Okay, so the season ended this morning; not the best season. No real clunkers, but it never picked up a lot of steam. Some interesting ideas that didn't necessarily have bad executions, but could have been better ("all ponies are equal, but some ponies are more equal than others" opener and the "timey wimey" finale, for instance). Really, it felt like a "okay, guys, this is the final season, so wrap it up" (whether or not it actually is) (and that's not even going into most, if not all, the major creative people leaving). The CMC finally accomplishing their goal is the obvious example, though a lot of character arcs seemed to reach a satisfying place. Even the Equestria Girls tie-in movie was left in a satisfying character place for Sunset Shimmer.
There was also a lot of fan service, too. Not just the episode 100 Derpy and the Doctor and dubstep extravaganza, either. I was surprised to find out that bringing back Gilda actually worked, and even the really stupid "hey, let's explain why background ponies that are basically just reused computer sprites appear in both Canterlot and Ponyville which is not a thing anyone besides obsessive fans should even notice, much less care about" episode not only worked, but was a season highlight. This also felt like part of the "this is the end" feel to the season; kind of acknowledging that, without the obsessive cult fans, there probably wouldn't be a fifth season to begin with (I mean, the show has outlasted its own channel).
Basically, I feel like, if this is it until the movie and then that's it, well, actually, this is a good end spot. Here, it's ending it on, if not the highest note, the correct note. Any thing past this, and it runs the risk of becoming what it somehow managed to avoid at the beginning; an extended commercial to sell toys.
Okay, so the season ended this morning; not the best season. No real clunkers, but it never picked up a lot of steam. Some interesting ideas that didn't necessarily have bad executions, but could have been better ("all ponies are equal, but some ponies are more equal than others" opener and the "timey wimey" finale, for instance). Really, it felt like a "okay, guys, this is the final season, so wrap it up" (whether or not it actually is) (and that's not even going into most, if not all, the major creative people leaving). The CMC finally accomplishing their goal is the obvious example, though a lot of character arcs seemed to reach a satisfying place. Even the Equestria Girls tie-in movie was left in a satisfying character place for Sunset Shimmer.
There was also a lot of fan service, too. Not just the episode 100 Derpy and the Doctor and dubstep extravaganza, either. I was surprised to find out that bringing back Gilda actually worked, and even the really stupid "hey, let's explain why background ponies that are basically just reused computer sprites appear in both Canterlot and Ponyville which is not a thing anyone besides obsessive fans should even notice, much less care about" episode not only worked, but was a season highlight. This also felt like part of the "this is the end" feel to the season; kind of acknowledging that, without the obsessive cult fans, there probably wouldn't be a fifth season to begin with (I mean, the show has outlasted its own channel).
Basically, I feel like, if this is it until the movie and then that's it, well, actually, this is a good end spot. Here, it's ending it on, if not the highest note, the correct note. Any thing past this, and it runs the risk of becoming what it somehow managed to avoid at the beginning; an extended commercial to sell toys.