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Gem Harvest
It’s strange that a simple story is the subject of a
half-hour special at first. Then you
consider the importance of relationships in this show, and it becomes more
interesting. Steven’s gotten a lot of
Gems on his side, and they all seem to work together as a family. Right now though, three Gems and his Dad live
close to him while two Gems, Lapis Lazuli and Peridot, live at the barn. Getting them together for an event is a great
way to strengthen their bond and it’s done nicely here.
It starts off innocent with Steven visiting
Peridot and Lapis who continue to explore Earth’s customs. They even connect to Peridot’s old job for
Homeword as they make life from matter out of the ground by planting vegetables
they hope will come to life. Of course,
their farming practices don’t grant those results, but Steven’s powers on a
pumpkin seed bring to life a pumpkin-dog like creature called Pumpkin. The value of this new family member is
meaningful since she stays with them for the rest of the series.
Then the special gets a genuine conflict when
a man named Andy comes and is alarmed at what’s been done to his family’s
barn. When he notices Peridot and Lapis,
he gives a conservative rant over “hippies” breaking into his property. That’s certainly not an accepting mindset coming
with racist undertones that are sure to bring discomfort, but it’s made up for later
on. As for Andy himself, he’s Greg’s
cousin and, unbeknownst to Steven, they shared a completely different last name
from Universe. They’re from the DeMayo
family who got up and went their separate ways including Greg.
With all these difficulties and surprise
reveals, both sides of Steven’s family come together to convince Andy to let
Lapis and Peridot keep the barn. They
decide to put together a feast to show off their family values. Out of this is a lot of wholesome bonding as
they prepare the food with both basic human techniques and Gem powers to gather
the vegetables. There’s even humor from
the Gems’ still developing understanding of Earth. They include nonchalantly dismantling Andy’s
plane to make an oven and adding in random celebrations to the feast like
weddings, birthdays, and funerals.
The
actual dinner is also a joy to watch.
All the humans and Gems of Steven’s family are together and they nicely
apply their major experiences on Earth to this simple gathering. Talks about the cooking process bring fresh
perspectives to many big events. They include the main Crystal Gems’ rebellion,
Peridot experiencing Earth, and even Lapis being trapped in a mirror. In the end, they all show genuine love and
gratitude for their efforts, cementing their family values that wouldn’t feel
out of place at a real-life Thanksgiving dinner.
The love they share is so great, Andy just
offers them the barn and leaves, believing he doesn’t belong with them. Then through an exciting chase after him in
the air, Steven lets Andy know that for all his ties with the Gems, human stuff
like what he learned from him has value to him too. So even if what he’s seen from the Gems goes
against what he’s used to, Andy becomes accepting of the customs and agrees to
be part of this family. The longer
length, the charming family values from the dinner, and the climactic chase do
their part to add weight to Andy’s change in heart. It would be more meaningful if he showed up
more apart from one small role in an upcoming major story arc, but there’s
still value for this special by itself.
It’s a great thing to watch if you’re in the mood for a strong family
offering.
A
Season 4 Ranking
1. Mindful Education
2. Last One Out of Beach City
3. Gem Harvest
4. Buddy’s Book
5. Know Your Fusion
6. Kindergarten Kid
7. Future Boy Zoltron
8. Onion Gang
The next Steven Universe review turns to the season of winter as Greg and the Crystal Gems look back on how they first dealt with the loss of Rose and birth of Steven at that time of year.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Net Gains" and "Pipe Dreams" 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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