Has frustration ever made the show more interesting for you?

[KH7672 1,604]

I don't know if I'm just a wishy-washy fan of the show but I wonder if anyone else has felt this way about an episode or character.

For example my favorite episode is "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" but not because I think it's perfect. No there are things in the episode I love (The Vote, Diamond Tiara's episode arc, CMC getting their marks) things I am mixed (The Pony I Want To Be) and things I detested (The approach to DT's reformation and Spoiled Rich). Yet all those things no matter good or bad just get me so invested and I love it. The same thing could be said for The Cutie Re-mark or Starlight as a character in general. Also, frustrating synopses like 28 Pranks Later and Putting Your Hoof Down that I end up enjoying apparently way more than most people.

[Megas 27,765]

No, the most frustrated I've ever been with the show was Season 6, and if anything, it almost made me stop watching it entirely

[Thrond 3,263]

Well, it sort of depends on why I'm frustrated. My least favourite parts of the last four seasons have really just bored me, and that doesn't make me like the show that much more, but there are some episodes which, while not the most watchable or enjoyable to me, have issues which interest me enough that I get more out of them than an outright boring episode.

For instance, I don't really like "Amending Fences," but that's less because I find it boring and more that I don't understand where the characters are coming from. Partially I just think about it a lot because most others like it significantly more than I do, but it also has a fair handful of good aspects which make its negative aspects all the more intriguing to me. 

Similarly, "Newbie Dash," where I adore the first third, can barely make it through the second and have mixed feelings about the final third. I'm really happy for Dash achieving her dreams, and I find it powerful that she has reclaimed the nickname used to bully her in the past, but I'm aware that it has some awkward implications, and the "impressions" are unwatchable. And yet, it's my frustration with the parts of it which don't work which makes it stand out so much to me - although I don't like it nearly as much as I would have if it were more fun and I didn't need to justify my affection for the moral.

The thing is, frustration never makes this show better for me. I'd prefer if specific episodes had fewer issues, as I would rather the show be good than flawed-but-interesting. Still, if it's gonna have problems, I prefer it failing at something ambitious to just being boring, so in response to your specific wording, yes, frustration has made the show more interesting to me.

[Luminance 2,186]

Season 6 left me underwhelmed. Lots of filler-ish type of episodes or instances of no general direction and whether or not a few of OK episodes can make up for that, I'm not so sure it can. Frustrated? ...maybe...but disappointed? Definitely yes.

After that, if anything can remotely be better than S6, I'll take all the chances to rekindle my interest again. 

[Hierok 11,832]

No, not really. I can't watch episodes which make me nervous and/or frastrates me. It is really awkward then. 

[cmarston1 5,959]

Not really.

I mean the most frustrated I have been with the show had to be with the whole Starlight Glimmer redemption, but that's because of how poorly it was handled in the season 5 finale and it took until season 7 for me to actually like her character.

But one of the many many reasons why I really didn't like how it was handled The Cutie Re-Mark, was because it actually made the show less interesting.  I mean think about it, by the time Starlight got reformed we already had Luna, Discord, Sunset Shimmer, Gilda, Diamond Tiara and Sci Twi get reformed before her, so it's not really all that interesting or unique at all.  Especially when I get the feeling it is the writers trying to make Sunset Shimmer 2.0 happen.  I also have to admit that it makes the premieres and finales going forward significantly less interesting and suspenseful because at the back of my head I am just waiting for them to get reformed by the end of the season.

[Guest]

Nah, I don't see why the frustration would make anything better for me.

Stress and sadness are different, though. They can be enjoyable on lots of occasions.

[KH7672 1,604]

3 minutes ago, cmarston1 said:

Especially when I get the feeling it is the writers trying to make Sunset Shimmer 2.0 happen.  I also have to admit that it makes the premieres and finales going forward significantly less interesting and suspenseful because at the back of my head I am just waiting for them to get reformed by the end of the season.

That notion of Sunset 2.0 was one of biggest frustrations and as a result helped me analyze their characters more. It has never seemed the case for me at least once The Crystalling premiered and I rewatced the Cutie Re-mark montage. Sunset was reformed to give Equestria Girls a new main character because Pony Twi wasn't going to stay there. Starlight was reformed to give Twilight her own pupil and allow her to be a mentor with the knowledge she's gathered. Even though Sunset has a journal it's more for her to share her thoughts with someone as foreign to the world as she is but there is not much student mentor relationship going on here. Sunset also is meant be closer to the Mane 6 as well. (I said this in another thread but I'll say it here again):

Still even looking back to The Cutie Re-mark montage, that was less of a "Congratulations, you're our new best friend, can't wait to hang out every day!" and more "Welcome to Ponyville, since   you're new let's show you what we like to do for fun and feel more a part of the community. Good luck with your new life   as Twilight's roommate, but if you ever need any help don't hesitate to ask because we understand how messed up you are!"

It just seems to fit more with her interactions in NSP and ELTSD. It's these little nuances I get frustrated with that just get me more invested in finding reasons or finding ways to do it better and by going back and rewatching I get much more of an appreciation if that makes sense?

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

How can frustration make the show better? 

[KH7672 1,604]

9 minutes ago, Lambdadelta said:

How can frustration make the show better? 

Kind of like how I described above: Has an episode or character frustrated you so much that you become more interested in how it seems to work, could be improved, etc. Most people seem to take frustration means the episode's boring but for me I just get more invested and am wondering if anyone has ever felt the same or if I am just weird with how I enjoy the show.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

Just now, KH7672 said:

Kind of like how I described above: Has an episode or character frustrated you so much that you become more interested in how it seems to work, could be improved, etc. Most people seem to take frustration means the episode's boring but for me I just get more invested and am wondering if anyone has ever felt the same or if I am just weird with how I enjoy the show.

Hah, i finally get what you mean. Well, i think my case is Starlight reformation, her face heel turn make sense than Sunset but everypony just forgive her so easy (the song montage) and the idea she being the mane 7 frustrated me and then i started to read her character analysis, have some arguments myself and many internal conflicts.... and then... she is my #1 pony.

Boringness is a no-no, active bad is better than nothing to talk about kind of bad. I rather watch and analyze Newbie Dash than Fluttershy Leans In...