Steven Universe Review: Last One Out of Beach City

The Return (to form)

(This review contains spoilers!)

          After last week’s complete mess of an episode, there was nothing I wanted more than for Steven Universe to come back with a big episode reminding us why we watch the show.

          Thankfully, I got my wish and then some. Not only was this a huge bounce back, but this episode acted as a pseudo-sequel to Mr. Greg, arguably the best episode Steven Universe has ever done. While it didn’t quite live up to that episode (but really, what can?), Last One Out of Beach City is fun, exciting, perfectly paced, and downright hilarious.

          The story is that after Greg backs out of taking Amethyst to a concert, Pearl jumps in to prove that she can be cool. She attempts this by wearing a leather jacket and jeans and drinking apple juice, among other things. If that isn’t cool, I don’t know what is.

          But when a punk girl with hair similar to Rose arrives on the scene, Amethyst encourages Pearl to talk to her. What follows is a madcap adventure through the streets of Beach City as Pearl drives after this mystery woman, and all sorts of hijinks ensue.

          If anything, this episode shows off something I really wish we’d see more: the dynamic between Pearl and Amethyst. They’ve grown a lot since their endless squabbling back in Giant Woman. While their personalities contrast, they’ve struck up a clear friendship, and play off each other very well.

          The biggest highlight of this episode is, without a doubt, the humour. I’d go so far as to say Last One Out of Beach City is the funniest episode of Steven Universe since Too Short to Ride. Between the reason why Greg can’t take Amethyst to the concert, Pearl’s madcap driving, and most of the dialogue, I was laughing the whole way through this episode. It’s a complete joy to watch.

          As usual, the animation is top-notch. The driving scenes especially are just as good, if not better, than those in Beach City Drift. It was also fun to see Pearl dressed in the “cool” outfit, as well as the design of the mystery girl.

          All in all, Last One Out of Beach City is a blast. It really shows off the character interactions that Steven Universe is so good at, plus the fantastic humour that it’s capable of. While I really do hope it’s not much longer before we get back to the overarcing plot, this was a wonderful little detour.

FINAL SCORE

9/10

Amazing