Friday, May 17, 2019

Gem Heist (Steven Universe Season 4 Episode 12) - 'Toon Reviews 29

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Gem Heist


With our heroes finally reaching Pink Diamond’s human zoo, the crux of their mission can finally take the center of attention.  As Steven and the others try to go there to save Greg without making themselves known, a big highlight to their actions is how out of Homeworld’s standards they are. 
Throughout the series, it’s been made clear that the Gem hierarchy has lofty expectations and aren’t accepting of beings going against them.  Because of this, all other Gems would not take kindly to a short Amethyst, a Pearl who serves no one, and a cross-Gem fusion.  They have to put on a façade to make it seem like they follow Homeworld’s rules. They include Garnet unfusing into Ruby and Sapphire, Amethyst straining herself to be as tall as the other Amethyst guards, and Pearl acting as a simple servant.  Disguising their attempts to get into the zoo, they request a tour of the facility from the member of Blue Diamond’s court looking after it, called Holly Blue Agate. 
Speaking of her, Holly Blue is quite an eccentric character to follow all throughout.  She has an entertainingly dramatic flair to how she describes the zoo’s inner workings as well as her honor to her Diamond and the fallen Diamond the zoo is named for.  However, she frequently snaps from warm and welcoming, to strict, explosive, and intimidating whenever someone doesn’t comply with the rules she sets.  It’s a very dynamic character for sure, and it’s also an interesting way for how she utilizes the stereotypical mannerisms aimed at specific types of Gems.  She treats Sapphire who has a rare aristocratic status greater than anyone else.  She leaves Amethyst outside to guard the door as if that’s all they’re good for.  Among her more condescending actions is constantly questioning why Pearl walks so close to the Sapphire she supposedly belongs to and is so chatty.  At least Pearl being assigned tasks such as opening doors is beneficial to the protagonists, giving her the role of the team’s hacker. 
At the same time, Holly Blue’s constant, near-desperate praise to Blue Diamond causes anger and frustrations to the tour, especially Ruby.  The memories of how Blue Diamond belittled and nearly destroyed her and Sapphire make for a comic rage fit when they’re all alone.  If the prejudiced tour wasn’t enough to really sell how much the Crystal Gems don’t fit into this biased society, I think that meltdown gets the point across much clearer.  Still, it's nice that these outsiders all have each other for support which makes the ending scene where Steven is separated from his friends at Holly Blue’s command meaningful.  Following an exciting sequence where he’s put on an assembly line and placed in a loin cloth though, is a hopeful conclusion to this part when he finds his dad in the zoo.  However, it’s far more luscious than what initial impressions may have suggested. 
At times, the cartoon drags and makes this part of the arc go on a little longer than needed which doesn’t live up to the excitement of what’s referred to as a heist.  Nevertheless, you’ll get interesting clashes of societal views and enjoyable character moments out of this cartoon, especially the newly introduced ones.  We may not be given the most thrilling heists ever, but it’s still a pretty great one all things considered.
A
Season 4 Ranking

1.      Mindful Education

2.      Steven’s Dream

3.      Last One Out of Beach City

4.      Gem Heist

5.      Gem Harvest

6.      Three Gems and a Baby

7.      Adventures in Light Distortion

8.      Buddy’s Book

9.      Know Your Fusion

10.  Kindergarten Kid

11.  Future Boy Zoltron

12.  Onion Gang

The next Steven Universe review shows exactly what the human zoo is like.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews we see how the legend begins in Voltron: Legendary Defender.
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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