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Beach City
Drift
This cartoon with a racing theme has a lot going for it that
makes it quite impressive. For one
thing, the real focus isn’t really the racing, but a conflict Steven deals with
that gives layers to his morality. He’s known
for seeing the good in people, even people who are jerks or other Gems trying
to kill him. However, this cartoon
remembers that Steven is only human, and even the most loving people have their
limits.
The person he has a lot of scorn
for is Kevin who shows up and belittles him and his dad. In “Alone Together” Kevin was constantly
showing off his dancing him and Connie fused as Stevonnie and trying to
get them to dance with him even when they didn’t want to. Basically, he was straight-up harassing them. It’s a believable reason for Steven’s scorn
which is met with strong advice from Greg that people like him aren’t worth it. This can also apply to harassment and bully victims in real life considering that giving them attention will
just make things worse. Even so, the
fact that Steven won’t let up about his feelings on Kevin is a bit much for him
since at the end of the day, he’s an overall loving kid.
Because he can’t forget Kevin’s jerkiness, he
gets an idea with Connie, who’s also mad about him albeit to a much smaller
extent, to one-up him. Greg got a new car
with some of his new affluence, and Stevonnie doesn’t look like a kid, so Steven
and Connie fuse to take Kevin on in a race at night. The actual race is a particularly exciting
highlight which is saying something since I’m a type of person who loves
races. The adrenaline, the nighttime
scenery, and the accompanying music add to the exciting atmosphere. However, what
really makes it great is how it shows a lot of Stevonnie’s power as a fusion,
something we haven’t seen since their first appearance. They’re driven by Steven and Connie’s
combined emotions and abilities which unlocks an interesting talent of driving
as they strive to surpass the harassing hunk.
Speaking of him, Kevin pulls off a particularly despicable act during
the race which can even get to the audience.
When Stevonnie demands to know why he’s such a jerk, it seems like Kevin
has a relatable reason for his behavior, relating to a sick little
brother. Given the emotional trauma
other characters on the show deal with, this wouldn’t be too far-fetched, and it's nice that the Steven part of Stevonnie feels genuine understanding for this. Within seconds, Kevin states the claim was a lie
and that he acts like a jerk for fun. He
sets himself up to be a one-dimensional jerk who’s bad for no reason. His actions are so bad, they give Stevonnie
enraged visions of the road falling apart much like what they saw when
embarrassed and alone at that dance in their first appearance. It shows what happens when Steven and
Connie’s time fused isn’t a good experience.
Fortunately, they find a way to better their experience of the race by
finishing it for themselves and not for Kevin. It’s a good and mature way to
get them to move on, though I think it would’ve been better if Steven found
that out instead of Connie.
Anyhow, the race comes to a great conclusion when Stevonnie competes to
enjoy the drive and they don’t care that they lost. In an interesting twist, Kevin ends up
obsessed as he calls out to them as they drive away ignoring him. This turns out to be huge since it ties into Kevin
getting legit depth later on, which keeps this cartoon from hurting him like how
“Drop Beat Dad” hurt Marty. Plus,
Stevonie’s driving skills deserve credit since this isn’t the only time we see
them either.
The cartoon comes together
as an exciting race with deep messages on dealing with harassers and reading
into people you think you know.
A
The Ranking
- Mr. Greg
- Gem Drill
- Super Watermelon Island
- Too Short to Ride
- Beach City Drift
- Barn Mates
- Hit the Diamond
- Same Old World
- Steven Floats
- The New Lars
- Drop Beat Dad
The next Steven Universe review covers a light-hearted yet creatively executed cartoon about a restaurant war.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is Episode 49 of Animaniacs.
