LogFAQs > #879976079

Lesson Zero was a big fan favorite because it contained a rising build on ponies losing their composure and freaking out on the whole town. These kinds of blatant character imperfections was what made MLP fun for adults. I remember at the time, I felt like I could relate because I knew a lot of people my age who were having mental breakdowns over their exams and their papers. A colorful world that admits not everything is perfect and that not everything is a matter of hard work can be a lot of fun when done right.

But by season six, re-watching this episode left me with mixed feelings. Most importantly of all, I got to thinking about how the show will never really go back to what this was, and how it can even if it tried. With all the changes, My Little Pony has gotten so divorced from its idyllic setting, and there's a certain pettiness inherent to placing all the characters at the top of the world so they can "teach" all the other things in the show how to live. In a lot of ways, it feels like Lesson Zero can be used to draw a parallel with modern MLP, where they're flailing for ideas and doing their best to make conflict where there shouldn't be any.

You look at where My Little Pony is today, and all the characters are at their peak. They've realized all their ambitions and their arcs are over, so now episodes involve them traveling to far away lands to condescend to others. It feels condescending because the character arcs weren't concluded gracefully, and the flaws holding the characters back weren't properly addressed. Dash becomes a Wonderbolt, for example, which should be impossible as long as she's still acting out for attention and unable to let go her ego.