FA+
Shop
Ponies, Season 5
10 years ago
General
Never has there been a more apparent "Fan Season" of any show then Season 5 of MLP, and here's why:
The 'girly' has gone. It seems that within context of each character alot of the girlyness has been removed.
The Episodes have been answering (to some extent) what the fans have been clamoring to know. The Twilight's Castle Playset for 49.99$ (Characters sold separately) hasn't really been that central. Yea it's the flank flashlight alert-o-meter, but it's been 'Yea, it exists' thing. CMC's marks, and so on.
They episodes have been hard and heavy, with alot of underlying meaning to them. Dealing with the fact that the world is better when everyone has something special about them to add variety to everyday life in the Season opener. Facing something new in episode 3, the fear of the unknown. And with episode 4 it dealt with the pressure that society and our own want to fit in tend to put on ourselves (Not to mention how quickly that episode went dark..). It seems they have pulled out all the stops and are writing for the fans to some extent.
More particularly episode 5, "Tanks for the Memories"
The name itself implies a catastrophe, as I (And probably alot of others) thought this was going to be an episode where they deal with the fact that pets do not live as long as people generally do. And in some way, it did deal with it, even though they didn't use it in a way we think.
They instead used a euphemism of 'hibernation' instead of death, but the implication is there and it is hard and heavy. Facing the fact that a pet is 'going away' is something that everyone here knows quite well.
I'm sure that everyone here has had a pet at some point. Whether it was their own pet, or the family dog, we all have had the the joys of an animal companion. Day in and day out we get to see them, feed them, talk to them and then play with them.
Naturally, spending time and bonding with our companions over the course of the years. Vacations, playing out in the yard and being a comfort to us in times of hardship. They become comfortable with us and us with them. We fall into a routine, going for a walk or run, all of it incorporated into our lives. Day after day, it's the same for the most part.
Then there's the day when it's time. We noticed it slowly, hindered by our own ignorance of a fact we don't want to realize, Put it out of our minds. They become slower, start running into things as their eyesight fails. And then there is the day when they are nearing the time to leave, to sleep for the last time.
We fight it, going to doctors, friends, seeking advice anywhere to have our companion back and not have to change plans.
This fact is STRONGLY mirrored in the episode as Dash's pet, Tank, begins to mimic these symptoms. Slowing down, getting tired as she seeks advice. Well, it's edging closer to winter, and Tank is going to hibernate. (It's odd timing, as the show was probably meant to begin air dates in Sept/October, but was delayed) Dash does as anyone would, deny it, then began to fight nature itself to warm the place up so that it can stop what happens naturally.
As sometimes those that fight to delay the end may hasten it is what happens next. Instant winter happens and she realizes that changing everything doesn't change the facts and winds up depressed as the realization hits her. The episode took a turn for the worse at that point. That family members gathering around Dash, laying with Tank in the bed, a very powerful euphemism of comfort.
They break the news to her, that Tank wasn't going to be there all winter. Again, very powerful scene that tries to handle what it's meant to portray delicately, but still manages to cut to the bone. It was a very hard to watch scene as Dash broke down with the final nail, so to speak, that her friend wasn't going to be there anymore, during the winter, and she was going to be alone.
Then they turned the parallel to 11 but having the torturous scene of Tank going into the ground to hibernate.
I guess the reason that this episode hit me hard was because I had a hamster at one point. Magellan, had him for 4-5 years. He came when called, I played with him constantly and had a scare with him at one point as he got sick. The mirror of this episode on my life was creepily exact.
Then there was that day when he was gone...
And I haven't had a pet/gotten attached to one in the family ever since. Once bitten twice shy.
Well, I'm writing about it, as this episode hit me hard and heavy... The very stark bleak tones in this episode greatly overshadowed the jokes they made, downing them out almost entirely.
erf.
The 'girly' has gone. It seems that within context of each character alot of the girlyness has been removed.
The Episodes have been answering (to some extent) what the fans have been clamoring to know. The Twilight's Castle Playset for 49.99$ (Characters sold separately) hasn't really been that central. Yea it's the flank flashlight alert-o-meter, but it's been 'Yea, it exists' thing. CMC's marks, and so on.
They episodes have been hard and heavy, with alot of underlying meaning to them. Dealing with the fact that the world is better when everyone has something special about them to add variety to everyday life in the Season opener. Facing something new in episode 3, the fear of the unknown. And with episode 4 it dealt with the pressure that society and our own want to fit in tend to put on ourselves (Not to mention how quickly that episode went dark..). It seems they have pulled out all the stops and are writing for the fans to some extent.
More particularly episode 5, "Tanks for the Memories"
The name itself implies a catastrophe, as I (And probably alot of others) thought this was going to be an episode where they deal with the fact that pets do not live as long as people generally do. And in some way, it did deal with it, even though they didn't use it in a way we think.
They instead used a euphemism of 'hibernation' instead of death, but the implication is there and it is hard and heavy. Facing the fact that a pet is 'going away' is something that everyone here knows quite well.
I'm sure that everyone here has had a pet at some point. Whether it was their own pet, or the family dog, we all have had the the joys of an animal companion. Day in and day out we get to see them, feed them, talk to them and then play with them.
Naturally, spending time and bonding with our companions over the course of the years. Vacations, playing out in the yard and being a comfort to us in times of hardship. They become comfortable with us and us with them. We fall into a routine, going for a walk or run, all of it incorporated into our lives. Day after day, it's the same for the most part.
Then there's the day when it's time. We noticed it slowly, hindered by our own ignorance of a fact we don't want to realize, Put it out of our minds. They become slower, start running into things as their eyesight fails. And then there is the day when they are nearing the time to leave, to sleep for the last time.
We fight it, going to doctors, friends, seeking advice anywhere to have our companion back and not have to change plans.
This fact is STRONGLY mirrored in the episode as Dash's pet, Tank, begins to mimic these symptoms. Slowing down, getting tired as she seeks advice. Well, it's edging closer to winter, and Tank is going to hibernate. (It's odd timing, as the show was probably meant to begin air dates in Sept/October, but was delayed) Dash does as anyone would, deny it, then began to fight nature itself to warm the place up so that it can stop what happens naturally.
As sometimes those that fight to delay the end may hasten it is what happens next. Instant winter happens and she realizes that changing everything doesn't change the facts and winds up depressed as the realization hits her. The episode took a turn for the worse at that point. That family members gathering around Dash, laying with Tank in the bed, a very powerful euphemism of comfort.
They break the news to her, that Tank wasn't going to be there all winter. Again, very powerful scene that tries to handle what it's meant to portray delicately, but still manages to cut to the bone. It was a very hard to watch scene as Dash broke down with the final nail, so to speak, that her friend wasn't going to be there anymore, during the winter, and she was going to be alone.
Then they turned the parallel to 11 but having the torturous scene of Tank going into the ground to hibernate.
I guess the reason that this episode hit me hard was because I had a hamster at one point. Magellan, had him for 4-5 years. He came when called, I played with him constantly and had a scare with him at one point as he got sick. The mirror of this episode on my life was creepily exact.
Then there was that day when he was gone...
And I haven't had a pet/gotten attached to one in the family ever since. Once bitten twice shy.
Well, I'm writing about it, as this episode hit me hard and heavy... The very stark bleak tones in this episode greatly overshadowed the jokes they made, downing them out almost entirely.
erf.
Or it could be fan service, I don't actually watch it.
I also don't want pets anymore, for similar reasons.
But It is possibly the creators bending in part to the massive fan base of adults. If they keep up with the record of hitting me with a sledgehammer each episode, it's going to be one of the best seasons as it draws out the feels...
It also seemed to teach that people deal with loss differently than others or may not understand what the other is going through in terms of feeling, as we have seen with AJ (Who cried internally and paid her respects silently with the tip of her hat) and Twilight (Who didn't seem emotional what so ever as she hadn't experienced that type of loss before it seems).
Over all, these episodes are getting really good and deep. But are they too deep for the target audience? I personally don't think they are as shows from my childhood were just as or maybe deeper than MLP for it's same target audience (Well not 8-year old girls but instead 8-year old boys). Like, for example, Teen Titans. I can remember at least one Courage The Cowardly Dog episode that dealt with something that was deeper than any kids episode I have seen or at least remember seeing. That's The Mask. Or at least from what I remember, it was maybe as deep as the past 5 episodes have been.
Also, I think the fact RD finally got her own solo song supports your point that this season is very Fan orientated it seems. I personally don't have a problem with that as it can make the show be seen as a great show, if it isn't already. Just as long as it doesn't get too traumatizing.