Thoughts of the overall show after the end

[Latecomer 438]

11 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Probably nothing, but season 7 was my least favourite in the whole show. I don't think my opinions are objective facts about the show's quality, and I don't begrudge you for liking season 7, but I don't get it. To me the "low-key character stuff" often seemed like it was going through the motions in that season, even in some episodes I didn't mind; a lot of episodes in that season have a somewhat ambitious moral but almost no character nuance that doesn't actively confirm that moral, and therefore not a lot of drama. It seems to me that season 7's creative energy was mainly focused on moralizing and ambitious concepts. I found it very dull. More power to everyone who likes it, which is apparently everyone other than myself. 

I'm not saying it's like Season 1 (my other favourite) for the most part - and there are certainly weak and even poor episodes. But it still delivered many very enjoyable eps - for me, tuning into new pony and getting good stuff most of the time was a very releivng experince after the previous season-and-a-half, and stands out even more given what followed. 

[Number62 1,247]

On 12/29/2019 at 1:26 PM, AlexanderThrond said:

The thing for me is that, around season 2, I think the show was starting to be genuinely great. I think the attempt to double down on more ambitious topics and fantasy mythology exposed a lot of the show's weaknesses while taking focus away from many of its strengths. If the people behind the show were more interested in keeping it grounded and focusing on low-key character comedy, I think we might all be singing a very different tune. 

The ambitious and mythological episodes that are not 2-parters sound like they are a bit more common in season 7 to 9 as I've only seen all of the first 6 seasons and not much of the last 3. I'll say that the episodes I have seen that are like that aren't aware of how alicorns fit into the show, and not helping is that Twilight, i.e. the main character, is one of them. I would have preferred if the show stuck to slice-of-life episodes as the show tends to fail with anything bigger than that.

It's also interesting that you had high hopes for the show during season 2. Personally, I would say that the first 2 seasons of the show are my favorite seasons, though that doesn't mean that I love them. It is worth noting that I am not saying that those are the best seasons as figuring that out is even harder. Admittedly, I do have some "nostalgia" toward the first 2 seasons as I started watching the show since shortly after it first aired, and I was most into the show during those seasons because I thought the show seemed interesting in concept and had somewhat high hopes, especially when considering that the show is My Little Pony. Later down the line, I realized that I was only truly interested in the show's concepts and not so much the actual show itself. I'm actually not against the show not having a huge lore about magic and alicorns and whatever, but the show always teased those concepts in every season, and not getting answered (or answered poorly) irritated me.

After some thinking, I also realized that I would never have been satisfied with the show after any season except the first. As a result, the show felt too incomplete to me. I may have said that the second season was also a favorite of mine, but it had a weak beginning and a weak ending. The first season in comparison had a weak but decent enough beginning and a great ending.

Edited January 3, 2020 by Number62
major typo

[Thrond 3,257]

10 hours ago, Latecomer said:

I'm not saying it's like Season 1 (my other favourite) for the most part - and there are certainly weak and even poor episodes. But it still delivered many very enjoyable eps - for me, tuning into new pony and getting good stuff most of the time was a very releivng experince after the previous season-and-a-half, and stands out even more given what followed. 

Ironically that's how I felt about season 6, though in retrospect I don't like it that much more than season 4. To me season 7 was the year where, more often than not, I would tune into My Little Pony and have to work overtime to get anything out of it. I think more than half of that season is subpar. To each their own, I guess. 

[Thrond 3,257]

24 minutes ago, Number62 said:

 It's also interesting that you had high hopes for the show during season 2. Personally, I would say that the first 2 seasons of the show are my favorite seasons, though that doesn't mean that I love them. It is worth noting that I am not saying that those are the best seasons as figuring that out is even harder. Admittedly, I do have some "nostalgia" toward the first 2 seasons as I started watching the show since shortly after it first aired, and I was most into the show during those seasons because I thought the show seemed interesting in concept and had somewhat high hopes, especially when considering that the show is My Little Pony. Later down the line, I realized that I was only truly interested in the show's concepts and not so much the actual show itself. I'm actually not against the show not having a huge lore about magic and alicorns and whatever, but the show always teased those concepts in every season, and not getting answered (or answered poorly) irritated me.

I think what the show was doing in those first two seasons was appealing in its own right. I liked the mythology being used as a lightweight, fairy tale-esque context for stories that aren't actually that much less silly than the slice-of-life episodes, which you see in the first two season premieres and then again in seasons 6 and (to a lesser extent) 8. Season 2 specifically adds a bit more depth to the show while keeping all of its charms; it had everything that made season 1 good and more, so it was easy to assume the show would only get better. Part of the excitement is that season 2 was just ending when I got into the show, but when I watch the show again, it seems like what it was in those first two seasons could easily have improved and sustained itself for a while longer. The finale definitely showed some signs of the problems to come, though. 

Admittedly I was mostly brought on board by out-of-context clips on YouTube, but I will say that the mythology helped break my expectations of what this show would be. It wasn't what kept me onboard, though, especially after season 3. 

[Them's Seeing Ponies 282]

Seasons 1 & 2 remain my favorite of the series to date for basically the reasons AT explained above - whilst the later seasons began to slide into a series of weaker or more wrongheaded formulas, the earliest seasons generally exhibited a fresher aesthetic and a desire to evolve upwards to accentuate their strengths (the surprisingly subtle and well-rounded interplay and development of the main characters, the use of offbeat gags to reveal new aspects of the cast and world (as opposed to the more ubiquitous 'jokes for the sake of jokes' indigenous to many of its contemporaries) and the use of the atypical quirks and chemistry between the mane six (and the show's resultant lighthearted and offbeat style as a whole) to embellish otherwise shopworn plots with a unique energy and wit; by the end of season 2, the show also commenced a deepening of its world and broadened the scope of its subject matter to heavier topics (What if someone in-universe found Pinkie irritating and refused to associate with her? What if the CMC's previously 'charming' attempts to grab at their destiny actually inflicted a series of very real and painful consequences on the town as a whole? What if Dash was forced by circumstance to confront her enjoyment of an activity she perceives as 'uncool'?), which, when hybridized with the show's then-signature trademarks, promised a heightened complexity and more in-depth exploration of the main characters. The problems, I think, were largely the result of Faust and Renzetti leaving at the end of S2, which cost the show much of its breezy comedic charm and cohesive approach to character development (I believe the loss of a concrete writing team and frequent writers' meetings circa S4 may have cemented this issue; the remaining Faust-era writers such as AKR and Larson arguably continued to understand aspects of the Faust/Renzetti approach, but couldn't fully execute it without the 'glue' of the Faust seasons) and the remaining crew gradually losing sight of the show's strengths - McCarthy gradually adopted the approach of utilizing more action and worldbuilding to 'darken' the show's tone, yet these efforts seemed, at least to me, too focused on being 'dark' and impressing specific sections of the show's fandom as opposed to serving as trials for the characters and exploring their reactions and growth around it, which I feel cost the main cast some of the detail and depth of the Faust seasons (particularly as the original charm of the M6 partly derived from the attention to detail Faust and Renzetti devoted to outlining and utilizing the unorthodox quirks in their characters; neglect this and it's simple to fall into the trap of writing them as basic archetypes instead, which may explain why the writing team gradually began to groom Starlight and the Student Six as potential successors to them) and therefore made some of their development more simplistic than it should have been, Haber (in season 6) exhibited attempts to return to a more low-key and character-focused approach which were undermined by ubiquitous awkward high-maintenance comedy (the type that basically pauses the episode's tone and plot merely for a few seconds of exaggerated weirdness or facial expressions and therefore reveal little about the characters in the same way as the more organic gags of the earlier seasons) and the sidelining of established characterization in service of basic plotting (which simply minimized the space remaining for organic character interactions leads to the M6 in season 6 feeling empty and awkwardly utilized), Lewis and Songco pushed for a more casual tone but prioritized rigid plotting and moralizing, thus sacrificing most of the M6's development for basic coherency and the Haber/Dubuc teamup effectively threw their hands in the air and attempted to tie up the six's character arcs while barely revealing any new aspects of them beyond the baffling/possibly unintentional (Fluttershy in "Fake It") or well-intentioned but clumsily presented (Dash in "The Washouts").

Of course, the M6's gradual slide into semi-limbo was probably also worsened by the loss of the original writing team - I often feel that episodes from S6 and onwards, while they can handle the mane six well, lack a specific feeling of ownership towards them, being characters that Haber and co. had not created under their creative priorities nor were responsible for much of the development of - but the focus on 'ambition' and 'maturity' had already set in noticeably by season 5, and led to the show changing its approach and priorities (particularly as writers trained under the McCarthy seasons' philosophy of the M6 took the helm) and thus sliding into routines (such as using career changes as a semi-substitute for M6 development) which feel like an inferior alternative to the growth the show seemed to indicate at the end of season 2. I can't confirm that the show would've improved further had Faust and Renzetti remained on board for longer (given that not all of S2's attempts at deepening the show's world were successful) but it definitely would've moved in a different trajectory, and presumably wouldn't have exuded the air of stasis (even the Starlight and Student Six development is relatively inconsistent and/or rushed) that many of the later seasons do to me. 

Edited January 1, 2020 by Them's Seeing Ponies

[Latecomer 438]

7 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Ironically that's how I felt about season 6, though in retrospect I don't like it that much more than season 4. To me season 7 was the year where, more often than not, I would tune into My Little Pony and have to work overtime to get anything out of it. I think more than half of that season is subpar. To each their own, I guess. 

Season 6 felt to me like it was good enough to justify it's own existence, but not a sequel - I'd have been happy to let it end there is To Where And Back Again wasn't so terrible a two-parter to finish on.Season 7 had me looking forward to Season 8 (which disappointed me, of course).

.

[Thrond 3,257]

I agree with everything @Them's Seeing Ponies said, though the deepening approach to characterization that I most enjoyed started as early as late season 1, when episodes like “Party of One” started focusing more aggressively on a single character’s insecurities. Episodes like that became less frequent as the show went on, and later examples sometimes seem kinda awkward. I will say though that, despite that season’s messiness, the style of humour in season 6 just does it for me.

8 hours ago, Latecomer said:

Season 6 felt to me like it was good enough to justify it's own existence, but not a sequel - I'd have been happy to let it end there is To Where And Back Again wasn't so terrible a two-parter to finish on.Season 7 had me looking forward to Season 8 (which disappointed me, of course).

Season 7 almost made me stop watching. Anyway I think we know each other’s perspectives now. 

Ironically, I felt that season 8 had a sense of growth that the previous several seasons hadn’t. It made me actively frustrated that a show which was demonstrably moving forward in certain areas was also becoming even messier. 

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

57 minutes ago, AlexanderThrond said:

Season 7 almost made me stop watching. Anyway I think we know each other’s perspectives now. 

Ironically, I felt that season 8 had a sense of growth that the previous several seasons hadn’t. It made me actively frustrated that a show which was demonstrably moving forward in certain areas was also becoming even messier. 

I won't say season 7 was a bad season or direcrly caused other seasons to be bad, but it is kinda responsible for the two next season's direction which I don't like. Did season 8 and 9 could have been good with that direction? Yes. But the reason why season 8 and 9 is bad at least for me also has something to do with the direction. (and same thing applies to season 4 and all the seasons after that)

 

9 hours ago, Latecomer said:

Season 6 felt to me like it was good enough to justify it's own existence, but not a sequel - I'd have been happy to let it end there is To Where And Back Again wasn't so terrible a two-parter to finish on.Season 7 had me looking forward to Season 8 (which disappointed me, of course).

.

I consider Season 7 a spiritual successor of season 5, not six. I like season 5,6,7 for all different reasons, but maybe that has something to do with what you said.

Season 8 does have a strong sense of post MLP universe. Season 8 and 9 almost solely depends on that aspect of the show, but almost in a wrong way possible. (while season 7 did it in a relatively OK way.)

I do think season 6 needed a sequel and a season to properly finish the series, but I agree that it would have been better if the show ended somewhere around that period after seeing what everything eventually turned out to be.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Thrond 3,257]

13 minutes ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

I won't say season 7 was a bad season or direcrly caused other seasons to be bad, but it is kinda responsible for the two next season's direction which I don't like. Did season 8 and 9 could have been good with that direction? Yes. But the reason why season 8 and 9 is bad at least for me also has something to do with the direction. (and same thing applies to season 4 and all the seasons after that)

I don't think seasons 8 and 9 are that much like season 7; to me it seems that they're both much looser, and season 8 specifically is a lot more imaginative than the seasons surrounding it. The general decline in the mane six certainly carries over, but that got started at least as far back as season 5, if you ask me. 

[Latecomer 438]

37 minutes ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

I won't say season 7 was a bad season or direcrly caused other seasons to be bad, but it is kinda responsible for the two next season's direction which I don't like. Did season 8 and 9 could have been good with that direction? Yes. But the reason why season 8 and 9 is bad at least for me also has something to do with the direction. (and same thing applies to season 4 and all the seasons after that)

Like AlexanderThrond, I don't quite get the connection - Seasons 8 and 9 seem quite seperate from 7 to me in style. Can you explain?

[FloppyfluffyEars 5]

4 hours ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

Season 8 does have a strong sense of post MLP universe. Season 8 and 9 almost solely depends on that aspect of the show, but almost in a wrong way possible. (while season 7 did it in a relatively OK way.)

What do you mean by "Season 8 does have a strong sense of post MLP universe."???

4 hours ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

 

 

[FloppyfluffyEars 5]

18 hours ago, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

by the end of season 2, the show also commenced a deepening of its world and broadened the scope of its subject matter to heavier topics (What if someone in-universe found Pinkie irritating and refused to associate with her?

 

You might disagree with this, but I think that season 3 actually carried on this same idea. While I do not think that it evolved from the proceeding season in the same way that S2 did from S1, I do think that  the third season kept the same "organic" interactions between the characters and the same meta humor of the other seasons. It has the sense of innocence and whimsical but there was a definite maturity about the world that kept allowed for deeper topics. I mean, as an audience I think to know that the show could go into serious and more emotionally deep issues was peculiar feeling. It is very much like real life. RL in not all dark and moody or serious, but it is also not all fun and whimsical. I think the fantasy elements added to MLP allowed for people to enjoy it as an escape from the pains of life, but the "groundedness" of the early seasons made it so the content watched didn't feel so out there that we didn't care about the characters or the situation. 

I think that since because S3 didn't build hugely on what came before but rehashed a bunch the old concepts from the previous seasons (other than alicorn Twilight), the season was looked upon poorly. However as you mentioned, a few writers still retained the vision that Faust had, and I think that season 4, while having a different flavor than the previous seasons, did feel like a evolution for the show. The show might not have explored the characters in detail as S1 and 2 did, it did put them in new situations and allowed for other side characters to be introduced and developed.This seems to be the  the spirit of the show; character driven, the interactions between the characters, and the creative drama and scenario. It seems like we agree that one aspect of the show-- the focus on the main characters--- has probably diminished over time  The first two seasons really delved into the motivations, the personal history, and psychology of the characters. The third was derived much of it's spirit from the spirit of the first two seasons and the fourth, to me at least, felt like expanding on the first two and added some different features (e.g. the lack of the elements, the journal instead of the letters, guest stars, more drama and emotion and the introduction of a season long arch). 

 

 

[Latecomer 438]

Yeah, the original S1 spirit did decline over time (with some disagreement whether it was a good or bad thing). I could still feel it in a few S4 eps. like Pinkie Apple Pie, but barely ever thereafter. Probably because the writers and showrunners changed...

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

10 hours ago, AlexanderThrond said:

I don't think seasons 8 and 9 are that much like season 7; to me it seems that they're both much looser, and season 8 specifically is a lot more imaginative than the seasons surrounding it. The general decline in the mane six certainly carries over, but that got started at least as far back as season 5, if you ask me. 

 

10 hours ago, Latecomer said:

Like AlexanderThrond, I don't quite get the connection - Seasons 8 and 9 seem quite seperate from 7 to me in style. Can you explain?

I mean season 7 and 8,9 is very different, but season 7 was a cornerstone for the future seasons and right before the corner of the turning point.

6 hours ago, FloppyfluffyEars said:

What do you mean by "Season 8 does have a strong sense of post MLP universe."???

 

Sorry for the confusion, post MLP world might have been a wrong term to describe it. What I mean is that season 8 and 9 heavily relied on the franchise's long runtime and it's past legacy. For example, Star Wars 7 is the way it is because of the past franchise is so huge, and it heavily relies on it and uses it's power. The same kind of approach wouldn't work if it was early seasons. Season 8 and 9 is about MLP being almost 10 years and it has become a fundamental aspect of the show then. The season isn't just 8 or 9th time of season 1 repeating, it changed into a series with a (sometimes improper) self awareness. MLP season 8 and 9 cannot be separeted by the past legacy, and it sometimes means it can't stand by it's own face value or newcommers can't enjoy it as much. It's not always a bad thing to be so in many cases and even in MLP S8 and S9, but I'm talking about the negative aspects here.

[Latecomer 438]

1 hour ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

 

I mean season 7 and 8,9 is very different, but season 7 was a cornerstone for the future seasons and right before the corner of the turning point.

Can you please explain this?

 

And regarding MLP being built on it's own legacy, that was fully the case by Season 5 and arguably earlier.

[Thrond 3,257]

15 hours ago, FloppyfluffyEars said:

You might disagree with this, but I think that season 3 actually carried on this same idea. While I do not think that it evolved from the proceeding season in the same way that S2 did from S1, I do think that  the third season kept the same "organic" interactions between the characters and the same meta humor of the other seasons. It has the sense of innocence and whimsical but there was a definite maturity about the world that kept allowed for deeper topics. I mean, as an audience I think to know that the show could go into serious and more emotionally deep issues was peculiar feeling. ...

 I think that since because S3 didn't build hugely on what came before but rehashed a bunch the old concepts from the previous seasons (other than alicorn Twilight), the season was looked upon poorly. However as you mentioned, a few writers still retained the vision that Faust had, and I think that season 4, while having a different flavor than the previous seasons, did feel like a evolution for the show. The show might not have explored the characters in detail as S1 and 2 did, it did put them in new situations and allowed for other side characters to be introduced and developed.This seems to be the  the spirit of the show; character driven, the interactions between the characters, and the creative drama and scenario. It seems like we agree that one aspect of the show-- the focus on the main characters--- has probably diminished over time  The first two seasons really delved into the motivations, the personal history, and psychology of the characters. The third was derived much of it's spirit from the spirit of the first two seasons and the fourth, to me at least, felt like expanding on the first two and added some different features (e.g. the lack of the elements, the journal instead of the letters, guest stars, more drama and emotion and the introduction of a season long arch). 

Seasons 3 and 4 did still resemble seasons 1 and 2, but I do think the attempts to explore more serious subject matter may have pushed the show in the wrong direction. The format of episodes like "Rarity Takes Manehattan," which is based on challenging the main characters' values, is such that each of them seems to end right back where it started; I don't always feel like we're getting new things from the characters, even in episodes I would consider among the show's best. And on top of that a lot of episodes felt kinda gimmicky to me in both seasons, especially in season 3; I find that fun to an extent, but it gives the weird sense of those episodes being filler in a show without much of an overarching storyline. I disagree that season 3 rehashed the previous seasons - to me it seems very experimental while keeping the feel of seasons 1 and 2. It's just that a lot of those experiments didn't quite pay off. 

I do still like season 4, but in some ways it felt to me like the show stagnating before it went completely off the rails in season 5. Numerically there are fewer episodes I like, and when I look at those I didn't like, they either have dumb gimmicks ("Power Ponies," "Simple Ways") or try too hard to force a specific narrative ("Bats," "Rainbow Falls," "Somepony to Watch Over Me"). And in episodes like "Flight to the Finish," I notice the things that the show doesn't explore more than the things it does, which would essentially remain the case until season 8 suddenly became a lot more direct. It's still good, and it's certainly more ambitious, but I think the cracks were already starting to show. Maybe what My Little Pony did best in seasons 1-3 wasn't sustainable, but the show never really come up with anything I thought was a suitable replacement. 

On 1/1/2020 at 3:13 AM, Them's Seeing Ponies said:

I can't confirm that the show would've improved further had Faust and Renzetti remained on board for longer (given that not all of S2's attempts at deepening the show's world were successful) but it definitely would've moved in a different trajectory

I think I heard that even Faust's involvement in season 2 was increasingly limited as that season continued production. And that might explain why the show's transformation into whatever it was in season 5 was a gradual process rather than an immediate shift, but it makes that decline all the more inexplicable. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by AlexanderThrond

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

9 hours ago, Latecomer said:

Can you please explain this?

Season 7 doesn't indicate any specific directions for future seasons, but it is an ending of an era and reached a point that it couldn't go any further towards that direction, a direction from season 4-7. It could have been preferable for me if it went renaissance and go back to the old seasons style and back to basics, but they did it a different way. The way season 7 opened up to almost infinite pissibilities and expanding the world was an essential part of season 8 and 9s direction to continue from that. (and the show started to do things sometimes beyond their preparation and took risks and suffered from it) In some sense, Twilight was done with all the little adventures in Ponyville at the end of season 7. Season 8 confirmed it. (of course it can never end but that's where the show went) In season 8, she makes her own school and becomes the principal.

9 hours ago, Latecomer said:

And regarding MLP being built on it's own legacy, that was fully the case by Season 5 and arguably earlier.

That's one of the reasons why I consider season 7 a spiritual successor of season 5.

Edited January 3, 2020 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Latecomer 438]

1 hour ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

Season 7 doesn't indicate any specific directions for future seasons, but it is an ending of an era and reached a point that it couldn't go any further towards that direction, a direction from season 4-7. It could have been preferable for me if it went renaissance and go back to the old seasons style and back to basics, but they did it a different way. The way season 7 opened up to almost infinite pissibilities and expanding the world was an essential part of season 8 and 9s direction to continue from that. (and the show started to do things sometimes beyond their preparation and took risks and suffered from it) In some sense, Twilight was done with all the little adventures in Ponyville at the end of season 7. Season 8 confirmed it. (of course it can never end but that's where the show went) In season 8, she makes her own school and becomes the principal.

That's one of the reasons why I consider season 7 a spiritual successor of season 5.

Hmm... I don't think 8 couldn't have been an arcless random adventures season like 7, but they chose to have a big shakeup instead,

[heavens-champion 1,893]

Still good, but it'll be difficult to rewatch seasons 6, 8, and 9.

[Latecomer 438]

4 minutes ago, heavens-champion said:

Still good, but it'll be difficult to rewatch seasons 6, 8, and 9.

Sometimes it's easier to appreciate the good points of a weak show/season/episode once it's over and you no longer have any hopes for it.

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

I'm sad it's over, but all good shows should end eventually. No one wants to become a Simpsons or a Family Guy. 

I'm glad it existed and the ride was really fun. ♡ now I can write my own stories in clarity. The earlier seasons will always be my favorite, 2 especially 

[RulesofRarity 489]

S1-S4 truly capture what this show was suppose to be before it devolved into a cesspool of fan pandering with overemphasis on lore and worldbuilding. I'd say S5 was when the rot started and when the show started teaching some truly horrid lessons, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep and the Cutie Remark being prime examples. Yes, there were bad lessons before this but not on this scale perhaps because the stakes weren't so ridiculously high. By S7, the show was ingrained in the show due to this S7 and the subsequent seasons were pretty terrible. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by RulesofRarity

[Wasp Child 38]

I never had any problems with any season in general. Every season has its good and bad moments. Buuuut I do think Season 9 was a bit superfluous. If they could have ended things at the end of Season 8 somehow, I think that might have gone over a little better.

I was never overly concerned with the story arcs to begin with. I enjoyed the slice-of-life feeling of the show the most. I will agree that they didn't quite know what to do with the story arcs.

The ending of the show certainly got me in the feels. I got all choked up seeing the last episode end and the book close. I remember the evening back in February 2011 when I first saw that book open...

I know it was a bit too much to ask for a show that reformed so many villains, but part of me always hoped that Chrysalis might be reformed at some point. I guess what makes her a good villain is that she never relented. Still...my poor Chryssy :'(

I'm curious and excited about G5. It remains to be seen how that will pan out. I certainly will give it a chance. The pone lives on in me always. <3

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

13 hours ago, RulesofRarity said:

S1-S4 truly capture what this show was suppose to be before it devolved into a cesspool of fan pandering with overemphasis on lore and worldbuilding. I'd say S5 was when the rot started and when the show started teaching some truly horrid lessons, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep and the Cutie Remark being prime examples. Yes, there were bad lessons before this but not on this scale perhaps because the stakes weren't so ridiculously high. By S7, the show was ingrained in the show due to this S7 and the subsequent seasons were pretty terrible. 

I'd agree on most of your points, but I'd say it all started at season 4. The flashback of two princesses fighting in the premiere is the prime example.

9 hours ago, Dizzy Gazelle said:

I never had any problems with any season in general. Every season has its good and bad moments. Buuuut I do think Season 9 was a bit superfluous. If they could have ended things at the end of Season 8 somehow, I think that might have gone over a little better.

I was never overly concerned with the story arcs to begin with. I enjoyed the slice-of-life feeling of the show the most. I will agree that they didn't quite know what to do with the story arcs.

The ending of the show certainly got me in the feels. I got all choked up seeing the last episode end and the book close. I remember the evening back in February 2011 when I first saw that book open...

I know it was a bit too much to ask for a show that reformed so many villains, but part of me always hoped that Chrysalis might be reformed at some point. I guess what makes her a good villain is that she never relented. Still...my poor Chryssy :'(

I'm curious and excited about G5. It remains to be seen how that will pan out. I certainly will give it a chance. The pone lives on in me always. <3

Yes, I like the show primarily because of the slice of life style, but there are minimal requirements for story arcs, set from the beginning of season 1 episode 1. As long as they got that little minimal arcs right, I would have had no problem.

[Latecomer 438]

A lot of the style change was of course due to writer turnover. I'd say the new style was fully in place by Season 6, but had been building over the previous couple.