Steven Universe Review: “A Single Pale Rose” (Season 5, Episode 18)

“Sorry to make you come all this way…” – Pearl, having just spent minutes shattering the image of the past for Steven Universe… character and show.

Airdate: May 8th, 2018

Written By: Danny Cragg and Hilary Florido

Plot: Steven is still deeply unnerved over the vision that he had of Pearl appearing to shatter Pink Diamond. When he approaches her with the inquiry, Pearl is unable to give an answer one way or the other. Later that day, however, Steven receives a text from Pearl… who then reveals that she didn’t send the text, but placed it in her pearl. Accordingly, Steven goes in to try and obtain the phone, handing Pearl his mobile in the process. What follows is a look at tragic events in Pearl’s life, up to a pivotal event that answers Steven’s inquiry as to the assassination of Pink Diamond, a reveal that leaves Steven beside himself.

Review:

Do you have your coffee, tea, soda, beer, whiskey, wine, or whatever drink you can nurse over a relatively elongated period ready at the helm?

If so, good. If not, get it before reading. Because by the end of this review, you’re gonna be grateful you had something by your side.

*deep breath*

There are six key dates that every Steven Universe fan should have committed to memory.

Let’s start with the big two. There’s November 4th, 2013, when “Gem Glow” first aired and started Steven Universe‘s reign over animated television. It was a relatively inconspicuous debut, but many television shows have such launches, only gaining acclaim as time passes and the show establishes itself in the pop cultural canon. There’s March 30th, 2020, the airdate of the very last episode of the franchise, “The Future”. These are the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end – the broadest definition of the Steven Universe era of pop culture, as I call it. Even after the “imperial phase”, you could feel the shadow of the series linger above so much in popular culture – the idealism, the unabashed progressivism, the cultural representation in cast and crew, you name it. If it didn’t pioneer such themes and concepts, it encapsulated them in a way that captured the zeitgeist.

In between, though, four more dates serve as flashpoints in one way or another, and they must be recognized.

September 25, 2014, saw the debut of the “Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem” two-parter; these two episodes confirmed the launch of the show’s overreaching arc, cemented the space opera elements that are a significant element of the franchise, and introduced Lapis Lazuli onto the scene. March 12th, 2015 was the premier date of the Season 1 finale “Jailbreak”, an episode that signaled the arrival of Ruby and Sapphire, adding new context to Garnet and cementing the show’s place in the pantheon of LGBT pop culture; it fueled a wave of popularity in the series, and I would argue that it secured the show’s “imperial phase” that had built over the past 26 episodes. There’s August 4th, 2016, the debut of “Bismuth” which dared to shine a more cautious light on the show’s political philosophy and brought into focus Steven’s optimistic nature in the face of cruel reality; a divisive episode that seemed to shake the show’s once-cheerful fanbase, but one that struck at the core of the show’s principles and dared to defend them, albeit with a certain nuance.

And then there’s May 7th, 2018. In my opinion, that date marks the biggest flashpoint in the show’s history.

Where were you when “A Single Pale Rose” aired? Where and how did you first watch it?

Because, lads, this is the episode of Steven Universe, the one that shocked the bloody internet. It’s also possibly the most divisive moment in the entire goddamn franchise. To a sizable portion of viewers, it signaled the show finally losing it and either vindicated recent quality complaints or demonstrated that the show, erm, dropped the league lead late in the title race. To others, it’s one of the most fulfilling and brilliant twists in the entire series, as well as one of the best episodes of the show – some have argued that it is the best. For some, it is their “helmet catch” that secured the victory; for others, the Portillo Moment that signaled the show’s collapse.

So what is it?

Well, for me, there is one thing that biases my opinion – arguably, the episode from which the subject of today’s review stemmed.

“Rose’s Scabbard”. I’ve told the story a million times, but “Rose’s Scabbard” was the episode that made me truly fall in love with Steven Universe. It didn’t take long for me to declare it my favorite episode of the series, an opinion I’ve mentioned several times over. It was an opinion I held firm to from the word “go”, and I figured nothing else would top it.

Challenge accepted, said the gods above.

Not Another Top (X) List: My Top 20 Favorite Simpsons Episodes

You see the image of Wayne and Garth, you know what’s coming…

NOT ANOTHER TOP X LIST!

And, well…

The Simpsons is probably my favorite TV show of all time.

Wait, did I say “probably”? I meant “definitely”.

I can think of no other series that has influenced my sense of humor, my pop culture interests, my awareness of society and politics, my appreciation of America, et cetera, et cetera. And on top of it all, the scripts are some of the best ever put to air. I will fully cop to becoming more of a “purist” as I’ve aged (as in, I don’t watch the show’s contemporary episodes and rarely watch anything produced in the double digits), but I still maintain that The Simpsons is the show I adore the most.

My god, those first 178 episodes are an astonishing stretch of television. And it was a cultural phenomenon that spread across the Western world. There was nothing quite like it before, nothing quite like it since, and it’s hard to envision anything like it ever happening again.

Deciding a “best episode ever”, therefore, is a rather arduous task. I mean, I have my favorites, but compiling a distinctive list? It feels like I’m overlooking so much that this show brought to the table. So much of this series deserves to be recognized in one way or another.

You know what? I’m going to do so anyway. I’ve compiled what I would consider my 20 favorite Simpsons episodes. This is going to be painful. After all, that stretch is nearly flawless, some of the best television ever. Keep in mind that the other episodes in the Golden Era are, with few exceptions, great in their own right. My opinions could very well shift next week. Hence a major factor as to why it took a bit longer to get this out.

But damn it, let’s commit.

X=20, so here are…

MY TOP 20 FAVORITE SIMPSONS EPISODES (Right Now)

Steven Universe Review – “Mindful Education” (Season 4, Episode 4)

“When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm lies a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.”
– “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Airdate: August 25th, 2016

Written By: Colin Howard, Jeff Liu, and Takafumi Hori

Plot: After years of training as separate entities or as a team, Steven and Connie now face another step in training. Stevonnie is now given the opportunity to practice as themself… only for Connie’s psyche to throw them off course. Turns out, she screwed up royally by attacking a fellow schoolmate, and is being overwhelmed by the incident. Garnet, overhearing this vent, decides to teach Steven and Connie the powers of mindfulness therapy. It certainly helps Connie, but Steven slowly realizes that his path to dealing with trauma isn’t exactly working out.

Review:

Here comes a thought…

…how do you determine what is the best episode of a television show? As far as I can see, there are three possible paths, each imperfect and having some level of personal impact, but still worth analyzing.

For the purposes of this blog, when I discuss “the best episode ever” of Steven Universe, I am often referring to my personal favorite episode, the one I adore the most and will go back and rewatch over and over, or the one that best defines the series to my eyes. That, as I’ve mentioned before and will mention ad nauseam, has to go to “Rose’s Scabbard”, the show’s ultimate tearjerker with some of the most astonishing direction, music, and dialogue that I’ve ever seen in a television show.

But that’s a very subjective way to frame things. It relies strongly on personal sentiment, how one “feels” about an episode, as well as the possible circumstances surrounding one’s viewing experience. In part, it was the episode that cemented my descent into fandom. Hence why I try and avoid the phrase “‘Rose’s Scabbard’ is the best Steven Universe episode”, because my opinions are not the be-all-end-all. I will defend the episode to the death, I personally consider it peerless, but this leaves a major hole to contend for other episodes from other fans. It’s a very id-driven path to the question. And those arguments are more than valid.

What about a more objective framing of the question? What is the most technically and structurally brilliant episode of Steven Universe? This provides another path to produce an argument – arguing about an episode on a more logical level, based on animation, script pacing, interplay, and impact on the canon. Hence, fandom tends to place arguments in favor of “Mr. Greg”, “Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem”, “Jailbreak”, “Sworn to the Sword”, and Season 5’s “A Single Pale Rose”. There is some subjectivity here – the myth arc might mean less to some than others, and with SU‘s… interesting approach to animation, even this can be debated. There is a firmer path to a position here, driven by the superego.

So… maybe there’s a third option. An episode that isn’t necessarily one’s favorite, nor is it “the best” on a technical level.

What is the most important episode of a television show – not in terms of the impact on canon, but the impact on the viewers and society? Again, this is subjective, as priorities can vary from person to person.

But Steven Universe is known to be quite the “important” episode. Much has been written on the show’s demonstration of themes related to sexual orientation, gender identity, class conflict, psychological health, relationship dynamics, the greying of morality on both ends of the spectrum, and communication. I’m not going to go in-depth on how the show as a whole explores these themes in this review – it would be redundant. But you can find arguments on the importance of certain episodes, such as “The Answer”, “Jailbreak”, “Alone Together”, “Reunited”, and “Growing Pains”.

So what I will do is put forward this argument – “Mindful Education” is one of the most important episodes of Steven Universe, and probably contends for the top spot in that ranking.

And even if it isn’t, it’s drop-dead gorgeous on its own merits, crafted so wonderfully that, even almost four years after first watching it, I am still left speechless.

Steven Universe Review: “Earthlings” (Season 3, Episode 22)

Note – events of screengrab might not reflect what actually happens in “Earthlings”.

Jasper: “You’ve stripped her of everything – her limb enhancers, her status, her dignity!”
Peridot: “I still have one of those things.”

Airdate: August 8th, 2016

Written By: Raven Molisee and Paul Villeco

Plot: Having finally encountered Jasper in the Beta Kindergarten, Amethyst prepares to finally take Jasper down once and for all. There’s just one issue – Jasper has been doing much the same thing, albeit at the expense of Corrupted Gems. The two do battle, and Jasper initially appears to hold her upper hand. A dismayed Amethyst appears ready to surrender, but Steven’s pep talk winds up creating a fusion with a new edge to them… and drives Jasper to a moment of hypocrisy that will end poorly for her.

Review:

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is my all-time favorite movie. Often cited as the pinnacle of the Star Trek franchise, or at least the feature-length outing other Trek movies are measured against, it centers around Khan Noonien Singh, a former conquerer in the Eugenics Wars who spent three centuries in suspended animation before Captain James Kirk of the Enterprise dumped him on a Ceti Alpha V to give him and his followers a fresh start.

He never checked on them again… which sucks, because the effects of another planet’s destruction ruined Ceti Alpha V and took out many of Khan’s allies, including his wife. A visit by the Reliant allows him to take command and escape with a skeletal crew. But his mind is still stuck on facing down now-Admiral Kirk. Joaquim, one of his followers, rebuts that their possession of a spaceship has liberated the crew from exile, and as a result, that they don’t need to face Kirk again. Khan’s reaction sets the tone for the rather tragic path he will take across the rest of the movie.

“He tasks me… he tasks me and I shall have him. I’ll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares Maelstrom and through Perdition’s flames before I give him up!”

Yes, that quote was a homage to Moby Dick (which he cribs from several times during the movie), but the point still stands. Khan is so determined to settle his (admittedly understandable, albeit misguided) score that he fails to take into account the possibility of a real paradise for him and his crew. This results in a reward – his pride and lust for revenge wind up blowing up in his face in the worst way. He even remains unaware of the few victories that he does get by the end of the film, so haunting is his fate – but the ones he does score utterly shake Kirk and the Enterprise for good. It’s a tragedy for both protagonist and antagonist, as close to perennial literature as Star Trek got (although Deep Space Nine has a few outings that come close), and it’s still to my eyes a landmark piece of cinema.

Now, this is the second time in three Steven Universe episode reviews that I’ve launched with a comparison to a Star Trek outing. This time, there’s a clear character comparison. Playing Khan in today’s outing is Jasper. The casting was done for two reasons. First off, they have similar hair and a very muscular build. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Crewniverse drew from Trek for inspiration. Secondly, “Earthlings” has Jasper’s lust for revenge and ultimately against somebody she has considered inferior come back to bite her, but not before she delivers a major blow that will change the protagonist’s life forever.

And while I won’t call it my favorite outing in the Steven Universe franchise the way I do Wrath of Khan to Star Trek, “Earthlings” more than holds its own in the Steven Universe canon.

(Note: I will be referring more to plot events in The Wrath of Khan during this review. For those who have not seen that movie and are spoiler-averse, I strongly encourage you to watch Wrath of Khan, or at least read a summary elsewhere. Hell, I still would like you to watch the movie, anyway – it is a sublime piece of American cinema.)

Steven Universe Review: “Bismuth” (Season 3, Episode 20)

“I thought I wouldn’t get another chance to show those upper-crusts who’s boss. Let’s show them what happens when you mess with the Crystal Gems!” – Bismuth, declaring her intent to finish what was once started. I’m not gonna even pretend that this episode is going to end in a cheerful manner.

Airdate: August 4th, 2016

Written By: Katie Mitroff, Lamar Abrams, Colin Howard, and Jeff Liu

Plot: While trying to hide one of his favorite shirts in Lion’s mane to prevent him from destroying it, Steven accidentally un-bubbles a Gem. Said gem, Bismuth, turns out to be a lost member of the Crystal Gems. Trapped for thousands of years, she resolves to continue the fight that never seemed to end. At first glance, she appears to get on well with the quartet. But her intentions might be darker than Steven’s…

Review:

This is going to be quite the uplifting episode of Steven Universe to cover on Christmas, right? Well, might as well set the tone.

“My father used to say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I laid the first stone right there – I’d committed myself. I’d pay any price, go to any lengths, because my cause was righteous. My… intentions were good. In the beginning, that seemed like enough.”

This quote is from Commander Benjamin Sisko, from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “In The Pale Moonlight”. In that episode, Sisko is reciting to a personal recording of his attempts to bring a key player into the Dominion War on the side of the Federation. Given said civilization turning a blind eye to Dominion misgivings due to a non-aggression pact, he has to try and convince their ambassador that the empire would not favor them should they win the war. The episode ends with Sisko advancing on his goal, but the path there has him shred his morality and idealism to shreds. To try and put it without spoiling (at the moment), he got the Federation a shot in the arm all while defying many of the values that Starfleet represents.

“In The Pale Moonlight” is a highly controversial outing in the Star Trek canon. For some fans, it’s a vicious rebuttal to Gene Roddenberry’s ideas of utopia and morality. Others, though, love it for this very reason, citing it as one of the finest deconstructions of Star Trek ever, as well as opening the door for more antiheroic and “grey” morality in serialized dramas over the next two decades, as well as providing a great morality and character piece.

Personally, I fall into the latter category – my respect for Roddenberry’s vision remains unbowed, but Deep Space Nine and, more specifically, this episode does a fine job of presenting a counterargument to this idea that our morality will always guide us to victory. The path to our utopia can be a murkier, somewhat more hypocritical quest than we are first led to believe. Combined with some fine acting and scripting, it is a contender for my all-time favorite TV episode, period.

The question, however, remains. What does this have to do with Steven Universe?

Well, “Bismuth” presents a somewhat similar moral conundrum – to what lengths should we go to achieve our hopes of utopia, of victory? It’s also one of the darker episodes of the entire series, as well. Accordingly, “Bismuth” is to Steven Universe what “In The Pale Moonlight” is to Star Trek – probably the most controversial outing of the franchise, to the point where this episode is occasionally called “The Discourse Episode”. While it presents something of a counterargument to the overall message in Deep Space Nine, it still lays bare the hypocrisies present in leadership and casts a major shadow over a character once lionized. By most standards, this is Steven Universe at its most morally complex.

Even further, as far as I can see, this is up there with “Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem” beforehand and “A Single Pale Rose” afterward in episodes that absolutely transform the path of Steven Universe forever. For it is this episode that delivers the sledgehammer to Steven’s innocence and sends the view he has of the past into a permanent spiral.

Steven Universe Review: “Mr. Greg” (Season 3, Episode 8)

“…why can’t I move on?”

“And we will never be alone again, ’cause it doesn’t happen every day.
Kinda counted on you being a friend. Can I give it up or give it away?
Now I thought about what I wanna say, but I never really know where to go.
So I chained myself to a friend, cause I know it unlocks like a door.”
– “Instant Crush”, Daft Punk ft. Julian Casablancas.

Airdate: July 19th, 2016

Written By: Joe Johnston and Jeff Liu.

Plot: Having netted a cool $10M from royalties for one of his songs, Greg is left wondering what the hell to do with all of that cash. Steven comes up with an idea to start – a night out in Empire City, complete with tagging Pearl along. Now, this is a risky gamble – Pearl and Greg have had a tense relationship for years now. Pearl, though, agrees to go, and is slowly pulled into the silliness of the resultant trip. However, deep inside, the agony of losing Rose still pierces Pearl in her core. And at the depth of night, she finally breaks down to herself…

Review:

On October 11th, 2010, Cartoon Network debuted the second season of Adventure Time. The episode, entitled “It Came from the Nightosphere”, revolved around rock bassist vampire Marceline and her strained relationship with her father. Central to the episode is a song entitled “The Fry Song”, which revolves around Marceline contemplating her father’s betrayal and his love… over the fact that he ate a box of fries. (Turned out, he did.)

The episode was the first penned by Rebecca Sugar.

I don’t think there could be a better opening salvo for Ms. Sugar’s television career. Not only did she help (alongside Adam Muto) pen an episode revolving around the interpersonal aspects of speculative fiction characters, but “The Fry Song” was also her first song for the show, taking such a silly idea and adding pathos to it. It would wind up being something of a trait for Sugar-driven episodes, using musical numbers to convey the themes within. Such was Sugar’s power that she wound up returning to write a song for the show’s very last episode.

Even further, it was the Sugar-penned “What Was Missing” and the song within (“I’m Just Your Problem”) that kicked off speculation that there existed a wayward romantic relationship between Marceline and Princess Bubblegum – even if merely implied and speculated, it was seen by those that saw it as romantic as a rather gutsy depiction of gay/bisexual characters at the time.

When she departed Adventure Time in 2012 to pen Steven Universe, it was clear that the musical numbers would follow. In fact, it was hearing “Giant Woman” sometime around the debut of that episode that made me suspect that her skills would really shine on her own show – enough for me to consider the show “awesome” even before I “properly” became a fan – and others have tended to agree. (Personally, cue the summer of 2015, I got a glimpse of “Rose’s Scabbard”, SOLD.)

Anyway, it’s the long, hot summer of 2016. Most of us remember it for the seismic changes that went on, be they political, cultural, or both. In this epochal moment in history, Steven Universe was in the middle of the Summer of Steven, with new episodes every weekday for an entire calendar month.

But even within SU’s production, the world was changing. Joe Johnston, one of the show’s most prolific and (within the fandom) celebrated penmen, was promoted to a supervisor role. This would be his last episode. Concurrently, Rebecca Sugar was also yearning to write a musical episode. And in the universe, there was this question of the relationship between Pearl, Greg, and Rose that had yet to be settled.

What resulted is often regarded as not only Steven Universe’s most idiosyncratic and memorable outing, but in terms of episode quality, is often cited as one of the greatest moments in the entirety of the SU Canon.

A Recap of Channel Awesome’s Utter Collapse

Today’s post is a bit out of character for this blog – as this is less of a review and more of a recap of recent events involving Channel Awesome, a video review aggregate site. I’ve been contemplating something like this for the past month, but always backed away. However, on Thursday, new details came to light that shocked me, and within 48 hours, I had put this together. I let it sit for a day to see if a) I wanted to go through with this, or b) anything would change.

---

…wow, that escalated quickly.

Channel Awesome, once considered amongst the premiere entertainment sites on the internet, appears to be in its death throes. What started as a mere critical twitter thread from longtime and former contributors a month ago has exploded into a dramatic scandal that may very well drive the company out of business.

It is basically the real-life example of what TV Tropes (a site that had a love affair with CA) calls “Disaster Dominoes” – one thing leads to another, eventually resulting in a catastrophe. Change one factor, and CA still has something vaguely resembling dignity today, producing…

Oh, who am I kidding? This was gonna happen soon anyway. It’s just that, instead of a slow decline petering out through the rest of the decade, what was a slow decline suddenly went into top gear before hitting MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, and now Channel Awesome is effectively on death-watch. If The Simpsons is a show being kept alive in a vegetative state to milk any money possible from the franchise, Channel Awesome is likely skipping that state and heading straight to hospice care, spending its last days watching as the Walker brothers, the management, and contributors prepare to sue each other onto the dole.

In fact, let’s take a (somewhat opinionated) play-by-play of what exactly what the hell happened, particularly in the back half of the site’s existence.

(Warning: this is going to be quite long. However, it is also not meant to be exhaustive – we’re just getting some basics thrown down here.)

Steven Universe Review: “Sworn to the Sword” (Season 2, Episode 5)

“It was here that I became familiar with the human concept of a knight – completely dedicated to a person and a cause. This is what you must become, Connie – brave, selfless, and loyal.” – Pearl. Oh, this is gonna be a happy episode, right?

Airdate: June 15th, 2015

Written By: Joe Johnston and Jeff Liu

Plot: After seeing Connie ward off a flock of seagulls (they flew so far awaaaaayyy), Steven encourages her to take up sword fighting under Pearl. Despite Pearl’s initial reservation, she takes up on the offer. However, in spite of Steven and Connie thinking they’ll make a great team, her teaching methods are unorthodox and a bit self-sacrificing… by which I mean, her methods are borderline suicidal.

Review:

Ever since I reviewed “Rose’s Scabbard” back in May, I’ve made it no secret that it is my single favorite episode of Steven Universe. Time and time again, I’ve argued that the episode is not only the pinnacle of character pathos, but manages to take a scenario that would be the height of melodrama and hit the perfect beat – between the fantastic score,  the fantastic visuals, the sobering climax, and the ambiguous ending, “Rose’s Scabbard” is known to reduce fans to tears. It was the episode that secured my fandom, and I will never regret it.

However, as I mentioned in the review, just because I think it’s my favorite episode doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the objective best. Not that I don’t think “Rose’s Scabbard” is a remarkable eleven minutes of television – it is. But I have entertained the idea that the show has produced episodes that, on a technical level, are better. In my head, I think of at least two episodes that raise that possibility. There’s “Bismuth”, the half-hour third season special that gave us the titular character and how she impacted the Crystal Gems.

And then there’s today’s episode, “Sworn to the Sword”. Coincidentally, it is the sequel to “Rose’s Scabbard”… as well as two other episodes – “Steven the Sword Fighter” and “Full Disclosure”.

Steven Universe Review: “Rose’s Scabbard” (Season 1B, Episode 19)

“It held your mother’s sword. Nothing else could fit so perfectly.” – Pearl, not even trying to hide her crush on Steven’s dead mom when talking about the titular scabbard. And believe me, it just gets more unnerving from there…

Airdate: March 9th, 2015

Written by: Rebecca Sugar, Ravin Molisee, and Paul Villeco

Plot: At the Strawberry Fields, Lion unearths an old scabbard. Pearl instantly recognizes it as one to Rose’s sword and begins waxing quite a bit of nostalgia over it. Determined to have Steven comprehend its importance, she takes Steven to the storage cave where the sword is said to reside… and is shocked when Steven not only knows how to access the armor and weaponry, but that the sword lay in Lion’s mane. In fact, Pearl is quite shocked that Rose even had a lion in the first place.

A breakdown ensues.

Review (WARNING – LONG):

In 1990, the Pet Shop Boys released a single entitled “Being Boring” – a song about a man’s idealistic worldview being compromised by the inexorable march of time. Once mingling amongst the crowds of parties inspired by “a famous writer from the 1920s”, he reflects on having formed his own path of unfathomable success, all while many around him, including a particularly close friend, died. Despite its comparatively weaker chart performance at the time, “Being Boring” has become Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s most critically acclaimed song, and it’s quite easy to see why. It combines beautiful vocals, with Tennant at arguably his most introspective; rather melancholic themes of love, friendship, loss, saudade, and an ironic sense of regret; all wrapped around gorgeous instrumentation.

Bizarrely, though, that song reminds me of a particular Steven Universe episode – “Rose’s Scabbard”. Now, I know what you might be thinking – doesn’t this connection seem a bit tangential? A pop record and an episode of a cartoon? When you put it that way, it might be. Still… may as well go to another dynamic duo – that of Steven and Pearl.

Full disclosure before we begin – Pearl is my favorite Steven Universe protagonist, and probably my all-time favorite character. Sure, many fans might feel enthralled by Garnet, or might really believe in Steven. Personally, though, Pearl is one of the most complex and well-written characters in Western animation – behind the intellect she possesses is a character full of neuroses and faults, yet one that remains lovable.

Makes sense, then, that one of my favorite characters is the main focus of an episode that is cited as a fan favorite.

Yes, Steven Universe has had very few bad episodes. And most of them were more “mixed bags” or “mediocre” than downright bad. (“Fusion Cuisine” and “Horror Club”… aren’t making my hall of favorites.) Still, in this show where so many episodes are beloved, this episode, in particular, is hailed as a showcase of the writers in top gear – which, considering some of the episodes I’ve seen so far, is certainly no small feat.

Why is that? Are the fans overhyping this episode? What do I, some dork with a little review blog, think?