'Toon Reviews 15: Steven Universe Season 2 Episode 26: Log Date 7 15 2 + Final Thoughts

Log Date 7 15 2

Here’s some interesting behind the scenes info.  This season was originally meant to have 52 cartoons like the previous one, but for little to no known reason, Cartoon Network decided to split it, and a planned third one, in half so the show could have a 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th season.  As a result, the cartoon we’re going out on is not the strongest season end with low-key moments, no big reveals, and plot points like stopping the Cluster put on hold until the start of the third season, i.e. the start of what was intended to be the second half of Season 2.  Other season finales would better adjust to this setup with great concluding material, but considering the major power and drama of Peridot becoming a Crystal Gem in the last cartoon, it’s disappointing that this doesn’t even match that magnitude.  Still, it’s great for what it does for Peridot. 

Steven listens to her logs recorded on the tape recorder he gave her, intending to find out how she got on good terms with Garnet.  This is a fitting motivation since Garnet is the only Crystal Gem we haven’t seen Peridot bond with.  The logs reveal even bigger things about Peridot.  When it comes to Earth, we know that the Crystal Gems are aliens dedicated to protect Earth, but, with the exception of a few moments of Ruby and Sapphire exploring its wonders in “The Answer”, we never really saw how the Crystal Gems became dedicated to it (at least not at the time this cartoon aired).  With Peridot, her logs contain observations about various elements, offering firsthand a believable interpretation of a Gem properly being exposed to the planet.  There’s a charm to how Peridot studies the elements of Earth most of us take for granted. 

Some include seeing fascination of some organic lifeforms that can fly, which leads her to see if other beings can too, including humans like Greg.  Some observations allow Peridot to move past the Gem mindsets enforced onto her by Homeworld.  She finds appeal in human clothes when finding alien-themed boxers and trying them on, and walking around with paint cans she got as a gift to look taller.  Other things Peridot learns expand on her desires to understand Earth, like when she asks Amethyst to shapeshift into certain things to help her to find certain jokes funny.  The things Peridot studies aren’t just of Earthling customs and behavior.  They’re also on Earth’s ways of entertainment like TV shows when she gets hooked on the show, Camp Pining Hearts right down to making obsessive theories common to those of any show’s diehard fans.  Her obsession especially grows since she still talks about the show today. 

Going back to her feelings on Garnet, the logs contain many frustrations of how she’s a fusion all the time.  However, all her time observing Earth brings a nice scene where Peridot joins Garnet in stargazing and attempts to get why she’s always fused by fusing with her.  It doesn’t work, but Garnet is still proud that Peridot made the attempt to get her, and grants her an understanding through connecting to one of Peridot’s Earth studies. 

In the end, this collection of logs is an entertaining perspective on Earth that develops Peridot.  There’s an understanding of her growing accustomed to Earth that tie into her drive to protect it stated in the last cartoon as well as her officially ending up on good terms with all the Crystal Gems.  While it’s not the most exciting basis for a season finale, how the logs add to her greatest change make me consider Peridot my favorite character of this show.  After spending many cartoons with her, on a personal level, I’m satisfied with how we wrap things up with this review set. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. The Answer
2. Sworn to the Sword
3. Message Received
4. Keystone Motel
5. When it Rains
6. Too Far
7. Friend Ship
8. Nightmare Hospital
9. Chille Tid
10. Cry for Help
11. Keeping it Together
12. Full Disclosure
13. Log Date 7 15 2
14. It Could’ve Been Great
15. Catch and Release
16. Back to the Barn
17. Steven’s Birthday
18. We Need to Talk
19. Reformed
20. Historical Friction
21. Joy Ride
22. Say Uncle
23. Onion Friend
24. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
25. Sadie’s Song
26. Love Letters

Final Thoughts

When a show has creative fantasy elements, using new seasons to expand upon them plays to said show’s strengths.  This is the case with the second season of Steven Universe which not only plays to the strengths of the first season, but also builds upon them which makes the experience even better.  Almost every cartoon offers something new and interesting to the creative setup, the history of the established world, and the layers of the characters.  As a result, everything we get is at some level of good with nothing lower than an 8/10 in fact, which is an impressive feat for an animated series.

One major strength for this season is how it adds to the world building, further showcasing a wide range of reactions to the fascinating customs of the Gems.  Some of them are fun and enjoyable, such as new fusions like Sardonyx with an energetic personality from the attributes of the Gems forming her, or the humorous ways Gems can reform as opposed to just getting upgrades in “appearance modifiers.”  Most of the creative additions, however, are much more serious which, give big reasons to care for Gems and what they went through and what they’re going through now better than before.  Early on, there’s major development to the purpose of Gem shards with a reveal that during the old Gem War, Homeword used some of them to create their own artificial fusion experiments just as they start emerging resulting in scary mutants of Gem limbs designed to attack people.  The three cartoons these Gem mutants appear in alone make for some of the show’s most frightening moments.  In addition, these Gem mutants also tie into the biggest artificial fusion experiment of all, the Cluster which becomes the focus of the season’s second half with our heroes spending a lot of time at the barn that’s only appeared once before constructing a drill to stop it.  With an established look at what fusion experiments typically look like, and reveals on how it will be big enough to destroy Earth when it forms, there's a huge sense of urgency to stop it.  In addition, the season’s first reveal of the all-powerful Gem matriarchs, the Diamonds, add to the horror factor of the Cluster with Yellow Diamond making it clear that she wants the Cluster to destroy the planet and nothing more while also presenting them as heartless destructive monsters despite getting more depth later on.  Now, this season does feel a bit empty in regards to the Cluster since it isn’t dealt with here.  It is one of the first things the following season deals with albeit in one quick cartoon, but that’s a topic for when we actually start reviewing that season. 

There are also tidbits on how Gems like the Crystal Gems are viewed by the society of their enemies which add a heart to their cause as they essentially break from the prejudicial norms of where they come from such as Pearl being a servant to powerful Gems and Amethyst being a small outcast when other Gems of her kind are much stronger.  Garnet, on the other hand, is a different oddity entirely.  Her being a fusion, in fact what seems to be the very first fusion of different Gems, is looked on with disgust by Gems of Homeworld, much like how victims of prejudice are in real life as shown in the beautiful and artistic, “The Answer” which ends with powerful inspiration to be proud of who you are despite society’s views.  Overall, the ways this season adds on to the lore not only makes its creativity shine more than it already does, but also develops the characters and their cause up to the point of becoming relatable to our own world.

This isn’t to say that how these creative plot points are presented perfectly.  Many cartoons in a row focus on a certain topic like cleaning up the remains of the invasion from the previous season, a shakeup between the Crystal Gems after Pearl tricks Garnet into fusing with her, and stopping the Cluster.  It gives the season various story arcs to follow as the Crystal Gems’ protection of Earth as well as Steven’s role as part of the team continue to grow.  The problem is that there are a couple times when during the arcs, an unrelated cartoon shows up that disrupts the flow.  Sometimes they can be of something informative like one of Greg’s stories of his time with Rose that comes between cartoons of the Crystal Gems looking for Peridot and Malachite, or Garnet’s story and a cartoon tying into the mystery of Steven aging appearing in the middle of the Cluster arc.  However, they’re also of rather frivolous things that tend to distract from important aspects of the story like Jamie having a crush on Garnet, or Sadie entering a music festival, or a play about Beach City that tries to tie into the Sardonyx conflict but mostly sticks out like a sore thumb.  Stuff like this is not only not as interesting as the Gem stuff, but since this show is putting clear emphasis on storylines, drifting away this much is an issue worth pointing out.  Fortunately, detouring as some of these cartoons may be, they do give the characters some development helps make them more interesting, and thanks to future cartoons, the things we learn about the characters in this season are more relevant than before.  At the very least, there’s good entertainment to get out of them, even if they do get in the way of the main issues of certain arcs and the show as a whole.  After all, a great show is not one without flaws, flawless material is really nonexistent, but one that can still easily be enjoyed despite them, and two seasons in, Steven Universe has proven to be just that.

What makes the season’s strengths overcome the flaws so well are the characters who stand out more through dynamic reveals and developments.  Steven himself is a much more valuable and competent member of the Crystal Gems, often playing a big role in missions and using his powers better.  There are also new anxieties for him to overcome which reveal the magnitude of his role.  In fact, the season’s first cartoon, continuing from the end of the previous season, features this with him witnessing how freaked out people get over serious dangers he gets into which makes him hesitant, to talk about them to anyone else, even his best friend.  It’s only fitting that his big shift in usefulness follows from here.  Other things Steven deals with like him possibly not aging and knowing who to trust are also engaging conflicts to build his character, especially the latter conflict which appears a few times in other seasons. 

Time is also spent on revealing depths to the Crystal Gems.  Amethyst’s vulnerable side is developed through being too conscientious of her own reform, needing to be with an old friend to get through the stresses of a conflict, and getting offended when learning she’s not supposed to be small, giving believable reasons for her main traits.  Pearl opening up about feeling worthless is one of the emotional highlights of the season, especially when she puts up a strong fight proud of who she is just a few cartoons later.  Garnet even reveals her own weaknesses mostly relating to being a fusion such as freaking out at the forced fusions, splitting apart during her conflict with Pearl, and the reveal of her initial anxieties when fusing for the first time.  Through it all, Garnet remaining collected overall makes her more interesting than before with these weaknesses. 

Even if they’re not as interesting, the human characters stand out very well for the new things done with them.  There’s Connie becoming a skilled sword fighter and eventually getting on good terms with her mom, Greg explaining his deeper understandings of Gems, and the reveals of the talents, passions, and home lives of minor characters like Jamie and Sadie. 

However, the big standout character of this season is Peridot.  When she first appeared, it was anyone’s guess what she was like, being so cold and calculating, but also agitated with interferences to her work, and the trend continues into the this season as the Crystal Gems constantly try to catch her.  When she is caught, her more endearing, and occasionally humorous side start standing out through reluctantly teaming up with the Crystal Gems out of fear of the emerging Cluster.  In the process, she forms genuine bonds with everyone on the team one by one, moves past her preconceived prejudices, and even see some wonder in what Earth offers via her fascinating logs.  She still has some mystery to her when she holds loyalty to the destructive Diamonds, which makes you question if she really is changing.  However, it’s this mystery that makes the moment where Peridot tells off her leader for the protection of Earth one of the show’s most powerful.  The fact that so many cartoons are devoted to Peridot’s greatest change really sells how engaging it is to see her warm up to the planet she’s talked down to so much, making her a monumental example of there being more to a character than meets the eye and my personal favorite character of this show.  With how well utilized and developed the characters are used in this season as a whole, impressions like these are certainly great ones to be left with.

While the first season of Steven Universe is strong for introducing the characters and their world, the second one greatly shows what it can do though expanding on its biggest strengths, the lore and the characters.  Ultimately, the season helps prove why it’s one of the absolute best animated series out there, and one that must be seen by anyone looking for a great work of TV animation to get into.

Highly Recommended

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That's all I've got for this set of Steven Universe reviews, and there's still more reviews of this show to come.  In the meantime, stay tuned for reviews of other great animated series, such as those for the last two episodes of Hey Arnold Season 3 coming in the next two days. Until then:

Stay Animated Folks!