Flaws of the show.

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

What flaws would you say the show has? What shortcomings?

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

I'd say sometime the show tries to have it's cake and eat it too.  That they try to push it in one direction but because they still want to remain a SoL type show and with a more or less stand alone nature to the episode, they can't push the envelope far enough to do justice to the story they are trying to tell.  

Take The Cutie Map for instance, Good episode all around but the Equalist side had no merits to their argument, they were just naive puppet to Starlight's brainwashing and always in the wrong. Imagine instead that they did have some good point, like cutie marks were things that kept ponies in a specific destiny, the one was destined to just be a farmer while another got to be an Alicorn Princess and high ruler just because of what their flank said. Wouldn't removing the mark allow for true freedom of choice in whatever one does, that what one choices to do is based on their own self determination and not some force they had no control over?  See as soon as you start asking those kind of questions, you can't have your neat and pat resolution and be in the morally clear and the show isn't set up or wanting to do this kind of thing and that kind of bugs me and is why I'm not all that big on the two-parters.

Basically I feel at times the show puts up big ideas but never deals with the consequences of such ideas.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Sidral Mundet

[sweetolebob18 724]

What he said, plus Discord is too powerful.  He is like Him from Power Puff Girls, but even more so.  Basically, he can do anything.  So, when they have a problem, why don't they just go to Discord & have him solve the problem by snapping his fingers?  He could have solved the entire 2 part opener in 5 minutes flat.

 

It would have been a LOT better if in Return of Harmony it had been established that (because of their connection to the Elements of Harmony) he can't harm the Mane 6 or affect them against their will (Hey, he didn't hurt them.  He enlightened them by putting them in touch with their Inner Brat.  Enlightenment is good, right?  Plus, when they went into the maze, they agreed to the contest)

 

They could have fixed this in Keep Calm & Flutter On, by having him agree to reduce his power in return for being let loose, but they missed their chance.  Biggest plot shortage in the series so far.

[Ribbonfree 2,383]

Writers can't consistently keep all characters true to their characterization, sometimes they shaft some characters (RIP Spike) for the sake of the plot. A common media trope, stuff like (ugh TV Tropes terms) Idiot Ball, for lack of a more pertinent word to describe how characters spontaneously lose some dimension for episodic convenience. My biggest problem with it all, personally, but it's not too bad to where I don't enjoy episodes or whatever. It'll just nag at me occasionally.

[Manman20x6 359]

 sweetolebob18, on 25 Jul 2015 - 10:48 AM, said:

What he said, plus Discord is too powerful.  He is like Him from Power Puff Girls, but even more so.  Basically, he can do anything.  So, when they have a problem, why don't they just go to Discord & have him solve the problem by snapping his fingers?  He could have solved the entire 2 part opener in 5 minutes flat.

 

Discord is not completely omnipotent. Even if he was, he is still a chaotic spirit who does what he wants to do. Celestia and the Mane 6 know better than to piss him off by bothering him for every problem they have; after all, it's already a miracle that they even managed to get on his good side.

[Alto 437]

spike episodes

hes a cringe inducing plot device

 

poor guy

[cider float 2,536]

The biggest jarring problem is the Elements of Harmony do not represent their element. Rarity's generosity has been shown from time to time but very very rarely, other times she acts the opposite of being generous. For Pinkie Pie I feel it's more of a personal feeling but she comes out more annoying than funny to me. Characters that don't try so hard to be funny actually come out more funny based on my viewership. Oh and don't get me started on Rainbow Dash.

 

How in the hay does their Elements of Harmony still work from all that? I thought if they're not staying consistent in their Element they can't use the Elements of Harmony? Hello? Discord turned them around and they couldn't use the Elements? Do they not work at all only when they take on the absolute opposite of their Element? Then Christ anyone could be the Elements of Harmony.

[Dark Qiviut 22,177]

I made a good list of flaws here and here. But I can name a couple more.

1. Often, the show gets way too comfy in their stereotypes. Examples? Why not.
   
   a. Rarity pre-Suited for Success: Often, she was presented as a stuck-up, shallow bitch. This was especially the problem in Boast Busters (along with AJ and Dash) and Bridle Gossip. I guarantee you, if it weren't for her portrayal then, then her popularity would've been one of the highest then and not one of the lowest.
   
   b. Diamond Dogs: The stereotype of being all brawn, but no brains.
   
   c. Dragons from DQ: One-dimensional teenage bullies. Do you know why the show never bothers building up their world? Blame this episode and the stereotypes involved.
   
   d. Canterlot High, Flash Sentry, Sunset Shimmer (EQG1), the first film's main story. This movie not only uses stereotypes. It embraces them. This movie's base market is older than FIM. If you're going to use high school, don't be so fucking lazy and provide some uniqueness.
   
   e. Tree Hugger voices, looks, and acts like she was stoned, a very common stereotype among hippies.
   
   d. The yaks: A common stereotype among supposedly primitive people, including vikings and Natives.
   
   Stereotypes are a false representation of certain groups. By using stereotypes, they paint very harmful pictures of certain cultures, races, and sexes. For a show designed to be pro-feminist, this is terrible.
2. The quality is inconsistent. The episodes can be really good, but more often than not, a lot of them completely suck. For every Testing Testing, Cutie Map, or Sisterhooves Social, you have Rainbow Falls, Trade Ya!, Mare Do Well, Boast Busters, or Princess Spike.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

Some episodes try too hard to teach their lesson or create plot just to teach that lesson.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,345]

I think the show has two major issues at times:

 

1. How some characters are used, like Spike. While I still enjoy the episodes he is involved in, I feel like he is underutilized lately. His character has so much potential and it just is not hitting the right notes at this point. 

 

and 2. Pacing. Sometimes, in order to get the point across, the writers have to really make the episode go by fast to get the plot set up for whatever point is being made. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep is a good example of that I think. I really enjoyed the episode, but the first half of it was like 'zoom zoom zoom', it went by rather fast. The second half was better paced. Now I do realize that they only have 22 minutes to work with, so it might just be a necessary thing to get the moral and point across. The writers are under certain limitations, so it does not bother me much, but I do noticed it.

 

Those are the two major flaws I have noticed.

[cider float 2,536]

I was raising an eyebrow since Spike at Your Service and Just for Sidekicks. They were atrocious and really did Spike no justice.

[Melke 160]

I have seen many episodes and seen many reviews as well. I guess my main problem against MLP is some bad writing habits of the writers sour the entire series by leaving bad episodes that carried back effects onward. Any complaint about the animation is not significant to me as they steered away from the horror of Generation 3.

 

Spike has always been the subject of bad writing. I think they should have just put Spike and the CMC together as all four can represent an aspect of growing up. Speaking of the CMC, the Show Stoppers had literally removed tension and surprise for the CMC's marks and also, does the writers only know how to write the CMC in one way? (I am talking about Appleloosa's Most Wanted and how the writers fell back into the same opening as Stare Master). Why do I see this as a flaw?

 

The mane 6 have already reached a stage where it is time that they teach the lesson of friendship, rather than learning it. The CMC and Spike are the new torchbearers for new lessons that are centered around growth.

 

Personally, I find that they are better at writing SoL episodes than action oriented episodes. When they write very action based episodes, they tend to use a lot of dues ex machinas end and leave a lot of plotholes.

[colt .45 259]

Pegasi are bullshit! Horses can't fly. And in real life unicorns hardly ever shoot lasers out of their horns, they are mostly just used for telekinesis.

[----------------------- 171]

There's plenty of flaws with the show, and I know a lot of Bronies that block them out. They need to realize that not everything is perfect, and that includes this show. Anyways, here are some things that grinds my gears because of their consistency in the course of the series.

 

-Bad writing for the sake of the plot (a pure example would be Spike; getting the idiot ball just for forced laughs and such)

-Rushed endings (I know they have a time-frame and need to fit everything in, but countless of other episodes have pursued this fine, so it's possible)

-Making one side the good, and the other not (if they want the lessons to be more realistic and engaging, having the "evil" side get some points across that some people may agree with would be appreciated. The Cutie Map would've been perfect for this)

-Lack of expansion because of plot (like the dragons in Dragon Quest and whatever species there was that got limited because of the storyline. A shame, since I'd love to see more of them and get more episodes that could center them)

Edited July 26, 2015 by zigragirl