What Went Wrong?

[doomie-22 17]

https://twitter.com/MrVectorMV/status/1670973449718706177

While I don't necessarily agree with everything this guy said, he does indeed bring up some excellent points. What are your thoughts on this?

[Trot Shuffle 3,599]

I think its valid. Present different writers with the same scenario to write about and they'll all interpret it differently, and that goes for all forms of art.

From what I can tell, the show was never expected to blow up in pop culture as it did. It was supposed to be S1 and then the silly Discord episodes from S2 as a movie that would've ended G4. Execs kept greenlighting more seasons and episodes since it was a huge money maker for them. (But take that with a grain of salt because I only read about it from various sources.)

 

What went wrong IMO:

The show lost focus on what it wanted to do and be. You can only keep doing the same sappy "learn the moral of the day" before you have to swap characters and the cause of "the problem" out. And, in this case, how that moral is presented also changed drastically too.

So many things happen so fast that it doesn't give me enough time to really let it settle in. The cutie map, the school, twi being alicorn and then long legs. Like, boom boom boom, they never let it settle in nor took too much advantage of their existence in that universe for us to really grasp their importance. "Ooh, Shiny new object! Anyways, here's another shiny object!, anyways...."

And, it does feel like they wanted to have a cool overarching plotline underneath all of the sappiness but they didnt know how to present it (and not enough time too, can't blame them). They wanted to do everything all at once. It ended up being palatable enough but it definitely could've been better.

Student 6 comes to mind as being very rushed in to substitute the Mane 6, since they've  learned all they needed to at that point and are busy in their own lives. So replacing them with new characters all of a sudden... that doesn't sit well with fans. Shoving new characters who are clearly just replacements for the originals in the same series is a huge no-no.

The only cool idea was the villains unintentionally learning their friendship lessons without realizing it. Now, THAT is a cool idea for this show but unfortunately they didnt really embrace that too much.

But hey, at least they eventually ended it.

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

Its success changed things. And then the map happened, and starlight, and then the school of friendship. All of which were signs the series had outlived its time.

So, whether something went wrong or not, it is entirely a matter of perspective. For some, it was a good thing, for others, not so much. I stopped around the start of season eight. Since I had lost interest by that point. Also, there were some memorable episodes in the latter seasons. So, it is not all bad, buttercup.

[Player the FNFL Boi 82]

I personally don't think much things went wrong with the show, but after the 4th season I feel as if the show feels kinda different, instead of the problems being about members of the main characters most of them are about new characters we've never seen before. That's not a bad thing though, at least to me.

[Megas 27,069]

Leadership and writing teams changed, almost after every season. First 3 to 5 seasons had a set of regulars that stuck with the show but by S6 none of the veterans were there and mostly consisted of new writers and the new people in charge either didn't know what they were doing or gave a half-hearted attempt at trying to make something bigger, often at the expense of the characters. There's a lot of moments in S6-9 that never would have passed under the old guard, but ran rampant in the later seasons, things like Newbie Dash, Yakity Sax, 2-4-6 Great, PPOV, Honest Apple, Non Compete Clause, 28 Pranks Later, etc.

They brought up S7, and I think the biggest reason I liked the first half of the season so much was because it felt like it was written to be like the older seasons, and it was executed fairly well. And unsurprisingly, the first half of the season had different leadership compared to the other post S5 seasons and it really shows once you get to the second half

Also, while I heavily agree with most of what that post put out, I don't like how they considered a lot of those examples, "weird" because honestly? I find "weird" to be endearing, and I would have liked the later seasons a lot more if they were weird, but they were not, they were just aggravating

Edited June 21, 2023 by Megas

[Sparklefan1234 161,894]

I agree with what the Twitter post said about seasons 4-9 becoming more about being "EPIC" and less about being fun.

I feel like FiM started to think it was bigger than it was with Season 5's premier with a plot that doesn't make sense to me and makes me feel dumb. 

[Silly Druid 6,146]

I don't think anything went wrong, all seasons of the show are great.

[The Nth Doctor 652]

I'm in the midst of a rewatch, and the first four seasons were all extremely solid, and what fell flat on a first watch felt a little better the second time around

S5 had the first real dud with Tanks for the Memories butchering characters into caricatures of themselves ("I love my pet therefore I am going to commit terrorism and ignore qualified people's advice because this is my episode and I make the rules")

S6 has been peaks and valleys and it's only going to get worse as it goes on, so...honestly, just enjoy the episodes you like and skip the ones that drive you into a frothing incoherent rage and odds are you'll be happier as a result~

[Last Line of Defense 97]

23 minutes ago, The Nth Doctor said:

I'm in the midst of a rewatch, and the first four seasons were all extremely solid, and what fell flat on a first watch felt a little better the second time around

S5 had the first real dud with Tanks for the Memories butchering characters into caricatures of themselves ("I love my pet therefore I am going to commit terrorism and ignore qualified people's advice because this is my episode and I make the rules")

S6 has been peaks and valleys and it's only going to get worse as it goes on, so...honestly, just enjoy the episodes you like and skip the ones that drive you into a frothing incoherent rage and odds are you'll be happier as a result~

Rainbow always makes inconsistent irrational emotionally driven decisions, and we saw how hard it was for her to take advice in Testing, Testing, 123? Its not "that out of character" its just over the top, which i think adds to it, and she didnt intend on committing a full blown factory break down, just sabotaging the process to have more time with Tank..I think Trade Ya is by far Rainbows worst episode, as it has her literally trading one of her best friends for a book, something she could get any copy of and really isnt that important.. she has a stand offish nature, and even when others try to lead her the direction they want her to go in, she follows her heart because shes also pretty stubborn in her own way, she has to come to the realizations she does on her own.. they give her a lot of crap episodes that i think sabotage the character for the sake of plot device, because they have to have somepony stirring up trouble doing something, or making some kind of mistake, and since Rainbow is known as "egotistical, selfish, and kind of a self interested mischief maker" its easy to create plots out of her selfishness.. and that hurts the loyalty aspect of her character from time to to time because it seems very exaggerated I.E Trade Ya, or 28 Pranks Later, they give her some real crappers man...

That being said, Tanks For the Memories, is an exceptional episode for me, and probably my favorite stand alone in Season 5. It brings me to tears sometimes, it shows her connection with Tank, and puts more emphasis on her element, than less. It shows that what happened in May The Best Pet Win, was genuine bonafede destiny, and their friendship is true. May The Best Pet Win, was a great idea for an episode for her to begin with, being a pet owner, and being loyal, tie together very closely, and i think that was perfect utilization of her character element, and growth for her personality and perspective. I think that her relationship with Tank overshadows all the other ponies relationships with their pets by far (obviously Tank gets two whole episodes about him) but she is genuinely into Tank in a more obsessive compulsive manner than the others are into their pets. (Fluttershys job is more of sanctuary thing, and at times shes more like Angels pet xD)

I think Tanks for the Memories is good in many ways, and a good metaphor for loss in not only pets, but family members, as it is a kids show, and they cant actually show ponies dying on the plot, or even pets for that matter, we only have a reference to the Apples family who have passed away. Aside from that it hones in on her element, and i think it is normal to go into denial when someone you love is dying, or has died, even your pet, and especially with the loyalty that Rainbow has, she just has a different way of expressing her emotions, and dealing with them, and she takes it out in anger, because she cant accept that its part of the natural process of things. 

I loved that episode, you are free to feel how you want, but there are far worse episodes in Season 5, id be glad to rip open, if you are interested in hearing that individual input lol

Edited June 21, 2023 by Cassiopeia

[Castle Bleck 19,167]

The #1 problem, IMO, was that the newer writers tended to not even watch it:

Edited June 22, 2023 by Castle Bleck

[Sparklefan1234 161,894]

1 hour ago, Castle Bleck said:

The #1 problem, IMO, is that the newer writers tended to be people who hadn't even watched it:

 

I know I just said that the season 5 premier confused me but I miss M.A. Larson a lot.  

Edited June 21, 2023 by Sparklefan1234