Thrond

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I do think the two-parters can be fun, but mostly as spectacles. For the most part I tend to like them despite the show’s underdeveloped mythology, though there are some fun ideas; the more they try to seem like serious fantasy, the less interesting they are to me. In particular, the first two premieres seem fairly non-serious regarding those elements. 

I just don't like that their more ambitious efforts are hardly ever their better ones. The only 2-part episode I genuinely like is "Friendship is Magic" despite its bad dialogue and rushed pacing especially in it second part. "The Cutie Map" was okay enough for me, but the execution of the episode wasn't nearly as interesting as its ideas. I either hate or am indifferent to every other 2-part episode.

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What do you mean by “brought in”?

Exactly that. The show introducing new alicorns.

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It obviously doesn't help that the fantastical elements are of major interest to me.

I should word this sentence better. The fantastical elements were the biggest draw of the show to me, especially when I first saw the season one 2-part premiere. I didn't expect them to have some deep and expansive mythology, and I didn't expect the show to build on it constantly, but I am still disappointed by whatever the show attempted.

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I just don't like that their more ambitious efforts are hardly ever their better ones. The only 2-part episode I genuinely like is "Friendship is Magic" despite its bad dialogue and rushed pacing especially in it second part. "The Cutie Map" was okay enough for me, but the execution of the episode wasn't nearly as interesting as its ideas. I either hate or am indifferent to every other 2-part episode.

I would go as far as to argue that the adventure-type episodes aren't that "ambitious" at all, which is why a lot of them are so mediocre. Like, "The Cutie Re-Mark," for instance. Sure, it's expansive in scale, and it does try to say something profound about Starlight Glimmer, but it's mostly just laser beams and lightweight what-if scenarios. They're not interesting as fantasy, because the show's mythology is so half-baked, and they're not suspenseful, because the storytelling is so formulaic and predictable.

I thought the season 9 finale was impressive because it's one of the only times the show has generated actual tension. 

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Exactly that. The show introducing new alicorns.

I did enjoy how seriously the alicorn mythology was taken in season 1, even though it was mostly kept mysterious. That mystery is probably why Cadance never bothered me, though Twilight becoming an alicorn annoyed me because it didn't make much sense. By the time Flurry Heart came around I realized that the mythology wasn't really the point of the show and probably wouldn't amount to anything interesting anyway. Honestly, I reached a point where I was mostly annoyed whenever the show made a big deal about alicorns. I no longer find them interesting.

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I should word this sentence better. The fantastical elements were the biggest draw of the show to me, especially when I first saw the season one 2-part premiere. I didn't expect them to have some deep and expansive mythology, and I didn't expect the show to build on it constantly, but I am still disappointed by whatever the show attempted.

Honestly, despite all I've said, I think the storybook opening of the show was a big part of what drew me to it in the first place. It made the show seem more ambitious than what I was expecting. And I still do enjoy when we meet a new species or something like that, even though there's a bunch of disappointing stuff in the show's lore. But most episodes aren't like that, and I think even when I was first getting into the show, I realized that the fantastical elements were not essential to my enjoyment. At a certain point I might have enjoyed the show more if the adventure-type stories just went away. 

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I would go as far as to argue that the adventure-type episodes aren't that "ambitious" at all, which is why a lot of them are so mediocre. Like, "The Cutie Re-Mark," for instance. Sure, it's expansive in scale, and it does try to say something profound about Starlight Glimmer, but it's mostly just laser beams and lightweight what-if scenarios. They're not interesting as fantasy, because the show's mythology is so half-baked, and they're not suspenseful, because the storytelling is so formulaic and predictable.

I thought the season 9 finale was impressive because it's one of the only times the show has generated actual tension. 

I'd talk about "The Cutie Re-Mark," but I think you've heard/seen me go on enough about it.

Anyways, I do mean ambitious as expansive in scale. I mean, Equestria is in danger, lives are (possibly) threatened, and huge status quo changes often result from the 2-part episodes. This is quite different from Pinkie's friends turning down her party invitations or whatever happens at one of Rarity's shops. Those kinds of larger stakes appeal to me as I am curious as to how a bright, colorful, and generally positive show would handle something out of its usual element. Too bad the results are - well - not good.

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I did enjoy how seriously the alicorn mythology was taken in season 1, even though it was mostly kept mysterious. That mystery is probably why Cadance never bothered me, though Twilight becoming an alicorn annoyed me because it didn't make much sense. By the time Flurry Heart came around I realized that the mythology wasn't really the point of the show and probably wouldn't amount to anything interesting anyway. Honestly, I reached a point where I was mostly annoyed whenever the show made a big deal about alicorns. I no longer find them interesting.

I would say that Princess Celestia was at her best in season 1, and even then she didn't appear often and can appear questionable at times. Too bad that was the best they could do with her.

If they weren't going to bother with the alicorns, they should at least have stopped making a big deal about them, and they could've done that by either excluding them completely (the better option while also taking less effort) or making them more commonplace especially among average pony citizens. I hate wasted potential, and that's what I remember most about this show.

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At a certain point I might have enjoyed the show more if the adventure-type stories just went away. 

Same.