My (Long Overdue) Season 5 Review · 12:52pm Feb 20th, 2016
art by Orang111
I promised this long ago... so I should probably blog about it before the beginning of Season 6. 
Sorry for all the delays.
Not only have I finally watched all the episodes, but I started re-watching the entire series through a brony React video series. Unfortunately, that series has stalled midway through Season 5 due to the YouTuber having computer problems, but this allowed be to refresh my memory of the first half of the season before writing the blog.
This blog is going to be a bit long and image-heavy, so I am going to put my overview of Season 5 below the break.
The short version: I loved this season. I honestly think this is one of the best seasons of the series.
Some of my favorite episodes of the series are in this season. I have already written about my thoughts on the opening episodes and the finales, and well as written a special blog entry focused on the best episode of the season.
But I should say in retrospect that I believe this season's opening, "Cutie Markless" (or, if you insist, "The Cutie Map") is my favorite season opener. The tone was so unique, and the themes really intrigued me. They went places that felt very different for the show, and did it superbly well. I also really appreciate that Starlight Glimmer was an antagonist rather than a villain. Instead of going for another big bad, they gave us someone who was actually trying to do what she believed was better for ponies. She wasn't evil; she was just wrong.
And that made the finale more poignant than usual. The blame she laid at the hooves of the Mane Six was not unjustified, and her desire for revenge was entirely understandable. Even when her past was revealed, making her hatred of cutie marks look petulant and silly, I think we all understand how an emotional wound can grow into something much worse if that hurt is allowed to fester for years.
And this was not the only time this season that the show examined someone allowing the pain of a broken friendship to do long-term damage. Last season, in "Rarity Takes Manehattan", we got a lesson in how important it is not to wall yourself off or let bad experiences poison you. This season, the show applied that lesson directly to friendships in a meaningful way.
Even the episodes that I didn't like had a fair amount to recommend them. At the bottom of the list is "Princess Spike", which I felt was poorly executed, requiring the Princesses to hold the idiot ball for the entire situation not to have been solved before it began. (The water main was a problem that could have surfaced just that morning, but the trees weren't. There was no excuse for a public hazard to not have been dealt with before the ceremonies. Likewise, there was no need to disrupt the event with noisy roadwork. Why didn't Princess Cadence temporarily fix the water pipe before there was a catastrophe with the same spell she used after it was too late?
Worse, elements felt unpleasantly and unnecessarily Spike-abusive. However, even with all of that, the episode gave us some neat world-building. And I really did like that they showed Spike having to deal with Twilight's change in status. I feel this is something that they really hadn't done before. And it was nice to see a Spike-centered episode that didn't strip him of his competency. The mistakes that Spike made were entirely within character. And the lesson learned was a good one, even if the moral felt undercut by some of the storytelling getting there.
Another of my least favorites is "Hearthbreakers", largely because the conflict felt so artificial and manufactured. However, the basic concept behind the episode is one that I have wanted to see since the end of the first season: an Applejack and Pinkie Pie pairing where AJ visits the Pie Family rock farm! I have long felt those two characters have one of the least developed relationships within the Mane Six, and that the mutual farming background was an excellent vehicle for an Applejack and Pinkie Pie episode. "Pinkie Apple Pie" gave us what I believe was our first episode featuring the two of them, and I found it wonderful that this episode was built on that (theoretical) family connection. Plus, the episode allowed us to finally get to meet the rest of the Pie Family.
This season really was the season of other characters. From the season opener, they laid out this theme as we got to see the Mane Six rescued by background ponies. Throughout the rest of the season, we were treated to a lot more attention being given to other characters. We revisited fan favorites like the Pie Family, Gilda and Coco Pommel. Several secondary characters were even given episodes of their own.
Luna has played a major role in several episodes -- one for each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders -- but she hadn't had an episode where she was the focus and the lesson was hers to learn since "Luna Eclipsed". That is, until the absolutely brilliant mid-season episode of Season 5, "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep".
Not only did this episode give us some truly wonderful character development for Luna, but it also gave us insight into the dreams of the other characters, including a lot of the background ponies. There were so many amazing elements to this episode, from the return of Flutterbat to LyraBon to Princess Big Mac... the episode was a treasure.
And like Luna, Discord had also appeared in several other episodes, but always as a vehicle for other characters to learn lessons or otherwise star. Season 5 actually gave us a Discord episode about Discord.
Considering that this show is about friendship, how brilliant was it that we got to see Discord actually learning about friendship. We are seeing who is somewhat antagonistic about friendship growing and developing.
In addition, we actually got a Big Macintosh episode! In "Brotherhooves Social", we see Big Mac having to deal with the emotional ramifications of having a sibling who is the Big Damn Hero. Big Mac's feelings of being comparatively mundane and less important are hinted at with his Princess Big Mac dream.
And I think it speaks to how amazing a character Applejack is that she has done nothing to aggravate this. She doesn't tout or flaunt her accomplishments. Instead, she is both insightful and caring enough to realize something is eating at her older brother, and her immediate response is to try to help.
Personally, I find the lesson of "Brotherhooves Social" to be one of the most important lessons in the series: who and what you are doesn't matter. Behavior does.
Of course, we can't talk about how Season 5 featured characters beyond the Mane Six (and Spike) without acknowledging the glorious look into the lives of several favorite background characters gifted to us in "Slice of Life".
We saw little tributes to so many favorite background characters, with everything from explanations for Bon Bon's multiple names to a canonization of Vinyl and Octavia living together. And perhaps best of all, we got Derpy in a significant and voice role... and she was perfect.
art by CosmicUnicorn
This season was not afraid to upset the status quo. By the end of the season, Diamond Tiara and Gilda had been redeemed, Twilight Sparkle has gained a student in Starlight Glimmer (who also looks like she could make the Mane Six into the Mane Seven), Rarity has expanded her business into Canterlot and the Cutie Mark Crusaders have their cutie marks... along with a whole new quest to help others find/understand their cutie marks.
As well as the return of old characters, we were introduced to new ones who have a lot of potential for returning roles.
Likewise, we got another round of wonderful world-building. The season took us outside of Equestria, to places like Griffonstone and Yakyakistan. All-in-all, Season 5 wrapped up several character arcs while setting the stage for a potentially amazing next season. How much of what they set up will be utilized, and how well, remains to be seen. But Season 5 has show us that high hopes are not uncalled for.
art by dzetaWMDunion
Finally, for fans of the Fallout: Equestria universe, this season offered a number of great moments. When most people think about Season 5 and Fallout: Equestria, they will likely think of the Equestrian wasteland seen in the finale. However, there were several other bits that really stood out to me.
For example, using gems to store memories...
...and a vision of Equestria in a state of total war. This episode completely validates the idea of a wartime Equestria...
Probably my favorite was this, from an episode I didn't particularly like (because I frankly despised the yaks)...
...the revelation that Pinkie Pie has a secret lair where she keeps files on everyone in town, including their likes and dislikes. It's the Ministry of Morale in miniature; now more than ever it seems inevitable that a government organization trying to follow Pinkie's directives would end up creating a surveillance state.
Of course, there are many aspects of this incredible season that I haven't even touched on here. (The music, for example, was some of the best in the series.)
So what aspects of Season 5 did you like best? What stood out most to you? And what things has this season established that you are most looking forward to seeing developed or touched upon in Season 6?
art by Piecee01
Why?
I enjoyed the worldbuilding immensely. For some time we knew a small bit about Equestria as a whole and how things worked, but not a hell of a lot else. or any detailed history. Hell we still don't have a true map of the country to really base much off of. Just a rough outline of its shape, the impression there's a few countries bordering it, and not a whole lot else. There are SOME cities listed and of course one or two other places, but outside of all of that, the identities of the various towns and their placement is missing.
Learning a fair bit more about Applejack's past was nice as well, though still nothing on her homelife. But it was nice to see that her foalhood wasn't completely shot, though it sure as hell wasn't as fun-filled as Apple Blooms will be.
Though showing the potential 'what-if's' as they did in that one episode was great fic-fodder for all involved. Though they didn't show everything naturally, but that's where the fun comes in. Though I am curious about that artificial wing.
Wouldn't mind seeing a bit more on the background ponies in the future as well, it was a nice change seeing how THEY handle things when Twilight's busy handling the bigger issue, shows they're not COMPLETELY helpless.
It was also amazing how they handled Brotherhooves Social, without going off the rails or sending the wrong message.
My final thought would have to be this: How did that mail-pony get to Discord's realm? And did he make it back out?
3766196 Because who and what you are doesn't matter; behavior does.
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Probably because they were terrible, rude, self-centered guests with all the diplomatic grace of a runaway ICBM?
The wider character focus was as fantastic as it was necessary. The Mane Six are growing up; after five seasons, there just aren't many more life lessons they can learn without deliberately rewinding their character development. Rather than resort to that, the writers are casting their nets wider, giving us a better look at the world and the other ponies who inhabit it. (And more of Best Pony is never a bad thing in my eyes.
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Starlight may or may not represent the logical conclusion of that conundrum; if your main characters are running out of ways to grow, create a new main character. Of course, it remains to be seen what they do with her in Season 6. I'm honestly not sure what I want to see there. I think I'll just wait and see how they handle it.
I also look forward to seeing how the writers handle the Crusaders henceforth. Helping other ponies discover their destinies is an intriguing concept, but it doesn't seem to present a lot of narrative flexibility. I hope they'll be able to go beyond the obvious "meet pony, find problem, find solution, apply solution" formula.
In all, this was certainly a fantastic season, and I can't wait to see where we go from here.
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Being different has been bad since when exactly?
3766214 Not so much being different than being completely rude. There is a difference.
3766244 Not everyone is all smiles and rainbows.
Ah, there's too many aspects that I liked!
As far as what stood out most, I'd have to say my new favourite episode is The Mane Attraction - it was amazing. Though Slice of Life, Crusaders of the Lost Mark, The Cutie Map, The Cutie Re-Mark, Brotherhooves Social, Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep and Tanks for the Memories are all new favourite episodes. (Though not quite as favourite as The Mane Attraction).
And as for season 6, more CMC (to think I didn't like those episodes before), more Discord and more FO:E references!
Definitely best season since the first!
3766245 So? You're allowed to not like someone. Someone being rude would make others not like that someone.
3766247 Ever heard of 'Everyone is different' before?
Some people are nice, some are cruel, and others are rude. It would be woefully unrealistic of the writers to make every single new character suddenly get along with the Mane Six, that would paint a bad image for the show itself.
3766248 I know. People are still allowed to not like others.
Because how/why would she? All she did was block off he pipe with a bunch of crystals, how would she have done that before it broke? While yes, maybe she could have just crystallized the whole weak point, that would have ended up cutting off all water flow through the pipe, meaning anything downstream of it would no longer have running water, and who knows what major centers for the conference that would have messed up. Secondly, they still would have had to break apart the pavement to get to the pipe in the first place, hence jackhammer. Finally, it's just basic roadwork, not necessarily something major enough for it have even been brought to any of the Princesses attention. (At least, logically, but given how unable to do ANYTHING without a Princess' approval everypony became for this ep.....)
But yeah Princess Spike was the weakest ep of the season, yet still most likely the best Spike ep. Biggest issue was how the moral was supposed to be about not acting on someone else authority without their permission, and yet, absolutely nothing at all went wrong because of him doing so. (Bar the two ponies that couldn't figure out 'share the hall' meant 'take turns speaking' not 'try to talk over each other') Instead all the issues stemmed from him doing the one thing he WAS explicitly told to do.
Hearthbreakers.... huh, I had no issue with thing, conflict felt natural enough given AJ being AJ. Her biggest flaw has always been stubbornness, and this is still an aspect of this. She's extremely traditional and while not an overt "My ways are better then yours" conscious thing, she does have a hard time accepting change, so yeah I could see her acting that way. Yeah it probably could have been done a bit better, not 'best of the best' material, but would still rank it as above average. (Oh and really like the theory that the Pie's traditions are so severe and minimalist, not so much out of them being just that seemingly anhedonic, but them simply never having the resources to actually do more for the holiday, so making do with what they have. Hence the whole 'hiding' presents, while Pinkie says some pony almost never finds any of them. Were there ever really presents in the first place, or did Ma and Pa simple, not want to break their fillies hearts over not being able to get them anything?)
THANK YOU! Yes this episode was amazing, and so do not get all the issues people keep lashing out at it with, none of them make sense. Okay yes the ending was a bit to rushed, but that's just par for the course for this show.
Well, it being a hint of this only really works in hindsight after Brotherhooves social, and yet, that is some damned amazing writing to have it work out so well and make that much sense. Bravo writers, bravo.
And with how AJ handles this amazingly well, spot on, however also have to give major props to Big Mac as well. Even with the jealousy, even with all he was going through, he never blamed AJ for any of it, he wasn't mad at her, he wasn't even upset with Applebloom for it. He didn't want to in any way bring down AJ, or to be 'better' then her, he simply wanted to his littlest sister to look up to him as well, not instead of AJ by doing something she could be proud of him for. That is just... just so amazingly well done.
Yes, ye she was.
Ehhhh I really doubt that, I mean it's possible but, it just doesn't really feel right or like they would change things that much. Don't really see her becoming another Mane character, but most likely a reoccurring secondary one like Discord. (Though showing up more often and in eps not centered on them cause, not a big name celebrity VA.)
Well, I'd argue about us actually going to Yakyakistan, cause even for Pinkie... making that kind of a trip like that it is just to far beyond the bounds of possibility to work, and it just makes no sense whatsoever, yes even factoring in it's Pinkie Pie.... The only thing that makes any sense from a Watsonian perspective, is Pinkie Pie snapped and had been wandering through the nearby mountains hallucinating the whole thing.
And yes, Fallout Equestria is now officially canonically plausible! Both in Equestria going into an all out war that reshapes the very fabric of their society (And does so in only a year or so versus the decades FOE took), to desolate wastelands, to Pinkie Pie is watching you confirmed. As with so many other things.. Kkat.... how have you not won the lottery yet!?
As to what I liked most.... EVERYTHING! Just, yes this season was amazing, but if anything I'd have to say the more mature sense to the lessons, and how a lot of them are not only tackling rather complicated matters, but doing so in extremely even ways. Like with Canterlot Boutique. Sassy's way of doing things wasn't ever really portrayed as inherently wrong. It was a valid marketing strategy, it simply was not the way Rarity wanted to run her business. Being able to give a loss of a loved one, five stages of grief story, without actually killing any character or resorting to a fake out. Amending Fences... all of it shows the show really is maturing, while still holding onto the core of what makes it so wonderful.
I.. really have no idea what to expect in Season 6. One thing I SO SO SO want is to actually get a Celestia focused episdoe for once but... we'll see. Still, this season was simply amazing all around, and even the few 'bad' episodes are still way better then the lowest points of other seasons.
3766214 Destroying other people's property in a temper tantrum isn't "being different", it is vandalism and criminal property damage. They destroyed other people's businesses, homes and personal belongings. Undoubtedly, their rampages caused financial hardships to innocents and destroyed irreplaceable items of deep sentimental value. But they went beyond that, endangering lives in their fits of rage. None of which is excusable because they were from a different culture.
Being different isn't bad, being harmful is.
3766251 And yet Fluttershy is perfectly fine hanging out with Discord, doesn't mind it at all.
I'll just stop here, could be here all day and get nowhere with this on both sides.
3766251 Agreed.
On a side note, I'm listening to the Manehatten Edition of Fallout Equestria, and I had forgotten how good of a story it was.
3766331 I'm sorry, but this comment has been deleted because I felt it was pointless and antagonistic.
I would also like to point out that the comment was incorrect: there was no argument. 3766260 asked "Why do I despise the yaks?" and I answered him. Bear in mind that at no point did he ask whether it was right for me to despise the yaks, but only what my reasoning was. There are not two sides to that answer, just a fact. Right or wrong, my reasons are my reasons.
(And before anyone asks, if he had asked, the answer would have been, "That really isn't the topic at hand. If you wish to discuss it, send me a PM. Or post a blog or forum thread about it opening a public debate. But it isn't appropriate to do so here.")
I dunno, I mean, I liked the season in general but... Griffinstone was horrible world-building imo. I think it even took away parts of the qualities that made Gilda interesting by justifying it with: "oh, all her race is exactly like that."
As for Starlight wanting what was best for others I completely disagree. I've warmed up to her since the end of the season, but I stand firm by her wanting things to be her way or not at all, rather than for the benefit of others. Sure, emotional wounds can fester into ugly, petty things... but they're selfish, ugly, petty things in the end, not for the benefit of others. From the first episode I've always seen her as a fake, taking advantage of those ponies in her town (to the extent of forcibly removing cutie marks) out of a selfish desire for self-validation. I don't buy the "she did it for others" approach.
And Yaks. That was. Beh.
So many great episodes last season, but my favorite would have to be Amending Fences. I love how that episode develops through to Moondancer's outburst at the end.
Talk about serious dialogue and character development of a sort that I never expected the show to cover.
I'm not fully sure which season I'd pick as my favorite if I had to choose, but five is strongly in contention. It makes me feel confident for the future of the show.
3766251 I must question the logical capabilities of the Yakistanis, here...
They are okay with declaring war against a nation of creatures that can fly, use magic, have ridiculous strength (and their leaders, two of whom just so happen to be Goddesses or something approaching deity, have ALL THREE), and a well-trained army, in addition to a team of six young ladies who defeated both an insane, twisted version of one of those aforementioned Goddesses, AND a member of the Q Continuum, one of whom was trained by the other aforementioned Goddess, one who can break the sound barrier, one who is essentially a beastmaster, one who has a completely surreal amount of strength (and a veritable private army of family members to boot, of whom she is second-in-line to be matriarch of), one with the fine control of a laser beam, and one with reality-warping powers capable of essentially wishing something were just so and BAM.
Celestia and Luna wouldn't even have to mobilize the armies OR the Mane Six. Luna could possibly send a meteor or something their way (or just shout at them...or hell, send them constant nightmares and break them through lack of sleep) and Celestia could probably blast them off the face of the planet if they showed too much aggression.
And to those who say that Celestia was proven not to be powerful a lá Chrysalis and the Sombra Future, let me say that an Alicorn capable of moving a gigantic ball of fire and gas easily several septillions of tones heavy has to be extremely powerful—probably too powerful. She did not want to damage her subjects with Chrysalis (and she probably was taken by surprise, possibly not anticipating that level of power from Bugsy) and in the Sombra Future, she appeared to struggle with her repel spell not because she was weak, but because she did not wish to harm unwilling slaves whose only fault was that they were in the firing line.
It occurs to me in this regard that Celestia is much like heavy artillery and Luna a powerful gun; both are good at what they do, but don't ask them to switch jobs.
Call me a purist, but I feel that S5, while still good, wasn't as good as the others. I did like how they're branching out, characterwise; more Coco Pommel is always nice (I just want to hug her and give her a cookie!!!), the Pie family was nice as well (Marble Pie...<squee> MORE HUGZ AND COOKEEZ) and BEST PONE GOT A VOICE AGAIN AND IT IS GREAT!!!! DERPY FOREVER!!!
Hated Dr. Whoove's voice...
Aaand I have got to agree with Realitycheck...the CMC's Cutie Marks are...well...dumb.
I liked the new facial expressions, as well as a Luna-centric episode...and the fact that Fluttershy is evidently a closet Otaku...hehhehheh...cute.
Now...as for wants...
More Derpy, more Maud, more facial expressions, more Luna, a flashback episode to see when Luna and Celestia were fillies/first crowned, and a goddamned Celestia episode, please?!?! Even if it's just a "day in the life" type thing.
I WANT MY GODDAMNED CELESTIA EPISODE.
Oh, and Flurry Heart?
Kill it with fire.
It is HERESY.
Season five is probably my favorite season out of the series. Mostly for focusing on background characters or bringing back old characters, which is something I always love seeing whether it's in movies, books, or television shows.
I don't know how that scene with Pinkie Pie's lair didn't make me think of Fallout: Equestria. Even the wasteland scene didn't make me think of it. I'd like to believe it's because when Twilight and Starlight started going through all the different timelines I was expecting them to come to something like that.
Towards the end of that wasteland scene in the season finale I was actually thinking it would be a perfect way to add a little hint at Little Pip being there.
All in all it was a good season and I hope to see more from season six. I'm hoping for more world building! It was nice hearing your thoughts on the season, Kkat!
Kkat! Shame on you, SHAME! How can you call yourself a flutter fan when you haven't mentioned the most important thing: how much that former milquetoast door mat has grown! Going from being a cowering wuss and begging the cakes to forgive her and asking about not being mad to actually saying no one season, to being a somewhat more assertive her with a sense of dry humor mixed in. She's actually going into town and mixing with the citizens then spending all her time in that hole in the tree!
Good for her!
Ahh, amending fences. A episode so good it left RealityCheck in a good mood.
I kind of have a pet theory that the alicorn have sequestered themselves from those sort of things and become sort of the supreme court of their country. Okay... I take Celestia at her word when she says she cares for all her subjects, great and small. Celestia and Luna are not merely matriarchs, they're mothers. They love all all their people as a mother does, and know they shouldn't always be there to sort out their hash, and Cadence probably was groomed in the same manner.
In short, the alicorns tend to step back on most matters and let ponies handle their own affairs for the most part.
Said it before, this show has the habit of maligning males. But as I also said before, this one... they were just brutal on the little guy. They invented a tree that made sure he was going to fail
I liked Discord this time around. Hated tree hugger though, she was not a good foil.
I know right? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! And with pretty much the best male representation in the show willing to make an utter and complete ass of himself for his family! I kind of wonder though... Well, popular fanon is that AJ runs the farm, but with what goes on in her life and since Mac does the fancy mathmaticals... could it be! Mac is actually in charge of the farm! OH NO! FAUST HAS BETRAYED THE FEMINIST IDEALS! NOOOOOOOOO!
Of course she was! The loveable little ditz
Actually... if you don't mind, I'd like you too look over an idea I've been playing with in regards to them, if you have the time. i'll send you a pm.
I just love the look on little pips face. As cute as a button, and like "whoa, these mentats really pack a punch..."
Oh, and the cutie marks on the crusaders suck. Like.... a lot. I know are happy with em, but... no. Just no. At a few feet, the damn things look like jam stains on their rumps, in short are ugly blemishes. Never mind the fact we've been teased for five seasons with their talents, and... what? This is what they get? I don't tend to get worked up over this stuff, but... jeez, that episode was just a let down entirely on that alone, the diamond tiara nonsense just being the rotten cherry on top of this fiasco
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Personally, I didn't see it as "her race is exactly like that." To me it seemed like she came from a rundown country and her friendship with Rainbow Dash was the only genuinely good thing she had for awhile. That led her to being over possessive and caused the events in Griffon the Brushoff.
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3766542 Basically everyone in Griffinstone was a bunch of jerks. To the point of leaving RD to die. I can live with the show not making the griffons be an actual empire, or based on some cool culture... as long as they are some sort of culture. They made them look like the whole species was self-destructive to the extreme, which is lazy world-building.
Bold mine. Is the double negative on purpose or knee-jerk sarcasm? But yeah, Pinkie's relentless caring can get creepy.
Personally, I tend to remember events rather than episodes, but thinking of it, there was a lot of world building fantasy details and some-such. Especially with Luna's dreams and character expansions/introductions. Starlgiht Glimmer herself is actually great on that: there is a lot to explain and many ambiguous answers that could fit. Same for her time spell in the finale.
Along with the finale, I actually like that season's go a lot. One of my favorite episodes was the one with Diamond Tiara's solo and the whole song/storything. Like much of the season's episodes it was a self-expanding story about behaviors and such. Very nice.
Hah, they behaved like uptight tribal people used to trashing the tribe next door on the first royal inconvenience. Personally I'd have kicked them out or questioned them earlier. They were mostly just ruining their own gifts though, which isn't surprising for nobility, as stories go. (Oh Blueblood!)
I'd agree on despising the yaks, except that you can't despise what you don't witness, and I enjoy changing what I can if it's just before me. They might have been reasonable to some extent: I like to think "declare war" is yak-talk for 'trash your homes and trample your wives.' With the last part being an exaggerated historical reference.
Eh, I'd have to agree sort of. That one was written for the plot I'd think. Seeing as the world fell apart rather at just the moments to worry spike about. It had some world building and poorly coordinated public service. (Serisously, Twilight didn't have a go-to replacement? Just what is royalty in Equestria?)
Spike still hasn't saved the day; cleaning up his own mess, but atleast he actually did part of his duty in his, initiatives... Silly dragon.
Anyways. I really liked the season overall. But I think it's decidedly got more subtle flavor at points. For example;
Yeah, that's the thing about Starlight Glimmer. But one obvious nicknack is that that lesson wasn't explicitly explained as such, and clashed with the self-obvious villain routine. Thus, the finale's morale was quite subtle, if any. I find it's a change in genre, and while I like how it goes, I'm especially curious as to how the young and less thoughtful would take it.
Still, great season. Maybe my favorite, but I simply wish it to become my 'maybe second favorite' later on.
I actually love those. I hope those tributes continue to be small and powerful. Viva the fandom.
3766248 There's a big difference between liking a bad/evil/wicked character for how they're written (and the over-exaggeration of hypermasculinity turned a lot of viewers off on even the writing) and not liking a character for being rude/mean/cruel. I for one enjoy when writers write antagonist characters, even reformed ones, while still keeping them in character, like Kkat and Pen Stroke did. In both cases, I didn't like how the character still acted cruel, but that doesn't change the fact that they were written well to begin with.
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I know that comment was sarcastic/light-hearted, but still not completely accurate. AJ's still in charge, on paper and in name, and Big Mac's the backup plan. Which they've just had the necessity to call up a lot.
3766574 Thanks. I reworded that sentence a few times, and the double-negative was the result of not properly proofreading the final version.
Fixed.
I honestly think the worldbuilding in this show has gotten kind of off-the-rails. The Yaks were... well, the Yaks. They're angry. All the time. Every time. That's it. That's all we know about them. That little non-angry Yak didn't even have any lines.
Griffonstone was a mess, implying that basically every griffon worth knowing is a jerk just because they don't have a single golden treasure binding their entire people together? I guess? Another entire culture that just chooses to center itself around a single emotion? Has this tiny little junk town just been sitting in the corner of Equestria for hundreds of years and nobody did anything about it?
Starlight Glimmer was childish, petty, and vindictive, and I believe it was meant to be seen that way. She was hurt, yes, but she let that hurt fester into a selfish need to always get her way; she was very much a villain, and I think a good one, but not for the reasons some people do. She was doing what she thought was best (because, obviously, if it was actually, for real a better way, she wouldn't need to resort to brainwashing and mind control), but what she thought was best was impressing what she wanted on ponies in a weird attempt to get revenge on the world for taking away her friendship.
"I thought it was a better way" only stretches so far. She's still very much a villain.
Other than that we got zero information on cutie marks apart from the fact that they just... well, continue to appear like always, and also in the case of the CMC, they appear in a nice little matching trio to make it easier to pump out toys of them. We still know zip about Luna and Celestia's history (the book was ridiculous and unsatisfactory), we still know zip about Harmony and the Elements and Rainbow Power in general... I could go on.
3766542 YES. JUST…YES.
I am cautiously optimistic for Season 6, the teaser for Season 6 lays out one story arc to follow, but I hope it is not the entire main focus of the season opener. Although it may be, because of how important it is. And dare I say, feather rustling.
The most touching part of "Equestria, the Land I Love" is that it's the writer's last episode with the team. She's writing a good song in-universe, and how she feels about leaving the team.
It's never explained when twilight, Spike and Starlight in the past scene how it got into a wasteland, so it being connected to Fallout Equestria would be awesome. I do like the artwork as well
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Er, I really don't think there's ever been a moment in the series where they've said who's in charge of the farm. There doesn't seem to be much of a hierarchy among AJ, Big Mac, and Granny Smith. They each know their role and just do it.
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I doubt the griffins wanted help. Gilda even chastises Pinkie and Rainbow on the basis of ponies thinking they can just fix everyone else's problems. Also, something big like losing a national treasure can cause major issues for a city-state, and act as the first domino to lead to bigger problems down the road.
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Yeah... but the ponies hardly did themselves any favors in that regard. Forgive my crudity, and feel free to delete me for it, but there's respecting differences, and then there's just taking it up the rump. I sort of see why they acted like they did... ponies are, in general, a very friendly and accomadating people overall, albeit with some... rather tribalist and speciesist trappings, and they certainly seem adverse to fighting overall except under extreme circumstance, outside of a few minor squabbles amongst themselves. And it looks like anything that is broken is quickly mended through spells in any case.
But the intent and flat out disrespect by them making their intentions clear when they first arrived was more then enough to be asked to leave, never mind their actual behavior. Mind the ponies probably insulted them with their food preparation, but that hardly justifies their actions as guests in another peoples country. Rutherford is a diplomatic nightmare made flesh/
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Well first off, thank you for replying to me and engaging in this respectively.
As for the Apples, I'd imagine for the most part they act as a family, and since ones to young, anothers too old, and the last is off dealing with some Sealed can of doom popping its top or muddling through some obscure crisis of the week, I'd imagine much of the "boss" duties fall to Mac. He maintains the farms, seems to manage the books, where as AJ is pretty much the pretty face going to town to peddle the wares.
He's the Luna of the Apple's pretty much
I loved where they went with the first half of S5, but then… I don't know. I stopped watching after that. It was almost like I was done with the core canon. I still plan to watch the rest of it, but I'm in very little rush to. I'm also full into an animation degree now, and my best bro gave me two new consoles, so that's also playing a part. Not to mention Twitter has eroded a good portion of my enthusiasm for FiM TV.
I almost feel like S6 should wrap the show up somehow. If not S6, then S7, definitely.
I'm sure I'm late to the party, but better late than never, I suppose.
Sadly, there's no one aspect I can really pick out to be my favorite. What stood out to me the most, however, was the final two episodes - how one small thing could create such a great rift in time. It's also almost astounding to me just how many alternate timelines and realities could be created from one specific thing being changed. Really gives reason to believe that time is an ever-changing river.
In the wartime area, I seriously thought I was seeing Fallout: Equestria coming to life before my eyes. I half expected to see a Big Macintosh memorial somewhere in Ponyville. Near the end in the desolate wastes, I literally wanted to see Littlepip trot by humming something.
I suppose my highlighted best would be the finale episodes - seeing the creativity of the shows staff, it was greatly apparent that they didn't have the time to follow through with several different ideas and instead had to just give little snippets of them instead. Though I'm sure they would of loved to put in such ideas in full, the concepts had such high potential.
With the new season having started and all, I have finally found the strength to watch the finale, which was everything I hoped for and everything I feared. If you take away all the awesomeness of the alternative timelines, what you're left with are a great villain and a great moral ruined by mashing them together, forcing them to "fit" and plastering over the obvious clash with the most idiotic freudian excuse yet.
Diamond Tiara's ridiculously hasty redemption already showed just how bad the show creators could get in their obsessive zeal to redeem everypony ever, even if it has to come at eradicating every last scrap of a character's established personality by retroactively declaring it all an act, regardless of whether that makes sense or not. In order to make Starlight Glimmer "fit" the moral that they decided upon, she had to be simultaneously super-powerful, super-smart, super-dumb, rigidly set in her ideology, easily convinced to flip her entire worldview, incredibly well-informed about the element-bearers, and incredibly ignorant about the element-bearers. It doesn't quite work, even with the awesome spectacle of the alternate worlds to distract us.
Having an antagonist who is ideologically driven, rather than "evil", is a good idea. Having an enemy who is smart, rather than merely overwhelmingly powerful, is a good idea that sidesteps the continuing power-creep. The lesson that friendships can end – not even out of malice, but mere circumstance – and hurt you, but that you have to move on and try again, even though you can't ever know that you won't get hurt again, is a good lesson. Giving Twilight a student of her own to teach, just as Celestia once taught her, is a perfectly fitting and logical progression for her.
But cramming all these good ideas together and forcing all of them to fit around the single character of Starlight Glimmer is like snipping the most beautiful features from a dozen supermodel photos and gluing them together: the result is a misshapen monstrosity rather than surpassing beauty; the whole is so much less than the sum of its parts.
After first establishing Starlight as a deeply vindictive personality who takes personal delight in crushing her opponents and will casually resort to force, lies, brainwashing, and intimidation to achieve her goals—no matter how noble or righteous she may believe them to be—and violently rejects any arguments or evidence to the contrary (her "Quiet!" was a great character moment), trying to wipe all that away with a (franky dumb) "childhood trauma" does a great disservice to the character. An excellent villain reduced to a weak cliché.
At least the other heel-face turns like Nightmare Moon and Sunset Shimmer had the excuse of magical "cleansing" rainbows being involved. Without that plot device, the instant switch of Diamond Tiara and Starlight Glimmer can only serve as examples how not to write a character redemption. Had either of these events occurred outside their incredibly momentous and highly distracting episodes, the entire fandom would have cried foul.