Is Season 3 (S3) really that bad?

[Toon Richard 534]

To quote brental floss (not exactly) :

This season came from, i presume, from an all to magic, mushroom!

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I really loved the first half of it. The run of

 

Too Many Pinkie Pies

One Bad Apple

Magic Duel

Sleepless in Ponyville

Wonderbolt Academy

and Apple Family Reunion

 

Is probably the best streak of six episodes this show's ever had outside the beginning of Season 2. Season 3 was going great. Possibly the best Dash episode, the second best episode in the series in Sleepless in Ponyville, great AJ episode, great Pinkie episode, it was all fantastic.

 

And the Spike at your Service happened and well, things dropped off a little. Didn't mind Keep Calm and Flutter on or Just for Sidekicks, but things didn't really get back up to the level of some of the episodes earlier on. Games Ponies Play was trash and the finale is in love/hate territory for me. Overall, I don't think it's that bad. Maybe better than Season 4's been so far.

 

Its pros include it being Dash's and AJ's (unless S4 passes it up) best seasons and having loads of really enjoyable episodes earlier on. Its cons for me were the whole "Twilight's destiny" thing that was the focus of the opener and finale, some of Spike's characterization, couple of really rotten episodes that stood out way more in the shorter season, generally shoddy writing of Pinkie outside her episode, and no Rarity episode. Sounds like a lot of cons to be sure, but S3's good points are so good that they keep me from condemning it. Overall I'd rank it as my third favorite season so far. Bit of a mixed bag but it gave us some real gems

[TwilightDreamer 69]

It's mostly just a bag of mixed surprises that really did well or just struck out for fans.

 

It's not really considered bad, it's just underrated and a season that deserves more than what it got. It definitely deserves 13 more episodes with the current episodes in the show canon and if it was kept going with the 26 episode limit, it would've been better.

[Anadu Kune 668]

In my opinion no its not a bad season. In fact it had what was possibly my favorite episode to date in Magical Mystery Cure. I could go into further detail on why but I don't think many want to read a full blown essay on that here.

[hawkflame 3,310]

It was very hit and miss. There were some episodes I legitimately enjoyed, but at least five or so that I consider problematic at the minimum, including my least favorite of the entire series.

 

Add the fact that Rarity got the shaft, and you got a somewhat disappointing season all together.

[Jammo 986]

Too short, Rarity got no love.

Besides that if I were put Good to Bad episodes on a ratio basis, it's the same as Season 2 soo..

If it wasn't short it wouldn't have it's problems.

[Kaiskov 1]

Nah.

 

Imo season 3 is the best one out of the lot, I think people just are being sp00ked as hell because their godess Lauren Faust has fully left the show by this point.

 

Also the finale is my favouite episode of the show. Maybe it's because I love Twilight Sparkle to death but eh I could go on forever as to why Twilicorn made perfect sense.

I agree with this guy for the most part.

 

Sure, it might have been short, but most episodes were really good to me, the only one I see as bad being Spike At Your Service. It might have been short, but it felt like the 4th of July because each episode had so much interesting stuff happening (Unlike season 2... my least favourite for the lack of interesting stories)

[Misty Shadow 7,869]

While I never viewed Season 3 as terrible, I understood why people didn't like it at the time because I only enjoyed so much of it initially. After I gave all of the episodes in it a rewatch though...I ended up really liking it.

[Castle Bleck 19,361]

It gave us Darker And Edgier elements like King Sombra (my 2nd-favorite Big Bad), the Pinkie Pie clones' "deaths," the Alicorn Amulet, Lightning Dust's nigh-sociopathic recklessness, etc.

[Silvershock 69]

I think season 3 is fine to be honest. The opener was great, and there were some really solid episodes in there. My problem with the finale was always down to it being rushed rather than the events that occur in it. I just wish they hadn't cut it short to spend time making that...other thing.  I bloody hate that film.

 

 

Add the fact that Rarity got the shaft, and you got a somewhat disappointing season all together.

 

Best Pony just spent her time stealing everyone else's episodes, like teaching Applejack how to act hysterical.

Edited February 18, 2014 by Silvershock

[Sir Hugsalot 9,348]

I'm just wondering. xD

 

As some of you may know, I'm still on S1 (watching MLP from the beginning, in order) and I've heard a lot of ponies on here say S3 is not the best season.

 

What's your opinion on this?

 

-Candlewick

Well in my opinion this season was definitely not as good as season 1, 2 or season 4 so far, but it was certainly not bad. Just few episodes (especially last one) seemed kinda rushed. Besides many people complain about Twilight becoming an alicorn I think You should just see it Yourself. After all it's matter of taste.

[Katana 298]

Eeeeyup.

 

I still respect the writers quite a bit for two perfectly lovable seasons; and there were actually perhaps one or two episodes from season 3 that had really redeeming qualities (Wonderbolt Academy stands out as the first RD episode to not end in RD apologizing for excessively showy behavior; one of those great "I didn't learn anything! I was right all along!" moments)

 

BUT...far, far more of those episodes than I liked seemed to have been written by committee - a horde of fans who knew what they liked and wanted more of it. If fans really "knew what they liked", then 3 years ago they wouldn't have started watching a cartoon for little girls about magical ponies.

 

The series also had kind of an extreme low point in one episode where their "lesson of the day" was actually pretty much the OPPOSITE of what I feel anyone should be recommended in the given situation. I'll give you a hint; it has to do with abusive/mistreatful housemates.

 

I never even finished the season, honestly...