Monday, May 6, 2019

Onion Gang (Steven Universe Season 4 Episode 7) - 'Toon Reviews 29

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Onion Gang


I believe that no cartoon of this show should immediately be written off as filler just because it doesn’t directly impact the underlying plot.  Some of the light-hearted Beach City cartoons have given insight to major side characters like any of the Gems, and bits of lore that play a big role later on.  This cartoon, however, doesn’t do either of those things by developing a side character with no real bearing.  Also, while cartoons of this kind can still be good on their own, there are a few contradictions to the show’s logic that really hold it back. 
It can also get unsettling with Onion in the spotlight.  He’s always been a total psychopathic freak of nature committing random crimes and vandalisms just for the fun of it as well as bring an unsettling atmosphere with his mannerisms.  I suppose his bond with Steven now is more meaningful since we know how important Onion’s family was to Steven’s dad and some of the Gems in the past.  That gives some heart in Steven owning up to the idea that he’s Onion’s only friend. 
Then he’s proven wrong when Onion takes him deep into the woods to show that he does have a set of friends.  Like Onion, they don’t talk and pride themselves on any troublemaking and weird practice that comes to mind.  Much of them don’t even have much personality and are defined by what they wear on their heads and the foods they carry.  Soup is defined by a pot on the head, Squash has a squash under his hat, and Garbanzo can only say “garbanzo” while he carries around his baby sister Pinto. 
The oddness continues from what this gang ropes Steven into.  They have a go-cart that’s able to function like a regular car which is cool.  Then it’s just anything goes with them which further make you question their actions.  For some reason, Garbanzo falls out and pretends to be dead, using ketchup to fake blood while Pinto lays her hands on him to bring him back to life.  Not only does this beg the reason for this, but the biggest issue is that Steven actually believes he’s dead.  How can he not know that was ketchup?  These random activities continue as everyone takes pictures of random people while in a suit and have a bug race where the winner has to get squished.  All the while, there’s little genuine humor or charm from these twisted activities and you just keep questioning the meaning of all of them.  Steven even has enough of this and gets the right mind to leave Onion and his gang. 
Things are still majorly baffling though as a few calls and a shot of his contact list suggest the only friends he has are Connie, Peedee, and Lars.  Surely he has numbers for other kids like Sadie and the Cool Kids, and even if he doesn’t, why does he even need to call them to ask them to hang out?  This isn’t enough to write Steven off as the real lonely kid.  At least we’re able to end with some good heart when Onion appeases Steven’s desires by not killing his bug who won the race.  He also reveals that his friends are only here for the summer and are going home because fall is coming.  His genuine sadness shows that for all his troublemaking, Onion is still just a kid wanting a friend.  Steven agreeing to be there for him is fitting comfort. 
Despite this moment of humanity, it doesn’t shake off the leaps in logic, the mostly unsettling tone, and adding nothing of importance.  At best the woods show up again and the scene of Garbanzo’s pretend death is a lot like a major future event, but they’re not overt or strong enough to be true connections.  This is still watchable, but below the high standards this show can and has achieved.
C-

Season 4 Ranking

1.      Mindful Education

2.      Last One Out of Beach City

3.      Buddy’s Book

4.      Know Your Fusion

5.      Kindergarten Kid

6.      Future Boy Zoltron

7.      Onion Gang

 
 
The next Steven Universe review is a full-length special that wholesomely brings together parts of Steven's Gem family and his human family in what can be described as their own Thanksgiving dinner without the Thanksgiving.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a Loud House episode featuring "City Slickers" and "Fool Me Twice."
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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