spoiler Has the writing gotten less competent?

[Misty Shadow 8,324]

Continuity errors: Starlight not being able to find the throne room despite doing so in the previous episodes. The CMC saying they only used to do things to get their cutie marks, which is not true. Yes they've done episodes based of one character before, but for the most part featured the others as well, Fluttershy hasn't even appeared since the season premiere. It's been uneven. As for Dash being a Wonderbolt, The Wonderbolts seem to be a military-like career, and are based on the Blue Angels, a flying team that, according to my research, are part of the Navy. People in the military don't get much of a social life.

 

She found it in one episode. That doesn't mean she had it bookmarked in her memory, and she definitely didn't have it bookmarked trying to find it in the maze that was Twilight's castle. The CMC very likely didn't literally mean that was the only thing they did, just a generalization. And calling either of these "continuity errors" is being very nitpicky even forgetting that. 

 

They've had ONE EPISODE in this season thus far that was focused on only one main character...and it DID feature other characters. Just because all the Mane 6 don't appear in every episode doesn't mean the episodes are badly written. Do you recall Season 2 where we didn't get a Fluttershy-centered episode until nineteen episodes in? Call the character balance uneven if you like, but that does not mean it's a problem that just happened recently. 

 

And about the Wonderbolts being a military-like career...you do know this show doesn't follow the laws of the real world exactly? You don't suspect that just maybe they would write a way for Rainbow Dash to live her social life normally if that was the case? No matter how you perceive this, they're obviously going to still have Rainbow Dash in the spotlight she normally has because she is a main character in a toy promotion show.

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

No, in my humble opinion, the shows writing has been always the same. We can maybe debate that the general feel of the show has changed, but when it comes to the writing, it hasn't changed.

 

The show has been hit and miss in the writing since season 1.

[Koumorikichikun 62]

I haven't really noticed any major continuity errors.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I just feel Season 6 and even season 5 are Seasons of ... PATCHES, i mean fixing some problems in the last 4 seasons. They fixed Pinkie, they fixed Gilda, they fixed Spike, they fixed Dragon race... see what i mean  . 

Season 1 2 3 4 are great and standout but has some major flaws, Season 5 and 5 episodes of season 6 feels like a patch update for last 4 seasons, they are not amazing on their own but they fixed some flaws of past seasons... That what make them good

 

Too bad what we get maybe only updates, patches... which is nice, but i want a Flawed Masterpiece...     

[KatonRyu 1,036]

I don't think the writing has gotten less competent as much as the writers have become less experienced overall due to several of the best-regarded writers leaving the show. What we're seeing, then, is characters who've had five seasons worth of development written by people who weren't part of that process from the start, which is bound to make things different in a way that could be taken as 'less competent'.

 

Continuity-wise, the show never cared much for episode-to-episode continuity and IMO that aspect has only improved with the more 'adventurous' way the show is going. Add to this the fact that a continuity that is written in stone is simply not necessary for the enjoyment of the show, and you've got a non-issue for the writers. If an episode needs it to be winter, it will be. If the next one needs summer, it will be summer.

 

Lastly, the 'they're getting rid of (character here)' fears have always been unfounded and I'm sure they will be this time. Rainbow Dash is part of the Mane Six, and that's all the security you should need in realizing they won't be getting rid of her. The focus on only two or three characters at a time prevents the writers from being forced to come up for lines for characters who really aren't relevant to the plot, and allows them to develop these characters with more focus. I think that's a good thing. Not every episode needs to focus on every character.

[Wind Chaser 4,769]

None of this is in any way indicative of the show going downhill. The show has had a good concept of continuity but an ill-defined concept of time since Season 1. Focusing on certain characters is vital to make episodes work; the only issue is that they don't allow more characters to take starring roles in episodes.

 

Continuity errors: Starlight not being able to find the throne room despite doing so in the previous episodes. The CMC saying they only used to do things to get their cutie marks, which is not true. Yes they've done episodes based of one character before, but for the most part featured the others as well, Fluttershy hasn't even appeared since the season premiere. It's been uneven. As for Dash being a Wonderbolt, The Wonderbolts seem to be a military-like career, and are based on the Blue Angels, a flying team that, according to my research, are part of the Navy. People in the military don't get much of a social life.

Virtually all of these classify as nitpicks. Just because there hasn't been a role for Fluttershy yet doesn't mean the show's getting any worse. How do you think Rarity fans felt in Season 3? The Crusaders are kids; of course their perception of their own lives will be flawed, but more often than not they've done things just for the cutie marks.

 

Starlight not finding the throne room is a minor, insignificant detail against the rest of the episode. It's fun to point that out, but you have to admit you're nitpicking and that such a thing has little to no effect on the quality of the episode.

 

Then there's Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts. Just because the Wonderbolts are influenced by the Blue Angels doesn't mean they are the Blue Angels. There's such a thing as artistic license, after all Equestria isn't our world. They can come up with a way to explain it or just Hand Wave it. I personally would have liked to see Rainbow Dash called in as a reserve once or twice since "Testing, Testing, 123".

[SilverStarApple 850]

This show doesn't really have hills. More like sudden pitfalls where the writers drop the ball, it turns out to be a nuclear bomb, and they unleash an unholy abomination upon the fandom while calling it an episode. And when they carry the ball without failing, it's a great show.