Well now with the season all wrapped up and finally getting to see the finale I can say that, while this finale wasn't as strong as others past, it still had a nostalgia charm to it with the way it broke down a "what if" scenario of "had evil triumphed" involving some of Pony's greatest villains (Tirek, Chrysallis, Discord, NNM, Sombra) and some of its not so great villains (Flim Flam bros). All in all with this season I have to say I was pleased with how it all went. Didn't manage to top season 2 for me but damn if it didnt come close. Really if the season finale had managed to be better i would say it was at least on par with season 2 as my favorite season but I was really happy with how the show went (even if it did take them a ridiculous amount of time to get it out to the public). Heres hoping season 6 doesnt take too long to get made and has a more stable release date. Season 5 for all its awesomeness still took a hit in the ratings department and I know that for other shows this has spelt their inevitable doom (young justice anyone?).

Honestly Im more perplexed by the implications of Season 5s ending more then anything else. Is she now a mane character? Or was the last little 2 minute montage her "lesson moment" that twi was talking about?

Loved all the call backs. Not sure what to make of the ending though...so is Starlight Glimmer the "green ranger" of FiM now? Is she going to join hte mane cast? Is the mane 6 now the mane 7? Or does this mean that Twilight will fall into a supporting cast role and we will all now follow the adventures of SG now?
Hmmmm so many questions

Season 5 I gotta say has really impressed me. Still don't know if its my favorite but it really has given season 2 a run for its money. Really only bad thing i can say about it is that it technically took 2 full seasonal cycles to get the entire thing out there. Doing the math and looking at when Pony usually drops for us and season 5 is actually two, 13 episode seasons craftily disguised as a single season slipped in right under our noses by Hasbro. :P Still, taken as a whole, its been solid throughout, having both memorable and excellent episode in both halves of the season.

As it currently stands my list goes 2,1,4,3. But with 5 it could be above 2 or just below it above 1. Ill let you know when ive made up my mind when the finale airs and we see how it fairs ;-)

3. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone- This one pleasantly surprised me. It has one of my favorite characters with one of my favorite parings. The way the serious Rainbow Dash and playful Pinkie Pie resonate off one and other makes for some genuine "lol" moments that i just can't help but smile and laugh at everytime we see these two together in their own episode. They're like a japanese manzai comedy duo complete with boke(fool) and straight man and all. The surprise comes from how much I enjoyed Gilda's character though! I can't say I was a big fan of the character in Griffon the Brush Off, I get WHY she was the way she was for the sake of that episodes story and moral but she was portrayed a little too one dimensional for my tastes. Luckily in this episode her interactions with Pinkie and the strained relationship she recalls with RD made for some great moments in the episode making it one of the most memorable episodes for me.
2. Amending Fences- Well, until my #1 pick for the season came along, THIS was my number one for most of the season and for one good reason, well I should say one good Mare, Moon Dancer. Generally I don't take to an episode just because of a single character's performance (unless they just up and steal the show like with De Lancie as Discord in season 2's opener) but that's exactly what happened here. A great performance of a wonderfully written character and a really great life lesson all wrapped up with a touching ending. This episode was the complete package! It had the feels! For a lot of people who watched it, I am told this episode's moral really hit close to home for some of them. Definitely one of the most enjoyable episodes of the season and maybe even of the series as a whole.
1. Crusaders of the Lost Mark- Yeah im gonna go out on a limb and say this probably wont come as a surprise to a lot of people given the fandoms mass fangasm moment of the episode but honestly for me that was just the icing on top of this very delicious very stylized cake. And its a goooooooooooood cake. Sure getting to see the CMC FINALLY get their marks after 5 years on the air ON the EXACT day that said series aired no less, is all well and good, but this episode stands at the top for me as not only the best of the season but also one of the best of the series due to its great musical line up, pacing, and great character interactions between the CMC finally facing down their bully DT. Great songs that, when you go back and really listen to them, do so much even though technically saying so little to really drive the plot along and layout the narrative in an easy to follow way. I hear a lot of people complain that for an episode with such a momentous happening to it, that it should have been a 2 parter but honestly when you let the music speak for itself it really does a fantastic job in saying all there is to say. Throw in the fact that DT's VA has got to be one of the most talented singers on the show to date (that REALLY speaks volumes to her talent as a singer when you consider just how much FiM loves its musical numbers) and the added bonus of some much needed character development for her otherwise 2-d cardboard cut-out bully archetype and you have an episode that could have succeeded on those merits alone. But nope! AKR ain't having that shit! Turning the dial all the way up past 10 to 11 and giving the entire fandom something I cant say for sure ANYONE saw coming. The CMC marks. And while i agree the design isn't at all what i suspected, its the symbolism of their eternal bond of friendship that i appreciate and can get behind.

So that's it for the season. Will 25 and 26 surpass any of those here on this list? I can't really say. Going by what made the list and the reasons for making it the two parter has double the advantage as most normal episodes. I guess it all comes down to how far reaching Starlight Glimmer's temporal mischief can create for a fun and epic adventure. We shall see.

Welp with the season finale right around the corner its that time in the year where most people rate the episodes from favorite to least but for me anyways, after really giving it some thought, i had a lot more trouble this season then i did with season 4 in ranking them. Instead I figure I'll just go ahead and list my top 5 favorite of the season. With the exception of a couple of episodes, i felt there weren't any horrid or down right terrible episodes so I can't say i have a top 5 least favorite either. Season 5 was really solid. Where episodes 25 and 26 will fall on this list I can't really say but ill probably revisit this post later to give some thoughts on the episode and the season in general when all is said and done. So without further ado here is the top 5 episodes for the season for me:
5. The Mane Attraction- You all know this episode, the guest start for pony this year was voiced by none of other than Tony Award winning actress/singer Lena Hall, so it goes without saying that this episodes high point was her song. Great lyrics, great melody, great message. The episode was done well too. Lena was a natural VA in edition to her singing performance and I hope she looks into doing other voice work in the future. Its a good fit for her imo. Throw in the fact that it was also AK Roger's last episode of FiM possibly EVER and its great to see Amy go out on a high note! Wish her all the luck in her future pursuits.
4. Canterlot Boutique- A rarara episode?? And in my top 5 no less!? How can this be? Well having a great song, a very on the nose moral/lesson and a playful shot at hasbro's obsession with all things princess related is a good way to start. But if it had only ended there it would have merely been a good episode. What made it a great episode was all the cool and unique characters and BG pony's it gave the fandom to go crazy over. "This dress makes me feel like a Princess..." And this episode makes me feel that season 5 might just end up being one of my favorites in the entire series!

And for Amy as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcunREYzNY

So many mixed emotions right now. On the one hand I am very happy with how this episode turned out! It had a great story to it (though these kinds of plots have been done before in other shows), the guest VA, Lena Hall, is a natural and I hope she considers more voice work in the future and maybe even a guest return appearance on FiM. I also loved the deeper meaning it took on concerning the current state of music in today's entertainment industry, and that it didn't mind taking a couple of pot shots at just how bad generic pop music has crowded out genuine songs from the heart as seen with Rara's two contrasting songs within the episode itself.
On the other hand I am saddened and depressed that we are losing potentially MLP's greatest writer AK Rogers! Mrs. Rogers you probably don't read comments on EQD, hell none of the writers probably do due to conflicts of interest and the need for plausible deniability, but in case you did, I just wanted to say you've been a big part of why this show is such a joy to watch and has been so good after 5 years on the air for me personally. Things not being the same without you is an understatement at this point. You've always been my personal top writer of the series but after your work on this season I feel that's a little less my opinion and a lot more objective fact lol ;-P Good health and great fortune for you in whatever you do in the future and I hope that even though you have moved on you still decide keep an active presence within the community! <3

Hmmmmmmmmmmm for the most part i'd agree. Favorite writer of the show by far!

Agreed! Super excited for AK but also depressed. By far my favorite writer and arguably one of the best writers for the show through out its 5 year run.