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[SigmasonicX]

Well this is a surprise, bloopers for Friendship Games released, but not on an official channel. I have no clue where they came from, but the voices sound like the real ones and the animation matches the movies, so they seem real. They are Pixar style bloopers, where some were maybe actual flubs, but most are fake "in-universe" bloopers. They're alright.

Concerning the episode number of "Spice Up Your Life", Jim Miller explained that episode 9 was the one moved to later, as in the one between "A Hearth's Warming Tail" and "Saddle Row & Rec". It's probably a holiday episode.

==

Friends Forever #28 - Luna and the CMC
Another one of those weird moments where the PDF download doesn't have all the pages for some reason, so I have to use Comixology's web reader.

Rather weird how the story casually drops a bombshell about a war between yaks and griffons and doesn't resolve it.

I wonder if the script originally called for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but then them turning good required a quick and dirty replacement. However, a big part of the comic is the CMC helping a pony with her cutie mark, so maybe not. It's odd that they're never punished for their bullying.

Really weird that Canterlot Castle would just have dangerous monsters immune to magic wandering around. The solution was kind of clever but also didn't make sense. If Thestra makes things see-through with a spell, and the Mirrorca reflected it, why did the spell affect it? Though looking again, Luna's dialogue claims that the orca copies magic, even though the art clearly shows Luna's magic blast just bouncing off it without the orca casting a copy. Also, I hadn't realized until I read Silver Quill's review, but the Mirrorca wasn't actually doing anything, so they killed it for no reason.

Anyway, I thought that was a pretty good issue, oddities aside. The point about Luna being easier to connect with by ponies who themselves are weird was interesting and sweet, and the art was good, human sitting by Celestia aside. I liked the orca scene, despite my above problem. It was nice that the CMC were all helpful, though that once again makes the synopsis misleading.

At the end, there was a preview for a new Strawberry Shortcake comic. The art is by Amy Mebberson, so I decided to check it out. Didn't see anything that interested me.

By the way, the Silver Quill review I mentioned has some fan art related to the issue. The Mirrorca probably could have survived another day with a different team.

 

[Azure Dream]

Well this is a surprise, bloopers for Friendship Games released, but not on an official channel. I have no clue where they came from, but the voices sound like the real ones and the animation matches the movies, so they seem real. They are Pixar style bloopers, where some were maybe actual flubs, but most are fake "in-universe" bloopers. They're alright.

Those are definitely real. And damn, I kind of wanted some of this out of the movie. They open a rift to Equestria, but nobody crosses between it?

Spoiler

The Pinkies casually swapping is pretty great.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Yeah, I thought the gag with Pinkie was pretty good.

New episode title from DVD listing: "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks". Pony cancer episode incoming.

Though really, this is probably the episode about whether or not griffons can get cutie marks, mentioned during an earlier convention. The fact that this DVD is coming out in August probably means there won't be a mid-season break, unless this is episode 9, the episode that was moved to later.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Some of those "bloopers" were pretty cute. Pinkie one is definitely the best.

Re: "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks" - turns out the title of this one was actually leaked to IMDB back in late March. No-one took it too seriously, but I guess that's a point to the usually-untrustworthy IMDB.

Re: Friends Forever #28 - I enjoyed a lot of this one, but boy do things go nuts with bone-pony and the Mirrorca. What the heck was all of that about? Lots of nice character stuff though, and Fogsit's art is cute as ever.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Well this is a surprise, bloopers for Friendship Games released, but not on an official channel. I have no clue where they came from, but the voices sound like the real ones and the animation matches the movies, so they seem real. They are Pixar style bloopers, where some were maybe actual flubs, but most are fake "in-universe" bloopers. They're alright.

Those last 3 were pretty damn good.

Spoiler

Pinkie is the best LOL

 

[SigmasonicX]

"Newbie Dash" preview up. I haven't watched it, but I notice that there's already a pretty good edit gif (small version).

The writer is a new one, David Rapp, who had previously only written for the show Without a Trace, a police procedural. Odd choice, but we'll see if it works out.

==

Completely forgot to highlight this part of the episode before
I like the art style on this one

And gif edit, cat Twilight ruins everything (small version)

 

[Jay RaR]

This was an ok episode right until Dash did her impersonation show. That was just cringe-inducing to watch and knowing she'll somehow screw-up her trick at the end of the show made it feel a little more uncomfortable. Sad that she did WELL during the show despite learning the routine in 2 days up until her screw-up.

 

[draetenth]

Episode was fine with some good animation (liked how happy scootaloo got early on). They may have overdone it with arrogant dash, but I guess that can explained because of how happy she was and really wanted to impress (plus, how the bad memories of Rainbow Crash got to her).

The only thing I didn't like, what made the episode hard to watch, and what kept it from being a good episode was how (like Jay RaR said) cringe-inducing some scenes were. I hate things like that in shows/tv because I always find it hard to watch. No idea why, but I just can't stand watching scenes like that because I end up feeling how the character should be even though I know it's fake. >.> I even had to pause the tv frequently...

 

[Zelias]

This was an ok episode right until Dash did her impersonation show. That was just cringe-inducing to watch and knowing she'll somehow screw-up her trick at the end of the show made it feel a little more uncomfortable. Sad that she did WELL during the show despite learning the routine in 2 days up until her screw-up.

Wouldn't even say the episode was ok up until that point. Easily the worst episode of the season so far.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I'm really surprised that I have a much higher opinion of this episode than the people in this thread so far. I actually quite liked it.

For one thing, this is one of the few Wonderbolts-focused episodes where they didn't come off as jerks that don't deserve Rainbow's respect, and none of them came off as bullies. The only particularly jerky thing is that they didn't explain to Rainbow that they all had embarrassing nicknames from the start. Rainbow was shown to be competent outside of the moments where she went out of her way to impress everyone, they acknowledged the events of "Testing Testing 1, 2, 3", and the Wonderbolts remembered everything Rainbow has done in the past.

I thought the section where Rainbow imitates her friends was cute. I was thinking during the Applejack part that it was impressive how Ashleigh Ball kept it distinct from her normal Applejack voice, but it bled into her normal voice at some points. I notice that Rainbow decided to go more for Moon Dancer in her look than Twilight, for some reason.

The Wonderbolts show was fun, both when it was going well and when it wasn't. Though, what the hell, the preview clip was the climax of the episode again?! This happened with season 4's "Simple Ways" too. There's a reason why I don't usually check those out. Thankfully, I had only seen that gif I linked earlier.

Pinkie felt a bit off, particularly in how she was willing to miss a good chunk of Rainbow's first show to get cotton candy, but everyone else was handled well. I particularly liked Rarity constantly using the name "Dashy" and noticing that Rainbow was feeling down, and that Rainbow actually came clean about her problem right away. Though I notice that Starlight didn't appear at all: I guess she really isn't one of the main cast.

Also, this is the first time this season we've gotten the normal ending theme.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty enjoyable episode.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I'll need a little time to process this one, and maybe a rewatch. By and large I think I enjoyed it; the Wonderbolts were handled well, and I liked Dash trying to adjust to being part of a larger machine.

As others have called out, the scenes where Dash imitates her friends was pretty ridiculous; she isn't usually that stupid.

But the pieces surrounding that scene I actually thought were good, with both the trials of switching from solo-flying to working as a team and coming to terms with your mistakes and learning to laugh at yourself.

 

[draetenth]

Personally, one thing I did like to see was how the pegasi used their wings like hands. Pretty flexible appendages...

 

[PaulloDEC]

Personally, one thing I did like to see was how the pegasi used their wings like hands. Pretty flexible appendages...

I liked that too. Actually, this episode was pretty animation-strong across the board IMO.

 

[SigmasonicX]

New promo, with a bunch of clips from "No Second Prances", this episode, and most importantly, next week's "A Hearth's Warming Tale". There's an odd moment with what appear to be boy band ponies, but it's probably a recontextualized clip. ED's breakdown.

On another note,

Smooth, Twilight

 

[PaulloDEC]

New promo, with a bunch of clips from "No Second Prances", this episode, and most importantly, next week's "A Hearth's Warming Tale". There's an odd moment with what appear to be boy band ponies, but it's probably a recontextualized clip. ED's breakdown.

On another note,

Smooth, Twilight

Yup, best scene.

EDIT: Wait, I have an idea:

 

[Fat4all]

just get a little whiff

 

[PaulloDEC]

Gave this one another go tonight, and I think it helped. The imitation scene still sticks out as being pretty weird and goofy, but it's easier to roll with when you know it's coming.

As Sigma mentioned earlier, I like how the Wonderbolts are used in this story; it really might be the first time they've come across as a group of functional adults (as opposed to the fickle bunch of kids they've been in earlier Wonderbolts stories). The whole hazing thing they put Dash through felt true-to-life, and maybe she would've seen that were it not for the old feelings that the familiar nickname dredged up.

One other thing that came to mind was the way Dash's current identity as a lone wolf/maverick type character clashes with her dream of being a Wonderbolt. Episodes like this one go to great lengths to drive home the "No 'I' in 'Team'" thing, which makes me wonder what'll eventually give. Is Dash capable of becoming a career team-player, or is the maverick who she really is underneath?

just get a little whiff

Fluttershy lives with like, dozens of animals. I hope she practices suitable mane-care.

 

[draetenth]

If nothing else, the episode has provided amusement reading the wonderbolt groups/stories at FIMFiction as people watch their headcannon of the Wonderbolt change.

 

[SigmasonicX]

If nothing else, the episode has provided amusement reading the wonderbolt groups/stories at FIMFiction as people watch their headcannon of the Wonderbolt change.

I'm not sure what in the episode could have forced major headcanon changes. Any examples?

 

[Rhomega Beta]

I'm not even aware of what headcanon about the Wonderbolts is...other than Spitfire and Soarin being a couple.

Anyway, Newbie Dash was good, and a lesson if you ever want to join the military or police: don't try to stand out, just fall in line, and everything will be fine.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Alright, episode roundup. Not a slight against the episode, but I felt there wasn't as much interesting to see from this episode as previous ones.

SCREENCAPS/GIFS
The Wonderbolts have cloud pillows. Fluttershy adorably covering her face.

Spitfire's superhero entrance

RAINBOW IMITATIONS
Rainbowshy is good, especially with that hard-to-notice blushing, but Rainbow Fash is fabulous. For that last gif, many interpret Soarin's reaction as confused but interested.

And MrPoniator's animation

BAD ENDS
Yes, an entire section for this. First, Source Film Maker video Scootaloo's worst end. Then, gif edit bad end for Scootaloo (small), but at least she's taking everyone else with her.

Comic where things go bad for Dash, but not as bad as in the actual episode.

Somehow I always knew it would end this way

And big gif edit (small), where not even looking both ways helps.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

I really, really hate cringe humor outside of Mega64, so this last episode was damn painful to watch. I almost stopped it halfway through. It was going so damn well too!

It started and ended pretty fine, on the whole, but that middle bit. Damn.

Hopefully this is the only cringe episode of the season, and if memory serves, pretty much every season has one. Brotherhooves Social and that one where Rarity went full stupid to try and get laid in season...four?

Hated both!

Good news is the comic book coming out this week is absolutely fantastic. One of my favorites, though given embargos, I probably can't go much further than that. If you read em though, get hyped!

 

[Fat4all]

I have abhorrently high tolerances to cringe comedy, and MLP played it pretty low key in the cringe department.

I can see people who don't appreciate it as much not digging the last ones, though.

 

[Village]

i missed the episode, what is it called? Looks interesting

 

[Owlowiscious]

cringe comedy how

 

[SigmasonicX]

i missed the episode, what is it called? Looks interesting

There's an episode guide in the OP, but anyway, the episode is called "Newbie Dash".

cringe comedy how

If you're asking because you haven't seen the episode, then there are two particular moments that got people cringing:
1. In order to get a better call sign in the Wonderbolts, Rainbow decides that she has to stand out more. Since being herself isn't working, she tries to do this by imitating her friends, which just confuses and annoys the other Wonderbolts.
2. In the episode's climax, she tries to perform a big stunt during a Wonderbolts routine to get attention and it goes wrong.

I'd say the cringe is on the mild side, since everyone is more confused by her actions than upset, there isn't any public shaming like in "A Friend in Deed", and there isn't someone else being embarrassed like in "Brotherhooves Social". Even when Rainbow is called "Rainbow Crash" by the other Wonderbolts, after the initial scene where she gets it, it generally isn't used as an insult.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

I had to pause everytime she started impersonating someone, some times multiple times for one. I just personally couldn't handle it for some reason. at least now i can pause when i was younger i would just change the channel when it got that bad... which would piss off my brothers.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Good news is the comic book coming out this week is absolutely fantastic. One of my favorites, though given embargos, I probably can't go much further than that. If you read em though, get hyped!

Ooh, sounds good! Is that the Pinkie one?

I had to pause everytime she started impersonating someone, some times multiple times for one. I just personally couldn't handle it for some reason. at least now i can pause when i was younger i would just change the channel when it got that bad... which would piss off my brothers.

I didn't quite get to pausing, but I was definitely feeling this when it became clear what was about to happen. Wasn't a problem on second viewing though, which was nice.

 

[SigmasonicX]

On the topic of cringe, the only times I felt that in this show that I recall are in "A Friend in Deed" with Pinkie embarrassing Cranky and wrecking his stuff, and "Brotherhooves Social" due to Apple Bloom getting embarrassed. I didn't feel any discomfort from Rainbow embarrassing herself, so I suppose I'm more sensitive to cases of one person embarrassing another.

My Little Pony: The Movie will be part of Lionsgate's film slate at this year's Cannes Film Festival, which starts today and will continue through partway into next week. I'm not sure what this actually means. I don't think they're putting it up for any awards, and the articles linked by ED specifically mention certain movies as getting screenings, so does that mean this won't? In any case, it's unlikely that the movie is close to completion, so are they just showing a preview to foreign distributors?

If any major news comes out of the festival, I would recommend that no one creates a new topic about it or bumps the old movie topic. The first movie topic didn't go well. I think we should make one eventually, but maybe wait until there is a theatrical trailer and at least wait until 2017.

EDIT: New promo, confirms that "A Hearth's Warming Tale" involves everyone playing characters in an analog to "A Christmas Carol". From this, we know that Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy aren't ghosts and that Rainbow Dash is dressing in style again. The previous commercial seemed to show Pinkie as one of the ghosts and Starlight as Scrooge, so I'm guessing Spike as Jacob Marley, Applejack as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Pinkie as the Ghost of Christmas Present, but I'm not sure if Twilight fits the role of Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Maybe they'll break the pattern and have Luna.

 

[brian577]

Hiatus starting the 11th of June
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2016/05/mid-season-hiatus-confirmed-starts-june.html

 

[draetenth]

I'm torn, on one hand: mid-season hiatus, on the other: shorter break between seasons.

 

[Fat4all]

I'm torn, on one hand: mid-season hiatus, on the other: shorter break between seasons.

I don't mind it, as it's a closer season finale to season opener.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Hiatus starting the 11th of June
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2016/05/mid-season-hiatus-confirmed-starts-june.html

Well, at least I'm getting to mark another square off my bingo card.

 

[Owlowiscious]

There's an episode guide in the OP, but anyway, the episode is called "Newbie Dash".


If you're asking because you haven't seen the episode, then there are two particular moments that got people cringing:
1. In order to get a better call sign in the Wonderbolts, Rainbow decides that she has to stand out more. Since being herself isn't working, she tries to do this by imitating her friends, which just confuses and annoys the other Wonderbolts.
2. In the episode's climax, she tries to perform a big stunt during a Wonderbolts routine to get attention and it goes wrong.

I'd say the cringe is on the mild side, since everyone is more confused by her actions than upset, there isn't any public shaming like in "A Friend in Deed", and there isn't someone else being embarrassed like in "Brotherhooves Social". Even when Rainbow is called "Rainbow Crash" by the other Wonderbolts, after the initial scene where she gets it, it generally isn't used as an insult.

I guess I didn't understand the usage of the term cringe. Thanks for the reply.

 

[SigmasonicX]

EDIT: ^ Ah, cringe comedy refers to comedy based on characters embarrassing themselves or others, which can be hard to watch for a lot of people, especially those who fear those sorts of situations.

==

Not a surprise, but weird that we're taking a break after 12 episodes instead of 13, and that we aren't getting much of a mid-season finale. Also, if the series is resuming in fall or winter, it's weird that they didn't move the Hearth's Warming episode until later.

Plus, that DVD with "The Fault in Our Cutie Marks" is coming out in August. Will the episode be taken off, or are we getting a "leak"?

Anyway, it's nice that we were actually told about this beforehand this time, and not given a misleading statement about the next season.

In lighter news, more detailed "Spice Up Your Life" synopsis.

Pinkie Pie and Rarity are called to Canterlot to solve a friendship problem. Once there, they discover a father and daughter whose relationship is strained as they struggle to keep their restaurant open. Pinkie Pie and Rarity both want to help, but have different ideas on what “help” means.

The Cutie Map returns (probably) and hiatus, so I have two bingo spaces! Though I'll mark it when we get to it. Also, I wonder if we'll get another set of three map episodes with pairs. We have Pinkie and Rarity, so maybe we'll get Twilight and Applejack, and Rainbow and Fluttershy. I don't think we've actually had an episode that put a lot of focus on the latter two since Rainbow sold her into slavery in "Trade Ya", and the last Twijack episode I can think of is season 1's "Applebuck Season".

 

[SigmasonicX]

Friendship is Magic #42
This comic was great, with amazing art and a lot of fun gags.

It must have been hard on Andy Price to do two comics in a row involving a ton of different art styles. I wonder if he was the one who photographed the real life sections. Given the credit given to Alice Price, I wonder if she was the one who made the crochet ponies and/or modeling clay ponies and/or fruit. It was nice that all of the different art styles had the inspiration clearly credited this time around. If I have one complaint, it's that the normal art style looked odd at times. In particular, on the top of the second to last page, when Rarity is petting Pinkie's head, Rarity's front legs are really weird.

I was a bit disappointed that the story didn't go all in on presenting a comic written by Pinkie, but contrasting her with Rarity worked well, and the use of a very simple story gave the gags and art styles room to breathe.

There were a ton of gags, and I'm sure I didn't get a lot of the ones related to particular artists.

This was a great send-off for Katie Cook.

A sampling of the art styles. First Rarity's art, then Pinkie's.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

This was a great send-off for Katie Cook.

Oh god is she leaving? She's one of the BEST when it comes to these MLP comics. Far above the other writers, in my stupid opinion.

Anyhow, when I reviewed this comic I gave it a perfect score because it's just so goddamned good. It will probably be the first MLP comic I go buy, which will be fun since I've never bought an MLP comic from my local comic book store. Will look out of place when I fork over money for that giant hardcover Aliens thing that came out a week or two ago.

Also when it comes to cringe episodes, you forgot "Simple Ways" which is probably the worst MLP episode to have come out so far. Just thinking about it makes me shudder

 

[SigmasonicX]

Oh god is she leaving? She's one of the BEST when it comes to these MLP comics. Far above the other writers, in my stupid opinion.

Anyhow, when I reviewed this comic I gave it a perfect score because it's just so goddamned good. It will probably be the first MLP comic I go buy, which will be fun since I've never bought an MLP comic from my local comic book store. Will look out of place when I fork over money for that giant hardcover Aliens thing that came out a week or two ago.

She says it isn't necessarily a permanent thing, just that she has a lot of other projects to work on, so she's taking a break from the comics.

As for her quality as a writer, I've enjoyed her comedy stories and the first comic arc, but I've been disappointed by her other multi-part stories. "Reflections" started out very strong but landed with a thud, and both "The Good, the Bad, and the Pony" and "The Root of the Problem" were very bad.

Also when it comes to cringe episodes, you forgot "Simple Ways" which is probably the worst MLP episode to have come out so far. Just thinking about it makes me shudder

I never had a problem with "Simple Ways", I think because no one was actually being embarrassed.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

She says it isn't necessarily a permanent thing, just that she has a lot of other projects to work on, so she's taking a break from the comics.

As for her quality as a writer, I've enjoyed her comedy stories and the first comic arc, but I've been disappointed by her other multi-part stories. "Reflections" started out very strong but landed with a thud, and both "The Good, the Bad, and the Pony" and "The Root of the Problem" were very bad.

Eh. See, I figure that pretty much every MLP thing that's bigger than one episode ends quickly or poorly, so the comics were just, you know, continuing the trend.

Was the Root of the Problem the one with the Everfree forest going all crazy? If so, I really liked the first issue of that, but yeah, it fizzled out pretty hard

I never had a problem with "Simple Ways", I think because no one was actually being embarrassed.

I don't think a character in the show has to be embarrassed for it to be cringe; that's on the viewer. In this case, I cringed so hard my face broke for a bit.

Plus, Rarity had the stupid stick that episode, and that always bothers me. Plot should not exist because characters are acting stupid. Most MLP episodes i dislike usually hit that category.

 

[UberTag]

Plus, Rarity had the stupid stick that episode, and that always bothers me. Plot should not exist because characters are acting stupid. Most MLP episodes i dislike usually hit that category.

To be fair, Rarity is still a delight even when she is acting stupid thanks to Tabitha's performance. She just goes all-in. Shame it didn't work for you.

 

[PaulloDEC]

I enjoyed the new Pinkie comic. They maybe dialed Pinkie herself up a little further than I'd usually like, but I dug all the crazy art and the ending was really sweet. I'll miss Cook's writing.

Spoiler

Also I love "Simple Ways".

 

[Rhomega Beta]

Preview for "A Hearth's Warming Tail"

 

[SigmasonicX]

Hmm, maybe this will be a full musical episode? (Haven't actually watched the clip, just going off of what others are saying)

And the writer is Mike Vogel, the guy that used to be an executive before deciding to become a writer for the show. He also wrote the Good Night, Baby Flurry Heart picture book, which people generally say is well done, though I haven't read it myself.

 

[draetenth]

Hmm, maybe this will be a full musical episode? (Haven't actually watched the clip, just going off of what others are saying)
.

Haven't watched it either (or even read what others are saying), but I hope not. I personally don't care for signing/musicals (even if one reason why I like MLP is that they can make singing tolerable).

 

[Strider_Blaze]

Hiatus starting the 11th of June
http://www.equestriadaily.com/2016/05/mid-season-hiatus-confirmed-starts-june.html

Thankfully the hiatus isn't as long as season 5's. Hopefully sometime after June 11th, the first half of season 6 is available for streaming on Netflix. Still haven't found the time to watch it due to being busy; will have a fun time binge watching!

 

[Jay RaR]

Liked what I saw in the preview.

Spoiler

Probably the best piece of music I heard in MLP in a long time.

 

[UberTag]

Liked what I saw in the preview.

Spoiler

Probably the best piece of music I heard in MLP in a long time.

I don't know about that... I mean, it hasn't even been 6 months since The Mane Attraction.

I'm always a fan of Disney villain solo homages so I'm still very enthused.
Hoping for a fun Grinch Who Stole Christmas tribute with Starlight Glimmer in the antagonist role.

 

[Jay RaR]

Ehh...I thought that performance in the Mane Attreaction was alright. Good to hear, but not one that sticks IMO.

 

[PaulloDEC]

Preview for "A Hearth's Warming Tail"

I dig it. Very interested to see whether

Spoiler

the story told here will be inspired by (or a straight re-telling of) an existing Christmas story.

Hmm, maybe this will be a full musical episode? (Haven't actually watched the clip, just going off of what others are saying)

And the writer is Mike Vogel, the guy that used to be an executive before deciding to become a writer for the show. He also wrote the Good Night, Baby Flurry Heart picture book, which people generally say is well done, though I haven't read it myself.

Crossing my fingers for a good debut for Mike Vogel. He seems passionate about the show, so it'd be nice for him to have a soft landing on TV.

Liked what I saw in the preview.

Spoiler

Probably the best piece of music I heard in MLP in a long time.

I like the style of it, and the implication seems to be that there'll be more where that came from. Looking forward to it!

 

[UberTag]

I dig it. Very interested to see whether

Spoiler

the story told here will be inspired by (or a straight re-telling of) an existing Christmas story.

Yep, looks like we got a condensed retelling of A Christmas Carol - which seemed more like a vehicle for musical numbers for some yet-to-be-released holiday album.

Always seems weird when they elect to air Christmas episodes in the middle of the year. Don't see why they don't just hold these off and make an annual tradition out of airing these between seasons DURING Christmas when they'll be more festive and have more impact.