Sometimes you just can't do anything but sigh and shake your head · 3:32pm Oct 14th, 2014
"Twilight's Kingdom" won the vote on Equestria Daily for best episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
By a landslide.
You know those moments where you think your faith in humanity has hit rock bottom, only for the universe to prove you wrong by dragging it down even deeper? Yeah, I'm having one of those now.
I honestly am just so disappointed in the fandom right now that I can barely think of something to say. I actually didn't think it was still possible for me to even be more disappointed with the show or the fandom than I've been over the past year. I know it's pointless to argue, since people will like what they like, everyone has their own opinion and all that jazz, and I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but I still didn't want the outcome of the polls to be this. The one time I actually wanted Luna to win an EqD poll. <.<
In case it wasn't clear by now, I am not a fan of "Twilight's Kingdom", and that's putting it mildly. That two-parter is responsible for single-hoofedly dealing the death blow to my love and interest in the show.
I hold my heart for what new monstrosity we'll (well, actually, you'll, since I don't intend to watch it) be exposed to in Season 5, now that that episode has gotten such massive approval. Just thinking about the possibilities will probably keep me up at night.
At least I have a good horror story to tell the children of my brother for Halloween now; once they're born and old enough for Halloween, that is. Got to try and keep seeing the bright side of things, am I right?
2532335
Took the words right of my mouth, you did. It's disgraceful that we've had 91 episodes of ponies and not a single one of those has been about the most important one of them all.
Then again, I dread to think what the writers would do with a "Celestia episode". *shivers*
2532382
That sounds about right, sadly. It's a pity McCarthy's always the one who gets to write the plot-based episodes of the show, like the pilots and finales, since she's proven over and over again that she's just not good at it. Her plots are riddled with holes and she constantly makes the characters behave stupid because otherwise she can't get them to progress the plot. "A Canterlot Wedding" and "Twilight's Kingdom" are major examples of her sloppy writing, and both episodes rely on style (songs, flashy villains and big fight scenes) to mask the fact that they lack any substance.
The sad truth is that 99% of the viewers buys into this cheap tactic and laud her episodes as 'great' and 'fantastic', resulting in "Twilight's Kingdom" being voted as best episode of them all. Yech.
2532422
Eeyup, but don't say that out loud, or people will attack you and insult you for everything that's ugly because "you're just a mindless hater!".
I'm sorry, but I don't get it. I don't mean to argue or anything, I just don't understand. Everything I can think of that made the end of S4 awful was also awful about the end of S3--if that didn't drive you off, what further insult could be heaped on it?
(To be honest, I actually feel like the end of S4 improved some of the issues that have been in play since the very first episode of S1.)
2533281
Difference with the end of Season 3 is that I'm not against Twilight Sparkle becoming an alicorn and a princess in theory. In fact, I thought it offered some very interesting options and potential for good storylines. Potential that season 4 totally squandered with atrocious writing, bad plot and a giant middle finger to the other princesses. Lauren Faust started this show wanting to not make a typical 'girl show' and prove that even 'girl shows' can be good and interesting.
McCarthy and her team, on the other hand, are doing everything in their power to undo Faust's work and are as typically 'girly' as you can get. Twilight's princesshood is a perfect example of this. Instead of season 4 showcasing what it meant to be a princess, that it meant responsibilities, showing how Twilight tried to balance it out with her friendship, season 4 instead showed princesshood to be the same old boring cliched "girl fantasy" crap that Faust so wanted to avoid to begin with.
Twilight's princesshood in season 4 served no other purpose but to make Twilight an even bigger "speshul snowflake" and a Mary Sue, at the cost of the other characters and especially the other princesses, and that just pisses me off. Not only because I actually happen to really like Twilight Sparkle as a character, and find it shameful how the show staff is treating her, but also because of all the squandered and wasted potential for actually good, interesting and thoughtful storylines we could have had. You know, like the ones we had in season 1 and 2 until "A Canterlot Wedding" came along to sound in the new era of craptastic post-Faust pilots and finales?
So did you find anything good about season 4?
You have legitimate points about the lackluster writing for plot-based episodes of season 4, but the last sentence makes you kind of sound like one of those who rage quit after season 2, lauding the Faust era as a golden age without flaw.
Not trying to offend or anything, just want to know your thoughts.
2555900
Oh no, I don't laud the Faust era as being flawless, for it isn't. Nor do I think everything would have been better if Faust had stayed; she wanted to replace Celestia with Twilight, after all, so it's good she didn't stay. However, there is a major difference in terms of storytelling between the Faust-era and the McCarthy-era. It may just be me, but it's a feeling I can't shake.
MLP:FiM was made to sell toys, of that there can be no doubt and I fully understand that that is the show's purpose. However, I do feel that during Season 1 and 2, at least up until the wedding episodes (which I hate), the show was at least subtle about its toy-selling purpose. Season 3 and 4 ditched all such pretense of subtlety and me, personally, I think this is because Faust understood better what made a good story.
While I may not agree with all of her plans, I at least think Faust had a vision for this world she had created and for the story she wanted to tell, and that she made sure that the rest of the episodes not written by her at least fit into that vision. It felt as if her presence kept the universe of MLP:FiM coherent in between episodes. Once she left, this overseeing presence of her was gone and I can't help but notice that right away the creators ran loose with all sorts of wild ideas and storylines, regardless of whether or not they made sense or actually made for a good story.
Daring Do being real, Power Ponies, Flutterbat, Flutterhulk... the list goes on for ideas that were implemented not so much because they made sense and made a good story, but because they were 'cool'. As if the writers were thinking: "hey, this the bronies can go nuts over and make a meme about!". No other writer personifies this better than McCarthy, who sadly gets to write all plot-related episodes that dabble in the show's canon. Her two-parters don't want to tell a good story or a story that makes sense, but instead slap you around the ears with special effects, eye- and ear candy, with elaborate battle scenes and songs. All of that to hide the fact that the plot suffers from holes so large you can drive a monster truck through them.
Then there's also the matter that, as I said before, the show ditched any pretense of subtlety about its toy-selling mission, starting with "A Canterlot Wedding" and beyond. The show literally slapped you in the face, screaming: "BUY OUR TOYS! LOOK! Rainbow Power ponies! Power Ponies! Crystal Castle! TOOOOOYS!!!". And I know the show is made to sell toys. But you can promote toys and still tell a good story, as most of season 1 and 2 showed.
I can continue and write a whole essay about character development post-"A Canterlot Wedding", too, but that would make this post far too long and I'd probably bore you to death, so I'll try to sum it up briefly. "A Canterlot Wedding" marked the beginning of when characters were changed to fit the plot, and not the other way around. Suddenly, everyone but Twilight is stupid and can't see the obvious. Suddenly, Celestia goes from a supposedly millenium year old, wise leader to someone who comes up with the most retarded, stupid plan ever conceived. Suddenly, Spike goes from a capable cook and assistant to a clutz and a cullinary disaster... The list goes on.
It is jarring and cringe worthy. The characters are made to behave completely against their established personality and character, because otherwise the writers (and especially McCarthy), can't make their plot work. That is simply hideous and atrociously bad storytelling! If you can't make your plot work without twisting the characters out of character, don't write it that way! And I know what some people will say, that MLP:FiM is a show for children, but to those I say this:
1) Being a show for children is not an excuse for bad storytelling. Children are not idiots and deserve to be treated like they have a brain. Wasn't the good storytelling and characters what Faust was going for in the first place, and why we loved the show to begin with?
2) DON'T WRITE YOUR STORIES WITH PLOT HOLES EVEN A TWELVE-YEAR OLD CAN POINT OUT!
Now, with all that being said, does this mean I have nothing but hate and scorn for season 3 and 4? Not exactly. There is a lot more wrong with them than with season 1 and 2 (A Canterlot Wedding not withstanding), but even the first two seasons had their weaker episodes. There were definately episodes in season 3 that I found enjoyable or even great.
As for finding anything good about season 4, specifically... Well, I have to admit that I stopped watching season 4 after "Bats!" was aired because I couldn't take it anymore. "Twilight's Kingdom" just nailed the coffin shut, and I didn't even watch that episode, I simply read the EqD topic about it and had a friend tell me what happened. But I didn't have to watch it to know that it is the absolute worst, the lowest of the low the show has sunken to and that I dislike it very, very much.
But did I find anything good about season 4, of the episodes I did see? Yes. I enjoyed the Cutie Mark Crusader episode a lot, for all I think Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have become as flat and boring as 'villains' can get.
2555928
Ah, I see. Thank you for taking your time to write that.
Twilight's Kingdom : What a shitfest.
lol
That really sums things up, doesn't it? I guess that's a typical cartoon mindset for you though.
Keeper Of Jericho? Now that's a name I haven't seen in ages. What are you up to ol' bean?
(Is busy lurking instead of writing)
3001570
Eh, same old, same old. Having a long list of fimfic updates I should get around to reading, playing Final Fantasy XIV online and waiting for updates on a Twilight Landing and Fluttershy in Ghibli land.
3002955
*Twiddles thumbs*
Ah yes, er, that. <.< I'll just be right back with those, I think I've left the tea kettle on is all!
While I agree that season 4 was a bit of a let down (I really hate the rainbowfied ponies...
), I think the introduction of Maud and more episodes with Discord were good.