What was your favorite season of MLP?

[SolyWack 482]

I'm very surprised this topic doesn't exist already. (Or it does and i'm just oblivious)

 

So I have seen a lot of posts about how people think Season 5 is quite possibly the best season of the series. These are quickly followed up by people who either agree or disagree with them, normally followed up with about 1000 characters of explanation arguing that their opinion is right.

 

I for one am in the boat that the earlier seasons were better, but I won't lie and say that a big part of that isn't the nostalgia talking. Each season had some redeeming qualities that could make it the best season.

 

Season 1: The first episodes most of us watched. Twilight learned what it means to be a friend. Letters to Celestia wrapped up each episode, a nostalgia trigger for many up-to-date bronies. Each character had their time in the spotlight, where they learned about themselves and we were right there with them. Quirky humor, friendship, and a brand new world filled with characters and locales just waiting for us were the bread and butter of My Little Pony's first season.

 

Season 2: Starting of with the both the best premiere and villain in popular opinion, this season opened its doors to locations outside of Ponyville. This season had the mane six delve beyond what it meant to be a friend. They learned about responsibly, the sacrifices of having a sibling, and that it doesn't matter what you are, but who you are. Season 2 had one of the most surprisingly action-packed and story-driven finales at the time, one that many still consider the best. This season had more in-depth questions about friendship, along with an increased amount of character development, and overall a direct upgrade to everything that made season 1 great.

 

Season 3: Although only half as long as prior seasons, this season still had memorable episodes including Rainbow Dash at the wonderbolt academy, Pinkie and the Magic Mirror pool, and the return of fan favorite: Trixie. This season contained two of shows biggest story changes: Discords Reform, and Twilight's Ascension.  Along with a great season premiere, revealing an entire new race, villain, and location, this season can still hold its own against full 26 episode seasons.

 

Season 4: Perhaps the biggest jumps and changes in series history. This season saw the show staple, The Elements of Harmony, being put back into the Tree of Harmony, and effectively rendered inert for the remainder of the series. This was the first season to feature Princess Twilight, and although it wasn't used extensively, it was a prominent plot point in the series Finale. Which was arguably the most action-packed, heartfelt, and suspenseful episode(s) to date. With two overarching stories (Equestria games and Rainbow Power) to weave this season together, this season had some of the best continuity episode to episode.

 

Season 5: Starting with a finale that wasn't about a world-shattering conflict, and instead taking a more down to Earth approach, it was obvious from the get-go that this season would be talking more mature and dark topics. This was further reinforced after the Mane six experienced unwanted cutie marks, grief, communism (however debatable), politics, war, anarchy, and self-torture within the first half of the season. This season also does a good job of showcasing Twilights new role as 'Princess of Friendship', by including her role in Equestrian politics, organizing delegation summits, and making amends to her lost friends. This season has some of the most far-reaching nods to earlier seasons. This includes, but is not limited to, Twilight making amends to her past mistakes in the first episode, the Grand Galloping Gala, the power ponies, and Flutterbat. This season is certainly one for the books.

 

 

With these quick synopses above, lets finally answer this once and for all. Which Season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was truly the best?

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

Season 5 is only halfway there so it 's not fair to compare season 5 compared to other seasons  . However, mid-season 5 have already beat season 3 and season 4 in terms of overall quality. Season 5 has better premiere, better villain, better characterization (Pinkie), more serious topics, SKILLFUL pandering (wait. this is a bad thing, right?  )

 

Season 2 still the best in terms of overall quality (2 popular villains, some "classic" episodes of whole show, good character development, new interesting characters). Season 2 is the most balance season and a DIRECT UPGRADE TO SEASON 1. 

 

Season 4's overall quality is not better than season2 but decent enough. Season 4 has a lot high quality episodes mixed with some unbearable ones (  Rainbow Fall... you... ). It has the best episode of the wholeshow - Pinkie Pride. 

Season 3... i think the fandom talk about it already so i dont want to repeat it  :comeatus: . No Rarity, no Derpy... 

So... 

Season 2> mid-season 5> season 4> season 1> season 3. You see, Ss 2 is a bitch, it wont leave its throne anytime soon.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Lambdadelta

[ponylaces 1,870]

Season 1: I might get hate for saying this, but whatever. In my opinion, season 1 was the weakest of the show. The staff were still getting used to animating, writing, voice acting, etc. Don't get me wrong, it's a great season, I just prefer the later seasons. Season 1 had a handful of amazing episodes (Party of One, Sonic Rainboom, Cutie Mark Chronicles, etc), great humor, good characterization, and nostalgia (although I've only been in this fandom for a year, so it isn't really "nostalgic" for me). It introduced the characters and Equestria, but they weren't really fully explored until now.

 

Season 2: My opinion on this season might be biased since it was the first one I ever watched. Yeah, this season gives me more nostalgia than season 1. Weird huh? Anyway, this season explored the characters a lot more and had a ton of great episodes. It also expanded more on the CMC since they were just introduced in season 1. Songs were getting better, animation was getting better, writing was getting better. Things were starting to improve in this season.

 

Season 3: To be honest, I don't really understand why this season is hated on so much. Sure, it was short, but it had some good episodes. It's not my favorite season, but it had some of my favorite episodes (Sleepless in Ponyville and Wonderbolts Academy) and I loved the premiere. I feel like the finale would've been better off as a 2 parter. And Twilicorn! I wasn't really bothered by this. I actually don't understand why people make such a big deal about Twilight becoming an alicorn. It's a big change, but she's the same old Twilight from season 1, just more developed and with a more important role in Equestria.

 

Season 4: Awesome! Most of the episodes were awesome in this one, with only a couple decent or okay ones. It had an amazing opener, an amazing finale, and great heartfelt episodes in between (not to mention the story arcs!).

 

Season 5: I'm not sure if I can judge this season since we've only seen the first half, but I'll judge it anyway. Season 5 has one of the best openers with possibly the best villan in the series (Starlight Glimmer yey). It was definitely very different from other season openers. Instead of the world hanging in the balance, the Mane 6 simply travel to a small town where cutie marks of some ponies are being taken away. Besides the season opener, there were great episodes with only a few below-average ones. Season 5 has some more darker tones, mature morals, and relatable conflicts (losing a home, dealing with a loss, worrying about the future, etc) and I really like it. I do think the second half of the season will be much better, we just have to wait and see.

 

What was the point I was trying with this huge post? Every single season was good, I just can't pick. My favorites are 2 and 4, and maybe 5 after the full season finishes.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302]

At this moment, it's between seasons three and four for me; though season two isn't that far behind.

 

Reasons to like season three:

Still my favorite premiere (which I generally dislike), "Wonderbolts Academy," "Sleepless in Ponyville" (the birth of Scootalove), "Games Ponies Play," and Rainbow's unfinished novel. x3  Plenty of Dashie throughout.

 

Reasons to like season four:

"Daring Don't" has done nothing but grow on me with every successive viewing.  I've always liked "Rainbow Falls," "Testing Testing 1 2 3," and "Trade Ya" (perhaps one of my favorite episodes, period).  Again: Plenty of Dashie throughout. x )

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Not going to include season 5 cause 1) It's not done and 2) It has a time advantage, and I would have to wait to better judge it, when my memories are more on par with the other seasons and my emotions cooler.

 

As for me Season 2 is still the best season of the bunch.  For one thing, it's the most consistent season of the bunch, and that's including season 5.  Yeah you had Mysterious Mare Do Well, but you also had Hurricane Fluttershy, Lesson Zero, Return of Harmony and Hearts and Hooves Day. I mean Big Mac actually got some dialogue in an episode! (Okay sure it's mostly jibberish but still) 

Also this was right at the start where the show was just slightly becoming aware of itself and the fandom, so while there is a reference here and there, the show isn't trying to be something it's not.

 

Season 1 is where you get a lot of the growing pains.  The early episodes stand out a bit because of this but this is the show in it's purest state, where all it was was a good girls show that could be watched by the child's parents, it's not trying to be something epic, profound or trying to be overly emotional and deep.

 

Season 3 is decent, but the short run length and several missteps in some episodes can leave a bad impression in people's mouths. It also doesn't help that this season also contains Twilight becoming an Alicorn and then leaving that hanging there for months on end only to be followed up by Equestria Girls, which is another hand grenade all on it's own.

 

Season 4 was a good season but the story arc they were trying to build up, while a good effort, was constrained by the stand alone nature the episodes are intended for as well as still trying to appeal to the target audience and the brony one, which by this point the show was fully aware of. Had some great episodes in it and that finale fight scene was something to behold, but Season 2 still takes the cake.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Sidral Mundet

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Season five has had some really excellent episodes so far, though there were many good ones in each season. However, if I had to pick a favourite season out of those so far, I'd say it was Season 2. Season 2 had the three holiday episodes in it, which introduced customs in Equestria that seemed very familiar to us, and yet were for different reasons all the ponies' own. This was the sort of thing that makes Equestria come alive as a setting. Plus, you had new creatures, like changelings, Twilight's big brother, and the single most brilliant letter to Celestia of them all, the one that read "I didn't learn anything!"

 

I have favourite episodes from every season, but season two simply had most of them, so that, so far, is my favourite of the bunch.

[Pastel 7,630]

You should remove season 5 because it's not over yet. Imagine the second half sucks? We can't compare it to the other seasons yet.

 

My favorite is the second season, it contains many of my favorite episodes, the best season finale, many new interesting characters like Discord, Shining Armor and Cadence, and it was the funniest and the most interesting overall.

[Rainboom Dash 1,056]

Currently Season 4, but Season 5 seems to be on the brink of overtaking it - if Part 2 is as good as Part 1. Season 4 has some of my favorite episodes and moments and had a great story arc.

[SolyWack 482]

You should remove season 5 because it's not over yet. Imagine the second half sucks? We can't compare it to the other seasons yet.

 

My favorite is the second season, it contains many of my favorite episodes, the best season finale, many new interesting characters like Discord, Shining Armor and Cadence, and it was the funniest and the most interesting overall.

I put season 5 in because many people, including lambdadelta above, are already concluding that season 5 is better than other seasons.

 

And he/she is certainly not the only one who thinks this. Like I said at the beggining of my post, many people are claiming this. So i created this this poll to see if that sentiment held any weight when people had all the options laid out for them.

[eekster 57]

I'm torn between season 1 and 2 but I voted 1 just because it kickstarted my love for the ponies! Hehe!

[Littlecandylulu903 415]

Season 1 because first blank is best blank.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

Season 2 is the best but season 4 is slightly behind it.

[baba_booey 4,302]

So far, Season 5. While there have been a few "meh" episodes (i.e. Appleoosa's Most Wanted, Princess Spike, Slice of Life), it's had a lot of my favorite episodes so far, such as Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, The Cutie Map and Amending Fences.

 

If that doesn't count since it's not ogre yet, then Season 4. It had a good focus on my favorite pony, Rarity, and it had some of my favorite episodes of all time, including my favorite episode so far, Rarity Takes Manehattan.

[Alto 437]

season 2 my reason is simple

i think it has the best songs collection

[cmarston1 5,959]

So far I have to say that season 4 is my favorite season as it was the point in which I was the most invested in the show.

But the second half of season 5 (and the last 3 three episodes of the first half which were great) looks like it will be even better than the first half.  But as of right now it is too soon to say.

[Buttonmash1973 1,026]

Season 2 because I started under the S2 hype,

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

It's close between season 1 and 4 for me at the moment. Season 1 has that cute charm and some great humor, while season 4 is more mature and has some great high moments. Idk it's tough to choose. Season 2 is close as well.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Season 2 is the best for me, simply because I find it to be the most consistent as far as developing coherent plots with strong character development and morals. They were also still working on worldbuilding regarding aspects that influenced the Mane 6 in their Ponyville lives while they were still young, developing characters, before they pretty much became full-time adventurers in Season 5. The worries, hopes, and experiences of the younger unicorn Twilight were much more immediately relatable on a wider scale than the considerably easy transition Twilight has had to becoming a princess and learning lessons in leadership, mainly because of how unevenly it was executed in Season 4.

 

Season 4 is the worst IMO. There were some very well-written episodes, however the season was plagued by dud episodes that were themselves plagued by bad writing trends that showed up in many episodes, such as not taking the plot seriously for the sake of comedy, plots and morals that came at the expense of character development, and Spikeabuse. That goes without saying that only a handful of episodes even acknowledged Twilight's princess identity, let alone made it a plot point. Season 5 makes Season 4's plot and character progression look like it moved at a snail's pace, finally delivering much-needed focus on the Crusaders and a possible new role for them, and finally elevating the ReMane 5 to actively supporting Twilight and having high-level adventures of their own, using the lessons they learned to help and inspire others. That's what Season 4 should have been doing to them. Not doing that made Twilight's ascension feel uneven and unfair to the rest of the ReMane 5. We had the key arc to fork us over, but the elements at play in the key episodes didn't carry over as much into the other ones.

 

It's still too early for me to judge Season 5, purely because it's not over yet. However, if Season 5 continues its current run of episodes tackling heavier concepts than before, developing secondary and new characters, progressing the roles of the main characters, and avoiding episodes like "Tanks for the Memories" which would have best been done in earlier seasons, or outright duds like "Princess Spike" that rely on trite formula with little to no variations that are immediately consequential to the plot, Season 5 may rival Season 2 as the best.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Wind Chaser

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,515]

Season 4 is currently my favorite season with season 5 already primed to take over that position if all goes well for the rest of it. It already has some of my favorite episodes in the whole show, like Slice of Life, Tanks for the Memories, Amending Fences, and Make Friends but Keep Discord.

 

I feel like season 4 was when the show's next major step took place, it was introducing many new concepts and characters, and it had quite a bit of depth in a lot of the episodes compared to the show's past. It also contains some of my favorite episodes like Pinkie Pride, Maud Pie, and Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3..It was just all around a wonderful season to me.

 

Season 3, I feel like gets a lot of unnecessary hate but that is just my opinion. I actually enjoyed most of that season and even MCC, which brought forth one of my favorite things in the show now (I will let you guess what that is), Season 3 is also a bit nostalgic for me as it was the first season I was able to watch from beginning to end as it premiered. 

[~Lola bunny~ 56]

So far, I've enjoyed season 2's episodes the best.

[BritishBrony2012 813]

Season 4 is my favorite, cos of things I'm into, season 5 seem close. In season 4, there ponies turn into superheroes, Werid Al/Cheese Sandwich, appance of maud and new villan, teirk and that battle he had with Twilight. I did ask for a villan like teirk.Now we got one, hope there a tough villan.

 

As for season 5, it may come close, Slice of Life and Amending Fence are my favorite episode. There some new ponies I got into.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I would say Season 4 is my favorite, but following that is Season 5.

[Flint Sparklehooves 37]

I'm nostalgic for season 1, and the first half of season 2.  And I've only been watching MLP for about three weeks.  Currently up to season 4 ep 6.  The ponays are in spandex outfits fighting a supervillainessss.  I don't know.

[Deleted account 23]

Season 2 is probably my favourite season of MLP so far, but season 5 has been doing quite well so far there hasn't been a single episode of season 5 that I haven't liked so far.

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

I put Season 2... not a real surprise, most fans would agree. But I think Season 4 would be my second fave, followed by S1, then S3, and S5. Why? I don't really know, to be honest. I just know Season 5 hasn't really wowed me. Season 1 was the show finding its feet. Season 2 was striding along strong, Season 3 was a fork in the road, Season 4 was taking the road less walked but owning it. Season 5 is humming and hahing so far...