In your opinion, what was the worst episode of MLP?

[Odyssey 5,716]

If I had the power to get rid of both 28 Pranks Later and Non Compete Clause, I would. Watching 28 Pranks Later is like that scene in A Clockwork Orange, where you're forced to open your eyes and strapped into a chair, begging anyone to stop this travesty. And all for, oh what, a few pranks that didn't even really endanger anybody's lives? 

And Non Compete Clause is just... pardon my French, but really fucking embarrassing. AJ and Dash fighting over something dumb, and it was their own faults for getting caught in a trap, and to top it all off, they keep fighting anyway right at the end of the episode. Neither of them learned anything. Oh and of course Yona nearly drowning. I despise both episodes with every fibre of my being.

Also, The Carts Before The Ponies. Also embarrassing.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

3 hours ago, Odyssey said:

If I had the power to get rid of both 28 Pranks Later and Non Compete Clause, I would. Watching 28 Pranks Later is like that scene in A Clockwork Orange, where you're forced to open your eyes and strapped into a chair, begging anyone to stop this travesty. And all for, oh what, a few pranks that didn't even really endanger anybody's lives? 

Yeah, that episode probably would have worked better if they went for a prank war between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie kind of plot, instead.

Make New Friends But Keep Discord might count. Seriously, why was Twilight acting like she was going to turn Discord to stone again if he tried something stupid?

Edited July 6, 2019 by heavens-champion

[Kings&Hooves14 616]

"P.P.O.V." 

My Little Pony may be for little girls but Friendship Is Magic--for the most part--maintains a level of maturity that makes it enjoyable for adults. This episode, however, made me feel like I was watching something for preschoolers.

 

[A Small Bear 60]

I actually recently re-watched all of the episodes up until midway thru season 7 and I'm keeping a list of my favorites and least favorites as I go along.

I'd say my least favorites from each season so far are Feeling Pinkie Keen, Dragon Quest, One Bad Apple, Power Ponies, The Cutie Map, Newbie Dash, and All Bottled Up

Edit: Actually, dishonorable mention for SoL in season 5. Dunno if I'd call it my least favorite overall but I certainly won't give it any credit.

Edited July 8, 2019 by smolbear

[Moonlight 7,286]

Princess Spike is the only episode of the show I never finished so...that one...

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

Uprooted.

Other episodes bothered me because I cared about them, like Yakity-Sax, Newbie Dash, Fake It Til You Make It, and even the infamous Non Compete-Clause. Some of the episodes I didn't like was because some parts of the episode worked well and it backfired in a bad way. Some of the bad episodes were understandable if I try to think of what were they trying to do. A genuinely weak episode like The Cart Before The Ponies could have been good if fixed. But not this one.

Uprooted was uninteresting and stank from the beginning. The whole purpose of the episode caused antipathy. It was so not fun, the thought of a single person's first introduction to the show being this episode disturbs me. This is what some people think of a show like MLP in it's worst form. It was a bad premise, bad idea, bad execution with the weakest characters of the show (which they could have turned the table in this episode.) and annoyingly predictable and dumb in a bad way.

Other bad episodes has specific solutions and parts to fix. This one's solution is simply 'make it better' or 'get rid of it'. Friendship University, Non-Compete Clause, School Raze, Beginning of the End were really disappointing, which means I expected something at least.

One Bad Apple was a very confusing episode, but watchable. Newbie Dash was bad. 28 pranks later was nowhere near a bad episode for me (the moral aspect related to reality was thrown out of the window when Dash put a brick in the sandwich). P.P.O.V. strangely and lazily dissolved the problem, but it was fun and had great elements. Flutter Brutter was dealing a painfully real issue. Father Knows Best was a good episode for me. I wasn't expecting nor wanted nor needed to know about Spike's parents. But what Spike goes through the episode clearly deals with the issue without compromise. And Sludge is a great villain. Spike's parents are not unlocked characters from a video game that looks like shaded figures with question marks on em. They were never meant to be known in the show. There was no build up to reveal Spike's parents in the episode, so I wasn't expecting anything. Applejack's Day Off was just ok. Applejack's stupid stuff needs to be considered as absurd cartoonish comedic licenses. After all, they had one of the most clever lessons in the show. Yakity Sax was bad, but if it was dialed back a bit and fixed some parts, it could have been a classic. Putting Your Hoof Down is written rather cleverly. It actually dissects Fluttershy's character deeper than ever. The only problem is that it didn't have a proper follow-up to this (Fake it Til You Make It disgraces this episode).

[MangoFoalix 24,956]

Most likely Spike at your service. To be fair, most of Season 3 was just kind of meh.

[Castle Bleck 19,359]

Fame And Misfortune = hate letter to fandom + Mane 6–abuse + unlikable, unpunished mob.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Even Evil Has Standards

[Will Guide 21,360]

3 hours ago, Anti-Villain said:

Fame And Misfortune = hate letter to fandom + Mane 6-abuse + unlikable, unpunished mob.

The way I see it, It was showing how there's a dark side to every fandom. And that there's always someone who actually understands the point of the book like those fillies. Just imagine the Fan Dumb ponies as the group of fans you don't agree with and just push them away. 

Plus the unpunished mob is very truth in television There will always be a group of people who just can't be pleased. Just ignore them and move on with your life. Look for the true fans that know the importance of the show, or in the case of the ponies, the friendship journal.

Edited July 14, 2019 by Will Guide

[Will Guide 21,360]

Nah, you have to get every single thing wrong for me to call an episode the worst. Even in the episodes I hate, there were one or two good moments I enjoyed.

At first, I Thought I would hate "Hard to Say Anything" because it painted a bad "Fairy Tales are stupid and you can't learn anything from them" lesson, but I was missing the point. It was about knowing the person you want to please. "If they are the kind of person who loves Grand Romantic Gestures, go ahead. But if they're more practical, do something practical."

In my mind they're no worst episodes, just forgettable, unmemorable ones.

And in no particular order, my list of unmemorable ones are:

Several of Season 6 episodes like The Cart Before the Ponies 

Fluttershy Leans in (Flutter Brutter was much better at showing Shy's tough but firm attitude and character development)

Fake it Till You Make it (It should have been about a Changeling learning to be himself and not Fluttershy suffering from huge Aesop Amnesia

It Isn't the Mane Thing About You (Not even Punk Rarity left that much of an impression on me)

Yakity Sax (Can't remember a line of dialogue good or bad)

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

“Yakity Sax” because the whole episode was just Pinkie making loud and obnoxious noise. Even for someone as strangely loud as me, it really hurt my ears. Plus, I just couldn’t understand how that instrument was more important to Pinkie than most other stuff in her life if it made ponies miserable.

[RDDash 19,173]

Fame and Misfortune: all it did is show to me that MLP writers couldn't handle criticism. That episode was released about five months before The Last Jedi fiasco, and nearly half of Star Wars fans went nuclear.

[RulesofRarity 493]

I think it’s a three-way tie between Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sheep, the Parent Map and Parental Gildeance. All three of which preach awful morals that are harmful to kids.

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep presents what is effectively an allegory for self-harm when it’s revealed that Luna created the Tantabus and that she had been supposedly dealing with depression since S1 but that’s fine because Twilight can cure all her problems with one friendship speech! Nevermind the fact that, Luna’s self-harm wasn’t isolated to herself(the Tantabus was a threat to everyone in Equestria). Instead of getting Luna getting the help she so clearly needed her problems are resolved handily in the third act never to be mentioned again.

The Parent Map/Parental Gildeance both feature abusive parents whose actions end up being criticised by their children, only for their children to end up apologising to them. Like no, you are not a bad person for lashing out at your abuser because of their abuse!

[Emerald Claus 24,868]

"The Ticket Master" and "One Bad Apple."

[RDDash 19,173]

Newbie Dash: sometimes the boot camp story where a new recruit gets a nickname can be done right. This, however, is downright insulting.

[heavens-champion 1,905]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:51 PM, Anti-Villain said:

Fame And Misfortune = hate letter to fandom + Mane 6-abuse + unlikable, unpunished mob.

Eh, if it makes you feel better, the Mane 6 probably asked Discord to wipe away everyone's memories about the incident.

Background pony 1: Uhh, I forget. What are we doing out here?

Background pony 2: And why am I carrying an anti-Rarity sign?

Edited July 22, 2019 by heavens-champion

[gingerninja666 487]

22 hours ago, RulesofRarity said:

I think it’s a three-way tie between Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sheep, the Parent Map and Parental Gildeance. All three of which preach awful morals that are harmful to kids.

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep presents what is effectively an allegory for self-harm when it’s revealed that Luna created the Tantabus and that she had been supposedly dealing with depression since S1 but that’s fine because Twilight can cure all her problems with one friendship speech! Nevermind the fact that, Luna’s self-harm wasn’t isolated to herself(the Tantabus was a threat to everyone in Equestria). Instead of getting Luna getting the help she so clearly needed her problems are resolved handily in the third act never to be mentioned again.

The Parent Map/Parental Gildeance both feature abusive parents whose actions end up being criticised by their children, only for their children to end up apologising to them. Like no, you are not a bad person for lashing out at your abuser because of their abuse!

Parent Map arguably ends better than Glideance does. In Parent Map the parents are definitely, explicitly considered to be at fault.

[RulesofRarity 493]

11 minutes ago, gingerninja666 said:

Parent Map arguably ends better than Glideance does. In Parent Map the parents are definitely, explicitly considered to be at fault.

That’s true but Starlight and Sunburst still end up apologising to them even though they did nothing wrong. 

[Megas 27,625]

23 hours ago, RulesofRarity said:

The Parent Map/Parental Gildeance both feature abusive parents whose actions end up being criticised by their children, only for their children to end up apologising to them. Like no, you are not a bad person for lashing out at your abuser because of their abuse!

I'm usually up to defend RD from bullshit in episodes like MMDW, 28 Pranks Later, Newbie Dash, etc., and even I think RD's entirely at fault in Parental Glideance. the worst RD's parents do was be overbearing, but they didn't think they were doing anything wrong, heck no one thought they were doing anything wrong, neither Scootaloo, not even the Wonderbolts, and no one ever told them to cool it down. RD's the only one with a problem with it but instead of telling them to take it down she decides to bottle it up an then explode at them at the worst possible moment and berates them. In no universe is that kind of outburst acceptable. And your forgetting the part where her parents still learn to tone it down at the end. Her parents are many things, but abusive isn't one of them, In the end of the day they're just a pair of dorks who want to be a part of their daughter's life

Likewise for the Parent Map, both instances they're explained and they also admit they were wrong. In that episode, the kid's were more justified at calling out the parents. And even if then, there still could have been a better way for them to have approached the situation

[DonMaguz 1,023]

2 hours ago, RulesofRarity said:

That’s true but Starlight and Sunburst still end up apologising to them even though they did nothing wrong. 

They avoided their parents for years instead of facing them and telling them how they felt. Sunburst and Starlight's lack of communication towards their parents fueled their crazy attitude.

Stellar Flare and Firelight are no model parents, but they were doing what they thought would help Sunburst and Starlight with little to no information from them. The problem itself is rather common in real life.

[Shrug 9,953]

Newbie Dash is probably the worst episode of the show. In my opinion at least. It’s annoying, poorly written and just frustrating. Not to mention, a complete waste of an episode about RD becoming a Wonderbolt. Just a terrible episode. 

[RulesofRarity 493]

3 hours ago, Kiryu-Chan said:

I'm usually up to defend RD from bullshit in episodes like MMDW, 28 Pranks Later, Newbie Dash, etc., and even I think RD's entirely at fault in Parental Glideance. the worst RD's parents do was be overbearing, but they didn't think they were doing anything wrong, heck no one thought they were doing anything wrong, neither Scootaloo, not even the Wonderbolts, and no one ever told them to cool it down. RD's the only one with a problem with it but instead of telling them to take it down she decides to bottle it up an then explode at them at the worst possible moment and berates them. In no universe is that kind of outburst acceptable. And your forgetting the part where her parents still learn to tone it down at the end. Her parents are many things, but abusive isn't one of them, In the end of the day they're just a pair of dorks who want to be a part of their daughter's life

Likewise for the Parent Map, both instances they're explained and they also admit they were wrong. In that episode, the kid's were more justified at calling out the parents. And even if then, there still could have been a better way for them to have approached the situation

Here's the thing though, Scootaloo didn't take issue with the behaviour of RD's parents because she was projecting her own feelings of missing her parents onto the situation. RD has had to deal with her parent's behaviour for years and out of fear of upsetting them she didn't say anything. Realistically, she shouldn't of had to say anything because good parents would know not to be as invasive and obsessive as they were. My main issue is that Rainbow was totally in the right but the episode frames her as being in the wrong despite the fact her parents were being totally disruptive. What's worse is that they used Scootaloo to guilt-trip RD into apologizing after she had a completely justifiable reaction to their actions. Was Rainbow Dash shouting at her parents in her place of work mean? Sure, if you wanna look at it that way. But ask yourself would that of happened if they respected their daughter's boundaries or simply understood not to be totally obnoxious.

The video below tells us what her parents are like after one day. Now imagine dealing with that for years.

Spoiler

 

 

1 hour ago, DonMaguz said:

They avoided their parents for years instead of facing them and telling them how they felt. Sunburst and Starlight's lack of communication towards their parents fueled their crazy attitude.

Stellar Flare and Firelight are no model parents, but they were doing what they thought would help Sunburst and Starlight with little to no information from them. The problem itself is rather common in real life.

Stellar Flare and Firelight's behaviour throughout the episode is pretty unjustifiable regardless of whether Sunburst and Starlight were keeping in touch with them or not. Unlike RD's parents, they are completely creepy and had no concept of personal space. Stellar Flare constantly kept lifting up her son's robe to look at his ass and Firelight kept treating his adult daugther like a child to obnoxiousness levels. It's really no wonder what their children didn't keep in contact with them over the years.

[Splashee 28,564]

18 hours ago, R.D.Dash said:

Newbie Dash: sometimes the boot camp story where a new recruit gets a nickname can be done right. This, however, is downright insulting.

 

1 hour ago, Captain Clark said:

Newbie Dash is probably the worst episode of the show. In my opinion at least. It’s annoying, poorly written and just frustrating. Not to mention, a complete waste of an episode about RD becoming a Wonderbolt. Just a terrible episode. 

But... But it can't be that bad? Surely  it is painful to watch, to see Rainbow Dash be treated like trash.

 

But Spitfire is naked! That makes up for everything...

 

(Seriously, I only took away that naked memory from the episode, and Pinkies Rainbow Trash joke which was funny. It is not a bad episode, not like "28 pranks later" which is god awful)

[Megas 27,625]

3 hours ago, RulesofRarity said:

Here's the thing though, Scootaloo didn't take issue with the behaviour of RD's parents because she was projecting her own feelings of missing her parents onto the situation. RD has had to deal with her parent's behaviour for years and out of fear of upsetting them she didn't say anything. Realistically, she shouldn't of had to say anything because good parents would know not to be as invasive and obsessive as they were. My main issue is that Rainbow was totally in the right but the episode frames her as being in the wrong despite the fact her parents were being totally disruptive. What's worse is that they used Scootaloo to guilt-trip RD into apologizing after she had a completely justifiable reaction to their actions. Was Rainbow Dash shouting at her parents in her place of work mean? Sure, if you wanna look at it that way. But ask yourself would that of happened if they respected their daughter's boundaries or simply understood not to be totally obnoxious.

The video below tells us what her parents are like after one day. Now imagine dealing with that for years.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

RD's way of handling it makes her side lose any merit it had. There are better ways to approach this situation and she chose the worse one. They didn't make Scootaloo guilt trip her, she liked her parents and in a sense became really good friends with them, and once again she didn't think they were really doing anything wrong. especially when she got to see how they raised her and how she turned out(by this point she had just become a WB). And to see RD acting like must have been a real heart breaker for her

[bigbertha 414]

My definitive bottom 10 list now that the show is over:

10. Shadow Play- The pillar arc was a complete mess. Most of the pillars had no personality at all, they barely serve a purpose, the Pony of Shadows is a terrible villain, the comedy sucks, and the entire story is contrived so Starlight can be the hero.

9. The Cart Before the Ponies- Insanely boring.

8. Princess Spike- Even more boring and the story is a complete mess. Spike doesn't get punished for being selfish and taking advantage of his position. He gets punished for actually trying to help.

7. Secrets and Pies- Entirely unfunny and really obnoxious. The episode looks incredibly ugly and the story is really stupid.

6. Rainbow Falls- This episode is the worst story MLP has ever done. Rainbow's conflict is barely a conflict since there's no good reasons given for why Rainbow shouldn't go with the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy states that she doesn't care and does nothing to suggest otherwise and Bulk Biceps barely even does anything the entire episode except scream so I don't know if he's opposed to this. The reasons Twilight gives that convince Rainbow that she should fly for Ponyville make no sense at all, even though there are better reasons she could've used. Aside from the story, none of the jokes even come close to working and Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity are shoved into the episode for no reason. 

5. School Raze- Cozy Glow might just be the worst villain of the entire show. Her plan makes no sense, she doesn't ham it up enough to be enjoyable, and she succeeds due to contrivances rather than her own intellect. This makes the story so boring and frustrating to watch, especially when the other leads, the Student Six, are really boring protagonists. The Mane Six get shoved off into a pointless subplot that only exists so people can't say they do nothing, even though they still do nothing. The jokes there aren't funny and the way they get out does not make sense. The only other big part of the episode is Neighsay learning to not be a racist which is done in the most basic way possible. 

4. The Mane Attraction- This one's a bit more personal, but even taking my personal gripes aside, this is a really dull episode. It's as basic a "be yourself" episode can get and it has to added bonus of validating old people complaining that new artists use too many new fangled effects and that they need to go back to when music had soul and whatever. Apparently, Coloratura being a pop star means that she must be under control of the corporations and not that she just likes being a pop star. Instead of Applejack's views being challenged, it's revealed that Colaratura's manager is super demanding and 100% bad. What an interesting conflict. And this wouldn't be as bad if the episode wasn't so pretentious. It takes itself way too seriously for such a simple story. It acts like it's making such a big point when it says that new artists are style over substance when that point has actually been beaten into the ground, even back when the episode came out in 2015. And that ending song is the worst thing that has ever come out of MLP. All it says is "be yourself" and it acts like it has such a big and important message. It's so melodramatic and I just can't stand it. 

3. A Matter of Principals- I've never been a fan of Discord episodes for the most part. The character himself has had some pretty good appearances, but most of his episodes have fallen flat for me. This episode is no exception, except this time it's Discord himself who's the biggest problem. He's a complete dick for no good reason and all this serves to do is make me question why he's not turned into stone. It's kinda like Three's a Crowd, except at least that episode had a good song. This episode has nothing of value with the jokes all falling flat and Discord being rewarded for being awful. 

2. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep- Does this episode not realize that Lucy telling Charlie Brown to snap out of his depression was satire? Based on this ending, I'd say the writers thought Lucy gave good advice. Even aside from the atrocious ending, this is a really boring episode with no good jokes and an ending that relies on fanservice rather than actual entertainment. 

1. Parental Glideance- This the most frustrating and morally garbage episode I've ever seen. This episode actually makes me mad when I think about it. Rainbow's parents are unhealthily obsessed with her yet Rainbow is guilted when she calls her parents out. Rainbow actually APOLOGIZES for calling them out. Her parents learn nothing and Rainbow learns that she should never call out their behavior because at least she has parents. How was this episode made?