What's with all the Season 6 hate?

[Dec Browne 20]

I personally found Season 6 decent, but everyone else seems to hate it. Why is this?

[Scrubbed user 3,417]

Butthurt Starlight Glimmer haters.

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

 Vulon is correct for the most part, a lot of the season 6 hate comes from Starlight hate, mostly because people don't know how to accept change in the show, or they are just upset that a little girls show reformed a character instead of killing them.

Starlight hate is ridiculous and unfounded imo, it mostly revolves around people thinking she is too OP or is a total Mary Sue. I don't understand the OP argument, she is on par with Twilight, clearly the most gifted unicorn in Equestria, that's what happens when your drive is the lust to get what you want, every movie ever will tell you that darkness/evil is a quicker route to power but it comes at a cost, usually corruption, and how about that, Starlight advanced more quickly than Twilight and can now keep pace with her despite not being an alicorn because she just had more drive to become more powerful. I also don't think the Alicorn transformation boosts your unicorn magic all that much. As for changing the Princesses marks, she could only do it for 24 hours likely, and the princesses still could have destroyed her right then and there. Her being a Mary Sue is just ridiculous and not even worth debunking.

So that is where most of the season 6 hate comes from.

BUUT, I will say that while I do like season 6, I was still disappointed by it. I loved season 5 because I feel it offered either an amazing episode, a great episode, or at least a good episode every single week, with RARE exceptions like Princess Spike or What About Discord. Season 4 had a few downs, but it still offered consistently great episodes with rare bad ones, but it didn't have the consistent incredibly captivating episodes like season 5 did IMO, I consider 4 and 2 relatives in this regard, both offering consistently amazing episodes, but with more downs than season 5.

Season 6 is different, it had some amazing episodes, but it opened on an underwhelming 2 parter that may as well been slice of life instead of shoehorning a threat into the plot. The Gift of Maud Pie was funny but arguably the worst Maud episode due to awkward pacing and repetitive humor. On Your Marks had an amazing song but also it felt the first act was a complete waste of time, making for nothing more than a decent episode overall. Gauntlet of Fire, 5 episodes in was the first amazing episode. No Second Prances was good but Twilight felt like a forced antagonist in it. Newbie Dash made a silly little episode out of one of the biggest arcs of the series, as a one off episode, it's fine, as the conclusion too Rainbows biggest dream since season 1... it's weak as hell. A Hearths Warming Tale was one of the if not the best episode of the season, really good one there. But you see the point? Mediocre or decent covers season six with random drops in quality. Saddle Row Review, decent. Applejacks Day Off, bad. Flutter Brutter, good moral, decent episode.

Spice Up Your Life and Stranger than Fan Fiction were the first two episodes I thought were good one right after the other, except they were a hiatus apart. But right after that you had The Cart Before the Ponies and 28 Pranks later, one painfully mediocre episode and one garbage worst of the series episode. OOP, WHAT DO YOU KNOW, two great episodes back to back with Times are Changeling and Dungeons and Discords. 

Basically the season doesn't start getting consistently good until episode 16 with Changeling, every episode after that is pretty solid with the exception of PPOV which was just average.

Topped off with a good but unexciting finale. 

Season 6 had an incredibly weak start with some actual bad episodes, it didn't start getting consistently good like season 4 or 2 until past the halfway point, and it never even got close to season 5 where I thought every episode back to back throughout the whole season was at the very least good aside from two episodes.

So there is my opinion on the whole season 6 hate thing, I don't hate the season, but it ranks pretty low with me. 5>7>4>2>6>1=3

[Philweasel 139]

Starlight Glimmer (and Spike, to a slightly lesser extent) was the only reason I kept watching. While the others got a few good episodes (Flutter Butter, Saddle Row Review, Stranger than fan fiction) most of the Mane 6 episodes were really dull. Starlight episodes on the other hand were consistently excellent.

Fortunately Season 7 has been a little better in this regard (though Starlight is still consistently excellent).

Edited July 21, 2017 by Philweasel

[Hierok 11,832]

1 hour ago, Vulon Bii said:

Butthurt Starlight Glimmer haters.

Not for me. I think the season was to slow and there were many episodes I didn't like

[heavens-champion 1,905]

There were a lot of unmemorable episodes, and the pacing for The Crystalling was kind of slow. It took until the end of Part 1 for the Crystal Heart to break. To Where And Back Again suffered from bad pacing as well, although I don't mind Thorax being the new leader of the Changelings. Of course, they could have done more with Thorax before the finale. And they should have had Starlight meet Discord in Dungeons and Discords, rather than in the finale.

Edited July 21, 2017 by heavens-champion

[CypherHoof 26,483]

10 minutes ago, Philweasel said:

Starlight Glimmer (and Spike, to a slightly lesser extent) was the only reason I kept watching. While the others got a few good episodes (Flutter Butter, Saddle Row Review, Stranger than fan fiction) most of the Mane 6 episodes were really dull. Starlight episodes on the other hand were consistently excellent.

Fortunately Season 7 has been a little better in this regard (though Starlight is still consistently excellent).

I love SG, not in spite of her flaws, but because of them - at a safe distance of course. She is like sweating dynamite - certainly impressive, but only if you aren't in the blast radius. But that is why it has been entertaining watching SG grow into her new role in life, picking up the pieces after her former life was shattered by Twi. Starlight and the (mostly reformed) Trixie have been highlights of the season.

S6 also brought us some great new characters, sadly that have been pushed once more into the background. Sunburst could do with more onscreen time, although we clearly will see more and more of flurry as she grows up (possible addition to the CMC?) and the first Spike episode not only gave us some great development for Spike but also Ember, who I again hope to see much more of in the future. Similarly, the Pinkie/Rarity mission gave us a wealth of new Canterlot characters (albeit mostly in the food industry ) and of course we have Thorax and the shiny, mostly reformed Changelings. It also gave us two whole new non-pony kingdoms we can explore further in future seasons, more Daring Do, Buckball (where we got to see a whole new side to Flutters, in addition to the insights we got into her character in Flutter Brutter) and so forth.

But it was rather a weak season for the longer established characters. PPOV was awful, and the cart before the ponies a total waste of what could have been a great CMC episode - I must say I feel the CMC lacked a single decent episode this season. RD got a few good outings (not sure about 28 pranks) and the now routine plot device of having everypony else locked away by the bad guys so the protagonists could save the day is a bit strained when it is not just the alicorn sisters but the whole of the mane 6 and the ruling family of the crystal empire mysteriously captured too...

1 minute ago, heavens-champion said:

There were a lot of unmemorable episodes, and the pacing for The Crystalling was kind of slow. It took until the end of Part 1 for the Crystal Heart to break. To Where And Back Again suffered from bad pacing as well,

I think they had size-of-episode issues for both doubles. there really wasn't enough material there to fill a double, but they padded them to length anyhow (and did a poor job on the padding). That said though, they would have felt unreasonably rushed had they try to fit them into a single, so it was simply that the episode length was a bad fit to the story (which was otherwise good, in both cases). What could have saved the last double could have been if they had actually gone into some detail of how everypony but Starlight (due to her absence, or simply her not having been in the picture during the canterlot wedding) ended up being captured by the Changelings, apparently without any other pony in ponyville or the two palaces noticing a thing...

[heavens-champion 1,905]

Just now, CypherHoof said:

 

I think they had size-of-episode issues for both doubles. there really wasn't enough material there to fill a double, but they padded them to length anyhow (and did a poor job on the padding). That said though, they would have felt unreasonably rushed had they try to fit them into a single, so it was simply that the episode length was a bad fit to the story (which was otherwise good, in both cases). What could have saved the last double could have been if they had actually gone into some detail of how everypony but Starlight (due to her absence, or simply her not having been in the picture during the canterlot wedding) ended up being captured by the Changelings, apparently without any other pony in ponyville or the two palaces noticing a thing...

Yes, I agree.

[Philweasel 139]

Personally I could have done with Thorax getting a little more development prior to the finale. He was arguably the most important character there, but faded into the background next to characters we knew better.

[Hierok 11,832]

20 minutes ago, Philweasel said:

Personally I could have done with Thorax getting a little more development prior to the finale. He was arguably the most important character there, but faded into the background next to characters we knew better.

Why was Thorax the most important? 

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

4 minutes ago, Hierok said:

Why was Thorax the most important? 

I think he means in terms of the changeling empire, he was the only one who could defeat Chrysalis and truly show the changelings the way of love (gag)

[Philweasel 139]

He came across as less important because the episode didn't really focus enough on his story. As a result even Chrysalis seemed to forget he was the one who defeated her, destroyed the throne and redeemed the changelings.

[Hierok 11,832]

6 minutes ago, ryanmahaffe said:

I think he means in terms of the changeling empire, he was the only one who could defeat Chrysalis and truly show the changelings the way of love (gag)

But only because Starlight set so. 

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

1 minute ago, Hierok said:

But only because Starlight set so. 

Well yeah, they all had a part to play, but Thorax was the only one who could defeat Chrysalis and crack the throne, and if he wasn't there, I don't think Starlight would have convinced them to go against their queen.

Edited July 21, 2017 by ryanmahaffe

[Hierok 11,832]

3 minutes ago, Philweasel said:

He came across as less important because the episode didn't really focus enough on his story. As a result even Chrysalis seemed to forget he was the one who defeated her, destroyed the throne and redeemed the changelings.

It was Starlights idea, so I think that is why she was angry at her. She wouldn't be angry on Thorax because it was her own fault

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

Just now, Hierok said:

It was Starlights idea, so I think that is why she was angry at her. She wouldn't be angry on Thorax because it was her own fault

Well yeah, if Starlight weren't there Thorax wouldn't have let out his love and beaten Chrysalis

If Trixie weren't there they wouldn't have escaped the changeling Patrol or the ambush

if Discord weren't there they wouldn't have gotten past the guards in the throne chamber area.

But in the end, Thorax was the only one in the group who could defeat Chrysalis

unless Discord had his magic then he would have one shot chrysalis with his pinkie claw and sneezed away the changeling army but fugg it who needs to see Discord do cool shit.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

8 minutes ago, ryanmahaffe said:

Well yeah, if Starlight weren't there Thorax wouldn't have let out his love and beaten Chrysalis

If Trixie weren't there they wouldn't have escaped the changeling Patrol or the ambush

if Discord weren't there they wouldn't have gotten past the guards in the throne chamber area.

But in the end, Thorax was the only one in the group who could defeat Chrysalis

unless Discord had his magic then he would have one shot chrysalis with his pinkie claw and sneezed away the changeling army but fugg it who needs to see Discord do cool shit.

Let's just say in Chrysalis's case, it's hard to think clearly when you're angry.

[Philweasel 139]

There were really three stories that mattered. Starlight being afraid of leadership and over dependent on her magic. Trixie being a selfish coward and a poor friend. And Thorax being a new kind of changling and wanting to free the others from Chrysalis' rule.

I feel one of these stories lacked set up and screen time.

[Hierok 11,832]

12 minutes ago, ryanmahaffe said:

Well yeah, if Starlight weren't there Thorax wouldn't have let out his love and beaten Chrysalis

If Trixie weren't there they wouldn't have escaped the changeling Patrol or the ambush

if Discord weren't there they wouldn't have gotten past the guards in the throne chamber room.

unless Discord had his magic then he would have one shot chrysalis with his pinkie claw and sneezed away the changeling army but fugg it who needs to see Discord do cool shit.

And if, and if. Thorax was not the one who defeated Chrysalis, he just gave the last push. Starlight did the talking and before that Thorax only walked along. Discord, Trixie and Starlight were more important during the final, except for the battle. 

And I need to see Discord do cool shit. Well, he just needs to be hisself to be a fucking bad ass. 

[Philweasel 139]

Oh, and Trixie feeling insecure about not having real magic.

[Hierok 11,832]

8 minutes ago, Philweasel said:

There were really three stories that mattered. Starlight being afraid of leadership and over dependent on her magic. Trixie being a selfish coward and a poor friend. And Thorax being a new kind of changling and wanting to free the others from Chrysalis' rule.

I feel one of these stories lacked set up and screen time.

And Discord. He learns he doresn't always need magic to do stuff. 

Edited July 21, 2017 by Hierok

[Philweasel 139]

10 minutes ago, Hierok said:

And Discord. He learns he doresn't always need magic to do stuff. 

It's why I loved the episode. No it wasn't as wiz bang as some of the others, but that was because it was about the characters. Each of them was faced with a situation that directly targeted their moral weaknesses and fears, and each of them proved stronger than they expected. That story needed a slightly slower pace.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

I think that (double) episode actually showcased a whole BUNCH of stuff

Starlight stepped up (reluctantly) and took a leadership role again, and nailed it.

Team Starlight (without magic, and despite Discord and Trixie's attitude problems) worked well; Discord and Trixie both sacrificed themselves for the final win (which shows significant character development for both) and Thorax obeyed Starlight's order to give Chrysalis ALL of his love, without question - which not only turned a losing battle into a win, but that and Starlight's impassioned speech afterwards was the trigger for the mass upgrade that REALLY won the war, not just the battle.

How Discord was captured may also give us insight into how the changelings have been so successful in the past (and if having an entire roomful of crying Fluttershy clones was heartbreaking for us, you can imagine how Discord felt about it)

[Philweasel 139]

Oh, and Chrysalis blaming Starlight has prior. In the comics she seems to blame Twilight for her defeat at the wedding.

Um... Chrissy... that wasn't Twilight. Her contribution to your defeat was being physically present.

Edited July 21, 2017 by Philweasel

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

40 minutes ago, Hierok said:

And if, and if. Thorax was not the one who defeated Chrysalis, he just gave the last push. Starlight did the talking and before that Thorax only walked along. Discord, Trixie and Starlight were more important during the final, except for the battle. 

And I need to see Discord do cool shit. Well, he just needs to be hisself to be a fucking bad ass. 

When I say defeat, I mean the little exchange between Chrysalis and Thorax it was his power that in the end defeated Chrysalis, yes, everyone was vital but I do think that if you had to say who was the most important, it was Thorax

Edited July 21, 2017 by ryanmahaffe