Season 8

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,606]

5 hours ago, DonMaguz said:

I think S8 is the most inconsistent of seasons, yet a solid one overall.

- The concept of the school of friendship is interesting and surely a great path for Twilight. But at the same time it is nonsensical for the rest of the mane 6.

- The student 6 are a great new set of characters, their introduction felt weird and hasty but once the season started to progress they grew in an amazing way and ended up being an endearing group.

- IMO it has the worst episode (Non-Compete Clause) and one of the best streaks (19-23) in the entire series.

- S8 had a sub-par premiere and sub-par finale, but they introduced really nice antagonists.

At the end, S8 is a season where the staff took a good amount of risks. The ones that hit did it amazingly and the ones that missed did it awfully.

I actually liked the premiere, the finale, and thought that episode 24 was good, but other than that I agree with this.

Season 8 took several risks, and while the execution was sometimes inconsistent, when the risks paid off, it was amazing.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

I think it is curious given the leak that S9 will be the last - S8 seems to be laying down the foundations for an expansion, to give the series room to grow, rather than preparing to wrap it up ready for replacement.

[Thrond 3,272]

On 10/5/2018 at 5:47 PM, This Whomps said:

>Sound Of Silence and The Washouts 

>lots of growth and maturity for both characters, the latter in particular has her trying to be more mature 

 >”made them terrible assholes”

Well, I dunno; I feel like Rainbow Dash and Applejack are both needlessly aggressive in those episodes in a way which I couldn't really relate to. "Terrible assholes" might be a bridge too far, though. 

On 10/5/2018 at 7:16 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

AJ was more upset at Fluttershy for not following her up the peaks and took her time with the squirrels for granted. Before she went too far, FS set her straight, and she apologized twice, once for getting carried away (immediately) and for not taking her communication with them seriously (in the climax).

Sure, but there's something about their interactions in that episode which gave me the impression that they weren't very close. In the former interaction, it's the way she seemed more irritated than concerned about losing Fluttershy; in the latter, it's the way that both she and Fluttershy start to lob accusations at each other near the end. 

Though with all that episode's stalling, that probably just comes from it not giving their dynamic enough time to breathe. 

On 10/5/2018 at 7:16 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

That was the point. Rainbow Dash's personality juggled between envy and ego, but at the same time, she was genuinely concerned for Scootaloo's safety and was rightfully upset at her for taking her training with the WB for granted (the moment where Scoot asked Dust for advice to intentionally disqualify herself from the WB). Her decision to trash the fanclub accidentally overlooked Scoot's biggest insecurity — her disability — and she had to learn how to show devotion for Scoot and concern for her safety without her flaws undercutting them.

I just don't see how this is an excuse - having Rainbow Dash react violently to all Washouts memorabilia, and lash out in jealousy over Scootaloo even considering idolizing someone else, is just such an over-the-top expression of her jealousy. There are so many other ways she could have handled that, even without self-reflection. 

I don't think either of those episodes make their mane 6 stars nearly as bad as trash like "The End in Friend," and I get the point in both episodes, but they both just feel kinda off to me. I hope you understand where I'm coming from. 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by AlexanderThrond

[Dark Qiviut 22,638]

On 10/8/2018 at 1:21 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

Sure, but there's something about their interactions in that episode which gave me the impression that they weren't very close. In the former interaction, it's the way she seemed more irritated than concerned about losing Fluttershy

AJ was justified to be upset and irritated at her. Instead of making one trip up the Peaks, she'd have to make two, with the latter being more difficult by how spent she was already. Had FS not stay behind, they wouldn't discover their secret entrance, yet also not waste AJ's time and effort already. Their lack of mutual communication spawned this.

On 10/8/2018 at 1:21 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

in the latter, it's the way that both she and Fluttershy start to lob accusations at each other near the end.

That's not what I meant. Here's what I mean:

Quote

Applejack: Autumn Blaze never would've made it past the Peaks to search here. I owe you an apology.

Fluttershy: Why?

Applejack: 'Cause if your kindness hadn't made you stop to help the squirrels, we never would've found this here flower.

Also, friends, even close ones, will disagree, argue, and get very angry with each other. The RM7's from The Mean Six and the Student Six's from HW Club were much more heated and accusatory than this. FS and AJ are close by showing how they successfully get past it.

On 10/8/2018 at 1:21 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

I just don't see how this is an excuse

It's an explanation, not an excuse. Dash learns the episode's primary lesson for a reason.

On 10/8/2018 at 1:21 AM, AlexanderThrond said:

having Rainbow Dash react violently to all Washouts memorabilia, and lash out in jealousy over Scootaloo even considering idolizing someone else, is just such an over-the-top expression of her jealousy. There are so many other ways she could have handled that, even without self-reflection. 

Dash isn't the most level character. She wears her emotions, and by being a cartoon, Allspark will accentuate them. By demolishing her Washout merchandise, Scoot believed Dash was only using her as a pawn, and that Dust's group would truly include her over the Wonderbolts. Without that scene and how it happened, Scoot's reasoning won't resonate so strongly.

The Washouts balances her ego and envy with her empathy, fright, and will to forgive, emphasizing how even though Dash's actions were poor, she's not a bad person. Her two negative traits transitioned into worry for her safety, and justifiably so. What she had to learn is how her other actions create a false impression of her real motives and makes their loved ones more susceptible for manipulation. Dust intentionally used Dash's flaws to fracture their relationship, one her up, and make Scoot doubt her.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Dark Qiviut

[Thrond 3,272]

2 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

AJ was justified to be upset and irritated at her. Instead of making one trip up the Peaks, she'd have to make two, with the latter being more difficult by how spent she was already. Had FS not stay behind, they wouldn't discover their secret entrance, yet also not waste AJ's time and effort already. Their lack of mutual communication spawned this.

I mean, sure, but it's a bit surprising they didn't have that mutual communication. 

2 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

That's not what I meant. Here's what I mean:

Quote

Applejack: Autumn Blaze never would've made it past the Peaks to search here. I owe you an apology.

Fluttershy: Why?

 Applejack: 'Cause if your kindness hadn't made you stop to help the squirrels, we never would've found this here flower.

Also, friends, even close ones, will disagree, argue, and get very angry with each other. The RM7's from The Mean Six and the Student Six's from HW Club were much more heated and accusatory than this. FS and AJ are close by showing how they successfully get past it.

I guess you're right. I think I just enjoyed the dialogue in "Sounds of Silence" way less than in those other two episodes, but I will say that the arguments and accusations in "Sounds of Silence" seemed to escalate faster than I remember happening in "The Mean 6," at least. 

2 hours ago, Dark Qiviut said:

Dash isn't the most level character. She wears her emotions, and by being a cartoon, Allspark will accentuate them. By demolishing her Washout merchandise, Scoot believed Dash was only using her as a pawn, and that Dust's group would truly include her over the Wonderbolts. Without that scene and how it happened, Scoot's reasoning won't resonate so strongly.

The Washouts balances her ego and envy with her empathy, fright, and will to forgive, emphasizing how even though Dash's actions were poor, she's not a bad person. Her two negative traits transitioned into worry for her safety, and justifiably so. What she had to learn is how her other actions create a false impression of her real motives and makes their loved ones more susceptible for manipulation. Dust intentionally used Dash's flaws to fracture their relationship, one her up, and make Scoot doubt her.

My complaint is that I don't feel like the negative traits are rooted in anything sympathetic or relatable. There's a line between "I think I'm great, and I'm sad others don't see me that way" and "I find it unacceptable that my friend has other interests." The episode's point is worthwhile, and it's certainly not as bad as she was in "The End in Friend," but I still feel this episode makes her somewhat insensitive just so the moral can work. I find her actions in the first half off-putting enough that I don't find her turnaround in the second half entirely satisfying. Can you not understand why some people would feel that way? 

Again, I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. 

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

47 minutes ago, AlexanderThrond said:

My complaint is that I don't feel like the negative traits are rooted in anything sympathetic or relatable.

Sympathy and relatability are overrated. You can’t write a dynamic and vibrant character while also have them be relatable and sympathetic to everybody, that’s not how people, and in turn characters, work. It’s far more important to write characters with realistic and consistent personalities. If you do that, then you have a unique character that people who find them relatable will be drawn to them.

[Thrond 3,272]

1 hour ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Sympathy and relatability are overrated. You can’t write a dynamic and vibrant character while also have them be relatable and sympathetic to everybody, that’s not how people, and in turn characters, work. It’s far more important to write characters with realistic and consistent personalities. If you do that, then you have a unique character that people who find them relatable will be drawn to them.

Alright, sure. Good point. I still don't really enjoy watching Rainbow Dash act possessive towards Scootaloo.  

Edited October 10, 2018 by AlexanderThrond