What are some aspects of the early seasons (1-3), that you DON’T miss?

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

As the show has evolved, I often see people reminisce over things they liked better before it changed. I want to hear things that you’re glad are gone from the show now. 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,163]

1. The CMC being annoying children in general

2. Spike being annoying during solo episodes

Those were really my biggest complaints as the Spike solo episodes and any episode featuring the CMC left me feeling more annoyed than anything else. I am GRATEFUL that they've had proper character development and are VERY interesting characters these days.

[cmarston1 5,962]

The CMC obsessing over getting their cutie marks.

[RulesofRarity 493]

Fluttershy learning the same thing over and over and never developing. 

[Phill 1,287]

Unicorn Twilight. It's not that I hated Unicorn Twilight, but her becoming an Alicorn wasn't that big of a deal to me. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,995]

Non-princess Twilight is the biggest thing I don't miss. Her as a princess gives her a wonderful purpose, one that represents the entire theme of the show. I am not going to say they have always handled that perfectly, but I suppose that goes to show that Twilight isn't some perfect pony of perfection either, which is fine.

I also don't miss the letters to Santa, I mean Celestia. While they are nostalgic in their own way, I never liked having the moral being blatantly spelled out to people. Even kids don't exactly need it to be completely explained word by word. To me, it is better to show the moral in action and have the viewer take what they get from that to heart, whatever that might be, it could be different for everyone. That is waaaaaaay better than some quick explanation on how to achieve said moral.

[Victoria Sponge 1,018]

"Dear Princess Celestia" I don't know why but I really hated that. I like the episode taking up the full run time and then ending on a joke or a song or something, rather than how it used to be where it would end the exact same way every time but with a different moral being pointed out to us even when it was obvious.

[Kaidyn 212]

Spike being a slapstick gag, the CMC being very immature, and the lack of male characters overall for me.

[Will Guide 21,365]

The lack of character development with the Mane 6 in the earlier seasons is the main thing I won't miss. 

[Brobot 1,436]

The lack of princess Luna

[Dolphanatic 298]

8 hours ago, Kyoshi said:

Non-princess Twilight is the biggest thing I don't miss. Her as a princess gives her a wonderful purpose, one that represents the entire theme of the show. I am not going to say they have always handled that perfectly, but I suppose that goes to show that Twilight isn't some perfect pony of perfection either, which is fine.

But here's the thing: Twilight already had a purpose in the show. She was a student, spellwriter, and ambassador of friendship long before the wings came along. Granted, those character traits have gotten more development since then, but to say her role in the show was "without purpose" up until then is absurd. If anything, Twilight becoming an alicorn only slowed her character development down by having her go through the same "learning how to be a princess" storyline over and over instead of letting her develop naturally. It wasn't until Starlight Glimmer came along that Twilight's role in the show finally started to get more interesting again, as it finally gave her a reason for being a princess besides selling more toys. Granted, I may not be the biggest fan of alicorn Twilight, but even I can appreciate the fact that the writers are finally taking that aspect to its logical conclusion by giving Twilight a student of her own. That long-awaited completion of her character arc wouldn't have been possible if she hadn't started out as a lowly unicorn student herself.

Edited December 16, 2017 by Dolphanatic

[Steve Piranha 29,477]

-Bad Spike episodes

-The cuties's episodes being narrow sighted exclusively in getting their butt tattoos 

-Everybody laughs ending  

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,995]

23 minutes ago, Dolphanatic said:

But here's the thing: Twilight already had a purpose in the show. She was a student, spellwriter, and ambassador of friendship long before the wings came along. Granted, those character traits have gotten more development since then, but to say her role in the show was "without purpose" up until then is absurd. If anything, Twilight becoming an alicorn only slowed her character development down by having her go through the same "learning how to be a princess" storyline over and over instead of letting her develop naturally. It wasn't until Starlight Glimmer came along that Twilight's role in the show finally started to get more interesting again, as it finally gave her a reason for being a princess besides selling more toys. Granted, I may not be the biggest fan of alicorn Twilight, but even I can appreciate the fact that the writers are finally taking that aspect to its logical conclusion by giving Twilight a student of her own. That long-awaited completion of her character arc wouldn't have been possible if she hadn't started out as a lowly unicorn student herself.

I didn't ask for a comeback. You aren't going to change how I feel about it.

[Sparklefan1234 175,108]

The two main things I don't miss are:

1. Cutie Mark Crusader episodes from before they earned their Cutie Marks.
2.  Big Macintosh barely having dialogue.

 

Edited December 16, 2017 by Sparklefan1234

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

15 minutes ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

Big Macintosh barely having dialogue.

Yep. 

 

I will say though that his near muteness early on does give a lot more oomph when he does say something, like at the end of Brotherhooves Social. 

Edited December 16, 2017 by ShootingStar159

[Prospekt 11,028]

Spike being annoying and the victim of slapstick. Though this extended as far as Princess Spike in Season 5.

The lack of Princess Luna. Not counting the individual parts of two-part episodes, I think she shows up... three times in the first three seasons? Maybe four? Whereas Princess Celestia is a common secondary character.

Immature and insensitive Rainbow Dash.

CMC being excitable little kids. It was cute for a couple of seasons, but then it got stale and I think the writers agreed so the fillies finally started to act more like tweens.

[Sparklefan1234 175,108]

Just now, ShootingStar159 said:

Yep. 

 

 

1 minute ago, Prospekt said:

The lack of Princess Luna.

 

Oh, I forgot about this! 

 

I don't miss the lack of Princess Luna. 

[Steve Piranha 29,477]

11 minutes ago, Prospekt said:

Spike being annoying and the victim of slapstick. Though this extended as far as Princess Spike in Season 5.

The lack of Princess Luna. Not counting the individual parts of two-part episodes, I think she shows up... three times in the first three seasons? Maybe four? Whereas Princess Celestia is a common secondary character.

Immature and insensitive Rainbow Dash.

CMC being excitable little kids. It was cute for a couple of seasons, but then it got stale and I think the writers agreed so the fillies finally started to act more like tweens.

It helped that they've gone through puberty  

[Shrug 9,955]

14 minutes ago, Prospekt said:

Spike being annoying and the victim of slapstick. Though this extended as far as Princess Spike in Season 5.

The lack of Princess Luna. Not counting the individual parts of two-part episodes, I think she shows up... three times in the first three seasons? Maybe four? Whereas Princess Celestia is a common secondary character.

Immature and insensitive Rainbow Dash.

CMC being excitable little kids. It was cute for a couple of seasons, but then it got stale and I think the writers agreed so the fillies finally started to act more like tweens.

^ 

Ya, Prospekt said it best honestly. My thoughts exactly. 

Especially in regards to Spike always being the butt of jokes. As a big Spike fan, that always hurts.

[Dark Qiviut 22,527]

1. The large amounts of Spikabuse. The buttmonkey is a tired trope, because it doesn't give them the proper development. Spike getting the short end of the stick above the others was a major flaw in the first several seasons, and for his main episodes, they were fatal flaws. Owl's Well is a bottom-10 candidate for many reasons, including the abusive "humor." Not till following PS did DHX finally change their ways and give him the respect and consistency he rightfully deserved.
2. The CMCs' shallow "personalities." Minus one or two traits, each of them were exactly the same characters in season 1. It wasn't until the second when they began to individualize. Until LM, their most interesting and best episodes didn't focus on their cutie mark rush.
3. The simple, black-and-white morals. Ones like don't jump to conclusions, don't be a braggart, don't judge a book by its cover, etc. are too clichéd, vanilla, and restrictive. S3 tested the waters some. But 4, 5, and 7 were a real step forward with their morals. Many of them were mature, gray, deep, and invited conversation between kids and their guardians.
4. Rarity's S1 characterization. Until Suited, Rarity wasn't written in a positive light at all, and for someone who was vain and interested in fashion, that paints a really poor picture on her.

Edited December 16, 2017 by Dark Qiviut

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

8 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Rarity's S1 characterization. Until Suited, Rarity wasn't written in a positive light at all, and for someone who was vain and interested in fashion, that paints a really poor picture on her.

I think when it comes to character growth, Rarity is the one who’s grown the most of the main six. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,527]

Two more:

1. "Status Quo Is God." I long said that it's not the change itself that reviled or excited people, but the quality of the change. That said, regardless of the execution, S3 marked a transition of growth for the franchise from here on out, even if by accident*. Since Keep Calm, FIM stopped adhering to the trope. Sure, Lesson Zero stopped concentrating the friendship lessons on Twilight, but the friendship lessons remain.
   
   *Originally, S3 was the last one, but Hasbro renewed it ever since.
2. Spelling out the friendship lessons. S3 tested the change in the format by not writing lessons of friendship to Celly after every episode, only doing it twice. S4 transitioned some: The lessons remained, but consolidated in the journal instead. Once the journal stopped being useful, the iterated lessons did, too. Since then, the morals were no longer told to your face, but woven into the narrative more.

6 minutes ago, ShootingStar159 said:

I think when it comes to character growth, Rarity is the one who’s grown the most of the main six. 

Either her or Twilight.

[Thrond 3,265]

1. CMC, naturally. Having them learn the same thing over and over again while being the most irritating kids in the world? Glad it's gone. 
2. In season 1 specifically, Twilight being shoehorned into every episode. It was usually done in a funny or clever way, but it sometimes felt unnecessary. 
3. Early Rarity characterization. I always liked her, but going back to some of her pre-S4 appearances isn't quite as easy as it is with other characters. She's the character who seems most prone to being kinda shallow and selfish in episodes focused on her. 

Some other issues which probably have their origins in the earlier seasons didn't really bother me until season 4, perhaps because I didn't feel like season 4 experimented much regarding story structure or tone:

1. Fluttershy learning the same lesson over and over again.
2. The lack of deviations from the status quo.

5 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Either her or Twilight.

I'm personally partial to Rainbow Dash, even if it doesn't always stick for her. 

[Will Guide 21,365]

I do like how nowadays not every lesson has to do with Friendship specifically. S4's "Testing Testing 1,2,3" had Twilight learn that "there's more than one way to study" as she helped Rainbow Dash with her test. (#1 most relatable episode to me) or S6's "Flutter Brutter" had Fluttershy teach her brother, Zephyr Breeze that "sometimes you have to do things, even though you might fail." (#2 most relatable episode to me)

Edited December 16, 2017 by WiiGuy2014

[Megas 27,941]

The Letters to Celestia, they were always a real hokey and condescending way to spell out morals of the episode. Also the “ei” restrictions, getting rid of that thing really helps bring out the show’ Full potential