Okay, so I said at the beginning I watched this early, but then personal stuff got in the way of also finishing the commentary early, and in fact it ended up being a day late. Sorry about that.

So...Chrysalis is literally the longest running reappearing villain in the show now.

27:30 The reason Twilight acted that way was because she wasn't simply frustrated, she was frustrated at Pinkie Pie, because of her previous interaction with the other Pinkie. She jumped into the conclusion that Pinkie hurt Fluttleshy the same way she was hurt. She said "great, you upset Fluttershy, too", the "too" is what mattered.

Finally someone else thinks that this was a worthy mid-season finale.

It’s official. Chrysalis has officially lost her marbles.

Seeing the way Pinkie was comforting Fluttershy was interesting. We don’t see Pinkie acting this way very often(kinda like how Rainbow was considerate of Fluttershy’s flying problem in a certain scene from “Hurricane Fluttershy”) so, that was a nice touch.

Twilight assumed that Pinkie upset Fluttershy because the last thing that the saw Pinkie do was be a grouch and upset her. Also because Fluttershy historically isn't that hard to upset and Pinkie's done it before. This is not as OOC as before. The whole point of their apology at the end was that, even if they wouldn't act the way their discorded versions did outright, they still had the same motivations. That's why they can believe it.

Well, one of the things I liked about the Mean Six is that the Evil Twilight still cared about her friends to the point that she was saying “Our” powers for “our”selves. MOF is everywhere!!

"The first thing she does is accuse Pinkie of upsetting Fluttershy. Why? Why would you jump to that conclusion?" To be fair, it's not like it doesn't have precedence. This wouldn't be the first time, or even the second and third time (And probably more), Pinkie unintentionally upset Fluttershy if she turned out to be right in her accusation. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy together in a stressful situation sometimes doesn't end well because Pinkie's methods of dealing with that stress can make things worse for Fluttershy.

It's weird that not many analysts/reactors have pointed out the mean six's cutie marks. Twilight and Pinkie Pie's are normal from what I can see. Rainbow Dash's is upside down, Rarity's is violet and upside down, Applejack's apples are green, and Fluttershy's butterflies are blue instead of pink.

Evil Twilight is the best villain in MLP series.

Actually real horses see differently then humans. While humans see in 3 main colors and the combinations amount to the full range, horses see mainly blue and yellow. The rest is more like shades and nuances of those two. So the fact that they didn't notice much the discoloration and of the skin and the more green color of AJ's cutie mark can kinda be explained. Rarity is the only one that noticed something strange probably because she is a fashion designer and she probably has a better eye for colors and shades even with a supposedly limited horse vision.

When I was watching the scene where Twilight and Pinkie were arguing, I was reminded of the fight that they had in the movie. Then I realized Michael Vogel wrote this episode and was a screenplay writer in the movie. That’s interesting.

the irony: a tree became Fluttershy

@22:10 : They actually softened the gruesome death scene of the Mean 6 a little bit compared to the leaks from December.

I actually wanted evil Twilight to stick around! The others were pretty "meh" personality-wise, but she seemed to retain Twilight's intelligence and magical abilities. Her element flip was more subtle than the others. She valued her "friends" because of what they could do for her under her leadership, instead of valuing her friends because they were, well, her friends.

On the note of why Twilight accuses Pinkie of upsetting Flutters: When Twilight last saw "Pinkie" the latter rudely insulted the retreat bringing TWilight herself to tears. Coming off the heels of that encounter it seems safe to assume that after Pinkie made Twilight cry she could conclude that Pinkie also made Flutters cry as well. Remember, what Clone Pinkie said was really hurtful. That's my two bits. Good reaction as always AngryJawa

Also loved how the TOH (tree of harmony) went all Arc of the covenant (Raiders of the lost arc) on the Anti-element mean six. I believe the tree knew who the fake mane six were and had to purge them.

Chrysalis: I know better than to strike alone. I need- Evil Twilight: Friends? Me: OH SAVAGE! 😏 It's at 7:08

Its funny literally every reactor Ive seen watch this episode mentioned how much they agree with Starlights dislike of camping.

Applegeek I think I know why Twilight thought Pinkie Pie made Fluttershy upset . before Twilight saw Pinkie Pie the opposite Pinkie Pie hurt Twilight's feelings saying that her retreat was boring so she thought that Pinkie Pie was hurting Fluttershy's feelings right after because she was so hurt herself I think about it it's a very interesting topic.

So i don't think Cozy Glow was Chrysalis in disguise seeing that when Chrysalis was disguised as the photographer she couldn't stand to even acknowledge Starlight so doubt she would have gotten counseling from her. But last episode Cozy Glow learned about the elements and now Chrysalis knew about them enough and had a cloning spell to try to take them. Maybe Cozy Glow is a clone being used as a spy for Chrysalis. Or maybe she is working with another villian. Or maybe she's a giant red herring

The great thing about this whole thing is that because we've never really had a special mid season finale before, you don't expect to see any big villains appearing just in the middle of the season or expect really anything serious to be going on. I wish the promo's didn't spoil it, and I wish I didn't watch that animatic that was shown at comic con that showed the intro scene, but hey, that's kind of on me. They still shouldn't spoil things like that though, but eh I'm not really mad about it, and I'm just happy because of how good this episode is and I can't wait to see your reaction so I'm gonna stop typing now! :)

34:35 I actually like how this episode ended. I’m kind of glad they didn’t figure out what was really going on. They were able to make up and be friends still without an explanation. Them figuring it out wouldn’t of been the point.

In the original death scene, the way Twilight dies is just horrifying. This was changed to avoid scaring kids.

One bugbear in plaid socks coming up!

I can't believe some fans said this was a bad episode! Are they SERIOUS?! This is the BEST episode of the season! Also, Evil Twilight is badass as hell, I love how they made her a rogue basically XD

I do suspect that they're now in the same boat as Celestia and Luna as far as the Elements are concerned. They can probably still advertise the Rainbow Ponies toy line, though. :p

People keep missing something about this story that has been happening especially in the movie-that is that Pinkie is the real leader of the show. She was the pony that started the Mane 6 in the very first show, and when she gets serious she calls out Twilight often. Look at the last shot of this show, she is the one out front by herself with the others in an arc facing her. You pointed out that she is the one that tells the photographer to take Glimmy's pic. That is Empathy-which she has always had, she often puts others ahead of herself. That would mean that she encompasses yet another element of harmony, as she epitomizes all the others, and remember she found the book in that premier episode!

i like how Starlight really felt like a member of the group in this episode

I thought this episode was interesting. I love mean Six Twilight. Mean Six Twilight showed a trait that's never been discussed with our Twilight. What if she was fueled by Ambition instead of Friendship. Part of me wanted her to escape.

I absolutely love this episode.

I’ve been waiting for this! Truth be told, I’ve been spoiled on Chrysalis’ return this season. However, I didn’t expect to see her this soon. It’s was pretty interesting to see the “mean six” return a second time and get to know mean Twilight’s personality a bit more; she gave me an unsettling vibe, similar to S5 Starlight and unreformed Sunset. Chrysalis’ plan may have been flawed but, her plan to use the elements in this manner was very devious. I had a feeling that the Tree of Harmony would put a stop to the mean six and Chrysalis but, I can’t help but wonder if the elements are gonna have a tie-in with the finale somehow after what just happened. Aside from the seriousness, this episode was very entertaining and may very well be my favorite S8 episode after “Surf and/or Turf.” Great reaction too!

small detail I love how Starlight actually swished her tail at the bugs like an actual horse

i like how pinkie is comforting fluttershy in a genuine way instead of trying to make her laugh. she has gotten more sincere.

is anyone talking about the way the mean six ''died''? I mean it did leave me ''horrified'' and i did leave my jaw dropped for a minute..

kind of good kinda dumb. you can really her Trixie in Chrysalis' voice. it used to have that buzz to it now it's just evil Trixie. the destruction of the mean 6 was horrifying. and are the elements now corrupt? or are they all good? will chrysalis ever be turned good? the world may never know

I luv how this episode basically turned Twilight into Starscream from Transformers. The back-stabbing second in command who does nothing but point out the leader’s flaws and mistakes

I liked this episode. The Mean 6 kind of reminded me of the time when Discord used his magic to turn the Mane 6 bad way back in Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2, The Return of Harmony. Their evil counterparts acted the same way the Mane 6 did in The Return of Harmony all except Twilight because Twilight was more depressed in The Return of Harmony than evil.

I'm pretty sure that when The Tree of Harmony kills the mean six, it's foreshadowing to the episode, "What Lies Beneath."

The lesson of this episode is if you mess with the tree of harmony it will kill you the tree is straight FIRE!😂

This was an amazing episode! Also your reactions are great!

I knew it was Chrysalis as soon as I saw the imposter unicorn's green aura magic. Seriously, a level of that bright green color just screams "EVIL". I also thought Cozy Glow was Chrysalis in disguise last episodes. Good to see that I was wrong. Anyway, great reaction video!

the artists had *A LOT* of fun with Greedy Rarity in this episode

8:08 Applejack, I know your trying to help Starlight with her first camping experience but you trying to make her hate camping even more.

I’ll bet the voice actresses had fun with this episode.

I think one of the reasons the elements responded differently to Sunset Shimmer is because the element of magic was separated from the other 5 elements in Equestria.

Aj comment "stuck for 127 hours" is a reference to the movie 127 hours in case you or anybody didn't got that

I thought it was a bit odd that the Mane 6 never actually encounter Chrysalis, and they had no idea what was actually going on. Hard to imagine they didn't recognize the botched cutie marks on the doppelgangers. A decent mid season finale that must be setting up for something bigger down the road. I actually like the idea of Chrysalis as a recurring villain and not rehabilitated. Some villains should be beyond saving. Chrysalis's scheme wasn't a total failure. Now she know's the exact location of the tree so I am looking for her to come back with a new plan.

God this episode has the brutal death ever 0.0

Sassy Twilight is hilarious.

And here I thought Chrysalis was never gonna be back. This was a great reaction. Looking forward to more!

Actually Starlight did not directly attack the elements of harnoy of the tree. what she took was the mane six cutie marks therefore no direct contact with the actual elements just my thoughts

If it wasn't apparent they are the Mane 7 now, this episode pretty much confirmed it. Starlight was even part of the group hug for the first time here.

OU NOOOO MID SEASON FINALLY?!?!?! I was just about to finish school and they are making the break now? XD

ya know, rarity looked like a gremlin, it was so funny I DIED😂

You know chrysalis plan probably wouldn't have worked anyway even if they got the elements I mean think about it there supposed to be the opposite so I don't think they would have worked anyway

Man this episode would’ve been great if the mean six corrupted the elements and had to fight the mane six. That would’ve been a way better season finale for this season

To be fair, Twilight thought Pinkie had just been mean to her, so accusing her of upsetting Fluttershy isn't so surprising.

Chrysalis is low-key scary when she loses her patience.

@Applegeek: The green element of harmony actually isn't new. In the RPG book "Tails of Equestria" for example there is an image (made in the same style as the tv series) of the tree of harmony how it looked like in the past. There the elements of harmony still have their classic "gem look" without being in the form of the main 6's cutie marks. And the element of kindness (or was it still "healing" back then?) is green and not pink.

The tree of harmony knew that wasn’t the mane 6

There were some great moments, more so with mean Twilight, Rarity and Applejack but the other mean characters were just kind of meh to me. Kind of disappointing while having a few good moments, just kind of a mixed bag for me overall.

And the lesson is.... !DONT SCREW WITH THE TREE OF HARMINY!

Me yelling at twilight with a megaphone: Everypony quaiet! Twilight sparkle: shout it at them not me

I wouldn't criticize Twilight too hard on blaming Pinkie. Remember that she had just had a troubling interaction with Pinkie at the bog moments before.

SHE'S BACK THE CHEESE QUEEN IS BACK!!! YASSSSSSS!!!!! 😂

A lot of reactors say they suspected Chrysalis because of the green magic, but I feel the eyes should've been a bigger giveaway. They have a very clear two-tone gradient that no ponies have, but it's pretty recognizeable from Chryssi's eyes. To me, at least.

You have to consider that just before twilight came on the scene to see fluttershy crying the evil pinkie was extremely rude to her and actually made her almost cry so I think her conclusion makes sense

27:45 She said that because Pinkie mad HER upset when she told her it was a boring lame no fun retreat (that’s probably wrong but something close to that) So she thought pinkie made fluttershy upset too since Pinkie made her sad also

The role of Rarity will be played by Andy Serkis.

It’s interesting to think what would happen if the real Twilight was evil, rather than something that was essentially a bewitched tree. Would she still be able to use the elements? Would she succeed without them seeing the other five wouldn’t be able to use them against her if she can’t use hers?

I wouldn't say it's her first time camping cause I mean she pretty much ran a camp so...yea

My Little Pony is one of my favorite shows

Amazing Episode :)

i just started the video, haven't finished yet. But , i already watched this episode before episode 1 and i have been waiting for this moment for a long time, Thank you.

on 5:27 rainbow is like ''Why is Pinkie an element of harmony again, she's too...laughter- y''

Equestria better be lucky Twilight isn't a villain

02:18 Plot shot :J 04:05 Pretty good plan, isn't it? ;> Except with one minor tidbit ;> More on that later... 07:00 Evil Twilight is the best villain in this show ]:D And I mean it! ;> 12:56 When somepony else's karma hits you :q 16:50 Applejack always has her shovel with her somewhere ;J 18:32 That's what I was hoping for :/ 22:08 Yeah, for kids... :q Nightmare fuel for sure... 22:17 Yeah... WAT? o___o' That ending was totally underwhelming... 22:24 Yes, it didn't work, because the Mean Six's evil "vibrations" were incompatible with the Elements. At least that's how I explain it. But this is kinda weird, because we've seen in "Equestria Girls" multiple times that the Elements _can_ be used for evil if the user is evil, and they don't destroy the user because of that :q So I don't quite get it what just happened. And I bet the writers don't know too :q This ending looks as if they had a great idea for the episode, but they didn't know how to develop it further, so they simply restored the status quo in the stupidest possible way. 23:0 The question is, did she manage to steal the Elements as she planned, or she just escaped empty hooved? :q

Evil Pinkie is me on 10-hour road trips.

And so glad to see some reactor being actually surprised with Chrysalis' return. Awesome reaction!!!

6:08 - Everyone should go camping at least once in their lives - if only to make them appreciate the Great Indoors more! (Besides, some ponies actually LIKE it!) 6:36 - Evil Pinkie has only existed for ONE DAY! How can she know whether this is the "worst day ever" or not? 7:43 - Do roses normally grow in the woods? 18:06 - It's hard to believe that none of the Mane Six have noticed the differences in the Mean Six's cutie marks. Then again, are the cutie marks REALLY different in the context of the story or are they only shown to the viewers as different so that we can keep track of who's who?

The harmony tree erased them in protection of the elements. It's like If it has a defensive system

Istg the voice actors are probs having a huge blast xD

Applegeek, Will you watch Power Rangers Beast Morphers when it airs now that Hasbro fully owns the Power Rangers franchise?

Applegeek, thank you for all the time and hard work you put into these. I've really come to look forward to your analysis , just get a big kick out of your reactions, and ha e learned things along the way. I just thought this would make a good time to say thank you from Alaska. This was a very pleasant surprise for our mid- season finale! So many fun faces and interesting tid bits to ponder with good pacing and even a lesson I feel Twilight has been needed to learn for a while. I wasnt yo upset with the half- sight of the mane 7 as they didn't notice something was going on as they each were kind of dealing with their own separate issues and I took them as distracted somewhat. The ones that weren't, did in fact start bouncing the possibility off the other but since they were physically spread out out and we were seeing what was happening at each location at the same time I dont they they had a chance to point it out until they were all together and when they were, the other issues took center stage and Twilight refocus them all. So I wasnt bothered that they didn't notice for the most part. Loved loved loved to see evil Twilight. What a fun treat and a lesson in cloning- add filters! It was nice to see the sentience in the tree of harmony again too. All in all a great place to leave off with things to ponder. Good episode, fun reaction, great analysis. Have a great hiatus everyone! Looking forward to all that's coming up!

I'm early for once! I'm so excited for you to react to this, it's gonna be amazing! Edit: I was right, it was amazing.

2:35 How could you not notice the green magic that’s Queen Chrysalis

Dont forget the season 6 finale... Everyone was rdy to deep 6 chrysalis on the spot. Cept the one pony who hand any "empathy" for her

Maybe the clones could be the "elements of discord"

The wing thing evil Twilight did kind of reminded me of Mr. Burns. TS: Excellent.

You know hasbro REALLY LOVES making hillarious Rarity face.

About Her saying Pinkie upset Fluttershy. Pinkie has done that before without thinking. Remember the Pony Tones episode?

Very late comment on my part but yeah that MONOLOGUE is pretty amazing. The say she says "and I will rule" is excellent voice acting. ^^

I want a behind a scenes of that!!!! I want to see how rarity's actor is doing with her troat xDDD

Anyone else fangirl when he said he knew nothing about this ep? I was hopping he didn't and I screamed and got really excited!!!!!!

Not sure if you're aware, but they aired episode 20 this past Friday both here in the US and in Australia. Episode 14 will air a week from Saturday on August 4.

Chrysalis is the best villain ever, agreed?

14:05 How are these two not noticing that she has a different cutie mark? and ribbon?

My theory for why the Tree of Harmony did what it did is because it 'controls and contains all that grows' in the Everfree Forest, and those guys were created from Everfree trees, so they are part of the forest which the Tree of Harmony would control. It sensed something out of line with its plants, and put them back on track. A similar thing happened with Discord's plunder seeds when they tried to steal the magic from the tree... Which is actually a rather similar situation, by the way. Plants trying to manipulate the tree, the tree takes action against the plants. It makes me wonder if the clones are simply contained, or if they have truly been reverted back to Everfree wood.