Monday, May 13, 2019

Steven's Dream (Steven Universe Season 4 Episode 10) - 'Toon Reviews 29

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Steven’s Dream


The simpler character-building cartoons were nice, but Season 4 becomes more interesting with this one that begins a story arc.  Not only that, but it’s an arc that serves the underlying plot of the entire series well.  It shows that even with all the fun he’s been having lately, Steven still has heavy emotions about the mysteries of his mother in mind. 
It all starts when he gets a strange dream of a pink palanquin in a field which brings back being told that Rose Quartz settled the Gem War by shattering Pink Diamond.  Plus, the dream gives Steven a strange ability to cry even when he’s not sad.  He tells Greg about it and he responds with refreshing advice.  For all the mistakes she made in life, Rose was reminded to not dwell on the past for what matted is who she was at the time.  As fitting for her and anyone watching as this advice is, Steven still can’t stop thinking of that one area of his mom’s life and feels he has to find out what his dream means. 
Giving relevance to the journal from “Buddy’s Book,” Steven learns that the palanquin is a Gem-related location, except the Crystal Gems refuse to tell him anything about it.  In fact, Garnet is particularly adamant of not going there.  Out of this is a huge break from Steven’s typical optimism.  He now has a great opportunity to explore his mother’s past and learn more about someone he never met, and he’s being denied progress.  The tense confrontation with the Gems is practically appropriate.  At the end though, there’s a more civil tone as Steven flat out says he’s not going to listen to Garnet’s suggestion to not go, and Garnet reluctantly accepts this. 
Steven does find support for his desire for efforts in the form of Greg, who believes he should get answers about his mother if it’s a big concern for him.  So, through bringing Uncle Andy and his plane into the spotlight, Steven and Greg are transported to the palanquin’s location in Korea.  In the process, there’s a fun montage of sightseeing there, including an inside reference to the show actually being animated in Korea. 
Then comes the big highlight of the cartoon featuring the first onscreen present appearance of Blue Diamond.  Before, she was only seen in a flashback as a tyrannical dictator which all the Diamonds typically are, and the very reason why Garnet fears her.  Here, she gives the first sign of showing that for all their horrible actions, the Diamonds are capable of feeling real deep human emotions.  Blue is on Earth mourning the shattering of Pink Diamond, as Steven’s tears once again indicate before he and Greg spot her.  Speaking of Greg, he’s discovered and brought over to Blue Diamond, unaware of who he’s dealing with.  He shares her feelings of loss and grief by alluding to his own deceased wife, and while it’s not known yet, it’s kind of ironic when you find out how alike both lost ones are.  This gets Blue to see genuine value in organic humans the Diamonds have been known to look down on, so much so that she straight-up abducts Greg to parts unknown.  The abduction is a dramatically staged scene as Steven tries and fails to catch up with Blue Diamond and her hand ship as she takes off to space with him.  However, the potential for adventure at the end comes as Garnet suddenly shows up, apologizes for not accompanying Steven, and promises they’ll get Greg back from space. 
There are many more great moments to come in this arc, and this cartoon starts it off nicely.  It starts off simple and then smoothly transitions to legit drama, huge character reveals, and big promise for events to come.
A+

Season 4 Ranking

1.      Mindful Education

2.      Steven’s Dream

3.      Last One Out of Beach City

4.      Gem Harvest

5.      Three Gems and a Baby

6.      Buddy’s Book

7.      Know Your Fusion

8.      Kindergarten Kid

9.      Future Boy Zoltron

10.  Onion Gang

The next Steven Universe review shows Steven and the Crystal Gems head to space to save Greg  and warp light and reality in the process.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Fandom Pains" and "Rita Her Rights" 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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