Week 3
(These reviews contain
spoilers!)
There’s some big episodes coming up
this week, so as usual, keep an eye on this space every night to hear my
thoughts on them!
Gem Hunt
It’s cool to
see that the crew is bringing back some elements from Season 1 that I thought
were finished for good, such as corrupted gems and one-off adventures to
faraway places. The thing is, since we’ve seen so many episodes like this in Season 1, it’s hard to do them in a
way that’s new and interesting.
Gem Hunt tries
to accomplish this by bringing Connie alongside Steven and Pearl for her first
corrupted gem mission. I’m so glad we skipped over the whole “Should she go? It
might be dangerous. Can she handle herself?” rigmarole we had to endure when
Steven was still training to be a part of the Crystal Gems. We started the
episode at the start of the mission, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
The problem
with this episode for me is Connie. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a good character,
especially in episodes like Full Disclosure. Here, though, she just felt
annoying. It was like that friend who invites you to build a snow fort with him,
and then makes you sit and watch while he does all the work himself. As soon as
she and Steven were released from Pearl’s grasp, she started talking and
talking, with no end to how prepared she was to face the wilderness and how
much she knew about how to survive. It honestly got really annoying towards the
end, and she even felt a bit condescending towards Steven after a while.
Steven and
Pearl, on the other hand, had some of the funniest moments they’ve had in a
while. I liked Pearl’s joke about “Who’s your favourite Gem?” and the way she
brought it back towards the end. Steven’s running gag with his camera was also
really funny, but I do wish it was used a bit more, instead of just at the
beginning and end of the episode.
As for the
visuals, as someone who loves snowy and
winter backdrops, this episode was fantastic for me. It’s weird that we really
haven’t seen Steven Universe explore this kind of climate yet. The design of
the corrupted gems was cool too, and I liked the implications that they were
Quartzes (going by the way their hair looked).
As for the big
ending, with the reveal of Jasper collecting corrupted gems for her own
sinister machinations, it kind of came out of nowhere for me. I guess Jasper’s
going to be like Peridot was in early Season 2, popping up in random places,
being chased by the gems, and then escaping. It was a little bizarre seeing her
in the snowy mountains after we last saw her in the middle of the ocean, but
this is still a cartoon made for kids, so I can forgive that. I guess this is
going to be setup for whatever she’s planning for the future, and she’s way more of an intimidating villain than
Peridot ever was, but it still was a little too much “Surprise! Look who’s
here!” for my tastes.
Gem Hunt is
one of those episodes that pretty much evens out the good and the bad, leaving
you with a very middle-ground episode that doesn’t seem very memorable, aside
from Jasper’s appearance. Exactly what she means to do with those corrupted
gems is unclear at the moment, but I look forward to seeing how it plays out.
FINAL SCORE
6/10
Okay
Crack the Whip
Amethyst’s episodes are always really
interesting. She’s always been a sort of a “bad influence” character, but with
a good side. But ever since On the Run, it’s clear that she knows she’s a bad
influence, and doesn’t like that about herself. This is such an interesting
concept, especially for a kids show. I love that she’s not the basic “edgy and
cool” character made for the target demographic. She has way more to her than
people give her credit for.
But anyways, on to the episode. We
pick up almost directly where we left off, with Pearl and Garnet off to find
Jasper, leaving Amethyst to take care of Steven and Connie. It basically goes
the way you’d think: Amethyst convinces them to stop sparring, and they have a
day out running around Beach City. Although I liked this part, I felt that it
went on for a little too long, and I would’ve liked to see a bit more of the climax.
Speaking of the climax, it was fantastic. Lots of fanservice here, and
it was delivered really well. Jasper came back again (that’s three times in the
span of a week), accompanied by the two corrupted gems from Gem Hunt in an attempt
to singlehandedly take out the Crystal Gems.
I know that there’s a throng of people
out there who want Jasper to be redeemed in the same vein as Peridot, but I
feel that this episode is a prime reason as to why that’s not going to happen.
Don’t get me wrong, if they decide to go the redemption route, I’m all for it.
I just feel that Jasper’s character is one that isn’t going to have a happy
ending.
She completely annihilated Amethyst in
combat without breaking a sweat, and without the slightest hint of holding
back. She was also more than ready to do the same to Steven and Connie, and if
they hadn’t fused, it probably would’ve happened. Like I’ve said before, she’s
the closest thing we have to a recurring villain on the show (besides Onion, I
guess), and the Crew are doing an excellent job in making her as threatening as
possible.
Seeing Steven and Connie use Stevonnie
as more than an excuse to run around and have a good time was awesome too. I
figured she would use their sword/shield combo at some point, but I’d guessed
that they’d save it for some big season or series finale. It was cool to see
here, even if we didn’t get too much of it.
Considering the title of tomorrow’s
episode (plus her new outfit!), I think it’s safe to say we’re not finished
with Amethyst episodes just yet. I really feel that there’s a lot to her we
haven’t explored yet, and I can’t wait to see more.
FINAL SCORE
8/10
Great
Steven vs. Amethyst
What a surprisingly sweet episode
this was. You’d never guess it from the title, but that’s what it turned out to
be.
We picked up directly where Crack the
Whip left off, with Pearl and Garnet being thrilled by the story of Steven’s
success, and Amethyst feeling left out. Steven decided to ask her to accompany
him to a training session with Pearl, which she agrees to. They spend the rest
of the episode competing, both to be the best and worst.
First off, this is something I’ve noticed
in the last few episodes, but I feel it’d be best to bring up here. Ever since
Mr. Greg, it seems that Pearl’s become a happier character to be around. Her
personality in this episode reminded me of a really, really good Grade 1
teacher. We’ve also seen more of her cheerful, mom-like side in episodes like
Gem Hunt and Monster Reunion. I’m glad that they’re developing her like this
after she began to let go of her past with Rose. It really demonstrates how dedicated
the crew is to the continuity of the show.
As for the actual episode, I felt that
it’s a worthy companion to Crack the Whip, as well as an excellent episode on its
own. It reminded me a lot of Reformed, in that it focused on Amethyst trying to
be better, but also reminding us how little she thought of herself, with a
happy ending to cap it off.
There were a lot of jabs at Steven as
well, such as how often he gets new powers (to the point where he nonchalantly unveiled
a spike-ball ability we’d never seen before), plus how he seems to forget to
use his floating powers sometimes.
The ending was fantastic too, as
Steven and Amethyst bonded over both being something other than what people
want them to be, in a delightful little conversation that says more than enough
with very few words. So often we forget how the Gems (particularly Pearl in
earlier episodes) see Steven as his mother, and how he’s trying his hardest to
live up to that expectation. It’s something I’d really like to be explored
again later, because it’s such an interesting issue.
I loved
Steven vs. Amethyst. It’s been my favourite episode this week so far. The
conflict, the characters, the animation, the ending, it was all amazingly done.
But since this was such a landmark episode, I figure tomorrow will probably be
more or less filler, right?
Right?
FINAL SCORE
9/10
Amazing
Bismuth
Well, that happened.
The fact that Bismuth was finally
going to show up was something I knew ahead of time (they didn’t exactly hide
it, with promos and screenshots floating around the internet weeks ago), but it’s
so cool to finally have something that’s been hinted at since Lion 3: Straight
to Video come to pass. It also helped that she got a fantastic introduction,
one of the best we’ve had for a new character since Ruby and Sapphire first
appeared on the scene.
As it turns out, that bubbled gem in
Lion’s mane is actually Bismuth, a member of the original Crystal Gems
alongside Pearl and Garnet, as well as the one who forged all those physical
weapons that seem to be everywhere. I also have a sneaking suspicion that she
was the one who poofed Lapis back in the Gem War (watch Same Old World again!
It’s definitely a Bismuth, but it’s unclear if it’s the Bismuth).
As this was our first ever Steven
Universe half-hour special, there was a lot of ground to cover, and this
episode was paced perfectly. Each character got their fair share of screen time,
with nobody feeling left out. The crew even found room to continue Amethyst’s
ongoing arc in here a little bit.
As for Bismuth herself, her design is
very creative, with the rainbow dreadlocks resembling the rainbow colour scheme
of a real bismuth gem. I also liked how her costume resembled an apron, because
of how she worked with metal in a forgery like a blacksmith would. Her weapon
is the only weak point for me, though. She shapeshifts her hands into hammers,
blades, whatever she needs. While it’s creative, because we’ve seen gems
shapeshift before, it’s not exactly something new for Steven Universe.
What’s
stopping someone like Amethyst from doing the exact same thing?
Speaking of the Forge, let’s talk
about that. It’s a sort of Kindergarten-looking place, filled with lava and
weapons of every shape and size. Bismuth even upgraded the Gem’s existing
weapons, giving Garnet’s gauntlets spikes, turning Pearl’s spear into a
trident, and giving Amethyst flails for her whip. It was creepy, yet at the
same time exciting to see a new place from gem history.
The absolute best part of the episode,
hands-down, was the entire climax and ending. Bismuth and Steven returned to the
Forge alone, where she showed him a new weapon she created: the Breaking Point,
which is capable of shattering gems with ease, killing them instantly. It’s a
dark subject for a show as lighthearted as Steven Universe, so much so that the
other Gems have never even mentioned shattering as a possibility for when they’re
dealing with corrupted or Homeworld gems. They always bubble them and be done
with it.
Naturally, Steven objects, which
convinces Bismuth that Rose still remembers her, and demands to know why she
was trapped in the bubble for so long, and why she never told the others that
she was still alive. When Steven has no answers, she refuses to believe that
Rose is gone, and attempts to force it out of him by means of…well, force.
Steven Universe, while not exactly
shying away from beating up Steven a bit, is a little more friendly towards
their main character than, say, Gravity Falls was towards Dipper. Only Jasper’s
really ever beaten him up, and she’s a clear villain character. Most times when
he takes a hit he just bounces back, ready for more. But here, we had the most
brutal fight in the show’s history. It really felt like these two were really
evenly matched. It got so dark that towards the end, I actually thought for a
second that the show had gone the whole way and had Bismuth be shattered.
While this wasn’t the case, I’ll leave
her ultimate fate unspoiled if for some reason you’re reading my spoiler-filled
review before watching the episode. Needless to say, the aftermath of the fight
was quiet, with very little words being spoken by Steven and the Gems, but it
was pitch-perfect in every way.
While Bismuth hasn’t been my favourite
episode of Steven’s Summer Adventures so far (that honour still goes to Mr.
Greg), it was everything I wanted it to be and then some. It really felt like
an entire StevenBomb’s worth of lore and information in one double length
episode, and I’m sure the internet will be buzzing with theories soon, because
like every great mystery, Bismuth raised as many questions as it did answer. I
hope it’s not too long before Bismuth makes her grand return, as I can’t wait
to see what she does next.
Oh, by the way, because I’m Canadian,
I’m getting an episode early tomorrow. Mwa ha ha.
FINAL SCORE
10/10
Legendary
Beta
(As of the time I’m writing
this, this episode hasn’t officially aired in the US yet! If you haven’t
watched Beta yet, stop reading now!!!)
Well, that was an adventure. As happy
as I am to have an episode three days early here in Canada, it’s going to be
difficult waiting for the resolution of that cliffhanger.
Ah well, I’ve waited through longer
ones. Let’s begin the review!
We returned back to the Amethyst arc
after yesterday’s detour for Bismuth, and the tension has gotten even stronger.
We’ve reached a point where Amethyst is moodier than Lapis. This should be a
certified state of cartoon emergency.
Thankfully, Peridot and Lapis returned
to lighten the mood, and we got to see what they’ve been up to for the past
little while. It seems that they’ve bonded over a mutual love of Camp Pining
Hearts, which is both adorable and hilarious. They’ve also turned the barn into
their own personal art museum, and I loved all the clever jabs the show took at
the frankly condescending world of modern art. It was also nice to see Lapis
participating in the fun for once. She’s really making slow but steady leaps in
character growth. I just wish we could get more of it.
But as Amethyst’s move refused to
improve as she couldn’t get Jasper off her mind, Peridot decided to take her
and Steven on a tour of another new location: the Beta Kindergarten, a
haphazardly built creation dug into some sandstone in the middle of a desert.
Frankly, I think I liked the design of
the Beta Kindergarten more than the regular one. The desert colours are really creative,
and I liked how all the holes where the gems came out were shaped differently.
I know that the two Kindergartens are supposed to contrast visually (as the
Beta one is supposed to be more or less unfinished), but the wild, unusualness
of this one was much more visually appealing.
More Jasper lore was dropped, as the
group found her hole, and upon examination, Peridot confirmed that she was the
most perfectly made quartz she had ever seen. It seems that the crew is working
to make Jasper as much as a threat to the Crystal Gems as possible, which
really begs the question: what’s the endgame here? I’m almost certain that
redemption is off the table for her, but as we saw in Bismuth, Steven considers
shattering gems to be out of the question. If Jasper is to ultimately be
bubbled and left in the Temple Heart, I’m hoping they give her a strong finale.
The episode left on a groan-worthy
cliffhanger, and I’m sure I’ll be waiting impatiently all weekend for the next
part in this 3-part storyline. I’m assuming that the rest of the Summer of
Steven will be focusing on the Amethyst arc, so I’m excited to see how that
plays out.
FINAL SCORE
8/10
Great
Week 3 of the Summer of Steven really
blew the others out of the water. So many really good and lore-building
episodes, plus the long awaited introduction of Bismuth! One can only hope that
Week 4, the final week, lives up to it’s predecessor.
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