Monday, October 9, 2017

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 41

Horror Club











Plots that involve haunted houses and supernatural occurrences typically promise a lot of creativity and intensity, and this one is no exception.  It even offers some interesting info on two of Beach City’s most unlikable residents.  All this is starts of in a simple, manner with Steven, Lars, and Sadie going to a monster movie party hosted by Ronaldo.  We all know how in-your-face and unhealthy Ronaldo can be with his hobby of supernatural conspiracy theories, but here, since for the most part he’s confining his interests to a party related to the subject, this cartoon is one of his better appearances.  His interests even help him to bond with Sadie in a few scenes throughout the cartoon.  Then the story is ready shows off the supernatural elements to build up the creativity and intensity of the dark setting.  They include things around the lighthouse the party’s taking place in flying around, an army of scarecrows blocking the entrance, and most interesting of all, part of the basement wall with Lars’ name carved into it pumping like a heart.  Speaking of Lars, it should be noted that he and Ronaldo are constantly at odds with each other here.  Lars is quick to berate Ronaldo for being weird as the group inspects the supernatural events, and Ronaldo actually blames Lars for everything and even wants to sacrifice him to whoever’s haunting the house at one point, meaning that he’s not totally alien from his unhealthy ways here.  Ultimately, everything comes together when it’s discovered that the strange things that happened came from a Gem that was trapped in the lighthouse walls and using it for a body.  The Gem also reveals its reasons for attacking by showing that Lars hurt it with the carving he made when he was younger.  We also see what his relationship with Ronaldo was like.  They used to be best friends who had their own club, but they were driven apart when their separate feelings clashed when Lars’ carving caused the Gem to fight back by hitting him with a board. Ronaldo took a picture of it wanting to share this “paranormal discovery” with the world while Lars ripped it up to avoid humiliation.  It’s hard to say if both sides are worth getting behind since neither are shown to have an understanding for each other’s feelings when they lashed out at each other and the photo doesn’t seem like anything Ronaldo should’ve gushed over in the first place.  At least both Lars and Ronaldo show some understanding in the present, even if they are just throwaway lines near the end.  We’ve yet to see more of Lars and Ronaldo’s relationship after this, but maybe someday it will get some closure.  Still, the fact that they both have some likability and all the creative supernatural stuff and elements of Gem lore make this cartoon solid horror-related entertainment. 9/10
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. Giant Woman
  16. Lars and the Cool Kids
  17. The Test
  18. Steven’s Lion
  19. Horror Club
  20. Watermelon Steven
  21. Gem Glow
  22. Steven and the Stevens
  23. Warp Tour
  24. Island Adventure
  25. Rose’s Room
  26. Cheeseburger Backpack
  27. Future Vision
  28. Secret Team
  29. House Guest
  30. Serious Steven
  31. Joking Victim
  32. Beach Party
  33. Cat Fingers
  34. Tiger Millionaire
  35. Together Breakfast
  36. Fusion Cuisine
  37. Frybo
  38. Onion Trade
  39. Arcade Mania
  40. Garnet’s Universe
  41. Keep Beach City Weird
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode which presents the ever lovable Steven and Connie dynamic in a winter setting in "Winter Forecast."
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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