S07:E14 - Fame and Misfortune

[bigbertha 417]

Others have already gone into detail as to why this episode is so bad. I mean, most of these complaints are really dated, specifically the "Twilight was better before she got wings" and "Fluttershy never changes" complaints. I may think Twilight was better as a unicorn, but there aren't enough vocal people saying that for it to be a big enough deal to be called out. 

This show once again thinks that using strawmen will help their argument in any way. All it does is make what you're trying to say look flimsy and weak.

The only thing keeping this episode from a 0 is that this episode is funnier than it has any right to be.

Score: -1/10

Edited August 15, 2018 by bigbertha

[MLPFanatic34 3,241]

I did like this episode though there are some things about this episode I didn't care for, the overall moral was good, the song was good, but the whole publishing a journal bit I just didn't care for, Starlight was fantastic in this episode and it's nice to see how much the mane 6's friendship has affected her. 9/10 

[qwerE 97]

Didn't like this episode so much. It didn't feel like a MLP episode, it just felt so wrong. I know that hating a character in the show for some flaws might be wrong, but this episode deals with this issue in a wrong way. Before I go into the details, I think it's clear that fans in this episode represent fans of mlp in the real world, so I'll interpret this episode from that perspective.

In this episode, the majority of the fans are depicted as a extremely obnoxious person who has no interest in the morals of the book. They say horrible things about the characters, they complain about the story when the story is about things that actually happened.. etc. They don't change even after the mane 6 explains that their flaws make them what they are.

I really disliked that the fans didn't change after hearing the song. This made the episode feel really meaningless and unsatisfying. There was clearly a problem to be solved, and the episode just finished without dealing with it, only to never mention it again. I haven't seen the future episodes, but they are just going to ignore this episode as if it never happened, right? If they don't and actually get back to this, I'll change my view then.

This show - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's purpose is to entertain people. Sometimes people might dislike some parts of the show, and I think it's fine to express those feelings. How else are the writers going to find out what the viewers like? Should people just accept the show no matter what, until it changes into what they cannot enjoy? Of course nonconstructive criticisms that only express hate isn't good, but this episode condemns all kinds of negative reviews. This includes criticisms that just express how they feel about what happened in the show, like Twilight getting wings and Fluttershy learing her lessons over and over again. I like that Fluttershy seems to be much more assertive nowadays then in the past, and I think people's reviews might have played a role in that. Just like that, criticism can make the show become better. (Although I'm not sure if this specific expample is a result of people's reviews) In the episode it feels wrong to say those things to Fluttershy because she's a real pony, but MLP:FiM is a work of fiction, and I think those kind of criticisms are fine.

I do know that there are people who criticize in a bad way, and that they can be a problem. However, the way this episode tries to address this problem is not so good either. Fans can also have flaws, but they are portrayed as irredeemable people, while the mane 6 asserts that having flaws is okay, and that they can change. I understand that the show may have some flaws, but neglecting to listen to what the flaws are, is a problem. To me, this episode just felt like a whining. This was a nonconstructive criticism, disguised as a lesson. If you want to criticize the community, that's fine. We know that we have flaws, that may need to be addressed. But this episode 'hides' behind the mane 6, pretending what they're saying is a lesson the mane 6 would teach. These kinds of episodes ruin the feeling that the mane 6 are real, and reminds me that MLP:FiM is just a work of fiction. I hope the writers change how they express their complaints the next time.

[Moony the Cat 3,720]

I loved this Episode, just because it showed how bad fans can get and since i had bad experiences with that sort of fans as well, it was nice that the show criticized it and/or made a parody of it.

The song was also nice, even though it came out of nowhere and destroyed the flow of the Episode for me, but all in all it was great.

[Soundwave 28,558]

Honestly my only real issue with the episode is that a lot of the criticisms pointed out are outdated. While I think the “Twilight was better before she became an alicorn” and “Pinkie is the funny one” are pretty apt and hold up, the others would only make sense if the episode aired around S3-5. If the episode was more up to date, people would bug Fluttershy over her relationship with Discord, Rarity would be the town darling, everyone would joke about AJ’s dead parents every second, and RD would be hated for existing 

[Senko 459]

23 hours ago, This Whomps said:

Honestly my only real issue with the episode is that a lot of the criticisms pointed out are outdated. While I think the “Twilight was better before she became an alicorn” and “Pinkie is the funny one” are pretty apt and hold up, the others would only make sense if the episode aired around S3-5. If the episode was more up to date, people would bug Fluttershy over her relationship with Discord, Rarity would be the town darling, everyone would joke about AJ’s dead parents every second, and RD would be hated for existing 

I rather like Rainbow Dash and going by your avatar (cute) you probably do too.

[ChB 18,574]

I don’t really take issue with the “outdated criticisms” thing, because it is a comedic episode that supposedly parodies the fandom, both past and present. Thus, I think it’s fine to throw some old stuff into the mix. 

[Sepul-Coloratura 765]

This episode bothers me because it makes me doubt that the writers are taking valid criticisms anymore.

Instead of refuting all the valid points and acknowledging the reasonable criticisms and handle them in the same high level, they just went for the straw man. An easy target. The stupidest, most repetitive, most dull and boring, dumbed-down and most obvious arguments. And they just say 'we are not perfect, F*** you, you all are making too much drama out of nothing, you bunch of crybabies.'

Those arguments were around since the beginning. They are very very late in the game. They mention all the memes those are dead by now. All the points they make were only relevant until season 4. Too late.

Since the fandom is so desperately hungry for the canon recognition, they just devour everything Hasbro throws at them, even if that's not so well crafted. The supply is so scarce and the demand is relatively so big. They are controlling the value of cheap fan-services. Easiest way to get a cheer out of the fandom. Shove in Derpy. Shove in Vinyl.

So as a result, when a character in the show officially says "Twilight was better before she got wings.", the fandom would go "Ooooooooooooooooooooh!" but the truth is, it's been already 4 years and it 'was' the most controversial topic of the whole MLP history, but nobody gives a $**t anymore, we just moved on a long long time ago, it's not relevant anymore, and a 12 year old could come up with that cheap and obvious reference.

Episode 100 was it. We had it and that's it. And even that was only for the fandom, and not for the casual younger audience. Also, the younger target audiences found even this episode was boring as well. We don't need a fan-service. The best fan-service is to make a good show. That's all. As Jayson Thiessen said in the QnA after the Season 2 premiere; instead of changing the show to focus more on the fandom itself, they should keep making what people began to like in the first place. Sometimes fandom can save the show, sometimes they can ruin it as well. We should ask for better and we deserve better. (all the obligatory action packed finale with obvious villains, lore, world building, continuity callbacks, foreshadowing are all fan-services.)

They even hired M.A. Larson just to put his name in the credit. M.A. Larson didn't like the scenario at all, but he just wrote what Hasbro told him to write. Hasbro obviously knows fans do like him, they know he is kind of a meme among fans.

If you liked this episode, I have no problem. Good for you. I enjoyed it too, at first. But the more I think about it, the more I feel something is wrong.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Sepul-Coloratura

[ExplosionMare 28,953]

I like how they added to G3’s as fillies in the episode. They were a cute addition to the story. Also, I really like the song near the end. It has a good message in it. 

[bigbertha 417]

When taken as a commentary, this episode fails. Firstly, the journal was written during seasons 4-5. Not before or after. So any arguments made about the mane six at the time don't really apply anymore. Maybe people didn't like Rarity at the time, but I don't think she's that hated now. The guy talking about how Twilight would've been more interesting if she stayed in Canterlot makes no sense since the journal starts after Twilight became an Alicorn. And that also invalidates the "Twilight was better before she got wings". Yeah, people complained that Fluttershy learned the same thing over again, but the writers fixed the problem. That fact makes how the show treats the argument very confusing now that I think about it. The writers themselves recognized this as a problem and made Fluttershy more aggressive. That'd be like if season 4 had an episode calling out Twilight giving out every lesson. Not only would that be outdated, but it'd have been a problem that the writers themselves recognized and fixed. 

Secondly, there are times where the arguments are just plain wrong. This mostly just applies for Rarity's backlash. The only reason given is that Rarity apparently stated that she think she did all the work in Simple Ways when that's not true. She said she put in a lot of work and that it was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she didn't say she did all the work. The only other argument is that they don't think Rarity has learned any of her lessons. 1. How would they know? and 2. They could say that for any of the mane six. It honestly makes me think the writers couldn't think of a good reason for things to go wrong for Rarity so they just made stuff up.

Thirdly, the friendship journal has a different purpose than the TV show. The journal is obviously a metaphor for the TV show, but that doesn't work because the purpose of the journal is solely as an educational tool while the TV show is also to entertain. All of the talk about the mane six like characters don't work because the journal is not entertainment. Any criticisms against the mane six made from the book are automatically bullshit because the journal only documents the lessons made at the end of each episode. The journal does not set out of make characters and tell stories. It's autobiographical and is made to share lessons. The TV show on the other hand is fiction. It does set out to tell stories and create characters. A fair comparison for the journal would be if the TV show was just the friendship lessons from seasons 4-5. Not the rest of the episodes. Just the lessons. If that was true, this episode couldn't be made because there'd be no fan criticism to base it on. You can't criticize something like that unless it gives a rancid moral. But that's not one of the criticisms that the episode goes for. Only the stuff that makes no sense in universe.

So yeah. As a commentary on the fanbase, it's a failure. But as a nonsensical farce, it has its funny moments. There are a lot of good one-liners, the scene of the mane six rediscovering the friendship journal I think has the most jokes in one scene of the entire season so far, and some of the fan backlash is legitimately funny. The Sweet Apple Admirers bit is clever and everyone thinking that Pinkie is "the funny one" works because it makes sense that Pinkie would insert a lot of comedy into her entries and that that's the only thing these ponies know about her personality-wise. 

But the problem is that this episode isn't a farce. It brings up arguments that make no sense in the show's universe and expects the audience to take the episode seriously when it takes the arguments down. By the end, the episode gives such little of a shit about justifying these arguments in universe that they are literally using words like "character". Honestly, if the writers had such a big problem with the fans and really couldn't think of a good way to present it in an episode, they should've sent out a tweet or something. It would've gotten the point across and kept them from making such a mess trying to justify it in universe. It would've been better for everyone.

Score: 1/10

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by bigbertha

[Rushing cash 846]

This episode got meta as much as possible. Fans saying fluttershy learn the same things over and over again, people hating rarity in the beginning of the show and even mentioned twilight was better before she got wings. Some people took it too seriously and personally then they should have, no one tried to really hurt or dismiss the fans, I did not feel it was made to spite on the fans but in more a friendly way. I really enjoyed this episode, the song was amazing and my favorite of this season with a really useful moral to boot it, 9\10.

I also liked their explanation to fluttershy relearning her lessons, you cant change your personality by learning something, everyone makes some mistakes many times especially if it connected to the core of your personality for example, I have stage fright and I more then once had to speak to a big crowd, and sometimes I did some mistakes during a speech or something, but I am still terrified of doing speaking to a large crowd no matter how many times I did it, so I am glad fluttershys personality never really changed and she got bolder slowly rather then in like an episode.  

[Zestanor 99]

This would have worked well as a series finale. The way that everyone turns on the Mane makes me recall the series finale for Seinfeld. Except instead of the Mane 6 in jail, they hide out in the castle.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Yunno why I don't like Fame and Misfortune? Not because the fans were teased. I mean if ya can't laugh at yourself, right? ;)

No, what bothered me is that I WASN'T laughing at myself! There was no Spike fan tease! Hell, he didn't even appear in the episode for some odd reason! He contributed to the journal! Why is he always forgotten about? <---- See that right there? That's what shoulda been in it.

[flutterJackdash 218]

[Twilight Sparkle]

I never claimed to be perfect

My mistakes are all written in ink

None of us claimed to be perfect

And it's sad if that's what you all think

Our flaws helped to make us special

They bond us and keep us strong

Our flaws are what brought us together

So stop actin' like somethin's wrong

[Mane Six]

We're not flawless

We're a work in progress

We've got dents and we've got quirks

But it's our flaws that make us work

Yeah, we're not flawless

We're a work in progress

So tell me what flaws you got, too

'Cause I still like what's flawed about you

Quote

 

[Rainbow Dash]

They say I'm a big shot

That my ego's the size of a whale

My confidence comes off as cocky

But it gives me the courage to fail

 

 

So, I thought Rainbow Dash got a spectacular line in the song. It was introspective, highlighted a flaw while denouncing the 100% negative aspect of it. Good stuff, a nice show for Dashie.

Quote

 

[Rarity]

Sure, I can be a drama queen

A bit stuck-up, it's true

 

And then Rarity sang half as many lines, and highlighted a negative quality of her own personality... and then...

 

Quote

 

[Applejack]

And I can be too eager to please

There's such thing as bein' too honest, too, 'cause

 

 

Applejack jumped in, while failing to note the truest flaws of her personality

 

So, Rarity calls herself a snob and drops the subject

And then Applejack kind of sidesteps the truth? I don't get this.

Quote

 

[Pinkie Pie]

Ponies think I'm all bubbles and laughter

That I don't seem sincere

I might joke around a little too much

But I'm just so happy you're here

 

 

Oh, Pinkie's line breaks my heart. Why? Because to me it reminds me of Party Of One, when she lost her happiness. Why? She felt she'd been abandoned, was alone. She's this bubbly and happy because she has somepony in her life, from the sounds of it. Might not have been easy to admit.

Quote

 

[Fluttershy]

It took me a while to be confident

To really come out of my shell

 

 

And Fluttershy's line simply echoes the sentiment of the one lesson she has learned over and over (often in amazing ways). She doesn't offer herself more than one dimension, and she definitely does have more than one dimension.\

 

All in all, I feel like Rarity got completely screwed in this song.

[Senko 459]

All the mane 6 have some mental problems but Twilight and Pinkie seem the most vulnerable as least by their reactions when something hit that button. Twilight and her fear of failing Celestia driving her into making a friendship problem or Pinkie as you said feeling abandoned by her friends talking to inanimate objects. The others all have issues that have been triggered by one thing or another but they haven't lost themselves that badly because of it.

[YoungJustice12334 53]

I absolutely hated the F&M episode for these reasons:

I see that it was supposed to be A commentary-type of episode, but it failed terribly at it. First of all, I noticed the journal was written to show the events that occurred during Season 4 to Season 5 & Not before or after. Many of the arguments The Idiotic & Heartless Ponies made about the mane six during the episode don't really apply anymore despite the show's faults.

I can see why some people didn't like Rarity, but I don't think she was very hated during that time. The guy talking about how Twilight would've been more interesting if she stayed in Canterlot makes no sense since the journal starts after Twilight became an Alicorn, which invalidates the "Twilight was better before she got wings" argument.

Now of course, Some fans did complain that Fluttershy learned the same lesson over again, but before the episode was made, I'm pretty sure the writers fixed the problem. The facts I just stated makes how Ponyville treated the mane 6 in the episode not only immature, petty and cruel but mostly confusing now that I think about it. I do recall that The writers recognized the problem with Fluttershy so they made her more aggressive. That'd be like if season 4 had an episode calling out Twilight giving out every lesson and it would be an outdated type of episode, but it would become a serious problem that the writers themselves would start to recognize and get fixed. 

Second of all, there are times when the arguments are just plain cruel, wrong & downright stupid. This mostly just applies to Rarity's backlash. The only reason given is that Rarity apparently stated that she thinks she did all the work in Simple Ways when that's not true. She said she put in a lot of work and that it was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she didn't say she did all the work. The only other argument is that they don't think Rarity has learned any of her lessons.

First of all, How would they know? Second of all, They could say that for any of the mane six. It honestly makes me think the writers couldn't think of a good reason for things to go wrong for Rarity so they just made stuff up. Thirdly, the friendship journal has a different purpose than the TV show. I get that The journal was supposed to be a metaphor for the show itself, but it just doesn't work because the purpose of the journal is sole as an educational tool while the TV show is also to entertain.

All of the talks about the mane six like characters don't work because the journal is not entertainment. Any criticisms against the mane six made from the book are automatically a cruel jerk because the journal only documents the lessons made at the end of each episode. The journal does not set out of making characters and tell stories. It's autobiographical and is made to share lessons. The TV show, on the other hand, is fiction. It does set out to tell stories and create characters.

A fair comparison for the journal would be if the TV show was just the friendship lessons from seasons 4-5. Not the rest of the episodes. Just the lessons. If that was true, this episode shouldn't have been made because there'd be no fan criticism to base it on. You can't criticize something like that unless it gives a rancid moral. But that's not one of the criticisms that the episode goes for. Only the stuff that makes no sense in-universe. So to me As a commentary on the fanbase, it came across as insulting and just terrible.

When Ponyville argued that the mane six aren't real characters, It doesn't work when complaining about the criticisms of this show. It brings up arguments that make no sense in the show's universe and expects the audience to take the episode seriously when it takes the arguments down. By the end, the episode gives such little of a shit about justifying these arguments in-universe that they are literally using words like "character". Honestly, if the writers had such a big problem with the fans about the criticisms of the show, they should've sent out a tweet talking about it or something like that and start to accept Some criticisms from the fanbase and write better episodes for MLP to educate Kids and adults about relationships, friendship and stuff like that.

Another reason why I hated the episode One Bit because The way Ponyville acted was Just awful. Another reason why I found the Fame & Misfortune episode to be absolutely awful because Not only was it horribly written, it also made Ponyville, The LITERAL Hometown The Mane 6 protected since the beginning of the show, into complete Idiotic and heartless morons. The way Ponyville treated The Mane 6 after what they've done to protect Equestria it came across to me as petty and incredibly immature, which are the two traits that describe the writers for making this episode.

I'm not saying the show's fandom was the sole reason for the episode being created but The writers were pretty stupid to go like "Yeah, let's dedicate an entire episode towards taking shit about the fandom that made your show go far beyond typical "Kid's Show" syndication" 

I mean come On! Twilight was the Damn Princess of Friendship Around that time for crying out loud, Her and her friends never deserved the cruel treatment they received in that episode, and it kind of made Twilight becoming a princess along with The Mane 5 protecting Equestria from evil feel like it was all for nothing if Ponyville just spits in their faces for it. 

There are a lot of Bad MLP Episodes, but the episode Fame & Misfortune took the title with ease. It also felt like A stupid Teen Titans Go! episode trying to make its critics look like idiots.
 

I still hate the F&M episode to this day because The Mane 6 never deserved the terrible treatment from Ponyville and A good portion of the episode is devoted to showing us just how over-zealous the readers are as they basically ruin the lives of the Mane-6 in a matter of a single day which I hated...

It's hard to watch Applejack’s home getting invaded, Pinkie Pie getting laughed at whenever she talks, Rainbow Dash never getting two seconds of peace, Rarity’s business being boycotted, and Fluttershy gets harassed in the streets. How is that not Ponyville being Heartless Jerks to The Mane 6?!

I know some MLP fans are probably Toxic, but I hated how it Portrayed Bronies/Fans of the show as nitpicking, whiny assholes just because they don’t unswerving praise every single thing in the show to high heaven, and Not all fans are like that! 

I also found the episode to be a staple of the pride and hubris of the later show-runners.

Do any of you guys Agree or disagree with me on my review of the episode?

[HedonismBot 246]

On 5/31/2020 at 1:29 PM, YoungJustice12334 said:

Pinkie Pie getting laughed at whenever she talks...

You can't even blame the fans for that one, what with the various episodes where Pinkie Pie had been flanderized her from "decently well-developed character who just happens to like making others laugh" to "mindless comic relief".

[JMTV99 1,364]

I'm well aware that this episode was massively divisive by a lot of fans.

For me, it didn't really sit right with me at first, but the more I watched it, the more I actually liked it. It's a great social commentary on the brony fanbase on how they can be overzealous and toxic. Especially for treating the Main 6 like prefect angles or criticize their characterization like Fluttershy.

I laughed at the over the top jokes like Rarity's stress dressing, and the joke about Twilight was "better" without wings. I like how this show can be self-aware at times.

I really like the message in this episode about how people cannot treat the Main 6 as prefect individuals when they're flawed characters from the get-go and they learned from their mistakes. Plus, I really love the Flawless song. It's the best MLP song in a long time. It's super catchy, upbeat, and very clever.

Finally, as much as I was mixed on Starlight, her role in this episode is pretty decent. I like she brings 2 fillies from G3, Tootla Rolla and Coconut Cream, to learn the values of friendship. I thought it was really adorable.

Even though the Ponyville citizens cannot go through their heads, I'm glad the Main 6 ignored them and stay together as friends. That's another great message: Haters Gonna Hate.

I understand M.A Larson didn't like the script and wants nothing to do with it, but I'll give him credit for trying to write a pretty solid episode.

Could've been better? Sure. But hey, I've seen worse.

Edited April 18, 2021 by JMTV99

[JMTV99 1,364]

It has been two and half months since I wrote my thoughts on this episode and I decided to look back on Fame and Misfortune again recently.

Looking back on this episode again, yeah I can understand why Fame and Misfortune was so polarizing by a lot of people.

It feels like this episode was basically the MLP staff was just airing out their grievances with their experience with the brony fanbase and telling them that: "hey, we love you guys, but you got to remember, the show was made for little girls! The girls don't care about continuity, story arcs, or serialization or anything like that. All they care about is seeing their favorite character on screen and want to buy a toy of them when they see it on TV.'' I understand that the show was made for kids, but that doesn't give the excuse to use a strawman argument to justify your message. It comes off as very condescending to the audience as they were a bunch of whiny idiots nitpicking about everything.

Don't get me wrong. There are some fans who do act like that, but how would writing like this would make it any better? It doesn't. It makes it even worse as show would represent the fandom in a negative light and being immune to criticism. Not to mention, this episode was trying to tell us that the characters are real people with real feelings despite the fact they're fictional characters in a fictional world filled with magic and friendship, yet we're supposed to take it seriously? Okay, that's poorly written.

On top of that, this episode was taking jabs at every brony complaints about the main characters in the show even though some of them were completely outdated like Alicorn Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Those pot shots doesn't work because 1. no one complains about them anymore and 2. and the characters overcome their flaws as the show progressed. It almost feels like the MLP was making a fan roast than actual jokes. To be honest, I feel bad for the Main 6 in this episode because they had go through so much crap by the townsponies which they make the Bikini Bottomies from SpongeBob look more mature by comparison.

You know, it kinda reminds me how people complain about Teen Titans Go in which they made episodes referencing the original show and poke fun at the fanbase. At least with Teen Titans Go was completely different show then the original as it tries to be a wacky comedy. MLP on the other hand, is a completely different story. As that show had continuity and character development in every episode and yet they're downplaying all that as a bunch of first world problems nitpicks.

While I do agree with Twilight that she and her friends are flawed individuals and learn from their mistakes, but at the same time, why do you need to point it out? We, the audience, know the characters are flawed. We know you guys are learning from their mistakes. You don't have to tell us about it. Yeah, I get that you want to set the townsponies straight, but still. Show, don't tell.

When you put yourself out there, you'll get criticism. That's just part of life. Yeah, people can be very brutal and harsh when they criticized something and I don't like that either, but they are some people who give out constructive criticism and help you improve your skills. Yet, this episode dropped the ball on that as they think they're above criticism and no one should be complaining.

What they should've done in this episode is taking good with the bad instead of brushing off like it was nothing.

Also, I just loved when the episode uses the townsponies and the fillies as a representation of ''whiny adults complain about everything and while the target demographic (little girls) learn about friendship'' Because that's not stereotyping at all, am I right? 

I don't know. I used to think this episode was a clever social commentary on the brony fanbase, but the more I think about it and the message behind this episode, it really did rub me the wrong way. While, there are some good moments in this episode that I still enjoy like the G3 fillies, Starlight, Rarity's stress dressing, and the Flawless song, but the rest of the subject matter feel like anti Slice of Life with less of the charm and more mean spiritedness. Can't say it's a terrible episode but it's not the best of the season either in hindsight.

I don't blame the fans for being uncomfortable about the episode and I don't blame M.A Larson want nothing to do with either. 

It's a mess all around that pleases nobody.

If you guys still enjoy this episode, good for you. It's just kinda hard to sit through.

Edited June 17, 2021 by JMTV99

[Will Guide 21,378]

2 hours ago, JMTV99 said:

It's a mess all around that pleases nobody.

I agree it is a mess but but it's mostly because of how one-sided it is

Perhaps if they dedicated 1/3 of the episode to focus on the negative side of the fan base a second third to focus on the positive side of the fan base and a third to try to find the middle ground where there's no easy answer then it would have a better chance.

Let's not forget Slice of Life was pretty much just fan service and I couldn't really get invested in those character because I wasn't really focusing on the background characters throughout the majority of the show. The majority of the fan base seem to have "nothing but good things" to say about this like the total opposite of this fame and  misfortune episode but if you ask me both of them are too extreme on one side that need to find better Middle ground

Balance is the key

[JMTV99 1,364]

8 hours ago, Will Guide said:

I agree it is a mess but but it's mostly because of how one-sided it is

Perhaps if they dedicated 1/3 of the episode to focus on the negative side of the fan base a second third to focus on the positive side of the fan base and a third to try to find the middle ground where there's no easy answer then it would have a better chance.

Yeah, that's another problem I had with this episode and thank you for bringing it up. Like I said, it's almost feel like the new writing staff wanted to air out their grievances about the fanbase and slap M.A Larson's name on it just because he's popular and used him as a shield from preventing backlash. Which honestly, it's no wonder Larson want nothing to do with it.

It just left you a bitter taste in your mouth and thinking to yourself: "do they even know what audience in this episode is aiming for?"

8 hours ago, Will Guide said:

Let's not forget Slice of Life was pretty much just fan service and I couldn't really get invested in those character because I wasn't really focusing on the background characters throughout the majority of the show. The majority of the fan base seem to have "nothing but good things" to say about this like the total opposite of this fame and  misfortune episode but if you ask me both of them are too extreme on one side that need to find better Middle ground

I completely respect that. As someone who really loves Slice of Life and it's one my favorite episode of the entire series, I can understand some people didn't really care for it. It's not for everyone.

8 hours ago, Will Guide said:

Balance is the key

Yup, it really is.

[phantompone1148 126]

I like the message in this episode “nobody’s perfect”. I also understand the writers were kind of poking fun at the Fanbase. But my problem was these problems were outdated. 

4.5/10

Edited October 30, 2021 by phantompone1148

[Gale Wind 83]

Man this one looks like it may be tough to watch. Part of me wants to skip it.

[J.J 931]

25 minutes ago, Gale Wind said:

Man this one looks like it may be tough to watch. Part of me wants to skip it.

Flawless is an absolute gem though, it makes it worth it

[Antiyonder 1,825]

The episode is present on this compilation at the 1:04:40 mark:

A solo video will be posted when uploaded.