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Monster
Reunion
At first, it may seem jarring that we go from light-hearted
fun cartoons to cartoons all about Gem lore filled with promise for things to
come. However, the way the tone shifts
is ingenious and the lore that follows is great expansion on everything we
know.
We start with Steven doing playing
with his favorite bear toy, MC Bear-Bear.
Then, his simple gesture of noticing the bear has a tear and kissing it
while promising to fix it, magically heals the tear. A big moment of lore that shapes events to come for the season has come from a simple moment fitting for the current stretch of light-hearted cartoons. In other words, Steven has regained his
special healing spit lost way back under the influence of his dad’s lie. Some could say that this happening now is
convenient, but Steven’s powers have always worked when he showed genuine love
for people and things in life. Him caring for his toy bringing this power continues the
trend.
Because of the return of his
healing powers, Steven convinces the Crystal Gems to have him try to heal the
Gems turned into monsters during the Gem War.
The chosen monster is the first one ever seen in the series and the only
one so far Steven has some sort of connection with, Centipeetle. While Steven’s healing spit does help
Centipeetle regain her arms and legs, it doesn’t completely work as she still
has a monster-like face and can’t talk.
This leads to huge insights on what’s up with the monsters. It was mentioned before that the monsters used to be
humanoid Gems who became “corrupted and broken.” At the time, it felt like they meant the same
thing even though they were different words.
However, the meaning of the description turned out to be purposefully
vague so Steven could get a clearer meaning based on his attempt. Broken Gems are those with a crack on their
gemstones such as those he’s previously healed.
Corrupted Gems are much different. Their minds became damaged by the Diamonds
during the Gem War.
The reveal of the
fascinating information continues when Steven decides to take Centipeetle in
since his healing worked part of the way.
She doesn’t seem to remember him, but charming interactions get
her to realize her bond from Steven humming the jingle of her favorite chips to
communicating with crayon drawings.
Actually, the use of crayons turns out to be a great and unique way to explain
heavy Gem history. Simple stick figures
reveal Centipeetle’s background such as how she was a commander with her own
army. She also makes for an effective use out of her simple drawings which
depict the Gem War. Crew members getting
crossed out represent those killed in battle.
Ripping a drawing of her and her crew represents how she got
separated. Finally, a big white scribble
represents the flashing light that corrupted her and many other Gems who were
left behind. The light was seen in full
form in an earlier cartoon, but while these are mere crayon drawings, it’s put
into context better here. It’s a move so
primitive revealing huge information, yet it still brings an emotional
response.
While you’re taking in the
details of the Gem War’s effects, emotions still ride high as the memory causes
Centipeetle to turn back into a monster as she tries to find her
old crew. The reverting goes so fast
that it’s a mad dash to get to her old ship.
They eventually make it just as Centipeetle completely reverts, so she
ultimately remains a monster and forgets her identity. It’s at least
heartwarming that she’s reunited with her crew who are also monsters.
Through a simple moment of leisure, Gem lore is greatly welcomed back to the
forefront in this cartoon. Here though, it stands out for the interesting expansions on
what’s known, creative ways of showing it, and especially stronger endearment
for the monster characters.
A+
The Ranking
- Mr. Greg
- Monster Reunion
- Gem Drill
- Super Watermelon Island
- Too Short to Ride
- Beach City Drift
- Barn Mates
- Hit the Diamond
- Same Old World
- Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service
- Steven Floats
- Restaurant Wars
- The New Lars
- Drop Beat Dad
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where another big Gem lore element is set up for expansion in the rest of the season as Steven and Greg take Lapis for a boat ride.
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