Sunday, October 8, 2017

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 40


On the Run








This is one of the most insightful entries in the series, as well as one of the best ones when it comes to displaying a wide range of emotions.  It starts off on a simple, charming note with Steven getting into a book series about a group of boys who travel on the run because they feel something’s out to get them, and Amethyst gets the idea of acting like those boys with both of them going on the run themselves.  There’s even an upbeat song that plays as they travel which perfectly matches the tone set by what they’re doing.  However, it’s during this song where the emotion starts to come clear.  Amethyst sings of how while she can ignore most things people say about her, some things are always on their mind and that she doesn’t really feel like she has a home.  Then, when she and Steven get to where she had them go on the run to, that’s when things really get deep.  Before all this, Steven learned that the reason the Crystal Gems stay on Earth for its protection is because they rebelled against Homeworld because they were doing something horrible to the Earth and could never go back to Homeworld as a result, only they never explain what the horrible thing was.  It is revealed though when Amethyst shows Steven where she was made, which is a dark barren area full of holes along cliffs referred to as a Kindergarten.  This is insightful because it reveals how different Amethyst really is from the other Gems.  While other Gems, including Garnet and Pearl, were made on Homeworld, she was made on Earth and was part of Homeworld’s plot to use Earth to make more Gems, even if using its resources caused harm to the planet.  We really see how Amethyst being a part of Homeworld’s mistreatment towards Earth affects her when Pearl arrives to bring her and Steven home.  She goes on to fight Pearl while saying how she feels like an embarrassment to the team and that she never even wanted to be made.  Given the seriousness of the bad thing her creation was part of, it makes sense for Amethyst to lash out like this and adds a sympathetic layer to her character.  It also adds emotional depth to how she’s responded to others’ criticisms of her attitude in prior cartoons as it appears they made her feel worse for what she was part of and weren’t just due to immaturity.  As for this conflict’s resolution, it comes from a great mature instance from Steven who has Pearl, the instigator of Amethyst’s rage be the one to make her feel better, and the whole cartoon is capped off by Pearl letting Amethyst know that she’s the one good thing that came out of Homeworld’s mess.  The embrace from the two Gems that follows makes for a truly heartwarming finish.  Ultimately, this cartoon is another big winner for its strong sense of emotion, new layers to the characters involved, and its honesty of how people can be affected by life’s dark moments. 10/10
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. Watermelon Steven
  20. Gem Glow
  21. Steven and the Stevens
  22. Warp Tour
  23. Island Adventure
  24. Rose’s Room
  25. Cheeseburger Backpack
  26. Future Vision
  27. Secret Team
  28. House Guest
  29. Serious Steven
  30. Joking Victim
  31. Beach Party
  32. Cat Fingers
  33. Tiger Millionaire
  34. Together Breakfast
  35. Fusion Cuisine
  36. Frybo
  37. Onion Trade
  38. Arcade Mania
  39. Garnet’s Universe
  40. Keep Beach City Weird
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode featuring one of Ronaldo's better appearances in "Horror Club."
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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