Do the newer episodes seem odd to you?

[Nightfall Veilwing 1,170]

Is it me, or does MLP seem to be the different these days?

Since the start of Season 7, MLP doesn't seem be to the same as it did in its infancy back in 2010.

In the earlier seasons, the show was more about the friendship lessons, but the newer ones seem to focus more on the characters and the plots and less on the friendship lessons. The newer episodes still do friendship lessons, but don't seem to worry about them as much. That's what I'm seeing.

Also, do the newer episodes feel shorter, despite still being the usual 20 minutes long, and seem to be more like fan service nowadays?

On a side note, has anypony else noticed that some characters only show up in 1 episode and never show up again?
We haven't seen or heard of/from Iron Will, Cerberus (It's All About Time), Prince Blue Blood, the Breezies, King Sombra, Mane-iac, Ahuizotl, Tirek, Moondancer, and several others since the episode they appeared in. After that, never mentioned again.
We haven't seen Flurry Heart, Discord, Zecora, Chrysalis, and a few others for a while now, either.

Doesn't it seem like the modern episodes are half as long as they used to (even though still being 20min long) and don't focus on the things it used to anymore?

I don't know how many more seasons MLP has left, but it still has many things to explain and many mysteries left. And most of the things that have been "solved" was by the brony community on little evidence and a lot of speculation, like the "fact" that alicorns are all princess goddess, which is obviously no the case because literally nothing about alicorns was ever discussed or confirmed by canon sources.

So, how do you feel about the modern MLP episodes compared to the earlier? Better? Indifferent? Not as good? Worse?

Me, I'm indifferent. I still enjoy the show, and I'm excited to see where it goes. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,606]

1. Not surprised of the list of one-shot characters. The show has a long history of featuring characters for one episode. Sombra, for example, was blown up and became reformed in the comics.
2. Flurry Heart appeared early in the season. Discord in Discordant Harmony. Two episodes later this year will have Zecora in them. Chrysalis was To Where's villain.
3. The show's done so much over the seasons, and many arcs have closed. Sure, the show's still been good, but the episodes following Pear have been, well, a little empty.

The modern episodes (or those past S3) have been fine as a whole. Each season has its good, average, and bad.

[SparklingSwirls 21,601]

I definitely agree on the friendship lesson thing. Now that the lessons aren't spelled out so explicitly like they used to be in the letters to Celestia/friendship journal, it does feel more and more like you as the viewer has to do the work to figure out what message the episode is trying to teach. Sometimes I think it works better this way and sometimes I think it's worse, just depends on the episode really.

[LeafFerret 3,382]

I guess it has something to do with the show doing different things than what they were doing back then, had they continued with what they were doing, the show would have tired out and a lot of fans would've left because they were doing the same things as before, that's why a lot of shows has either ended or gone past it's prime. Even though I didn't like how Twilight turned out all because of making toys and merchandise, it did put the show in a whole new perspective when it came to solving friendship problems with the Remane 5 and Starlight now solving them with Twilight now resorting to that mentoring and leadership role, even though she isn't really doing a good job at that so far.

[DonMaguz 1,023]

RDFan89 sums it up well, the show have been in constant progression from the beginning and if it hadn't done that it may have already exhausted its formula. The formula is changing each season, so they probably would make it last for another 2 - 4 seasons without making it tiresome.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

You are not the only one, Mlp is definately different than its first couple seasons. Friendship lessons episodes are more subtle, more parody of themself, more fanservice, more plot-focus, more self-aware, more expositions and more... bad/meh episodes , do i miss something? Forgive me if i miss something.  There are less rewatchable episodes that i can stand (S2 is the perfect season because of they have the highest enjoyable episodes counts), less humors or at least the format has changed, some few characters are less relevant now (for example, Twilight). I remember the old days when i watched the first three seasons episodes, it was really fun, like a kid walk into the theme park, right now, watching modern episodes feel like working, i find a lot of enjoyment in it but sometime i just want to punch the pillow really hard.

Episodes nowaday, when they are amazing, they look like ARTS in cartoon form, but when they are shitty, they are shitty than any average episode of previous season. The inconsistency are more and more clearer than sky, think it like some RPG weapons, Season 2 is a sword (22-25) and Season 4 is an axe (10-30).

I still love the show A LOT but sometimes i just want to punch something...

[Hierok 11,833]

Is it bad the show changed. I personnaly love a show who slowly turn their plots over, without using new designs. Pokemon with their mega evolutions is a good example of that. They really dragged the show down. 

[Thrond 3,271]

I honestly feel like it's reinvented itself in various ways each season since season 5 or so. The first four seasons are more or less continuous, but 5 takes itself more seriously, 6 has many specific changes, and 7 feels kinda like it's shifting focus a lot with regards to its characters and the stories it tells.

Now, I find season 5 immensely frustrating and can't stand most of season 7 so far, so I can't say I like "new" MLP more, but even the worst seasons have ideas I appreciate.

Dunno why the show feels shorter to you; it kinda feels longer to me. I also disagree that it's less focused on the lessons, as season 7 seems to be much more moral-driven than the two preceding it.