So far this season, in spite of usually finding a way to aid
the Crystal Gems in taking out threats to humanity, Steven hasn’t really seemed
all that professional at the task. Here
though, he takes on taming a monster in the most competent manner so far, and
it’s impressive to see it happen this early in the series. It all goes down when a dangerous Gem-hunting
mission prompts the Crystal Gems to send Steven back to the temple via a
bubble. What follows is a rare and
interesting look at what it’s like for bubbled Gems to get sent to the temple
after they’re contained. Anyway, through
getting out, Steven accidentally pops one of the many bubbles containing Gems. In fact it’s Centipeetle, the Gem monster
from the premiere cartoon. This is where
the story and Steven’s character moments start strengthening. Through being nice and friendly, Steven gets
Centipeetle to calm down and she never tries to hurt him, and despite the
Crystal Gems’ hesitation, he believes he can train her to move past her
monstrous ways. It’s easy to buy Steven
as a mature and capable member of the team considering that his method of being
friendly with Centipeetle really did work from the start, and it continues to
work in other places. He gets
Centipeetle to behave by offering her chips, and even comes up with a way to
make good use out of her tendency to spit toxic slime everywhere after an
encounter with seagulls. The latter
point is especially shown when he has her do it during a mission in an ice
cave. It’s just great to see Steven
actually have a good handle on training such a destructive monster. It’s a real sign of him actually growing as a
valuable member of the team after acting like such a goofball for so many
cartoons. However, just as everyone
finds the Gem they need to contain, Centipeetle somehow goes on a monstrous
rage again which causes a cave-in. It
really is a major headscratcher of why she’d go savage at that very moment
after all that bonding with Steven, but it is nice that at Steven’s urging, she
remembers such a bond. It all leads to a
pretty sad end for Centipeetle when immediately after this, she’s struck by a
falling rock while saving Steven which makes her poof back to her gem. It’s especially depressing for something like
this to happen to her after all that, but at the same time, it’s refreshing to
see how much help Steven was to her, making his efforts stand out as a genuine
growth in his character. He's even the one who contains her through
bubbling a Gem for the very first time, which he continues to do for the rest
of the show. It goes to show how strong
this cartoon is for how it allows a lot of development for Steven, a strong
friendship at it center, and a well-crafted play on one’s emotions. 9.5/10
The Ranking
- Coach Steven
- So Many Birthdays
- Steven the Sword Fighter
- Lion 2: The Movie
- Bubble Buddies
- Monster Buddies
- Laser Light Cannon
- Giant Woman
- Lars and the Cool Kids
- Steven’s Lion
- Gem Glow
- Steven and the Stevens
- Rose’s Room
- Cheeseburger Backpack
- Serious Steven
- Joking Victim
- Beach Party
- Cat Fingers
- Tiger Millionaire
- Together Breakfast
- Frybo
- Onion Trade
- Arcade Mania
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven tells Connie about his latest adventure and gives her "An Indirect Kiss" in the process."
If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.
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