Thursday, September 28, 2017

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 21


Joking Victim









The Big Donut teens, Lars and Sadie, are an interesting pairing to talk about.  That’s not to say that they make the best one though.  It’s already established that Lars, despite having his moments, is a major unfriendly jerk.  As for Sadie, she’s an average teen girl who puts herself up with Lar’s jerky and occasionally slacking ways, yet as this cartoon shows, she somehow feels the need to be there for him.  It all unfolds when Steven rushes into The Big Donut for something to drink after Amethyst pranks him into eating burning hot fire salt.  He makes a mess in the process, and when Lars slips on it, he claims his back is broken and gets off of work.  Much time is spent on charming moments of Sadie having Steven work in Lars’ place, consisting of pleasant interactions from Steven and Sadie as she teaches him what to do, and Steven referring to an informative music video about The Big Donut as he works.  For how problematic Steven’s childish ways have been so far this season, there’s an undeniable likability to them as they show his dedication to the good things in his life, keeping me watching his antics.  Then when Steven gets the idea of firing Lars so he can keep the job he loves, Sadie’s reasons she puts up with Lars are revealed.  She believes he’s actually a good person because of one time where he treated her to a nice intimate night at his house where he let her be his “player 2” after she bought a video game for him which may be mean more than one may think.  The thing is, even if Lars was nice that one time, he’s still a total jerk most of the time, and Sadie knows it.  From her story, she seems to like him a little too much which really isn’t healthy given that she’s choosing to think nothing of Lars’ jerky side.  By the way, it’s really demonstrated when, to the surprise of no one watching, it turns out Lars was faking being injured so he could loaf about at home and hang with the Cool Kids, which includes another girl.  So hurt by his betrayal, Sadie fights back by using Steven’s fire salt to make a really hot donut for Lars.  His reaction to getting majorly burned is fun to watch, as is the havoc he causes as he runs through Beach City setting fire everywhere while Sadie and Steven maturely know they went too far and try to help Lars instead of watching him suffer.  Basically, this climax is very exciting.  Then when Lars is finally saved from the donut, even after Sadie shows how hurt by Lars faking his injuries and to an extent cheating on her, Lars actually has a genuine good moment, offering to help clean up the mess.  Sadie responds to Lars’ offer with kindness, but you really have to wonder if it’s ok that she’s forgiving him this easily.  It’s not exactly convincing that he won’t act like a jerk again in his next major appearance (which he does just so you know).  Well, despite the negative implications of Lars and Sadie’s relationship, there’s plenty of fun moments and the appealing side of Steven’s persona at the center to make it enjoyable for what it is. 8/10
The Ranking
  1. Coach Steven
  2. So Many Birthdays
  3. Steven the Sword Fighter
  4. Lion 2: The Movie
  5. Bubble Buddies
  6. Laser Light Cannon
  7. Giant Woman
  8. Lars and the Cool Kids
  9. Steven’s Lion
  10. Gem Glow
  11. Rose’s Room
  12. Cheeseburger Backpack
  13. Serious Steven
  14. Joking Victim
  15. Beach Party
  16. Cat Fingers
  17. Tiger Millionaire
  18. Together Breakfast
  19. Frybo
  20. Onion Trade
  21. Arcade Mania

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode featuring the musical stylings of "Steven and the Stevens."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

No comments:

Post a Comment