Cleverclover

So character regression is perfectly fine as long as the mane six still have flaws....even if they're the same flaws they overcame in previous episodes?

Because it's more or less been established that she doesn't appear unless it's convenient for Twilight in some way.

Yet another gem from season 6. An episode that flat-out ignores the previous development a character has received and compensates for it by inserting an utterly pointless gimmick. Our characters aren't moving forward. Only back, or in circles. Golly, I do so love this season.

Same thing, for the most part. But I can see her having a tendency to be overprotective.

I can guarantee you Applejack has grown since season 1. Because in season 1, she was one of my least favorite characters, whereas now she's my favorite pony by a country mile. I think the biggest area she's received development is in her high level of competence. Not only is she one of the first to offer support for her friends, she's become quite the badass and is clearly adept at fighting off dangerous beasts. That said, I do wish she had been given a goal to work towards. That's really nothing more than the writers giving her flaws just for the sake of it. Do you ever remember a time where Applejack was bogged down due to overworking the simplest of chores before Applejack's "Day" Off? Yeah, me neither.

Gee, you'd think Spike would look up at some point...

No. I'm just saying that I would never expect the fandom to collectively admit that the show has gone downhill, not even if it's in its thirteenth season, the mane six continue to flounder back and forth in their development, and we keep seeing the same plots recycled over and over again. And honestly, can you really say that you disagree with that assessment?

You know, that's an interesting point. Knowing how utterly terrified the majority of the fandom seems to be at the notion of the show coming to an end, I cannot feasibly see there ever being a consensus about a drop in quality. It doesn't matter how long the show runs, how much the mane six keep learning the same lessons over and over again, or how many episodes are simply retreads of earlier episodes. As long as it's pony, it's good. Period. Hell, take Equestria Daily for example. Have they ever once declared a FiM episode to be bad, or even mildly disappointing?

Fair enough. Sorry, your comment just irked me. I've also been irritated by how much Fluttershy has gotten shafted since season 5, and though I didn't like Flutter Brutter, I think that episode showed how much she's improved.

Because apparently, Fluttershy hasn't improved or developed since season 1... Nah, man, you're absolutely right. Fluttershy should no longer be getting any more episodes for the rest of the show. She doesn't matter like Starlight matters, right?

I could see it getting backlash if it's needlessly dark and edgy, if Sunset Shimmer isn't in it, and if Twilight ends up being the only one doing anything of actual importance. That said, all of these seem entirely likely to happen.

At this point, I simply cannot get excited for any further season 6 episodes. All I can really hope for is that I'll enjoy them, but I'm fully prepared for disappointment.

I would honestly say so. I now have very little faith that season 6 can be turned around and I will likely end up considering it to be the worst season of the show. The quality just isn't there anymore, and only comes in short bursts. I feel like what we're seeing now is the same type of transition that occurred between pre-movie Spongebob and post-movie Spongebob.

Uhh, yeah, that makes no sense whatsoever. The writers are forsaking actual character development just for the sake of getting back at people? Bull****. Also, who the hell hated the CMC getting their cutie marks?

And thus, my hope for season 6 sinks lower.... Up until now, I've been hyping Ed Valentine up for his past success. I thought that he, more than anyone else, would be able to turn this season around and save it from its doldrums. And yet, two years after delivering two of the best episodes of season 4, this is what we get now? Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were out of character on massively extreme levels. On the one hand, I can sort of see that there's a bit of a catalyst for their behavior in that they want to relive their past glory....or lack thereof. In that sense, the episode delivers on a somewhat fairly understandable flaw for the three of them. But there's no way that this flaw excuses the completely lack of disregard they showed their younger sisters. Hell, that was probably the meanest I've ever seen Applejack. And to think, that this was from the same writer who gave Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo their absolute cutest and most heartfelt moment together. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are better than this. We know that they are better than this, and so once again, the show decides to go backwards on their development just for the sake of making the plot work. I am so SICK AND TIRED of this happening!!!!! I want to see our characters GOING FORWARDS, NOT BACKWARDS!!!! And what probably irritates me the most is just how utterly pointless this episode ultimately was. Why in the hell are we still getting episodes like this now that the CMC have their cutie marks? This episode could have been worthwhile had they included a way for the CMC to utilize their talents, but instead it turned out to be an episode that easily could have been made before they had cutie marks. So ultimately, this episode provided development for ABSOLUTELY NO ONE. So yep, this one is a dud. Two episodes in to the second half of season 6, and I'm already losing faith that it can be turned around. Just perfect...

Yeah, I really wouldn't count on that. Or at least, I wouldn't count on it happening in the show. It might happen in one of the Equestria Girls films, but that's about it. There are a lot of factors working against Sunset returning to Equestria on a long-term basis. For starters, there's simply nothing for her there. With the exception of reconciliation with Celestia, Sunset has no reason whatsoever to return. She's not going to join the mane six, most of whom do not know her as anything other than the thief who stole Twilight's crown in the first film. It's just not going to happen, especially with Starlight still around. Additionally, Sunset is the crux of the entire Equestria Girls franchise now. If the franchise is going to continue, it needs Sunset. Hell, in my opinion, Sunset is the only thing that the entire franchise has even remotely going for it. Without her, it's worthless. There's simply no place for her in FiM. This. Even if we have confirmation from the staff that it's canon, it simply doesn't do much for me when the show seems to go out of its way to imply that any of the Equestria Girls films never happened.

As of now, I really do not want a season 7. I think the show has already reached its peak, and all it can do now is drop. Season 6 has been exceedingly lacking for me. We keep getting pointless gimmicks shoved down our throats in lieu of episodes with actual depth, and we're steadily seeing characters going backwards on their own development (i.e. Rarity in Spice Up Your Life). I said I would give the second half of season 6 a chance to turn my opinion around, and I am. But even if I do, I still can't help but feel that I'll most definitely consider it to be the worst season by far. Even if the show doesn't end with season 6, I'll likely wish it did. And besides, isn't it just about time for the show to end anyway? Even if you're still enjoying it as much as you ever were, are you really excited for more seasons of the mane six doing the same old stuff? Especially when you have Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy simply going around and around in endless circles, while Rainbow Dash and Rarity make only marginal progress on their own goals, and while Twilight is still the only one who is consistently rewarded the most at the end of each season. How about instead of wishing that the show lasts ten years or longer, we just acknowledge that it's had a great run, (a run much longer than most cartoons are lucky enough to receive, I might add), and hope that it doesn't go the way of Spongebob, the Simpsons, or any other long-running show that has since become entirely unrecognizable from what it once was.