Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Room for Ruby (Steven Universe Season 4 Episode 19) - 'Toon Reviews 29

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Room for Ruby
Being a cartoon to bring back one of the members of the Homeworld Rubies is nice to see considering that Steven planned to save them from space but never did.  I guess it’s simply impossible to do when you’re travelling in a ship going faster than light.  Even with the benefits, this is still a pretty mixed cartoon. 
Opening on a wholesome scene of Steven and Garnet stargazing, things become interesting when one of the Rubies, named Navy by Steven, falls to them as a screaming star.  To recap, Navy is not only marked by her gem placement like the others, but also by seeming happy, friendly, and loving of everything.  She claims she doesn’t want to go back to Homeworld and that all the other Rubies were mean to her, even the more innocent Leggy apparently.  Steven and Garnet at least keep their guard up as they question Navy if she’s still mad at them for all the tricks and bad things they did to her in the past.  She gives legit reasons for why she’s ok with them. 
Despite this, it’s a tad concerning that Steven doesn’t keep his guard up and remains nonchalant about Navy suddenly wanting to be good for the rest of the cartoon.  He brings her to a potential new home in what’s pretty much the home for any supporting Crystal Gem, or Gem who helps them when she feels like it, the barn.  Speaking of which, it’s at this point where Peridot and Lapis being relegated to this spot starts becoming a concern.  They may still be learning about Earth, but as long as they live there and do frivolous activities, they’re hardly worth calling productive members of the team.  Peridot especially disappoints by joking around with meep morps and farming, and being egotistical when she’s had a lot of great material before.  It says a lot when she’s just as devoid of qualms about Navy as Steven.   I do give credit for being knowledgeable on Earth enough to teach Navy about it. 
This also brings out some form of character endearment from Lapis.  Her being more willing to do Earth customs with Steven and the other Gems in a few past cartoons has shown great progress of her becoming attached to it.  Given her tragic backstory, it means a lot to her that it took her a long time to get used to it.  Navy however seems to love everything they teach her right away.  This reaches out to things like sleeping, simple plants, and even dirt.  To Lapis, it’s unnatural and frustrating that someone can be so well-adjusted so quickly, especially since that was not the case with her.  There’s some logic behind these feelings that amount to the best form of suspicion meant to be held towards Navy.  Heck, she even says she literally can’t get mad, which right there is a sign that her happiness was an act.  For that, Lapis is the most sympathetic character here as she struggles to accept that some people can adjust better than her. 
Then there’s the conclusion where they show Navy her Roaming Eye ship, and she betrays them by sending out the door and flying away sadistically.  On one hand, confirming Lapis was right that no one could be that well-adjusted costs the cartoon a mature moral.  Still, Navy turning out bad after seeming good is a decent use of a villain portrayal, and leaving the Crystal Gems without a ship does raise the stakes for later events. 
While some characters may be boneheaded and morals may be compromised a bit, the cartoon turns out good with the character moments that are done right.
B

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.      The Zoo

7.      Gem Heist

8.      Gem Harvest

9.      Three Gems and a Baby

10.  Adventures in Light Distortion

11.  Buddy’s Book

12.  Know Your Fusion

13.  The New Crystal Gems

14.  Kindergarten Kid

15.  Room for Ruby

16.  Future Boy Zoltron

17.  Tiger Philanthropist

18.  Rocknaldo

19.  Onion Gang
 
The next Steven Universe review looks into the message in the tape Rose left for Steven for a deeper meaning.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews are Loud House cartoons "Middle Men" and "The Spies Who Loved Me."
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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