out, he still got his left and right shoes mixed up as often as not.
That was really bucking cool.
5:05 I didn't catch that at first until I remember that you needed to do that in order to change back.
What 'plot holes'?
1. Their last nest got trashed by dragons and we last saw them flying off from it, they just relocated. Secondly nothing said that first nest was even in the dragonlands at all, this was part of the Dragon Migration, that area could have just been a stop over en route.
2. Operative word on the phoenix feather deafness is 'can', not 'will' or 'does'. Seemed something more like an allergic reaction then anything else, Rarity just happened to be sensitive to it.
What was 3?
Dragons, yeah they are assholes. They are all about looking out for number one and being strong and tough, this is perfectly in keeping with their whole outlook on things as far as we've seen.
But yeah, amazing episode and great use of having another Dragon around to explain things and clarify about the whole Greed Growth thing, as well as giving Spike his wings finally and settling so many questions that have been around since season 1. Also, that music for the change, epic. Now I'm kind of wishing Spike came out of the stone cocoon being voiced by Keith David.
i think the third was the whole phoenix are not suppose to be tame while having celes having one has a pet witch could be a exception a not the norm such has fiew cases of people having pets that was not ment to be pets and thus not the standard
@@frankspick7544 lol guess it works like..when someone's able to own a snake n specific parrots;; or Celestia is just, the ruler of all of Equestria and got permission to own one lol
NEEEEEEEEEERD!
@@Cheesecake-the-protogen very immature lol
@@Cheesecake-the-protogen no its like in piccolo voice"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
You've been long overdue for a review, Bliss! This was just so good to see after way too long!
Also, Twink's reaction when you called yourself the "C" word!😆
Ooooh! Nice gargoyles reference! (Surprised nobody thought of it before.)
@@OriginalFluffy978 th-cam.com/video/ygrEVnrg3Ic/w-d-xo.html
Gargoyles was a 90s kids cartoon from Disney. It was also surprisingly mature and well written, even for a 90s kids show.
That's the opening theme.
Totally agree
I like dragons! Also great new opening Lightning Bliss.
Pretty good review Bliss. But I think I have a explanation for the dragon thing that got yeah riled up. I think the Dragoness culture is similar to that of Spartan culture. after all Spartans once they get to a certain age (which is around the age of puberty if I understand it right) it is customary for the child of Spartan lineage to survive on their own in very harsh conditions learning important survival skills. I think that's how it's happening there.
So the dragons are Spartan now, cool
@@Skystreak113 Just without the armor, helmets, spears and...the sense of honor (except for Spike)
Soma Pacific cultures did it as well... not something seen in Moana but likely on that island!
my reaction to you saying "what a cute little dragon you are?" even though you said that you hate being cute, amazing job on your review, you are a Rainbow Fighting Gold, pure gold
I think it was pun.
**grabs shield, crouches down behind it**
She's belittling herself.
Shadrow the Demon Fox oh my
@Shadow Fireclaws When she asked for the mirror, I was confused. But once she said that, my jaw DROPPED. Same exact reaction as you and Twink.
5:05 I think Twink's face speaks for us all
Great video, it's always nice to see my favorite character get an episode that doesn't send the fandom into a rage.
*fangirl squeal* Okay, your review was awesome but I still cant stop smiling at your new backdrop and your new intro/outro. Hearing Rainbow Brite music makes me feel so happy.
Bliss calling herself cute!?!?
HUMAN SACRIFICE!
DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER!
MASS HISTERIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*(plays "End of the World")*
Me: *plays soviet anthem*
5:10 I can't with Twink's reaction! XD
What you suggested about being kicked out used as a test does seem to be what is suggested is the case by Smoulder planning on returning to her family for The Feast of Fire during Hearth's Warming Club, but it is definitely not explained that way in this episode, thus giving the wrong impression.
I do think Smoulder intentionally withheld that information as a prank, clearly thinking Spike would get it, but failing to realize his living with ponies his whole life would not give him that foresight to see through her words like other dragons who were raised around other dragons
5:05 ! Blissy. Called herself, cute. WHAT SORCERY IS THIS?!?! Is Aeon possessing her again?
I see a few people pointing out the Spartan-esque nature of the dragon culture, but when I first sa the episode I came up with a completely different and more reasonable explanation. It has been hinted at a few times in the show that dragons are incredibly long lived creatures, with the frequency of their migration and how long ago the last Dragon lord was chosen. We even saw what looked like the last dragon lord fighting one of the Pillars before they were sealed away, over 1000 years ago. Yet despite this, we KNOW Spike is younger than the main cast since Twilight hatched him, so for him to hit puberty now means that dragons grow up incredibly fast in relation to their life expectancy(12 years out of 1000ish maybe). And all of the 'young' dragons we've seen all seem to be close in age, with Spike and Smolder seeming to be the youngest, with only Spike having not molted yet. This got me thinking that dragons have children every so often, and every generation has to go through this process in order to weed out the weak from the strong, AND to cull their numbers from growing too high and having the world overpopulated by dragons. IF a dragon is sexually mature some time after Molting(like humans are after puberty if this IS a puberty thing) then dragons could have a new generation nearly every 20 years or so. Even if it was every 50 or 100 years for a new generation, that would still be alot for a species capable of easily living 1000 years. Dragon territory is only so big and they only have so many resources, which adults would need alot of being so big, so being biologically inclined to keep the population as low as possible with a seemingly high birth rate would be the BEST thing for the species. If very few of the young survive the Molt, then the population grows slowly and they encroach less and less into the territories of the other races in order to sustain their growing population. Looking at it like this, it makes sense biologically AND culturally why they value the strongest, prey on the weak, and have such a ruthless outlook when dealing with other races. This and later Hearth's Warming club shows that kindness, friendship, and anything that can be seen as weakness aren't something their culture values or teaches. That being said, this episode, Hearth's Warming Club and Father Know's Beast all imply that dragon's do still care for and even look out for their young after molting, and that getting kicked out is only a temporary thing their parents are driven to do due to the smell and maybe out of concern for younger dragons who aren't ready to molt yet.
Also, if you think about it this episode explains why Garble and the other teens wanted to destroy the phoenix eggs. If they recently had to survive attacks from giant birds, then it makes sense why they would hate them and take their repressed anger out on smaller birds.
Very nice points, I didn't consider the age might be a factor, but I still can't help and frown at the culture being okay with leaving smaller dragons to fend for themselves just because they smell and attract other predators. As a culture that would want to have a stablized population, you'd think they would do more then just simply say "You smell, I don't want to deal with rocs so cya later and good luck!" If it weren't for Spike's friends he probably wouldn't have survived his Roc encounter too, to put lightly. As a culture you want to expand your population, not decrease it but "weeding out the weak", that's barbaric to me.
Though I think what it boils down to with both our views is that this show has several writers on it and obviously they can't go into details about dragon culture too much for one episode to explain why they do what they do, so we viewers have to fill in the gaps. Of course my views are more of an opinion supported by facts and why I feel this way. I like yours for sure though, it gives me more perspective on why things might be as they are. You got me thinking! Thanks so much!
@@lightning-bliss Well, the dragon population IS expanding, just slowly. Even if only a few survive this generation, that still adds to the existing, long lived population. The population would only decrease if the number of new dragons each generation was lower than the number of adult dragons that died during that timeframe. If one elder dragon died and 2 young dragons survived the molt, then the population has increased, but that's an extreme example. Culturally, dragons might have forgotten why they do this and have just accepted it as a way of life, and few dragons question it or feel the need to question it. If they grew up watching countless sibling never return and have had countless hatchlings never return, and down the line for countless generations, then it's NORMAL in their culture, expected even. Even for humans before the advent of modern medicine, high infant mortality was a common and expected part of life, with some families having multiple children with the expectation that not all of them would survive unless you were well off.
But yeah, I hate to think that Spike most likely would have died if not for his friends protecting him, but I see that as being more like your snow leopard example. He'd survive just fine if he weren't abandoned, and that might even be what happened to his egg, but ponies intervened and protected him, which is a good thing. It may seem barbaric to us now, but even humans have had similar cultures, like the Spartans. The way I see it, it's not fair to call another culture Barbaric based on first impressions or because they do things we don't agree with or understand. Many cultures exist in a vacuum, like they have in our past before travel and communication became as easy as it is today. Just because we don't agree with their practices, that doesn't mean we should write them off and not try to understand their reasoning just because it makes us uncomfortable. There's always a deeper reason to why people do the things they do, even if the people don't know or can explain it themselves.
I'm glad I got you thinking though, and yeah, we might never know what different writers think on the show's deeper cultures if they even thought it out that much. I just tend to take what information I'm given and come to the most logical conclusion in my mind for why things are the way they are. This is just what makes the most sense to me, besides the broad stroke of Dragon's being bad parents and their culture being barbaric. Such simple explanations are fine for a child(and this IS a kids show) but as you get older you understand the world isn't so black and white and such opinions prevent peoples from understanding each other.
I think you both have good points to make here.
To use a tumblrism.... I suddenly feel dirty.
Pink is noting the possible Watsonian reasoning of this kind of species wide behavior; well Lighting is calling out the possible Doylist reason for the dragons to be written in this manner. It depends on the viewer which is the more valued perspective.
@@Mister-Thirteen True, even though I have no idea who those people are. Different people have different perspectives on things, and it's important to listen to the reasoning of others and understand their viewpoints, even if it doesn't change your own. People think and process thing in different ways after all.
@@PinkSneaselGirl Its a reference to Sherlock Holmes. Arthur Conan Doyle was the author yet in the books the person actually writing the story is Watson; Sherlock's companion.
Watsonian is reading a narrative by its own internal standards and the rules governing that narrative. Like say: "If Hyperdrive can destroy a whole fleet with a single ship doesn't this invalidate most of the threats of the last 7 films?" Is a Watsonian question pointing out a break in the internal logic of the narrative.
Well asking "Why did the writers feel they had to create a deus-ex machina plot device to escape a situation that is the central point for the entire film?" is a Doylist question that treats the film as an object.
In this review Lightning actually plays with both forms of this analysis.
T'was a fun review Bliss, but as some of the comments stated dragons have their own culture and customs. they've probably been doing the 'kick-out during Molt' for centuries, maybe even milennia. Either way, Spike is growing up after so long and hopefully we'll see even more development for the little guy in Season 9 and more MLP shorts.
On a side note:
6:15 Are you actively TRYING to attract the NSFW artists!?
I know I'm a little late so let me get all of my fangirling out of the way in a list so you don't have to worry about trying to understand it.
1. OMG! Blissy! I love your new intro!
2. OMG! Yes! Dragon blissy is back!
3. Yes yes yes! Another blissy video. The reason I love them is because she is so beautiful and kind. She helps me smile when I am down so I love her for that. Thanks for getting me ready for a rough day Lightning Bliss. The brave and bold Lightning Bliss!
5:05 did I just hear what I think I just did?!?
5:04 Oooooh, I get it. She's...
**grabs shield and crouches behind it**
...belittling herself.
Me: *uses tank as shield* now thats a shield
Perfect, my thoughts on this episode are the same.
P.S. more dragon bliss please
I’d like to think the whole “kicking the molting kin out because of the smell” thing as more of a coming-of-age test. It’s kind of unsettling to think that dragons would just leave their young the moment they hit this sudden spurt of puberty, especially when it turns out to be temporary.
Also, the Gargoyles theme was nice. I miss that show...
Yay, dragon bliss returns!!!!! *Jumps up and down with excitement*
dragon bliss is also on tf2 in dr wolf.
Great review Lighting
Well thought out, well written and high production values !
There's a lot here that I never considered when I watched the episode.
6:33 I think a saw one of blissy's art works.
6:07 - Pause (paws?) for a huge *SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!* for the leopard cubs. Thank Celestia they have humans to care for them if their mother has abandoned them. They are BEYOND adorable!!!
Nice Bliss, thanks for a great review
Wow the intro you got is great lightning bliss
Awesome and phenomenal review Bliss
this was a fun review to watch, but my 2 fave moments were what you did with your wings, and the 2 butt shots you decided to use. those were funny
I really like your dragon form bliss
Okay, the wing-made "air quotes" made me laugh WAY harder than it should have! I don't know why, it just came out of nowhere and smacked me right in the funnybone! XD
10:05 Here is the joke -> They LITERALLY waited the PROPER time for "Spike The Dragon" [franchise item] to develop from his originally child-ish first ever depiction on "Rescue at Midnight Castle" to the point where his development AS A DRAGON should have gotten him wings and a more "young teenager" attitude [aka ~30 years].
Fabulous review on this Episode Lightning Bliss. Have a wonderful day.
5:36 so this is where I make the oops panty shot joke
Lol, good job with the Gargoyles theme. That was perfect!
Maybe this is also a callback to Spike’s worst fear, being kicked out by Twilight.
I like to think that the dragons except their young back when the malt ends, therefore, making it only temporary abandonment.
@Lightning Bliss it makes them only partial jerks
I'm also willing to bet that some parents and siblings DO protect their children or siblings during The Molt.
But I also have the theory that dragons USED to need The Molt, but got so tough and smart over the centuries or millenia that they ALL survive, unless they're incredibly sickly or stupid.
Lightning Bliss careful we all remember how the last review turned out
It's really great to see you reviewing again
Great review Lightning Bliss and love the new intro and outro
Awesome Review Bliss :)
So the Dragons act like Fantasy Spartans. I can live with it. Not every civilization in a fantasy world have to be paragons of virtue.
pretty cool! nice job blissy! ALSO COOL DRAGON!!!
Twilight and Spike are now wing pals! ^^ Still, I'm gonna miss Spike riding on Twilight's back, that was cute in the first few seasons.
I need to redraw the fan art of you in your dragon form ASAP.
I love Twinks Reaction @ 5:10 XD
I think smolder was just trying to get to him and make him freak out for amusement sake, because she states that she's seen other molts before and in earlier episodes that did involve the dragon lands some of the older dragons did care for the young up till teenage years were they tool care of themselves
Huh,you're idea at the end reminds me of Stump Day from the Jim Henson's show Dinosaurs, where they left their child on a stump alone for a bit to teach em the importance of family. They then took em to their version of McDonalds where they got a happy meal.
This reaction is positively sensational and fantastic Lightning Bliss i love it, "The Molt Down" is one of my most favorite episodes of season 8.
Blissey boo I have a thought it could be that young dragons going through the molt are actually watched and guarded by elder dragons without them being told of it otherwise I would figure that dragons wouldn't be nearly as plentiful and on a different note it could be that even older dragons experience the molt and like a snake getting ready to molt its skin it is a period of high vulnerability though not necessarily one that has a extended duration
The return of dragon blissy
Allow me to offer this theory to help ease your concerns with Smolder and dragons in general - she was jerking Spike's chain. Admittedly, it doesn't make her look much better, but it's still consistent with her character.
I think dragons are just so tough and smart that they ALL survive The Molt with few issues.
Or parents and siblings help the molting dragon out.
But to be fair, many reptiles actually are independent from birth. Snakes, Chameleons, Sea turtles, geckos, Once their eggs are laid the mother usually abandons them. Also dragons are raised on resilience and a strong sense of independence so it doesn't surprise me that dragon parents would kick out their kids when its the time off their molt.
Smolder: The adult dragons abandon their young at the first stone scale.
*pause*
Lightning Bliss: ... TWINK, THE MIRROR!
Twink: *pushes mirror to Blissy*
Lightning bliss: *inhale* OH MY GOSH AREN'T YOU THE CUTEST WITTLE BITTLE RAINBOW DRAGON!
Twink: 0_0
more like that ⊙[]⊙
Just a theory about the abandonment of dragon kids: maybe because dragons are seen as big strong independent creatures then maybe the abandonment is the parents instinctual choice of filing down the weak dragons, in a game of natural selection. If you survive the molt and all its predators, than you are worthy and fit to be a dragon and carry on a legacy
I think most parents are tempted to kick their teens out of the house at least once.
Ooh-hoo-hoo! Love the Gargoyles reference @7:42!
oh my goodness! twinks face when she called herself cute
How did i know she was going to use the Gargoyle opening theme music for spike being stone and breaking out of the stone
To be honest, it would have made a lot more sense if the feathers of that Pheonix caused Rarity to be in some state of blindness, since Pheonix feathers in Equestria light up pretty brightly it would make sense for it to possibly happen when taken out of the pheonix, just at random times. This wouldn't have changed much, it would've just taken as long as Spike did to finally go to Zakora, she would here some babbling about a rock, someone gasping when Spike got his wings, and possibly when she was being carried for a minute or so she would've thought that Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy was trying to carry her because she couldn't see. Mabey if Hasbro knew this before making this episode officially cannon, they would've realized that making Rarity go blind instead of losing hearing would've not only made more sense, but also might've put in some extra zing into the episode. Well, because of their mistakes, they now have to suffer through the voices of the Brony Community. Though now that I think about it, it kinda makes sense for the pheonix feathers to also make Rarity go deaf, sure, it's a loophole, but it's a plausible loophole. Whenever you see a Pheonix in MLP light up, you hear a strange sound, which isn't just the Phoenix's shrieking. I think that whenever a Pheonix lights up, they can create a mysterious sound frequency, which at times might make others go deaf, in fact, this might've been put into MLP to make this loophole more plausible. Sure, the going blind thing would've made more sense, but Hasbro does what Hasbro wants, I guess
Great Review Bliss!
many creatures, inclusive of horses hit puberty, and then, the boys, that are going to be kicked out, with lions as well, as elephants, and they are species that are known to be centient, group animals
I like the callback to your Dragon having the release form of something cute
i have only 2 comments: 1 during the episode i seen multiple reasons for Silver Quill to rant his running gag of: Continuity! and 2- when spike got wings first thing that came to mind: DAMNED M.A LARSEN!!! (even i like spike with wings now i just could not help it but think that)
I prefer to think that she was just messing with Spike in telling him all that.
and to be fair. dragons are shown as EXTREMELY spartanic and well. draconian. in my mind the abandonment makes sense. if the child can survive through this period in life they will be fit to grow into a full dragon. it's cruel sure. but we also think the spartans were cruel for throwing children not deemed perfectly fit off cliffs now don't we.
In ancient rome, some infants would be abandoned if the were deemed weak or the family was unable to care for it. Either the child would die or be taken in by a family more able to care for it. Ancient Rome was a civilisation with sentient beings, a social order, and laws.
... *Drops gasoline near fire.* Abortion.
At least dragons stand pretty good chance of surviving The Molt, thanks to the fire belching and stone transformation. But... humans do worse than this.
It's not a NICE thing for me to point out, but it's the truth.
7:42 Gargoyles theme XD
[hears familiar cartoon theme going off] Bliss, nice choice!
to be fair we have see at least two dragon with they parent one the new dragon lord with her dad and garble with his mum and are we sure the two time we meet other dragon it just a right of passage thing for dragon
Yeah, that's how it came off to me, they just get kicked out while dealing with this, then can come back if they want to. Plus, given Smolder, it would not surprise me in the least if she was exaggerating things a bit.
what garble's mom?
Art-C Swirler at the end you see him hug his mum and she hug him back
“Oh my gosh, aren’t you the cutest little bittle rainbow dragon?”
(Twink’s jaw drop)
I can’t believe you actually did this to yourself, Bliss.
Nice to see more reviews from you. You may wish to take a look at your audio gain settings. The scene from the show was way too quiet, and the opening and ending themes were quite loud.
Well I can't argue about your reasons that kicking the children out of there home is dumb thing from the parents to do
But besides that I can still go back to the episode and enjoy it especially because of the big moment when Spike got his wings 😊
Great new posses by the way👍❤ and the moment when blissy the dragon turned back to the normal alicorn form was really funny😂
Embrace the eviler parts of fiction. Join us in the dark side, we have cookies.
I found two baby kittens not long ago..and I’m assuming their mother abandoned them or got killed by some other animal..but we took care of them and gave them new owners now
i can describe a roc simply like this: it's a giant freaking eagle beast thing and it likes to eat everything from horses to small dragons
It's been a minute since your last episode review, I missed you.
EEEYEEEETT
Been waiting for a new review.
DRAGONBLISSY FTW!!!
Wait? You have a legitimate intro now? Neat.
Hey Blissy great video and hope your doing okay.
DRAGON BLISS IS BEST BLISS! DRAGON BLISS IS BEST BLISS!
Also...in Brony D&D, am I right in guessing that your character is a Dragonspawn (a human who can change in an out of a dragon form at will?) If yes; then, that is AWESOME!
All you need now is a Thu'um and you're the whole package of dragon awesomeness. Just...be careful around Twink, when you're in that form
(NOTE: For those unfamiliar with Skyrim, "Thu'um" is the Draconic word for "Shout.")
Spike looks like Spyro now all he needs is just a color palette swap for his wings and spines Then he’ll be ready to fight nasty norK
0:25 Dragon up
Considering from Smolder's perspective, parents kick their molting kids out. An older, more adult dragon might describe it as being a time where a dragon has grown enough to leave the nest. We've only got Smolder's interpretation to go off of and we can't exactly take the word of a young teenage dragon as total law on all dragon culture or even most of it when it's still being told by a prospective rather than an adult explanation.
For all we know... Smolder´s parents (or more likely, her older brother) were keeping an eye on her all the time EXACTLY like Rarity, Rainbow and Twilight did on Spike back in S2 on "Dragon Quest" [she just never notice them]; ready to step up if one of those "predators" proven to be too much for her to handle.
@@adolfodef We really just don't know, although I agree that it is quite a good possabiliy. (i don't remember noticing that Smolder had a brother).
Although perhaps the single most interesting thing is that we learned from this episode is that Dragons have predators. Even the scariest creatures in Equestria are not top of the food chain, although rarely does it happen.
It’s very understandable, but cool at the same time that spike gain his wings and gotten better control using his flames
"This is straight up child abandonment here, dragons or not"
Bliss, a good chunk if not ALL of the animal species on earth want to have a word with you.
And that doesn't count the things Humans do that are worse. :/
godzilla: I JUST WATCHED THIS VIDEO AND THE FRST THING I THOUGHT IS: why is he a dragon?!?!..
back then i usually thought that the previous dragon lord was Bahamut who in legend and myth is said to be the king of dragons? so why the heck isn't he shown here!? It would be awesome to see Bahamut in the MLP series! :D
You know what would that even more awesome in my personal opinion? If he was Spike's dad.