Sunday, October 1, 2017

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 28


Space Race









Of all the Crystal Gems, most fans would agree that Pearl is the most complex.  Amidst her overly neat, rule-bearing, crazy-devoted demeanor are emotional reasons for how she is.  One of these reasons is revealed here when she starts to miss exploring space back when she served the Gem planet, Homeworld, as the team finds teleporters called warp pads that allow galaxy travel inactive.  This saddens Pearl because it’s a reminder that because she and the rest of the Crystal Gems chose to protect Earth during a rebellion 1000s of years ago, they can never use the warp pads to explore space.  This information right here shows Pearl’s complexity.  She knows it’s her job to protect Earth and follows through with that, but she still thinks of what she did when serving her old home, making her one of the most relatable characters in the cast.  Now, Steven notices Pearl’s longing to go to space and decides to build a spaceship for her with the help of his dad and piles of mechanical parts stored at a barn that would go on to become a major location in later seasons.  Their early attempts at building the spaceship are fun to watch and are full of nice family love with Greg providing meaningful advice, this time that there’s no shame in bailing when you feel you have to.  When Pearl finds out about the plan, she takes charge with a highly technical mindset set on building an actual spaceship.  The humor of this portion of the cartoon comes from her going about the plan like this while Greg thinks they’re just building a ship for fun showcasing how Gems like Pearl don’t fully understand what’s right for humans and how the others don’t get what she’s going for.  Thankfully, Greg does get that Pearl’s thinking seriously about the spaceship, and does a very responsible thing of grounding Steven to Earth to protect his son.  This is when we see the more dramatic side of Pearl’s character.  Her drive to see space again is so strong that she goes ahead with actually building the ship anyway, bringing Steven along with her.  This results in a crazy climax when the ship takes off as Greg frantically begs Pearl to bring Steven back, she ignores him, and propels the ship into space as it starts falling apart.  The moment gets more intense as the ship falls apart more, and it leads to a strong moment of heart when Steven remembers his dad’s advice and begs Pearl to bail out of the ship even if she does miss space.  Then, as they float down from the exploding ship, the cartoon ends with a moment of sweetness as Pearl regrets almost getting herself and Steven killed and through her love for him, decides that staying on Earth is the best way to go.  Pearl’s role here is very impactful and insightful to her character, and with the well-done intensity, comedy, and sweetness, this is one of this season’s absolute best. 10/10
The Ranking
  1. Ocean Gem
  2. Coach Steven
  3. Mirror Gem
  4. An Indirect Kiss
  5. Space Race
  6. So Many Birthdays
  7. Steven the Sword Fighter
  8. Lion 2: The Movie
  9. Bubble Buddies
  10. Monster Buddies
  11. Laser Light Cannon
  12. Giant Woman
  13. Lars and the Cool Kids
  14. Steven’s Lion
  15. Gem Glow
  16. Steven and the Stevens
  17. Rose’s Room
  18. Cheeseburger Backpack
  19. House Guest
  20. Serious Steven
  21. Joking Victim
  22. Beach Party
  23. Cat Fingers
  24. Tiger Millionaire
  25. Together Breakfast
  26. Frybo
  27. Onion Trade
  28. Arcade Mania
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven tries to bring Pearl and Amethyst closer together by forming "Secret Team."

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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