I think Season Eight’s greatest strength is that it focuses on things that give a show longevity.
The problem with morals is that they end stories. The moral is delivered at the end of the story. The character learns a lesson, and they’re expected to take it to heart and never make the same mistake again. But that’s not how people work, and that’s not how you keep a story going.
The biggest thing that stood out for me in Season Eight is that the characters felt much more relatable than normal. Weird as it is, I found Fluttershy’s coping mechanism in Fake It Till You Make It relatable. Surf and/or Turf and A Rockhoof and a Hard Place hit me right in the feels. Horse Play was right up my alley. My friend found The Parent Trap relatable. Rarity’s OCD in The End in Friend reminded me of why I found her so relatable. Even Yakkity-Sax is a remarkably accurate portrayal of depression.
I think this is because events are, for the most part, driven by what the characters want or how they feel, rather than by the moral the episode is designed to teach. That’s probably why it’s my favourite season.