Rarity and Rainbow Dash are something of an odd couple, as the two are so different from each other. There have been quite a number of instances where odd coupling on 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' has worked. Also like both a good deal as characters, Rarity is more consistently written on the whole and her best episodes are high points of the show. Rainbow Dash isn't as consistently characterised and has had some real low points, but she has also had a number of great episodes and interacts with the other characters often very well indeed.
Neither are well served here in "The End in Friend". It was not an appealing premise in the first place and the execution is even less appealing. Is it the worst episode of 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?' No, it is not as bad as "What About Discord", "28 Pranks Later" and "Non-Compete Clause". Is it one of the worst episodes of Season 8? Yes. Not quite bottom 3, which consist of "Non-Compete Clause", "Yakity-Sax" and "A Matter of Principals", but to me it's somewhere in the bottom five. Season 8, which was uneven, actually did have some great episodes but this isn't one of them.
Am going to begin with the cons, as there is a higher number of them (the worst of them done terribly) and they are severe enough to stop one from enjoying much about the episode. Both Rarity, who is usually very funny and likeable, and Rainbow Dash are very unlikeable and it was like the writers had forgotten what made them great characters at their best. Their character flaws are very exaggerated and they have no redeeming qualities here, the latter actually rare for both of them even when written negatively. The chemistry between them is too acrimonious (and in a way that is too sudden) and one actually does have to see the earlier seasons to actually believe that they were friends. Starlight and Twilight are nicely written but there is too little of them and both are over-shadowed.
The writing, story and pacing are major problems here as well. The episode is too talky, with the dialogue tending to ramble and move too slowly. Other episodes have a much more natural flow in their writing too, what also is blatantly obvious is whose side the writers were on when it came to Rarity and Rainbow Dash at particularly the end. The story is far too thin, literally like less than ten minutes worth of minutes stretched out, and consists mainly (like "Non-Compete Clause", except not quite as bad) of two characters at each others' throats until things resolve too neatly.
It is also excessively predictable, with it being too obvious from pretty much the get go who was behind the plot and why. Was actually pretty amazed that it took as long as it did to be revealed. As a result of the story being too thin, the episode drags badly, having the feeling of a padded out filler episode, and everything resolves in a way that is far too rushed and too neat.
Having said all of that, "The End in Friend" is not a disaster. The animation is terrific. Not just typically rich in background detail, very vibrant and atmospheric in colour and with character designs that never look awkward or ugly, but it is also very inventive. A lot goes on visually but it doesn't feel cluttered and is done imaginatively. The music is as dynamic and beautifully orchestrated as ever.
Voice acting is great from all, despite Rarity and Rainbow Dash being poorly written that has no bearing on either Tabitha St Germain or Ashleigh Ball who both give perfectly professional voice overs. Starlight and Twilight are well written and characterised, though not in the episode enough.
Concluding, rather mediocre episode and one of Season 8's weakest but not without good things. 4/10.
