S07:E14 - Fame and Misfortune

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,331]

I just noticed in the scene where the fan ponies are arguing about the mane six, you notice this mare who's cutie mark is a glass of water. Kind of reminds me of a certain not well liked mlp critic in the fandom who I shall not say the name of...

[Jeric 46,851]

34 minutes ago, A.V. said:

I disliked it more than I liked it.

 

The Mane 7 were all great here.

 

Problem was, nearly everypony else was just a bunch of flankholes and Karma Houdinis (they weren't just disagreeing like unpleasable fans; they outright harassed and stalked their world-famous heroes (including the Princess Of Friendship -- i.e., freaking royalty) the whole time).

The fans were representative of the Bronies who don't always see the forest for the trees. As far as them acting like asshats ...  you forget ... I used to see all the hidden posts in this place.

This was perfect meta humor that will be uncomfortably on the nose for some. After all my years of basically saying the exact same thing this episode has said about the Mane Six and how they sound, I'll take my bias lap of having my philosophy in official canon. The hammer struck the nail pretty solidly.

Well played Pony Crew. 

 

[Hierok 11,831]

38 minutes ago, EQ_Theta said:

Whoever wrote this episode must've had a lot of fun! I really enjoyed this episode and it's nice to know the friendship journal hasn't been forgotten. 

MA Larsson has had serious fun here. 

[Peter16373 103]

This is easily my third favorite episode of the season. Only behind The Perfect Pear and A Royal Problem. Literally laughing through the whole episode. Heard many people that I've talked to say the exact same things as the crowd lol.

Edited August 12, 2017 by Peter16373

[EQ_Theta 459]

14 minutes ago, Hierok said:

MA Larsson has had serious fun here. 

I don't think it was him. He talked about it in this video here (starts around the 42:30 mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lVa1M4nxp8

 

[Hierok 11,831]

Just now, EQ_Theta said:

I don't think it was him. He talked about it in this video here (starts around the 42:30 mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lVa1M4nxp8

 

He is credited as he did though.  Verybstrange then.

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

29 minutes ago, SolarFlare13 said:

I dunno...I found this episode to be...'disturbing', to say the least  

For starters, I didnt like the whole plot of the episode  What compelled Twilight to think it was a good idea to release her friendship diary to the public!?  I thought the whole point of having / keeping a diary is to keep your personal information A SECRET!!!

To me, this sounds like bad writing from the editors...

 

...and that one scene with Rarity scared the crap outta me O_O JEEZUS CHRIST!!!  
THAT WAS A JUMP-SCARE IF I EVER SAW ONE + I WAS WATCHING THIS IN THE DARK O~O

 

Heh  X'D...I love how the old pony said: "Twilight was better without wings"
*sighs* that's what I've been saying since Season 4

 

...and that Pinkie scene where every-pony was laughing at her every word...were they laughing WITH her...or AT her!? O_O I cant tell the difference

...but that ending!!! WHY DID THEY END THE EPISODE WITHOUT DEALING WITH THE MASSIVE CROWD OUTSIDE!?   

Starlight could've done something about it!!! D=< (like, I dunno...erase their memories or something like that)

Actually if you watch the end of "Castle Mania" Twilight says "Other ponies will read this and learn something too" so I think that publishing was always something Twi had in mind. 

[EQ_Theta 459]

17 minutes ago, Hierok said:

He is credited as he did though.  Verybstrange then.

Might be the case because Larson came up with the premise and/or script for an earlier season but it wasn't used until now. 

Edited August 12, 2017 by EQ_Theta

[Celli 4,338]

I loved this episode tbh. I'd go so far as to call it my favorite this season. It took some pot shots at the fandom, but so what? 

I've come to realize something in this fandom, and that's that some people can't take a joke and get overly defensive.

[SolarFlare13 16,087]

1 minute ago, StitchandMLPlover said:

Actually if you watch the end of "Castle Mania" Twilight says "Other ponies will read this and learn something too" so I think that publishing was always something Twi had in mind. 

Yeah, but it brought her A LOT of un-wanted attention (if you know what I mean :P) and I'm suprised Twilight didnt take that into consideration before publishing her Friendship diary...

[Hierok 11,831]

Just now, EQ_Theta said:

Might be the case because Larson came up with the premise and/or script for and earlier season but it wasn't used until now. 

Could be so. You mean that it could be done in s5? I think it now had much more effect. 

Edited August 12, 2017 by Hierok

[Flutterstep 47,073]

I'm gonna be that guy and say, admitting that your show has witting flaws dose not excuse that your show has writing flaws. 

[EQ_Theta 459]

7 minutes ago, Hierok said:

Could be so. You mean that it could be done in s5? I think it now had much more effect. 

Very likely. Larson mentioned in the interview that the last episode he worked on with him still having control over the input was Amending Fences so maybe this episode's premise was reworked by the newer writers.

[Hierok 11,831]

Just now, EQ_Theta said:

Very likely. Larson mentioned in the interview that the last episode he worked on with him still having control over the input was Amending Fences so maybe this episode's premise was reworked by the newer writers.

It really felt like Larson. Then he/she did a great job on it. 

Edited August 12, 2017 by Hierok

[Sparklefan1234 170,427]

 

I loved the joke about Fluttershy always learning the same lesson over & over. 

Also, how dare those two ponies make Rarity cry! That was my least favorite part of the episode bar none! 

Edited August 12, 2017 by Sparklefan1234

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

Just now, Flutterstep said:

I'm gonna be that guy and say, admitting that your show has witting flaws dose not excuse that your show has writing flaws. 

This is a really good point actually.

So I know I was positive in my initial post, and I still think this episode has fun moments, but the more I think of it in depth, the more I am not entirely fond of it. The joke got to the point of being a bit mean-spirited by the end. Yes, the fandom has had some really bad times like in 2013, but those times are behind us now. We have moved on by that point. So some of the things this episode brought up felt like beating a dead horse, as it were. This is 2017, not 2013 anymore.

Not only that, but it eventually felt like the writers were outright criticizing the fandom. AKA the people that saved this show from only having 3 seasons. If there was a proper resolution by the end then it would have been a bit better, but the end of the episode kinda paints most of Ponyville residents as complete assholes.

I guess I am just extremely torn now on how I feel about this one.

[Crystal Peppermint 1,108]

That episode was awesome. Because the angry crowd was nothing more than the perfect reflection of the fandom. Whining or arguing for every ridiculous little thing. That's sarcasm to my taste.

[ShootingStar159 2,156]

7 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

This is a really good point actually.

So I know I was positive in my initial post, and I still think this episode has fun moments, but the more I think of it in depth, the more I am not entirely fond of it. The joke got to the point of being a bit mean-spirited by the end. Yes, the fandom has had some really bad times like in 2013, but those times are behind us now. We have moved on by that point. So some of the things this episode brought up felt like beating a dead horse, as it were. This is 2017, not 2013 anymore.

Not only that, but it eventually felt like the writers were outright criticizing the fandom. AKA the people that saved this show from only having 3 seasons. If there was a proper resolution by the end then it would have been a bit better, but the end of the episode kinda paints most of Ponyville residents as complete assholes.

I guess I am just extremely torn now on how I feel about this one.

The overly critical elements of the fandom, you know, the ones the writers were taking a jab at, are not the reason the show has more than three seasons. The reason the show is still around is because of fans like the two fillies at the end, the ones who draw inspiration and enjoyment for the stories.

[BastementSparkle 20,326]

If you want to take the Meta part of this episode all the way, you can take the song near the end as sort of coming from the writer's own point of view. "We're not flawless, yeah! We're work in progress!" The people behind this show know they aren't perfect, they make mistakes, just like the Mane six do. I don't think this episode is trying to dismiss all criticism of the show, or the characters. It's just a bit of meta fun pointing out the very critical nature of some fans, and their various complaints.

They don't deal with the fans at the end, because they can't. There will always be unhappy fans, Whether it's because they missed the point of something, or because they dislike a character, or disliked the writing...All they can do is try to move forward, improving themselves and not letting the angry crowd get them down. 

Great episode, loved it, watched it twice.

[KH7672 1,604]

4 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

Yes, the fandom has had some really bad times like in 2013, but those times are behind us now. We have moved on by that point. So some of the things this episode brought up felt like beating a dead horse, as it were. This is 2017, not 2013 anymore.

Not only that, but it eventually felt like the writers were outright criticizing the fandom. AKA the people that saved this show from only having 3 seasons. If there was a proper resolution by the end then it would have been a bit better, but the end of the episode kinda paints most of Ponyville residents as complete assholes.

Just like there was no resolution to the townsponies, there's no resolution to the the fandom's gripes. The thing is unlike ignoring the issue is bad for writers to do because they would be ruining it for the fans who are not as critical, in universe ignoring the issue is exactly what they need to do because they can't change anything about themselves. While fans see the meta side remember this episode is still for those outside the fandom who will see the simple lesson of not worrying about your flaws because if people really want to complain and compare that's their problem not yours.

[Sly 236]

8 minutes ago, Kyoshi said:

This is a really good point actually.

So I know I was positive in my initial post, and I still think this episode has fun moments, but the more I think of it in depth, the more I am not entirely fond of it. The joke got to the point of being a bit mean-spirited by the end. Yes, the fandom has had some really bad times like in 2013, but those times are behind us now. We have moved on by that point. So some of the things this episode brought up felt like beating a dead horse, as it were. This is 2017, not 2013 anymore.

Not only that, but it eventually felt like the writers were outright criticizing the fandom. AKA the people that saved this show from only having 3 seasons. If there was a proper resolution by the end then it would have been a bit better, but the end of the episode kinda paints most of Ponyville residents as complete assholes.

I guess I am just extremely torn now on how I feel about this one.

It might be true that the show survived thanks to the fandom, but it's also true that the fandom itself can be VERY selfishly and harrassing often. To make a big example: Amy Keating Rogers and Gillian Berrow got death treads because Filli Vanilli and Fluttershy Leans In respectively, so the episode HAS a point with the representation of the bro.... no fandoms in general. The two fillies at the end represent how something should (and I point, SHOULD) be enjoyed, that's why I personally believe this episode was very necessary at this point.... It also touched me personally in various ways.

[Hierok 11,831]

4 minutes ago, BasementSparkle said:

If you want to take the Meta part of this episode all the way, you can take the song near the end as sort of coming from the writer's own point of view. "We're not flawless, yeah! We're work in progress!" The people behind this show know they aren't perfect, they make mistakes, just like the Mane six do. I don't think this episode is trying to dismiss all criticism of the show, or the characters. It's just a bit of meta fun pointing out the very critical nature of some fans, and their various complaints.

They don't deal with the fans at the end, because they can't. There will always be unhappy fans, Whether it's because they missed the point of something, or because they dislike a character, or disliked the writing...All they can do is try to move forward, improving themselves and not letting the angry crowd get them down. 

Great episode, loved it, watched it twice.

Didn't even look at it this way. That is really nice done then. 

[Megas 27,622]

Goddamn that was a fantastic episode, and one I totally called upsetting a certain subset of people

 

 

[NightmareLuna800 1,383]

Shouldn't there be a poll at the top of the post? So people can vote on if they liked it or not?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,440]

25 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

The overly critical elements of the fandom, you know, the ones the writers were taking a jab at, are not the reason the show has more than three seasons. The reason the show is still around is because of fans like the two fillies at the end, the ones who draw inspiration and enjoyment for the stories.

That's a good point. I guess I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer negativity presented within the residents in the episode, which an amount of the fandom was the same way in 2013 which is a clever way of bringing relation to the episode, though I was feeling down because I was reminded of those bad times. 2013 was a bad year for me, the fandom being so distraught was part of the reason. I just need to not let something like that bother me because it was all part of a clear message and it is all in the past anyways.

My own emotions can't dictate the episode's quality, so you all made good points.