'Toon Reviews 6: Steven Universe Season 1 Episode 8

Serious Steven

It’s no secret that at this point in the show, Steven is a total goof even when going on important Gem missions.  It does make sense for him to be this way now, especially since he goes through major character growth as the show goes on, but it can get frustrating to see him constantly not pay attention, make boneheaded decisions and plans destined to fail, and just not be totally with all the Gems when they do their thing.  These concerns are still apparent here in which the Crystal Gems bring Steven along on a mission where they must retrieve a Gem from a Pyramid Temple in the middle of a Gem Battlefield covered in large swords and overgrown with strawberries.  He freaks out over little things like butterflies in his eyes, can’t keep himself from touching unusual stuff, and mostly looking tough and serious without actually being those things.  His intentions are easy to see and him being upbeat in this situation is kind of cute, but at the same time, Steven being way too easy-going doesn’t really work.  Still, it’s nice that out of all the Crystal Gems, Garnet believes that Steven can provide good use for the team as proven when she openly chooses to have him come with her when the group splits up.  Even then, Steven still doesn’t prove very useful on the mission with Garnet doing all the work and Steven mostly needing her to carry him.  Thankfully, in his own way, Steven ultimately rises as the big hero of the mission.  He keeps feeling dizzy as he travels through the temple which makes him think back to when he caused the destruction of the teacup ride at the amusement park, Funland, which is shown to us in a pretty funny scene.  This comes in to play when the Crystal Gems wonder how they keep ending up back to where they started no matter where they go in the temple.  With his dizziness in mind, Steven figures that the reason they all end up back where they started is because the temple keeps spinning around, just like the teacup ride.  His theory proves correct, and that helps the group to solve the mystery of the temple and retrieve its Gem.  So, while Steven’s goofball ways aren’t really welcome in a serious mission setting and can get old quick, the fact that he saves the day in the end is a shining moment for him, and gives this cartoon some value. 8/10

The Ranking

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

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Amethyst gets some starring time when she and Steven break from the other rule-bearing Gems, and enter the wrestling ring as Purple Puma and "Tiger Millionaire."

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 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 2

Sphinx for the Memories

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since this show focuses on Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s adventures with Uncle Scrooge, it’s not surprising that we don’t see much of Donald.  This episode is an exception to the premise, and boy do we get quite an adventure starring him on a brief leave from the navy.  Taking place in Egypt, the adventure kicks off in typical Donald Duck fashion with him ending up in a crazy and stressful situation while just simply trying to go about his business.  In this case, Donald just innocently checks out some Egyptian knick-knacks in a gift shop, and that makes two customers in the shop believe that he’s the reincarnated form of their people’s original leader from centuries ago, the Garbled One.  Donald gets captured and taken to the middle of the desert where he’s treated like a king to the civilization of Garbabble.  Watching Donald go about the whole situation provides the bulk of the episode’s entertainment.  Whether he’s enjoying being pampered by the people of Garbabble or using his wits to try and escape the position of royalty when the people won’t let him return to the navy base, the way Donald observes and reacts to the world around him is full of energy and gives off a believable response.  In fact, the moments with Donald seem to overshadow what we see of Scrooge and the boys who set out to try and rescue him, which is especially clear when during their search for Donald, they end up in a pyramid cellar where they have to get through a maze to escape, yet we never see exactly how they get through the maze.  Thankfully, Scrooge and the boys get a lot more active towards the third act of the episode where the stakes really start to increase when Donald is possessed by the ancient spirit of the Garbled One, causing him to forget who he really is, including being unable to fully recognize his uncle and nephews.  What really stands out is the cleverness of how Scrooge and the boys find solutions to the problem such as suggesting building a pyramid to buy themselves time, fending off a mummy assigned to silence Donald by a sorcerer named Sarkus, and noticing that Donald’s real spirit is still intact from him struggling to hold on to navy mannerisms.  What could have made these characters too perfect and uninteresting actually leaves a strong impact of astonishment of how they were able to figure all this out.  Then it all ends with Garbabble in good, unsuperstitious hands, and one last bit with Donald that’s both funny, and also worthy of sympathy for him.  From this episode, I can tell that this show knows how to make an adventure exciting with interesting settings, great character moments, and lots of creativity. 9/10

The Ranking

1.      Sphinx for the Memories

2.      Send in the Clones

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode which is the show's first space-themed episode that takes us "Where No Duck Has Gone Before."

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