The Worst Season Of The Entire Series?

[Lunar Glow 674]

Of course we all love MLP, but is there a season out of the series that just had a lot of bad episodes? Just a bad season in general?

I think that Season 7 is the worst yet. It has just too many bad, pointless, not well-written episodes out of the whole series. 

[Ganondox 899]

Are you kidding me? Season 7 was by far the most consistently high quality season. 

Anyone, I’d consider Season 3 the worst. It has a few of the worst episodes in the series, and it’s short length really causes them to stand out. 

[Megas 27,048]

>Season 7
>Worst

yu wut m8? I'm surprised we got such a consistently strong season so late into the show's life 

My pick is definitely Season 6, which has a ton of stupid bullshit that could have been avoided had 90% of the episodes aired in a much better managed season, or if someone actually bothered to look at the scripts being submitted. Some of the absolute worst episodes of the season came from S6, and none of the good episodes are good enough to salvage it. Not to mention it has Newbie Dash, among other dumpster fires, which alone seriously sours the season for me, an episode so disappointing and unpleasant I still haven't been able to get over, nor forgive the writers for approving it

Spoiler

yeah yeah, I know, still being mad over an episode of a little girl's cartoon for 2+ years is pathetic

 

[Wonderbolt Slipstream 263]

4 hours ago, Ganondox said:

Are you kidding me? Season 7 was by far the most consistently high quality season. 

Anyone, I’d consider Season 3 the worst. It has a few of the worst episodes in the series, and it’s short length really causes them to stand out. 

I have to agree, season 3 was pretty bad, I felt Sombra was easily killed and Twilight's princess ascension felt rushed and could've easily have been a two part-er. Not to mention the other episodes feel forgettable, for the most part.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Wonderbolt Slipstream

[Hierok 11,829]

I have to say season 6 is the worst, and then season 5. They had to many bad episodes. 

[Cash In 21,488]

I liked Season 3, but I definitely think that it's weakest. Doesn't really help that it's about half as long as all the others.

Edited October 19, 2020 by Cash In

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

I actually can understand a little why the OP declared season 7 to be the worst. While I myself wouldn't consider it the worst, it's pretty middle of the road for me in that I find the majority of the episodes somewhat stolid. Yes, there are a few standouts, but even they feel sort of hackneyed in a strange intangible way. I can't describe exactly why  specifically, but I definitely consider many of season 7's concepts significantly more promising than the actual execution (an episode chronicling the romance between Applejack's parents, for example, was an excellent concept, but the actual execution of that idea felt a little sanitized to me, while 'Shadow Play', despite its amazing concept, was rendered more tedious than it had any right to be by an overload of exposition and poor pacing). Not to mention the season's clunkers ('Hard to Say Anything', 'Honest Apple' and 'Daring Done?' in particular, although 'Fluttershy Leans In' was pretty limp as well) were more frequent than the gems (asides from PP, 'Discordant Harmony', 'A Health of Information' and 'Once Upon a Zeppelin', all of which were good, but never incited that 'wow, that was great' feeling within me) and Starlight's constant overexposure began to wear out on me pretty quickly. But credits where credit's due, at least the season was fairly consistent otherwise and there were a few interesting concepts present.

Personally, I'd side with Whomps on this one. Season 6 is almost certainly the weakest season in that the characterization was heavily inconsistent (particularly in regards to AJ and Dashie), the lows were far lower than the highs were high (the best episode of the season to me was probably 'Dungeons and Discords', and that wouldn't even crack my top 15), which kind of exposed the poor quality of the duds even further, many episode concepts were pretty dull and/or inherently botched (step forth, Zephyr Breeze), leaving them almost dead-on-arrival and Starlight development (the alleged focus of the season) was replaced by meaningless, vacuous filler such as 'Applejack's Day Off', 'The Cart Before the Ponies' and 'P.P.O.V'. While not exactly the worst case of seasonal rot I've witnessed, season 6 is definitely felt the laziest/most slapdashed of the seasons we've seen thus far, possibly owing to Josh Haber's writing style (his weird, tropish 'is it a parody or actually wait no it isn't' style is conspicuous across nearly the entirety of the season). 

Second place would probably by season 3, though - yes, its shorter length may play a role in this, but I doubt such a factor had any role in how dry/uneven the second half was, with the dullfest that was 'Apple Family Reunion', the clunky and asinine 'Spike at Your Service', the poorly paced 'Keep Calm and Flutter On' and 'Magical Mystery Cure' (even though I admit to enjoying the latter), the middling 'Just for Sidekicks' and the all-gags-no-story affair that was 'Games Ponies Play'. That's not an amazingly favourable batch of episodes there, which may explain to some extent the long-standing criticisms people tend to lobby at the season.

 

Edited June 10, 2018 by Them's Seeing Ponies

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

1 hour ago, Wonderbolt Slipstream said:

I felt Sombra was easily killed

 

But to reach that part in the first place, everypony had to run themselves ragged -- courtesy of how Batman-prepared he was before the episode(s).

 

And even then, his defeat process itself was stupid-awesome (Spike + Shining's wife javelin).

[Totally Nyx 35,464]

I have to agree with some of you that season 7 was pretty bad. You can tell the writers have been running out of ideas and that season just fell short, and don't even get my started on Shadow Play. . . That said, season 8 takes the prize hands down for worst season. It's episodes have fallen so flat that to say even one was only terrible would be far too high a compliment.

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

7 hours ago, Totally Roseluck said:

and don't even get my started on Shadow Play.

 

IMO, the only real disappointment in Shadow Play was The Pony Of Shadows (the actual entity, that is; Stygian himself, however, was good).

 

In the words of Patrick Star, "He's just standing there... MENACINGLY!"

Edited June 10, 2018 by A.V.

[Nightfall Thunder 1,937]

So far, season 6 has been the worst season in my opinion. It's the only season so far that doesn't make me say: "That has a brilliant episode that I love".

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

Season 7 has two nasty duds — Hard to Say Anything, F&M — but it has three insane highs — Perfect Pear, Shadow Play, PG. Only five episodes were bad that season, and the second half post Daring Done is the show's best run. It's really hyperbolic to call it the worst season or even a bad one.

That said, S6 is the worst one. While it's okay altogether, it's plagued with big mistakes.

1. When an episode was bad, it was awful. Several of the worst episodes of the show, including the worst two-parter (To Where), take place here. How do you make MMC (an okay episode) look Emmy-worthy? Write a status quo buster 500 times worse with a bad moral. How to write a worse version of Mare Do Well? Rip it off with an even more unpleasant atmosphere and a genuinely toxic moral to kids.
    
2. Beyond just a plentiful number of bad episodes, bad decisions plagued the season.
   1. Starlight was only added to the story when the plot demanded it and not treated like part of the Mane Eight. Her inclusions were very sporadic and often executed very poorly. The show expanding the mane cast was the biggest status quo change this show has ever had. You need to convince your audience she belongs with them and changed for the better. Unfortunately, her redemption arc was completely unfulfilled.
   2. Several characters had their worst appearances of the show, or close to it. Twilight was atrocious in No Second Prances (though she's worse in OWTEW). Rarity from Spice Up Your Life completely contradicted her integrity and moral she learned from Canterlot Boutique, but she was also awful in Cart and PPOV. S6 is Applejack's worst season by a long shot; AJ's "Day" Off, Cart, and especially PPOV really hurt her character. Newbie Dash and 28PL are Dash's worst appearances of the show. In Where the Apple Lies, Big Mac stopped talking not because he's shy, but because he talks too much, implicating he forces himself to stay quiet.
   3. Zephyr Breeze. Nuff said. Next!
       
3. Thorax and Trixie were integral to To Where (and for Thorax, his takeover of the Changeling Kingdom). But they each appeared in just one episode, and TW wants us to think Thorax is ready to rule? That's way too big of a jump.
    
4. There are some awful facial expressions this season.
   1. Pinkie's crazed face as she looked into the shop window.
   2. Rarity's pruney face.
   3. Fluttershy in Buckball Season and Twilight in Every Little Thing had that obnoxious facial closeup when they exploded in anger, turning a serious moment into a really stupid joke.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Dark Qiviut

[Princess Book Horse 350]

Season 1 (don’t sue me.) The first Season isn’t bad, it’s just that everything that came after the first 2 Seasons is easily superior IMO. Seasons 5 and 7 are my favorites.

[Thrond 3,257]

I came here thinking I'd be the only person saying that season 7 was the show's weakest year, and I'm very pleased to see other people agreeing. I do think the show tends to change a lot of subtle trends from season to season, to the extent that it feels like a slightly different show each year, with the exception of season 3, which is kinda just season 2 but worse. In any case, season 7 is the collection of episodes I enjoyed with the least consistency, and I felt the whole season had a peculiar rigidity to it, like it was reverse-engineering stories from morals rather than the other way around, or like it was constantly trying to justify its own weak ideas. Starlight was handled clumsily, almost always depicted as some extreme - either she's wallowing in self-pity, or she's doing something so obviously wrong that it's hard to sympathize with, or she's saving the day because for some reason the mane six can't be bothered to act independently. (That finale is not good.) Meanwhile, the show's attempts to make the mane six more consistent don't seem to be accompanied by an actual understanding of what makes them good characters, so they felt more like ciphers in season 7 than ever before. Mostly, I find it safe and risk-averse; the most popular episode is "The Perfect Pear," but that episode mainly just consists of a somewhat straightforward and cliched romance, and can't even be bothered to reduce the ambiguity of the parents' fate. There's just a lack of imagination on display throughout much of the season which makes it feel especially bland to me. 

I can't be the only person who thinks season 6 is one of the better ones, right? 

[FlareGun45 2,221]

I'd say season 1, but since it was just the first season, I shouldn't say that. Season 3 was a half-season and MMC felt rushed, but most episodes were good! Season 5 was Spike's worst season ever, but it did have other great things like Crusaders of the Lost Mark and Princesses Dreaming Magic Sheep. I won't say season 6 is the worst because it fixed Spike's character, despite other things that happened in the season that were bad.

Iunno.... I guess I'll pick season 3 because the half-season concept felt so anti-climatic, and it really upset me. MMC was interesting concept but it felt so rushed, and then the season just... ended.... just like that. It kinda bothered me. I wasn't satisfied, so season 3 it is!

[Kadeda 178]

Season 3 is the worst with season 1 close IMO...(only because it's the first season) Season 5 is the most consistently good cover to cover... and Season 7 is on par.  Dunno why people hate Fame and Misfortune... i loved it. Super fun episode to me. Don't let self proclaimed critics give you your opinion.

I think season 4 finale is still the strongest so far. Season 2 is really strong to. Season 6 was more middle of the road than bad for me. I dunno, I honestly like all the seasons.

[FirePuppy 621]

Season 6 to me is the worst so far because Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack all hogged a lot of the appearance time and got some of the worst episodes for that season combined. However, judging by how much progress we got for Season 8, I think Season 6 will become my second-worst if we get more useless episodes like we have so far, including The Break Up Break Down.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

1 hour ago, Starlightglim said:

I’d say season 3 because spike had to many episodes 

I'm not sure whether you're just telling me this or trying to get under a Spike fan's skin. If you're gonna say stuff like this, don't quote me please, I don't need to be directly told this

Edited June 11, 2018 by MegaSean45

[Kai-rouken 146]

Season 2. Way too much cringeworthy brony pandering, and the character interactions felt all kinds of awkward. Had some real high points (RoH Parts 1&2, Sisterhooves, Hurricane FS, and Family Appreciation Day come to mind) but the majority of the episodes were either awful (Cutie Pox, Baby Cakes, TMMDW), or just plain mediocre (pretty much every other S2 ep).

[Ganondox 899]

14 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I came here thinking I'd be the only person saying that season 7 was the show's weakest year, and I'm very pleased to see other people agreeing. I do think the show tends to change a lot of subtle trends from season to season, to the extent that it feels like a slightly different show each year, with the exception of season 3, which is kinda just season 2 but worse. In any case, season 7 is the collection of episodes I enjoyed with the least consistency, and I felt the whole season had a peculiar rigidity to it, like it was reverse-engineering stories from morals rather than the other way around, or like it was constantly trying to justify its own weak ideas. Starlight was handled clumsily, almost always depicted as some extreme - either she's wallowing in self-pity, or she's doing something so obviously wrong that it's hard to sympathize with, or she's saving the day because for some reason the mane six can't be bothered to act independently. (That finale is not good.) Meanwhile, the show's attempts to make the mane six more consistent don't seem to be accompanied by an actual understanding of what makes them good characters, so they felt more like ciphers in season 7 than ever before. Mostly, I find it safe and risk-averse; the most popular episode is "The Perfect Pear," but that episode mainly just consists of a somewhat straightforward and cliched romance, and can't even be bothered to reduce the ambiguity of the parents' fate. There's just a lack of imagination on display throughout much of the season which makes it feel especially bland to me. 

I can't be the only person who thinks season 6 is one of the better ones, right? 

I understand this criticism of Season 7 much more understandable than OP's. I can see someone finding it bland, it was pretty tame compared to most seasons and I definitely get what you're talking about with it being moral driven, but calling it low quality aside from a couple episodes (mainly Fluttershy Leans In) is just inaccurate. 

I also think Season 6 was one of the better ones, but that's probably because my priorities are probably the polar opposite of someone like Qiviut's, I like Haber's hijinks. The one thing I agree with him is that Starlight and Thorax weren't developed well, but I considered To Where and Back Again to be one of the better two parters. I also despise P.P.O.V., but for completely different reasons, and I consider No Second Prances to be one of the best episodes in the series. 

5 hours ago, Kai-rouken said:

Season 2. Way too much cringeworthy brony pandering, and the character interactions felt all kinds of awkward. Had some real high points (RoH Parts 1&2, Sisterhooves, Hurricane FS, and Family Appreciation Day come to mind) but the majority of the episodes were either awful (Cutie Pox, Baby Cakes, TMMDW), or just plain mediocre (pretty much every other S2 ep).

Season 2's cringing pandering is nothing compared to Slice of Life though. 

[SolarFlare13 15,927]

Season 6 would have to be my LEAST favourite season so far  it just had FAR too many episodes that rubbed me the wrong way 

Edited June 11, 2018 by SolarFlare13

[Wonderbolt Slipstream 263]

1 hour ago, Ganondox said:

Season 2's cringing pandering is nothing compared to Slice of Life though. 

But Slice of Life was suppose to be pandering to the fans, that was the whole reason for the episode was that it was the special 100th episode for everything the fans wanted.

[Props Valroa 25,961]

I'll take a shot in the dark here and say season 6 or 7 was the worst, though 8 might also be in my opinion.

[DonMaguz 1,023]

My least favorite would be Season 6, although Season 8 might be a contender.

I really hope Season 8 can bring us a better consistency during its second half.

[Thrond 3,257]

7 hours ago, Ganondox said:

but calling it low quality aside from a couple episodes (mainly Fluttershy Leans In) is just inaccurate. 

To be honest, I only enjoy some 40% of that’s season, but most of it I find unimaginative and tedious rather than outright low-quality... I could deal with garbage like “Daring Don’t.” It’s didactic blah like “Marks and Recreation” which really tests my patience.