Thoughts on the Season 9 leak. Or, could MLP ending be a blessing in disguise? · 7:58am Dec 21st, 2017
NOTE: I have not read or seen any of the texts or images from the leak regarding MLP:FIM's 8th and 9th season, so the following is pure speculation.
It's safe to say that by now, the fandom for Friendship Is Magic has been rocked by the recent leak of the show's 8th and 9th seasons, with an apparent reboot apparently coming shortly afterwords. For those of us who adore the show, this is sobering news; until Hasbro or the show's creative team issues a statement, all we have to go on is speculation, but I'm now wondering if this news, while depressing, may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
For the past year or so, I've been thinking about the inevitable day when Friendship is Magic will come to an end, and how that end will come about. All shows, no matter how successful they are, how big the fandom is, or how much they influence pop culture, will inevitably come to an end. The big question every fandom has to ask itself is how that will come about. Will the end come when the show is still in its prime, or when it's a shadow of its former self, dragging along the ground as its corporate owners work to squeeze every last penny out of it as possible.
To use another analogy, every show has a year in it: A spring, a summer, a fall, and a winter. In the spring, the show works to find itself, and starts to hit its stride. In the summer, it explodes into a kaleidoscope of color as it grows and expands. Then comes the fall, where growth stops. The intense beauty of the summer and spring is replaced by the still beautiful, but dimmed colors of autumn. Then, finally, comes winter, when the last bits of greenery fall from the branches.
Personally, I think the time is coming where the natural growth for Twilight and her friends will start to slow. They can only learn so many lessons, save Equestria so many times, and expand as individuals before everything becomes commonplace. Does anyone really believe that the world/universe is going to end in Doctor Who these days? Just how many times has the Doctor, in various incarnations, saved all of existence itself? Every time he (soon to be she) does it, each subsequent threat becomes a little less interesting. Before the Disney buyout, how many times did Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie save the galaxy from the Sith and other threats in the Star Wars expanded universe? By the end, it was a given that pretty much all of them would survive whatever was thrown their way in each book or game and live to face another adventure, and keeping track of them all became a chore instead of a fun pastime.
Whether we want to face it or not, MLP: FIM will inevitably reach that stage.
That's why, as crazy as it sounds, I think having the show end within the next few years might be the best thing that could happen.
Now, before you grab the pitchforks and torches, I want to emphasize that I still enjoy the show. I like the characters, the setting, the stories, the villains, but part of life is learning to accept that everything inevitably ends, and that to drag it out, whether it's a friendship, a job, or even a life, only creates suffering when it would be kinder to let go.
Having been around a while, I've seen many series come and go (Calvin and Hobbes, The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Harry Potter, etc.), and seen others that become cash cows (The Simpsons and Spongebob Squarepants come to mind). While at first it's great to have something you love go on year after year, sooner or later you realize that the story and the characters aren't going to change. The conflicts go on and on and on, nothing is ever resolved, and if it is, it's inevitably reconnected away so that new problems come up, until you grow tired and walk away when something new catches your eye.
Conversely, while it is sad when a series you love comes to an end, it can be a blessing in disguise: While the show is over, you have all your memories of the characters and the adventures they went on. It was sad to see stories like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Lord of the Rings come to an end, but it's satisfying to look back and know that Luke, Han, Leia, and their friends brought down the Empire and restored freedom to the galaxy (I personally refuse to accept the sequel trilogy in my headcannon), that Harry Potter defeated the greatest evil the wizarding world had ever known, and that the Ring was destroyed and Middle Earth saved. Their stories become evergreen, immune to the ravages of time, and, if you're lucky, you get to enter the phase where a franchise's fandom rises to keep it alive through fan stories, artwork, videos, and music. Everyone gets to add to the series they love, and leave their mark on it for others to enjoy.
I think that MLP: FIM still has quite a few legs left in it. It can still go on without feeling tired or worn out. It's not a cash cow franchise, and we should be grateful. But we should hope that when the time comes, the show will get to end on a high note: our beloved characters will go on one final adventure, save Equestria one final time, and redeem the unredemable villains. Then, with Equestria saved, and everyone standing together as friends, Twilight and her friends can walk off into the sunset, head held high with pride at a job well done, and knowing that, with their job done, they have left the field for others to come on and enjoy.
But until that time comes, let's enjoy the show while it still has much to offer.
Yeah I was gonna agree with you and make an argument about how G5 could be awesome and then you had to say that shit about Star Wars lol.....
Look, The Last Jedi MADE LUKE INTERESTING DAMMIT....
People running around panicking as if the fandom isn't just going to pile right over into G5 whenever it comes.
The ride never ends!
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The Last Jedi was probably the least Star Wars-y Star Wars film so far. It was also good, and a lot of people seem to forget that, just because it had the guts to go into different tones.
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Personally, I feel the sequel trilogy isn't adding anything of real value to the Star Wars universe, feeling instead like the Rebels vs the Empire 2.0. I'm neutral towards The Force Awakens, and while The Last Jedi is to be commended for taking risks and trying new things, but while many of them worked (Leia floating back from space, Hyperspace suicide runs, and killing Snoke) not all of them did. I felt the movie is too long, that the casino planet subplot added nothing to the film, and I'm still angry in how they handled Luke's death. He's just there one minute, he looks tired, and then boom, he's dead. No build up, no foreshadowing, nothing. Watching the death of a childhood hero should elicit grief, sadness, or satisfaction at seeing them go out well, not a feeling of 'wait... he's dead?" It's my most disappointing and frustrating movie moment in years.
I will never give up on MLP until they at least do a Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia reunion episode!