Season 7 Episode Discussion [Speculation, Discussion, Spoilers] (SPOILER YOUR LEAKS)

ColdhardSilver
Thread Starter - Cartoon/Western Animation General

Culture Vulture
OK another chunk done:  
S7E14 “Fame and Misfortune” Grade A+  
The absolute madman. Man after hearing about how this was a “meta” episode I was already shakey about, since so far it has equally lead to an episode I enjoyed (Background pony episode) and one I didn’t (Squibble Pants episode). To my surprise it didn’t just end up as a good episode like Slice of Pony Life, but it also connected with everything I personally like when it comes to meta episodes. The humor was focused enough on their target to count as meta while at the same time avoiding focusing on it so much that it just becomes 1-to-1 of the meta so that when they do make quote based jokes (Alicorn twi) it’s hilarity shines more because it was supported by the less focused meta jokes as a lead up. A fairly simple concept, yes, but I really really really easy to fuck up. Side note: I think Ingram’s getting to comfortable with those mane 6 friendship song cords; switch it up man, I dreaded when the song started (though I liked it more as it went on).
 
S7E15 Triple Threat Grade: F  
Well fuck the great episode train had to come to screeching maiden-tied-to-a-railroad-track killing halt. Funny how the episode that was filled with quick and precise humor and storytelling was followed by an episode that felt like an weak, unfocused mess with more drag than Bugs Bunny. And those are the words of the day: weak, unfocused, and slow.  
For example take something minor like Ember confusing Starlight’s name with Twilight’s; simple, funny, logical, quick. THEN they have Ember do it again for longer with the joke being less logical which takes away from the hilarity and the simplicity. AND THEN they do it again. It was such an effort for me to get through and on top of that I’m disappointed as I went in wanting to get a new fresh view on Ember and Thorax. Ember didn’t really woe me in Gauntlet of Fire and I personally didn’t really like Thorax be in his debut or his transformation into his current role in the show. So good episode or bad episode, I wanted to walk away with some new understanding or enjoyable moments of the two that would make me like them like they did for Cadance/Shining Armor (Crystal Empire), Flurry Heart (Flurry of Emotions), etc. What I got was kinda nothing.  
Ember’s still Ember to me; fun character type but so far kinda blasé and in desperate need of good jokes.  
Thorax was elevated for me slightly from learn of his struggles as a ruler but other than that he’s still Thorax to me: a character’s who existence is more interesting than his character; also I hate his voice. I rank them with Coloratura as characters that I find myself yearing to like but am not given enough to do so. Also Starlight and Twilight could’ve been any combo of the mane six and the only thing to really change is the Ember confusing ponies joke and that’s not a good thing to me.
 
S7E16 Campfire Tales Grade: C+  
Bretty nice. Just a few quick shot stories and legends and I’m rather fond of those. Shout out to Missmane’s as my favorite for the ending of MM becoming and young in biological age, but old as shit looking sorceress spreading good will and her legend actually having a modern nuance to it with Rarity said about give others flowers. Also neat idea of the artists to make the nipponies have curved horns. CURVED. HORNS.
 
S7E17 To Change a Changeling Grade: C  
Swing and a miss again Thorax, but at least it’s a better episode than his last try. Opposite of the last one everything was also good to me, but not in fully enjoyably way, but in a passable one. Thorax was passable, the expand idea of his ruling is interesting but I still feel like Thorax himself needs to step up. Pharynx was fun and funny but his resolution was kinda lackluster. yadda yadda yadda apply the same things to Trixie/Starlight, the neo-lings, and the plot as a whole. Good but good in the same way I say S1 is good; fine but there is so so much better in the show especially at it’s current standard.
Mojo

Can I bring up the comics here? cause the latest issue of Legends of Equestria kind of just made the Dazzlings some of the most important characters in the canon.
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Given the newest comic, it makes Stygian’s rebelling a lot more understandable since he busted his ass traveling all across ancient Equestria (with all its dangers) just to gather all the heroes together. I’d be pissed too if I didn’t get any recognition for that.
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World's Smallest Violin
If the Pony of Shadows wasn’t just someone who stood around being menacing he would’ve easily been the best villain this series actually had.
 
Unlike our only two prior villains with backstories and every other villain without them at all he actually had a good reason for going fuck you to everyone.
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@Mojo
 
I’m trying to think but I believe that Sombra and Chrysalis are the only villains who don’t owe their existence/defeat either directly or indirectly to the sirens.
 
NMM was created when Luna felt unappreciated. If Starswirl was still around he might’ve curbed her resentment.
 
Discord was beaten by the Elements, which wouldn’t exist if the Pillars weren’t brought together.
 
Same deal with Tirek.
 
Starlight utilized an unfinished spell of Starswirl’s. If he wasn’t sealed he might’ve fixed it.
 
The Pony of Shadows wouldn’t exist if Stygian didn’t bring the Pillars together.
 
If the Dazzlings were never booted into huminwurld then Rainbow Rocks would’ve never happened, Sunset would never have been accepted by the CHS student body or found her confidence. An issue that could’ve snowballed into all sorts of problems come FG and on.
 
Deepest lore indeed.
Philweasel
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@Rappy0  
As a writer myself I assure you that all writers have god like planning skills, and every plot point is entirely plotted out at least eight years in advance.
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I remember how in (the new, which is not that new anymore since it started in 2003) Battlestar Galactica how it constantly mentioned in the opener that the Cylons “had a plan”. It turns out there was no plan, everything was made up by the writers as the show went along instead of having a bible or any other kind of plan in place (it really shows in the ending), and the final five Cylons were picked solely for shock value instead of making any kind of logical sense.
 
What could have been the ending of the series (until the writer’s strike was over and we got “Season 4.5”) was when they came across Earth only to find it a long-destroyed wasteland devoid of life, thus making their entire journey pointless, but with Adama basically deciding to screw destiny and prophecy and continuing the search for a new home. It was a dark, shocking ending, but still with some hope. With what came afterwards I still think this would’ve been the better ending.
 
I don’t think FiM plans that far ahead, if at all, aside from one season at a time.
MrSeyker

@Dustcan
 
Nah. I doubt Starswirl could’ve stopped NMM, given his poor handling of Stygian.
 
Also, nobody is saying this is planed, just that this new info deeply connects the backatory of several elememts.
Mikey
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After seeing all the last episodes, I think I can safely say I found Season 7 to be as great if not better than season 5.
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@Philweasel
 
I suppose those eight years also take into account the Damocles Sword that is the uncertainty of whenever another season is in the pipes while working on the current one? Cause I do remember Larson saying that he was told about S4 just before leaving after his work on S3, with his reaction being “Welp, good luck with that!”.
 
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love for the writers to have (and had) enough forethought to create multiple contingency plans in advance whenever seasons have a followup or not, but… other than Meadowbrook’s artifacts, I don’t exactly remember them planting the “seeds” for anything else they’re keeping under wraps.
MrSeyker

@Poison Trail
 
They can revisit the stars that unleashed Nightmare Moon. They could bring back Sombra if they chose. If she isn’t redeemed, there’s still Chrysalis. The Pillar’s relics and spells. The origins of the Shadow Temple. The Origins of the Alicorn Amulet. The mysterious seventh crystal in the proto Tree of Harmony. We still don’t know anything about Celestia and Luna’s past. Tempest’s joruney. The whole south of the continent just got expanded in the Movie. We still barely know anything about the lands to the east and west. With Starswirl around and the existance of the portal to the Human World, they could introduce alternate worlds. We still have no idea what became of Scorpan (and if they visit that, Tirek gets to be used again).
 
All that stuff is established in the show and unexplored. They got elements to expand the plot for years. And they can easily come up with new stuff completely unrelated to anything established previously.
CronoM

@Mike  
Some episodes were a hit and some episodes were a complete miss, and some were overall good but had major issues preventing them from being clever.
 
One advantage this season has over other later seasons is that were left more wondering what new stories open up instead of which stories are now closed to the canon. Princesshood, Castles, unicorns from out of nowhere who can cast spells that can’t even be dispelled by the Two Sisters? These type of story elements create far more barriers to many types of stories. Without limits and quality control, there’s little room to grow, which is why the status quo for the main characters and setting has been stuck in place for so long.
 
Case in point, it took us 3 full seasons just to find out whether the main 6 could still summon the Rainbow of Light or Elements together or not. ||The elements weren’t even brought up from S4 E26 until S7 E26!!! ||
 
But after Season 7? ||We have 6-7 displaced warriors from the past living in the present with their predecessors and their younger peers, Celestia and Luna. The Pony of Shadows may have accomplished absolutely nothing at all, but his story line was a door to possible 1000 year ago storylines, Celestia and Luna’s upbringing, and with the Sirens canon, an opening to bring in EG and other elements.
 
And if I’m being completely honest…
 
With the movie, series, and EG series all having set up so much lore and followups at the same time, I would say it would be safer to skip Season 8 entirely, and launch MLP G4.5 as a direct sequel under the name Guardians of Harmony instead of FiM, with all the characters and the entire canon at their disposal.
 
The ratings for the show have plummeted since the end of season 4, and while online viewership is more common and viewership is still higher then many other shows, its still not a good thing. Too many shows that last as long as MLP:FiM tend to burn out their good plots and writers after a certain point, especially if the show is TOO episodic.
 
A good series should always look for methods to revitalize itself and stir interest.
 
(The constant leaks aren’t doing the show any favors either)
 
The series still has a vast and loyal fanbase. I just hope they have plans to take advantage of that to increase quality, instead of just relying on it to get by and profit. DHX might like doing the former, but Hasbro LOVES doing the latter. So, as long as MLP is owned by Hasbro, it’s worrisome.  
||
Mikey
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@CronoM  
I personally found a lot more episodes enjoyable than not. I can only think of a few episodes that weren’t as good and even then I didn’t find them that bad.
CronoM

@Rappy0  
I worry that’s exactly what their doing. In the wake of MLP The Movie, The S7 finale and EG Summertime specials, the promotional stuff in next several months will be critical in whether they have a plan to keep the show at a higher quality, or if their just being careless and working things out on the fly.
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