Top 10 MLP Characters That Lost Their Mojo (ft. The Super Mario Brony)

As my final post of 2016, I've done a collaboration with the Super Mario Brony Blog. We've already done one on his blog about how to avoid bad writing, but this time, on my blog, we've done one about ten MLP characters (or character groups, in a few cases) that lost their mojo over the past six seasons.

I'd like to start off with a question; you've got a character you've loved since you were younger, but what does it take to make you lose interest in them? A general lack of interest? A couple of bad starring roles? Or maybe the writers have done something so bad it makes you dislike them?

In that sense, this is a post dedicated to those that apparently just slipped overtime. Those that we feel have slowly lost their charm, potential, or special something at this current point onward. The Top Ten MLP:FIM Characters That Have Lost Their Mojo.

A couple things to point out:

1. Characters from Friendship is Magic and Equestria Girls only. So characters that were featured in the comics won't be considered.
2. We're basing them primarily on mix mashup of the all good character traits that made them a lot more successful with true potential, awesome, and interestingly more popular than they are at this current point.

So what puts Discord on our list? Three words - What About Discord.

We can't really blame him for being the unlikable jerk he was in that atrocious Twilight torture porn rehash of Three's A Crowd though, as we primarily have Neal Dusedau to blame for that. (Since it's obvious that fictional characters are who they either still are, or become depending on how specific writers write for them.)

And as for why he's so, so low? Season six managed to fix him up and make him a highlight in the otherwise disastrous finale. Too bad that a number of other characters got screwed over in season six. Speaking of which...

At the very start of season six, Rarity gave great performances as to being her true character in episodes like The Gift of the Maud Pie and Spice Up Your Life (both of those of which were collab episodes of both her and Pinkie, but anyway). But for some unfortunate reason, (alongside both of Ashleigh Ball's characters) she suddenly went in the opposite direction after the first half of season six.

Case in point, The Cart Before the Ponies; she, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash (more on her later) are supposed to act like adults, not the children they were in that episode! It's also rather telling that the Crusaders, who are actually children, behaved more sensibly and maturely than they did.

Rarity ranked slightly higher than Discord because she's a major character, but again, she's lower as other characters have had worse portrayals in recent episodes.

And believe us, Applejack would've made our countdown (as to only starting it off with Discord and Rarity) as well if not for Where the Apple Lies. Too bad Rarity didn't have a redeeming installment unlike AJ after the sloppy P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View).

No, Shining Armor and Cadance don't count; just everypony else

Oh, this isn't gonna be a fun one, I can tell you that much...

And we have three simple words for this one as well: Slice of Life. Yes, it's an obvious fact that they're just in the background as to not playing major roles in pretty much every other episode, but how they could've worked as if they were each done one at a time (basically one episode per pony; like Octavia and Vinyl Scratch together, or Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings together... not to mention others like Dr. Hooves). Cause even minor characters really deserve a lot of development instead of just being crammed into one so-called "100th special" as to getting only 1/10 of it.

That was a big problem with Legend of Everfree (more on five of its "stars" later) - too many subplots that resulted in a confusing mess. The only difference is that Slice of Life is practically harmless enough for children whereas Legend of Everfree sends out some dangerous messages.

Getting back to the background ponies, are they all bad? Not really; some have a bit of potential for storytelling based on the established traits they have - see Amending Fences for context - and they could do with an episode or two... just as long as you don't cram it all into a single episode where it becomes a convoluted mess, but I digress.

We've both rambled on about this Sunset wannabe countless times before, so for a real explanation on why, read here for her current character nowadays, and here (under the section "DON'T Overuse Certain Characters") for just what Hasbro can do to give her at least some decency. Moving on to...

You might disagree, but during season six, Rainbow Dash somehow became 20 percent less cooler. It started off with her being bullied in Newbie Dash, and then there was the aforementioned Cart Before the Ponies and 28 Pranks Later.

Luckily though, the airings of Stranger Than Fan Fiction and Top Bolt gave her some credibility as to having at least some reputation she had back in previous seasons with other installments before Season 6 like Season 2's Read It and Weep and Season 3's Wonderbolts Academy.

We're halfway through the list, but there's one other Mane Six member that got off worse than Rainbow Dash...

That's right. Even Friendship is Magic's main protagonist lost her charm. And with reason, we feel Twilight is slightly higher than the Mane Six character we feel got the worst treatment above any other element of the six in season six.

Where do we start? Well, let's take a look at The Crystalling, shall we?

Twilight believes here that friendship is easy as "following a list" when it's actually more complex than that. However, I'd forgive that since she's getting used to be Starlight's teacher, but in the next episode Glim-Glam (yes, even I am not immune to using fandom nicknames) appeared in, Twilight... she was just as bad a teacher as she was in said premiere, coming off as a biased hypocrite. Not only that, but No Second Prances was also completely regressive for Friendship is Magic itself, going against everything the show is supposed to teach. And because of that, FiM has become a show with potential to be great, but it can only be seen as good at best.

We both still have serious respect for the character who was at her finest in masterpieces like Amending Fences and of course Twilight's Kingdom... and she still has given us great performances like with Rainbow Dash in Top Bolt. But please, Hasbro; bring back the Twilight we both knew and loved back then from the first four seasons (with some of season five also but still).

Two months have passed, and we still can't get over how rushed the Changelings' turn-around was. Where do we even start with them?

Thorax is already a character we're both neutral towards, and every other changeling of Queen Chrysalis herself was good (with A Canterlot Wedding being the prime example of this factor, whilst in the painful The Cutie Re-Mark she and her minions were just highlights), but then the most recent season finale (or as we both like to call it; the worst episode of the show to this day) happened.

And then there's the designs... sweet mother of Celestia, what is up with them?! If you thought Twilight becoming an Alicorn was bad, the new Changelings' designs take that up to eleven... thousand.

While Twilight randomly receiving new wings may not have been the best idea (since we were all used to her original unicorn form at first), she still has been written greatly throughout seasons four and five. Compared to the newer Changeling designs though, which were all completely unoriginal (mostly like "Final Fantasy villains" unoriginal), it practically was the best idea of the show despite that it technically wasn't.

Yeah, good idea done in one of the worst ways possible. Three more entries to go, and we may have controversy...

Speaking of Legend of Everfree, these five human counterparts of all of Twilight's friends have unfortunately lost their mojo even beforehand with Friendship Games.

Personally, I'm thinking of doing a post about the Human Five. Sure, they were pretty good in the first film, but perhaps one of Rainbow Rocks' most significant issues is how they regressed to being whiny, petty teenage girl stereotypes once more when it came to being a rock band. In fact, I can't believe even I missed out on that in my review!

Ah well, no one's perfect, I suppose, but never mind.

And don't get us wrong, we still love Rainbow Rocks as it's undoubtedly the best in the spinoff series, but another reason we felt they've been bruised badly is the fact they've also been overshadowed by the whiny Kim Kardashian of MLP characters (except that she doesn't take countless saucy selfies) known as Twilight's real human counterpart Sci-Twi, which is really just as bad as how Starlight overshadowed everyone in you-all-know-what.

The Human Five are possibly the most frustrating characters on the list, but we're basing them on how much they lost their mojo, so keep that in mind. So... who's number two?

Now this is where crap's really hitting the fan...!

Even despite her highlight of a role in Top Bolt (as both Twilight and Rainbow Dash obviously had), we just can't deny that this leader of the Wonderbolts still hasn't gotten any better over season six. I mean, this is the Pegasus who stood out and shined in breaths of fresh air like Wonderbolts Academy and Rarity Investigates!, but then, along with the other Wonderbolts, she went completely out of character in the cartoon abomination known as Newbie Dash.

You know, it kinda feels like the writers don't know what to do with her; is she really that jerkish or does she actually have a heart? C'mon, writers, make up your minds about her, will ya? If you're not interested in telling a story, then at least try to get the characters right! Is it that hard to do?

But then, of course, there's the number one contender for someone who'd totally lost her mojo...

You all know why we feel she's lost more mojo than any other MLP character in general, right?

Six words: Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

I know it's a rhetorical question, but my answer for that would be "no" if the princess in question is committing self-harm, therefore endangering her subjects in modern Equestria, and potentially coming off as a bad leader to said subjects. That's Luna in a nutshell.

Pinkie slandering about her in Luna Eclipsed is bad enough, not to mention she's often treated like Starlight when it comes to turning characters into nothing but pointless plot devices, but the fact that Magic Sheep completely wrecked her true character is honestly proof enough that even die-hard Luna fans really need to look more clearly at her personality, and not just (and only) the things that she's capable of doing. (Because really, we obviously blame Scott Sonneborn for ruining her).

Yeah, we're also looking right at you, Maleficent! But, again, I digress.

We'll see you all in the new year, and this is Zack Wanzer and Tyler Smith singing out.

Thomas and Friends: Season 20 Winter Episodes

It's almost Christmas time, and to celebrate, here's the remaining three winter episodes out of season 20!

Episode 11: Letters to Santa

Written by Helen Farrall

The last time we saw Percy and Harold share an episode together was way back during season six with A Bad Day for Harold. So, to see them star together for the first time in fourteen years with this episode really makes them more special. Don't get me wrong; I like the Thomas and Bertie episodes (except for The Other Side of the Mountain), but do they need to turn up every season? Once in a while is fine, but once a year, and it becomes rather predictable. With Harold, he can go just about anywhere, whether he's close to the ground, near the water, or in the air.

For the flashback, yes, it's based on the Railway Series and not the TV series, but do I care. No, as long as they're keeping true to the shows' roots, that's all good in my books. Much like several episodes of this season, what I loved about Letters to Santa are the technicals in terms of railway operations like mail services being run by someone other than Percy, and the usage of Jeremy was really good (even if it was a toy promo, but still... maybe he could return in season 21?)

I believe I may have said it before, but I'll do so here anyway; Helen Farrall is my favorite Thomas writer. I love how she can mix it up with the slice of life stories and the action-packed, suspenseful adventures, and in both, she's able to provide funny character moments. If anything, I feel she should be head writer for the show - not that Andrew Brenner is a bad writer, but his writing has hit quality rot during season 19 and The Great Race, so maybe he's better off as script editor and letting the rest of the team handle it. He's not the worst of the new team, but he is by far the least good so far; the others just manage to write better scripts.

One issue is the ending - or at least, near it - where Harold stayed on the mainland all night and no one was able to help him before Percy did. Why? However, the story does hold up enough to make you overlook that, and it helps provide a very good moral about helping others in need.

Episode 12: Love Me Tender

Written by Davey Moore

Another fan-favorite out of season 20 alone. Does it hold up? Yes, it does. It's basically Twin Trouble from season six with elements of Percy the Snowman, only this has a longer run time and the basic elements are improved upon. Donald and Douglas are at their best here, and I really love how much they care for each other, even after a petty squabble. I don't mind that they're referred to as "brothers" rather than "twins" - they're still related either way. And yes, I'm gonna bring up Rob Rackstraw now voicing Donald. Getting used to it, I believe that was done to give Donald and Douglas (the latter still voiced by Joe Mills) their own distinct personalities - I mean, compare that to Bill and Ben, who essentially have the same personality and voice.

To be honest, there's very little I can say about Love Me Tender that hasn't been said. Pretty much everyone's made my job reviewing this episode much easier, so give it a watch and you'll see why it's so brilliant.

Episode 13: The Railcar and the Coaches

Written by Davey Moore

I'm gonna say this right now; along with Ryan and Daisy, this is my favorite episode of season 20. Not only that, they pretty much knock Thomas and Bertie to fourth position on my favorite episodes list (if I actually updated it!) with season 19's Best Engine Ever still in the #1 slot.

This may also prove to be the funniest episode of the entire show, and it's down to the interactions between Daisy, Annie and Clarabel. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking - is Daisy out of character? Frankly, the answer is no. Daisy hadn't been in the TV series for twenty years (barring a cameo in Calling All Engines which, frankly, led to nothing anyway) although arguably, you could add an extra nine years if you consider Bulls Eyes a season four afterthought. So in that timeframe, kids may not even know what Daisy's persona is like.

So, come season 20, Daisy has so far shown a few different shades of her character - her laziness (Ryan and Daisy), her stubbornness (The Way She Does It), and her pride (this episode). I love that they're giving Daisy far more love than she got in the classic era, and she's instantly shot straight up to my Top 10 favorites (again, if I updated it). It's also far more effective than James' characterization where he feels very one-note.

I've also really enjoyed Annie and Clarabel in recent years (even if in some cases, the engine who pulls them feels forced, but here, Thomas doesn't since it takes place on his branchline) and this episode is no exception. I mean, did anyone expect them to be as cheeky as they were here? I didn't, and I liked how it expands on their character - they might be stern when Thomas gets ahead of himself, but even they appreciate a good joke once in a while, and seeing Daisy's reaction to their teasing was priceless. Plus, have you ever imagined coaches being punished for misbehaving? That I'd like to see more of - maybe with some new coaches from the mainland?

And that brings me onto the ending; yes, I actually did find it funny. Of course, not everybody will agree, and I get that. Some will say that their punishment was far too extreme as all Annie and Clarabel did was play a trick on Daisy. Somebody compared that to Arthur's Big Hit where the avenger is punished instead of the instigator. I've not watched Arthur in years, so I can't really make the comparison.

For me, it was handled better than Buffer Bashing because Annie and Clarabel actually did something to deserve their scolding, whereas Douglas had brake trouble and the accident was out of his control completely. I know it's been said before, but it's also why the joke at the end of Duck and the Slip Coaches falls flat - had James been the one left without a space at Tidmouth Sheds and not Emily (who didn't really serve any purpose other than a stupid bit of fan-pandering, but I digress), then it might have worked better.

Some will say Daisy didn't get a punishment - actually, yes. Imagine in your workplace that you're forced to work with somebody whose guts you despise, regardless if you say it to their face or not. That's a relatable situation they worked into this episode - even if you don't want to work with the people you hate or openly mocked to their face, you can't go against the boss' orders. In this case, Daisy had no choice but to work with the coaches they made fun of.

Another aspect about the ending is how it goes against the typical "apology ending" we've come to expect. They actually did this in Millie and the Volcano, but I ultimately disfavor that episode (it's still not bad though, don't get me wrong) because Millie's (and the groundskeeper's) actions to get back at Samson could've resulted in a bigger fire, potentially ruining the Earl's dinosaur park. Not helping is that it came from a writer who should know better than that, especially since Brenner wrote for Fireman Sam (in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Volcano was the point where his writing began to hit quality rot, but, again, I digress).

Other than that, there's not much else to say about The Railcar and the Coaches, really. For me, it's fun to watch from start to finish (Diesel's portrayal in recent years also makes me like him more) and even though this aired third, it was a terrific comeback for Daisy.

Thomas and Friends Season 20 Scorecard

1. Sidney Sings: 8

2. Toby's New Friend: 8

3. Henry Gets the Express: 10

4. Diesel and the Ducklings: 9

5. Bradford the Brake Van: 9
6. Saving Time: 3
7. Ryan and Daisy: 10
8. Pouty James: 1
9. Blown Away: 10
10. The Way She Does It: 8
11. Letters to Santa: 9
12. Love Me Tender: 10
13: The Railcar and the Coaches: 10
The Christmas Coffeepot: 8
Over the Hill: 10

Season Rating So Far: 123/150

Thomas and Friends Season 20: The Christmas Coffeepot, Over the Hill

After a three-week hiatus, we are back with more Thomas and Friends reviews! My next one was meant to be a retrospective on Duck and the Slip Coaches, but I'm having a hard time trying to put my thoughts down on paper (or Word document, in this case!), so that may be on the backburner for a while yet. I don't know whether or not it'll actually be completed at this stage, but right now, let's talk about season 20's winter episodes, starting off with the Glynn duology.

Note: This post contains minor spoilers for The Missing Breakdown Train.

When Glynn made a small appearance at the end of The Adventure Begins, I was left disappointed. Considering that all he had was a rubbish, incorrectly proportioned Trackmaster model, I expected way more than a mere twenty second appearance - even Bertram contributed more to his sole appearance on TV, and he didn't say a word! As a result, I wrote off Glynn as pointless, but then these two episodes came around and overrode my initial thoughts entirely.

Now, I'm gonna discuss the two episodes individually; first we'll talk about The Christmas Coffeepot, and then Over the Hill.

Part 1 - The Christmas Coffeepot

First off, there's Marion. I really like her character as a whole. Out of the Brenner characters, she feels the most well-developed. She's rather scatterbrained at times, but whenever Bill and Ben cause trouble, she's motherly but stern with them, and that was great especially in season 18. Marion's role here does make sense; a talking tree (or at least, you think it's one) is not something you see every day the same way miniature engines or dinosaurs are uncommon in your life.

That being said, her subplot didn't really lead to much and was dropped without finality much like hers in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure with the Arlesdale trio. I guess there were plans to make them two episodes - one about Marion and her "talking tree", and the other about Glynn's restoration - but there wasn't enough material for both without coming off as filler so they were strung together as one whole episode a la famous Paul McCartney songs like "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" and "Band on the Run".

(Yep, there's your obligatory Beatles analogy in one of my reviews!)

Anyway, the episode on whole felt like Hero of the Rails, but whilst similar, it happens a lot more quickly (as in, you could cut so much material from the 2009 special and nothing would change) but it still feels cliched in terms of story. I mean, why would Thomas and Percy worry about Glynn being scrapped when they could've simply presented him to Sir Topham Hatt before he was sent to the Steamworks? At least try something new once in a while to freshen it up!

There's also a couple of minor problems; Thomas' reaction to seeing Glynn for the first time in years didn't feel emotional or compelling (I mean, he had a bigger reaction to seeing Hiro and they interacted regularly!) and felt disappointing. The other is a plot hole within the series; do humans age in the Thomas universe? Thomas the Babysitter implied that babies can be born, and Happy Birthday Sir showed that humans could actually age. Is this the railway equivalent to The Simpsons or something? Come on, work with me here.

Of course, it doesn't mean the ending was bad; it had a very good lead in to Over the Hill when Stephen's jealousy is hinted at.

Part 2 - Over the Hill

For both episodes, there's the mention of a railway museum. I love this idea a lot, and I wonder how it can be expanded upon in season 20 as well as 21. And with the possibility of Hugo being involved, anything could happen. We'll see in a couple of months.

Possibly the strongest aspect of Over the Hill is Glynn and Stephen's dynamic. I really love its development over the episode; at first, Stephen shows jealously and vulnerability when Glynn gets the Earl's attention (at least it ain't Thomas this time!) and when he tries to bring the coffee pot down to size, Glynn fires back without overreacting. That was brilliant, funny, and brilliantly funny all at once.

And then there's their race. Oh, my God, is it hilarious or what?! There's that "Eye of a Tiger"-esque music building up to what could be an epic race but then it turns into a pair old engines simply puffing along the mainline grumbling about the younger generation barely going at, what, five miles per hour? And then Gordon and James shout at them and Glynn and Stephen get their own back by babying them!

*several seconds of laughter later*

...oh dear...

One issue I have with the UK dub is that it changes "glass of milk" to "cup of tea" - why? The "glass of milk" bit was funny because Glynn was treating Gordon like a baby, but when he says "cup of tea", it feels more like "want some ice with that burn?" which is greatly disappointing and doesn't feel funny. It doesn't hurt the episode, but it's something I wanted to point out.

There is a lot to love about Over the Hill, even the small things like the opening flashback about Glynn and Millie's interactions with the old farts. Forget about The Great Race - Stephen and Glynn's is a great race in itself!

Final Thoughts

Out of season 20's episodes thus far, The Christmas Coffeepot and Over the Hill were the last episodes I was expecting, and I was pleasantly surprised by both. They finally gave a character like Glynn a chance to shine and they did him justice for the series. In fact, thinking about that gives me appreciation that the loose ends of The Adventure Begins are finally tied up, and it also helps that Judy and Jerome got their own screentime and a place of their own at Arlesburgh in The Missing Breakdown Train, which I'll cover in the new year.

As for my ratings, The Christmas Coffeepot gets an 8/10 because of the overuse the cliched "saved from scrap" tropes that have been played to death, but it doesn't make it a bad episode, though. Over the Hill, however, gets a full 10/10 for being fun to watch throughout. They're a great way to bring Glynn into the fray and I hope we see more of him in the future.

...or should it be in the past?

Average Rating: 9/10