Should the CMC gotten their cutie marks earlier?

[Azureth 687]

Season 5 seemed a little late.

[Megas 27,550]

No I think it was the right time, especially with the situation they were under. Only real criticism I had was the designs of the cutie marks for them, they make sense for the characters but they look, I dunno, really cheap?

[Misty Shadow 7,813]

I don't think they needed to get them any earlier, as CMC episodes weren't getting redundant in my eyes. I'm sure a lot of people would agree, as many actually missed the CMC suffering to get their marks for our amusement. 

[Sepul-Coloratura 761]

Earlier would have been better. It seemed a little like an afterthought (which it is). They should have at least got their cutie marks at season 3.

CMCs getting cutie marks was meant to happen one day in their childhood. In earlier seasons, every adult says that they would eventually get it, and everypony gets it so there’s no worry about it. Nobody else takes it as seriously as the CMCs and their obsession is kind of a childhood phase.

The problem is; like Spike’s wings, Applejack parent’s autopsy reports, Scootaloo’s parents, Celestia’s mom, the fandom could not bare unanswered questions. It also took five years of blank flanks running around during the show, so it seemed like forever not just for the CMCs themselves, but it also seemed like a really long time objectively, and CMCs seemed like facing serious developmental issues.

It became a meta. It was never meant to take that long, or the CMCs never meant to have their cutie marks during the show just like they never grew up during the show. It seemed so in earlier seasons.

The episode that they get their cutie mars is not that bad of a self contained episode, but their cutie marks was a result of a self reflecting meta and twisted by the fandom’s expectations. Their foreshadowed talents (potion making, singing, bike) was completely ignored. Their talents and destiny was defined by the inherit limitations of the show. (It’s like Twilight’s duty as a princess became more of a defense weapon against foreign threats, and less of spreading friendship.)

The CMCs could have had different jobs and still be best friends (it would have had a better potential for future episodes) and it would have made a better lesson if they still stayed friends after getting different cutie marks. Heck, they could still consult blank flanks, and even better! Consulting blank flanks is more of a job for grown ups I think, and a group of young fillies doing it is kind of adorable, but not as a serious job and as their future destiny. They are little fillies and they have reached their lifetime goal already. The CMCs never moved on. Worse if you see what the show did with the CMCs after they get their cutie marks. They have been doing the same thing since season 1, and they will keep doing it for the rest of their lives.

What would have been better is

1. The CMCs get their cutie marks at the end of Season 3.
2. At that point, they slightly grow up and look like somewhere between adults and fillies (like Applejack at Where the Apple Lies). They don’t look like seven year olds.
3. They get different cutie marks based on their talents.
4. Twilight becomes an alicorn at the end of season 4 or 5, and her becoming it is the seasonal arc.
5. You get to see their peers grow up as well. Silverspoon, Diamond Tiara, Snips, Snails, Pipsqeak, etc.

Edited December 27, 2020 by Sepul-Coloratura

[Evil Pink One 13,505]

Nah.. tis fine as it is...

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

Yup, way earlier. And as some others have pointed out, they should have had cutie marks based on the foreshadowed talents they displayed (renovating/building/woodwork for Apple Bloom, singing for Sweetie Belle, scootering/daredevilry for Scootaloo). And if they had to get their cutie marks for being Cutie Mark Crusaders / Advisors, it should have happened was soon as they helped anypony get their cutie mark. I just think the way it was handled was not what I was hoping for, but then maybe that's just my sense of entitlement showing. 

[Mlppotterwhoovian 381]

It’s mostly fine,i mean the only problem is I’m sad that there other talents are not recognized. The episode was cute,and the cutie marks are fine and its good that they are lifelong friends,but they should’ve stated its ok to have more than 1 talent.

[EpicEnergy 23,139]

I think season 5 was a great time for them to get their cutie marks, I'm fine with it.

[Steve Piranha 29,414]

I think the timing was ok, but like many things in the show, I believe they did drag their CM quests for too long, and even after

[Justin_Case001 4,876]

I think it was the perfect moment.  In fact, I've long said that the CMC's arc was one of the best in the entire show.  It was so deep.  Throughout the whole show, they were trying to earn their marks by trying every single kind of sport/activity under the sun, all the while expecting that they would suddenly get a skydiving mark, or a waterskiing mark, or a paper mache mask building mark, or whatever stupid thing, but all the while they actually were unknowingly developing their life's purpose--by developing their club and trying all those things, they developed the experience and the drive to help others do the same and find their own path.  In a way, it's like their marks ended up being what they were doing all along, but for others.  And they showed a talent for helping others find their way seasons before Crusaders of the Lost Mark, foreshadowing what their true purpose would be.  It happened exactly when it was supposed to, not a single episode too early or too late.

On 12/27/2020 at 2:55 PM, Califorum said:

Plus, the CMC's cutie marks aren't creative in the least.

Oh, dear, I couldn't disagree with you more.  Having them discover a natural talent for some one-dimensional, simple activity and get a mark for that would have been the least creative thing they could have done.  Instead, they demonstrated a theme of self-actualization.  They showed that your life and what you do with it is up to you.  They chose their marks, because they decided that that was what they wanted their lives to be about, and it suited them perfectly.  Their lives were what they made them.

On 12/26/2020 at 7:04 PM, Sepul-Coloratura said:

Their foreshadowed talents (potion making, singing, bike) was completely ignored.

Those were activities that they enjoyed from time to time, but they weren't exactly prodigies at them.  However, that's beside the point.  The point is that it didn't matter what other things they happened to be good at--it wasn't what they wanted their lives to be about.  Moreover, they foreshadowed their true life's purpose and talent of helping others throughout the show, if one paid attention and knew where to look.

[Justin_Case001 4,876]

22 hours ago, Califorum said:

I am talking about the design of the marks themselves. It looks like a french flag with a symbol in the middle. 

Oh.    Whoops.  Well... I think the visual design of their marks is... okay... could be better.

[Venomous 18,862]

I think that S5 was a good time to give them their marks. Any later would have been much too late.

[Kadeda 178]

The reason why getting their cutie mark was such a big deal is because it took such a long time. We suffered with them trying so hard to get them. Any earlier would have took away the proud feeling I believe.