Irrational Criticism

[Pony Of The Month 535]

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with criticism. If you don't like something about the show, you should be allowed to speak your mind. But some people criticize the show for the stupidest things. For example:

 

"Where the fu** is Derpy!?"

Seriously, just because an episode doesn't feature Derpy, doesn't mean it's a terrible episode. I love Derpy, but if she isn't in an episode, so what? Does season 3 suck, because Derpy is only in one episode? NO! 

 

"M.A. Larson doesn't know how to write Fluttershy, therefore, this episode sucks!"

This isn't just about M.A. Larson and Fluttershy, but about any other writers, and whatever character they're not good at writing. It's understandable if the character in question is the center of the episode, but Fluttershy is not the center of Magic Duel, so you should not call the episode terrible just because of M.A. Larson's Fluttershy. All the writers are different, and they all have that character that they don't know how to write. It's the same for fanfic writers. Choose any fanfic featuring all of the mane 6, and you will find that at least one of them is not written the way you want them to be.

 

"This episode sounds like a fanfic, therefore it is inspired by a fanfic, therefore it's bad!"

Apparently, there are fanfics that existed before Keep Calm And Flutter On about Fluttershy reforming Discord. If anyone could give me a link to one of these, that would be wonderful. I've never heard of any of these, and I highly doubt any of the writers have heard of them either. I probably have a lot more time on my hands than they do, and if I haven't even heard of these, what makes you think the writers have? There are also a lot of people who believe that the scene in Too Many Pinkie Pies with the pinkie clones watching paint dry was a reference to the fanfic "Pinkie Pie Watches Paint Dry." It's not! It's just a coincidence which is more likely than you think it is. Same goes for Keep Calm And Flutter On. Even if there are fanfics with the same plot, that doesn't mean the writers stole the idea from those fans. They just happened to come up with a similar idea.

Besides, do you really think the writers read any fanfiction at all? They're probably not even allowed to. 

 

And even if an episode really is just like a popular fanfiction, does that really make it bad? 

 

"Lauren Faust Is Gone, Therefore The Show Sucks Now."

I love Lauren Faust, but you guys give her way too much credit. Yes, I realize that if it weren't for her, the brony phenomenon wouldn't exist, but you guys treat her like she's god. You guys, even like to credit her as the creator of the Powerpuff Girls when it was actually her husband, Craig McCracken. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think she had anything to do with the Powerpuff Girls until season 3. Lauren Faust is not the only one who contributed to the charm of the first season. You should also give credit to the writers, and all the other people who worked on it. And look at the positives. Now there is a chance that we get to see Scootaloo fly one day. If you didn't know, Lauren Faust's reasoning for Scootaloo not being able to fly is that she's disabled. That hasn't been made canon, and hopefully, it never will be.

 

"The show did something that bronies like, therefore they are pandering, therefore it is bad!"

First of all, what is wrong with pandering. As long as the show doesn't steer too far away from the target demographic, there is no harm in a little bit of pandering. Secondly, a lot of the things that are supposedly "pandering" aren't pandering at all. Just because a character returns in another episode, doesn't mean they are pandering to us. Just because two background ponies appear right next to each other (Lyra and BonBon) doesn't mean they are pandering. It is likely, but you shouldn't just assume that anything is pandering, unless it's confirmed.

 

"This ONE episode was bad, therefore the show has jumped the shark."

I wonder if any brony left the fandom after Mare-Do-Well. I wouldn't know, because I didn't become a brony until the summer between seasons 2 and 3. I didn't even know this episode was hated by everyone until I had finished the first 2 seasons. It wasn't my favorite, but I never really saw its flaws until they were pointed out to me. I know, a lot of people didn't like Magical Mystery Cure (I personally loved it) but that is no reason to leave the fandom. You should at least give season 4 a chance.

 

 

 

[Phoenix237 353]

I agree with all of your statements.

On the other hand this is how I always felt.

Sometimes there are those who are quick to make judgments and make decisions without knowing or thinking about it.

Just note that not all of us behaive in this sort of manner.

[Unikitty 1,212]

Words of wisdom, right here.
Some people are just crazy, and it kinda makes me sad seeing all the hate.

I didn't even know there was hate about the Mare-Do-Well episode.

[Sky Warden 2,243]

Well said my friend. Well said. I like this. Very much got to say.

 

Aye. Some people in this fandom just act too much. Criticizing too much, and it turned into irrational criticism, just like those you mentioned above. I guess some people think that complaining so much will makes them look smarter, or whatever. They might just want people to "Wow. I didn't realize that before. Good job on pointing that thing!" which then turned into madness.

 

The most important thing for me, about this show is that I enjoy it. The show is made for entertainment, and it does its job very well. I'm happy whenever I watch the show. I giggle and laugh with it. Those cute cartoon ponies has changed my life to be more cheerful, and lively. The musics keep my smile until now. It works perfectly as an entertainment.

 

If you (angry Bronies) want to say "Why? I'm an adult watcher who knows how to judge a show. Making criticism isn't wrong." then go back to school and learn about gratitude and how to criticize things properly. Making a show isn't easy. It seems like people want everything to be 100% perfect. What a nonsense! Who the hay in this world can make something 100% perfect? There's a wise theory of Yin and Yang. Strength balances void. Void balances strength. Something is considered perfect not because it has no flaw, but because it's harmonized. It's balanced.

 

Seriously, the writers are just human. They make mistakes. That's normal. I believe they're trying their best to make this show. Compared to average fanfics written by the fandom, it's still much better written, I dare to say. Even the musics are far better than those DUNDUN ERR ERR BIB BUB BUB BAB thingy.

 

Be civilized, and criticize properly.

 

Well done .

 

P.S. The most annoying part is some people threaten to leave the fandom because of their own irrational rage.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Sky Warden

[Flutterdash. 52]

Agreed with all the above. Everything you guys have just mentioned is pretty accurate to what I think of the fandom right now. Some of the people who tend to over-analyze the show have ruined some of the episodes for me. It's true though, I mean seriously guys, it's just a show. We come to watch this show because we enjoy it, not to criticize every single flaw about it. Coming from a Rainbow Dash fan, I personally LOVED the Mare Do Well episode.

[Shift 4,277]

Agreed. You, sir, are a BUCKING GENIUS.

 

Oh, if you want an old Fluttercord [Techniclly it's Dislight], Then try Learning ABC's Or the Neverending Study, the sequel. It's much like Keep Calm and Flutter On.

[Derpy Azusa 272]

Amazing rant that's awesome because it's so true people over react to everything but in the end we all love the show and being part of the herd. I think you hit it right on the head.

[Shanks 10,817]

"Where the fu** is Derpy!?"

 

I love Derpy of course and would love to see her have her own episode but that is unfortunately extremely unlikely.

 

 

"M.A. Larson doesn't know how to write Fluttershy, therefore, this episode sucks!"

 

I often disagree with how many of the writers write both Rarity and Fluttershy but most of the episodes are still good despite that.

 

 

"This episode sounds like a fanfic, therefore it is inspired by a fanfic, therefore it's bad!"

 

 

There are so many fanfics out there that the odds of some episodes exploring similar concepts is very likely but that dosen't mean that they are directly inspired by that or any other fanfic.

 

 

"Lauren Faust Is Gone, Therefore The Show Sucks Now."

 

That is a complete and total slap in the face to all the writers, animators and other staff that have made great contributions both when Faust worked on the show and after she left.

 

 

"The show did something that bronies like, therefore they are pandering, therefore it is bad!"

 

So far the show has been able to keep the original audience and expand out to the unexpected new audience of bronies and there is of course nothing wrong with giving them the occasional nod.

 

 

"This ONE episode was bad, therefore the show has jumped the shark."

 

I have said many times that Magical Mystery Cure was the worst episode of the entire series but despite this wretched turd of an episode that got plopped onto us by Hasbro not letting the writers do their jobs since the twilicorn concept has only been onscreen for two seconds it still too soon to tell whether or not the show has really jumped the shark yet.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with criticism. If you don't like something about the show, you should be allowed to speak your mind. But some people criticize the show for the stupidest things. For example:

 

"Where the fu** is Derpy!?"

Seriously, just because an episode doesn't feature Derpy, doesn't mean it's a terrible episode. I love Derpy, but if she isn't in an episode, so what? Does season 3 suck, because Derpy is only in one episode? NO!

Agreed, like I've said before, her entire character was shaped by fanon, and she's really our creation, weather or not she's in the show is irreverent  it would be nice for them to keep her, but it's not something to start WWIII over.  

 

"M.A. Larson doesn't know how to write Fluttershy, therefore, this episode sucks!"

This isn't just about M.A. Larson and Fluttershy, but about any other writers, and whatever character they're not good at writing. It's understandable if the character in question is the center of the episode, but Fluttershy is not the center of Magic Duel, so you should not call the episode terrible just because of M.A. Larson's Fluttershy. All the writers are different, and they all have that character that they don't know how to write. It's the same for fanfic writers. Choose any fanfic featuring all of the mane 6, and you will find that at least one of them is not written the way you want them to be.

I've noticed to, but it's not like the characters are ever horribly butchered, they just feel a little off at times(God knows I've seen far worse OOC happen with Duncan on Highlander in the later seasons)

 

"This episode sounds like a fanfic, therefore it is inspired by a fanfic, therefore it's bad!"

Apparently, there are fanfics that existed before Keep Calm And Flutter On about Fluttershy reforming Discord. If anyone could give me a link to one of these, that would be wonderful. I've never heard of any of these, and I highly doubt any of the writers have heard of them either. I probably have a lot more time on my hands than they do, and if I haven't even heard of these, what makes you think the writers have? There are also a lot of people who believe that the scene in Too Many Pinkie Pies with the pinkie clones watching paint dry was a reference to the fanfic "Pinkie Pie Watches Paint Dry." It's not! It's just a coincidence which is more likely than you think it is. Same goes for Keep Calm And Flutter On. Even if there are fanfics with the same plot, that doesn't mean the writers stole the idea from those fans. They just happened to come up with a similar idea.

Besides, do you really think the writers read any fanfiction at all? They're probably not even allowed to. 

Agreed again, with the sheer amount of fanwork we have things like that are going to happen. 

 

And even if an episode really is just like a popular fanfiction, does that really make it bad? 

 

"Lauren Faust Is Gone, Therefore The Show Sucks Now."

I love Lauren Faust, but you guys give her way too much credit. Yes, I realize that if it weren't for her, the brony phenomenon wouldn't exist, but you guys treat her like she's god. You guys, even like to credit her as the creator of the Powerpuff Girls when it was actually her husband, Craig McCracken. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think she had anything to do with the Powerpuff Girls until season 3. Lauren Faust is not the only one who contributed to the charm of the first season. You should also give credit to the writers, and all the other people who worked on it. And look at the positives. Now there is a chance that we get to see Scootaloo fly one day. If you didn't know, Lauren Faust's reasoning for Scootaloo not being able to fly is that she's disabled. That hasn't been made canon, and hopefully, it never will be.

This one really grinds my gears, she has great respect for the team she left it to and vice versa, so this attitude is disrespectful to everyone involved. 

 

 

"The show did something that bronies like, therefore they are pandering, therefore it is bad!"

First of all, what is wrong with pandering. As long as the show doesn't steer too far away from the target demographic, there is no harm in a little bit of pandering. Secondly, a lot of the things that are supposedly "pandering" aren't pandering at all. Just because a character returns in another episode, doesn't mean they are pandering to us. Just because two background ponies appear right next to each other (Lyra and BonBon) doesn't mean they are pandering. It is likely, but you shouldn't just assume that anything is pandering, unless it's confirmed.

I don't them doing this as bad at all, it just means the creators listen to us and have a healthy relationship with the fandom. 

 

"This ONE episode was bad, therefore the show has jumped the shark."

I wonder if any brony left the fandom after Mare-Do-Well. I wouldn't know, because I didn't become a brony until the summer between seasons 2 and 3. I didn't even know this episode was hated by everyone until I had finished the first 2 seasons. It wasn't my favorite, but I never really saw its flaws until they were pointed out to me. I know, a lot of people didn't like Magical Mystery Cure (I personally loved it) but that is no reason to leave the fandom. You should at least give season 4 a chance.

Considering there's episodes as far back as season one people hate(don't get me started about how people mis-judge the entire point of "Feeling Pinkie Keen", we'd be here all afternoon), I find people pulling this one just bizzare. 

[FruitRiver 355]

Another thing that annoys me is when people act like things are fact, when its not. The least you can do is write "in my opinion" before you say "THIS EPISODE IS BY FAR THE WORST IN THE SERIES IT SUCKS SO MUCH HOW CAN U EVEN WATCH IT!!!!????"

[Ficta_Scriptor 165]

People hated the Mare Do Well episode? I thought it was awesome! Applejack and Pinkie got to be superheroes for a day! How could people not like that!? *Faints* I totally wanna re-watch that episode now...

 

Gotta say, though, if people think the show sucks then they think it sucks. It's their opinion, so let them be entitled to it. Some people think that season 3 sucks. Who are we to say that they're wrong? *shrugs*

[Limey 524]

My favorite complaint has got to be fan pandering.

Oh no! They gave a nod towards the us! they acknowledged our existence as a fandom! What a calamity!

Seriously, who actually cares? I can understand that too many references can ruin the show, but they never reach that level anyway. People always just need to moan about something, even if there is literally nothing to moan about.

 

Maybe if Rainbow Dash said '20% cooler XD XD XD' at least 5 times an episode i'd see where they're coming from, but in my eyes there is nothing wrong with a reference here and there.

[Megas 28,367]

Another one that comes to mind is how anal many fans are over episodes written by Dave Polsky or Merriwether Williams, and Wonderbolt Academy is the worst offender of what I'm talking about, with many people whining about how it ruined Spitfire even though she never really had much character to begin with, it's like they're trying to hate these episodes

[Stellafera 3,836]

People hated the Mare Do Well episode? I thought it was awesome! Applejack and Pinkie got to be superheroes for a day! How could people not like that!? *Faints* I totally wanna re-watch that episode now...

Coming from a Rainbow Dash fan, I personally LOVED the Mare Do Well episode.

 

I like where this is going. Now, all we need is for a mod to replace the title with "Mare Do Well Appreciation Thread", and it'll all be perfect...

 

 

Um, anyways, the stuff about pandering and jumping the shark are the biggest ones to me because I see them the most. Sleepless in Ponyville was NOT pandering; it was following the Scootaloo-Rainbow Dash character arc to its logical conclusion and including a thematically appropriate use of Luna as the mysterious princess of the moon, which has many mystical connotations that make Luna a perfect fit for the role. Magic Duel, even if I disliked it, was not even designed as a Season 3 episode!

 

About jumping the shark, people weren't really calling that with Mare Do Well (they were too busy insulting Merriwether's writing ability). Lesson Zero, however, got so many accusations of pandering and jumping the shark that it rivaled the Twilicorn drama in intensity. And it wasn't even a bad episode! People were so focused on what it meant for the series that it took until mid-season for them to enjoy the episode for what it was, instead of what it meant on a meta level. Now it's a widely beloved Twilight episode, and is proof to the silliness of this sort of deal. If you do dislike the direction the show is heading, that is fine, but one single episode does not tell all. 

[Harmonic Revelations 8,837]

Dear lord, someone does not agree with the OP. Don't worry OP, I'm calling the police right now, you wont have to worry about people disagreeing with you about aspects of the show anymore.

[Ficta_Scriptor 165]

It's weird hearing about people 'hating' on episodes because throughout the entire time I've been a brony I was never even aware that there was hatred towards these things or even that some people were up in arms over the Canterlot Wedding and Keep Calm and Flutter On! (I still consider CW to be one of my favourite episodes ever, if not my all-time fave) At no point in the series (except for the obvious one) have I felt this way.

 

It's only been since the Twilicorn thing that I've heard people say that any of this was going on. I genuinely had no idea whatsoever. Then again, I'm anti-Twilicorn, so... we'll see what happens.

Edited March 9, 2013 by Ficta_Scriptor

[Zygen 6,066]

I agree with the majority of what you said basically, but I suppose people can have their own opinions on things.

 

Im pretty casual with my critique towards the show, I enjoy like all the episodes basically. Heck before I watched reviews on it I actually kinda liked mare do well. Hate me but I kinda did now I'm less fond of it.

 

And yeah Lauren Faust left a while ago, the shows been fine without her, however I wouldn't say she's useless or anything, I mean she invisioned the whole show more or less, she made the base of the show, and some of the other parts of the show swell, so she does deserve credit for sure, however I'm sure the show can and has continued on without her for a bit.

 

People are entitled to their own opinions, but I tend to not critique the show much, i find it good and don't tend to go into deep analysis of it, I just enjoy it which is why I don't really watch many reviews anymore.

 

In the ends it's all my opinions I guess, so everyone's free to have different ones