S08E11: Molt Down

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S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Wayoshi (?) » Wed May 23, 2018 5:52 pm

Spike struggles with a series of bizarre symptoms that Smolder explains is something all dragons go through in adolescence-- 'the molt." To Spike's horror, Smolder also reveals an unfortunate 'molt side-effect,' that compels a molter's family to kick them out of the house!
This thread is for discussion of the episode. This episode airs at 11:30 Eastern / 8:30 Pacific on Saturday, May 26!

Official preview clips and images are okay to post, as is speculation about the episode.

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Octavia (?) » Wed May 23, 2018 5:54 pm

Is Spike going through puberty? :eep:
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Wed May 23, 2018 5:58 pm

Of course not. This is just mewberty.

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by King Sombra (?) » Wed May 23, 2018 7:27 pm


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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Thu May 24, 2018 3:54 am

deleted
Last edited by Applepie2017 on Tue May 29, 2018 1:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
But...
This one's too young

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Fizzbuzz (?) » Thu May 24, 2018 5:30 am

I suppose this'd make for a good explanation as to why we saw the older teenage dragons sort of on their own starting way back in Dragon Quest.
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Madeline (?) » Thu May 24, 2018 6:23 am

There are so many great Rarity faces between 20 and 30 seconds in the preview :vogue:

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Aramek (?) » Thu May 24, 2018 9:27 am

Octavia wrote:
Wed May 23, 2018 5:54 pm
Is Spike going through puberty? :eep:
Is he gonna get the dragon version of a cutie mark?

What would a cutie mark in gem eating even look like?
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Fri May 25, 2018 9:06 am

Even for dragons, hugging a phoenix seems like a risky action.
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Octavia (?) » Sat May 26, 2018 12:00 pm

Octavia wrote:
Wed May 23, 2018 5:54 pm
Is Spike going through puberty? :eep:
100% Yes

Rarity was A+ in this ep :vogue:
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by The Doctor (?) » Sat May 26, 2018 12:01 pm

This was a decent episode. Without the Larsoning at the end, I don't think it would have been all that memorable. But there were some fun gags, and it is nice to see Spike finally growing up. This is probably something that should have been done a few seasons ago.

Tabitha continues to be a national treasure.

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Sat May 26, 2018 12:06 pm

I liked this milestone episode very much. Congratulations to Spike for earning his wings. :here:

It did a good job of touching on puberty, I think, with the parallels to acne, body odor and voice changes. Zecora was also very good. Image
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Captain Rufus (?) » Sat May 26, 2018 2:49 pm

It was a good bit of fun. Wished Spike had a bit more difference than just wings though.

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by RudeCyrus (?) » Sat May 26, 2018 4:39 pm

Very good episode. Tabitha St. Germain is a treasure and it's nice to see the characters change.

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat May 26, 2018 4:45 pm

Yeah, this episode was cute. Haber's mark on it was pretty obvious, since it called back a lot to older episodes, which the newer writers probably don't have the familiarity to pull off.

:whine: This isn't the first time I've been in the clutches of a horrible, giant creature, but it doesn't get any easier-er-er-er!

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun May 27, 2018 7:00 am

All right, time for some screenshots from...

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"The molt effect"

Rarity's fashion senses are tingling!
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Awwwwww.
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Oh no, it's the bird flu!
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Quick! Decontaminate!
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Does Spike get a whole bucket of gems now that he has his own room?
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One of these kids is from Manehattan. Tourists. :roll:
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Stage two! It's spreading!
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Smolder is an acceptable Ember substitute when total lack of tact is needed.
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Yep.
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun May 27, 2018 7:01 am

For rumbling bellies, do make haste! Don't let that heartburn go to waste!
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A pharmacist I strove to be, although my mother did warn me.
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henlo
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DOOOOOOOOOMED!
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Classic Rarity.
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I actually think Stage Three looks pretty cool on Spike.
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Too bad he's dead.
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"If we grow cocoons and sprout wings, does this make dragons insects?"
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Up, up, and awaaaa--oh wait
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sun May 27, 2018 7:02 am

There's a learning curve.
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SPIKE used TAILWIND!
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[irritated horse noises]
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And Rarity has a model for extremely tall, compact horses.
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Highbrow Dash (?) » Sun May 27, 2018 1:50 pm

SlateSlabrock wrote:
Sun May 27, 2018 7:01 am
I actually think Stage Three looks pretty cool on Spike.
Image
I thought he was gonna keep those, honestly :pinkieshrug:

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Niels Olof (?) » Sun May 27, 2018 3:34 pm

An important Spike episode, and an enjoyable one at that.

Based on what we have learned in this episode, we might contemplate that this must be a fair approximation of the young Smolder:

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Putting the 'smol' in Smolder, as it were.
In omnibus requiem quaesivi, et nusquam inveni nisi in angulo cum libroEverywhere I sought tranquility but found it nowhere save in a corner with a book

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Mon May 28, 2018 5:33 pm

I was a little surprised with the way the conflict played out in this episode. Obviously, Spike's puberty is the main story, but they started to lean into the idea that he'd get kicked out of Ponyville because That's What Dragons Do. That's a story we've already seen in "Owl's Well That Ends Well," and it winds up mostly being a formality here. Twilight isn't going to kick Spike out, and he's too preoccupied with his rash to really worry about it. I wonder if that was a B-plot they trimmed down.

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Fizzbuzz (?) » Tue May 29, 2018 7:52 pm

Jeez, how does it end up that I manage to miss the really big episodes? :argh: I remember when I couldn't catch Crusaders of the Lost Mark live, and that day I remember thinking it likely wouldn't be too big a deal, but we all know how that episode went. Then this episode ended up being the only one I couldn't see live even while I was out of the country...

At any rate, I still enjoyed this one. Spike deserves more respect and I'm glad he's getting it here. Thinking back on it now, I realize that the show dodged a definition of how Twilight and Spike see each other (brother and sister? Employee and boss? Etc.) by having Smolder talk about a brother of hers when describing the molt. The molt is a very obvious puberty metaphor, so kids going through that might be inclined to wonder if their parents are soon going to send them out on their own, and might thus apply that dynamic of parent and child to Twilight and Spike otherwise. :nngh:
SlateSlabrock wrote:
Mon May 28, 2018 5:33 pm
I was a little surprised with the way the conflict played out in this episode. Obviously, Spike's puberty is the main story, but they started to lean into the idea that he'd get kicked out of Ponyville because That's What Dragons Do. That's a story we've already seen in "Owl's Well That Ends Well," and it winds up mostly being a formality here. Twilight isn't going to kick Spike out, and he's too preoccupied with his rash to really worry about it. I wonder if that was a B-plot they trimmed down.
I figure it's more that Spike's straight-up biggest fear is of Twilight sending him away (remember what he hallucinated in Sombra's door back in The Crystal Empire?), so that naturally becomes a very big hook for pulling him into puberty worries. This way he has things to worry about both in the long-term and the short-term, just like kids IRL have as they're growing up.
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:22 pm

Molt Down? Now I’m gonna have the Beastie Boys’ “Root Down” in my head. This is not a bad thing.

• God, I’m realizing we haven’t seen Rarity in a while and she is the seriously best pony. :vogue:
:whine: What’s wrong with your FAAAAAACE
:iiaia: “precious-pants”
• It’s cool seeing Peewee again, but I really want to know what Philomena’s been up to. Probably having cool phoenix adventures, pulling pranks, stuff like that.
• Are all the bedrooms in the castle done in a crystal theme, or just Spike’s because he has lifetime free credit at the Crystal Empire IKEA?
(SPIKEA)
• Ha, Twilight throwing shade.
• The writing, gags, timing and faces in this scene are on point.
• Spike, dragons with flame incontinence SHOULD NOT be in the LIBRARY! :twonk:
• Cathy Weseluck is just nailing it today.
:whine: “OH DEAR! I’M TALKING EVEN LOUDER THAN I THOUGHT, AREN’T I?”
• I don’t care about the rationale, yelling humor is just funny. :lol:
• Who had the brilliant idea to write a scene where one character can’t hear and is yelling, one character is yelling and doesn’t want to be heard, and one character has cotton in her ears? It’s some Laurel and Hardy shit, it is. :golfclop:
• Zecora’s rhyme game is pretty strong today.
• I don’t know why, but the fact that Twilight is just randomly there is hilarious. :lol:
• Twilight does not fuck around with rocs.
• MOFO’S GOT WINGS :prettywings: :wingsright:
• Aw, Twilight extends a hoof but Spike goes in for the hug.

This one was really, really, really good. :good: :good: :good:
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Tue Jul 03, 2018 3:08 am

Mechanical Ape wrote:
Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:22 pm
• MOFO’S GOT WINGS :prettywings: :wingsright:
Oh yeah, I guess we could use one of these. Image

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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:07 pm

Rainbow Dash felt 10% more superfluous just now and she doesn’t know why. :saddash:
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Re: S08E11: Molt Down

Post by Applepie2017 (?) » Mon Sep 17, 2018 4:03 pm

[quote="Mechanical Ape" post_id=80543 time=1530580972 user_id=76]• God, I’m realizing we haven’t seen Rarity in a while and she is the seriously best pony. :vogue:/quote]


I agree.
But...
This one's too young

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