In Defense Of Season 3: Lack Of Friendship Letters

[Pony Of The Month 534]

This is the first installment of "In Defense Of Season 3." Because I love this season too much to not defend it. This will be a series of threads, and hopefully won't piss anyone off. 

 

This in my opinion, is the weakest argument of all the neighsayers of season 3, so I'll talk about it first.

 

Friendship Letters. Because without them we would be completely lost. Sure, any episode could have a good moral. But without Friendship Letters, how could we ever comprehend those morals? Think of Feeling Pinkie Keen. Without the Friendship Letter, we would believe that the episode was about Religious Tolerance, but thanks to the Letter, we realize that the moral is about how you should throw the scientific method out the window if you're feeling frustrated. See, because of the friendship letter, we see clearly. Isn't it wonderful? 

 

First of all, the friendship letters aren't THAT important. Sure, they spell out the moral for the kids who may have a hard time understanding them otherwise, but they aren't 100% necessary. 

 

They could completely get rid of friendship letters and I would be okay with it. Here's why:

 

1. Sometimes, the moral is told without a friendship letter, so having a friendship letter in those cases would just be redundant. Look at Sleepless In Ponyville for example. The moral is told by the story. Everyone knows what it was, and we didn't need a Friendship Letter.

 

2. Sometimes, the Friendship Letter ruins the episode. Like Feeling Pinkie Keen for example. If that episode didn't have a moral, it would be absolutely perfect in my eyes. Another example would be A Dog And Pony Show. Because of that episode's friendship letter, it sounds like they're telling little girls that you'll get your way if you whine enough.

 

I have nothing against the Friendship Letters. I just think kids are smarter than we give them credit for, and that this show shouldn't have to depend on Friendship Letters to get the moral across, and sometimes, the Friendship Letters can even ruin the morals. So if they decide to completely throw away Friendship Letters in season 4, I'll be perfectly fine with that.

[Gone for good 1,593]

lol people are really complaining about the friendship letters? All they really do is explain the obvious and detract a bit from the show. A good moral of a story shouldn't have to be written in plain black and white at the end of the story.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,611]

The lack of friendship letters just did not bother me as much as I would think. Not every episode needs a moral. If it does have a moral, like you said, it doesn't always need to be spelled out slowly. Sometimes subtlety is the best way to put a message and I do enjoy things like that.

 

I do like the letters though. I do think that in terms of morals and the letter, Feeling Pinkie Keen was the worst episode in the series in my opinion, but I still enjoyed the episode overall. I like the letters because it is a reflection of everything that just happened, so kinda a reflection of memories. That is a special feeling for me, as strange as it sounds. I would hate for them to do away with them entirely but it would not be the worst thing in the world. Besides, there are probably many lessons that can still be learned by many of the ponies. As long as the morals are not handled the same way as FPK, then keep them coming. Like I said though, not every episode has to have one. Subtlety can work very well when done right.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Kyoshi

[Nayruthepegasister 118]

I feel like the friendship letters were taken away to foreshadow Twilight's transformation... I think that she realized the morals and just didn't need to right them anymore because she had already learned them, thus mastering the magic of friendship. This is just a little headcannon of mine though...

[Dzastur 1,719]

I think the friendship letters were a great device to have when Twilight (and, to some extent, the other members of the Mane 6) were still learning the basics about appreciating each other, and what it meant to be good friends to one another. Although no one is ever through learning, I kind of feel like they're past that now.

 

I see more drama for the Mane 6 and triumph over difficulty going on in the future, rather than stuff requiring letters to Celestia. The CMCs are there to cover any basic lessons that still need to be addressed.

 

In fact, the next letter I'd like to see to Princess Celestia would be something akin to, "Dear Princess Celestia: you always told me/us that x is true. Turns out, it isn't. What gives?", followed by a meeting with Celestia in which she starts, "There is something you need to know..." and a secret revealed.

[Reani 176]

I believe the letters symbolize mental lessons being learned. Here's my thought on the seasons. Season 1, first learning about life. Getting to know about friendship and how to deal with certain issues in life, and writing down, mentally, what you have learned. Season 2, application of what you have learned about life, and learning more, smaller lessons that are an extension of what you have already learned. Season 3, the unexpected. There will be events in life that are full of drama. At this point, you are going to have to use nearly all that you have learned to overcome. The finale for Season 3 is just a big lesson about growing up. You're going to grow up, whether you like it or not. Even still, you are going to learn more lesson about life when you do. I'm pretty sure the letter are going to happen more frequently in Season 4.

[Circadian 1,273]

The friendship letters almost always made me roll my eyes, with a few notable exceptions.

 

It usually took away the experience of interpreting the episode's message through your own filter.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

It's simply traditional to have the letters make appearances in the closing minutes of an episode, nothing more. I would earnestly expect that the events occurring in the episodes themselves would make viewers understand things for themselves rather than a latter highlighting what's right or wrong from a piece of paper. Other than to add clarification, it really doesn't serve a purpose other than to chew up time, I always thought.

 

However, it can also be argued that the letters were a signature component to the series, and the lack of it feels like a blow. Though, I perceive it more to be a shedding from the little-girl image the show has felt like (a bit) from season ones and two -- as it revolutionizes, the need for putting letters out there is lessened with each episode. By my count, it does not affect the quality of the series in any way. The change is just enough to invoke emotional responses because most people are not used to seeing episodes without friendship letters.

[. eris . 1,661]

I find it ironic and funny that you used two of my favorite episodes as examples. (i.e., A Dog and Pony Show, and Feeling Pinkie Keen.) And I agree with you, kids are a whole lot smarter than most television writers give them credit for.

 

Actually, when my brother and I first discovered MLP, we hated the Friendship Letters at the end. We used to joke as soon as Spike picked up the quill, we'd both start singing, "And so what we have learned applies to our lives today..."

 

Now, they've kind of grown on me. But seriously? People are complaining about that? O_e