'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 37

Alone Together

With the animation medium, you can give any moment in life a unique perspective that can make it feel something grand and unforgettable.  It’s appropriate that this idea applies to this cartoon because it features Steven take a major step in developing as a Gem.  Looking back at the fusions we’ve experienced so far, they’ve all been composed of beings who are completely Gems.  It’s been alluded that Steven, who’s half-Gem, can fuse too, but as a fun, energetic scene of him attempting to fuse with the Crystal Gems shows, the fact that he’s also half-human could be preventing him from doing so.  This statement makes what happens later all the more impactful.  What happens is that Steven offers Connie a chance to dance with him after hearing she once dropped out of going to a school dance out of fear of everyone starring at her.  This act of caring leads to the grand moment of Steven having his very first fusion as he fuses with Connie while they dance forming an entirely new being known as, Stevonnie.  The rest of the cartoon is a collection of moments where Stevonnie goes about life, taking in different experiences along the way.  Everything that she, or he considering she’s made of both a male and female, goes through ties into the idea of animation giving a unique perspective on life and it’s made grand by the simple fact of this being Stevonnie’s first time existing.  Not to mention, it’s all initiated by Garnet explaining that as a fusion, Stevonnie is an experience and should be a good one.  You can really feel the joy and pleasures of Stevonnie running through town and impressing everyone she/he meets with her/his appearance based on how it’s staged to feel like these simple moments of life are being experienced anew.  At the same time, negative emotions are built in to make the fusion experience feel believable and earn the audience’s sympathy.  The negativity comes from a dance Stevonnie attends where she/he attracts the attention of an inconsiderate harassing hunk named Kevin, and embarrassing herself/himself through dancing alone and getting everyone to stare at her/him, just as Connie had feared.  It really makes Stevonnie feel helpless and alone, which threatens her/him being a good experience, but it leads to an enlightenment moment that brings everything together as Stevonnie ends it on a good note by firmly declining Kevin’s incessant offers to dance, and intensely dances alone without fear as she/he unfuses back into Steven and Connie.  Ultimately, the whole experience of this cartoon really succeeds for depicting the grandness of doing something for the first time such as Steven fusing and Stevonnie existing making for a great range of emotions and genuine development. 10/10

The Ranking

1. Ocean Gem
2. Lion 3: Straight to Video
3. Alone Together
4. Coach Steven
5. Mirror Gem
6. An Indirect Kiss
7. Space Race
8. So Many Birthdays
9. Steven the Sword Fighter
10. Lion 2: The Movie
11. Bubble Buddies
12. Monster Buddies
13. Laser Light Cannon
14. Giant Woman
15. Lars and the Cool Kids
16. Steven’s Lion
17. Watermelon Steven
18. Gem Glow
19. Steven and the Stevens
20. Warp Tour
21. Island Adventure
22. Rose’s Room
23. Cheeseburger Backpack
24. Secret Team
25. House Guest
26. Serious Steven
27. Joking Victim
28. Beach Party
29. Cat Fingers
30. Tiger Millionaire
31. Together Breakfast
32. Fusion Cuisine
33. Frybo
34. Onion Trade
35. Arcade Mania
36. Garnet’s Universe
37. Keep Beach City Weird
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven sets out to have a victory in a real Gem-related challenge in "The Test."

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