'Toon Reviews 15: Steven Universe Season 2 Episode 18: Catch and Release

Catch and Release

This is where Peridot officially becomes a profound addition to the cast with new depths to her character and major reveals for what’s to come. 

Bringing on Peridot’s great display of character is the turning point of the Crystal Gems’ attempts to catch her.  When she captures Steven to make him repair the galaxy warp so she can finally escape Earth, she laments about how the planet is going to face destruction with little to no menace, further showing that there’s more to her than a simple antagonist.  As her frets about Earth raise questions, the Crystal Gems save Steven and promptly poof and bubble Peridot away, not bothering to listen to what she has to say. 

Even without Peridot’s meaning for panic, the moment still brings interesting information about her.  When she’s poofed, her limbs don’t poof back to her gemstone with the rest of her body.  They’ve always looked artificial from the beginning yet added to the overall mystery of Peridot, and the Crystal Gems retrieving her foot back in “Friend Ship” gave an impression that her limbs were fake.  I find this reveal fascinating for showing that, in addition to getting easily annoyed and scared, Peridot needing artificial arms and legs, i.e. limb enhancers, shows that there truly is humanity within her villainous exterior. 

What’s even better is that while the Crystal Gems don’t see it, Steven does, so he releases her from her bubble to find the reasons for her being worried about Earth and why she said the Crystal Gems need her.  As he tries to talk to Peridot, we see how much of an outsider she is to this planet, not just that she’s from Homeworld.  For how smart and collected she was in many appearances, she doesn’t have a good understanding of the simplest of things, like how simply slapping others can bring them pain.  Considering how much trouble the Crystal Gems have given her, of course she’d feel like inflicting a lot of it, and it’s a funny to see her act like she’s getting the upper hand by simply slapping Steven. 

It’s through this comedic interaction that Steven gets some information Peridot is withholding, namely what she was really sent to Earth for.  Rather than conquering the planet for Homeworld, she was simply coming to check progress on something called the Cluster.  This was something she only mentioned in passing back in “Jailbreak” leaving one to wonder what she was talking about.  Now it’s known by the main protagonists, and Peridot is terrified of it eventually emerging and destroying the planet she’s stuck on.  However, learning more about the Cluster is difficult as we see in even more hilarious moments of Peridot’s lack of knowledge of Earth as she refuses to tell the Crystal Gems anything, culminating in her locking herself in the bathroom. 

This is easily where her outsider nature is at its most interesting and entertaining with memorable moments of her trying to escape by flushing herself down the toilet, and thinking harmless bathroom objects are weapons. 

As enjoyable as she is and as insightful her reveals are, what makes everything work is the payoff.  After tense confrontations with all the Crystal Gems, Peridot opens up to Steven and lets him in the bathroom after he offers the foot they caught from her as a peace offering.  The cartoon ends when Peridot accepts Steven’s help to stop the Cluster, leading to something to look forward to in other cartoons. 

Even if this cartoon exists to lead into the bigger things, it’s still notable for its promise, and the last scene of Peridot warming up to Steven solidifies the appeal.  Along with the first bits of her greatness as a character and memorable moments from everyone else involved, this is a great start to a new beginning for the series. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Sworn to the Sword
2. Keystone Motel
3. Friend Ship
4. Nightmare Hospital
5. Chille Tid
6. Cry for Help
7. Keeping it Together
8. Full Disclosure
9. Catch and Release
10. We Need to Talk
11. Reformed
12. Historical Friction
13. Joy Ride
14. Say Uncle
15. Onion Friend
16. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
17. Sadie’s Song
18. Love Letters

The next Steven Universe review will cover a more endearing take on Peridot learning about what Earth has to offer, including things as simple as rain.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews, we'll start a new set of reviews. For the first time on this blog, we'll be covering Rocko's Modern Life.

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

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

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 29

Secret Team

It’s an established part of the Crystal Gems’ dynamic that Pearl, the elegant and tidy Gem, and Amethyst, the reckless and slobby Gem, are constantly at odds with each other as any two characters with very different world views would be.  This cartoon makes an attempt to do something about their tensions.  It happens when Steven and Amethyst dive through puddles in Amethyst’s room, they end up in Pearl’s room, and find that she’s taken a bubble full of Gem shards when she’s not supposed to.  When the bubble pops, setting the shards loose, we see another addition of Gem lore of what happens when shards regenerate when released from their bubble.  Because they aren’t the whole Gem, they come back as single body parts like arms, and with these shards out, there’s a lot of them to deal with.  Anyway, Steven, Pearl, and Amethyst take immediate action to catch the shards and re-bubble them without Garnet finding out about what they did so not to get in trouble, and as they do that, they actually show some great teamwork, even Pearl and Amethyst.  Steven, however, takes the team-up a little too seriously, insisting on it having a name, cards, and always staying a team never really realizing that their stunt was just to fix the Gem shard problem.  As the cartoon goes on though, it becomes apparent that he doesn’t want the team to be a thing for the sake of it.  It all relates to the animosity that Pearl and Amethyst give each other, and them being part of this team actually gives them a chance to get along.  In a harsh turn of events however, Pearl and Amethyst declare that they don’t want to be on a team with each other ever again.  This moment isn’t very pleasing or welcome especially since they are both already on the same team, the Crystal Gems.  They may have their differences, but this is going too far.  It is fortunate though that this point is made clear when Steven finally tells Garnet about why their team was formed, and it appears that one of the shards was forgotten and starts attacking.  Pearl and Amethyst work together again, and then there’s a clever twist where Garnet staged the attack and tells them off for only getting along in dangerous situations and that they need to work together as the Crystal Gems they are and not as part of a secret team.  Judging by how things go in the rest of the series, it appears this final message from Garnet is effective as even though they still get on each other’s nerves in some instances, Pearl and Amethyst do start getting along better.  In the end though, despite some overly harsh moments and a the plot being less interesting that usual, there are enough benefits to some character relationships here to make this cartoon fine as it is. 8/10

The Ranking

1. Ocean Gem
2. Coach Steven
3. Mirror Gem
4. An Indirect Kiss
5. Space Race
6. So Many Birthdays
7. Steven the Sword Fighter
8. Lion 2: The Movie
9. Bubble Buddies
10. Monster Buddies
11. Laser Light Cannon
12. Giant Woman
13. Lars and the Cool Kids
14. Steven’s Lion
15. Gem Glow
16. Steven and the Stevens
17. Rose’s Room
18. Cheeseburger Backpack
19. Secret Team
20. House Guest
21. Serious Steven
22. Joking Victim
23. Beach Party
24. Cat Fingers
25. Tiger Millionaire
26. Together Breakfast
27. Frybo
28. Onion Trade
29. Arcade Mania

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Lars and Sadie's relationship gets some more focus in "Island Adventure."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 23

Monster Buddies

So far this season, in spite of usually finding a way to aid the Crystal Gems in taking out threats to humanity, Steven hasn’t really seemed all that professional at the task.  Here though, he takes on taming a monster in the most competent manner so far, and it’s impressive to see it happen this early in the series.  It all goes down when a dangerous Gem-hunting mission prompts the Crystal Gems to send Steven back to the temple via a bubble.  What follows is a rare and interesting look at what it’s like for bubbled Gems to get sent to the temple after they’re contained.  Anyway, through getting out, Steven accidentally pops one of the many bubbles containing Gems.  In fact it’s Centipeetle, the Gem monster from the premiere cartoon.  This is where the story and Steven’s character moments start strengthening.  Through being nice and friendly, Steven gets Centipeetle to calm down and she never tries to hurt him, and despite the Crystal Gems’ hesitation, he believes he can train her to move past her monstrous ways.  It’s easy to buy Steven as a mature and capable member of the team considering that his method of being friendly with Centipeetle really did work from the start, and it continues to work in other places.  He gets Centipeetle to behave by offering her chips, and even comes up with a way to make good use out of her tendency to spit toxic slime everywhere after an encounter with seagulls.  The latter point is especially shown when he has her do it during a mission in an ice cave.  It’s just great to see Steven actually have a good handle on training such a destructive monster.  It’s a real sign of him actually growing as a valuable member of the team after acting like such a goofball for so many cartoons.  However, just as everyone finds the Gem they need to contain, Centipeetle somehow goes on a monstrous rage again which causes a cave-in.  It really is a major headscratcher of why she’d go savage at that very moment after all that bonding with Steven, but it is nice that at Steven’s urging, she remembers such a bond.  It all leads to a pretty sad end for Centipeetle when immediately after this, she’s struck by a falling rock while saving Steven which makes her poof back to her gem.  It’s especially depressing for something like this to happen to her after all that, but at the same time, it’s refreshing to see how much help Steven was to her, making his efforts stand out as a genuine growth in his character. He's even the one who contains her through bubbling a Gem for the very first time, which he continues to do for the rest of the show.  It goes to show how strong this cartoon is for how it allows a lot of development for Steven, a strong friendship at it center, and a well-crafted play on one’s emotions. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Coach Steven
2. So Many Birthdays
3. Steven the Sword Fighter
4. Lion 2: The Movie
5. Bubble Buddies
6. Monster Buddies
7. Laser Light Cannon
8. Giant Woman
9. Lars and the Cool Kids
10. Steven’s Lion
11. Gem Glow
12. Steven and the Stevens
13. Rose’s Room
14. Cheeseburger Backpack
15. Serious Steven
16. Joking Victim
17. Beach Party
18. Cat Fingers
19. Tiger Millionaire
20. Together Breakfast
21. Frybo
22. Onion Trade
23. Arcade Mania
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven tells Connie about his latest adventure and gives her "An Indirect Kiss" in the process."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 7

Bubble Buddies

While most of the side characters aren’t really as interesting as the main ones, there are those who stick out as some of the best in the cast such as Steven’s dad, Greg.  This cartoon introduces another side character who’s worth calling one of the best, and her name is Connie.  Steven’s first interaction with her is a very cute and well-written adventure that lets us know what we’re in for with this relationship, and it blooms naturally in a relatable manner.  When he first notices her, he clearly wants to introduce himself to her, but is too shy to do so.  Then, when he tries again, circumstances convince him to act quickly, leading him to save Connie from a falling rock.  This moment also gives us our first look at one of Steven’s most prominent powers, a magical pink bubble that shields himself and anyone around him from harm, and as is usual for first time skills, he doesn’t know how to properly work it including making the bubble go away.  Adding to this situation is the fact that Steven told the Crystal Gems to stay out of his way while he talked to Connie, meaning that they’re both on their own in finding a way out of the bubble.  Through many wacky schemes Steven arranges to burst the bubble, he and Connie slowly establish a strong bond through their conversations about themselves, Connie showing off her impressive knowledge on certain subjects, and her also serving as a foil to Steven by pointing out the flaws in his ideas.  Their small moments lead up to a big moment where their attempts to pop the bubble send them to the bottom of the ocean.  When Connie laments how Steven doesn’t know what he’s doing and that she’ll disappear without making a single friend, Steven steps in with a moment of genuine caring.  He grants her his friendship and even gives her a bracelet which she dropped and he saved for almost a year (which you can see if you look closely at the shot of his freezer in "Gem Glow").  This works in cheering up Connie who accepts the offer to be Steven’s friend, and this moment is so heartwarming that it’s enough to pop the bubble.  This mutual respect is even put to good use when they both take out a giant worm monster before the Crystal Gems have a chance to come in and help.  This is especially great because all moments between Steven and Connie here, and in many cartoons to come, show they make for a great relationship together.  They’re great at working as a team, they know what to say when they’re in distress, and they basically bring out the best in each other.  The fact that this is the introduction to a great relationship grants it the status of the show’s first of many top-tier cartoons and one that’s sure not to mess with one’s funky flow.  10/10

The Ranking

1. Bubble Buddies
2. Laser Light Cannon
3. Gem Glow
4. Cheeseburger Backpack
5. Cat Fingers
6. Together Breakfast
7. Frybo

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Steven tries to be serious on his first Gem mission with questionable results in "Serious Steven.

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.