MLP's finale and passion, or lack thereof

[ManaMinori 4,143]

So a lot of people fear the inevitable conclusion of this series and the closing of the book on g4, which is Friendship is Magic. And understandably so. What I think people fear most is not the conclusion, but the very real possibility that their favorite and long-followed series will end in a disappointing and very underwhelming way. The reason for this, from what I've seen- may be in part due to the new writers that have gotten on board for the show in its later seasons. These writers- unlike Lauren Faust- most likely don't carry a passion for the brand and characters that they're writing for, so it would harm the show, for viewers and the more invested fans, to see an ending that wasn't created out of love and passion to end it on a truly high note- the kind of passion that the g4 series' creator, Faust, brought into this with her team of writers, in the beginning, since she had the influence of growing up with the pastel ponies that Bonnie Zacherle created, n her childhood.

 

This may also be the reason why people seem apprehensive about getting into g5- if the passion and love aren't there to shape its world, its characters, its stories.... then it's just a shallow, flimsy marketing tactic to push plastic horses to kids.

 

Though only time will tell if Hasbro gets a writer with enough passion for the ponies (as Faust did) to close the final chapter and usher dedicated fans into a new generation, I think it's far too soon to worry as if the sky were falling- as we're not even in the final season yet, and come to accept that whatever happens at the end, happens.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Nightmare Muffin

[Twilight Luna 30,917]

Unfortunately we’ve seen this before with shows like Spongebob and Simpsons where the new writers don’t care about what they’re writing about. There’s no passion or imagination. Characters are reduced to a single character trait. Look it up, it called ‘flanderization’ named after Ned Flanders and what happened to his character. This may have already happened in MLP, if not, it can/will happen if new writers aren’t brought on board who care about the show.

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

Even the best writers can have their worst episodes.

The Mysterious Mare Do well is an obvious example of painting Rainbow Dash in the wrong....in many wrong ways.

Feeling Pinkie Keen was one of Lauren's not-so-good works

Owl's Well that ends well put Spike in a negative light for the worst reasons

Not everyone like A.K. Roger's final episode she wrote "The Mane Attraction," due to it being a copypasta plot of A Canterlot Wedding

I wasn't really keen on Appleoosa's Most Wanted

And don't get me started on "Somepony to watch over me."

[ManaMinori 4,143]

11 minutes ago, SaburoDaimando said:

Even the best writers can have their worst episodes.

The Mysterious Mare Do well is an obvious example of painting Rainbow Dash in the wrong....in many wrong ways.

Feeling Pinkie Keen was one of Lauren's not-so-good works

Owl's Well that ends well put Spike in a negative light for the worst reasons

Not everyone like A.K. Roger's final episode she wrote "The Mane Attraction," due to it being a copypasta plot of A Canterlot Wedding

I wasn't really keen on Appleoosa's Most Wanted

And don't get me started on "Somepony to watch over me."

everyone has flawed writing, and of course, the fans are also going to be subjective no matter what, but that's not the point I was getting at. My point was letting someone without passion and love for the how or the characters or their stories wrap up something that was started with love and passion in the first place.

14 minutes ago, Twilight Luna said:

Unfortunately we’ve seen this before with shows like Spongebob and Simpsons where the new writers don’t care about what they’re writing about. There’s no passion or imagination. Characters are reduced to a single character trait. Look it up, it called ‘flanderization’ named after Ned Flanders and what happened to his character. This may have already happened in MLP, if not, it can/will happen if new writers aren’t brought on board who care about the show.

unfortunately, that's already been showing signs of happening- Honest Apple, Non-Compete Cause....the new writers are working with seriously well-developed characters, but reducing them to how they used to be in earlier seasons. If this is the direction that the show is going in its final seasons, then I can understand why some fans may feel like the big finish will be a big fizzle.

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

Flanderization has hit the characters many times in past episodes.  I sometimes have problems with Pinkie Pie lately(One of the few exceptions is the movie where she came out like in Pinkie Pride).  The one character I have problems with this the most is Applejack, even dating back to earlier seasons.

And now an off-topic post relating to another series that takes flanderization to way beyond Simpsons:  Family Guy.  

Recently, the series is getting alot of bad episodes.  Alot of them cringe worthy(I saw something on Phantom Strider's Youtube channel, and I just wanted to puke), and there's word that Seth MacFarlane is trying to quit working on Family Guy.  So that may explain the decline in quality.  But what's really sad is that the series is still doing well in the ratings, not to mention that Fox is making bank in terms of DVDs and Reruns.  So Seth is stuck in what may be an endless loop of horrible episodes because the executives don't care.

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

unlike Lauren Faust- most likely don't carry a passion for the brand and characters that they're writing for, so it would harm the show, for viewers and the more invested fans, to see an ending that wasn't created out of love and passion to end it on a truly high note- the kind of passion that the g4 series' creator, Faust, brought into this, in the beginning, since she had the influence of growing up with the pastel ponies that Bonnie Zacherle created, n her childhood.

Okay first of all, it's super insulting to basically imply that the people who have been working on this show now for over three times as long as Faust has have virtually no passion for the show. It's insulting, assuming and just plain wrong. The writers have kept the show going despite Faust's departure.

That being said, Faust basically left because she threw a hissy fit and didn't want to accept the fact that Hasbro owns the property and she refused to even compromise with them. We know that Faust basically left over EQG which guess what: was a huge success. Sorry if Faust is so great, why did the show become even more successful and continue to be a success after she left? EQG which she was adamantly against ended up being insanely successful and continues to be so.

 

Stop being a season 1/2 fanboy and recognize that the show has done just fine if not better without Faust and the brand continued to grow and become more successful without her. Sorry, but the ratings, sales, etc. all point to the fact that Faust leaving actually had no negative impact on the franchise.

[ManaMinori 4,143]

 

2 hours ago, Key Sharkz said:

Okay first of all, it's super insulting to basically imply that the people who have been working on this show now for over three times as long as Faust has have virtually no passion for the show. It's insulting, assuming and just plain wrong. The writers have kept the show going despite Faust's departure.

That being said, Faust basically left because she threw a hissy fit and didn't want to accept the fact that Hasbro owns the property and she refused to even compromise with them. We know that Faust basically left over EQG which guess what: was a huge success. Sorry if Faust is so great, why did the show become even more successful and continue to be a success after she left? EQG which she was adamantly against ended up being insanely successful and continues to be so.

 

Stop being a season 1/2 fanboy and recognize that the show has done just fine if not better without Faust and the brand continued to grow and become more successful without her. Sorry, but the ratings, sales, etc. all point to the fact that Faust leaving actually had no negative impact on the franchise.

first of all- I didn't. I VERY clearly said "MOST LIKELY". Which is pure speculation. I don'd know what goes on behind the scenes. I can;t gauge the passion the new writers have. I'm making a guess because the facts are not presented to me. Every sentence in the header makes that evident. "From what I've seen". "Most likely". "There may also". "I Think."

 

the reason as to why Faust left is irrelevant. I'm focusing on what she and the other original writers on her team started with and brought into g4, in the beginning. So I'm not going to comment on that. This isn't purely about Faust, anyway, since she wasn't the sole original writer for the series.

Edited May 15, 2018 by PathfinderCS

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

first of all- I didn't. I VERY clearly said "MOST LIKELY"

Saying someone doesn't have passion for something they worked on and saying they "most likely don't" are hardly that different. That's like me saying I don't think you're an idiot, but you're most likely an idiot. Hardly that much less insulting isn't it?

15 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

I can;t gauge the passion the new writers have. I'm making a guess because the facts are not presented to me. Every sentence in the header makes that evident. "From what I've seen". "Most likely". "There may also". "I Think."

Literally admitting you're making a wild guess and then saying "most likely" are contradictory.  You're basically admitting you're taking a wild stab in the dark but still make such asserting statements as "most likely". Most likely implies there is some amount of evidence to point in that direction otherwise it's a baseless guess.

16 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

the reason as to why Faust left is irrelevant. I'm focusing on what she and the other original writers on her team started with and brought into g4, in the beginning. So I'm not going to comment on that. This isn't purely about Faust, anyway, since she wasn't the sole original writer for the series.

Why bring her up like you did? I don't know, the way you presented your point says otherwise.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

Please discuss the point of discussion; do not act passive-aggressive towards other members please.

Cheers.

[Wonderbolt Slipstream 263]

I fear that the series finale will leave a lot of fans unsatisfied, I hope that they go all out, wrap up everything in an epic, climatic conclusion. Don't pull a Princess Twilight and fit everything in one episode.

The could do a 2-part episode ending and most fans will say they are fine with it but I think fans want almost a movie for the ending, or even a 3-part episode ending, we just want something more then just the "norm".

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

They could also do worse.  They could end up killing off one of their most beloved characters in the end.

Spoiler

Remember what happened to Kanan Jarrus on Star Wars: Rebels?  He died episodes before the Grand Finale, while Ezra disappeared at the end with Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Quote

I mean, how would you all react if someone like Twilight, Celestia or even Discord were to sacrifice herself or himself at the end to save Equestria from its own demise?

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by SaburoDaimando

[BastementSparkle 20,310]

I'm confident the finale will probably be pretty good, I'm only apprehensive about it because I don't like endings, and the kind of conclusion to the series I'd want likely isn't the kind most people would want. I also kind of, at least at this point in time, feel like season 9 might be a bit too early to end the show. But I have trust the writer's will do a good job with it, or at least try their best.

 On the other hand, I'm "Apprehensive" about G5 because it's a total reboot apparently and I'm not very interested in that. I'll give it a shot, but even if it's really good I can't see myself caring about it like G4, as far as I'm concerned it'll be a totally separate thing. I don't care about that, I like the world and characters we have now and want to stick with them.

 Nothing to do with a lack of "Passion" or whatever from the writer's. Lauren did great setting up the show and I'm thankful for that, but the seasons after her departure have been just as great to even better in my opinion.

Edited May 15, 2018 by BasementSparkle

[Rawzy 1,302]

I've lost count how many times already that a character in the show has done something that contradicts with what they learned in a previous episode. It's like the new writers aren't even bothering to go over the old stuff. Quite sad really, and if the finale of the entire series is trash...then I don't know how long I'll be depressed about it for.

[RDDash 18,842]

In my experience season finales are usually better than the rest of the season, people may miss it at first, but the endings usually have a few good ideas, and sometimes it's just wasted potential.

Edited May 15, 2018 by R.D.Dash

[Singe 2,109]

On 5/14/2018 at 10:54 PM, SaburoDaimando said:

Even the best writers can have their worst episodes.

The Mysterious Mare Do well is an obvious example of painting Rainbow Dash in the wrong....in many wrong ways.

Feeling Pinkie Keen was one of Lauren's not-so-good works

Owl's Well that ends well put Spike in a negative light for the worst reasons

Not everyone like A.K. Roger's final episode she wrote "The Mane Attraction," due to it being a copypasta plot of A Canterlot Wedding

I wasn't really keen on Appleoosa's Most Wanted

And don't get me started on "Somepony to watch over me."

I would also add Wonderbolts Academy to that list. That was poorly handled with all those characters. Also conflicts with the tight ship ran Academy in later seasons and some of RD's recklessness.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Singe

[Jeric 46,834]

See Sopranos, Dexter, Life On Mars, Seinfeld, Enterprise, BSG, and on and on. 

I still enjoy those shows, even though they ended ... less than desirable. Even if Pony finale stinks like bad cheese, it won't impact my overall opinion of the show. Hell, 90% Steven King books end horribly, but I still enjoy the ride. 

[Ganondox 899]

2 minutes ago, Jeric said:

See Sopranos, Dexter, Life On Mars, Seinfeld, Enterprise, BSG, and on and on. 

I still enjoy those shows, even though they ended ... less than desirable. Even if Pony finale stinks like bad cheese, it won't impact my overall opinion of the show. Hell, 90% Steven King books end horribly, but I still enjoy the ride. 

I never watched it myself, but from an artistic perspective I think the ending of Soprano's was brilliant. Of course, the fact I'm wasn't personally invested in it might be why I think that.

[Jeric 46,834]

2 minutes ago, Ganondox said:

I never watched it myself, but from an artistic perspective I think the ending of Soprano's was brilliant. Of course, the fact I'm wasn't personally invested in it might be why I think that.

I'll definitely not argue that it was stylized and interesting. Though at the time I was annoyed. 

[Ganondox 899]

As for this topic, don't write off the new writers. Just they haven't been writing for the series as long some of the others doesn't mean they aren't just as passionate about it. For all you know they might have been fans of the show before writing for it. Yes, the show definitely is something different than Lauren's vision, but even if she stayed it could never have been that due to the way the show works. While we lost something that could have never have been, we have gained something else, and while it's something different than we might have initially expected, the writers have been doing a pretty good job with what they've created together so far. I don't think there is anyway the finale of the series could be anywhere near as glorious of a capstone as if they cut the show off several seasons back, but that doesn't mean the finale can't be a darn good episode, and even if it isn't I'm still glad for all the other episodes that we have gotten. 

[SaburoDaimando 1,196]

2 hours ago, Ganondox said:

As for this topic, don't write off the new writers. Just they haven't been writing for the series as long some of the others doesn't mean they aren't just as passionate about it. For all you know they might have been fans of the show before writing for it. Yes, the show definitely is something different than Lauren's vision, but even if she stayed it could never have been that due to the way the show works. While we lost something that could have never have been, we have gained something else, and while it's something different than we might have initially expected, the writers have been doing a pretty good job with what they've created together so far. I don't think there is anyway the finale of the series could be anywhere near as glorious of a capstone as if they cut the show off several seasons back, but that doesn't mean the finale can't be a darn good episode, and even if it isn't I'm still glad for all the other episodes that we have gotten. 

Haven't done so, yet.  In fact, right now I'm thanking Nicole Dubuc just for bringing in Maurice LaMarche to the series.  XP