The Cutie Mark Crusaders - Your Opinion?

[MetalSonicHello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?]

They´re adorable and funny in their childish way.
Just kids being kids being awesome. But around them there was my first magic moment in terms of the show´s quality. After I watched the whole first season, I started from the very beginning. Since I watched the two pilots one or two month after the rest of the episodes, I didn´t notice it at first, but as I saw the three CMCs in the corner as Nightmare Moon arrived (so way before their introduction in "Call of the Cutie") I was surprised and amazed.
It may be nothing groundbreaking special, but since it was the first real magic moment, which was outside the main plot line, I quite remember it till this day.

[sun tzu]

Hm...While I don't hate the CMC, I'll admit I resent them a little for occasionally taking the focus away from the Mane Six, since I find the latter a lot more interesting.
However...one thing I do like about the CMC is that they are not written as being more competent than adults, or saving the day when the Mane Six are in trouble. I see that a lot with cartoon kids, and it generally rubs me the wrong way - it feels like a cheap attempt at sucking up to the target audience. So, props for averting that, and letting the CMC screw up like real kids do.

[Pocketis she just gonna go booty booty]

My problem with them from the beginning was that, after being introduced specifically as a way to deliver the message that they should be in no hurry to get their cutie marks, their very next appearance has them all eager to get their marks as soon as possible, and even adopting Apple Bloom's tactics of trying everything they can think of. I know this show has some continuity issues here and there due to writers not paying attention, but it's hard to imagine how something that big slipped by them, seeing how the episodes' messages are decided in the writers' meetings before the scripts ever get written.

I don't mind them as characters, though. If they eventually just tiptoe away from the whole issue by avoiding bringing up the whole "Cutie Mark Crusaders" thing anymore and just having it be "Apple Bloom and her two friends" (like in "Family Appreciation Day" and "Hearts and Hooves"), then I'll stop complaining about it.

[Headless Horse]

I think the way they're handling it is very self-aware. They're not focusing the CMCs' attention directly on cutie marks (except in Cutie Pox because that's the plot), but they're paying lip service to it with little sidelong references, like Rarimom's comment about SB's cooking in Sisterhooves. What that tells me is that they realize that a little bit of cutie mark obsession goes a long way, but it is still something that's important to these three and a narrative loose end they're not going to just forget about.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

I think the way they're handling it is very self-aware. They're not focusing the CMCs' attention directly on cutie marks (except in Cutie Pox because that's the plot), but they're paying lip service to it with little sidelong references, like Rarimom's comment about SB's cooking in Sisterhooves. What that tells me is that they realize that a little bit of cutie mark obsession goes a long way, but it is still something that's important to these three and a narrative loose end they're not going to just forget about.

I still think SB and Scoots are far less obsessed with it. That unlike AB, they know it's just a matter of time.

[Glaed]

I hope they get more of the HnH day style "just kids being cute kids" and less of the "CUTIE MARKS CUTIE MARKS CUTIE MARKS CUTIE MARKS CUTIE MARKS" as time goes on. Although I like them in Stare Master and the Cutie Mark Chronicles and so on they're just not as cute/fun.

[Lhet]

I like the CMCs a lot more overall than their early episodes, but Applebloom used to be quite a bit more defiant and witty (Staremaster forest scene, Bridle Gossip) than her current character. I guess its just a couple early traits that have faded, but I kinda liked those things about her character.

[Huitzil]

Well, it's not bad. It's not that good either.

At least it's no Octopus's Garden

SHAME on you for implying Octopus's Garden isn't awesome.

[Headless Horse]

I like the CMCs a lot more overall than their early episodes, but Applebloom used to be quite a bit more defiant and witty (Staremaster forest scene, Bridle Gossip) than her current character. I guess its just a couple early traits that have faded, but I kinda liked those things about her character.

That's true, but then again in Stare Master their personalities were still pretty undefined and indistinct. Sweetie Belle was an accomplished seamstress back then, and AB couldn't hammer worth a damn.

[Glaed]

and AB couldn't hammer worth a damn.

I still think it was only the other two being there that screwed things up.

[Killing Vector]

That's true, but then again in Stare Master their personalities were still pretty undefined and indistinct. Sweetie Belle was an accomplished seamstress back then, and AB couldn't hammer worth a damn.

I still think it was only the other two being there that screwed things up.

And I imagine that capes are a lot easier to make than those glam rock jumpsuits, but I haven't done any sewing since my junior high home ec classes.

I will say that it strikes me as a bit funny to consider Stare Master as this early, indistinct time for the CMCs' characterization before the show really started nailing it down in... Show Stoppers, the very next episode. That's not to say that you're necessarily way off-base (certainly Stare Master isn't really interested in characterizing the CMCs individually outside of the Sweetie Belle stuff at the beginning) or that the two writers didn't get their wires crossed, though.

[Demon DonkeyThe MC Pony Commander]

I don't mind those silly little fillies. The only CMC ep. I don't care for is Show Stoppers.

[Poor Yorick]

I don't mind those silly little fillies. The only CMC ep. I don't care for is Show Stoppers.

Same. To me it was just "'sperging about cutie marks, montage, more 'sperging, an awful song, CMCs completelly missing the obvious, THE END".

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

I loved that episode. I especially loved that song.

[AramekYour MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue."So you're saying..."Your brain is about 20% tumor.]

Know what I love?

"Cunie marks!"

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars?]

Know what I love?

"Cunie marks!"

I hate that.

[Herr Generalfabulous]

Gotta admit that montage in Show Stoppers was awesome though, especially the BGM. Best part of the ep for sure.

[Headless Horse]

^^ Seconding that. That montage music is one of the most iconic things in the show for me. It's just so full of joy.

[KingDead]

I don't think I ever hated them or anything, but they took some getting used to. Count me in among those who didn't like Show Stoppers, although it's more so for the final act and the (intentionally) awful song and performance they put on. I'm not a fan of scenes where characters end up embarrassing themselves like that. Otherwise the montage scene and that one exchange Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have ("How's the song going?" "Pbbbt" "Pbbbt?") are two of my favorite moments.

Season 2 has been great for SB and Apple Bloom. Both of them have shot up pretty far among my favorite characters. Now if only we could get a Scootaloo episode...

[Glaed]

Count me in among those who didn't like Show Stoppers, although it's more so for the final act and the (intentionally) awful song and performance they put on. I'm not a fan of scenes where characters end up embarrassing themselves like that. Otherwise the montage scene and that one exchange Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have ("How's the song going?" "Pbbbt" "Pbbbt?") are two of my favorite moments.

Season 2 has been great for SB and Apple Bloom. Both of them have shot up pretty far among my favorite characters. Now if only we could get a Scootaloo episode...

This is/was my thoughts on Show Stoppers exactly.

DUMB FABRIC!

[HollowThis place needs a miracle.]

SHAME on you for implying Octopus's Garden isn't awesome.

I will gladly wear that shame. Hell I'd wear that shame on a t-shirt.

The shirt would read "I have taste in music."

[londonarbuckleAND SOMEDAY YOU WILL BUCK LIKE I BUCK.]

I will gladly wear that shame. Hell I'd wear that shame on a t-shirt.

The shirt would read "I have taste in music."

At least it's not Yellow Submarine.

[AramekYour MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue."So you're saying..."Your brain is about 20% tumor.]

I hate that.

It's like I don't even know you anymore! You're not the man I married!

At least it's not Yellow Submarine.

Aww, I like that song. But, then again, I like everything with Ringo in it.

[kidcoelacanthalicorn twilight is fucking garbage]

I'm going to be Actually Upset if Scootaloo doesn't get an episode this season so I hope it happens

[Pocketis she just gonna go booty booty]

I will gladly wear that shame. Hell I'd wear that shame on a t-shirt.

The shirt would read "I have taste in music."

Don't you mean "I have good taste in music"? Because otherwise it just sounds like it means you enjoy certain types of music. Which is actually pretty funny. It's like, either the ultimate hipster statement or the ultimate anti-hipster statement; I really can't tell which at this point.

[Headless Horse]

BAND NAME

Band name.

[WylieCIDER CIDER CIDER]

I liked Band Name before they released "Sellout Album."

[MetalSonicHello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?]

I liked Ponies before it spread on the Internet :appleliar: (didn´t we have an appleliar smiley before?)

[Chushingura]

A full spinoff based on their antics? Nah, I don't think it would take off all that well. It's best just to keep them internalized in the show and develop them there, because they work well as supplemental members of the cast.

I really like how the CMC are being portrayed in season two though, because they're growing beyond just an obsessive search for Cutie Marks. Hearts and Hooves Day, their scenes in Lesson Zero and Return of Harmony, Family Appreciation Day, and (as far as individual characterization for Sweetie Belle is concerned) Sisterhooves Social really boosted them up from annoying little kids with a narrow-minded interest that only behaved as plot devices to a trio of close, if occasionally quarrelsome, friends whom I can really care about, and I hope that trend continues. HaHD didn't even MENTION Cutie Marks as far as I recall and it solely focused on their "innocent naivety" trait, and that's pleasant to see with these kinds of characters.

If Scootaloo gets an episode sometime in the near (or even the distant) future, then it will all come full circle.

[I Ran So Far AwayNo no no, ya gotta recover counter sixte after the time thrust in quarte, sugarcube.]

I think a CMC spinoff show might work as a concept, but I don't think it would be able to stack up against FiM. What would they change to 'market' it to a younger demographic? Are the CMC's really what the target demographic identifies with? Honestly, I think they work better as part of the whole, rather than entirely on their own. The best episodes involving the CMC's have been them interacting with the main characters (Sisterhooves Social, Family Appreciation Day, etc) rather than on their own (Show Stoppers).

[HuffyTheMagicDragonboop]

I haven't posted in here yet, so I just want to say: I'm on the boat with the people who didn't like the CMC much during the first season (I couldn't even finish "Show Stoppers" the first time, and it's still probably my least favorite ep), but season 2 has completely turned that around, thanks to "Sisterhooves Social," "Cutie Pox," and "Hearts & Hooves" all being great.

I'm not sure whether I'd be interested in the idea of a spinoff series, but at least I no longer dread CMC episodes. Now I look forward to them just like the others. Still waiting for a Scootaloo character-development ep...

[ConspiratorImagine a smile shining on a pony's face... forever.]

The CMCs are generally better this season compared to last, and I think loosening the focus on cutie marks has played a large part in that. Their personalities have also started to develop beyond "three fillies without cutie marks". There's also been a good mix between "CMCs tackle serious problems" and "CMCs engage in wacky hijinx" episodes. I like that they've started focusing more on Apple Bloom's insecurity and lack of self-confidence because I think that's part of what makes her character interesting and relevant. Diamond Tiara is also an integral part of that character arc and I like how they portrayed her in Family Appreciation Day. Obviously she's a bully, but beyond that she practically personifies AB's self doubt, and their confrontations have allowed AB to grow as a character.

Spin-offs only work if you reinvent the character so that he/she can stand on their own merit. No one wants to watch a show about secondary characters being secondary characters. The reason Fraiser worked so well is that he wasn't just some pretentious Harvard psychiatrist who went to the bar every day and argued with his wife - they expanded his life and his character into something more rounded. That being said, if you had asked me last season if CMCs could pull off a spin-off, I would have said no because their entire schtick revolved around "let's go find our cutie marks." Now though, they've already moved beyond that, and alot of S2 CMC episodes have even felt like spin-offs - they have a different pacing and feel than other episodes, they involve more of the secondary characters in larger roles, and they downplay the roles of the mane 6. So yeah, a spin-off would probably work since they're pretty much doing that already.

[StarshineSprintPonychanner and /co/lt]

I like the mane cast a lot better, but I don't mind the CMCs. They have some good episodes.

[Chaos Sonic]

The reason Fraiser worked so well is that he wasn't just some pretentious Harvard psychiatrist who went to the bar every day and argued with his wife - they expanded his life and his character into something more rounded.

Wait, Frasier was a spin-off? I'm learning all kinds of things today

[Bag of Magic Food]

Yeah. It was kind of weird, having seen "Frasier", to then see that episode of "Cheers" where Frasier claimed his father was a dead scientist.

[fensterawethome~!]

Like Headless said, the CMC as is don't really need their own spinoff show. They work as a good break between Mane cast episodes and help give a different perspective of life in ponyville while still being main characters, so we pretty much already have that spin-off idea already working and the only reason to go further and completely separate the two would be to introduce new characters or attempt a Next Generation thing. I'd probably watch it, but to be honest I don't think its necessary at all given that there is already so much potential with the setup we have now.

I also don't get why everyone keeps differentiating "being a kid" and "finding your cutie mark". First off, the desire to find your talent and niche is completely reasonable and it is perfectly "kid like" to see kids worry about their future and obsess over what they want/will be, so trying to separate them as if they are different things is just silly. Its a very important topic/lesson to cover for life in general, as you'll see plenty of older people not knowing what to do with their lives, so seeing this concept stretch to cover many areas, in my eyes, is pretty much perfect for a show like this to tackle. Secondly, I thought that the use of "CMC try to find their cutie marks" in season 1 was very well done in that the same overall goal tied into many different lessons and situations so that each episode was never really the same. The cutie marks were only the starting ground for what would ultimately be something more each time and I thought it was very creative to see where each plot thread ended up. Cutie Mark Chronicles was especially wonderful in this regard as it tied the CMC's search into a friendship lesson about connections for the entire Mane 6. Stare Master was also neat in that the CMC's search wasn't the focal point of the episode, but that drive is what lead to them doing all sorts of fun things together like rebuilding the table, playing creature catcher, going into the forest, and all around having fun like they were just hanging out like normal friends would. All in all I think its silly for people to say that searching for Cutie Marks is so terrible when its had so many interesting uses and has had lots of potential while still letting the CMC act like normal kids (which is one of the CMC's finer strengths in terms of their writing like many others have said).

Also, every single goddamn one of you who dislike Show Stoppers are wrong ; Show Stoppers was hilarious and the CMC theme, an obvious parody of 80's glam rock (this show knows how to hit all my personal buttons ), was fantastic and I loved every second of it on my first viewing and I still love every second of it now.

My problem with them from the beginning was that, after being introduced specifically as a way to deliver the message that they should be in no hurry to get their cutie marks, their very next appearance has them all eager to get their marks as soon as possible, and even adopting Apple Bloom's tactics of trying everything they can think of. I know this show has some continuity issues here and there due to writers not paying attention, but it's hard to imagine how something that big slipped by them, seeing how the episodes' messages are decided in the writers' meetings before the scripts ever get written.

The end of Call of the Cutie wasn't so much, "Patience is key", rather it was figuring out that not knowing what you will be doesn't make you any less worthy as a person (pony?) as a counter to Diamond Tiara's/Silver Spoon's mocking, and that she was still special and could make friends without a cutie mark.

Twilight Sparkle: Dearest Princess Celestia,
I am happy to report that one of your youngest subjects has learned a valuable lesson about friendship. Sometimes, the thing you think will cause you to lose friends and feel left out...
Princess Celestia: ...can actually be the thing that helps you make your closest friends and realize how special you are. Hmm...

Not to mention that one of the first interactions the CMC have when they decide to get together is literally, "Let's work together for our Cutie marks!", making the Cutie Mark Crusaders (as if their names were any more clear of an indicator) have always been under that foundation of trying to find your talent in life since the beginning of their friendship and they never regressed, nor did the writers fumble on future plots with them.

Apple Bloom: Well, now that we're friends, what if the three of us work together to find out who we are and what we're supposed to be?
Sweetie Belle: Ooh! Ooh! We could form our own secret society.

[Bag of Magic Food]

I also don't get why everyone keeps differentiating "being a kid" and "finding your cutie mark". First off, the desire to find your talent and niche is completely reasonable and it is perfectly "kid like" to see kids worry about their future and obsess over what they want/will be, so trying to separate them as if they are different things is just silly.

I agree, and all the fussing over it has made me imagine an episode as meta-commentary about it where, say, Cheerilee tells the Cutie Mark Crusaders they're not allowed to try to force their cutie marks to appear through random activities anymore as it's becoming unhealthy for them, and it leads to the three going nuts as they try harder and harder to make everything they do look like not-cutie-mark-crusading.

[WylieCIDER CIDER CIDER]

Part of the problem with watching the CMC go all CUTIE MARK ACQUISITION PROGRAM on us is that we -know- what their cutie marks are already. They telegraphed them to us in Show Stoppers: Applebloom builds things. Sweetie Belle sings. Scootaloo shows us games to play does extreme sports/tricks. That's their talents, and that's what their cutie marks will be about when they get them. The whole point of Show Stoppers was that they were -that close,- but didn't put all the pieces together the right way.

So now that we know that, watching them flail around trying stupid stuff that isn't what their talents are is just annoying. Much better to see them just being kids, without having the CUTIE MARK ACQUISITION PROGRAM be their prime mover.

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

Kids being kids is really fun. And cute.

[Pocketis she just gonna go booty booty]

words

Huh. I wonder how I missed that. Well, OK, I don't really wonder. I have not watched more than a handful of the season one episodes all the way through more than twice, and for episodes 1-12 both of those times were part of all-nighters. It's weird, really; as a kid I used to always tune in to my cartoons even if they were reruns, but now that I have the whole series downloaded and ready to watch any time I feel like it, I can't be bothered. One of these days I'll have to come to grips with why this is.