Filli Vanilli and Simple Ways were awesome! / Ranting about season 4 · 10:30pm Feb 15th, 2014
Let's get this out of the way: I've disliked or outright hated most of season four.
I hated Daring Don't for destroying pretty much anything good about the character of Daring Do and also being such a huge brain-fart about the whole world of Equestria. It was a bad fanfic, not a proper episode, and the execution was even worse.
I hated Three's A Crowd because I hate Discord. He is obnoxious, not because of his character, but the way he steals the whole show and makes the ponies secondary characters just because he's such an attetion whore. He was used extremely well in the season premiere as the not-quite-good but still on the ponies' side chaotic mentor, which fits him perfectly. In TAC he was just a nasty, spiteful, jealous piece of shit.
I disliked Pinkie Pride. It was an okay episode, but I didn't like the songs, nor did I like the character of Cheese Sandwich. That all pales in comparison to the fact that I FUCKING HATE PINKIE PIE as a character. I have always hated her, and I always will. She is not a funny gag character. She is an evil, emotionless sociopath that should be locked up.
I disliked Power Ponies, because it was 100% fluff, 0% substance. It was kinda sorta a Spike episode, in which he, nor the other mane six learned anything. It was almost an episode to defend Spike's mere existence in the show. It had an awesome antagonist... that once again only exists in fiction. Stay tuned for season five where she's an actual character and so is Maretropolis. You know, just like Daring Do?
Then there have been the okay/decent episodes. These are the ones that I basically liked, but that fell on their faces because of some critical flaws.
Castle Mane-ia was funny and had a lot of good jokes, but it was also clumsy and repetitive and very contrived in its story. There was a lot of good and I loved the castle itself, but the whole story and especially the big reveal were so obvious that I couldn't care less.
Bats! was pretty good, because it was about the mane six. It was about their interactions and how bad communication causes severe problems even between friends. I didn't really like the forced morale or the fact that a farmer wanting to defend her livelihood was in the wrong because of animals being more important than ponies.
Then there are the very few episodes that I actually liked this season:
Princess Twilight Sparkle caught the series from going into a freefall of suck with absolute grace and skillful writing. I just wish so badly that this could have been at the end of season three, because of how much the s3 finale sucked for being the last episode before a year's drought.
Rarity Takes Manehattan brought Rarity back into the list of ponies I actually like, where she has never been before. She showed so many good sides to her that i found myself actually liking her.
Pinkie Apple Pie was a stupid episode, but it had the only good song in season four thus far. It had Pinkie in it, but she was bearable, because it was more about the Apple Family, the best background characters in the series.
Rainbow Falls was awesome because of how it portrayed Rainbow Dash. She's a hard character to write well, but this episode did her justice. She's loyal, but she is also competitive and pretty hotheaded, but very insecure at heart. Something I really love to see in a bravo character like her.
I... don't want to talk about Flight to the Finish. It still hurts too much. I won't call it a bad episode, I just... no. Let's not go there.
But this has been just me bitching about the season! I'm happy at the latest two episodes. They've been nigh-on perfect in my book, save for a few exceptions. The biggest reason is that both these episodes have been all about the characters themselves. They haven't been about the antagonist-of-the-week or celebrity voices, but just the solid drama and character development that made me fall for the series in early S2.
Simple Ways was good fun, with both Rarity AND Applejack. Those two work so well against each other. It had so much awesome on so many levels. The VA work alone would have put this in my top episodes of the season, but the jokes were also funny, the romance was well handled (being more of a long distance crush than anything else). The callbacks to AJ having spent a lot of time in Manehattan, knowing full well how to act 'proper' and actually just not giving a damn because it's not her. She showed us that she is one damn fine lady behind all that thick accent and sweat. Last week I said this was the best episode of the season, and I fully meant it back then.
Filli Vanilli though... It had Big Mac singing, Cheerilee swooning at him, Gummy trying to swallow a turkey, Flutterguy, Zecora, Applejack's absolutely perfect rendition of what happened with Big Mac (also showing how smart AJ actually is) and all the little things. Those are awesome, but there was something more. This episode made me cry. It really did. Fluttershy was so unbelievably happy when she got to sing. She spun around in pure bliss and also grew as a character. It was also done in moderation, not being a "face your fears" episode, but a realistic approach to stage fright and overall being shy. The song was good too, being catchy and positive, though repeated a bit too much. This could have been the musical episode of the season, not that Weird Al fangasm episode. I'm just so happy that I could see Fluttershy flying around with all of her birdy friends, singing and smiling. It's something this season has dearly needed.
Filli Vanilli was almost perfectly executed... except for Pinkie. I almost liked her because of Pinkie Apple Pie. I almost liked her because of her growth in Pinkie Pride. But here? I fucking wanted to KILL her. She was an outright evil bully that actively tried to destroy Fluttershy. If I ever found her to have any redeeming qualities, they no longer matter. She has to go. She almost succeeded in destroying this episode outright. Good thing that was just almost.
This season has been awesome for Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack. I'm really happy to see them get their proper place in the spotlights, where they belong. Twilight has been made into a background character, which I really don't like. Even in her own episode she got shoved to the side to give Discord more time to ham up the episode, to the detriment of the actual story. Seems that she's so powerful and majestic now (?) that the writers don't really know what to do with her. Rainbow Dash is still her own, lovable self, but I just wish so badly that there would be another actual Rainbow Dash/ Scootaloo episode that dealt with Scootaloo's flying better than it was done in FTTF.
I also hope that Danny Ingram gets more time to make awesome songs, because apart from Apples to the Core and today's song, all the stuff in this season has been outright rubbish, most of it I even refuse to even acknowledge as songs in the first place. They've just been some pompous background music with ponies talking over it. Nothing else has been really catchy. Sure, people liked them, but those are probably the ones who like everything with pony in it. I made a very scientific test and listened to several songs from s4, then played several from s1-2. There was no comparison. Winter Wrap Up, At the Gala, BBBFF, This Day Aria... those are the damn epic songs that Danny made his reputation with. Wish we could get more of it.
All in all, season four hasn't been too good, but the last two episodes have really been top notch and I really hope the rest of the season will keep this style up. This is what MLP:FIM does best. This is what made me fall in love with it in the first place. This is how it should be!
Glad you're starting to enjoy the season, too. The first half of it really was nothing spectacular. Rarity Takes Manehattan is probably my favourite episode overall for Season 4. While I do disagree with the praise you gave Dash in Rainbow Falls, it still showcased her traits well.
It seems to me that you decide whether you like or dont like an episode based on trivial matters and background gags as opposed to their content. May I ask why you don't like Pinkie Pride; an episode that doesn't treat her as a background gag and as an actual character?
Personally I disliked all the songs from Season 1 except At the Gala. Even when I first watched it, I thought the Winter Wrap Up song was a bit of a bore, it really was nothing special besides being the first full cast song. Whenever I listen to the MLP songs I find myself skipping Winter Wrap Up and B.B.B.F.F more than any other song. Contrast to ALL the songs from Pinkie Pride that I listen to with glee, special mention to Pinkie's Lament. I think Season 2 and 4 have by far the best musical numbers of the whole series.
1838793 I gave my reasons in the above post for disliking Pride. I commented mostly on character portrayal, which might be trivial for you, but is very important to me in a character driven show as this. What comes to the songs, that is just a matter of taste, You like funny filler polka songs, I don't. To each their own.
What I got from your message was that for some reason you want to prove me wrong and I don't understand why. I wrote this blog to show my appreaciation for the two most recent episodes. Did that somehow offend you?
1838851
I see, I thought you were insinuating you didn't like Pinkie which is why you didn't like Pride, along with it being a celebrity episode. I don't find her character portrayal as something trivial, in fact I haven't been pleased with how she's been portrayed this season, but I found her actions understandable in this episode and in Pride. Music is a matter of taste but I don't think it warrants calling an episode bad just because you didn't like the songs. Songs are subjective, and while they should contribute to your enjoyment of an pisode, if shouldn't determine whether an episode is "bad". I know people who admit Hearts and Hooves Day was a good solid episode but also say they detest its existence. So yeah, to each their own. do you really think all the songs thus far are rubbish? Isn't that a tad harsh?
If that's what I implied in my message I apologize. I didn't mean to sound like I was proving you wrong or anything. I was, at most, a bit miffed that you claimed all of season 4 horrible except this episode (which I actually enjoyed as well) and the one before it. I'm sorry for coming off that way, it wasn't my intention. Random question, do you watch analysts reviews of the episodes on YouTube?
Different people different tastes. Some people like Pinkie and Discord. Others don't (Discord is Q for Faust sake!). You gotta remember that sometimes.
I personally like the idea of focusing on other characters outside of the mane, give some other ponies some character time. That's what gave us the CMC episodes.
Course that doesn't mean we should forget about the mane either.
I'm sorry put you have way to high an expectation of children's cartoon. You're over analyzing and shunning episodes for petty things.
I didn't mind PP that much, so for me it was actually a perfect episode, hell, this might be my favorite so far!
As for the comedian episode, it was meh for me, I believe it's because as a south american I feel nothing for the guy... But bring me Jeremy Clarkson and you will have me fangasming all over it!
A guy can dream...
I have to disagree with Simple Ways.
To start, it was extremely predictable. Like, painfully predicable. It was cliché, as well. The reason I like MLP is because I can never guess what they'll throw at me next. When you hand me an episode like Simple Ways where I know the entire episode within the first five minutes, I'm bored. I felt more like I was watching a poorly-written sitcom. Also, Tretenhoof (Or whatever his name was) was extremely bland and unlikeable. That episode was painful to watch. Also, it wasn't funny.
I have to agree with Filly Vanilli, though. It was well-executed and fun to watch. I have to admit, I disliked Pinkie in this episode (and she's one of my favorite characters). She felt very out of character. Fluttershy (Who's usually bland) was enjoyable, and they put her in a realistic situation. Seeing her emerge from her shell was great. Also, I liked how they kept her in the end. She got over her stage fright, but was still not confident enough to sing for large crowds. I still have stage fright, and I don't know if I'll ever get over it.
Also, not to be rude, but you judge very harshly. It's as if you go into these episodes with a negative attitude and try to spot every little detail that's wrong. I can see you not liking a few episodes, but to dislike the vast majority is pretty big. You're putting far too much thought into a show that was designed for a younger audience. You're being rather harsh, but I respect your opinions, even though I don't agree with them.
I've enjoyed the majority of this season. Especially when compared to season 3.
I agree that Filli Vanilli was a superb episode. Fluttershy needed a good episode and this one delivered. Pinkie Pie was way over the top in this one. I honestly believe the way she was handled is linked to a core weakness in how the show is structured.
Amy Keating Rogers wrote Filli Vanilli. She also wrote some episodes back in season 2 but wasn't part of season 3. Remember how crazy Pinkie was back in season 2? I think that's part of the problem. Too Many Pinkie Pies and Pinkie Pride are examples of Pinkie actually growing a bit as a character. Where she realizes that her over the top and zany attitude can be detrimental to her friends. In the case of Filli Vanilli we have a writer who wrote Pinkie way back in season 2 and basically wrote her the same way now. Honestly, Meghan should have asked Amy to tone Pinkie down a few notches. Amy should have been asked to take into account that Pinkie has grown a bit due to some of the previous episodes.
And this brings me to what I feel is the core weakness of the current writing staff. The central organization just isn't as strong. Season 1 had Faust. She didn't helm season 2 but did stay on as a creative assistant to the show. Basically Faust was the central force that held everything together. Now, well now we seem to have various writers working on various episodes without a lot of coordination between them. Sometimes previous episodes are taken into account and sometimes they aren't. The strong central force isn't there. We also have Hasbro sticking their nose in and forcing decisions down the writers throats. Hence Twilicorn.
I have to agree with you that Twilight just has not been as front and center as she used to be. Which makes no sense. She's an Alicorn Princess! She hasn't done one single Princess like thing since the premiere. She can't even get a cab...
This is a prime example of the suits at Hasbro making a big mess. The writers aren't sure what to do with Twilight. She's a Princess yet lives in a library. She should be in Canterlot learning things, but then we'd never see her with her friends. We've got Twilight Time coming up and it sounds interesting, especially since the CMC involved(although Dave Polsky is the writer and his track record isn't all that great). However, nothing about it sounds very Princessly. Supposedly Twilight is getting some sort of "Rainbow Kingdom" at the end of the season. I truly hope that it isn't some forced mess like Magical Mystery Cure(I could spend all day talking about why that episode sucked).
Sheesh. What a ramble.
Anyways, I, personally, have enjoyed most of this season. I'm hoping the rest of the season is good and that this Rainbow Kingdom thing doesn't do any further damage. Of course, we've got EQG 2 incoming...
1838971 1839150 1838996 I can totally see why you'd think I'm only focusing on the negative. After FttF I kinda lost all faith in the show and was about to quit. I also tried to give the show as much benefit of the doubt that I could, but it wasn't easy. Allow me to re-hash my list a bit.
Episodes I hated: 2
Episodes I disliked: 2
Episodes that were average: 2
Episodes I liked: 5
Episodes I loved: 2
Episodes that I can't think of objectively: 1
I think that's still a pretty good track record for the season as a whole.
Season three had my favourite episode of all time (Sleepless in Ponyville) and several other great episodes, like Babs Seed, Wonderbolt Academy, Magic Duel, Just for Sidekicks. It also had crap like Too Many Pinkies, Spike at your Service (ye gods that was bad), KCAFO... It was a lot more polar season. Epic level goodness, and epic fails.
Yes, I am very critical and focus on details as much as the larger picture. That's for the simple reason that this show has shown time and time again that it can handle it. There's so much intelligent writing and talented people working on the show that I've always been positively surprised on how much the people actually think of the things and how much effort they put into it. Sure, Faust was around for season 1 and made it great, but she only worked on the first few episodes of season two. I think Meghan McCarthy did a great job in s2, but remember that she isn't running the ship anymore either. I still think that in overall quality, season two has been the pinnacle of good writing. Many people say that season four has been so varying in its quality because there have been so many new writers. I can only say: Corey Ann Powell. She came into season three and both of her episodes were quite clearly far above average. Hell, she made a good SPIKE episode! That's almost impossible!
What I value in a good episode are good characters, good writing, and talented work from everyone involved, be it the VA's, the animation staff, or the music. That's why several episodes with one-dimensional characters really make me cringe because they only use stereotypical characters to advance the story, which to me is lazy writing. It's the same as writing a one-off OC into a fanfic because its needed for some very specific role, not as a well-rounded character. That's why I didn't like Suri Polomare in Rarity Takes Manehattan, but I loved Coco Pommel. That's why I didn't like Trenderhoof. Discord to me is the worst offender really. He's had so much time as a character, but he still turned out to be a malicious spiteful little git as soon as Fluttershy left the scene. I'm on the fence about Cheese Sandwich, because he actually had a lot of backstory and depth, but at the same time, he only existed to be a foil to Pinkie. Mostly I hated the episode because of Pinkie, though. On the other hand, I loved the Wonderbolts in Rainbow Falls, because it portrayed them in a negative light, showing what greed for victory can do to even the best characters and they even learned a good lesson in the end as well. It was an awesome way of using already existing characters to allow them to gain more depth while showing the growth of the main characters as well. Summa summarum, I don't hate new characters, as long as they're done well and not just as Deus Ex Machina inserts.
The music? I still stand by it. Two good songs in the whole season. Rest has been crap or mediocre. Sorry, but that's just how I see it. It feels like Danny Ingram is overworked and too pressed to bring his A-game to the task. He delivered so well in s3 and the music there was one of the high points of the season. Ballad of the Crystal Ponies, Bad Seed, True True Friend... those were some damn nice songs. This season? Horsehearts was meh, trying to be Be A Man montage, but ending up feeling repetitive. Generosity tried really hard and was pretty good, but it still lacked the certain something to push it through to great. Glass of Water was pure and utter shit because the VA can't sing worth a damn and it was just talking over music. None of them have been really catchy. Apples to the Core was catchy. It was warm, happy, had a nice beat to it. Make a Wish was good, but far too short. And yeah, I'm a huge sucker for a capella so Filli Vanilli's music was close to my heart. All of these are opinions and if anything, music is really something that's a very divisive topic. I never liked the sad songs in the show, but on the other hand, I really liked the wistful and warm songs like BBBFF and the Ballad.
About the net reviews, I mostly read a few authors' reviews on FIMFic. In addition I follow Silver Quill's 'After The Fact', which I think is both brilliant and insightful. (It had him riding a giant worm, citing Dune while playing the epic music from the old Dune movie. That... was fangasmic).
1840542 You do realize that Amy wrote Pinkie Pride right?
Amy practically wrote the rules to writing an accurate Pinkie. She and Dave Polsky wrote her the best, sure they both slip up sometimes but in general they both write her the best.
Oh and look a Faust worshiper. You do realize that Faust wanted Twilight to become a princess right? Watch MysteriousMrEnter's review of Magical Mystery Cure and his review of both Magical Mystery Cure and Goodbye to Bloo. Let me pose a question: what has Meghan McCarthy done with this show that Faust hasn't?
1840744 before I respond to you in full, I think it would be beneficial to you if you watched TheMysteriousMrEnter's reviews of the episodes. He takes everything into careful detail and is probably the most fair reviewer after DrWolf (who I think hasn't given a negative review about anything).
Specifically I think you should watch his Too Many Pinkie Pie review and his Daring Don't Review. Perhaps, if nothing more, to gain a little more perspective.
I'm not saying your opinions are bad, but you are coming off as too harsh, like I said this isn't my response in full to you, I have to get to a computer to do so more comfortably as I am currently doing this on my phone.
Here's the link to [url=hhttp://m.youtube.com/user/TheMysteriousMrEnter]MrEnter's channel.
1841504
You know, I had a very long response typed up for your points. Then I realized I was about to drop another long rant on Isseus' blog. Kind of a douche move on my part. This isn't my blog to rant on.
If you really want to talk about this then shoot me a pm. Or we could just agree to disagree. I mean, overall I've enjoyed this season and I wake up early every Saturday morning to watch it. Despite my nitpicks the staff must be doing something right, eh?
1843833 Waitaminute! I can rant here, but you can't? Dude! That's why this blog post exists! Don't hide all the juicy bits in a PM!
1844131
Wait, free rein to rant on your blog. And here I was trying to be nice to everyone.
The Beast is now unleashed.....
ah... screw it..... I'll just go back to playing Titanfall...or something
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1843833 Oh I'm game to a long discussion about this season! I love talking
So yeah sure drop me your long rant in a pm of you want, I'd love to hear them.
Just as long as we can be civil, I apologize in advance for my remark on being a Faust worshipper, I didn't think before posting my response am I was a tad mad too, sorry
1845115 Those that the gods wish to destroy they first make mad
MAD.
MAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
1845418 oh noes
But I don't want to be destroyed; I want to live! I never got to skydive! I want to be a professional veterinarian and make monies and have a nice house.
... I heard its fun, have you ever sky dived before? I wonder if any of the mane6 would like sky diving... What do you think?
1845646 Isn't that pretty much all RD does?
1845999 hmmm....
Not exactly. She dive bombs and then pulls out of the dive. Sky diving is more like free falling then pulling up to avoid smattering across the ground. So I suppose it would be similar, but she wouldn't be flapping her wings until it was time to pull up.
1848531 We in the pegasus flight industry call that a "Sonic Rainboom".
Or learning to read.
Pinkie Pie was in character during Filli Vanilli
She says what's on her mind and surely didn't mean to hurt Fluttershy's feelings. She's just random, that's all. But then again, Flutterhsy cries over everything, so making that little pansy cry is as easy as breathing
2052648 Go away, troll.
2052681 Just said what I think of Fluttershy