>>5034
>Dolores being the new character that the audience can relate to and does the adventuring in Season 6, yet her roll gradually got downgraded. Season 7 introduced a big lore set up and had the most cohesive and connected plot with some attempt to tie into the comics and such better, yet in Season 8, we have a school, in Season 9, the school is partly sidelined.
yeah, it feels like they get the spotlight for being fresh but as soon as they aren´t trendy for the series, it jumps onto something else. The comics or chapter books take a break from that practice and show you that they have potential. But keep in mind one thing, the show was like writing a Bible, all the basics. If it goes wrong in its core, then almost anything will come with that flaw. The complementary material doesn´t feel as risky because it doesn´t reach the establishment for more canon elements yet they show was the main product for everything else. I read somewhere that Confalone felt much better writing for EQG specials because the freedom for that material was insane in comparison to the process behind a FIM episode (so one could guess that there is more pressure at writing the main material).

>I think the blame gets scattered pretty far around and not all the story adjustments were handled poorly (Dolores's role reduction probably being the smoothest)
they simply did what they felt like doing in that way. I am not all that bothered as long as the episodes delivered can stand on their own. The potential choices that they could have taken...yeah, one could get a lot of disappointments if someone expected the show for what it isn´t.

>This episode had to be the end to all of it and try to include as many call backs to the mess of the story while focusing primary on the main core of characters. They had numerous callbacks, fit the school in, had Crissy fight Dolores, and even brought back the pillars for a bit part while having the story still primary centered on the mane6. Looking at it on an episode level I think they did what they needed to do.
and they didn´t do a bad job at all honestly. I am quite impressed that have been capable to combine everything naturally and integrate them as one single unit. That merit should hailed and worthy of my respect. They have managed to connect them and give them their time to shine a little bit in it.

I mean, look at pic related. They have achieved to set up an Avengers End Game scene with all of them here. Relying on the same formula sometimes brings a change or two: from a Dragon Ball Z laser beam mode to a full Marvel Universe in one single finale. Those who wanted action in MLP,anything else will feel all downhill from here because man, that was pure fanservice.