Spike the Martyr (A complaint about his terrible writing)

[MrPandaa 204]

I freaking hate Spike's writing in Season 4, and Season 3 wasn't much better.

An example: in the most recent episode that he appeared in (at least, I think so--please correct me if I'm wrong), "It Isn't Easy Being Breezies", Spike only had a few moments of screen time, and in those moments, what did he do?  He screwed everything up, and literally created the conflict that the entire episode had to deal with from then on.

Now, the question I'm asking is, "why in Tartarus was it Spike who accidentally stranded the group of breezies?"  The rest of the episode doesn't touch on Spike's mistake at all, showing that the conflict was either considered to be resolved almost immediately, or that the conflict never was resolved.  Neither is all that great in a writing sense; one way, you have a weak conflict that was too easy to solve, and the other way, you have a conflict that was never solved at all.  Of course, the group of breezies needed to be thrown out of the group, because Fluttershy needed to experience her internal conflict that the episode was actually about.

But why on earth did Spike need to cause the problem?  Why couldn't it have been Fluttershy in the first place, and so she would have to resolve both issues before the end?  Honestly, I think that would have been a much better story arc for this episode.  Spike doesn't look stupider than he always does--which is unfortunately quite frequently--and Fluttershy is able to experience the greater conflict of having thrown the breezies off course.

So that's most of what I got.  Basically, I really don't like Spike's writing.  He is always portrayed as a stupid, bumbling idiot who always makes dumb mistakes that set up conflict and blablabla.  While I understand that, yes, "he's a baby dragon", and so should make dumb mistakes, but whatever happened to his episodes where he had some real, genuine growth?  The CMC's are all kids, too, but they get episodes in which they grow.  Spike should get the same treatment, the kind of treatment that we saw him get in "Dragon Quest", which I thought was one of the best episodes of its season.

Oh, and on the subject of that episode, WHERE THE HECK IS SPIKE'S PHOENIX????

I guess it's really saying something about his terrible writing that his only good episode was retconned into nonexistence. :/ Anyways, what do you all think?  Do you agree that Spike has had some pretty bad writing, or do you like him as the bumbling fool?

[Nature's Spell 526]

The funny thing about this topic is that the Power Ponies was based around the Spike the Clown meme and the moral was that he was not a clown. Yet, I believe the vary next episode he played the fool.

[Singe 2,111]

Spike had a bit of a sexest attitude in Season 1 where he actually steered clear of anything the Mane 6 did, he saw as girly. The show should have kept that around to explain some of his absenses.

 

If you look at the leaf, it was going to break off. Spike just sped it up with his happy dance.

[Red Cedar 1,408]

Spike definitely gets the shaft on a far too regular basis. With the amount of work he puts in for both Twilight and Rarity, he should be getting a little more consideration from all of them. Even if the writers have to make him the cause of problems (they don't always, have to do this) they should give him a little bit of moral support from the rest of them.

[Radiance64 7,053]

He was in For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls actually.

But yeah, for the most part Spike hasn't been portrayed well in Season 4, which is probably the season's biggest flaw to me. He did have a few shining moments in Power Ponies and Simple Ways though, and is going to star alongside Rarity in an upcoming episode shortly, but I don't think that's all enough to redeem his one-off/whipping boy status they got going on with him in most episodes right now.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Radiance64

[Scootalove 10,689]

I agree, Spike wasn't portrayed or written well in Season 4. He did have some shining moments, but that doesn't help him with how the writers have written him lately.

[TheChosenPony 279]

 

I freaking hate Spike's writing in Season 4, and Season 3 wasn't much better.

An example: in the most recent episode that he appeared in (at least, I think so--please correct me if I'm wrong), "It Isn't Easy Being Breezies", Spike only had a few moments of screen time, and in those moments, what did he do?  He screwed everything up, and literally created the conflict that the entire episode had to deal with from then on.

Now, the question I'm asking is, "why in Tartarus was it Spike who accidentally stranded the group of breezies?"  The rest of the episode doesn't touch on Spike's mistake at all, showing that the conflict was either considered to be resolved almost immediately, or that the conflict never was resolved.  Neither is all that great in a writing sense; one way, you have a weak conflict that was too easy to solve, and the other way, you have a conflict that was never solved at all.  Of course, the group of breezies needed to be thrown out of the group, because Fluttershy needed to experience her internal conflict that the episode was actually about.

But why on earth did Spike need to cause the problem?  Why couldn't it have been Fluttershy in the first place, and so she would have to resolve both issues before the end?  Honestly, I think that would have been a much better story arc for this episode.  Spike doesn't look stupider than he always does--which is unfortunately quite frequently--and Fluttershy is able to experience the greater conflict of having thrown the breezies off course.

So that's most of what I got.  Basically, I really don't like Spike's writing.  He is always portrayed as a stupid, bumbling idiot who always makes dumb mistakes that set up conflict and blablabla.  While I understand that, yes, "he's a baby dragon", and so should make dumb mistakes, but whatever happened to his episodes where he had some real, genuine growth?  The CMC's are all kids, too, but they get episodes in which they grow.  Spike should get the same treatment, the kind of treatment that we saw him get in "Dragon Quest", which I thought was one of the best episodes of its season.

Oh, and on the subject of that episode, WHERE THE HECK IS SPIKE'S PHOENIX????

I guess it's really saying something about his terrible writing that his only good episode was retconned into nonexistence. :/ Anyways, what do you all think?  Do you agree that Spike has had some pretty bad writing, or do you like him as the bumbling fool?

 

 

It was just that one mistake, a simple leaf blew in the way. It wasn't that bad a problem, that's why the mane 6 didn't get angry with him,it was, at the end, fluttershy's fault for keeping them for way too long, if they had continued right then and there they would have made it back with the other breezies. But I have to agree, spike hasn't gotten very much light, he's been shown as a complete love slave to rarity and I dislike that. He is NOT a goofball, he never acted that way before and he shouldn't act that way now. But I guess that this season is more or less based on the mane 6 getting their (spoiler) rainbow keys (spoiler) than on spike, and his comical clumsiness and out of character actions are just show fillers that probably will be made up for later

[Rainboom Dash 1,056]

I agree Spike has been treated terribly by the writers this season. Hoping "Inspiration Manifestation" will redeem it.

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

 

 

Oh, and on the subject of that episode, WHERE THE HECK IS SPIKE'S PHOENIX????

 

At the beginning of "Just For Sidekicks" you see pictures of Spike returning Peewee to his parents.

[FNGRpony 658]

their comes a point when a character gets sunk so bad,

that he's slide down such a far slope nothing can be done to bring him back.

 

I don't know i spike is there now,

but it seems that's where dhx wants him.

[DryGuy84 (Inactive) 927]

their comes a point when a character gets sunk so bad,

that he's slide down such a far slope nothing can be done to bring him back.

 

I don't know i spike is there now,

but it seems that's where dhx wants him.

 

I doubt that, I think that they just usually don't know what to do with him. Also Spike being the butt of the slapstick humor has always been there, so why has it become more of a problem now? Well, it's the same problem that I mentioned for Pinkie's characterization this season. They keep pushing him into plots where he has no time to shine, so he reverts to his basic personality traits (and role).

 

Spike the young, unlucky, and underappreciated assistant to Twilight Sparkle.

 

Episodes this season that this doesn't hold true for:

Princess Twilight Sparkle (excluding one scene)

Power Ponies

Pinkie Apple Pie

Pinkie Pride

Simple Ways

Filli Vanilli

It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (arguable for both sides)

For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

 

Episodes that it does:

Castle Mane-ia (excluding some moments)

Bats!

Rarity Takes Manehattan

Three's a Crowd

Twilight Time

It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (arguable for both sides)

 

As you can see it isn't a majority of his appearances, but rather plots the he really has no reason to be in that have this problem (just like the rest of the cast).

Edited March 25, 2014 by DryColt84

[MrPandaa 204]

The funny thing about this topic is that the Power Ponies was based around the Spike the Clown meme and the moral was that he was not a clown. Yet, I believe the vary next episode he played the fool.

Yeah, I feel that the writers may have taken the wrong lesson from that episode.

 

 

 

Spike had a bit of a sexest attitude in Season 1 where he actually steered clear of anything the Mane 6 did, he saw as girly. The show should have kept that around to explain some of his absenses.

Hmm, that's an interesting idea...I hadn't thought about that, but now that you say it, he certainly did have that kind of attitude, and it made for an interesting character trait that certainly should have been kept around.

 

 

If you look at the leaf, it was going to break off. Spike just sped it up with his happy dance.

Well, what I'm trying to say is, why Spike?  If the leaf was about to break off, just let it break off.  Don't make it Spike's fault just because reasons.

 

 

Spike definitely gets the shaft on a far too regular basis. With the amount of work he puts in for both Twilight and Rarity, he should be getting a little more consideration from all of them. Even if the writers have to make him the cause of problems (they don't always, have to do this) they should give him a little bit of moral support from the rest of them.

 

 

I agree, Spike wasn't portrayed or written well in Season 4. He did have some shining moments, but that doesn't help him with how the writers have written him lately.

 

 

I agree Spike has been treated terribly by the writers this season.

Yay, I'm not the only one. Good to see others are upset about it, too--maybe Hasbro will change something if they see people complaining.  Though with all these C&D's going out, I'm not so sure about that...

 

 

 

He was in For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls actually.

Oh, thank you for correcting me.  I thought I might have missed something.

@ Okay, I see what you're saying with the first bit.  And I completely agree with the second bit.

@ Yes.  To this post I say yes.

 

At the beginning of "Just For Sidekicks" you see pictures of Spike returning Peewee to his parents.

Pooh, I liked that guy.  But I suppose that does make sense...but that doesn't mean I'm happy with it.

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

Pooh, I liked that guy.  But I suppose that does make sense...but that doesn't mean I'm happy with it.

 

Yeah, I'm a bit torn on it.

 

On the one hand, Spike having a pet phoenix like Celestia would be cool.

On the other, while he did ultimately save Peewee, he was also partially responsible for Peewee being separated from his parents.

So it was right of Spike to return him, especially since his parents were likely quite upset with having to leave their little late hatcher behind in order to flee from dragons.

Edited March 25, 2014 by ShadOBabe

[~TheMareintheMoon 8]

I agree he hasn't  been treated in a good way, but at  least in the last episode he got to be a supportive friend, (one of the other reasons to watch For whom the sweetie belle toils)

[Singe 2,111]

Spike is a dragon. His only reason for living with ponies is that he wants to be needed by them. If he doesn't have that, then there is little point in continuing to live among ponies and goes on to living as a light/dark conflicting dragon. Spike's dragon-hood is just an alternate way of a boy's manhood.

[Sindle 40]

Pandaa I understand your frustration with how Spike, the only boy who has any significance to the show whatsoever, is being handled by the writers, at first the Spike Slapstick was funny, but they kept going with it and it just got sad after a few episodes.

 

But I just wonder why they treat Spike like Luigi, maybe it's because Hasbro has always wanted to market the toys to little girls and at the target demographic's age most girls think boys are gross and dirty and want nothing to do with them in the same manner that boys at that age think girls are frilly and sissy, remind anypony of "My Little Pony Tales"?

 

But who knows, I just want to see the boy shown a shred of respect in the next season because face it. If Spike were a real person he'd probably be depressed and attempting suicide after being the flank of nearly all the slapstick.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Sindle

[Singe 2,111]

Spike lost his edge and has smoothed out. In Season 1, he was sexist against girly things. Now he wears an apron and does what ever the Mane 6 want of him. It got to the point that the Mane 6 thinks Spike as a dragon is very soft bumbling joke.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Pandaa I understand your frustration with how Spike, the only boy who has any significance to the show whatsoever, is being handled by the writers, at first the Spike Slapstick was funny, but they kept going with it and it just got sad after a few episodes.

 

But I just wonder why they treat Spike like Luigi, maybe it's because Hasbro has always wanted to market the toys to little girls and at the target demographic's age most girls think boys are gross and dirty and want nothing to do with them in the same manner that boys at that age think girls are frilly and sissy, remind anypony of "My Little Pony Tales"?

 

But who knows, I just want to see the boy shown a shred of respect in the next season because face it. If Spike were a real person he'd probably be depressed and attempting suicide after being the flank of nearly all the slapstick.

^This.

 

I already touched on the implied sexism in a blog post about Season 4. (http://mlpforums.com/blog/1581/entry-10588-best-and-worst-trends-of-season-4-so-far/) If Spike was considered a main character he would objectively be the least developed and most inconsistent of them all. It's enough that his episodes aren't the best, but this season has been fraught with undue punishment and missed opportunities regarding him.

 

I found the treatment of Spike akin to that of Meg Griffin in Family Guy, a show I stopped watching a long time ago. Come on, we're better than that!

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Given all 8 Spike fans in the fandom seem to be pretty pissed about this, I'll throw in my two cents

First off, I'll be honest and say that his portrayal, contrary to what others think, doesn't bother me at all, and I find it quite humorous. Of course, Spike is a character I'm neutral on; don't hate 'em, don't like 'em, so I guess I can see what's so upsetting about it to his fans.

 

I found the treatment of Spike akin to that of Meg Griffin in Family Guy, a show I stopped watching a long time ago. Come on, we're better than that!

When I see THIS, though, I get a bit irritated.

 

The Mane 6 don't abuse Spike regularly. Sure, he's taken less seriously at times, but that'd be like me treating a 6 or 7 year old like a full-grown adult, since, you know, Spike is a baby dragon. They don't go out of their way to abuse him and mock him, though.

 

That "Spike Abuse" card is quite frankly getting old. Saying Spike is being abused is like a 13 year-old saying they're being abused for asking to help carry in the groceries and shit like that. Spike is NOT being abused, not will he EVER get abused; he's taken a bit for granted, even by my beloved Rarity, I will say, but comparing him to being treated like Meg is just silly.

[BlinkZ 1,151]

 

I freaking hate Spike's writing in Season 4, and Season 3 wasn't much better.

An example: in the most recent episode that he appeared in (at least, I think so--please correct me if I'm wrong), "It Isn't Easy Being Breezies", Spike only had a few moments of screen time, and in those moments, what did he do?  He screwed everything up, and literally created the conflict that the entire episode had to deal with from then on.

Now, the question I'm asking is, "why in Tartarus was it Spike who accidentally stranded the group of breezies?"  The rest of the episode doesn't touch on Spike's mistake at all, showing that the conflict was either considered to be resolved almost immediately, or that the conflict never was resolved.  Neither is all that great in a writing sense; one way, you have a weak conflict that was too easy to solve, and the other way, you have a conflict that was never solved at all.  Of course, the group of breezies needed to be thrown out of the group, because Fluttershy needed to experience her internal conflict that the episode was actually about.

But why on earth did Spike need to cause the problem?  Why couldn't it have been Fluttershy in the first place, and so she would have to resolve both issues before the end?  Honestly, I think that would have been a much better story arc for this episode.  Spike doesn't look stupider than he always does--which is unfortunately quite frequently--and Fluttershy is able to experience the greater conflict of having thrown the breezies off course.

So that's most of what I got.  Basically, I really don't like Spike's writing.  He is always portrayed as a stupid, bumbling idiot who always makes dumb mistakes that set up conflict and blablabla.  While I understand that, yes, "he's a baby dragon", and so should make dumb mistakes, but whatever happened to his episodes where he had some real, genuine growth?  The CMC's are all kids, too, but they get episodes in which they grow.  Spike should get the same treatment, the kind of treatment that we saw him get in "Dragon Quest", which I thought was one of the best episodes of its season.

Oh, and on the subject of that episode, WHERE THE HECK IS SPIKE'S PHOENIX????

I guess it's really saying something about his terrible writing that his only good episode was retconned into nonexistence. :/ Anyways, what do you all think?  Do you agree that Spike has had some pretty bad writing, or do you like him as the bumbling fool?

 

Yeah Have agree Season 4 spike is getting abused

hell at least in season 3 ending he was conforting Twilight

Season 2 - lesson zero: he the voice of reason.

Season 1 - he was there for twilight when she needed him.

 

Season 4 : duhhh i so stupid!!

AAA!!!

[Princess Periwinkle 3,775]

Well I'm sure you'll appreciate the description of a future S4 episode:

 

 

"Spike is in charge of lighting the torch for the opening of the Equestria Games, but his nerves get the best of him."

 

 

 

Spike is there for a lot of comic relief, but I don't normally don't mind his writing. A bit worried about the episode above, though.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Given all 8 Spike fans in the fandom seem to be pretty pissed about this, I'll throw in my two cents

I'm not the biggest fan of Spike, but I find it embarrassing that the most prominent supporting character is constantly trashed, especially when his most immediate counterparts and characters who have appeared less times than him are given more respect. This goes further than just being a Spike fan or not.

 

The Mane 6 don't abuse Spike regularly. Sure, he's taken less seriously at times, but that'd be like me treating a 6 or 7 year old like a full-grown adult, since, you know, Spike is a baby dragon. They don't go out of their way to abuse him and mock him, though.

 

That "Spike Abuse" card is quite frankly getting old. Saying Spike is being abused is like a 13 year-old saying they're being abused for asking to help carry in the groceries and shit like that. Spike is NOT being abused, not will he EVER get abused; he's taken a bit for granted, even by my beloved Rarity, I will say, but comparing him to being treated like Meg is just silly.

While the Mane 6 aren't doing it, from a meta perspective it seems that the writers are. Even after this aspect was touched on in "Power Ponies", the episode turned out to be nothing but 22 minutes of false lip service and the promises that were made were broken immediately afterwards. It's almost as if the episode's portrayal of Spike as a "comic relief sidekick" pretty much justified them running with it for the rest of the season, regardless of the episode's message.

 

It's not really "abuse" in that sense as much as it is terrible writing that's substandard for this show. Similarly, Meg is just abused and abused by her family and nothing ever changes about it, but that's up to par with the writing standards of Family Guy. Said standards are why I stopped watching the show and others like it.

 

A few jokes at his expense would be fine, but when it becomes a constant day-in day-out cycle of slowly deconstructing a character that was once treated with respect, it becomes one-note and something new needs to be done with the character, especially considering the fact that it was never this excessive before. It stands out when one of your main characters is a one-note gag character against a bunch of fully-developed, strong characters.

 

And don't mention that it's because he's a kid. What justification do you have for the Crusaders being treated with more respect to their growth this season?

 

 

I doubt that, I think that they just usually don't know what to do with him. Also Spike being the butt of the slapstick humor has always been there, so why has it become more of a problem now? Well, it's the same problem that I mentioned for Pinkie's characterization this season. They keep pushing him into plots where he has no time to shine, so he reverts to his basic personality traits (and role).

 

Spike the young, unlucky, and underappreciated assistant to Twilight Sparkle.

 

Episodes this season that this doesn't hold true for:

Princess Twilight Sparkle (excluding one scene)

Power Ponies

Pinkie Apple Pie

Pinkie Pride

Simple Ways

Filli Vanilli

It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (arguable for both sides)

For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

 

Episodes that it does:

Castle Mane-ia (excluding some moments)

Bats!

Rarity Takes Manehattan

Three's a Crowd

Twilight Time

It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (arguable for both sides)

 

As you can see it isn't a majority of his appearances, but rather plots the he really has no reason to be in that have this problem (just like the rest of the cast).

For "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies", it belongs squarely in the "true" column. I don't think they ever made amends for what he did.

 

Also, "Filli Vanilli" I would list as a missed opportunity, they could have done more with him in the episode.

Well I'm sure you'll appreciate the description of a future S4 episode:

 

 

"Spike is in charge of lighting the torch for the opening of the Equestria Games, but his nerves get the best of him."

 

 

 

Spike is there for a lot of comic relief, but I don't normally don't mind his writing. A bit worried about the episode above, though.

I think it sounds like a believable conflict if it's handled correctly. I wouldn't get my hopes up though, as conflicts that were better handled realistically were instead handled with comedy this season.

[DryGuy84 (Inactive) 927]

I'm not the biggest fan of Spike, but I find it embarrassing that the most prominent supporting character is constantly trashed, especially when his most immediate counterparts and characters who have appeared less times than him are given more respect. This goes further than just being a Spike fan or not.

 

While the Mane 6 aren't doing it, from a meta perspective it seems that the writers are. Even after this aspect was touched on in "Power Ponies", the episode turned out to be nothing but 22 minutes of false lip service and the promises that were made were broken immediately afterwards. It's almost as if the episode's portrayal of Spike as a "comic relief sidekick" pretty much justified them running with it for the rest of the season, regardless of the episode's message.

 

It's not really "abuse" in that sense as much as it is terrible writing that's substandard for this show. Similarly, Meg is just abused and abused by her family and nothing ever changes about it, but that's up to par with the writing standards of Family Guy. Said standards are why I stopped watching the show and others like it.

 

A few jokes at his expense would be fine, but when it becomes a constant day-in day-out cycle of slowly deconstructing a character that was once treated with respect, it becomes one-note and something new needs to be done with the character, especially considering the fact that it was never this excessive before. It stands out when one of your main characters is a one-note gag character against a bunch of fully-developed, strong characters.

 

And don't mention that it's because he's a kid. What justification do you have for the Crusaders being treated with more respect to their growth this season?

 

 

For "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies", it belongs squarely in the "true" column. I don't think they ever made amends for what he did.

 

Also, "Filli Vanilli" I would list as a missed opportunity, they could have done more with him in the episode.

I think it sounds like a believable conflict if it's handled correctly. I wouldn't get my hopes up though, as conflicts that were better handled realistically were instead handled with comedy this season.

 

But if you actually pay attention to the leaf it looks like it's going to fall either way, and he's not the butt of any joke. I also really didn't want to bring this up, but none of that would've happened if Pinkie could just contain herself and watch quietly. I personally don't see any reason to blame either of them, though. Spike was genuinely sorry, and Pinkie had a good reason to be so excited. So yea, IAEBB is staying where it is or moving into the "not true" category (my entire list is subjective anyway, and that's my opinion on the portrayal).

[Singe 2,111]

Out of the episodes of FIM, they never had a talking female dragon. All of those that talked were males.

 

So they could introduce a female dragon that Spike is attracted too.

[MrPandaa 204]

 

 

So it was right of Spike to return him, especially since his parents were likely quite upset with having to leave their little late hatcher behind in order to flee from dragons.

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.  Stupid moral obligations making characters less cool. *pouts* (jk)

 

 

I agree he hasn't  been treated in a good way, but at  least in the last episode he got to be a supportive friend, (one of the other reasons to watch For whom the sweetie belle toils)

 

Did he?  Everyone's been telling me that Spike is in "For Whom...", but I don't remember seeing him.  Am I going mad?

 

Spike is a dragon. His only reason for living with ponies is that he wants to be needed by them. If he doesn't have that, then there is little point in continuing to live among ponies and goes on to living as a light/dark conflicting dragon. Spike's dragon-hood is just an alternate way of a boy's manhood.

Hmm, that's an interesting thought.  But I don't quite understand (or maybe just don't agree with) your first-ish statement, "His only reason for living with ponies is that he wants to be needed by them." (emphasis added) I think that Spike's attachment to them isn't just a selfish one, but more of a decision because he likes them, and simply because they're his family.  If I'm not mistaken, that's the reason he chooses to go back home in "Dragon Quest".  But please correct me if I'm wrong, because I haven't watched the older episodes in months and I haven't even read most of the comics, so I could definitely be wrong about something here.

 

 

Pandaa

Squee, you called me Pandaa!  I love it when people do that!!

Okay, now to actually respond to your response, I completely agree.  In fact, you managed to sum up a lot of the things that I had realized I'd forgotten since I first wrote the OP. Spike has really gotten the thumb, and if it's for the sake of money, then shame on you Hasbro.  I mean, sure, the show started out as a marketing ploy, but it's been years of My Little Pony, and if they haven't all come to realized that it has a lot more fans than just its audience, they're either just kidding themselves or just plain unobservant.  Spike is unfortunately falling into an immature stereotype of the useless, annoying, underfoot young boy, and I really hope they turn it around soon.

 

 

In Season 1, he was sexist against girly things. Now he wears an apron and does what ever the Mane 6 want of him.

I like a lot of things you said, @Singe, but I want to specifically highlight this, because I think it's a real issue that no one's talked about much here, but someone mentioned on a much smaller forum that I originally posted this topic on.  Something that came up there was Spike's characterisation in G1, and even, as you stated, in S1 of this generation, and how he was believably sexist (like most young boys are).  I think that he should have stayed that way for a lot longer, and it's a shame he's been so...well, as you put it, smoothed out.

 

 

If Spike was considered a main character he would objectively be the least developed and most inconsistent of them all. It's enough that his episodes aren't the best, but this season has been fraught with undue punishment and missed opportunities regarding him.

Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

 

 

I found the treatment of Spike akin to that of Meg Griffin in Family Guy, a show I stopped watching a long time ago. Come on, we're better than that!

 

And yes.  I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I hate Family Guy.

 

 

The Mane 6 don't abuse Spike regularly.

 

That "Spike Abuse" card is quite frankly getting old. Saying Spike is being abused is like a 13 year-old saying they're being abused for asking to help carry in the groceries and shit like that. Spike is NOT being abused, not will he EVER get abused;

I don't know about , but when I complain about Spike being abused, I'm not talking about by the Mane Six, because of exactly what you're saying.  They often treat him as is his age (which, I'll admit, I often myself forget), and when they treat him poorly, it's understandable and rare.  But I'm thinking over what Spike does in the show, and what I don't like is that more often than not, he is being hurt, physically or emotionally, in some way, mostly for the sake of slapstick humor.  While I don't have any problem with a comic relief character, nor with Spike being one, I think that the writers at Hasbro really ought to balance that out with some decent character development, to at least make him seem like a character, rather than a running gag.  That isn't to say that I disagree with you, but that I think that my biggest point may have been burried underneath my other complaints and long explanation.

 

Yeah Have agree Season 4 spike is getting abused
hell at least in season 3 ending he was conforting Twilight
Season 2 - lesson zero: he the voice of reason.
Season 1 - he was there for twilight when she needed him.

Season 4 : duhhh i so stupid!!
AAA!!!

Very well spoken, @BlinkZ.  I'm tempted to drawn up a chart, and call it "the Degradation of a Dragon's Mind", or something like that.

 

 

Well I'm sure you'll appreciate the description of a future S4 episode:   Spoiler  

Oh, that looks interesting!  I'll be crossing my fingers--err, hooves--for him.

 

 

Spike is there for a lot of comic relief, but I don't normally don't mind his writing.

Again, it's not so much that I dislike him being a comic relief character, but that I feel he shouldn't just be comic relief.

 

 

While the Mane 6 aren't doing it, from a meta perspective it seems that the writers are. Even after this aspect was touched on in "Power Ponies", the episode turned out to be nothing but 22 minutes of false lip service and the promises that were made were broken immediately afterwards. It's almost as if the episode's portrayal of Spike as a "comic relief sidekick" pretty much justified them running with it for the rest of the season, regardless of the episode's message.

Thank you!  I'm very glad someone else brought this up.  The whole message of that episode was obviously lost on many of the writers at Hasbro.

 

But if you actually pay attention to the leaf it looks like it's going to fall either way, and he's not the butt of any joke. I also really didn't want to bring this up, but none of that would've happened if Pinkie could just contain herself and watch quietly. I personally don't see any reason to blame either of them, though. Spike was genuinely sorry, and Pinkie had a good reason to be so excited. So yea, IAEBB is staying where it is or moving into the "not true" category (my entire list is subjective anyway, and that's my opinion on the portrayal).

You make a good point about Pinkie there, but after rewatching that part of "It Ain't Easy...", I'm pretty sure I saw correlation between Spike's weight on the branch and the leaf floating off into the breezies.  Of course, I can't be sure until I hooked up a freaking robot to the computer to analyze it, but whatev.  And besides, my real issue with that episode was that there was no reason for Spike to make the issue play out as it did.  It could have easily been another one of the main characters, but nope--it had to be Spike.  Again.  And to make matters worse, it wasn't even played through as a potential character development!  Just Spike appears, screws up, makes a somewhat OOC apology that kind of concerns me about his mental health, and then is never seen again for the entire episode.

 

Out of the episodes of FIM, they never had a talking female dragon. All of those that talked were males.

 

So they could introduce a female dragon that Spike is attracted too.

I like this idea.  In fact, I like a lot of your ideas, @Singe.  Someone get this pony a chair and a drink!

Or something like that. *recognize*

 

Phew, that was a lot of words.  Thanks for waiting on me, guys, and thanks a bunch for taking such an active role in this!