Are You My Dad? (Steven Universe Season 4 Episode 23) - 'Toon Reviews 29

If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Are You My Dad?

For a season that’s frequently fluctuated with the tone, it’s impressive that the last two cartoons of Season 4 are some of the most intense and emotional works of the series.  With this cartoon, the finale gets off to a strong start with how it builds up to the highest stakes we’ve witnessed at this time. 

We start off simple with Steven enjoying life with harmless matters on his mind, and is only a little confused when Jamie the mailman is late with a package for him.  At this point, you’d probably not think much of it, but then the idea of missing people goes far beyond that.  When going into town, Steven learns that other people have mysteriously disappeared too with very believable fearful reactions from their families.  We have Sour Cream hanging posters saying that Onion’s gone missing, which is huge given Onion’s perplexing nature.  The Big Donut is completely closed without Lars and Sadie running it, and Sadie’s mother is so worried about her, she has to open the door to the break room herself.  It’s honestly a scary sight of people well-known to someone suddenly dropping off the face of existence without notice and that feel is captured well from these worried reactions. 

Then Steven finds a break in this dark mystery when shortly after figuring out there’s a lot of disappearances, he meets a small, cute-looking, and seemingly innocent Gem.  She constantly asks him, “are you my dad?” begging for even more questions to ponder.  Following that, the cartoon becomes a play on theory making as Steven, the Crystal Gems, and Connie try to think of who that Gem is and why she’s looking for her dad.  This comes with a good use of arts as Steven’s comrades try to guess the identity of the Gem by drawing based on his description.  There’s also room for theories that try to factor in what’s known about Gems, particularly how a Gem can have a dad when they’re not supposed to have parents.  Among them is a belief that maybe Steven isn’t the only human-Gem hybrid like everyone may think.  As a measure of cute childlike innocence, we even get a creative backstory of how that being may have come to be from Connie. 

Ultimately, these theories don’t hold true, though it’s still a nice tactful depiction of the thought process.  When Steven and Connie wind up in the woods, which is the only direct tie to “Onion Gang” at any other point in the series by the way, they get their answers about the Gem.  However, they do so in a rather dark way. 

Connie shows friendliness to the Gem with willingness to help her find her dad while the Gem keeps insisting she needs to find “my dad.”  However, the moment Connie refers to herself by name, the darkness unfolds when the Gem, called Aquamarine, calls for another Gem minion.  It’s a fusion of two burly Topaz Gems who disturbingly have all those innocent Beach City residents stuck within them.  The way they rush towards Connie and get her stuck with the others right in front of Steven sells the fright factor.  Aiding the tone is dark music, Steven’s despair, and Aquamarine thinking nothing of her nastiness.  That said, just wait until the next cartoon to really get a glimpse of Aquamarine and her power. 

For now, the buildup to genuine darkness all throughout the cartoon through genuine approaches to what’s unknown make this a strong start to a season finale of huge promise.

A+

Season 4 Ranking

1. Storm in the Room
2. Mindful Education
3. That Will Be All
4. Steven’s Dream
5. Last One Out of Beach City
6. Are You My Dad?
7. The Zoo
8. The Good Lars
9. Gem Heist
10. Gem Harvest
11. Three Gems and a Baby
12. Adventures in Light Distortion
13. Buddy’s Book
14. Know Your Fusion
15. The New Crystal Gems
16. Lion 4: Alternate Ending
17. Doug Out
18. Kindergarten Kid
19. Room for Ruby
20. Future Boy Zoltron
21. Tiger Philanthropist
22. Rocknaldo
23. Onion Gang

The next Steven Universe review is on this cartoon's follow-up bringing some of the biggest emotional moments and toughest decisions of the series.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a look at Episode 53 of Animaniacs.

If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.