With this penultimate cartoon comes the inevitable arrival of Homeworld Gems on Earth, and once their ship in the form of a giant green hand is spotted coming in, we’re in for some nonstop excitement that lasts for the entire runtime. Usually, it takes the entire first half of a story to build up intensity, but here, we see how big the invasion’s threat is in a short span of time when nothing, not even a laser light cannon, can stop the ship, which forces all of Bach City to evacuate. Even Steven has to evacuate with the residents while the Crystal Gems stay behind to face the invaders. While this seems to undermine the Gems being aware of Steven’s apparent growth, it’s great that they genuinely want to protect him and that their actions lead to a major information reveal. We already know that the Crystal Gems started a war against Homeworld who were destroying Earth by making new Gems in Kindergartens, but during the evacuation, Greg reluctantly reveals the depths of the Crystal Gems. Apparently, they were going along with Homeworld’s horrible plans for Earth and rebelled when Rose Quartz couldn’t stand the heinous act anymore meaning that the Crystal Gems are seen as traitors to Homeworld which increases the threat at hand. It’s also revealed that it was Rose’s shield that saved the Crystal Gems still around today. Since Steven is the only one who can access her shield, he takes it upon himself to bravely go back and help, but not before Greg tells him to not make him run out of family which speaks volumes of how much his son means to him. The biggest moment comes in when Steven arrives just in time for the Crystal Gems to face the Homeworld Gems. As was revealed in “The Message,” Peridot has backup with her with Lapis as her informant, placing her back in the planet she was imprisoned on for so long, and a newly revealed Gem, Jasper, easily the most brutish and threatening Homeworld Gem seen so far. It’s easy to see the moment she looks over the opponents Peridot claims keep destroying her things. Even when Jasper sees them as no real threat, dropping spiteful descriptions that speak a lot on how their status is viewed, she still orders them to be destroyed. Her threat gets even stronger after Steven protects the Crystal Gems by summoning his shield, and Jasper sees him as Rose Quartz because of this. She ends the cartoon in a brutal manner by shooting down the intended mission despite Peridot’s resistance, uses a weapon called a Gem Destabilizer to reduce the mighty Garnet down to the two gemstones projecting her body, and at the very end, knocks Steven out with the intent of bringing “Rose Quartz” to Homeworld to pay for her crimes. It’s been foreshadowed frequently that the Homeworld Gems would be a serious threat, and here, all that was heard really delivers. It all unfolds in a story with big reveals, character development, and suspense that builds all throughout and straight into the next and last cartoon of the season. 10/10
The Ranking
- Rose’s Scabbard
- Ocean Gem
- The Return
- Lion 3: Straight to Video
- Alone Together
- Coach Steven
- On the Run
- Story for Steven
- Maximum Capacity
- Mirror Gem
- An Indirect Kiss
- Space Race
- So Many Birthdays
- Steven the Sword Fighter
- Lion 2: The Movie
- Bubble Buddies
- Monster Buddies
- Laser Light Cannon
- Winter Forecast
- Giant Woman
- Lars and the Cool Kids
- The Test
- The Message
- Steven’s Lion
- Horror Club
- Watermelon Steven
- Gem Glow
- Steven and the Stevens
- Marble Madness
- Warp Tour
- Open Book
- Island Adventure
- Rose’s Room
- Cheeseburger Backpack
- Future Vision
- Political Power
- Secret Team
- House Guest
- Serious Steven
- Joking Victim
- Beach Party
- Cat Fingers
- Tiger Millionaire
- Together Breakfast
- Fusion Cuisine
- Frybo
- Shirt Club
- Onion Trade
- Arcade Mania
- Garnet’s Universe
- Keep Beach City Weird
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the last episode of the season, the thrilling and revealing conclusion, "Jailbreak."
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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