Season 3 Finale · 9:07am Feb 26th, 2013
So the finale of season 3 has come and the reaction of this episode has been very varied. This episode has pretty much split the fans in pretty much half. Either they really like it, or they really hate it. There is usually a general consensus with each episode whether they are good or bad with a small number of people differing from the majority. But it's really fascinating how people have such a different way of seeing this episode.
I personally really disliked this episode. I believe the episode didn't get me emotionally invested in the conflict, which was the switching of the cutie marks, the music was alright, but they weren't welcome in the episode, since they were trying to make us feel the emotion of whatever the song's emotion is, which doesn't work for me since not enough time was spent setting up the conflict and going through it and feeling the distress of the mane six.
There is so much I dislike about this episode but I still find it interesting why people seem to like it. If anyone feels different then tell me why and we can discuss it, since it's really interesting trying to understand someone elses mindset and thought process, and not just for this episode, but for any episode.
I for one disliked the episode as well. It seemed a bit rushed, and while the cutie mark switching plot struck me as brilliant, they just didn't have enough time to pull it off well enough. Instead we get two half-finished episodes stuck together with (admittedly epic) music. What were they thinking?
Not to mention my personal vendetta against destiny.
I personally enjoyed the episode. It was rushed, I'll admit, and would've been much better had it been a two-parter. But even so, I really liked the songs and the musical feel of the episode.Though, I wouldn't want every episode to be songs every two seconds. It was refreshing in that way. At first I was really dreading the Alicorn Twi change, but now... eh. I'm okay with it. It opens up so much for the series and for fanfiction, as well as art and music.
But for the reason that I liked this finale... The first time I watched it I kept yelling at the screen "Another song?!" and when Twi became an Alicorn, "Close your gosh darn wings! What's wrong with you?!" But then I rewatched it, and the songs started to grow on me. I don't know why; I just felt more when I watched it again. It even had Pinkie with her hair down! Ahem... It's pretty high up in my favorite episode list now. (I can't deny that Twi's wings look really weird).
That's just my opinion, though.
867251
867496
Everyone talks about pacing and it being rushed but I think that is immaterial in regards to the quality of the episode. It can be as rushed as it wants as long as the emotions feel genuine and makes you empithise and care about the conflict and characters. The lack of time was not the problem, it was the time they had was not being used effectively in engaging the audience. I assume that is why they tried a musical. However, the songs were trying to get an emotional response out of me without setting anything up and for me, emotion requires context. The episode feels like just because we know and care about the ponies, that should be enough to want to see the conflict resolved, and the emotions of the songs would make me feel that particular emotion, which was wrong. The reason we like them so much is because we see them interact and overcome conflict in the past, such as in The Return of Harmony, where we see the conflict of the mane six being turned against each other and how it is hurting Twilight.
Blue Dragon, did you like the episode because the songs were able to make you emotionally invested or simply because they were good songs? I agree with the latter, but not the former (but this is only how I felt, if it was able to invest you in the conflict, then that's alright because everyone reacts to emotion differently). But even me liking the songs did not overcome the fact that this episode was not able to make me connect to the story to care about it.
The 486th Writer, is that why you didn't like that episode as well? Since it does address what you were talking about but was it due to lack of investment or something else to do with the pacing and the two different plots and conflicts being stuck together?
867251
I agree with you with destiny, but what's worse is that it's not even the destiny that Twilight had in plan. Celestia forced that destiny upon her. She even says, "So does that mean I won't be your student anymore?" Twilight had not been wishing for this destiny. Celestia had pressumed to know what she would want. Not only that, but the way in which Twilight had become a princess was, in my opinion stupid. I have nothing against her becoming a princess but it happened because Twilight learnt about friendship and created new magic. I think this is increadibly stupid. She would make a good researcher, but not a princess.
It really makes the world the ponies live in seem more cartoony and light hearted, which I think really sucks, since the purpose of Discord and the Everfree Forest and other things were to show that the world they live in is not all lollypops and rainbows and that they do need to be strong, that the friendships they make can help in times of trouble. It was trying to make connections to our world so that we could empithise with the characters and their troubles. The point of friendship was to show that it can help in hard times and is a powerful and precious. It doesn't reward you, it is it's own reward, which was the point of season 1 & 2. It's so disappointing that the show became so shallow.
867496
I am much less optimistic about Twilight princess. It seems Hasbro really wants to repeat the mistakes of the past, because this really reminds me of Princess Promenade, and we all know how good that was. But it really feels the same. Both of them became a princess due for really contrived reasons without really deserving it (at least that's what I think).
I just hope they don't lose sight of the dynamic of what made the show great, which I believe, at it's core, was about the character development and interactions.
870157 I do have a difficult time getting emotionally invested in fiction, but that isn't the main problem. The main problem is that they tried to combine two otherwise-unrelated stories into one episode. It leaves the general feeling of the episode as shallow or even empty, it's purpose being to set up the next season, but it doesn't tell a coherent story. During the whole episode I was just gawking at the gigantic leaps in... everything, really.
Short version: it feels unfinished. It's sort of like using duct tape to fix an electrical problem.
Which brings me to 870159.
The whole bit about destiny left a sour taste in my mouth. I have never understood why people (especially characters in fiction) were willing to sit by and do nothing, just because somebody says 'It is your destiny.' I suppose that I just don't like the concept because it makes me feel powerless and pointless. No matter what I do, I can't change the future. How twisted is that? I have no control over my own life.
Just my rant about destiny. This was planned as one of the debates in my (quote-unquote) serious story, so you get a bit of a preview. You're welcome.
870335
I too did find it badly structured. It didn't really follow a three act structure very well. I believe it was mostly due to the musical. I also agree that the story structure is another reason that the episode feels weak. It felt as if they didn't care about either plot structures, or they probably only wanted to focus on the last one, which was a bad plot anyway. But for me, emotional investment and character empathy and all that is more important to me then the story structure, unless it interferes with the former, which, in this case, it does. Don't get me wrong, I still analyse the show, but I first see if it invested me in the story and characters and then analyse why it worked or didn't work.
But if you don't get emotionally invested in the characters in MLP, then why do you like the show? Is it because you enjoy the story structures of earlier episodes? What, for you, makes you like the show at it's core? For me, it is the charcter development, ineraction and emotions from the conflicts that they go through. Does that mean you take a more analytical perspective when watching movies and shows, rather then an emotional perspective. I too am a bit analytical, but usually when it comes to character development and arcs, notsodes story.
It goes to show that tw two people who dislike the episode, can like it due to such different ways of viewing media. I wonder then, why is it you liked Return of Harmony (if you liked it). What are the reasons you believe that episode is good. If that's okay with you that is.
871033 Yes, I am very analytical, especially when it comes to fiction. I can respect the characters, they are well balanced and diverse. That doesn't mean they're the epitome of good character development, but certainly one of the better examples. (They do tend to get flanderized a bit, but most shows do that, so it's forgivable.)
I did indeed like the Return of Harmony. It was the episode that really got me interested, and the reason I even bothered watching the show was because it had John deLancie in it.
The main reasons I stayed were the likable characters and the (usually) good writing. And voice acting. I'm not one to watch it for the plot (in both senses if the term) as I've seen it all before at least once, but I do think that the episodes are better than most in terms of story. The primary reason I'm even in the fandom in the first place though is the fandom itself. Seriously, you guys are awesome.
But Magical Mystery Cure simply had shoddy/half-***ed writing. I liked the music a lot, I'm still humming a True True Friend, but it doesn't make up for the poor story. Again, I've seen it all before, but I think the main reason I don't like it is because its so contrived. It makes no sense. I know it's about magical technicolor ponies, but that's no excuse for lazy writing. Have a plausible explanation, don't just say, "Oh, you've learned about friendship, here's a crown!" If Celestia did that every time someone learned the true meaning of friendship, there would be hundreds of (if not more) Princesses. I was expecting something grand and memorable, and all I got was two unfinished episodes lumped together.
Enough repeating myself, it's time for something silly.
My reaction to alicorn Twilight leak:
"What?" a few seconds later "Oh well." and "Everyone and their mum are probably throwing a fit about this right now."
871128
You don't have to sensor yourself on my blogs. Swear and rage all you want.
My reaction to the leak apathy. I thought the change would be temporary and that it would teach some lesson something like that so I didn't really care. When I watched the episode and saw how she became a princess, it annoyed me a bit, as I have explained before, but I don't care enough to complain about it. If they can pull it off, then more power to them. I think it should have had an entire season build up (I do not think this season built that up as others seem to think so) and if they actually made it if Twilight had to work for it and prove herself a capable leader (even though she is smart and thinks logically and is a leader, that does not qualify her to be a ruler, in my opinion).
Also, for me, story isn't too important, neither is how original the plot is, I agree with you there. For example, have you seen Twelve Angry Men? That movie has only one scene, the whole premise and plot is that everyone but one person believes that someone is guilty of murder. Everyone has different views about why they think the person is guilty or innocent. There are obviously some that are racist, but others don't really want to think about it too hard because they don't care, or they want to go home. Some people don't look too deep into it because what they heard sounded right and all sorts of reasons. That movie has great character interactions and everyone is getting more and more angry as time goes on and it's a great movie. If you haven't seen the movie, you should check it out on youtube if you want. It's in black and white so it's pretty old. I just wonder whether you would like that movie, since it really has very little plot.