Line #2 YMMV/MyLittlePonyMakeYourMark


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
2	** Were Opaline's [[PetTheDog few positive moments]] toward Misty amongst her [[AbusiveParent abuse]] and still keeping her around even after she regains her powers just [[PragmaticVillainy to ensure her loyalty]], or some form of genuine attachment? Relating, is she really so anti-friendship or [[GreenEyedMonster jealous of such]]? [[note]]She claims her StartOfDarkness was from Celestia and Luna being favored but the flashback made it look like they were ignoring her; "Roots of All Evil" reveals their relation with Misty and the Together Tree were her trying to acquire ThePowerOfFriendship for herself, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood without realizing that her actions weren't real friendship]]; and [[FreudianExcuseDenial her reaction]] to being accused of never having but wanting friends leave things open to interpretation. [[/note]]
3	*** Her saying she doesn't care about Misty in "Cutie Blossom Bash". Does she really mean it, or is she in denial? It is noticeable that she was about to check up on Misty before stopping herself. Relating, in "Roots of All Evil" was her (uncharacteristically) sparing Misty besides stealing her cutie mark after learning she [[HeelFaceTurn turned against her]] and [[CallingTheOldWomanOut denouncing her]] mercy or just BondVillainStupidity?
4	** Pipp and Zipp's disgust at their mother dating [[spoiler:Alphabittle]]. Is it G-rated ParentalSexualitySquick, or was it connected to their DisappearedDad? And did that contribute to why they were [[HeIsNotMyBoyfriend so aghast by their mother thinking their friendship with Hitch was romantic]] in "The Jinxie Games"? And was Zipp's more subdued reaction to the aforementioned StunnedSilence or a hint of such feelings toward him?
5	** Were [[spoiler:Alphabittle's]] claims that Misty UsedToBeMoreSocial as a foal signs of how badly Opaline's mistreatment damaged her, or did what caused him to overlook [[ShrinkingViolet Misty's present personality]] lead him to be wrong about or exaggerate it? Misty's foalhood flashbacks failed to show her acting any closer to the present instead, but it's possible her memories were unreliable.
6	* CommonKnowledge: It's widely stated that Spike's inability to recall much of the previous series or events leading up to this one is due to TheFogOfAges. But in the actual episode it's stated that it was due to his only recently awakening from a century-long sleep, with Hitch noting his memories are similarly fuzzy right after waking up.
7	* FanDislikedExplanation: Twilight Sparkle's messages reveals the HappyEndingOverride and changes between G4 and G5 were caused by [[BigBad Opaline]] attempting to steal all magic forcing Twilight [[GodzillaThreshold place it in the Unity Crystals to keep it from her]]. G4 fans saw this as underdeveloped at best for what was supposed to make G5 appeal to them, as Opaline came off as no more powerful and less intelligent than prior villains so seemingly should have been defeated without Twilight having to resort to such and [[SeriesContinuityError failed to address many of the inconsistencies in the setting]]. That the vagueness and contradictions meant it failed to clearly decanonize [[ComicBook/MyLittlePony2022 the comics]] more detailed but even more disliked explanation didn't help.
8	* FanficFuel: The very existence of the villainous alicorn Opaline and their connection to the HappyEndingOverride of G4, and being an UnreliableExpositor for what little she revealed about herself has made them a magnet for fanwork speculating on her origins and motivations.
9	* {{Fanon}}: It's widely assumed Queen Haven's song "Pony Love" was about her love of Zipp and Pipp's DisappearedDad.
10	* GrowingTheBeard: Initially the series was seen as inferior to the comedy-focused ''[[WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyTellYourTale Tell Your Tale]]'' spinoff due to its attempts at more substantive stories being seen as underwhelming and the main story plodding. Chapter 4 was the point it started delivering on the EmotionalTorque that had been built up; the heroes directly confronting the villain, Misty's HeelFaceTurn, and the plot stared advancing in high gear, that it became as good as it got and seen by many as the higher quality work.
11	* IKnewIt:
12	** There was wide speculation from fans that [[spoiler:Alphabittle is Misty's long-lost birth father]] given his reaction to seeing her in "The Manesquerade Ball" for months before Chapter 5 ultimately confirmed it.
13	** Spike was one of the characters fans most expected to still be around, given how LongLived dragons were in ''Friendship Is Magic''. Sure enough, he shows up in Chapter 6.
14	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The SeriesFinale revolving around stealing magic and cutie marks was seen as overly similar to the ''Friendship Is Magic'' Season 4 finale, the latter part its Season 5 premiere. That the [=FiM=] [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017 movie]] and finale also used the magic theft plot to diminishing returns caused to be seen as an overdone cliche here.
15	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/MyLittlePonyGeneration5 See here.]]
16	* OneSceneWonder: Near the end of episode 2, Twilight Sparkle appears through the form of some mystically holographic recorded message, giving a cryptic warning to the Mane 5 about an "evil pony", which doesn't take a genius to know she's talking about Opaline.
17	* RealismInducedHorror: Opaline's regular verbal abuse and emotional manipulation of Misty are perhaps the most villainous thing about her to many, as they parallel the basics of abusive parenting in real life.
18	* SalvagedStory: A criticism of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' was earth ponies seeming lack of [[MagicAIsMagicA the well-defined magic]] like [[MindOverMatter unicorns]] or [[{{Flight}} pegasi]], as their WordOfGod-stated connection to nature [[InformedAbility wasn't clearly demonstrated]] and SuperStrength shown only by a few individuals or inconsistently. ''Make Your Mark'' rectified this by granting earth ponies GreenThumb abilities, even making it a plot point that magic has evolved to explain why earth ponies never had this power before.
19	* StrawmanHasAPoint: In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyMakeYourMarkS4E2TopRemodel Top Remodel]]", Sprout claiming Canterlogic was still his despite being since abandoned and the heroes converting it into Canterlove Studios was supposed to be dismissed as him being unrepentant for his wrongdoings in ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration A New Generation]]''. But Sprout's argument that the property still belongs to his family was unintentionally valid as [[ArtisticLicenseLaw it's never addressed if/how it legally changed ownership after shutting down]], as would be his antagonism to the [[DesignatedHero "heroes" who'd be stealing his property]].
20	* TaintedByThePreview: Twilight's appearance at the end of the second chapter trailer has received some criticism for looking like her normal self, as opposed to her post-TimeSkip Alicorn appearance in the series finale of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', as well as concerns that bringing in G4 characters so soon would be pandering at the expense of the G5 cast and setting. In the second chapter itself, she only makes a singular appearance.
21	* UncertainAudience: For returning/older audiences of ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship Is Magic]]'' and/or ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyANewGeneration A New Generation]]'' it was seen as [[ToughActToFollow failing to live up to their writing quality]], and lacking enough continuity with '' Friendship Is Magic'' to justify being its SequelSeries but enough to displease those who wouldn't have minded if it was a separate series. Meanwhile the new/younger audiences who wouldn't care about these issues or would not be picky about quality were inclined to ignore ''Make Your Mark'' in favor of the ''[[WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyTellYourTale Tell Your Tale]]'' spinoff for its [[DenserAndWackier cartoony style]] and greater accessibility (more episodic, far more frequent releases, not being locked in a subscription service). Thus ''Make Your Mark'' [[https://www.equestriadaily.com/2024/02/make-your-mark-chapter-6-was-final.html wasn't renewed after its initial run]] while ''Tell Your Tale'' [[https://www.equestriadaily.com/2023/06/everything-that-was-revealed-in-mlp.html?m=1 was because it better appealed to a specific audience]].
22	* UnexpectedCharacter: Few would have expected the breezies to make a return given that while other non-pony races became prominent towards the end of ''Friendship is Magic'', the breezies made no appearances after their debut season almost a decade prior, despite being prominent in Generation 3.
23	* TheWoobie: Misty suffers a lot of abuse from Opaline.

Context YMMV / MyLittlePonyMakeYourMark