[Season 3] Episode 5: Magic Duel... get your spells on

HELLOOO EVERYBODY and welcome to Cultures Compendium of Reviews. As always, I am Culture Shock. Your guide to all things cultural in Equestria and beyond. In todays review, we learn that with great friends comes greater magic. However, there are a few rules to go over before we get started. First off, all content within this blog is expressly the opinion of its author. It does not, nor should it ever, reflect the overall opinion of the fandom. Lastly, if any of you notice ANY mistakes, be it typos or otherwise, please don't hesitate to let me know. With that said, let's begin. Shall we?

Magic Duel is the 5th episode of season 3 and the 57th episode overall. Written by M. A. Larson, this episode marks Trixie's 2nd appearance since the episode Boast Busters in season 1. Trixie makes a shocking return seeking revenge after being humiliated. But this time, Trixie has an ace up.her sleeve. Can Twilight defeat a corrupted Trixie? Or will the showmares tricks truly blow her away?

First off, let me start by saying... what a load of horseapples. Yet again, a character with a lot of potential gets stuck playing the egotistical yet again. Which, frankly, is shocking given Trixies transformation in her comic appearances. Something, which according to most fans, amounts to nothing in regards to the show itself.

While I pride myself in keeping up the lessons in each episode, deep.down, I feel there were no real lessons to this episode. An ego got deflated and we got a reminder about how power can corrupt. Wanna point out anything more obvious Mr Larson? Or is that all you got?

Overall, biased opinions aside, this episode leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The fact they let a possible chance to actually redeem Trixie, maybe even give her a bigger role, is just disappointing. And frankly, it's even worse considering it took 3 more seasons for that leaf to.finally turn over. Here's hoping it gets better in future episodes.

Alright! This concludes my review of Magic Duel. Possibly one of the worst Larson episodes yet and not even worth recommending. I give this episode a 3 / 10. Hope you guys enjoyed the review. Be sure to leave a like if you did. Also, don't forget to follow us for more reviews. Got a suggestion for a review? Leave it in the comments section down below. This has been Culture Shock, your guide to.all things cultural in Equestria and beyond, saying KEEP CALM AND BRONY ON!! PEACE!!