Season 3 retrospective

So I was listening to the Cutie Art Crusaders (no, I hadn't heard of them until yesterday either) interview Sibsy (yay) and then they went on to talk about their feelings about Season 3 and how it's the best season ever! <sigh> You know, if there's one thing I don't like (not hate mind you, just don't like) it's how entirely uncritical Bronies are about the product they fawn over. I like the show too, but I'm also here for the fan created content, which is in many ways better than the show itself. Which shouldn't come as a surprise. Fan artists don't have Hasbro lawyers and censors looking over their shoulders, and have more than 22 minutes to tell their stories. They have far more creative freedom, and while Sturgeons Law still applies, the best of what the fans produce matches the quality of Studio DHX.

And sometimes it vastly exceeds the quality of the show, because Sturgeon's Law also applies to that as well. (In a backwards way at least, with the 90%/10% roles reversed.) Season one and season two both produced stinkers in the form of Feeling Pinkie Keen (a great episode ruined by a terrible lesson) and The Last Roundup, where due to screw-ups, miscommunication, thoughtless, and over-the-wall mentality, they managed to create the dumbest pony in the show, and then give her the face of the only physically disabled pony in the show. (Yes, not being able to focus your eyes like that is a disability.) Personally I also think S2E12 Baby Cakes was also a thing of evil, but that's probably down to some forms of humor not traveling well. So how would I judge season three?

In a word? Disappointing. In two words? Wasted opportunities. In order: The Crystal Empire was fun, and it was great watching Twilight work through the puzzles like that. Too Many Pinkies was silly. Magic Duel was great. Sleepless In Ponyville saw the return of Luna. Always a bonus in my eyes. And Magical Mystery Cure was a frigging musical! (With Derpy! Multiple times!) What's not to like? Oh yeah, about those other ones...

First the 'could do better' ones. Wonderbolt Academy would have been stronger if they had left out Pinky. In 22 minutes, every second is precious, and rescuing X number of random civilian ponies would have freed up time for better character development, maybe have a more natural climax, and allowed for a 'Dear Pinky Pie' letter at the end, which I think would have been nice. Apple Family Reunion can best be described as that one time where we spend time with everyone who isn't Applejack. Which is kinda missing the point for what is supposed to be an Applejack episode. Games Ponies Play was a joke dragged on way too long, but again, that's probably a humor not traveling thing again. Ditto for Spike At Your Service, but that was also a major case of Character Derailment, since Spike is usually the calm level headed one (when Rarity's not involved at least) and here he was made into a idiot for no good reason. Still, loved the Timberwolves, especially the big one at the end.

The bad episodes. Keep Calm and Flutter On and Just for Sidekicks but for different reasons. The second is just Baby Cakes recycled for Spike. Same situation. Same plot. Largely the same jokes, with a mandatory side trip into Buy Our Crystal Playsets territory. Recycle plastic? Yes. Recycle episodes? No. The first is the traditional seasonal bad message of 'stay with your abusive boyfriend, because maybe he'll change', combined with a forced heal-face-turn. Presumably because Hasbro vetoed the more sensible message of 'don't throw good money after bad'. Still, a reformed (somewhat) Discord could be entertaining in Season 4 - depending on how often they can afford Mr Delancy's fees.

The really shitty one. Normally I'd crown Keep Calm as Worst Moral Of The Year, but this time round that goes the the nastiest episode in the history of the show: One Bad Apple. If you're being bullied, just tell someone, and things will magically get better! There will be children watching this show who are being bullied by other children. Some of them will have told an adult. The vast majority that have told one will have learned it does absolutely nothing. Can you imagine what a kick in the teeth it must be for children who suffer abuse to come home, try and escape their life, only to have the same old bullshit lie shoved down their throats? That's some nasty politically correct shit there Hasbro, and that's some lazy writing there Cindy Morrow. You couldn't have had them try this, only for it not to work, until they tell a second adult, and then have the first adult and the bullies get in trouble? And Babs gets off scot free for all the shit she put the CMCs through? And when Applejack sees more bullying right at the end of the show, she does sweet fanny adams about it, and the kids have to solve it themselves? The very lesson you've supposedly been teaching us doesn't work?

What's that? You didn't have time? Maybe if you had sacrificed that merely-so-so song, you might have had more room for plot, which you really shouldn't wasted so much airtime on an issue that not only affects your viewers, but which WILL drive some of them to suicide. For pity's sake show some respect! Ugh. I've talked about this before. I won't go through the whole song and dance again.

This is my least favorite season, and not only because it's half as long. The writing was unimaginative/restricted by Hasbro, and far too much air-time was criminally wasted on filler, combined with one nasty and one very nasty episode. And now Studio DHX says 'Trust us!" with season four? Well, yes, fine. I'm sure it will look great. That's not what I'm worried about. It's the jerks you work for. The ones who (supposedly) ordered that Magical Mystery Cure be a one parter.

Admittedly that worked out well, and that gives me hope. But still, ask yourselves these two questions:

How many stories can you think of that would be impossible (or much harder) to tell if Twilight had stayed a unicorn?
How many stories can you think of that would be impossible (or much harder) to tell now that Twilight has become an alicorn?

I'm really not sure the first list is longer.