Oct
10th
2015
ALL OF YOUR FANART IS DEAD · 11:15pm Oct 10th, 2015
In other news, that new episode was a dump truck of FEELS. I feel the need to blog about it because it was big. Like, really, really big; the episode we've all been dreaming of. I admit, maybe we had too many songs, but nonetheless. I almost started crying during the final song. It was so beautiful.
And that's all I can say without giving any spoilers.
Shout out your thoughts in the comments!
Report
The Princess Rarity · 526 views
·
Only part I find myself still caring about is when Diamond Tiara told off her own mother. Other than that, this is MMC all over again. Except now everyone has grown apathetic enough that they aren't up in arms over it like they were back then.
Loved the episode. Second best this year (if not even better than Slice Of Life). And six songs! SIX!
3459356
I don't really see that, though I didn't find MMC that bad either... It's a big change, sure, but it's not like they should've stayed blank flanks another five years.
3459376 Of course you would love the musical episodes, River.
3459356 I'll admit, it was a little rushed, but still better than the rest of the season.
What the.
You're alive?
3459393 Oh, yeah, would you look at that?
3459398
Lol, i understand how 3459393 felt. Its been a while since weve seen or heard from the tone-meister.
Also, i smell spinoff!
3459376
3459381 Don't be fooled into thinking the episode was good just because it brought about an important change that we were all eagerly anticipating. The episode wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't good. It was average (mediocre, really, but I'd rather not rustle anyone's feathers over something as innocuous as wording).
All the same problems in MMC were on display here:
1. Horribly rushed pace.
2. Overabundance of songs, which leaves you unable to digest all of the changes and character development coming about, thus undermining their significance.
3. The lack of buildup to such an important occasion also undermines its significance. The CMC are getting their marks. They've been building this up since the show started five years ago. This change needed its own mini arc of 2-3 episodes, not five minutes tacked on at the end of an episode which already brought about such a huge change that then gets forgotten about by the end.
The one and only awesome thing about the episode I can say is, again, Diamond telling her mother off. That's gonna stand out as one of the greatest moments in the entirety of the show well after it concludes. And I say that as someone whose headcanon regarding Diamond Tiara's mother was destroyed by this episode. It was a very lackluster episode all around, but that part is gold to me.
3459491 Build up? Good idea. Do you mean something like...
Helping another pony understand his cutie mark better after he and an entire town of ponies misinterpreted it for literally his entire life?
Or confronting their fears in a shared dreamscape after one of their own got her cutie mark and one of their number dealt with the anxiety of wondering if she'd like her mark, if her family would support it, etc? And then have Luna help them subvert those fears and encourage them to reach out to the other member to congratulate her?
Something like that?
The mini arc happened. It just didn't happen the two or three episodes immediately before this one. These are side characters, they do not need to be in the limelight all the time. Their build up happens off to the side during the times they do appear on screen.
Was the pacing a little rushed in the context of the episode itself? A tad, yes. But, at the same time, you can use song and visual medium to help get around time constraints. There is a distinct difference between writing for TV and writing for text reading.
3459638 I haven't forgotten about all the stuff that's happened this season. The problem isn't that there wasn't any indication that the CMC would get cutie marks symbolizing their passion for helping others find themselves. That's something people have been speculating about since The Show Stoppers, five years ago.
The problem is that there was no build up for the occasion of them getting their marks in and of itself. How many people read the synopsis to this episode and figured that would happen? I can name on one hand the number of people I know who did, that being zero. This isn't something to just be thrown at us from out of left field, and at the very end of an episode the plot of which doesn't even have relation to the topic of cutie marks. This needed to be built up directly beforehand, in its own two part special (a problem of the show in general, not allowing for extra two parters where they're needed; but I digress). And don't tell me you can't spare an extra two parter to some side characters in a season of twenty six episodes, because no one's asking for the CMC to have the eternal limelight, only as much as is needed.
In no way am I saying people can't enjoy the episode. If someone finds enjoyment out of any episode, all the power to them. But before such a person proclaims it to be 'one of the best' rather than 'one of my favorites', they should first stop and think about why it deserves the former title. Because saying something is 'the best' implies there's an objective basis backing up that assertion.
3459715 You of course realize that I can take each of these points that "needed" to happen and turn that into "in your opinion" just like you say people who like the episode should do rather than claim it as "objectively one of the best", correct?
I would wager that, had the synopsis hinted at this, this fandom would have spent the weeks leading up groaning about how the character arc was ending, the series would have nowhere to go, or "their marks had better be x or I'll y and z and leave the fandom because it's not the same anymore! FUCK YOU LARSON!" blah blah blah. In short, the usual shit we do. And then enjoy an episode a week later and suddenly have our faith in the show restored or whatever. I'll even go as far as wagering that a lead up to the tune of "two or three straight CMC episodes" rather than their usual sporadic appearances sprinkled between main cast episodes would've rankled people and led to more complains about how the show was spending too much time with side characters rather than the ones who had a bearing on the overall season.
3459747
If I were basing my arguments on anything other than objective fact, then yes you'd be correct. I'm being analytical about this, which means holding the episode to a standard based on 'does it follow proper storytelling guidelines for a twenty-two minute television episode format?' rather than my own personal standards. Because my own personal standards say that the episode is improved by Diamond's telling off of her mother, thus upgrading it from 'mediocre' to 'meh, it's alright'.
Two separate stories, one about Diamond Tiara and the other about the CMC getting their marks. That's what was needed to make a couple of good episodes, and no, the episode isn't good from an objective pov. Is it enjoyable? Depending on who you're asking, yes it is. But enjoyment can come from things that are of objectionably low quality, like how people get a kick out of watching low budget B-grade movies and laughing at how stupid and cheesy they are.
You do realize that's already happening, yes? Whether now or beforehand, sh*t was gonna hit the fan because the episode wasn't handled properly.
A two parter CMC-centric episode would've tipped us off that they'd be getting their marks, but it's something we all knew was coming. Some people would've groaned about the arc ending, sure, but a two parter episode dedicated to them would've allowed the writers to make it a proper end rather than tacking it on to the last five minutes of another, completely-unrelated-in-concept episode, and spared a whole lot more bitter disappointment from people as a result.
As far as people being upset that the show's focusing too much on side characters, I'd say the reception to Slice of Life and Amending Fences shows people would love to see more of the supporting cast. I know I do, as do many others.
If we're to continue this discussion, let's bring it over to PMs.
3459927
You don't have an objective POV, and you're an idiot for trying to insist you do.
Agree that it was rushed and the occasion deserves a 2-3 parter, but I said the same thing about Return of Harmony and Magical Mystery Cure.
Time block constraints are the biggest stumbling blocks for proper drama since the fucking Hays Code.
3460199 Mind telling me why, then? As far as I know, I've been perfectly analytical about it, keeping my personal thoughts and objective observations separate.
3460219
Your education is so poor that you can't tell the difference between subjective and objective. Aint nobody got time to educate you.
You can try to be more objective, but art is subjective. Period. You cannot be objective about it. Closer to, never actually obtain. You can claim your opinions are internally consistent, but that is the best you can do, and in the end still subjective.
3459381
Why, I have no idea what you're talking about, darling.
)
(And when do we get to hear you sing your song?
3459491
*Raises eyebrow*
Moving on from that... I guess the main difference is that I didn't think Magical Mystery Cure was bad, either (except for the introduction of
MidichloriansStarswirl's spell).The rushed pace is objective and I'll admit that any larger story might feel rushed if you have to tell it in 22 minutes (The episode with Apple Bloom and Luna felt rushed to me, for example). That's where the music comes in, though. I personally don't think it's supposed to distract from or undermine the significance of the episode. Songs are just the best way to speed up an episode since they don't have most of the usual rules of character interaction. Characters can just bluntly say what they think during musical sequences, and the characters around them may either react to it or ignore them like they just didn't hear it, but it speeds up exposition either way.
(Also, I love the show's songs and am eagerly awaiting the day they put seven songs into an episode.)
3460369 Indeed, art is subjective, which is why I'm keeping everything relating to the episode's actual content under the banner of 'personal thoughts'. My criticisms are leveled at the episode's concrete aspects; framework, pacing, and story-telling capability. Being objective means putting aside personal opinions and judging something based on how well it follows established guidelines, and I'm looking at the episode based on how well it follows guidelines for a twenty-two minute television episode. Maybe one could say those guidelines are subjective in and of themselves, but it doesn't change the fact that the episode violated them, which isn't good no matter how you slice it.
3461097 Apologies for the confusion. When I say it had no build up, I mean it had none directly before the episode. And what I really mean by that is there was a complete lack of forewarning that it would happen*.
The problem regarding the songs is that they're overabundant. Yes, they act as a substitute for traditional characterization, but when you become over-reliant on them to tell your story, none of the emotional impact to what's happening can get through and resonate with the viewers. One or two songs is okay. Three is stretching it a little. Any more is too much for a twenty-two minute television episode.
I believe that's the exact amount MMC had, if I recall correctly.
* - You might enjoy the surprise of it, and that's perfectly okay, but it's still subjective thinking.
3461183
They are. They have merely "worked" a lot. They aren't even remotely objective.
Opinion. Unfounded. And, this is art. Art breaks its own rules all the time, and remains good.
3462470 Objective means there's a clear answer. Subjective means there is no clear answer. Those guidelines are founded on what has proven to work, making them a clear answer. The episode deviated from them, and didn't turn out well as a result. Thus, it's a bad episode. For storytelling, that is. In regards to entertainment value, that's where subjective opinion rears its head, and it can still be called a good episode. My arguments are exclusively in regards to the former.
If you really want to continue this, let's move this over to PMs. No point in clogging up Toni's blog with this back and forth.
I never really liked Diamond Tiara, until I heard her solo song. Her turnaround happened way too fast, but the CMC thing at the end made up for it. Overall, it was a good episode for me.
3462570
You're the one defending your idiocy. I'm sure plenty of others are enjoying their popcorn at your expense. Don't PM me, I am not interested. By all means, continue to spout your nonsense for all to see though.
3463235 At least my 'nonsense' is constructive and fleshed out, and doesn't stoop to spouting insults at my opponent. And believe me, Toni's followers aren't like you've just described there.
If you don't really care, then I have to question why you felt the need to reply to my comment in the first place? From what I can tell, you've got it in your head that you can't possibly be wrong and feel the need to attack me in the misguided belief that I'll change my stance after being called an idiot several times. Clearly you didn't reply with the intention of debating your point, so why did you? Because you're just as pretentious and condescending here as you believe me to be. That's the meanest thing I can bring myself to say in this discussion, but only because it's the truth. Calling you anything else would be letting my personal thoughts affect my judgement, and that's something I don't do when it comes to calling people out on their bad behavior.
*le sigh*
If you're reading this, Toni, I'm sorry this has dragged on for a whole day. I won't be making any more replies on this blog; promise.
3463340 No, it's fine, go ahead and discuss! I don't really see any mud-slinging, so as long as you guys keep it tame, you can keep talking. If it gets a little aggressive, though, I will delete this post.