Thoughts on season 2?

[Mr. BigGood boy, Perry!]

Well, it's been a wild seven months, but season 2 ended today. So, any thoughts?

I maintain that the show got better as more episodes come out. We got more episodes focusing on individual characters, animation has improved, alot more jokes, and even episodes focusing on other characters.

I mentioned that there were more episodes on individual characters. Here's a breakdown; there are some overlap, with two or more characters sharing the spotlight. I'm also discounting "The Return of Harmony" and "Hearth's Warming Eve" because it focuses on all 6 ponies together.

Twilight Sparkle - 5
Cutie Mark Crusaders - 5
Rainbow Dash - 3
Pinkie Pie - 3
Rarity - 3
Applejack - 2
Fluttershy - 2
Spike - 2
Princess Luna - 1
Big Macintosh - 1
Cheerilee - 1

Yes, for the sake of convenience, I'm lumping any episodes focusing on CMCs (whether as group or as individuals) into one.

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

The CMC pulled an illegal u-turn, jumped the divider, and pulled right on into Awesome Lane which merges into Highway 357Coolness which can be followed all the way to Rad Land, traffic permitting, which it did.

[Stuff trust me on my I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T shit hustlin']

Better than season one. IN MY HUMBLE OPINION.

[Rainbow Crash]

The show has been improving since the first episode. While there were a few bumps along the way, season 2 absolutely had some of the best episodes in the whole series. I hope season 3 continues the trend.

[shotgunbadgerBeing pressed into labor is fun, as long as the work is peppy!]

Better than 1, there were a couple moments of 'eh, ok' but I can't think of anything really BAD in it, lots of high points, better first and last episodes, CMC went from cute side gags to awesome on their own, everyone got some episodes of growth and awesome. All in all, for sure a move in the right roads.

[Grilox]

Princess Celestia didn't show up enough at all and that's awful.

[The great MPinke Torte das Pony.---]

I think S1 and S2 were on the same level in terms of writing and overall enjoyment. Animation was a lot better in S2 though, especially compared to the first few episodes of S1.

A couple of things annoyed me, mostly the single character episodes. Dual character episodes just work much better, like Hurricane Fluttershy demonstrated. I hope they go back to those for S3.

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

Highlights:

- Discord episodes
- Lesson Zero
- Luna Eclipsed
- Sisterhooves Social
- The Last Roundup
- SSCS6K
- Hurricane Fluttershy
- Some but not all of Canterlot Wedding P. 2

Highlights of the Highlights:
- Mother. Fucking. Q.
- All of Lesson Zero was amazing for me.
- Same for Hurricane Fluttershy, which was just an excellent episode in every possible way.
- Luna is a damned good character.
- Same for Sweetie Belle, and it came out of nowhere.
- AJ finally got her focus episode that filled her out the rest of the way, and it was excellent.
- SSCS6K had the best song of the season, arguably ([spoilers]), and it was the most fun I had in this show outside of, again, Lesson Zero.
- The fight scene and the song in Canterlot Wedding P. 2 were pretty much perfect.

Complaints:
- About half of the episodes were pretty forgettable for me.
- Some cool things just didn't pan out. I've been disappointed several times.
- I hate to say it, but sometimes this show bites off more than it can chew. Many of its best ideas got held up for no other reason than because they didn't have the time or couldn't explore an idea too deeply without losing the target audience. I prefer this to them playing it safe, though. What they're trying to do is very difficult and... well, noble, if I'm being honest about my impressions. It's not that they're trying to make a good show for girls, although that's part of it; it's that they apparently would rather try something risky but potentially brilliant than play it safe and put out a solid, stable, always well-done episode every week. That said, what it means is that there are memorable lows as well as highs, and a memorable low isn't necessarily a good thing.
- Sometimes the writing was kind of weak. Characters weren't always in-character. A couple of plots were just sort of bad.


In short, this whole season displayed a ton of evolution and experimentation. Characters were fleshed out in a big way, creating some more depth for this show (Headless is going to cover this, I'm sure). It wasn't perfect, except sometimes it was. I love this season.

[macchinainternaHave , will travel!]

Season 2 was just terrific. The show's crew did a great job expanding on the characters and further developing their personalities. Yeah, it had it's hiccups, but they were nothing that made me straight-up dislike any of the episodes.

Personal favorite episodes from S2

01. Baby Cakes - It really gave Pinkie a huge push in developing her character. I know more people liked A Friend In Deed over this one, but for me this episode helped build Pinkie's relationship with the Cakes as well as give her a serious challenge in accepting such a great responsibility in caring for their twin toddlers. The task pushed her to her limits and in spite of having a total meltdown she still gained control of the situation and in the end formed a special bond with the twins.

02. Sisterhooves Social - This was an episode I seriously hoped would happen. I really wanted to see how Sweetie Belle and Rarity interacted as sisters, and the story played out like I expected it to with the two of them being at odds with each other. Sweetie Belle became my favorite CMC after this episode.

03. Hurricane Fluttershy - Loved this episode for all the same reasons everybody else did. XD Seriously, it really was one of the best ones from the season.

04. Hearts and Hooves Day - This episode was exactly like I was hoping it would be; every bit as cringe-inducingly awkward and uncomfortable as it deserved to be given the lesson behind the story. The lesson itself I thought was a great one to teach a younger audience, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that this episode was just 22 minutes of Meghan McCarthy mocking shippers.

05. Read It and Weep - This one's a little personal for me. One, it aired on my birthday. And two, at the time I was slowly recovering from cellulitis which left me laid up in my bed for nearly two months. I was every bit as antsy and frustrated as Dash was in this episode and I couldn't stand to lay around and do nothing.

[Lazy]

- SSCS6K had the best song of the season, arguably

Is it even arguable that it wasn't? It was so good.

All in all, yeah, I think S2 was better than S1 by quite a bit. CMC became neat instead of annoying, animation got better all-around, character development continued, etc.
It had its stumbling blocks, like S1, but they were smaller and less frequent, I feel.

Favorite 5 episodes:
1: Hurricane Fluttershy

2: [spoilers]

3: Lesson Zero

4: SSCS6k

5: Best Pet

That's a pretty rough list, there were so many great ones it's hard to choose.

[Herr GeneralThese chips are more interesting than your posts.]

Thoughts on season 2?

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

I think that Season 2 was substantially better in every single way than Season 1, which I loved a lot and thought was very well done and entertaining.

Thus, I found that Season 2 was generally fantastic, impressive, and I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I hope the show runners keep on doing their thing.

That said, I can already feel an empty hole that ponies won't fill again for a period of time.


A period of time that is much, much too long.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

Highlight for S2 for me were all the little bits of character building done. By that I mean the establishment that these 6 are freinds not just as a group, but with each other. Obviously this was highlighted by numberous and awesome bits with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but it was also shown by other bits like Rarity and Pinkie hanging out, Ranbow Dash going to read at Twilights. They were little touches, but seemed to build upon one another all season, and that was great.

I also liked a nice parade of new and interesting characters (Minus the entertaining, but very bland Cadance and Shining Armor). Q, Changeling, Flim and Flam, Cranky, etc.


Lowlights.
MDW and MMMystery. Both these episodes just seemed to have characters acting very out of character. Everyone being a jerk to RD rather than try to talk to her, and having some of them just destroy something important to Pinkie and the Cakes for no real reason.


Favorite Song:
Find a Pet - Stand out mostly because of the Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy BFF theme in the season. Was a great duet.
Runnerup: Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 (so dang catchy)

Favorite Episodes:
Hurricane Fluttershy
Sweet and Elite
May the Best Pet Win

Compares to S1.
This is a tough one. I think S2 wobbled a bit in the first half but really excelled in part 2. Where S1 was pretty solid throughout. I'd rank it as a tie overall, with S1.0 > S2.0 and S2.5 > S1.5

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

Is it even arguable that it wasn't? It was so good.

Hell yeah it was good, that entire episode was incredible fun and, while I think I would rate other episodes higher, SSCS6K is possibly the most perfect one alongside Hurricane Fluttershy.
But I like a finale song just as much (or maybe just slightly less), though it's vastly different, and I'mma come back here at midnight to say what and why.


I have a request: before we start a bunch of polls for which episode was the best one, can we wait a month or so? I think we need some rewatches to bring a bit of objectivity in. Every time we vote on something like this, the newest stuff always wins.

e: Not that I have a problem with ranking them in here. I'm going to do the same in a bit.

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

I just loved the things they pulled this season so, so much. Fight scenes. Interesting relationship dynamics between various characters (Spike and Rarity, RD and Fluttershy) and best of all, the songs seemed to stand out a lot more this time around.

[SlateSlabrock]

The animation was clearly the star of this season. I can't think of an episode that failed to delight at some point or other.

Season 1 shifted early on from being a bunch of young ponies doing friendship lesson stuff to a more diverse Team Twilight/CMC split, while season 2 had that well-developed cast and really came out swinging for the bleachers in every episode. My only concern is that, with episodes like the cake competition and starting to play a little fast and loose with characters' personalities and hoof-hands type mannerisms, season 3 could be the slide into zany territory that people feared after Discord/Lesson Zero. The huge wedding push from Hasbro, for what wasn't really any more astounding than their average episode, was also odd.

If I had to pick one episode to represent the way the show can knock it out of the park, it'd probably be Sisterhooves Social (also being the best FiW episode doesn't hurt). But I can only rank them in terms of "ones that were amazing," "ones that were average," and a very few that didn't work for me.

In all honesty, I would be satisfied if the show ended now. They've had an amazing streak, and I want to remember it at its best. If season 3 can keep delivering, the studios had better be keeping an eagle eye on any of the talent they can snap up because they are simply the best at what they do.

[NisslMarching bravely into a bold new pony future]

Interesting that everyone is agreeing that season 2 largely stepped up from season 1. I was thinking there'd be a lot more nostalgia goggles in here. I have to agree with you all that the show has generally improved. Clearly everyone working on the show is trying hard and having a good time.

What I miss from season 1 (having completed a rewatch out of 22/26 episodes):
- The changing dynamics between the characters. Early in S1 there were moments that revealed how well the different friends knew each other. There was a feeling of development watching those relationships change. In S2 they're mostly just buddies... but I think there are still some gaps they didn't explore, as well as a few character dynamics that haven't been used at all yet.
- A few more metanarratives of interest to adults.
- Pinkie being so cheerfully obtuse it's borderline trolling. It popped up here and there in S2 but she's more often just being goofy.
- Over the top Fluttershy Disney moments.

Pretty even between season 1/2
- Directing
- Voice acting

What improved with season 2
- Animation quality - lots of new angles, tons of background jokes. Much of S1 seemed like they were getting a lot of the basics down, and now they can elaborate a lot more.
- Music - really looking forward to even more episodes having a song in S3.
- Humor - there are a few classic bits in S1, but the show is generally much more active in S2.
- The CMC largely got out of crusader mode except as a framing device.

[synthorangeLook at me, I'ma talking butt!]

Cant really add more to what's been said, except the animation has been getting better but also bugging me with a lot of bad ponyatomy. Hoofhands, hoofhands everywhere!

[Mr. BigGood boy, Perry!]

Hoofhands, hoofhands everywhere!

I notice that they became more and more common as Lauren Faust's involvement diminished. Basically the artists decided "fuck it."

[Ashenai You're dorkin' up the skies, Twilight Sparkle.]

I liked Season 2 more than Season 1. The only thing I thought Season 1 was better at was ensemble episodes, with the main six all riffing off each other, but Season 2 had a couple of good episodes like that too.

[Killing Vector]

I notice that they became more and more common as Lauren Faust's involvement diminished. Basically the artists decided "fuck it."

Yeah, I think hoofhands and human poses are an area where Faust's departure can definitely be felt. She cared about it more than Thiessen or the other animators do.

[logicow]

The newspaper episode is my favourite.

I didn't really like Lesson Zero, and the cake mistery episode was a bit weak.

It's been a while since I last saw all the earlier episodes, so I can't really comment on all of them individually.

Applebloom lost her title of best pony.
Crackle is the best non-pony.

[synthorangeLook at me, I'ma talking butt!]

I notice that they became more and more common as Lauren Faust's involvement diminished. Basically the artists decided "fuck it."

Meanwhile, 'everypony/anypony' is used all the time now, even for non-ponies. Sometimes I really do miss her attention to detail.

[Daionus The 23rd:3]

Overall, Season 2 had some low points, but also some really high-up high points. A lot of average points, too.

[synthorangeLook at me, I'ma talking butt!]

Yeah, the lows were... well not great, but no worse or better than Season 1's stinkers. CMC tying with Cheerilee for most improved characters.

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

I don't think the human poses and hoofhands were anywhere near as egregious as...some other examples, so I'm okay with it. So far.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

Yeah, the lows were... well not great, but no worse or better than Season 1's stinkers. CMC tying with Cheerilee for most improved characters.

"We found the perfect Stallion for you!"

"How did you figure that he's perfect for me girls?"

"We calculated his water displacement force..."

"And compared it to his bio-luminescen-"

"He was available"

[Wayoshi]

Like Ragnar, I want things to settle before ranking anything 100%.

That said, Hurricane Fluttershy is best.

[machchunk]

Cant really add more to what's been said, except the animation has been getting better but also bugging me with a lot of bad ponyatomy. Hoofhands, hoofhands everywhere!

At least their hooves aren't making like pincers to pick things up

[Pocketis she just gonna go booty booty]

I wonder if the hoofhands thing is happening because it's getting harder to come up with plots that aren't going to call for them eventually. It's kind of the same thing that happened with VeggieTales and Homestar Runner. They ran out of ways to work around characters not having hands and started just giving them telekinesis.

[Brunellus]

Tier 0
A Friend in Deed*
Ponyville Confidential
Tier 1
Read It and Weep
Secret of My Excess
Lesson Zero
The Return of Harmony Parts 1 & 2
Tier 2
Sisterhooves Social
Sweet and Elite
The Last Roundup

The Mysterious Mare Do Well and May the Best Pet Win! were the episodes I really didn't care for. I rationalized the out-of-character aspects in MMMystery on the Friendship Express as Pinkie's descriptions of the desserts being so vivid and compelling as to have behavior warping properties.


*"This may have been my favorite thirty minutes of television that wasn't Arrested Development."

EDIT: I neglected to include A Canterlot Wedding. I should probably watch it again. Seems like tier 1 or 2.

[numsOic]

The Mysterious Mare Do Well and May the Best Pet Win! were the episodes I really didn't care for.

I can see MMDW since it's one of my least favorites, but why Best Pet?

[Brunellus]

...but why Best Pet?

Mostly, I really didn't like the song. It felt very forced, had animation issues, took forever, and hurt the entire episode. My other complaints about the episode are a bit nitpicky. (I really didn't like the "DUN DUN DUN" part.)

[Confounded PoniesPony spear the books]

It kept a jaded-as-fuck 31 year old man entertained during all of winter.

Not only entertained, but eager to see more.

I think that's all I need to say on the matter.

[BartonFink]

I think that season 2 may have a bit of "structural advantage" in that it took a few episodes for the show to really find it's rhythm in season one (I tend to place it around Dragonshy myself); in season 2 the machine was pretty oiled up and ready to go.

They're roughly even for me overall; I think I might be biased since s1 had a bit more of a novelty value ("I am enjoying this children's pony show!") that had kinda worn off by season 2, but if you look at a lot of the objective factors s2 has an edge.

Also I had been keeping a season-long ranking at another forum I frequent, so here's my rundown:
1. Hurricane Fluttershy
2. The Last Roundup
3. A Canterlot Wedding (though I need to rewatch this)
4. Lesson Zero
5. Sisterhooves Social
6. Putting Your Hoof Down
7. Sweet and Elite
8. The Return of Harmony
9. Family Appreciation Day
10. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
11. A Friend in Deed
12. May the Best Pet Win!
13. Hearts and Hooves Day
14. It's About Time
15. Secret Of My Excess
16. Ponyville Confidential
17. Baby Cakes
18. Luna Eclipsed
19. Read It And Weep
20. MMMystery on the Friendship Express
21. Hearth's Warming Eve
22. Dragon Quest
23. The Cutie Pox
24. The Mysterious Mare Do Well
(I had to cheat and count the Discord eps and the Wedding eps as one, it's too odd for me to break them up)

And honestly most of the lower rankings are just a matter of quality overload at the top. "Read It And Weep" is a lot of fun, it's just not as solid as the rest. Feel free to call me out on any of those.

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

I think that season 2 may have a bit of "structural advantage" in that it took a few episodes for the show to really find it's rhythm in season one (I tend to place it around Dragonshy myself); in season 2 the machine was pretty oiled up and ready to go.

No kidding. The first five episodes of s.2 are all as good as the best of season 1. Some people don't like Lesson Zero, of course.

[KingDead]

I'd like to say that Season 2 was a big improvement over 1, but I honestly never payed much attention to Season 1 as I got caught up with it (and I've only re-watched a handful of episodes from both seasons). I only watched the last two episodes when they were new and I still wasn't that much of a fan when Season 2 began (it wasn't that much longer until I became one for real). I really enjoyed Season 2 as a whole despite it's weaker moments. In the end, I really need to re-watch the entire series to determine how I feel about it all, but since I stuck around for the entirety of Season 2, at the moment I can say that I enjoyed it more than 1.

Not gonna bother ranking anything for now, but I am confident that Sisterhooves Social and May the Best Pet Win! are not only my favorite episodes of the season, but are also my favorite episodes of the entire series so far.

Also, am I the only one who isn't even the slightest bit bugged by hooves as hands and human mannerisms?

[londonarbuckleSee me walking around, I'm the mare about town that you heard of]

Also, am I the only one who isn't even the slightest bit bugged by hooves as hands and human mannerisms?

I tend to forgive hoof-hands and the like pretty easily, but I think it's neat when they figure out a way around it. It contributes to the show having its own unique textural language. But I don't want them to go so much trouble paying attention to hoof-hands that it detracts from a scene or a gag, and I think part of the fun of having rules like that is to break them at appropriate times (like Pinkie gags for example, since she's so "cartoony"). I know the complaint is that season 2 has been doing this too much, but I honestly haven't noticed.

[Admiral Bonetopickhey u]

I've enjoyed Season 2 a good deal more than I did Season 1. As good as some of season 1 was, it still too often ventured into becoming at best "okay" and sometimes just really unmemorable.

Season 2 is where the show seems to have finally found it's footing, the writers were clearly becoming more comfortable with the characters at this point, and a lot more neat little animation and cinematic flourishes started popping up.

I think if I ever start trying to introduce newcomers to I might just recommend they skip most of Season 1 and dive into Season 2, because I feel like it's going to better represent what the show seems to be becoming.

[Colton, M.D.You'll read everything I post,In this man's voice.]

Well, it's been a wild seven months, but season 2 ended today. So, any thoughts?

Gone too soon.

The season had it's hiccups, but compared to season 1, it was much better overall, even though it didn't have the cohesive feeling S1 had. The MLP:FiM team was definitely in the groove and it showed on every level. The only thing I could complain about is that several of the episodes has too much going on.