Anyone found Season 5 first half lacking in mane six solo focused episodes?

[cider float 2,538]

Cutie Map Part 1

Cutie Map Part 2

Castle Sweet Castle

Bloom and Gloom

Tanks for the Memories: Rainbow Dash

Make New Friends But Keep Discord

The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone: Rainbow Dash+Pinkie Pie

Slice of Life

Princess Spike

Party Pooped: Pinkie Pie

Amending Fenches: Twilight Sparkle

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

 

There was about three episodes out of 12 of the episodes that was focused on a single mane six and one episode that was a duet of two of the mane six.

 

I know lots of episodes have been like this lately but Season 5 does not even try to hide it. I think running a duet out of the mane six is a good way to get a good episodes the most, there is still a lot of possibilities to explore by pairing up the mane six. A three way might be a new thing as well, I mean if the CMC can have episodes done with all three of them why not mane six in threes?

 

Would be nice if the second half has one or two Fluttershy episodes.

Edited July 15, 2015 by cider float

[That One Pone 584]

Season 5 was always known as and always will be known as the "Background Pony" season. The entire season is focused on areas away from the norm and characters that wouldn't usually get seen.

[Sri Aegislash 21]

You do bring up an interesting point

 

However, here is something to add based on the leak

 

EP14. Canterlot Boutique

EP16. Rarity Investigates

EP17. Made in Manehatten

 

It looks like we are having three Rarity episodes within four episodes based on the titles and leak information, this seems strange mainly due to having Rarity not having much episodes. Also having consecutive character focused episodes seems out of order in my opinion. Imagine that this could have been a month of Rarity.

 

 

We are going to have another Pinkie Pie episode with  "The One where Pinkie Pie Knows". The leak also says Fluttershy's brother will appear in "Brotherhooves Social" giving a Fluttershy episode. Applejack has "The Hooffields and Mccolts".

 

In the end each of the Mane Six will have an episode, however it seems like they are focusing on secondary characters since we are having another CMC episode, a Discord episode and a Luna episode. This is the season of expanding surroundings. I can understand as the Mane Six are close or finished to completing their ambitions. 

Edited July 15, 2015 by Sri Aegislash

[Lexamena 391]

I thought season five was supposed to focus on cutie marks, at least that was the buzz when it started.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I guess it kind of has. Then again, Twilight, RD and Pinkie each got a solo episode, in addition to being featured in other episodes, including a joint episode with Pinkie and RD. Fluttershy had a prominent role in Discord's episode, as well as RD's episode but she has yet to get her own episode this season. AJ and Rarity have kind of gotten the shaft, though I guess AJ did have a large role in Applebloom's episode, and Appleoosa's Most Wanted. I'm not sure how much I believe that Rarity will get three of the next four episodes, but as long as she gets at least one episode I'm ok with waiting for the second half of the season.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Tross

[roptiriolg 49]

Yes, I did and that's a good one. We need to see more of other ponies, their development too, 100 episodes can't be only focused on the Mane 6 in rotation

Edited July 15, 2015 by ImtR

[yeet 2,027]

Need more Spike episodes like Princess Spike.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

I think this season is focusing more on the background characters and setting up for more expansion of Equestria.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Yeah I've noticed that too. My one big complaint about it relative to other seasons is the lack of focus on the mane 6. Oh well I guess I can always just watch the old episodes instead

[Pastel 7,630]

Yes, I did and that's a good one. We need to see more of other ponies, their development too, 100 episodes can't be only focused on the Mane 6 in rotation

Totally agree with this. A show that focuses on only 6 characters, one of them in each episode, would quickly get boring.

I like when an episode focuses on several characters (mane 6 and secondary/background characters) at once.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Blobulle

[Buck Testa 5,505]

I like how this season is going, the world feels bigger now that they are exploring other characters more, and the mane six have had some pretty solid character development....

 

....and spikes still a plot punching bag :/

 

Oh well you can't have everything 

[manic 121]

Need more Spike episodes like Princess Spike.

 

Princess Big Mac > Princess Spike

[Ridley Wolf 291]

This is pretty much the worldbuilding season.

 

The show is focusing on developing underused characters and introducing new locations and concepts.

[Melke 160]

I guess the lack of solo episodes with the mane 6 might be due to how much they had grown through season 1 to 4 and they need new foils to play off of or it would get boring with the same things. I honestly loved season 5 so far and the topics they have covered with the right choice of characters to face the dilemmas. I don't find the lack of solo focused episodes too jarring as even in episodes that feature all or some of the mane 6, the main focus of the episodes is still on one or two of them so it feel similar in a way.

 

With "Slice of Life", I wouldn't be surprised if the mane 6 have to interact outside of their tight group and mix with the background ponies. With the cutie map, there is a reason to split the mane 6 and add new foils to play off of them. They have grown so much that they are at the stage where they are the ones learning a lesson while also teaching it.

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Yeah I've noticed it and I feel odd about it personally.  Here's the thing, while I don't mind worldbuilding and the like, I feel Equestria and to a lesser extent it's citizens, lack independence, that this set up could not actually exist. Now I don't need this to be Middle Earth, where every barkeeps great great great grandfather's lifestory is known in great detail to the point you know that his left pinkie toenail had an upward curl to it that bugged his equally detailed cobbler to no end, but the way the world is set up, it revolves around the Mane 6 when it should be the other way around, that the Mane 6 are a part of the world and interact with it on an equal level with those around them, which is part of the reason I greatly prefer Do Princess Dream over Slice of Life since it attempts this much better, (though not a perfect execution) 

Edited July 17, 2015 by Sidral Mundet

[superdogz1999 551]

Yes I have noticed a lack of those episodes in Season 5. At least Apple Bloom got an episode, right?

[SilverComet 170]

We have three episodes focused on "background ponies":

"Slice of Life" : secondary (and terciary) characters from Ponyville & The Everfree Forest (Zecora, Steven Magnet and the Changeling).

"Princess Spike": secondary characters from Canterlot (including Spike & Cadance by origin) and "V.I.P.s" from all of Equestria.

"Amending Fences": terciary "new" characters from Canterlot [they were so far in the "plot temporal distance" they could be from Twilight´s previous life / incarnation xD ].

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I would like to visit more characters outside the mane 6. After 4 seasons, I want something fresh and meet more ponies. I must admit this season is UNBALANCE (3 Rarity ep, 3 Pies ep, 2nd Discord/Luna ep in latter half of season). The pandering in this season is overloaded but... That what I want so... yeah... Pandering is really bad but I feel addicted right now, cant stop myself anymore... if they keep doing that I will be overdosed.

 

When I'm watching a long-running series for a long time, sometime I just think "screw the main characters, more spotlights for the secondary character" and realize im a horrible fan for thinking like that lol. Sometime in the longrun I just feel tired to see the main characters in every episodes... that my bias thinking so nevermind, it bad . Main characters are the soul of the show, without them it wont be the same.

[cider float 2,538]

I would like to visit more characters outside the mane 6. After 4 seasons, I want something fresh and meet more ponies. I must admit this season is UNBALANCE (3 Rarity ep, 3 Pies ep, 2nd Discord/Luna ep in latter half of season). The pandering in this season is overloaded but... That what I want so... yeah... Pandering is really bad but I feel addicted right now, cant stop myself anymore... if they keep doing that I will be overdosed.

 

When I'm watching a long-running series for a long time, sometime I just think "screw the main characters, more spotlights for the secondary character" and realize im a horrible fan for thinking like that lol. Sometime in the longrun I just feel tired to see the main characters in every episodes... that my bias thinking so nevermind, it bad . Main characters are the soul of the show, without them it wont be the same.

There was about 4 Rarity episodes in season 4.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

I found this season to be focused on supporting characters and expanding to new places.

[Prince Firemane 309]

This seems like a world-building season, which I think is a great thing. We know quite a bit about the mane six individually, it's getting repetitive at this point. I like the character setup of The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, where two characters who don't usually interact alone together are put together by circumstance, it creates a new dynamic between them and uniquely grows them both from their shared experience. Too bad it's halfway through season 5 at this point and it's the only episode of its kind.

 

Speaking of which, wasn't this supposed to be the season of cutie marks? Sure doesn't seem like it from most of the episodes from this season. And was the map just forgotten about? It seems like it was a plot device to set up another season-long story arc, but it's halfway through season 5 and it's only been shown once since its debut.

[SilverComet 170]

This seems like a world-building season, which I think is a great thing. We know quite a bit about the mane six individually, it's getting repetitive at this point. I like the character setup of The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, where two characters who don't usually interact alone together are put together by circumstance, it creates a new dynamic between them and uniquely grows them both from their shared experience. Too bad it's halfway through season 5 at this point and it's the only episode of its kind.

 

Speaking of which, wasn't this supposed to be the season of cutie marks? Sure doesn't seem like it from most of the episodes from this season. And was the map just forgotten about? It seems like it was a plot device to set up another season-long story arc, but it's halfway through season 5 and it's only been shown once since its debut.

 

There was lot of foreshadowing and "red herrings" planted all over the first eight episodes (Blocks A & B of the first Mid-Season 5) related to "cutie mark magic".

The Block C (episodes 9 to 12) corresponds to the "background building" phase of a long term proyect for the season 6 and 2017 MLP Movie arcs.

Episode 13 is a self-conclusive "mid season finalle" that would not have direct correlations with future episodes because of its "dream nature" (much like how it is for S5E04 outside Babs Seed "update status" reference).

[UnknownFry 169]

Maybe, but this is a not a bad thing in this case as it has done more to include the other background characters in the process, but it would be nice to see more of a focus on the main characters though as Amending Fences is a classic example of making something new out of old territory.

 

Speaking of which, wasn't this supposed to be the season of cutie marks?

 

The theme is Cutie Mark Magic, but the issue or some variant has been addressed several times already in The Cutie Map, Bloom and Gloom, and Appleoosa's Most Wanted, and I expect the season finale to return to that theme as well.

 

This show has never been known to do extensive full season long story arcs though with the exception of Rainbow Power in Season 4 though, as usually it is two or three episodes for any given story arc, but things may change in Season 5.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

It's to be expected with the mane six's new role on equestria and beyond, which sincerely is what I've been expecting from this season.

New characters, places and cultures need space and time for further development. Many talents are now being requested for this new responsibilities, generally involving group endeavours. Love it!
 
Meaningful messages regarding society and government. It's reaching for!

I'm happy with it.

Edited August 1, 2015 by They call me Loyalty

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

About all this "world building". Honestly, the only episode I'd rank as a worldbuilding episode is Griffonstone's episode, and while that WAS a good episode, the rest just seem like normal episodes :/

 

As for the cutie mark focus, never really liked that that much: I feel cutie marks work best just as something that's "There" as a minor attribute, not something you focus everything around, like how you don't build an entire season around unicorn horns or whatnot.