spoiler We may know the writer for the finale... (spoiler)

[Unlikeable Pony 2,699]

So, its looks like haber might be back to have written the finale despite having gone over to work on skylanders for a while.

thoughts?

[Philweasel 139]

This would be Nicole Dubuc's first writing credit for pony wouldn't it?

[EQ_Theta 465]

3 hours ago, Philweasel said:

This would be Nicole Dubuc's first writing credit for pony wouldn't it?

For episodes in the show, you are right. Nicole co-wrote the Ponyville Mysteries chapter book with Mike Vogel and the Rarity's Peek Behind the Boutique short videos. 

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I hope Josh Haber can outperform his lastest episodes. Shadow Play... Castle Mane-ia... Pony of Shadow... yup, that why Josh Haber has to be involved in this ep. 

Edited July 23, 2017 by Lambdadelta

[heavens-champion 1,905]

I for one hope he'll do better here than he did with The Crystalling and To Where And Back Again. The Crystalling wasn't exactly the best season premiere, but it wasn't the worst, either.

[LeafFerret 3,382]

Well it could be worse, seems like the original writers want nothing to do with Starlight and Thorax and would rather shove the Mane 6 down our throats over and over and over....

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

I hope I can read the plot synopsis without constantly cringing (cough cough) The Crystalling (cough cough).

[Megas 27,835]

Yeah, really hope Dubuc is as good as her portfolio says(Most people like Josh Hamilton's episode this season and he also has a good portfolio, but Merriwether Williams, despite writing some of the most beloved Spongebob episodes, wrote some of the most hated MLP episodes). Admittedly it seems weird to see a new writer helm a finale for a change, though this one in particular the writers seem to really be pushing

I also really hope Dubuc and the Lady Writers can keep Josh Haber in check because I'm really not looking forward to yet another Haber-written finale, especially considering I thought his last two(Cutie Remark and TWABA) were pretty shit to say the least.

Also, please for the love of Christ, please don't let this be a way of telling us Josh is back as Story editor for next season, please stick to the Lady Writers

21 minutes ago, AJFan89 said:

Well it could be worse, seems like the original writers want nothing to do with Starlight and Thorax and would rather shove the Mane 6 down our throats over and over and over....

You mean a finale that actually focuses on the mane characters of the show, and where the remane 5 finally get to do something for a change? 

Good

Edited July 23, 2017 by Whompy Whomperson

[LeafFerret 3,382]

14 minutes ago, Whompy Whomperson said:

Yeah, really hope Dubuc is as good as her portfolio says(Most people like Josh Hamilton's episode this season and he also has a good portfolio, but Merriwether Williams, despite writing some of the most beloved Spongebob episodes, wrote some of the most hated MLP episodes). Admittedly it seems weird to see a new writer helm a finale for a change, though this one in particular the writers seem to really be pushing

I also really hope Dubuc and the Lady Writers can keep Josh Haber in check because I'm really not looking forward to yet another Haber-written finale, especially considering I thought his last two(Cutie Remark and TWABA) were pretty shit to say the least.

Also, please for the love of Christ, please don't let this be a way of telling us Josh is back as Story editor for next season, please stick to the Lady Writers

You mean a finale that actually focuses on the mane characters of the show, and where the remane 5 finally get to do something for a change? 

Good

I really hope Twilight gets a minor role in the finale because her presence in the last few seasons have made the show go downfall, she went from one of my liked to now one of my hated.

[KH7672 1,604]

I'll break the mold of pessimism and slight optimism against Josh. I absolutely love his stories but for one aspect: his charactization of the characters involved.

I will agree with everyone here his story pacing absolutely needs work which is why I'm glad he's not alone. But looking back on all his episodes the way he writes these characters are fun (Castle Mane-ia, Simple Ways, Stanger Than Fan Fiction) and really challenges the characters morals (Leap of Faith, Bloom and Gloom, Cutie Re-mark).

So yes I am looking forward to this finale even more hoping he can give each character a moment to shine like he does.

[Goat-kun 2,530]

Dubs is fine. Haber can take a long walk off a short pier. If I detect one iota of promotion towards his waifu I'm gonna do what I usually do: shitpost ... angrily.

[Hierok 11,832]

I don't know why the crystalling was so bad, buf I'm looking forward to it. 

[CypherHoof 26,483]

1 hour ago, Hierok said:

I don't know why the crystalling was so bad, buf I'm looking forward to it. 

I liked the crystalling; we got Sunburst, who I would like to see further developed, and the twist in his story; we got Flurry Heart and the twist in HER story, and we got Starlight gushing out how she saw her situation in a very emotional outburst. We got Shining Armour all disheveled in New Parent mode, and Spike got to show off his fame and renown in the Crystal Empire to Starlight, giving us some good interactions between the two of them. The crisis and its resolution were well done, and while the setup for both was mapped out, it wasn't immediately obvious what was going to happen in either case until it happened, but after the fact you could see how it was a logical progression from facts already laid out.  It was a good episode, and would still have been a good (and nearly identical) episode without Starlight, had it been (for example) one of Rarity's old friends. That it also served for character development for Starlight in addition to the main thrust of the story puts it head and shoulders above a lot of the other episodes, in that Twi isn't made to seem incompetent or Starlight resorting to the "zap it with magic" solution.

[Toon4Thought 274]

Really, I'm completely fine with this as long as Lewis & Songco remain the story editors next season, as I think they've done a far better job in that role than Haber did in season 6 (not that it was by any means a bad season; it just seemed to play things a little too safe for me to remain engaged). That, and I feel Haber's writing style typically works a lot better in instances where the idea is already interesting by default, which should be the case here given all that will be established before this.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Toon4Thought

[Drunkfrank 1,125]

The Cutie Remark was incredible, do people seriously just hate it because Starlight was reformed in a completely believable way (she was never pure evil)

Crystalling was bad

TWABA was okay.

[Philweasel 139]

44 minutes ago, ryanmahaffe said:

The Cutie Remark was incredible, do people seriously just hate it because Starlight was reformed in a completely believable way (she was never pure evil)

Crystalling was bad

TWABA was okay.

The Cutie Remark is likely my second favourite two parter, right after Discord's, albeit only just beating out Tirek.

Where and back makes a convincing argument for fourth. The second episode might be weaker than Canterlot Wedding, but the 'first part where nothing happens' was a little funnier and slightly more dedicated to plot advancement, and the 'special guest star who defeats the villain' was at least an established character (though I want to state for the record that Love Horse is still second best Princess).

Edited July 23, 2017 by Philweasel

[Toon4Thought 274]

49 minutes ago, ryanmahaffe said:

The Cutie Remark was incredible, do people seriously just hate it because Starlight was reformed in a completely believable way (she was never pure evil)

Crystalling was bad

TWABA was okay.

The Cutie Re-Mark - Great ideas and fantastic visuals. It's just that a few things could've been conveyed better, like Starlight's reformation (I get the impression her motives were supposed to come off as petty, as a follow up of sorts to Zecora's river analogy, but it doesn't really come off that way) and I can't help but feel like they could've gone more all out with seeing the Mane 6 living different lives. They didn't really explore that at all after the Sombra timeline.

The Crystalling - This one's very middle of the road for me. There's nothing I can say I truly disliked in it, apart from Flurry Heart being the cause of the problem, but apart from a handful of minor touches I can't say that much really grabbed me either. The highlights were definitely most of the stuff with Flurry Heart and Starlight Glimmer, but a lot of the rest feels competent yet lukewarm (much like what season 6 as a whole wound up being for me).

To Where and Back Again - I wish more of the elements here were better built up prior to this, like Starlight's progress and her friendship with Trixie, but the episodes on their own are fairly enjoyable. The characters work off each other pretty well, the story is fairly interesting, and it's one of the better Starlight stories we've gotten.

[Thrond 3,263]

If this means Haber has someone else with him to make the story parts more fleshed out, then my excitement knows no bounds. I adore both of Haber's season 6 two-parters; "The Crystalling" is low-stakes but the character work in it is just marvellous and it does a lot of things I found really refreshing, while "To Where and Back Again" neglects its story a little but is just as delightful with regards to character work. I maintain that he might be the best character writer on the show in recent years, so if he has someone onboard to deal with his biggest weak spot, we could have something incredible on our hands.

I do kinda hope it doesn't have Starlight in the main position, but Haber writes Starlight really well, so that might not be so bad.

10 hours ago, ryanmahaffe said:

The Cutie Remark was incredible, do people seriously just hate it because Starlight was reformed in a completely believable way (she was never pure evil)

Crystalling was bad

TWABA was okay.

I find "Cutie Re-Mark" kinda hollow, to be perfectly honest. Doesn't spend enough time on the alternate futures to mean anything, has an overly serious tone, generally lacks much character nuance except for Starlight's reformation, which I do admittedly like. I preferred the season 6 two-parters because they were much lighter in tone. 

Edited July 24, 2017 by AlexanderThrond

[CypherHoof 26,483]

I think the key is to be cautiously hopeful - it will probably be a good episode, but if we get lucky, it could be a great one

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

4 hours ago, Hierok said:

I don't know why the crystalling was so bad, buf I'm looking forward to it. 

Crystalling had a new princess that no one called for, and still unimportant until now, cram two plots in the 44 minutes episode and plot B is more interesting than plot A (Flurry Heart), the threat is laughable at best. 

Bonus: another Crystal Empire but even more boring.

 

 

 

 

[Philweasel 139]

14 minutes ago, Lambdadelta said:

Crystalling had a new princess that no one called for, and still unimportant until now, cram two plots in the 44 minutes episode and plot B is more interesting than plot A (Flurry Heart), the threat is laughable at best. 

Bonus: another Crystal Empire but even more boring.

None of it is terrible, and I would have liked it as a mid season episode. It's... kinda dull though.

Sunburst is the best thing in it, he's really great. And Celestia and Luna got to do something, which was nice. And "A Flurry of Emotions" was a hilariously cute episode. And I guess it's nice to see Cadance again.

If this is sounding like faint praise, that's because it is.

Edited July 23, 2017 by Philweasel

[CypherHoof 26,483]

15 minutes ago, Lambdadelta said:

Crystalling had a new princess that no one called for, and still unimportant until now, 

I think that was more true of Canterlot Wedding

Seriously though, a foal was the story hook, so there had to be one really. She could as easily have been a unicorn (the same is true of Cadence herself, of course) but the whole "foal with out of control magic" is a mcguffin for the later shattering of the crystal heart - which is the main plot here.  Twi's struggles with the spell of relic reconstitution were good solid plot elements, and while having the newly introduced Sunburst character come in to save the day is a little iffy, it was well presented - down to his position of custodian of knowledge without the power to use it, rather than yet another ultra-powerful character.

 

 

15 minutes ago, Lambdadelta said:

 

cram two plots in the 44 minutes episode and plot B is more interesting than plot A (Flurry Heart), the threat is laughable at best. 

Bonus: another Crystal Empire but even more boring.

 

[Sonic5421 428]

If Haber is part of writing this finale, it had better redeem him in my eyes for how he treated the Mane Six and Royal Family back in To Where and Back Again, or he's lost all respect from me as a writer for the show. Either he shapes up or ships out with this finale and gives the Mane Six and Royal Family a reason to not be put on the sidelines for most of the finale again. He succeeds, I'll give him another chance as a writer for the show.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,699]

16 hours ago, AJFan89 said:

Well it could be worse, seems like the original writers want nothing to do with Starlight and Thorax and would rather shove the Mane 6 down our throats over and over and over....

>Shove the mane six down our throats

>mane six= bad
I REALLY hope this is sarcasm....

 

15 hours ago, Goat-kun said:

Dubs is fine. Haber can take a long walk off a short pier. If I detect one iota of promotion towards his waifu I'm gonna do what I usually do: shitpost ... angrily.

Well, hopefully Starlight is off in the human world in order to prevent her from being in the finale; that would be one GOOD thing to come out of her stealing the show from mirror magic.

 

[LeafFerret 3,382]

1 minute ago, Unlikeable Pony said:

>Shove the mane six down our throats

>mane six= bad
I REALLY hope this is sarcasm....

It's not, Twilight has jumped the shark after the disaster called Twilight's Kingdom.