I’m one of those who really liked it. It’s not perfect, but the good stuff is good enough for one of the final climatic episodes in the show. I really liked Twilight here and the rest of the mane 6. Maybe except Pinkie Pie, she was very annoying.
I agree that the Discord twist is not very good, but by the time I was finishing the show last month, I accepted and embraced the jank of the show and I expected episodes in later seasons where one or two characters do something petty. So, if an episode has to be whacky, make it as whacky as possible.
It’s very easy to say that Non-Compete Clause is bad because of the attitude of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but this mentality is only applied to the episodes that are disliked by many, not all episodes. Maybe that explains why people complained about the stories in seasons 8 and 9 rather than season 4 and 6, and both seasons have the same type of continuity and consistency problems.
That would explain why many people don’t question especific details that are questionable or poorly executed/written ideas, like the redesign of the changelings, or the few episodes that suggested that Applejack and Pinkie are related, the comedy quality in some episodes, the design of the Mane 6 with Rainbow Power from Twilight’s Kingdom, the SIA songs from the MLP film, Cozy Glow, some questionable returns of other characters or the character arc of Starlight.
I think fandoms tend to avoid questions because nobody likes questioning their own thoughts. And because people pretty much don’t like questions. That’s why some of their thoughts are only statements to decide if somethine is good or bad. As long as many people do the same thing, they will do it. It happened in books, in films, in TV shows, in anime (especially in anime) and it happens here. As long as the majority didn’t like The ending of the end, why would I say something different?
But I don’t think that’s the right way for a fandom to stand out.
Anyway, I think the ending is great, and it’s a nice touch that the villains are now statues. I tend to imagine the classic deadly falls from the villains like in some animated films made by Disney, but this fate fits in the tone and context of MLP.
And it has a nice Tempest Shadow cameo, which is nice.
I only have three minor problems: The Discord twist (I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said here), Pinkie Pie and the fact that Chrysalis fought against Starlight instead of Twilight. Meh. But at least I have the MLP comic where they fight.
Overall, despite its problems, it’s one of my 5 favourite episodes from season 9. In fact, this would be my Top 5 of the final season:
- The last laugh
- The last problem
- The beginning of the end
- The summer sun setback
- The ending of the end
I think the season 9 is one of the weakest seasons, but it’s not THAT bad. It has some interesting gems and I think seasons 6 and 7 are much worse in comparison.
