'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 42

Winter Forecast

It’s great to know that even in cartoons that don’t have a strong tie to the grand scheme, those that focus on Steven and Connie’s friendship usually turn out great, and that’s the case with this one.  The overall story here is very simple.  It’s just about Steven needing to get Connie home safely before she gets snowed in at his place, but they don’t want to stop hanging out yet.  Simple as this story setup might sound, certain things make its execution impactful and very charming.  It all comes from one short moment of Garnet kissing Steven’s forehead while telling him to make the right decision just before he and Connie head over to Greg.  This brief moment is what makes this simple story greater than ever.  As Steven and Connie leave to get Connie home they stall Greg in different ways so they can hang out longer and everything goes wrong, and it happens three different times.  To explain, every time Steven and Connie’s goofing off leads to something very bad, Steven finds himself back at a particular part of the trip home and they continue on in a different way from before.  Each version is well put together mostly with how they even grow in severity with each one.  The first version has the kids stall Greg so long that he crashes his van, and when they get to Connie’s house, her parents are mad that Connie’s so late and cold, threatening the end of her bond with Steven.  The second version starts with the van crash, Steven suggests they stay put, but it turns out to be a worse version when they all get struck by Connie’s dad who crashes his car into the van because he’s can’t drive in the snow.  The worst version of all is Steven insisting that Connie stay with him for the night despite all opposition, and that literally leads to everything blowing up.  Watching these versions from Steven’s perspective, you connect with him as he wonders what’s going on.  Then, after that version, we learn the meaning of Garnet’s kiss.  It symbolizes her giving Steven some of her future vision so he can see what could happen if he doesn’t get Connie home right away.  Not only is this interesting development for Garnet’s powers, but also for Steven’s maturity.  What he saw lets him realize he has to get Connie home right away to avoid anything bad happening.  He truly makes the right decision as he and Greg get Connie home long before the storm gets bad, and he even gets to watch the snow fall with Connie when her parents allow him and Greg to spend the night.  The last scene of the kids watching the snow really allows you to take in the beauty of the atmosphere and their friendship through its simplicity and silence, making for a perfect finish.  Although this cartoon isn’t too important, its character moments, charm, and creativity make it truly great anyhow. 9.5/10

The Ranking

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

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Beach City starts a new year while Amethyst convinces Greg to go back to the past in "Maximum Capacity."

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