He’s right though.

@Tragiclady  

 
Holofan4life here. Thank you. I liked the season 5 finale too.

@Tragiclady  

 
Thank you. I liked the season 5 finale too.

@Tragiclady  

 
Thank you. I liked the season 5 finale too.

@Background Pony #3AC6  
Well think about how much easier the second one is to prove.

Well, this is unexpected: someone rants about all the myriad, heinous problems with an episode, yet still gives it a decent rating.
 
Anyway, I agree with some of OP’s points, disagree with others, and think some are blown out of proportion, but I did want to address one thing:

Leaving aside the question of how long changelings have existed, there’s a simple explanation for why the changelings never tried sharing love: Because their glorious leader convinced them that they had to take love from others, and then bring it back to her so she could bask in her greatly-increased power get them more love to feed off of.

@SSJWolverine  
Well, it kinda is the bully’s fault, isn’t it? They should have known not to mess with you :3
 
Plus they’ll have the rest of their lives to consider the importance of being kind to others.

@Background Pony #2179  
Kids, the lesson for today is:
 
NOTHING IS EVER RAINBOW DASH’S FAULT!
 
By that logic, it’s the bully’s fault you brought a gun to school and shot out his kneecaps.

@SSJWolverine  
Hmm… Let’s see here - explaining why people hate the episode = trying “to pass off Dash’s screwups on other ponies” does it?
 
But the Wonderbolts are not a fucking military organisation. It may have historical ties to the military, but it is not a military organisation. I will repeat this again: They are a group of elite ariel stunt performers. They do not have spears or any other weapons like the royal guard. They do not go off to other lands to fight wars.
 
No, the gist of what I’m saying is “my fellow actors refused to call me by my actual fucking name, instead calling me a nickname, based of one mistake I made, all the fucking time (even during rehearsals) and just generally treated me like shit and maded me feel like shit. So I tried to perform a stunt that I thought would impress them and the general audience, and to stop them from calling me that name”. You can ignore the reason for why it happened all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that it made the Wonderbolts at the very least partially responsible for what happened. Had they never constantly called her that name and not acted like cunts, that stunt would have been avoided.

@Background Pony #0C13  
Goddamnit, I hate it when people try to pass off Dash’s screwups on other ponies.
 
If Wonderbolts Academy, Secret of My Excess, and Testing, Testing, 1-2-3 proved anything, is that the Wonderbolts do have their roots as a military organization. Hazing if very much the name of the game (at least I think it is. I’ve never served. Anyone who has care to clarify?)
 
Also, Here’s the gist of what you’re saying; “It’s not my fault I ruined the play. My fellow actors made fun of me.”
 
It’s not the Wonderbolts’ fault Dash screwed up. It’s Dash’s fault Dash screwed up.

@Twilatron217  
Ummm… like what?
 
Seriously, name a show aimed at little girls ages 3-10 that does that. And saying Dora the Explorer has better writtng? Are you just trying to embarrass yourself?

For points 1,2,3 and 5, if you’re going to argue that most of the episode was basically perfect, would these things really have improved the episode? I’d prefer characters do nothing rather than killing the pacing and tension by contriving things for characters that aren’t the focus to do. Besides, Luna was used effectively.
 
For point 5, they don’t show the capturing right away to maintain the mystery, and by the time it’s revealed, there’s no point in actually showing it. While Chrysalis was discussing the plan with the changelings, they might have transitioned to a montage of the characters being captured, but do you really want a montage of basically this:
 

 
Nobody questions how Cadence was captured in ACW, or how Celestia was in FiM Part 1. Showing it here wouldn’t have added anything. Besides, don’t you think it creates more tension to just have no idea where they are?
 
Point 4 is a fair point. If they’re going to establish Flurry Heart and then have her appear in in TttaaC, there should have been some payoff, or at least a mention in the finale. It would have been a nice touch, but it doesn’t ultimately affect the story.
 
There’s not really anything wrong with point 6. A magic absorbing throne made from ancient dark stone makes the world, the changelings, and the story more interesting.
 
For point 7, there’s a difference between reformation and redemption. Besides, it’s a reformation out of practicality. We’re going to get an episode or a mention about diplomatic relations between the two civilizations in season 7.
 
As far as a civilization of shapeshifters that feed off of love goes, they’ve basically done everything they can do with the premise. This change opens more doors than it closes.
 
For point 8, what were you honestly expecting? The question of why they don’t just make friends has always hung over the changelings as a species, and it’s nice to see them address it.
 
For point 9, the changelings live in an authoritarian, isolationist society. The odds of a single changeling having this idea, leaving the hive, befriending members of a race that are terrified of it, especially when the concept of friendship doesn’t even exist to them, going back and freely giving what is clearly a very precious resource are extremely slim. Besides, every single idea in human history carries the question of “why didn’t someone think of it sooner.”
 
Point 10: She has no army, so for now, she’s not a threat. Admittedly they could have made her escape less preventable.
 
Point 11: It’s the finale of the 6th season. I really hope you don’t seriously expect them to have one character kill another.
 
Point 12: Just because something could be a long-term plot point doesn’t mean it has to, or even should be.

I though it was part of their contract to let the villain go. In return the villain promises to talk endlessly until the good guys figure out how to beat you.
 
Chrisi’s certainly got her part down.

@Background Pony #B66A  
What the hell’s she gonna do? Her army is gone! What, is she gonna hatch a new hive overnight and plot her revenge? Also, her magic by itself is no match for any of the alicorns, and now she’s just a minor nuisance.
 
When her army left, so did her threat level.

@SSJWolverine  
Well… It’s pretty much is down to how the Wonderbolts treated Dash and the moral of the episode. Also, the hazing argument might have worked had the Wonderbolts actually been shown as military organization, but they’re not. They’re a team of elite ariel stunt performers, in which the hazing was unnecessary and damaged her morale, which ultimately lead to her trying to perform something dangerous in order to get the Wonderbolts to stop calling her ‘crash’ and respect her. If they didn’t do their stupid nicknaming thing then it wouldn’t happened. Also, another reason is because people saw a lot of potential for this episode and to see it get poured down the drain really ruined it…

@Background Pony #B66A  

 
Evil brand of changelings already smashes alot of interesting morals about the changelings.

@SSJWolverine  
Okay, fair enough.

@chris the lovable jerk  
Personally, I think it was reasonable to act the way she did in front of her heroes. Sure, she made friends with Spitfire and Soarin, but they were still Wonderbolts, they were still her idols, and she wanted to make a good first impression as a fully fledged Wonderbolt.

@SSJWolverine  
At least there it was out of desperation because she didn’t want to lose Tank, Newbie Dash was just her acting cringe-worthy.

@chris the lovable jerk  
Think of it from her perspective. She did it. She’s part of the Wonderbolts. She achieved her dream. She has every reason to want to make a good first impression. She’s among her heroes, so of course she would be nervous.
 
Also, this isn’t the first time she made rash decisions because she didn’t think things through. Anyone remember Tanks for the Memories?

@SSJWolverine  
Doesn’t really matter, on its own TtaaC is a really good episode.
 
I already told you why I don’t like Newbie Dash: Because its core conflict was so stupid and contrived and Rainbow Dash just acted stupider than usual the entire episode, all that build up for her joining the Wonderbolts and she squanders it by acting like a total dumbass.
 
I mean I don’t mind them hazing her or poking fun but you’d think that after 6 seasons RD would be willing to take a few jokes now that she’s accomplished her life goal, I mean isn’t she friends with Spitfire and Soarin’? Does she not realize she does this stuff with Flutters and AJ a lot?
 
Really if I were to rank the season in categories it would be this:
 
Great Episodes: The Gift of the Maud Pie, Gauntlet of Fire, No Second Prances, The Saddle Row Review, Spice up your Life, The Times They Are a Changeling, The Fault in our Cutie Marks, and Every Little Thing She Does, and To Where and Back Again Part 1
 
Good Episodes: The Crysalling Part 1 and 2, On Your Marks, A Hearth’s Warming Tail, Stranger Than Fan Fiction, 28 Pranks Later, Buckball Season, Viva Las Pegasus, P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View), and To Where and Back Again Part 2 (It’s rushed ending prevented it from being great but the rest is still pretty good)
 
Okay Episodes: Applejack’s “Day” Off, Flutter Brutter, Dungeons & Discords
 
Bad Episodes: Newbie Dash, Cart Before the Ponies
 
This is so weird becasue I think this is the first time a finale got leaked early and we still have two more episodes left.

@chris the lovable jerk  

@Background Pony #0C13  
Okay, yeah Cart Before the Ponies wasn’t good at all but I liked 28 Pranks Later and thought Applejack’s Day Off was just okay.
 
@SSJWolverine
 
Oh yeah, and I forgot Times They Are A Changeling, I consider that to be a great episode as well.

@SSJWolverine  
I thought having to put up with the main 5 as they were was kinda karma for it, but I really liked the episode and I do think she got off too lightly at the end, maybe Twilight should have grounded her or something? Make her clean the castle, do Spike’s chores?
 
Over all I think the season was pretty good all things considered, but the ending was rather weak and should have been a three part episode, or at least should have ended on a cliffhanger to finish it up in Season 7. I mean Hasbro did that all the time with Transformers Prime and Animated and Beast Wars and Beast Machines so why not let MLP have one too? The ending was weak but I personally still enjoyed it overall.

@Background Pony #0C13  
28 Pranks Later was godawful.  
Cart Before the Ponies was Bleh.  
Applejack’s ‘Day’ Off was alright. Not enough to add it to my list, but it was decent.
 
Also, why do people hate Newbie Dash? Was it because of how the Wonderbolts treated her? Have none of you ever heard of hazing?