Friday, September 29, 2017

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 23

Monster Buddies








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
  1. Coach Steven
  2. So Many Birthdays
  3. Steven the Sword Fighter
  4. Lion 2: The Movie
  5. Bubble Buddies
  6. Monster Buddies
  7. Laser Light Cannon
  8. Giant Woman
  9. Lars and the Cool Kids
  10. Steven’s Lion
  11. Gem Glow
  12. Steven and the Stevens
  13. Rose’s Room
  14. Cheeseburger Backpack
  15. Serious Steven
  16. Joking Victim
  17. Beach Party
  18. Cat Fingers
  19. Tiger Millionaire
  20. Together Breakfast
  21. Frybo
  22. Onion Trade
  23. 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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