Season 4 Retrospective · 4:35pm May 10th, 2014
Warning: Season-wide spoilers abound. Proceed with caution.
No, I'm not doing another poem. There's just too much to talk about, and it can't fit into a string of four-line stanzas. Especially this frankly awesome finale.
So, another season has come and gone. We had some good times, didn't we? Granted, it wasn't perfect, but hey, what is? Now that all is said and done, what have we learned?
We learned that Twilight Sparkle is the most humble princess Equestria has ever known, yet she still wants to play her part and contribute. It's as if the analyst community's biggest pet peeve of Twilight's new title not being recognized was building up to something. They're gonna have a field day with this one; I know it.
We learned that Discord is perfect at playing the Jester to Twilight's King Lear, and that he's not immune to karma. I can't speak for anyone else, but I love the direction they went with his character. I kinda wish we got more of him, but what we got was so satisfying. And before anyone asks, I highly doubt he's fully changed his ways. Being a paragon of virtue just isn't his style, and although learning about empathy was a big step, he still has a long way to go to learn about the intricacies of friendship.
We learned that banishing Luna to the moon was one of the hardest things Celestia ever had to do. I have never doubted this, but it was nice to see it.
We learned the origin of the Elements of Harmony.
We learned that Rarity thinks that castles are sentient.
We learned that Daring Do is real. I am okay with this.
We learned that Scootaloo is awesome whether she can fly or not. Also, she has a house.
We learned that inter-literary travel is a thing.
We learned that Fluttershy is part vampire now. Maybe.
We learned that Coco Pommel is adorable and that Suri Polomare is a sociopathic weasel.
We learned that the Pie family might be related to the Apple family. Whether the writers continue to tease us with this remains unclear, but in the end, does it really matter? Also, Natasha Levinger likes to reference brony memes.
We learned that Spitfire has really got to stop setting herself up for embarrassing miscommunications.
We learned that Cheese Sandwich is awesome.
We learned that Trenderhoof is about as interesting as being trapped in an elevator with a potato, and that Rarity can do much better.
We learned that Fluttershy would make a great mentor for Sweetie Belle after her experience with the Ponytones.
We learned that when Scootaloo doesn't smile for cameras, she looks sad. Also, Sweetie Belle is learning magic.
We learned about the breezies, and that it's possible to be too kind.
We learned that Applejack tends to turn off her brain when it comes to her family.
We learned about Pinkie's amazing older sister, Maud.
We learned that Princess Luna is the ultimate psychoanalyst in Equestria bar none.
We learned that the FlimFlam Brothers are sneaky weasels who never learn.
We learned a lot about the Wonderbolts (hurrah!) and that Rainbow Dash is now a private in the Wonderbolt Reserves.
We learned that Scott Sonnerborn is either a mythology buff, or he's been reading my stories.
We learned about the implications of dark magic's effect on the psyche.
We learned that Spike's surname is "The Dragon," and that he should never sing the Cloudsdale national anthem ever again. Ever.
We learned of Tirek; the monstrous centaur who might've just trumped Discord as the Ultimate Big Bad in Equestria. Seriously, this guy had the freaking Master of Chaos twisted around his finger, and it was believable! That's pretty badass.
We learned that the chest contained the purest form of what I'm now calling Friendship Magic: A force so powerful that it trumps all others.
We learned that a transformation that barely lasts a minute is enough of a vehicle to sell toys.
We learned that Twilight has now become King Arthur, and her friends the Knights of the Round Table. We have Lady Rainbow Dash the Brave, Lady Rarity the Pure, and Lady Fluttershy the Not-Quite-As-Brave-As-Lady-Rainbow-Dash. Oh, and Lady Applejack and Lady Pinkie Pie the Not-Appearing-In-This-Joke.
All in all, pretty sweet season. It had its faults (Megan McCarthy's Pinkie, Tactless!Pinkie, Josh Haber needing to brush up on his continuity, Spike being the Dangerfield of Dragons), but it was overall an enjoyable experience. So, who's ready to speculate about what we're in for in Season 5?
The very FIRST thing season 5 needs to address is that THE LIBRARY WAS DESTROYED. Although let's be honest, at least a dozen fanfics about that are forthcoming this weekend alone.
Tirek...is a much darker, more serious and evil villain than I was expecting FiM to EVER deliver. I approve.
For the most part, season 4 was better than most of the entitled, vocal fans give it credit for. A few episodes were a little disappointing (Equestria Games being chief among them), but the only episode I outright hated (in fact, the only episode of the ENTIRE SERIES I have actually HATED) was "Trade Ya".
I want season 5 to have seaponies, bigger roles for some of the popular backgrounders (hinted at by Vinyl Scratch's prominence in Rainbow Rocks), and...less of Pinkie being overexaggerated like she was throughout season four.
2096500 Trade Ya! worked as a screwball comedy, but very little else. The only thing I got out of it is that Scott Sonnerborn and I think alike when it comes to inserting mythological creatures into Equestria, apparently.
In Season 5, I'm hoping for Fluttershy's parents, Scootaloo's parents, hippogriffs, Sweetie Belle singing, Private Rainbow Dash in the Wonderbolt Reserves, and less of Pinkie and Spike being used for comic relief and little else.
You neglect to mention that DHX is capable of animating a battle scene so hype, it makes me actually hate Hasbro for shutting down Fighting is Magic.
Seriously. If the game could've existed as a final product and Tirek was released as DLC, I'd throw my entire bank account at Mane6 for him just so I could recreate that battle.
As for episodes I didn't like, I'm with MythrilMoth on Trade Ya! They had me until Dash sold Fluttershy's services for a book. I mean, really guys? That's how we're testing Dash's Loyalty this time? And it doesn't even get a mention in the finale?
Simple Ways was also one I wasn't fond of, if only because it dumped on the idea of Sparity (not that I ship them) and because they made Rarity and Applejack total idiots in my mind.
Season 5 wishlist:
Diamond Tiara depth (4 seasons and nothing, guys?)
Scootaloo's parents (since they decided she wasn't homeless)
Expansion on pony sports (we got archery, why not more?)
A new Ponyville Library, and Twilight properly mourning the loss of the old one (and, to make the Powerpuff Girls reference come full circle, naming the new library "Pokey Oaks Library")
2097406 For me, Simple Ways was too easy to riff on, and it kinda made me think the episode was worse than it actually was (if, that makes any sense). I still maintain that Trenderhoof is as interesting as being trapped in an elevator with a potato, and that the Love At First Sight cliché was highly unbelievable. On the plus side, the moral was one worth learning, and it was rather humorous.
what did potatoes do to you to insult them like that?
2129372 Hey, I like potatoes just fine (they're actually my favorite food). I just wouldn't want to be trapped in an elevator with one. It would be quite boring, you see.