MLP:FiM; A more serious show?

[ZirBronium 26]

Has anyone ever pondered what would happen if the creative staff behind MLP decided to make it more "officially" intended for the older fanbase? I don't mean just references, but in a general sense.

 

Won't ever happen, but it's something to ponder.

[Finesthour 7,284]

Ponies are serious business.

 

Of course it is a serious show.

[Starshine 16,330]

Well, since the show was originally intended to sell toys, there's still a possibility that the next season will lean to a more serious plotline.

[Bohtty 1,775]

I hope it doesn't. It would no longer be the show that I fell in love with.

[FedoraMemes 582]

I do think that Season 2 was slightly more tilted towards the adult fandom, but to be honest, I would like to keep it like it was on Season 2, more tilted towards the fandom, slightly more serious but still keeping true to what the show was originally created for; kids to enjoy.

[NavelColt 22,876]

More intense enemies, would be a major upset. I just watched 'Ballad of the Brony' again on Youtube, and the guy was talking about how the staff put in all these monsters, but made them funny or do funny things often *like how the hydra would hit it's head, then laugh at it's other heads for doing so*, in order to not scare the younger kids. If the show somehow developed to an older audience, the monsters and enemies would be more intense, there may be a lot more physical combat, in which some of the Mane 6 may get hurt occasionally or more. There'd also be more intense themes, some darker themes as well.

 

I wouldn't be totally opposed to some more darker themes, but things should really keep the way they are. The way it is, is still gold.

[FLARE 951]

I hope it doesn't. It would no longer be the show that I fell in love with.

 

/This

Surely I can't be the only one who saw a little bit of fan service in season 2.

[Colin 11]

In a sense, FiM is already pretty serious because Lauren Faust, and other writers, take children seriously. As opposed to many show and movies, FiM is not vacuous and has genuinely good writing. Adding more serious themes and plots would change it enough to be a different show and probably make it worse.

[Gingerpotato 889]

-snip-

 

Tell me, is there anyway you can make a post that I do not like/ does not express my thoughts exactly?

 

If they were to change the theme to a darker one then the show would lose what drew me in in the first place. That was, and still is, the sheer fact that a girls show with little violence/ dark themes manages to captivate me and my attention. Any show can come along and pack enough violence, blood and badassery to make me like it but MLP is about cuddly themes that actually draw my attention in, something that I never would have expected to happen. To change the themes from cuddly to dark would be, to me, like changing my fiction book into non-fiction. It just wouldn't work out for me and I would surely lose interest.

 

Then again, Rainbow Dash vs Hydra would be a pretty intense battle to watch...

[NavelColt 22,876]

Tell me, is there anyway you can make a post that I do not like/ does not express my thoughts exactly?

 

If they were to change the theme to a darker one then the show would lose what drew me in in the first place. That was, and still is, the sheer fact that a fillies show with little violence/ dark themes manages to captivate me and my attention. Any show can come along and pack enough violence, blood and badassery to make me like it but MLP is about cuddly themes that actually draw my attention in, something that I never would have expected to happen. To change the themes from cuddly to dark would be, to me, like changing my fiction book into non-fiction. It just wouldn't work out for me and I would surely lose interest.

 

Then again, Dashie vs Hydra would be a pretty intense battle to watch...

 

Nevah <3

 

Indeed :3 Cute and cuddly is a guilty pleasure of mine that I've always enjoyed, and MLP is the largest concentration of I've ever seen. I never want that to change either, because it would feel like a different show.

[ZStrike37 107]

I have to agree with what the others are saying. While it would, indeed, give the writers more freedom to come up with interesting stories and plots, it would change the show entirely from what it was originally intended. Of course, as you stated, this won't happen. The innocence is part of why I find the show so endearing.

 

However, I do think the show could include more stories that are more adventurous without upsetting the balance. But there still needs to be those episodes of simple life in Ponyville. Not every episode has to have some crisis, like in Star Trek for example. To me, character-driven plots are just as good as outside-forces-driven plots.

[Nah 3,181]

It is really serious, I mean there is fighting in it, it teaches about friendship, and it is totally awesome to watch, so yes it is a super serious show!

[moneyshredderofdeath 414]

MLP as it is is what appeals to me perfectly: Lighthearted but not overly saccharine. It has its serious moments like encounters with certain villains, but it's never over the top. If the show became more serious, it'd lose the charm that makes MLP what it is.

[Jack Durango 119]

I was just thinking about this. Although the show would do best to stay as it is... A spin-off, perhaps created and developed by some fans with connections to producers, animators, and the like, and not to mention a willing wallet, would be the next best thing on YouTube or television if the ponies' adventures and travels developed deeper, darker, and more dangerous overtones.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

I would like maybe a movie or something, but they would never change the show

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

The show wouldn't be the show if it was darker/,more adult themed.

[ponyvangelist 732]

"But Seriously, Folks..."

 

WARNING: Season Two Finale Spoilers. Do Not Read If You Haven't Seen The Royal Wedding!

 

We got a little taste of a more serious show during the Season 2 finale. How ironic indeed that the "Royal Wedding" episodes, which we would expect to be the most vapid, frilly and fluffy of all, would be the episodes that gave us...

 

 

Our scariest villain. Nightmare Moon was mean and powerful, Discord was powerful and mischievous (and downright sympathetic at times -- we are talking John de Lancie here, after all), but Queen Chrysalis was powerful, malevolent, positively evil-looking and the only villain to not only take on Princess Celestia directly, but defeat her easily, score a quick K.O. and imprison her in a chrysalis. She could have easily finished her then and there, and that is scary indeed.

 

Swarms of evil insect ponies. S02E26 was, in many scenes, reminiscent of Attack of the Clones, right down to ponies running around being shot at by green blaster bolts. Maybe the Changelings are half-Geonosian, half-pony?

 

The biggest pony fight scene ever. The Mane Six found themselves in a no-hooves-barred, full-on street rumble worthy of any self-respecting motorcycle club, and left their enemies in piles before being hopelessly outnumbered and taken captive. Some of the repeated action scenes were right out of The Powerpuff Girls. Heck, even Pinkie Pie was using her party cannon as a point-blank streetsweeper of deadly mirth. At least there were no gouts of blood, teeth knocked out or Mojo Jojo having his brain exposed for the umpty-millionth time, but when was the last time there was an all-out, for-real, hoof-in-face, hardcore throwdown in FiM? Never. It was a first.

 

Magic as weaponry. The magic scenes weren't just a little tit-for-tat with Trixie. Twilight was shooting blaster bolts from her horn. A lot of them, and scoring hits. In yet another Star Wars homage, the bolt she fired in the crystal caverns bounced around like the blaster bolt Han Solo fired in the Death Star trash compactor in A New Hope. And that bolt left a sizeable crater in the ground when it hit. That's not parlor magic, that's a deadly weapon, and Twilight fired it in anger. Repeatedly.

 

Serious Business.™ Princess Cadance was kidnapped, impersonated, disheveled (probably after a hellacious struggle and possible torture) and Queen Chrysalis came moments away from officially marrying her fiance. Twilight Sparkle alienated her friends, her B.B.B.F.F. and even Princess Celestia with her behavior before being imprisoned in a crystal dungeon even her powerful magic couldn't save her from. Ponies being run down and shot at in the streets of Canterlot. All of Equestria in danger of being consumed by hordes of hideous, evil insect-ponies. Celestia and the mighty Royal Guards being overwhelmed and bested. It doesn't get any more serious than that!

 

So for anyone wanting a little more gravitas from Friendship is Magic, I would say the last episode of Season Two delivered it with gusto.

 

 

Now mind you, I think the finale and the season as a whole were awesome, quite possibly stronger than Season One, which is no mean feat, but I wouldn't want Season Three to have the same vibe as the last episode of Season Two. In small bites, it adds a cool dimension and depth to the series, but if allowed to drag on, it would utterly blow the unique appeal and incomparable "vibe" that makes this show so special.

 

So yes, there are indeed many bones tossed to older fans, but I agree with ZirBronium that we're not likely to see it go beyond that.

 

And while I do like the bones, I'm eternally grateful they aren't the main course.

Edited June 30, 2012 by ponyvangelist

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

"But Seriously, Folks..."

 

WARNING: Season Two Finale Spoilers. Do Not Read If You Haven't Seen The Royal Wedding!

 

 

We got a little taste of a more serious show during the Season 2 finale. How ironic indeed that the "Royal Wedding" episodes, which we would expect to be the most vapid, frilly and fluffy of all, would be the episodes that gave us...

 

Our scariest villain. Nightmare Moon was mean and powerful, Discord was powerful and mischievous (and downright sympathetic at times -- we are talking John de Lancie here, after all), but Queen Chrysalis was powerful, malevolent, downright evil-looking and the only villain to not only take on Princess Celestia directly, but defeat her easily, score a quick K.O. and imprison her in a chrysalis. She could have easily finished her then and there, and that is scary indeed.

 

Swarms of evil insect ponies. S02E26 was, in many scenes, reminiscent of Attack of the Clones, right down to ponies running around being shot at by green blaster bolts. Maybe the Changelings are half-Geonosian, half-pony?

 

The biggest pony fight scene ever. The Mane Six found themselves in a no-hooves-barred, full-on street rumble worthy of any self-respecting motorcycle club, and left their enemies in piles before being hopelessly outnumbered and taken captive. Some of the repeated action scenes were right out of The Powerpuff Girls. Heck, even Pinkie Pie was using her party cannon as a point-blank streetsweeper of deadly mirth. At least there were no gouts of blood, teeth knocked out or Mojo Jojo having his brain exposed for the umpty-millionth time, but when was the last time there was an all-out, for-real, hoof-in-face, hardcore throwdown in FiM? Never. It was a first.

 

Magic as weaponry. The magic scenes weren't just a little tit-for-tat with Trixie. Twilight was shooting blaster bolts from her horn. A lot of them, and scoring hits. In yet another Star Wars homage, the bolt she fired in the crystal caverns bounced around like the blaster bolt Luke fired in the Death Star trash compactor in A New Hope. And that bolt left a sizeable crater in the ground when it hit. That's not parlor magic, that's a deadly weapon, and Twilight fired it in anger. Repeatedly.

 

Serious Business.™ Princess Cadance was kidnapped, impersonated, disheveled (probably after a hellacious struggle and possible torture) and Queen Chrysalis came moments away from officially marrying her fiance. Twilight Sparkle alienated her friends, her B.B.B.F.F. and even Princess Celestia with her behavior before being imprisoned in a crystal dungeon even her powerful magic couldn't save her from. Ponies being run down and shot at in the streets of Canterlot. All of Equestria in danger of being consumed by hordes of hideous, evil insect-ponies. Celestia and the mighty Royal Guards being overwhelmed and bested. It doesn't get any more serious than that!

 

So for anyone wanting a little more gravitas from Friendship is Magic, I would say the last episode of Season Two delivered it with gusto.

 

Now mind you, I think the finale and the season as a whole were awesome, quite possibly stronger than Season One, which is no mean feat, but I wouldn't want Season Three to have the same vibe as the last episode of Season Two. In small bites, it adds a cool dimension and depth to the series, but if allowed to drag on, it would utterly blow the unique appeal and incomparable "vibe" that makes this show so special.

 

So yes, there are indeed many bones tossed to older fans, but I agree with ZirBronium that we're not likely to see it go beyond that.

 

And while I do like the bones, I'm eternally grateful they aren't the main course.

 

 

 

I do agree with you, but a big spoiler post should be hidden between spoiler tags.

[Random User 249]

I would say that I'd like to see this show remain how it is until the end of its life. Maybe sometime down the line, a more serious spin-off would be possible, but I would hope that it stays true to the characters and show. Though ponyvanglist has a great point - the season 2 finale was excellent, and I thought provided many darker overtones for the show. Perhaps it remains perfect at that amount of seriousness in it. I certainly loved it.

[ponyvangelist 732]

I do agree with you, but a big spoiler post should be hidden between spoiler tags.

Doh! Fixed.

[Nouth 495]

I'd like the show remian as it is. I fear that they may overdo it. But well, if they put in a refference here and there a bit more often, I have nothing against it (note that I'm just at s1e23, so no idea if they didn't do it in s2 already.)

[FruitRiver 355]

Uch, no!

 

The reason people like it is because its the way it is! Its serious enough.

 

Also, what about the little girls that like it too. That means Hasbro would basically get rid of a chunk of their fans.

[murkyx 904]

The show is serious enough as it is; the message and morals behind it are truths that seriously need to reach the minds of both the young and old of this and next generation, while staying within a fun format.

 

Plus, serious episodes are more of the brony specialty. I probably would be slightly disappointed (but still excited) by a more serious, action filled episode, but I'd rather go looking within the portfolios of the brony animators for my fix of pony action, and then the official MLP for my fix of pony fun.

 

Either way, I'm okay with it, though they might loose a part of their fanbase if they step in the wrong direction.

[Mindrop 412]

The show has gotten more "serious" over the seasons. We certainly would not of seen the changlings in Season 1, especially the begining. The entire season fanalie was progressing into a more serious show. Twilight being burned down into the canterlot dungeons, that's NOT for little girls!

 

Plus, serious episodes are more of the brony specialty. I probably would be slightly disappointed (but still excited) by a more serious, action filled episode, but I'd rather go looking within the portfolios of the brony animators for my fix of pony action, and then the official MLP for my fix of pony fun.

 

Come on Bris, Rarity bucking the Manticor in episode 1 is what sealed the deal on me being a brony, and the best part of the season 2 finalie (besides the songs) was the epic fight scene between the mane 6 and the changlings. The show could use a bit more action!

[Strafe 593]

Ponies? Not serious? Blasphemy.