"The Point of No Return" was one of the few Season 9 episodes seen more than once. Due to it being one of those episodes doing very little for me first time as it did strike me as overwritten, copy and paste and Twilight's character interactions taking step backwards. After seeing and hearing people defending the episode, trusted people, there was the decision to give it a second chance and there are instances of episodes of 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' that proved better on rewatch.
Good news luckily is that "The Point of No Return" did fare better on second viewing, it struck me as funnier and really liked the chemistry between Twilight and Spike, some funny moments and the good moral. It did still feel overdone, it loses its way in the third act and Twilight was on the erratic side as a character. So instead of being completely indifferent to it, "The Point of No Return" ranged between conflicted feelings and moderately liking it. Not one of the best episodes of Season 9, but not one of the worst.
Will start with what was done well. Cannot fault the animation, especially on the facial expressions which are again deliciously wacky, inventive yet also nuanced. Also find no issue with the characterful, emotionally varied music that is placed ideally all the time, without any intrusiveness. Nor with the voice work of Tara Strong and Cathy Weseluk. On the whole, "The Point of No Return" entertained a lot in the writing. Twilight's saying uncharacteristic things about herself and books were both funny and interesting, made funnier by how characters reacted. Her dilemma is also relatable and quite well done.
Furthermore, the moral is a great one and always an important one to address, sincerely handled. Spike is also great fun and really lightens the mood in parts that easily could have been too heavy, his comedic dialogue contrasting well with Twilight's while being a good voice of reason. They gel beautifully together, have always wished that their exact relationship was made clearer but their chemistry is always interesting.
However, although Twilight has good moments here her character writing is erratic, with at times too much of a return to her more neurotic personality of the early seasons (disappointing as she has come on a lot). Occasionally the humour is overdone, with some of the "Twilighting" going a bit over the top.
Did find some of the story something of a hodge podge, with a cobbling together of past ideas feel at times. The final act could have been better, with too much emphasis of the significantly less interesting and dull Dusty Pages strand in comparison to Twilight's main dilemma.
Overall, better on rewatch but didn't completely come together. 6/10.
