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Review of Season Three of MLP:FIM

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So, I know this is dated, but when Season 3 ended, I was swamped with papers and projects and was unable to write a review.  Fortunately I am finally on vacation and now have time to write a proper review of the third season of My Little Pony. I guess it is not too late; cause season 4 won’t be premiering until near about 2014.

Back before season 3 premiered, I posted some hopes and expectations. Happily, almost all of my expectations came true. I don’t have very many criticisms of the entire season as a whole, but I do have some reservations I need to address, but I’ll get to that later.

OK, so my all time favorite episode of the season was “Keep Calm and Flutter On”. This ranks as one of my three favorite episodes of the entire series, alongside “Super-Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000”, “Dragon Quest”, and “Feeling Pinkie Keen”.

One of the main reasons I like the episode so much is that what I wanted more than anything was to have a Fluttershy episode where she does something besides “be shy” and learn “not to be shy”. It was nice to have a Fluttershy episode that explored other facets of personality besides her shyness, as well as demonstrated clear character development and maturity. A season one or season two Fluttershy probably would not have been up to the task of taming Discord.

The episode was also, for me at least, honestly unpredictable. The only problem I have with the show to speak is predictability, not surprising given that it is a show for little kids. Towards the end, I was holding my breath, as I didn’t know if honestly, Fluttershy would have turned on Discord, with the moral lesson being keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.

Another reason I loved the episode was that I had a hope that they would remake a Star Trek episode into an MLP episode. I didn’t expect it to materialize, so I was all the more thrilled when it did come to pass. “Keep Calm and Flutter On” was clearly a nod to an episode of Star Trek called “Deja Q”. In “Deja Q”, Q is stripped of his powers and is forced to depend on the protection of the crew of the enterprise and, in a matter of speaking, learns the magic of friendship through the hospitality of the Enterprise crew. At the end of the episode, Q tries to sacrifice himself for the good of the enterprise, and as a reward, the Q continuum restores Q’s powers. Besides the plot similarity, an obvious nod to the episode was when Discord ate Twilight’s spell books, referencing a scene in “Deja Q” where Q asks Worf “eat any good books lately?”

I noticed that a lot of fans didn’t like “Keep Calm and Flutter On”, for they said that Discord changed way to easily. Granted, perhaps they could have made it a two parter and could have developed it more, but I genuinely think that the fans who are saying that he was to quickly reformed genuinely fail to appreciate that Discord is modeled after Q from Star Trek.

For those of you who are Trekkers within the Brony community, you know that Q was not a “villain” in the classical sense of the term. For those who are not Trekkers, let me explain, Q was a genuine example of what in DND alignment is known as “Chaotic Neutral.” Chaotic Neutral characters are neither zealots, robin hoods, sadists, or power hungry dictators. Throughout his appearances, which were not limited to TNG, but also to DS9 and Voyager, Q was just as much a benefit to the Starships that he visited as he was a menace. He was only interest in his own freedom and amusement.

Even when Discord first appears, we get the impression that Discord is truly a chaotic neutral, and not an “evil” character. For example, unlike Nightmare Moon, The Changeling Queen, or King Sombra, Discord did not seem genuinely interested in lordship or enslaving the masses, he simply wanted to spread Chaos and disharmony for it’s own sake. Also, re-watch the end of the episode and one will see that he promises to use his magic for good “most of the time”, implying that he was not genuinely “reformed” in the way the fans who reacted negatively assumed. Essentially, what we can gather from the episode is that just like the other characters, Discord was changed with the magic of friendship, yet inside, he is the same reckless spirit he was before. With his reformation, it gives the writers room to shake up the episodes with Discord as the Q-styled wild card he was always intended to be. There are in fact, several great Star Trek episodes that could be handily remade into MLP episodes, and I suspect we will see one or two in season 4, or any future seasons that they make. I will explain in future note the Star Trek episodes they specifically need to remake into MLP episodes.

The only other episode from the series that gets an outstanding score is “One Bad Apple.” It was too date, the best CMC episode they have produced so far. It was rich in pop-culture references for older viewers, including reference to Scooby-Doo and the A-team. It also was refreshing to have an episode of CMC not focused on them getting their Cutie Marks. It is also, in light of the whole “anti-bully” nonsense campaigns flying around these days, an actual representation of the “gray” notion of bullying. That being that “bullying” is often not the one sided issue of one bully terrorizing a defenseless kid, while this does happen, from my memories of primary and secondary school, it was more along the lines of one bad action leading to a revenge action, essentially, to adopt a line from Gandhi, an eye for eye justice on the pre-teen and teenage level leads to the whole school becoming blind. Those who bully others often tend to come from a home with issues, and with our shrinking number of teachers in the classroom, our schools become a breeding ground for it.

None of the episodes besides these two stood out as outstandingly good. They all had ups and downs, but it would take far too long to analyze each and every episode. As a whole however, I can say that I appreciated the genuine character development across the board. Rainbow Dash has evolved from an arrogant jock and bully to a kinder and gentler soul. Fluttershy, for reasons already mentioned, has evolved from meek and timid to more assertive. Pinkie Pie has evolved to be less schizophrenic and hyperactive. Applejack has become less stubborn and individualistic, and more willing to accept help. Another little gem I appreciated was essentially making Cheerimac cannon. As in the episode “just for side kicks”, we see Cheerilee and Big Mac walking together in the background.

An exception to this rule however, was Rarity. Rarity for some reason appears, opposite of the other characters, to have regressed emotionally. Perhaps this is because she never got her own episode, but I was disappointed that she appears to have regressed to her season one mentality. During season one, I didn’t like Rarity at all; I thought she was the polar opposite of her element of harmony. During season two however, I had warmed up to her, as she seemed to have developed a bigger heart, and more sensitive feelings, especially after “Secret Of My Excess,” where she had a far more caring attitude towards Spike. Yet, she has seemed to have regressed back to her cold personality in season 3, as demonstrated in forcing Sweetiebelle to carry her stuff for her, and treating Spike rather shortly in “Spike at your service” and “Just for Sidekicks”, and paying him the tiniest ruby possible for his service.

On the note of the regression of Rarity, the two episodes that stood out as below the ideal were the two Spike episodes. I am, before all else MLP related, a Spike fan. In season two they did a great job exploring Spike’s quest for an identity, his relationship to the other ponies, and genuinely developed Spike as a character. In the third season, they appeared to have him remain “stuck” in his current phase. This is a shame, because I was hoping for further development on Spike’s part, and a deepening of Spike’s relationship to Rarity. Instead, they passed up a great opportunity and had some mediocre episodes of Spike making a fool out of himself. Sure, they had their funny parts, but all in all, they fell short of  “Secret Of My Excess” and “Dragon Quest”. I will say however, that I am relieved that they did not abandon Sparity, I was worried that they would have Spike move on from Rarity by the third season.

So, the conclusion, which took the Brony community by storm, some were excited and welcomed the event, while others were ready to quit the fandom and crucify Twilight. Just like any massive changes, this could either bode well or spell death to the goodness of the series. I hope for the best, yet fear the worst.

For starters, I will say that like so many other great shows, like Supernatural, they passed up a perfect opportunity to have ended the series with dignity. It would have been a good ending if they made the final into a two parter, or a movie where they had an epic adventure weaving all of the themes into one, giving an appearance to all of the heroes and villains who have premiered over the show. Ideally, a perfect G4 movie would have featured a return of Tirek, the first ever villain in the MLP series, who was the subject of the pilot to the G1 MLP. Yet, this isn’t an impossibility, who knows, perhaps they will conclude the series this way. I honestly did not expect Twilight to become an Alicorn until the conclusion of the series, I expected only at the very end in what every form the show took, would Twilight become an alicorn, at the same time were I expect the CMC to get their cutie marks, Rainbow Dash become a full-fledged member of the wonder bolts, and Spike and Rarity getting together.

In terms of season 4 having”Princess Twilight”, there are many directions that this could go in. I will talk more about it at a future note or two outlining hopes, expectations, and addressing rumors for season 4. In a nutshell, they could go in a direction of G1 awesomeness, taking advantage of her new position as princess to go on more adventures and see more of Equestria, learning more of it’s peoples and it’s origins as the main six battle villains and solve problems of all stripes, shapes, and sizes. Or they could degenerate into G3 lameness, with every episode consisting of an excuse to advertise merchandise with no real plot, conflict, or character development. This will be explored in future notes devoted to season 4 and Twilight Sparkle.

In conclusion, I celebrate another joyous season, and hope that they can top the awesomeness with another season.

Thanks for being with me today.
-AlektheWereRat.
© 2013 - 2024 AlektheWererat
Comments13
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paige2012's avatar
:star::star::star::star::star: Overall
:star::star::star::star::star: Vision
:star::star::star::star::star: Originality
:star::star::star::star::star: Technique
:star::star::star::star::star: Impact

I love how you just spill the truth. Plus, I say that its true about the Rarity situation. And I love your thinking. The things you want to happen in season 4 you can really build off of and it makes sense.
But, could you cut out some of the star trek stuff. Some people, including myself, have no clue about star trek. Other than that I give it a 5 star rating. I love how you talk so in depth and you stay on subject. You don't just talk a little on one thing and then unexpectedly change to another subject.
sincerely,
paige2012