MLP SEASON 6 ANALYSIS: The Season Thus Far...

Two weeks ago, the twelfth episode of Season 6 aired, which means we're halfway through the season! However, thanks to Hasbro and DHX not wanting to square off with the Rio 2016 Olympics in what I'm confidently assured would be a bloody ratings war, we now have to endure a long hiatus over the course of the summer before our weekly dose of 'Pones 'N' Stuff' returns.

As a result, it's time for me to analyse what we've seen over the season thus far, and judge whether it has done its job and given all it could have hope for.

PRE-SEASON PREDICTIONS UPDATE

Before the season began, I predicted events that I believed would occur over the course of this twenty-six episode romp. You can view these here.

So far, the revelation of Fluttershy's family (E11 - "Flutter Brutter") and the inclusion of dance as a driving episode plot point (E4 - "On Your Marks") have proven to be correct. The inclusion of a recurring male character COULD yet be proven right if Sunburst, Zephyr Breeze or Tender Taps make a second appearance this season, but I consider those scenarios unlikely to happen. While we are probably going to see Sunburst in the finale if it once again deals with Princess Flurry Heart, seeing him outside of a premiere and finale would be the lone criteria to give my Number Two prediction some clearance. The possibility of the other predictions I surmised occurring all rests on which of the leaked episode lists that Equestria Daily reported about turns out to be true, and with two presumptive lists on show, with differing titles, it'll be difficult to judge which is correct until the first episode post-hiatus gets aired.

So, to put it bluntly, my prediction game has faired poorly. Having a twenty percent success rate after twelve episodes is fairly disappointing. Then again, we still have a lot to get through. Hopefully I can check another three off the list before this season reaches its end, however even with my optimism, based on my choices, I don't feel that confident.

EPISODE QUALITY

One thing that is apparent right off the bat, is that Season 6's episodes have been fraught with issues. Thanks to re-used episode plots and messages, minimal prominent use of (now) superb flash animation and a lack of desire to tread unfamiliar water story wise, as a Brony and a reviewer, it has left me incredibly frustrated. In fact, I've haven't been more frustrated as a fan of this show since I reluctantly joined the fandom in Season 1, which says something seeing as I barely survived Season 3 with my sanity. I noted in my review of "The Crystalling" back in March that the writers and animators were showing restraint, fear and apprehension as to where the show will progress following the end of Season 5, and after watching "The Gift Of Maud Pie" the next week, my declaration was proven correct thanks to the episode re-using Maud in a similar story to her first appearance and relying the humour on awkward dialogue between all characters. This negative mood can be put down to one important thing, as many of the shows long-time writers, producers and directors had gone their separate ways. This shift came about either from the staff leaving to go to other companies, focus on other projects or in some cases put more time into the 2017 feature film and while I am happy that some new blood has been able to add their own touch to the show, there hasn't been a enough of a sign that it's transitioned smoothly based on the episode quality.

While some episodes such as "A Hearth's Warming Tail", "On Your Marks" and "Gauntlet Of Fire" were successes that showcased the quality of the show brilliantly, some like "Applejack's 'Day' Off", "Newbie Dash" and the fan-acclaimed "No Second Prances" were dull, tepid affairs that reflected the negative ambiance I noted earlier. The rest either come through either on the verge of poor with some good points to help or as average, balancing their negatives and positives, but didn't bring anything more to the table. "Spice Up Your Life", in particular drew my ire after the realisation that its story borrowed plot elements from no less than FIVE prior episodes in this series (including this seasons "The Saddle Row Review" which aired only three weeks prior). Sadly, this wasn't the only culprit of this heinous crime, and it confirmed beyond doubt that this season's episodes don't have the individuality that it needs to be seen in better light, which is disappointing. Hell, it's hard to believe that "A Hearth's Warming Tail" and "Spice Up Your Life" were written by THE SAME PERSON considering the gulf in quality between them. As a result of this inconsistency in narrative terms especially, the quality of the episodes so far has fluctuated more-so than previous seasons have shown.

The line graph above notes the ratings I've given every episode this season so far (with the two-part premiere sharing its rating across itself). You can see that the peaks and troughs that cycle between poor and great after the opening three episodes average and below average markings, which are signs of an alarming trend. From one episode to the next I don't know what I'm going to get, and while that may be seen as a positive to some, when it comes to the look of the show to first-time watchers, it looks more like Russian roulette than quality, consistent television. Having that on the mind is worrying, especially if many could be turned off by just one bad piece of exposure. That isn't good for the future of the show, and if it continues post-hiatus, this season may rank lower than Season's 1 and 3 in terms of quality, which I know is not wanted.

While some fans reading this may think I'm overreacting and overanalysing (as I am known to do), I don't mince my words. Even when talking to fellow Bronies I know, the same concerns are echoed. Seasons 4 and 5 upped the quality of the show and as a result the watchers' expectations in conjunction were upped with it. It's no wonder that I, like many have been disappointed thus far with what we've been given based on that alone. While I am quick to praise the best of what Season 6 has offered, in my opinion I haven't seen enough good quality material over the last two months to justify extending it any further. Looking back at that comparison to Season 1, while the 2010-11 initial season finished with an average aggregated rating, it had more above average and good quality episodes at this point than this current season has had. For me, Season 6 feels much like Season 1, but lacking the passion to push forward that its inaugural, older brethren did with gusto. For the final comparison to put this claim into perspective, after twelve episodes, Season 1 averaged 12 out of 25, while Season 6 has averaged a 11 out of 25. Those numbers are alarmingly similar, which doesn't scream growth to me, especially after six years on air.

While you can tell that I'm worried about this fluctuation in quality, knowing this show like I do, it can bounce back at any moment. Seasons 2 & 4 both suffered from dips midway through to come back fighting, and I expected its current even numbered brethren to do the same when it comes back. I'm just hoping the team know what they're doing to get it done, because with my reviews going forward, I won't hold back on my criticism.

SONG QUALITY

While I am quick to highlight the issues in episode quality this season, I am in no such mood to tar the seasons' musical numbers with the same brush.

Dan Ingram has shown that even with poor visual and written components surrounding them, the musical numbers he writes are good enough to give credit to even the worst episodes. This season has graced us with nine songs, six of which appeared in A Hearths Warming Tail. All the songs featured in that christmas themed episode helped make that episode not only the highest rated of the season thus far, but arguably the highest rated episode I've seen in the entire series. They added cinematic presence to an episode already overflowing with sentimentality and a great comedic presence. With special mention going to 'Hearths Warming Eve Is Here Once Again' and 'Seeds Of The Past' for matching the theme and feels on show. In similar praise, 'On My Own', the country ballad sung by Apple Bloom voice actress Michelle Creber rounded of a sublime episode with a song that packed a massive punch of emotion. 'Can I Do It On My Own', despite feeling out of place within Flutter Brutter still showed some good musical cues and great vocal performances by all concerned and 'It's Gonna Work' added new genre elements and another great showing of vocal harmonies to turn it from a mediocre experience into a favourite thanks to repeated listens.

Overall, the songs of Season 6 have mostly delivered. Mr. Ingram, you are the shining star so far this season, don't let me down. With twelve more episodes to go, I can't wait to see what this lyrical and composing maestro can bring to the table, and maybe, just maybe he can finally get hold of that Daytime Emmy that's been wrongfully given to others. One day he'll get the award he deserves, lets hope its this year.

CONCLUSION

As you have probably realised from reading this article, my opinion of this season isn't a very positive one. While I am very happy to praise what good this show has given thus far in 2016, there are still many problems that I can't skip over. This season had a rocky start, and still hasn't managed to find its feet despite some bright sparks appearing every now and again. While I may sound overwhelmingly negative, I still have hope that this series can recover and be a lot stronger than it has been. To have this series after five seasons of solid growth fall away from itself is disparaging, and something that I don't want to see continue.

The good news is, the episode titles in both leaked lists give me hope and make my mind race with ideas. I'm still anticipating something grand to come by this seasons end. Whether we get a Season 7 or not is still up in the air, but with a new Equestria Girls film coming soon and the aforementioned Feature Film still yet to be showcased to the public outside of a logo and some A-class castings, there's still a lot to look forward to. I'm just praying that this season showcases itself as a great main course rather than the disappointing side dish its declaring itself to be at this moment. Only time will tell if that can or will change.

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I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading. This has been MLP Season 6 Analysis for The CC Network Blog and I'll see you all next time.