Is Pinkie Pie extraneous?

[colt_following 169]

I have always felt that while Pinkie is really valuable to her friends, for the purpose of the show, she's only ever served as a comic relief for the main cast. Her element is laughter, but that seems just so ambiguous- it's not like "happiness"/"joy", and most of the time she expresses her element through parties and her personal energy. 

 

But in the context of Equestria and its actual problems, it seems like the Element of Laughter isn't one that  really helps the team all that much.

 

I have always felt that the elements are rather mis-weighted (kindness vs. generosity? Loyalty vs. honesty? and then LAUGHTER??), and I just find it hard to say that laughter/joy is technically virtuous. The other 4 (minus TS) have character traits, but Pinkie has more of a "talent" or a mood.

 

How often has Pinkie's element actually helped the team? :okiedokielokie:

 

What do you guys think about this?

 

 

 

 

P.S. I don't mean to bash on Pinkie- I still love her! 

[Frostgage 7,981]

Even if laughter doesn't directly correlate to happiness or joy, I think that's what's implied by her element, making people smile. As for its value, you can see what happened to the citizens of Ponyville when she lost her cutie mark in Magical Mystery Cure - I think it's just as important as any of the other elements.

[Luna the Great of all the Russias 3,130]

I would have to agree. I feel that she was more of a moderate character in season 1 but served mostly as that comic relief role season 2 onwards. If her purpose is to spread joy through laughter, it's ironic that the mane6 are often annoyed by her acts. True, she spreads joy via parties and such, but when the characters are just together she seems to just be a sort of side character to me. I guess Pinkie's character as of now feels more to me as a stereotypical version of her character than what I would imagine would be her actual character.

[colt_following 169]

I'm with you- I hope this season (at least) she gets a bit more core... most of her episodes really only focus on her (instead of most characters who often have conflicts between the Mane 6 or with other people) and I feel like she doesn't get much of a chance to display a more thoughtful, true personality that goes beyond being an energetic funball all the time. 

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

 

 

How often has Pinkie's element actually helped the team?

Well, she has saved the others from Nightmare Moon's trees, saved the town from the Parasprites. Oh, and she's helped Fluttershy get over her fears in Dragonshy when she had to jump over a cliff and Pinkie sung the hop skip and a jump song. 

 

Also, Pinkie has shown character besides being a, "Comic relief." See Party of One, Too Many Pinkie Pies, Pinkie Pride, and Maud Pie for instances where she shows more besides being a comic relief. 

 

Sure, she may have those episodes where she is a comic relief and only that, but I feel that was more of a problem of her not being needed in the episode than anything else. 

[colt_following 169]

I feel that was more of a problem of her not being needed in the episode than anything else. 

 

That's where it gets me though- she DOES have her highlight episodes, but when it comes to the real issues (particularly at finales/premieres) her element doesn't seem to serve any purpose to the M6.

She is there more for the audience than for her friends.

 

I think Maud Pie was a good step away from her being only a comic relief because it sort of broke her "Pinkie Physics", but even then I think you could place many of the others in that situation!    She gets her chances to be a sensitive pony but its just that in the grand scheme, for the other ponies she seems to almost be an outsider (because her "conflicts" are rarely conflicts.)

[Unikitty 1,212]

I dunno about extraneous, but I do think she's extra-nice to her fre- H-Hey! Quit pushing, I know where the door is!

[Blaze Bronson 343]

I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at. Are you saying that the other elements are better at solving problems / conflicts?

"I'm gonna generosity Tirek back where he came from!"

"To be honest, we have slim chances of winning against Tirek"

... and so on, you see what I'm getting at.

 

I don't see how any of the elements are directly helping. Only their deus ex machina capabilities when they are combined.

[Pastel 7,630]

Her element is laughter, but that seems just so ambiguous- it's not like "happiness"/"joy"

It is to me, her element means she spreads joy, happiness and laughter to her friends (they are more or less synonyms).

Also I agree with the post above, the other elements don't directly "help" the team either, I don't see what you mean by that?

Edited April 22, 2015 by Blobulle

[ConcorDisparate 385]

have always felt that the elements are rather mis-weighted (kindness vs. generosity? Loyalty vs. honesty? and then LAUGHTER??)

 

Depends on the viewpoint and situation.

If you consider the laughter being the direct expression of happiness, and that happiness is the ultimate goal of a being (the only goal that is not on the way to another goal : Why do you work ? To get money. Why do you get money ? To buy stuff. Why do you buy stuff ? Because it makes me happy. Why do you want to be happy ? ....), then the laughter should be considered much more important thant the generosity, which is only a mean to get to a greater goal : happiness, expressed by laughter.

 

In reality, the elements are not mis-weighted, they are just incomparable.

 

 

I get your point our Pinkie and her place among the Mane 6, but you are viewing the situation from a viewpoint : Each character must be useful, and happiness/laughter are kinda useless compared to loyalty. But when you think about it, what's the point in being honest loyal, generous, if we are all happy anyway ?

 

Just see it that way : Each one of them was given a destiny and a role, and it doesn't matter if one's destiny can't be greater than another, they are different and as such, they shouldn't be compared, it's even truer when you use criteria such as usefulness to compare them.

Edited April 22, 2015 by ConcorDisparate

[colt_following 169]

Maybe that's what it is... they seem incomparable. I could be digging too deep in, but maybe for me they just don't 'fit together' all that much. It would've been simpler if they were attached to "traditional" elements:

 

grass would be kindness, caring for nature, or Fluttershy

fire could be courage or loyalty, definitely AJ or Rainbow

water no clue what would fit here. 

wind I would imagine as 'freedom' or something had to grasp, e.g. Rarity

earth could also be loyalty/reliability, AJ or Rainbow for these I think too.

and then magic

 

good thing I wasn't hired to write the show... it'd be a MESS!!

 

These are actually really bad (written in 10m), but I'm sure you guys see what I'm getting at. They don't HAVE to be "combat skills", but they don't seem to be that well outlined given that their usefulness are only displayed in context of the "slice of life" episodes.

How WOULD kindness and honesty save Equestria?? What really makes some of these elements different and how are they equaled to keep Harmony in balance??

[ConcorDisparate 385]

Maybe that's the problem. Harmony maybe isn't supposed to be balanced.

[colt_following 169]

hm. that would make sense, since magic is actually the strongest force in Equestria. and friendship IS magic 

[colt .45 259]

I'm going to address this in two parts. First will try to explain Pinkie Pies element, the second how her ( and all the elements ) play their part in relation to each other.

1. In one episode Princess Celestia was addressing the mane six, and how they had shown proficiency in their respective element during their adventure. ( it was at the end of the episode) she said "each of you have shown me how much you represent ( or grown, I don't remember exactly) each of your elements" she then went on to use a synonym for each element. Like "integrity" for AJ and "gentle spirit" for Fluttershy. Anyway, when she got to Pinky she said "enthusiasm". Until then I had always wondered about laughter as an element. But when Princess Celistia refered to it as enthusiasm, I got it. She is enthusiastic about everything. She makes their adventures fun. She always has a song or a joke, or cake, or balloons, even if that song or joke falls flat (or comes across as just comic relief) to us, the other ponies seem to enjoy it. And if they don't she will keep trying. It sometimes seems like the more she fails the harder she tries, which more often than not, results in people (and ponies) becoming annoyed with her.so, yeah, try to think of "laughter" as also being "enthusiasm.

2. I've always seen the elements (and the ponies) as kind of a metaphor. Like if you know someone that has loyalty, kindness, honesty, generosity, and they make you laugh (and if you possess those qualities yourself) then that friendship is magic. So, you can have a loyal, kind, generous,, honest friend, but If they don't make you laugh, or If they aren't fun. That person likely won't be your best friend (...and therefore not magic). It's that best friend magic that weaponizes rainbows. Like the song at the end of Twighlights Kingdom says. Hope that helps.

[thepinkapocalypse 72]

I like to think Pinkie probably wonders the same thing. I want to see an episode on this where she feels useless and it seems like her friends are annoyed by her mere presence all the time so she runs away. The group finds her then they tell her how is she is important, and that her element does mean something,  We learn the moral that everyone plays a important role in life no matter how useless it may seem.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,700]

Going to be honest here, Pretty much all the ponies besdies Twilgiht feel extraneous for any of the adventure scenarios lately