What did you like most about each FIM season?

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

So, what was your favorite part about each of the seasons of MLP FIM?

I will start with mine....

 

Season 1: This is the season that started it all. Even though I admit that it is one of my least favorite seasons (the other being season 3), I still have an appreciation for S1. Also we got our first AppleDash episode in this season and that makes me very happy.  (Fall Weather Friends).

Season 2: This season had some great episodes, introduced some great characters, and overall was just really good. The finale is honestly my favorite part of S2.

Season 3: As mentioned above this is one of my least favorite seasons. It does contain a couple of my favorite episodes though and that's my favorite part about it (Sleepless in Ponyville and Wonderbolt Academy).

Season 4: Ah yes. My favorite season overall. The main thing about S4 that makes it so special to me is the nostalgia factor. I had just joined the fandom when S4 was starting, so re-watching the episodes of this season takes me back to my early pegasister days. Plus, this season had some great episodes.

Season 5: This is another favorite season of mine, at a tie with S4. This season brings back more super nostalgia and had some outstanding episodes. Hence why I love it.

Season 6: This season had some great episodes. My favorites being Newbie Dash, Where The Apple Lies, and Top Bolt.

Season 7: Applejack's parents. That is all.

Season 8: Well now this season takes me back to the year I first met my bf and when we first started dating, and how we would watch the episodes together as they premiered. Good stuff. Also my favorite overall episode is in this season (Grannies Gone Wild).

Season 9: An emotional rollercoaster this season was. Bittersweet. Had some amazing episodes, and the finale was fire. 10/10. 

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,543]

Season 1: Seeing that a show made primarily for little girls could be well thought out and well written. 

Season 2: That all of the main characters, not just Twilight, were able to write in the Friendship journal. It's funnier and more emotional than the first season. And the finale, for all its faults, does a great job of changing everything about the show. 

Season 3: Probably the weakest season of the show, but still has two of Rainbow Dash's best episodes. A solid conclusion to the show's first act. 

Season 4: It's ambitious, it's experimental, and it does a good job of not only taking the show in a new direction, but also improving on what made the show work in S1-3. The season finale is arguably the best in the series.

Season 5: Like how Season 2 improved on Season 1, Season 5 builds upon everything that made Season 4 amazing. It. It expands the world of Equestria and tackles more mature subject matter in its episodes.

Season 6: It's got a fair amount of duds (Newbie Dash, The Carts Before the Ponies), but it also has some of the funniest episodes in the show (The Saddle Row Review, Top Bolt). It also FINALLY addressed the aftermath and consequences from the Changeling invasion. 

Season 7: Arguably the most consistently good season. It has just the right amount of fan service (RD and AJ's parents), and it utilizes Starlight more effectively after it felt like they didn't quite know how to use her in Season 6. This also has some of the best episodes in the show.

Season 8: I liked the concept of Twilight and the gang progressing from learning Friendship to passing what they've learned via the school. I also liked how they explored the theme of prejudice. 

Season 9: It brings the show to an emotional and satisfying conclusion. 

[Deae Rising Shine~ 52,319]

Season 1-9: Everything

 

I just love the show and everything and the characters, backgrounds, music, EQG, the movie, the specials, the shorts etc.

 

I honestly had no idea how my life would be without these colorful little friend-equines since coming in contact with it in early 2013. But I feel like with how the world was between 2013-now probably not really better then with MLP

[FirePuppy 621]

Season 1: The birth of the Elements of Harmony

Season 2: The first time Twilight and her friends all write a friendship report to Princess Celestia

Season 3: Alicorn Twilight

Season 4: Twilight's new own castle

Season 5: Twilight revising her old friends in Canterlot

Season 6: Flurry Heart's crystalling

Season 7: The Pillars

Season 8: The opening of the School of Friendship

Season 9: Twilight becoming the new ruler of Equestria

[TotallyNotNyx 15,563]

I watched all the episodes in a random order, so I honestly can;t remember which episodes belong to which season 

[Oleks 1,983]

Season 1: the realization that a supposedly kids show can have such high quality, great characters and fun stories. Also, the overall cuteness and purity.

Season 2: the villains and Luna.

Season 3: the improvement of animation quality, and Scootaloo bonding with Rainbow Dash.

Season 4: Maud Pie and the grand finale.

Season 5: Amending Fences (my favorite episode of MLP), Slice of Life and the alternate timelines in the finale.

Season 6: the best musical episode of the show (A Hearth's Warming Tail).

Season 7: Apple parents.

Season 8: goth Fluttershy and Celestia’s acting.

Season 9: the villain trio episodes, the weddings and a lot of hilarious moments.

[Megas 27,047]

Season 1: simple but charming and full of heart, it’s one of two seasons I’m willing to rewatch in its entirely 

Season 2: really showed that they could do more and delivered in a lot of ways

Season 3: Underrated season imo. Plenty of great episodes and it made Scootalove canon. Like S1, S3 is the only other season I’m willing to rewatch completely 

Season 4: is where they started getting more ambitious with dedicated story arcs

Season 5: Pretty much season 4 done mostly better, willing to tackle stronger themes, despite the awful finale 

Season 7: Pretty much peak MLP, showing its absolute best. I loved the theme of family a lot. I still think it stopped after A Perfect Peat tho

Spoiler

I was gonna make a snarky remark towards S6 and S9, but I’m better off just ignoring, but I will give S8 this, it was a real mixed bag but when it was good it was pretty damn good 

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

S1: After some rough sports early, it got going once DHX found its way, ending the season with a fantastic run. Party of One's excellent, Best Night Ever the best episode for several years.

S2: Continued from where S1 left off with a stretch of really great episodes. Sisterhooves Social, which concluded this stretch, is the best episode that season. Additionally, this season feels a little more ambitious compared to S1, either due to comfort, the lack of E/I rating, or both.

S3: Within a dull, rushed season, four really good episodes, including Dash's apex in Wonderbolts Academy.

S4: Despite not being so high on it as others, give them credit for having the confidence to push forward mature themes and messages. RTM's of not letting a bad experience cause you to abandon your best quality is excellent and remains my favorite from this season. Also, Testing Testing is magnificent.

S5: The highest of the highs here. Cutie Map, Slice of Life, Amending Fences, Lost Mark, and Re-Mark are among the show's best. Throughout this season, the show left its mark in really impactful ways. Starlight being reformed and welcomed by Ponyville and the Mane cast, Gilda getting her due, SoL with a really solid story and moral, Diamond Tiara plucking up courage to confront her abusive mother, and the CMCs capping Part 1 of their arc with their marks.

S6: DHX's writing of Spike, giving him the momentum and consistency he sorely needed.

S7: Some of the best episodes of the series takes place here. Glideance, M&R, Shadow Play, PERFECT PEAR! After a lull with some average and the series' final atrocity (F&M), Haber's return as an editor really sparked the show, as it went into a "Both-Sides-Have-a-Point" direction that made the conflicts much more interesting and fresh.

S8: The dialogue here's much tighter and wittier. Dialogue-driven comedy and storytelling liven the conflicts. Second half had a stretch of episodes that (minus one) were from good to outstanding. The five-episode streak from Road to Friendship to Sounds of Silence is the best run FIM ever had. Dash has her two best episodes of the series. Cozy Glow's outstandingly written. Also the most fun I ever had watching the show; I LOVE this season!

S9: The villain trio earned their stripes as the most dastardly beings in the Realm. Purposely spreading rumors to divide the tense relationship between the three pony tribes, starting a coup against Equestria, stealing Grogar's magic for themselves, kidnapping Twilight's friends, threatening to maim Spike, and attempted murder. A large chunk of S9B's about the characters becoming what being their Elements don't expect them to be, but aside from 246G, they range from serviceable (Trivial) to great (Dragon Dropped). Sparkle's Seven's hilarious and clever. Big Mac Question's one of the best of the series. Last Problem magnificently closes the series.

Edited June 4, 2020 by Dark Qiviut

[Sparklefan1234 161,593]

1. "Look Before You Sleep". 
2. "Lesson Zero" made Twilight Sparkle my favorite pony. The "cherry changa" exchange between Pinkie Pie and Applejack from "Last Roundup". 
3. Twilight Sparkle earns her wings! 
4. "Testing Testing 1,2,3" gave me my favorite facial expression in the entire series.
5. "Amending Fences" & "Hearthbreakers.
6. "No Second Prances" made me a Trixie fan, "Gauntlet of Fire" was the first Rarity/Twilight Sparkle team up episode.
7. "The Perfect Pear" was perfect no pun intended. 
8. "The Mean 6" finally showed me what a "Discorded" Twilight Sparkle would be like & "Friendship University" was the second Rarity/Twilight team up. 
9. "Going to Seed" was adorably awesome! 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Sparklefan1234

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

S1: All the funny jokes

S2: A Canterlot Wedding

S3: Magical Mystery Cure

S4: The foreshadowing throughout most of the episodes for the finale

S5: The music (and The Cutie Map)

S6: Flurry Heart

S7: New Changelings

S8: Student 6

S9: The villains returning

[Splashee 28,537]

Season 1: CMCs. As soon as they start searching for their cutie marks, they start building the Mane 6's past for us as well. There were so much potential here. Sweetie Belle was going to become the best singer of them all, I just knew it!

Season 2: The season of Discord, Read it and Weep, and the Wedding. This is the season of the Bronies. There was nothing that stopped people from becoming Bronies. MLP was no longer for kids!

Season 3: Babs Seed's awesome music video song. And Sleepless In Ponyville. And of course the line "That's because she is a Princess."

Season 4: Maud. The Pony Tones. And the Twilight vs Tirek DBZ battle.

Season 5: Lyra and Bonbon bumping butts. "'Cause the ultimate reward is a cutie mark!". Rara. Luna being vulnerable dreaming about sheep. Starlight Glimmer OP bada*s facial expressions.

Season 6: Rainbow Dash being relatable and Stranger Than Fan Fiction. Twilight sweep game. Spike getting a good episode.... No two episodes!

Season 7: Rock Solid Friendship! A Royal Problem! Discordant Harmony! The Perfect Pear! Fame and Misfortune!

Season 8: Only one, but it stands out: Kirin!

Season 9: Top episode for me, of all seasons: Frenemies!

[Prince Doopliss 2,350]

Season 1-Well it started it all. While I'm not a big fan, but still not a terrible episode, of this it did bring the first Rarijack (Look Before You Sleep). It still gave me my favorite shipping. Sonic Rainboom was my favorite episode of this season.

Season 2-It improve on season 1 and made me start to like Rarity better. Also the season I truly joined the fan base. A Friend in Deed was my favorite episode. Smile, Smile. Smile ! 

Season 3-An underrated season IMHO. It brought back the return of Trixie and Discord. It just tamed my hatred for RD  with Sleepless in Ponyville and Wonderbolts Academy. Also Apple Family Reunion brought us like the first Applejack solo (IIRC) song being "Raise This Barn". Also this line, nuff said (Though Attend to forget the actual line ). It improve Applejack's role a main character after how fans kind of treated her in season 2. Magical Mystery Cure somehow is my favorite over Apple Family Reunion.

Season 4-Simple Ways, Rarity Takes Manehattan, The Breezies, Maud Pie. Oh continue the momentum of Applejack. The finale was pretty solid, too!

Season 5-Oh boy, this is a season I quit the show, but that don't mean it didn't have its moments. Like actually getting to see Moondancer, Gilda and RD becoming friends again. Slice of Life and Do Princesses Dream of Magical Sheep.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Prince Doopliss

[Cash In 21,479]

Season 1 - Simple but nostalgic. A little rough around the edges, but charming.

Season 2 - Showed us much more complex characters and made the stakes higher. 

Season 3 - Short and mostly sweet.

Season 4 - Mane 6 really got fleshed out. Amazing finale to boot.

Season 5 - Fun season overall. This one got the most laughs out of me.

Season 6 -  Introduced a bunch of neat characters and had one of my favourite finales.

Season 7 - Best season IMO. Great themes and some of the most heartfelt episodes.

Season 8 -  The School of Friendship and Student Six were cool. There were a couple of really good episodes.

Season 9 - Wrapped up things nicely and gave some solid depth to the villains. 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Cash_In

[bigbertha 410]

Season 1: Easily the most charming season. It has an innocence and sense of magic that none of the other seasons can match, even if they're better in pretty much every other way.

Season 2: It does a great job at digging into these characters and seeing what makes them tick. And it's generally a huge improvement on season 1 in almost every way.

Season 3: After the formula of the show was pretty much perfected in season 2, season 3 experimenting a bit more is not a bad idea. I like that there's some progression for some characters, even if I don't like how most of the progression was executed.

Season 4: I like that it tries to be a kind of mix of seasons 2 and 3. It has the experimental edge of season 3 as well as the deeper character introspective episodes of season 2. So many episodes have a ton of potential and the points where that potential is realized rank among the best moments in the show.

Season 5: Pinkie's party planning cave. It's an absolutely genius addition to her character. 

Season 6: Saddle Row Review. It's just a really funny episode.

Season 7: Trixie is now a regular side character. That is amazing.

Season 8: There is definitely the most nostalgic season to me since it's the only season I watched, reviewed, and cared about as it aired. Also there are some episodes here (Break Up Breakdown) that bring a new energy to the show that hasn't been seen since season 4.

Season 9: Sparkle's Seven is pretty good and implied AppleDash is cool to see.

[JMTV99 1,348]

Here's my opinions on each individual seasons of Friendship is Magic.

 

Season 1: I love Season 1 and I'll defend it til' the day I die. It's really nostalgic to me and it left a very special place in my heart. This season was Lauren Faust's vision on what the series was set out to do. For what it was, it worked very well. It's very charming, very laid-back in it's tone, iconic moments, very hilarious, very wholesome, fun and silly adventures, very quotable, and it bring out the best of the characters on how they started out. Sure, this season can have it's very cringy moments, but as least it was harmless, I would say. Not to mention, it has great rewatchability that I can look back on and had  nostalgic fondness for.

 

Season 2: I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but I find Season 2 a bit overrated. Not to say it's bad or anything and I do get that Season 2 was the show's peak during that time, but I just didn't care for it and I rarely come back to it. However, there are some episodes that I do like from that season like Lesson Zero, The Last Roundup, and Canterlot Wedding.

 

Season 3: It had it's moments, but I find this season to be pretty mediocre at best and very forgettable at worst. I can also see why Season 3 had 13 episodes since Hasbro and DHX were focusing on Equestria Girls (2013) at the time, and yeah, it defiantly shows. The only episodes I do like from Season 3 was Sleepless in Ponyville and for the most part, Magical Mystery Cure. Not to mention, I was one of the very few people who doesn't mind Twilight becoming a alicorn princess from the very beginning. Sure, it's corporate shilling on Hasbro's part, but as long the writers kept Twilight being Twilight, that's all I care about.

 

Season 4: I think the Rainbow Power season was defiantly the best of the series, in my opinion. It had a great story arc, memorable moments, great character development, new additional characters such as Maud Pie, Coco Pommel, and Cheese Sandwich are so likeable and fun, and I really like how the show was maturing it's characters and taught some really great lessons that kids and adults could relate to. Was it perfect? No. There are some episodes of Season 4 that I really hate, but for what it was, it's a very good season. Not to mention with Twilight's Kingdom, it's a 100% flawless masterpiece that I would consider it my favorite episode of the show. 

 

Season 5: I gotta say, out of the seasons of Friendship is Magic, in my opinion Season 5 is the BEST season of the series. Hands down. It was ambitious, it was thrilling, risk-taking, and this is the season where the characters at it's best. This is the season where it has my favorite episodes of the entire franchise such as Amending Fences, Slice of Life, Tanks for the Memories, Lost Treasure of Griffinstone, Crusaders of the Lost Mark, Do Princess Dream in Magic Sheep,  etc etc etc. There's rarely any episodes of Season 5 that I hate. Sure, it has it's filler episodes, but when the best episodes stands out in this season, they did it's job super well. As for Starlight Glimmer, I don't think she wasn't as bad as people are making it out to be. Sure, her backstory was rushed, her motivation was a bit silly, and reformation was too contrived, but I do had a soft spot for her and I do feel sorry for her when nopony, not even her childhood friend, Sunburst, supported her.

 

As for the later seasons? I stopped watching this show after Season 6 back in 2016, and I didn't watch the later seasons ever since. I did caught up watching a handful of episodes of Season 7-9 recently, and for what I saw, it really does feels like the series was really running out of ideas and it becomes a shell of it's former self. Honestly, the only good episode that I do like from the later seasons was The Perfect Pair and The Last Problem (mostly because of the final song), and that's about it.

So yeah, that's my opinion on them.

Edited March 30, 2021 by JMTV99

[Adorable Lovestar 243]

Season 1 is my favorite by far, but Season 7 is a very close second. The Season 7 Finale was incredible and tied everything together in a brilliant cohesive narrative that nopony had any right to believe could be accomplished. It gave answers to questions that went un-answered for years, completed Starlight's character arc, had the most profound worldbuilding in the show...

And that's only the season's finale. Season 7 also gave us Perfect Pear<3, To Change A Changeling, Triple Threat, Once Upon A Zeppelin and a host of great Glimmer episodes (A Royal Problem, Uncommon Bond, All Bottled Up).

[Tom Gallagher 33,521]

Seasons 1-9: Perfect! I honestly don't know where I'll be without this show and all it's amazing moments, songs, stories, lessons, you name it! 

I love everything and everypony in this show.  (Except the Student Six) There is never a time where I won't be defending every single thing about it.  It's just plain perfect, particularly the Mane Six themselves.  I love them so much and they'll always be the most amazing thing to ever happen to me! 

Edited March 30, 2021 by TomDaBombMLP

[Thrond 3,257]

Season 1: There's a purity to this season. It's simple, but the show's charm is there from the start. It doesn't try to be more than it is, and it's very good at being what it is. 

Season 2: The stories here dig a lot deeper than in season 1; I like this show the most when it's about anxiety, and this season focuses a lot more on what makes the mane six tick. And it does that while mostly keeping the vibe of season 1, which I love. After all this time, still my favourite season; there's only like one episode here that I don't have any fun with. 

Season 3: Not that many episodes I love here, but it's still pretty consistently charming. 

Season 4: Much as I disagree with the direction this season takes, I think it does the best job of pushing the show in a more mature direction without compromising its charm. It has a bit more worldbuilding, slightly deeper lessons, and a bit more continuity, but it's still mostly about the mane six and still has the lighthearted feel of the early seasons, though by this point it's starting to fade. 

Season 5: I don't like that many episodes here, but pretty much every episode I liked this season is among my favourites in the series. 

Season 6: Looking back on this season, it doesn't seem like it should work, but I still think this is by far the most enjoyable of the last five seasons. I think it's very funny, and I found it had a lot of fresh ideas for the mane six - a rarity in the latter half of the show.

Season 7: Twilight Sparkle episodes started being good again for the first time in four years. Really a bright spot in a season without a lot of those. 

Season 8: The school probably changed the series more than anything since Twilight became a princess. Even that turned out to be a gradual transition, though; season 8 actually feels like a big step forward in so many different ways. I wish I liked it more. 

Season 9: For how much I dislike the direction this season wound up taking, the finale had no business being as good as it was. 

[Landi 597]

Season 1: Extremely fun and charming. This season did a great job at laying the ground work for the show, and is filled with simple, yet rich stories in an exciting new fictional world to explore (One of my favorite seasons).

Season 2: Very well written overall. This season had many great, amazingly written episodes, including my favorite episode overall: Hurricane Fluttershy. The way this season was able to improve on an already amazing first season and even further develop the world and the characters is outstanding (I would say this is my favorite season).

Season 3: Had a few great episodes. While this season was short and kind of unimpressive, It did have a few great episodes like Magic Dual, Wonderbolts Academy, and Keep Calm and Flutter On.

Season 4: Was still able to keep the great  charm  and quality of the show. Despite Twilight's character kind of being ruined, this season still ended up being great. It carried over the great writing and characters from the previous seasons, and stayed fairly true to the charm (also amongst my favorites).

Season 5: Pretty Solid all around. Though this season wasn't the most groundbreaking, it still was able to hold up pretty well with well written stories and characters.

Season 6: Has a few fun little moments. Though not the best, this season sure isn't the worst either. It has some fun moments that made me chuckle at parts, and introduced some interesting things (like Buckball).

Season 7: Solid season with memorable episodes. Like season 5, this season was a pretty solid season all around. While it had it's slip ups here and there, it also had some very memorable episodes that I sometimes go back and rewatch.

Season 8: Well...uh...it added some cool background pony designs I guess. Yeah, I don't have many positive things to say about this season, but I will say, I appreciated the improved background pony designs. I think they look really neat, and could've made for pretty cool characters.

Season 9: Did an okay job at wrapping things up. While also not a season I'm too fond of, season 9 did do an okay job at ending the series off. Plus, there were a couple of episodes I did enjoy, like Common Ground and Summer Sun Setback.