Gauntlet of Fire



Another goddam Spike episode!!!



(slam my head in a door again-n-again-n-again-n-again-n-again!)

WhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhy...!!!



ONE EPISODE VIEWING LATER...



Why did we have to wait so friggin' long for a good Spike episode???



(slam my head in a door again-n-again-n-again-n-again-n-again!)

WhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhyWhy...!!!

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(Spike starts glowing, setting off Bats)



That is not Spike's fault! That I fault on the Dragon Lord.

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Why was it so hard for the writers to write Spike like this? This is actually good! I mean it's not great, but it's a hell of a lot better than what we've always gotten for Spike episodes!

He's actually a character for once, instead of just an unflattering caricature of the male gender! His reason for wanting to be the Dragon Lord wasn't because of arrogance, or even lust for Ember, but because he wanted to protect the ponies from the other dragons!

Before Spike learned of the dragons' plans for Equestria, he didn't even want to be in the Dragon Lands, let alone be the Dragon Lord.

And the stuff that happens to Spike all through the episode isn't because of "incompetent Spike," but because of that **it-eater, Garble, who (and this is very important here) RECEIVES PUNISHMENT AT THE END! Punishment administered BY Spike, I might add! Okay, it's a wussy punishment, sure; but it works for this show! This is a kid's show, you can't show characters getting their flesh flayed from their bodies.

This is a well-done Spike episode, and I want these two writing for Spike from now on! Get these two on Spike-writing detail and get rid of that useless, Princess Spike-writing ass-ball Neal god-**fkin'-damn Dusedau!



And Ember! I know it was implied that this episode is a girl vs. guys trope, but they changed it to her being too small to compete, and Ember never flat-out says "Oh, men are too stupid to lead, I should be the leader!" If that had happened, good Spike episode or not, this episode would have gone right into the **it-can with Dog and Pony Show and Ticket Master.



So, is this a good Spike episode? Damn yeah it is!

Is this episode going to be the one to finally change the status quo for Spike episodes?



We can only hope!