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Know Your
Fusion
Another big thing brought up near the end of the previous
season was the introduction of a brand new fusion. Not just that, but it was also Steven’s very
first fusion with a Gem. Combining their
imperfections and friendly relationships, he and Amethyst got together to form
Smoky Quartz, and light-hearted smart-talking fusion with a giant yo-yo as a
weapon. Fusion is a huge part of the
Crystal Gems’ lifestyle and a major cause for making a stand against Homeworld
who’s far too unaccepting of the practice.
Naturally, there would be a cause for Steven and Amethyst to let it be
known that there’s a new option for a fusion now.
Their plan is to fuse into Smoky Quartz to
let Garnet and Pearl know what they’re capable of and what they’re like. The moment they fuse, Smoky Quartz
immediately shows her moves with her yo-yo making for high-energy hijinks Garnet
and Pearl try to get a grasp on. They
eventually do so by fusing into the ever showy and energetic Sardonyx, and from
there the cartoon gets an interesting tone shift. While turning the situation into a lavish
production is the norm for this fusion, this trait of Sardonyx is used for its
full potential as the cartoon’s driving force.
In another interesting bit of lore, Sardonyx creates her own room in the
Crystal Gem temple, existing as long as she exists. There, she goes into full-on talk show host
mode as she looks into what Smoky Quartz has to offer as a fusion. All throughout, the tone of a talk show is
fully realized. Sardonyx’s energy and
eccentric persona is on full display as is to be expected from the
host, but it doesn’t stop there. There
are lots of lights, mentions of commercials, talking to agents about paying
other fusions for merely mentioning them and even more. As far as light-hearted cartoons go, this
already has a lot to make it stand out.
Then you have the actual talk show the cartoon centers on. As Sardonyx tries to get Smoky Quartz to
explain her strengths, Smoky only mentions her yo-yo and the tricks she can do
with it. However, Sardonyx is not too
impressed by this, and it’s a little easy to see why considering the havoc
Smoky Quartz caused earlier. The yo-yo
can easily be written off as a simple toy instead of a useful weapon we know it
can be based on that battle with Jasper.
Sardonyx then completely takes over by devoting the talk show to
physical challenges to test what she feels should count as Smoky Quartz’s true capabilities. The fact of the matter is that Smoky Quartz
just doesn’t have the same capabilities as other fusions. She lacks the muscular power of Sugilite, the
archery skills of Opal, and the fire breath of Alexandrite. These scenes highlight the downsides of
Sardonyx as a character. While some can
understandably be overwhelmed by her eccentric ways, I personally find myself
turned off by how pushy she is. She’s
setting up challenges that Smoky Quartz is incapable of and shows little to no
sympathy. It’s not exactly the most
likable thing to see from an enjoyable character like her.
Thankfully, the sting isn’t too huge since
Smoky Quartz herself isn’t effected. In
fact, when she talks about how weak and useless she is, she’s not too upset at
all, and Sardonyx is the one to feel bad that she got in the way of what Smoky
wanted to show. She feels so bad that
she unfuses into Garnet and Pearl, and her room starts crumbling because their
fusion isn’t around. Smoky Quartz then
shows her yo-yo’s true capabilities by saving them, and the ending becomes
strong as Garnet and Pearl are impressed and accepting of this skill.
As a result, the cartoon stands as one of the
show’s liveliest in how it shows that each fusion no matter how strong or
eccentric has its benefits.
A
Season 4 Ranking
1. Know Your Fusion
2. Kindergarten Kid
The next Steven Universe review presents an interesting human perspective on the Gems' influence on the world Steven and Connie uncover in an ancient journal.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "White Hare" and "Insta-Gran" from The Loud House.
If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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