Steven Universe Review: “Steven’s Dream” (Season 4, Episode 10)

“Steven, you deserve to know the truth. And the truth is… I have no idea what that thing is; I’ve never seen it before in my life.” – Amethyst.

Airdate: January 30th, 2017

Written By: Colin Howard and Jeff Liu

Plot: Steven wakes up in a flood of tears after encountering a wrecked palanquin in the mindscape. With it being recorded in Buddy’s old journal, Steven sets off to find the mysterious palanquin, much to Garnet’s dismay. Ergo, he and Greg are tasked with taking a trip to Korea. There, the duo encounter Blue Diamond, the antagonist of Garnet’s story… and a woman deep in mourning for a lost loved one.

Review:

“How dare you fuse with a member of my court? You will be broken for this!”

That one piece of dialogue is from “The Answer”, the 74th episode of Cartoon Network’s animated sci-fi dramedy Steven Universe. It is, in many ways, among the most crucial lines in that particular episode when it comes to the overall lore of the series. Based around Garnet’s flashback to her own genesis, it cements the idea that the cultural acerbity against inter-caste fusion among Gems is, at the very least, supported by the higher-ups, if not downright encouraged.

It was a line delivered by triumvirate member Blue Diamond, who had earlier fled the scene of a then-imminent battle. What transpired there involved Sapphire resigned to her own demise, only for Ruby to push her out of the way. Garnet ensued by apparent accident… much to the disgust of everybody involved bar the attackers. Blue Diamond’s own revulsion of this totally innocent display led her to threaten Ruby with the sword. Sapphire was so enamored by the condemned that she took leave of her fatalistic attributes and fled to Earth, where the duo would eventually re-fuse on a permanent basis.

Not only did that sentence put Garnet on the path to a perpetual existence as a going concern, but it also cemented Blue Diamond and the Diamond Authority as a whole as the antagonists of Steven Universe. She was seemingly condemned by the narrative as a coward, a bigot, and an irrational tyrant. To Garnet, at least, she is the antagonist who was undermined by living in defiance, who inadvertently encouraged Ruby and Sapphire to seek out new dimensions to their existence.

However, one of Steven Universe‘s chief themes is the fact that almost every sentient being has an extra dimension. They have secrets, they have emotions, they have personal attributes unknown to the naked eye. And discussing these personal attributes can hopefully build bridges between otherwise disparate characters.

And that is where we start off with in “Steven’s Dream” – an episode about the secrets of protagonists and the emotions of antagonists.

From the start, it is clear that there is a lot of information that has been left confidential amongst the Crystal Gems. Steven has been forced to watch these secrets come to the forefront, oftentimes in the worst possible way. Massive alien war? Found out by meeting one of the victims. Rose and Pearl had a close relationship? Found out when the latter’s psychological breakdown almost killed him. Amethyst was born on Earth? Her self-loathing over the ordeal was brutal. Her mother apparently was Pink Diamond’s assassin? He found out thanks to a warrior gem out to kill him, as well a squad of Homeworld Rubies, one of whom almost scalped him to get glory and her very own Pearl. And so on and so forth.

Pink Diamond, in fact, appeared to be the ultimate taboo among the Crystal Gems. Rose appeared to evade the subject as much as possible. As we’ll learn later, there is a rather major reason why this subject became the ultimate taboo. Thankfully, thanks to Greg, any effort was downplayed. The guy accepted Rose for everything she was in the present. To Greg, she was the woman of her dreams – what she did on a distant planet was bloody irrelevant. Which does make sense, in a certain way. People evolve and change. That was the source of Rose’s admiration of humanity – in contrast to her stratified old world, she could become an entirely different entity by her own free will.

There’s just one problem… she’s dead. And Steven is dealing with the consequences. The horrible, horrible consequences. Given that he almost got stabbed by a lunatic in recent weeks, his patience has effectively run out.

So when he begins waking up in tears after seeing a palanquin in his dreams, he wants answers and wants answers yesterday. This pattern of behavior is not new, as “Chille Tid” demonstrates, and this isn’t even quite as dramatic as what occurred there… at least, at first.

Unfortunately, he hits a dead end. Amethyst has no clue what the hell is going on, Pearl tries to dance around the subject, and Garnet flat out tells him that he can’t go there, wherever “there” is. And this opens up another can of worms. Garnet’s refusal struck Steven’s nerve. At the worst time. For too long, he’s been kept out of the loop in spite of proving himself an equal among the Crystal Gems. He’s truly been one of them since the prison break, yet with information remaining obscured, it doesn’t feel that way.

What results is a rather rare moment of anger, a rare moment of downright defiance. From Steven. This is one of the most understanding and fundamentally optimistic protagonists in science fiction history, one who is rarely quick to anger. Confusion and frustration, sure. But anger? Only when chauvinist megalomaniacs are involved. For the most part.

Garnet and Pearl triggered the exception that proves the rule. Or, rather, provided the last straw on an already wounded psyche. The resulting argument is uncomfortable in the best way. I’m with Steven here – the Crystal Gems have omitted too damn much for too long. No matter their intent (or, in Pearl’s case, her apparent compulsion to refuse to lend information by covering her mouth, hint hint), Steven now has to bear the brunt of their actions, or lack thereof. Callison and Estelle’s delivery of said argument really intensifies the atmosphere – although given their track records, that’s no surprise.

However, this argument does resolve itself in a somewhat calmer manner. The duo converse about the situation outside, where Garnet’s tone takes on a less authoritarian aura. The chains of command give way to an attempt to communicate a more emotional side of her argument. However, it also leads her to betray just enough information to cement Steven’s desire to travel to this palanquin. Information that is betrayed with one quote. “I’m scared – I can’t go near her.”

Her, of course, is Blue Diamond. I’ll discuss her more below, but Garnet can’t follow Steven because, well, she – and the rest of the Crystal Gems, when you think about it – are on the run, perpetual societal outcasts. From what we’ve seen so far, reform on Homeworld is nonexistent. Garnet meeting Blue Diamond would likely endanger her existence, as Ruby and Sapphire would face destruction. That’s arguably the best-case scenario.

One could argue that Steven’s continued insistence on finding this palanquin is an uncharacteristic moment of selfishness. Yeah, he doesn’t know that Blue Diamond is involved yet, but even so, this normally empathetic character is putting to the side the possible distress that this scenario presents to Garnet. Conversely, Steven has been so starved of information in a way that has adversely impacted his life, maybe a little selfishness is understandable in this situation.

Either way, his mind is made up, and Garnet knows this from the start. Yeah, obvious future vision reference, but Garnet also knows that Steven is becoming a more active player in the Crystal Gems. She knows that, on a base level, Steven is going to defy her wishes sooner rather than later. In a way, it’s indicative of a parent realizing their child is going to stray and become their own individual. It works well given what goes on in the back half of the episode.

Which, of course, means that Steven and Greg have to track down the Palanquin on their own terms. Time for a flight to SOUTH KOREA! For the uninformed, it’s the Korea that has that BTS band that Twitter likes, not the one led by a complete lunatic. Fair play to Steven Universe, they do a more appropriate and better tour of South Korea in thirty seconds than The Simpsons did for Southern Africa in 22 minutes. And that includes a fourth-wall lean from both shows – this time, I don’t feel my intelligence insulted! (Apparently, Greg and Steven tour the production studios for a show entitled Steven Universe. Interesting series, it might go places.)

But all good cultural dips must come to the same dramatic end Steven’s childhood did, and the duo reach the Palanquin. The source of the emotional leak. And the waterworks start anew. Massive floods of tears, yet no apparent emotion from Steven other than surprise.

The cause of this emotional demonstration? Enter Blue Diamond, weeping silently at the sunken-in palanquin. Pink Diamond’s Palanquin. Pink Diamond’s sunken-in palanquin, growth all over it.

Now, here’s where things get interesting when it comes to character development.

For one, there is a strong connection between Steven and Blue Diamond. At first glance a sign of his empathic abilities (again, refer back to “Chille Tid”), a major twist in Season 5 could add some more context to this scene and how it fits in Steven’s backstory. Of course, the end of that season adds a counterargument that is arguably more valid.

But enough about Steven, this is really Blue’s time to shine. And boy, does she shine!

There can be no denying that the Diamond Authority were responsible for practices and ideologies that were insensitive at best and downright horrifying at worst. One only has to look back to “Monster Reunion” for proof of the after-effects of war crimes, one only has to look to Pearl and Garnet for the impact of ideology. (Reference “Back to the Barn” and “The Answer”.) Hell, need we remember “Keeping It Together”?

So what I am saying is not meant to defend the actions of the Diamond Authority.

But Steven Universe, again, is about peeling back the layers of characters, exploring the humanity within. And one has to remember that people who do partake in venal actions can have a more sympathetic, or at least, tragic dimension to their personalities. It doesn’t mitigate the harm, but it does make us realize that, as much as we have the potential to do great things for the world, we are just as susceptible to straying onto a more dubious path. It’s a pertinent warning sign, and though Steven Universe is an optimistic show, there are shades of grey in all of us, no matter how faint.

Adding to this is the voice acting. Blue Diamond is voiced by Lisa Hannigan, an Irish singer and composer. (Yes, another Gem voiced by a musician, the world’s gone mad.) And while there are very slight growing pains – Hannigan seems to start with a slightly Americanized accent that will eventually give way to a firmly Irish dialect – the delivery of her lines is soft, almost broken. Few shows can make us empathize with somebody who is close to (if not outright) a dictator, but Hannigan makes sure that Steven Universe breaks the mold.

Steven was crying the tears of what he knows to be a tyrant. A fourteen-year-old. That can’t be good for the psyche.

With Blue Diamond becoming aware of an alien presence close by, Greg decides to bite the bullet approach the mourning woman. And he and Blue Diamond actually connect over the loss of a loved one. Both of them are in a fraternity that one never wishes to be in. For Blue, it’s the death of her sister. For Greg, the death of his partner. A brutal blow for anybody, an unfathomable loss. Season 5 will further increase the impact of this conversation, revealing that they are far more connected in their grief than anybody else.

But this conversation contains multitudes. In contrast to Blue Diamond, introduced as a highly antagonistic figure via flashback, Greg is portrayed so often in a very positive, almost saintly light. (“House Guest” is the closest thing to an anomaly in this regard.) Even as he gets a financial windfall, he ultimately uses whatever powers he does have for the good of his loved ones. He’s generally been accepting of all – if anything, he’s been on the receiving end of prejudice from his late partner regarding his human status (refer to “We Need to Talk”). Quite the contrast at first glance from Blue Diamond. That’s the beauty of Steven Universe. There are elements of universality within our existence, good and bad. A fundamentally egalitarian concept for a show that preaches egalitarianism.

Props to Tom Scharpling for his vocal performance here. He gives voice to a man who has accepted the tragedy that has occurred in his life, yet that person never really disappears. “I miss her every single day, and I think about her all the time! But she’s never coming back. That feeling can be so hard to be okay with.” Consider the song from “Three Gems and a Baby”, “I Could Never Be Ready”. Death hit him in the kisser and he was at the lowest point in his life. He knows that everything has a natural endpoint, but his emotions were still raw after the recent passing. Here, he’s more at peace with what happened, but the scars never quite go away.

And Blue Diamond gets it. She is still deep in mourning, but is so taken aback by this empathy from this human. Clearly, we’re getting a hint of the dynamic between her and other members of the Diamond Authority, and it is not a pretty picture at first glance. You can tell – thanks in part to Hannigan’s fantastic acting – that she feels alone in her grief. Whether her belief is accurate is to be determined (read, give it a few episodes), but the fact that she feels this connection with this human, a species that even many of our heroes have had a track record of dismissing, speaks wonders.

What a fascinating character dynamic – the burnout rocker turned blue-collar man content with life meets the disquieted empress.

This connection makes Blue Diamond realize that the geo-weapon set to trash Earth would not be to Greg’s advantage. (Yeah, Blue Diamond, about that geo-weapon…) So she decides to take executive action to make sure that this remarkable creature can live on well after his home planet is turned into a hellscape on which no living being can survive.

Kidnap the man and take him back to Homeworld. Very legal and very cool. Again, even Pearl treated humanity like barely sentient apes, so Blue Diamond taking Greg back to Homeworld like a stray animal… a disturbing move, but understandable if you recognize Gem chauvinism. (Also, Rose Quartz had similar sentiments towards Humanity. I’m just going to leave that there, and when I review Season 5, we’ll have a good chuckle.) But given that it was somebody’s father and friend? For the purpose of keeping “one last piece of her legacy”? Not a particularly good look.

Now Steven faces a heartbreaking and nightmarish predicament. His mother is dead and his father is being carted to the far-flung reaches of space in a flying arm. And no, the Crystal Gems serving as an effective family unit is no comfort – Greg is the kid’s father, is a damn good father on top of that, and losing him to the far reaches of space despite Steven’s best efforts is yet another trauma. Something else he will unfairly blame himself for. As if his life couldn’t possibly get any more unnerving.

Can it get worse? Thankfully, it doesn’t. Garnet actually wound up following Steven to Korea, rescuing the now panicking child. The two blame themselves for letting things spiral out of control – Garnet refusing to show up for fear of the Crystal Gems being exposed, Steven for not listening to Garnet’s advice. But this is as close to the worst-case scenario as humanly possible, and neither is really to blame. Yes, Garnet didn’t really explain herself, and yes, Steven defied Garnet’s wishes. But neither of them would kidnap a man and send him into outer space. (Alright, Garnet did something similar once, a while ago.) Alack away, the Crystal Gems as a unit face their biggest crisis in… well, days. Let’s be clear here, they’re going to lurch from crisis to crisis.

Their solution?

“We’re going to space. We’re going to get him back.“

Alright, I smiled here. My interest in Steven Universe was piqued because it sort of reversed the Star Trek cliche – how instead of humanity exploring other civilizations and comparing cultures for allegorical reasons, other civilizations would embrace the liberation found on Earth. At the very least, Steven Universe is science-fiction to my eyes – maybe science fantasy – and should be discussed alongside Star Trek and Babylon 5.

Now, we have Steven Universe embracing one aspect of science fiction. A return home. Garnet gambling everything – her existence, their freedom – to get Steven’s father back. It’s the largest gamble possible. A case where the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many, because who the hell knows what the Diamonds will find out from Greg at this moment in time? There is no alternative. Greg must be rescued.

Steven Universe must travel the galaxy.

“Steven’s Dream” is quite an interesting episode. In a show where there are very few truly evil characters, to draw parallels between the show’s most sympathetic character and one of the chief antagonists is still a bit of a risky maneuver. And yet, the episode manages to explore the nuances of our protagonists and antagonists quite well. Some outstanding vocal performances and impressive direction really do assist this episode in being a highlight from Season 4.

It is a great introduction to a new story arc. For the next few episodes, Steven Universe goes Out of This World.

Tidbits:

• This episode was released online almost an entire month before it was broadcast on TV. Unfortunately, so were the rest of the episodes around this time for a brief while. Cartoon Network did not have a good track record with this show at this point.
• Why, yes, Steven Universe is animated in Korea. This isn’t a new phenomenon – cartoon production has been outsourced overseas. These include The Simpsons (since Season 4), Gravity Falls, and this very production.
  • Minor side note – Steven Universe has been produced by two studios, Rough Draft and Sunmin Image Pictures. More technically astute SU fans tend to consider Rough Draft to be somewhat controversial, citing the scaling issues that many cite as a chief flaw in the show’s animation. This episode, meanwhile, was produced by Sunmin Image Pictures, by the way.
• I joked about the split between the two Koreas in the review… but are they split in Steven Universe? SU‘s world-building when it comes to Earth appears to dispense with a lot of Earth-based geopolitical conflict in the present (for good and for ill), so could there just be one Korea?
• Fun fact – in a Reddit AMA in 2014, Rebecca Sugar professed an interest in K-Pop music.
• One last bit of irony related to current events, and pardon the political and partisan nature of this particular bullet point. This episode aired on January 30th, 2017. It was the first Steven Universe episode to air during the Presidency of Donald Trump, a man who has a philosophy rather antithetical to that professed by this series. I only mention this because the United States has recently held their quadrennial presidential elections, wherein Trump went up against former Vice President Joseph Biden. The results can be summed up in a two-word memo to the incumbent. You’re fired. Cliche, I know, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity. Keep crying about the election, Mr. President; it just serves as a symbol of how much of a petulant jerkass you’ve been since you descended down that escalator. Enjoy being labeled “President Florida Man” forever. On good days. Alright, now that I’ve gotten that bit of soapboxing off my chest…

Wrap-Up

Favorite Scene: Greg and Blue Diamond connecting over their dearly departed. How you can humanize a chief antagonist and still end with her committing a rather crude act, and make it all work? Steven Universe, friends.

Best Character: Blue Diamond. From most despised character to a tragic figure, as is this show’s modus operandi.

Memorable Quote: “I miss her every single day, and I think about her all the time! But she’s never coming back. That feeling can be so hard to be okay with.” – Greg Universe, yet again demonstrating just how profound this show can be.

Verdict: Gold. A pretty good introduction to another one of the show’s week-long arcs. It’s only due to the strength of other episodes that it doesn’t rank much higher.

But it still enters the rankings at #30, right behind “Monster Reunion” and edging out “Warp Tour”.

Right, that’s taken care of.

We’ve got a train to catch.