Episodes with secondary characters

[FirePuppy 739]

As of mid-Season 7, here’s how many episodes each Mane Six pony has had with the secondary (not background) ponies:

Fluttershy: 1 with Crusaders (Stare Master; though after that, she took no further part in Crusaders episodes), 3 with Discord.

Rarity: 2 with Spike (Dog and Pony Show and Inspiration Manifestation), 2 with Sweetie Belle (Sisterhooves Social and Forever Filly).

Rainbow Dash: 1, maybe 2 with Scootaloo.

Applejack: 1 with Spike (Spike at Your Service), AT LEAST 1 with Apple Bloom (Somepony to Watch Over Me), and maybe 1 with Big Mac (Where the Apple Lies).

Twilight Sparkle: 1 with Crusaders (Twilight Time), 2 with Discord, and at least 1 with Starlight (No Second Prances).

Pinkie Pie: Bom, Bom, BOOOMMMM... not one episode with anypony! All she’s been getting are episodes for herself and her main pony friends (mostly RD, AJ and Rarity), and it’s still gonna stay this way for the rest of Season 7, apparently.

To be fair, Pinkie will need a lot of episodes with the non-BG side characters in Season 8, while all the rest probably don’t. Who agrees?

[Megas 28,080]

19 minutes ago, FirePuppy said:

Pinkie Pie: Bom, Bom, BOOOMMMM... not one episode with anypony! All she’s been getting are episodes for herself and her main pony friends (mostly RD, AJ and Rarity), and it’s still gonna stay this way for the rest of Season 7, apparently.

Cranky Doodle Donkey? Cake Twins? Yaks?

[FirePuppy 739]

36 minutes ago, Hot Rod said:

Cranky Doodle Donkey? Cake Twins? Yaks?

Those are Guest characters. I’m talking about more commonly used secondary ones.

[Jeric 46,878]

I no longer consider Spike and the Crusaders secondary. If you can be a main character OR a protagonist (not the same thing) enough times I elevate you. Starlight is close to reaching that for me. This is (close to) how I break it down looking at individual episodes and the season or series overall (who fills what slot changes per season). 

Main/Protagonist/Duoagonist > Support > Guest

And 

Primary > Secondary > Tertiary 

 

Basically, shit gets really complicated when you have an ensemble cast. Especially when we don't have legitimate billing orders on most animated series like you do in live action series. 

 

I tend to reject the idea of balancing narrative through statistics, since I would never want to toss a good story away because we lack parity or want to support it. 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

What is it with all the desire to shoehorn characters into episodes? Is there some quota that desperately needs filling so that we can report it to the space overlord and get our lifetime supply of star cookies that I am not aware of?

It is a cartoon show, not a mathematical equation. The characters should be decided by the writers for whatever story they want to tell in a way that makes sense, not having a hamster pick them out of a hat after a spin on the roulette wheel. I would much rather them concentrate on writing consistently good stories with characters that work for that story than seeing who they can pair up with whom just because it has not been done yet. I would want to see a CMC + Pinkie story for example because they have a good Pinkie/CMC story to tell, not because we/I need one to make life complete. Some of the episodes have that feeling that it started with the characters instead of the plot, in a desire to mash them up to "see what happens".

I know some people do like to keep track of who has appeared here and there and how many times and all.... and really want to see some pairings... but if it comes at the cost of good storytelling, no thanks.

[Jeric 46,878]

1 hour ago, GrimGrimoire said:

What is it with all the desire to shoehorn characters into episodes? Is there some quota that desperately needs filling so that we can report it to the space overlord and get our lifetime supply of star cookies that I am not aware of?

The idea of parity goes out the window anyway since the series has slowly evolved over the years. Season One had Twilight in every episode, and then they stopped that to allow creative freedom which everyone benefited from. Parity can be a really really bad way to start an episode idea (as you mentioned). Now we have dedicated Starlight episodes in the mix changing things up even more. 

Even the staff knows story and characterization is more important that number of episodes. Rarity actually benefits from the decision to alter Spike at You Service ... since the original draft apparently made her look like a bitch. 

I want to see a Rarity and Twilight episode very much, but not a bad Rarity and Twi ep. So 100% agree. Some characters seem to be easier to organically weave together in a story because of their chemistry. Others need a good reason. 

I may book mark this because later this season we are getting a Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash episode that has a familiar feeling synopsis. While you can't judge an episode before seeing it, it may be one of those episodes that feels like they wrote an idea just to fit those two in. 

[Hierok 11,833]

I don't think Pinkie goes that well with the secondary characters. There is a reason Discord for example had only episodes with Twilight and Fluttershy. 

• Fluttershy is his first friend, so it seems fair that they have episodes together. 
• Twilight is the most important of the mane 6 and I think Discord likes to test that. She is also the one who defeated him and I think he respects her in a weird way therefor. 

There has to be motive and don't think Pinkie has something Discord needs or want to have. 

Edited July 11, 2017 by Hierok

[Megas 28,080]

10 hours ago, Jeric said:

I want to see a Rarity and Twilight episode very much, but not a bad Rarity and Twi ep. So 100% agree. Some characters seem to be easier to organically weave together in a story because of their chemistry. Others need a good reason. 

Yeah, as much as I like seeing the writers experiment with pairings, they have to be careful with rarely used ones. I think Hoofields and McColts is a good example that not every pairing works(Twilight+Fluttershy), even under the hands of capable writers(the Lady Writers), as the two lacked any chemistry and the episode was very boring overall. There's still pairings that were really great though(like AJ/Shy, RD/Rares) that the show could still make use of though

Quote

I may book mark this because later this season we are getting a Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash episode that has a familiar feeling synopsis. While you can't judge an episode before seeing it, it may be one of those episodes that feels like they wrote an idea just to fit those two in. 

I've, been feeling this way about RariJack for a while now, especially with Honest Apple. After Sisterhooves Social(which I do agree is one of the show's best), they've been getting lots of episodes together, but are almost usually really lousy I feel, and by AJ's Day Off it really just feels like they're pairing the two together just because

Edited July 11, 2017 by Hot Rod

[FirePuppy 739]

9 minutes ago, Hot Rod said:

I've, been feeling this way about RariJack for a while now, especially with Honest Apple. After Sisterhooves Social(which I do agree is one of the show's best), they've been getting lots of episodes together, but are almost usually really lousy I feel, and by AJ's Day Off it really just feels like they're pairing the two together just because

Tell me about it. PinkieDash and RariJack are two of the MOST overrated pairs of the show by now.

[Megas 28,080]

3 minutes ago, FirePuppy said:

Tell me about it. PinkieDash and RariJack are two of the MOST overrated pairs of the show by now.

Lets not get crazy now. That pair was MIA after Griffon The Brush Off until S5's Lost Treasure of Griffonstone, and again with Secrets And Pies. The pairing hasn't been used very much apart from that

[Jeric 46,878]

26 minutes ago, Hot Rod said:

I've, been feeling this way about RariJack for a while now, especially with Honest Apple. After Sisterhooves Social(which I do agree is one of the show's best), they've been getting lots of episodes together, but are almost usually really lousy I feel, and by AJ's Day Off it really just feels like they're pairing the two together just because

Both Made in Manhattan and AJ's Day Off felt like they had no interest in the actual dynamic of the two characters, save as a way to further the plot. Honest Apple at least felt like they had an organic idea that would allow for fun interactions that could play off their differences. 

But I no longer feel hyped when I hear a Rarijack episode is forthcoming. That says a lot right there. 

34 minutes ago, FirePuppy said:

Tell me about it. PinkieDash and RariJack are two of the MOST overrated pairs of the show by now.

In the years I've been perusing Pony sites, I rarely see PinkieDash mentioned. It's basically out-of-sight out-of-mind. 

You at least have leg to stand on with Rarijack, depending on how to approach it. Their recent episodes are watchable but not high quality, and limit any real dynamic between the two. At this point we know how they are different. I would like to see the show address how they are similar. 

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

No no no Rarijack, their episodes suck. Save episode slot for more interesting pairs.

Fluttershy and Twilight episode is meh, their dynamics are not interesting.

Now, i need a FlutterDash episode...

[FirePuppy 739]

The only pair that I'd prefer to see is Pinkie/Fluttershy without any other Mane Six ponies. Their only episode was Buckball Season, but that was also with AJ and RD.

And, for once, Pinkie Pie also needs at least SOMETHING with anypony outside of the Mane Six, now that Season 8 has been confirmed.

[Jeric 46,878]

4 hours ago, FirePuppy said:

The only pair that I'd prefer to see is Pinkie/Fluttershy without any other Mane Six ponies. Their only episode was Buckball Season, but that was also with AJ and RD.

For the sake of precision and clarity, can you breakdown how one is inherently better than the other? 

[Hierok 11,833]

17 hours ago, Lambdadelta said:

No no no Rarijack, their episodes suck. Save episode slot for more interesting pairs.

Fluttershy and Twilight episode is meh, their dynamics are not interesting.

Now, i need a FlutterDash episode...

The sleep over was one of the best season 1 episodes, so RariJack is not terrible, but their episodes lately haven't been good. 

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

3 hours ago, Hierok said:

The sleep over was one of the best season 1 episodes, so RariJack is not terrible, but their episodes lately haven't been good. 

That sleep over episode is the first episode introduced the contrast between a high-class pony and a farmer pony that hook me to Rarijack dynamics. Another good Rarijack is Simple Ways, because of how difference these pairing are. What i mean is the fact the Rarijack only works if these characters go against each other, NOT about them finding something IN COMMON, and work together.

7 hours ago, Jeric said:

For the sake of precision and clarity, can you breakdown how one is inherently better than the other? 

Maybe because they are the same V.A, i want to see two characters voiced by the same person, arguing with each other lolololololol. 

 

[Hierok 11,833]

Just now, Lambdadelta said:

That sleep over episode is the first episode introduced the contrast between a high-class pony and a farmer pony that hook me to Rarijack dynamics. Another good Rarijack is Simple Ways, because of how difference these pairing are. What i mean is the fact the Rarijack only works if these characters go against each other, NOT about them finding something IN COMMON, and work together.

Yeah, this is right. But I still think it is very cute seeing them together. It makes the sleep over a real great lesson. () Don't you think this looks cute?