- Alternate Character Interpretation:
- Was Fluttershy pulling a Xanatos Gambit by assuming her loyalty to Celestia trumped her promise to Discord and she would have used her Element on him if he didn't reform?
- Did Fluttershy really want to become Discord's friend or was she manipulating him to get what she wanted? Consider the line, "I'm just trying to gain his friendship any way I can so that he'll trust and listen to me!"
- On a lighter note, does Celestia really have a use for Discord's powers? Or was she just using that as an excuse to try and reform him? The Season 4 finale reenforces the former.
- On the other hand, did Discord really reform and turn for the better or did he fake his redemption the entire time so he could cause more chaos and mayhem for the fun of it? Season 4 splits the difference: he really does value Fluttershy's friendship, enough to not turn back to evil when the threat of losing it is literally the only thing stopping him when the Mane Six are forced to give up the Elements, but that doesn't mean his Karmic Trickster persona has changed at all.
- Angst? What Angst?:
- This episode confirms that Discord was conscious the entire time he's been turned into a stone, but he's still not bothered. If anything, he's annoyed.
- Discord is one of the very few things that can make Celestia display fear and worry in front of her subjects, and he outclasses her and the Mane Six in both power and cunning. Yet she decides to let him out of his prison on the off-chance that Fluttershy can redeem him.
- Despite being an omnipotent Mad God, one of their most dangerous foes who plunged their entire world in chaos, brainwashed them in order to break apart their friendship (temporarily) and pretty much being a massive threat to their very world overall, The most reaction the Mane Six have to Discord's return is angry confusion. As in, less like a world-conquering enemy, and more like a villain on the scale of, say, the Flim-Flam Brothers.
- Broken Base:
- The idea of an episode reforming a big-name villain like Discord had already split the fandom since the synopsis was first released. Upon viewing the episode, many felt that the ending was rushed, but fans are split on whether that ruined the episode or not.
- Is this a good lesson? How often has playing nice reformed Real Life enemies? However, would it have been a good lesson not to reform him? There's no easy answer.
- Was Twilight planning to use a "reformation spell" on Discord Hypocritical for turning the same Brainwashing he was a bad guy for using on others before he even had a chance to reform, or justifiable given how dangerous Discord could be and that he was up to something (at the time)?
- Fanfic Fuel:
- Now that reformed Discord is officially canon, it should be useful to fanfic writers.
- Celestia said she found a use for Discord's magic, hence why she went about trying to get him reformed. Fanfic writers should have a field day working out whatever that use may be.
- Discord/Celestia shippers have their own ideas on why she wanted him reformed...
- Fluttershy/Discord fanfics can always use this episode for fuel...especially this one.
- Hilarious in Hindsight:
- Every fanbase has their fanfics about reforming major villains, and it's now canon for Discord. Coincidentally, one of them had Fluttershy be the redeemer.
- Discord's last statement before being frozen again in "The Return of Harmony" was a sarcastic "Friend me". That's Fluttershy's plan this episode and it works. Discord even admits that Friendship is Magic. He also sarcastically states in "The Return of Harmony" that "maybe the magic of friendship can help you."
- Fan videos involving Discord singing "You're Only Second Rate" are now all the more humorous at the lyric "Granny's gonna grab ya."
- It's Short, So It Sucks!: A lot of fans complain that the episode was rushed and needed to be fleshed out more.
- Jerkass Woobie: Discord, of all people, when he realizes how much Fluttershy's friendship really meant to him.
- Take That, Scrappy!: Although Discord gets one or two good shots in at each of the ponies, he gets about a dozen on Angel mostly in the background. It's never noticed by the characters, Angel never gets a shot back, and fans everywhere cheered.
- They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
- Not the whole reformation plotline, mind you, but some fans were hoping to learn about Discord's origins or see him interact with Celestia again and felt let down that the episode was entirely focused on Discord and Fluttershy.
- With regard to the episode itself, some were expecting to see Discord try juggling his usual chaos while still being Fluttershy's friend, perhaps trying to convert her to his way of life, but the story comes to an abrupt end instead of going anywhere with that.
- Unexpected Character: Given Discord's power, threat, and all the trouble they went through to re-seal him, fans were as surprised as the Mane Six that he'd be brought back at all, much less so suddenly and on the capacity they redeem him.
- Vindicated by History: Some of the flak toward the episode softened when the "Princess Twilight Sparkle" two-parter showed that just because Discord is officially reformed, doesn't mean he's been nerfed in any fashion. As of the Series 4 finale, we now know why Celestia wanted Discord reformed. That probably helps too. It also gives Discord a fuller Heel–Face Turn due to being tempted by Tirek and realising Being Evil Sucks.
- Visual Effects of Awesome: Fluttershy's cottage rotating in midair so that everything is constantly sliding around. The attention to detail is stunning.
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