Um, no it's not a trick question. And that's a bit crazy to say yes, especially when we've gotten episodes without Twilight, and without Fluttershy, and the show hasn't collapsed. Sisterhooves Social is an episode with only 2 of the Mane 6, and it gets along just fine. We have had plenty of episodes without certain characters.
PaulloDEC wrote:You've yourself acknowledged the letters to Celestia more than once as being of key importance in the show, and yet you don't want to acknowledge the character who was writing them week-in-week-out was more globally significant than the others? I specifically said earlier "In as much as the show has a lead" because you're right in saying that it doesn't have a lead in the traditional sense.
You're chopping up what I'm saying. I'm saying, I preferred it when
everyone wrote to Celestia. That was S2. Therefore, my point still stands that she is not. She was merely, if anything, just setting up the first season.
And you say that the show doesn't have an over-arcing plot, but I'd argue it absolutely does. The over-arcing plot as far as I'm concerned is that of Twilight Sparkle learning about friendship and consequently finding her place in the world. That comes up time and time again, and none of the other characters are given the same focus.
Finding her place in the world? Hasn't that been resolved by Friendship is Magic Part 2? And I feel you're cutting out characters, for the sake of proving this point. What about Rainbow Dash? While I don't believe the show has any character arcs, do to it's episodes not having a clear point in canon, out of all the ponies, Rainbow Dash developed, as with each passing episode with the Wonderbolts, she goes from fangirl, to actually trying to work hard for them. So she is given that focus. And that's just one example of the Mane 6. Rarity also has clearly already made it in the fashion industry by now, is that something else to be ignored to? There is no way this is just: MLP: Twilight's Adventures.
The show is absolutely an ensemble, you're right. It doesn't have a lead in the traditional sense that they dominate proceedings, but looking at the show from a bigger picture perspective makes it absolutely clear whose story this is.
What biggest perspective? The biggest perspective is: "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is about a group of friends who through everyday things learn the meanings of friendship." That is the biggest, most general description of the show. Think of it like zooming out to see everything, without the details.
The Doctor wrote:Think Star Wars. Luke was the focus character in the first film, but was no more a main character than Han, who showed up 30 minutes in.
This is my point exactly.
I would have kept it in the same fashion as S2. I believe that was a fine formula, and it would take a while to get old. And by the time it does, it would be time for the show to end anyway.
Yikes. We'll have to agree to disagree there. While parts of the process haven't been handled ideally (the shorter length of Season 3 was the big spanner in the works for me), the way they've committed to advancing the story in Friendship is Magic rather than taking the easy way out and just doing the same thing forever has been one of the features about it I've admired the most.[/quote]
Who is "we all", you're saying I'm wrong for preferring S2's formula? All I said was part of the charm for me was summarizing the lesson in the episode to the Princess. And I liked it when they all did that.
PaulloDEC wrote:Sure, and this is why I keep pushing the idea that in an episode-to-episode sense it's an ensemble, but from a global perspective it's about Twilight Sparkle's journey. The finales might be easily removed from the other episodes leaving a purely ensemble show, but if we're looking at the series as a whole, Twilight's story is a key thread that consistently appears every season. No other character in the show has their personal story chronicled in the way Twilight does.
How can you say in an episode to episode sense it's an ensemble, but from a global perspective it isn't? Twilight's two-part "Oh crap we need story" episodes, what make them any different than an episode pulled from the middle of the season, focusing on one pony? Just because they are season bookends? I don't think that gives it special rights. Twilight's story cannot be something that appears in every season in a higher standing than the others, because since S2, she has never been the focus, it's almost been random, on an episode to episode basis. It's either an ensemble show about a group of friends, or it's a show about Twilight. The latter could have been an argument for Season 1, but as of Lesson Zero, she's clearly lost that unique aspect.
That's a fair point. In some ways, it makes me admire what they've done all the more. They've taken a bunch of disparate requests from the marketing division and managed to tell a coherent, if occasionally rushed story that holds up pretty well for a show of this kind.
Disparate? You make it sound like Hasbro has no idea what they're doing, and this is all the writer's credit. I feel like people in this fandom have just taken a relationship like that of COBRA to Serpentor and Cobra Commander in GI Joe. Despite both doing their share of the work, whenever it was a victory, the praise went to Serpentor. Whenever it was a failure, Cobra Commander got the scolding. Whoever's fault it was. Might that be the case here? We've seen in the past shows that have been successful, yet toy lines that sold very poorly. Maybe if that were the case, Hasbro deserves the scolding, but considering how successful their toy lines have been, I don't think that's the case. Let's not forget Equestria Girls, and how Hasbro mandate was blamed and shunned, yet if I recall correctly, the dolls sold far better than the leading competitor, Monster High. All I am saying, is perhaps Hasbro isn't really as inept at business, saying it's just throwing mandates at them, when maybe the case is, they're doing a fine job.
I'll be there for that, I'll post if anything is said live.