Part 1: http://mlpforums.com/blog/707/entry-4203-in-defense-of-season-3-part-1/

Part 2: http://mlpforums.com/blog/707/entry-4209-in-defense-of-season-3-part-2/

If you've read the previous 2 parts, you've noticed that I was very sarcastic. But not this time. This time I'm going to defend the things that are much harder to defend.

The Death Of Twilight Sparkle

The title above is not as sarcastic as it sounds. If you haven't figured out, I'm referring to Twilight being an Alicorn. People have every right to feel as concerned as they do, so I'm not going to be a sarcastic douche here.

I don't like it when people defend Twilicorn by saying "She just has wings. You're just judging her by her looks." They don't realize that she is also a princess, thus changing her role in the show.

I think a better defense would be to just tell people to wait for Season 4. There's not much else you could say really. Either you like Twilicorn or you don't.

I personally think Twilicorn is a pretty good idea, and I like when shows move in new directions rather than sticking to the status quo. That's just personal preference.

I have no reason to be sarcastic, because those who are concerned about Twilicorn have every reason to be concerned. But please, no matter which side you're on, don't give up on the show. Give Season 4 a chance. And watch more than just the 2-part premeire. I'm sure there are still going to be some good Slice-Of-Life episodes in there to enjoy.

I do want to say however, that if you really don't like Twilicorn, could you at least let the people who do enjoy it, without trying to convince them that they're wrong?

Pacing:

I can't say that I hate the pacing of any season 3 episode, but I can understand why many do. This season has had some very ambitious ideas, and seeing them being told in only 22 minutes feels unusual.

Here are my thoughts on the pacing of each episode.

The Crystal Empire- Although more development from Sombra would've been nice, I don't think the lack of it was due to bad pacing.

Too Many Pinkie Pies- Perfect pacing.

One Bad Apple- Different, but still okay pacing.

Magic Duel- Trixie "redeemed" herself. But in my opinion, Trixie never had anything that needed to be redeemed in the first place. I never saw her as evil, but just as a show mare, who was unfairly ridiculed by the mane 6. Her "redemption" was her apology for taking her new found anger too far. I can't call this episode "rushed" because Trixie's "redemption" was incredibaly believable.

Sleeplesss In Ponyville- Perfect pacing.

Wonderbolts Academy- The pacing was fine

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Apple Family Reunion- Nothing I can say about pacing.

Spike At Your Service- This episode suffered from things MUCH worse than its pacing.

Keep Calm And Flutter On- Okay, this is a tough one. I have absolutely no idea why I like the pacing of this episode, but I just do. This episode just makes so much sense to me for some reason. Contrary to popular belief, I think that Discord's Redemption is very believable, and a 2nd part wouldn't have accomplished anything.

Just For Sidekicks- nothing wrong here.

Games Ponies Play- This episode suffered from having a stupid plot. I never payed attention to its pacing.

Magical Mystery Cure- Another tough one, but I think this one is much easier to defend than KCaFO. The reason I like the pacing of this one is because every single part of the episode has a purpose. It's not like A Canterlot Wedding, which had a completely pointless (but still awesome) fight scene that only served as filler. There is no filler, and every single shot, every song, (even morning in ponyville) and all of the dialogue had an important place in the episode. And the more I watch it, the less rushed it feels.

Honestly, the only episode that I can say I don't like the pacing of in the entire series is Boast Busters. In my opinion, it would've been better as an 11 minute episode.

I guess that's it for part 3. I was going to defend Magical Mystery Cure on it's own, but I think I did that well enough in the Pacing section. But for those of you who like to defend Magical Mystery Cure like I do, please for the love of Celestia stop using the "it's part of a 3-parter" argument. Not only was it orignally written as the series finale, but it's also still technically a stand-alone episode, which means that it should be treated like a stand alone episode. I'm pretty sure S4E1 is not going to be called "Magical Mystery Cure Part 2."

Everything else I have to say about the episode is a little too head-canonish.

There are still 2 more parts left. In part 4 I'm going to explain why I'm not stupid for liking this season, and in part 5, I'm going to give quick reviews of each individual episode.