Steven Universe Review: “Pool Hopping” (Season 5, Episode 15)

Bongo: You’ll be transported to an alternative reality, a reality where there’s another Arnold Rimmer. Some decision was made at some point in your life where he went one way, and you went the other. You might find he’s quite different to you.
“Ace” Rimmer: Sounds like quite a caper.
Bongo: You’ll do it?
“Ace”: I’m a test pilot in the Space Corps, Bongo. It’s my job to do it.
– “Dimension Jump”, Red Dwarf

Airdate: April 23, 2018

Written By: Katie Mitroff, Paul Villeco, and Joe Johnston

Plot: Garnet has taken a job at the Big Donut to try and test the idea of dimensional pools – events that are far beyond the confines of typical timelines. Steven and Garnet get enthralled and decide to test the concept with random events. It all culminates in trying to rescue cats all while having a breakdown in the rain.

Review:

Hey, guys! Let’s talk about Alternate Timelines and how it applies to this sci-fi show! (This is, technically, a blog about sci-fi shows. Kinda. Sorta.)

If you were to list every sci-fi plot used in the history of classic sci-fi television, the concept of “alternate timelines” would likely be near the top of the list, up there with “time travel” and “mind swapping”. Call it what you want – the dimensional theory, parallel universes, whatever. If it involves our main characters traveling to a universe that is a few meters off of what we are used to watching, BOOM, you’ve embraced the trope!

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with this trend. After all, it is interesting to see our society or favorite characters with alternate variables. The use of alternate realities can serve as a reflection on how society and culture can be impacted positively or negatively, and why society and people are the way they are. Hell, Red Dwarf touched on this topic several times; occasionally for societal analysis (sexism in “Parallel Universe”, not quite the same thing but still notable), once to wrap up a series (“Only the Good”), but more notably for its examination of Arnold Rimmer via “Ace” in “Dimension Jump”, one of the more celebrated side characters in the series.

Steven Universe actually kinda took a look at the idea of alternate realities in one of its earlier outings, “Steven and the Stevens”, and Steven’s possession of a magical hourglass (ah, time travel) and his use of the device to start his own band led to the creation of an alternate timeline. Let’s just cut to the chase – the last line of the episode has the line “I learned to stay true to myself/By watching myself die!” Technically, this entire show has been in an alternate timeline… which took over and became the prime timeline.

Hell, Garnet’s whole “future vision” relies on alternate timelines depending on how far you’re willing to stretch the idea. Consider that she can project various outcomes, but there is almost no certainty about those scenarios occurring. Consider “The Answer”, and how Sapphire’s precognitive vision was rebutted in a way that utterly changed her life – it was a literal formative moment for Garnet.

Now, let’s take one more plunge into the “alternate timeline” arena with “Pool Hopping”. AKA, Steven Universe‘s 731st quest to wring every tear out of our eyes.

Steven Universe Review: “Your Mother and Mine” (Season 5, Episode 13)

“Captain’s Log – Stardate… uh, Thursday. Space is really big. Everything is messed up. Our nova thrusters and busted, and getting home is taking forever.” – Capt. Lars Barriga of the Sun Incinerator, recreating the elevator pitch that led to Voyager.

Airdate: April 9th, 2018

Written By: Hilary Florido and Paul Villeco

Plot: Steven drags Garnet along to the Sun Incinerator to meet the Off Colors. However, they don’t take kindly to Garnet’s very positive appreciation of the group and the group members. Accordingly, she decides to relay a story about Rose Quartz and the rebellion she launched in the name of Gem liberation and Gemkind.

Review:

One of Steven Universe‘s more controversial aspects has to be the show’s use of limited first-person perspective and the rather strict adherence to it. Steven is the central character, and with a few qualified exceptions, the show follows his life. Any exposition runs through his eyes and ears. The show is many things, but primarily, it’s his story. I’ve discussed the merits and demerits of this approach before; I suspect repeating them would just come off as redundant.

So… how would you react if I were to tell you that the show would air an episode about perspective just a few outings before a twist that would turn the entire goddamn show on its head and cause us to reflect on everything that Steven learned?

And that it would involve Garnet being a central character in the initial episode?

Ah, the Crewniverse – those guys, gals, and non-binary pals were jokesters.

Well, here’s “Your Mother and Mine”, an episode loaded with dramatic irony. It’s probably the most dramatic irony-filled episode of the entire friggin franchise, which is saying something considering how much of the entire show will be re-contextualized in a few episodes.

Steven Universe Review: “Sadie Killer” (Season 5, Episode 9)

We’ve been crying now for much too long.
And now we’re gonna dance to a different song.
I’m gonna scream and shout ’til my dying breath!
I’m gonna smash it up ’til there’s nothing left!
– “Smash It Up” – The Damned

Airdate: December 29, 2017

Written By: Lamar Abrams and Jeff Liu.

Plot: Sadie Miller’s life has reached a nadir – she’s had to pull double-duty at the Big Donut to make up for Lars’s absence, and the resulting exhaustion has left her in a malaise. Concurrently, Steven and the Cool Kids are desperate to write songs for a rock concert they’ve been signed up for. With Sadie having expressed interest in the group, the quintet pile up in her basement bedroom to brainstorm. A quick watch of an underground Belgian horror film sparks inspiration in the five, and a gothic rock sound takes shape in Sadie’s increased hatred of her job.

Review:

In the early evening of December 1st, 1976, Thames Television – the ITV affiliate in London, operated by a company I’ve mentioned before – broadcast an edition of their local magazine program Today. Host Bill Grundy was initially scheduled to interview the rock band Queen, but they pulled out at the last minute because Freddie Mercury needed dental surgery. Scrambling for a replacement, the producers quickly pulled in an up-and-coming band from EMI Records specializing in the then-nascent Punk Rock genre… The Sex Pistols.

Grundy opened the segment – the last of the episode – by claiming that the band and their entourage were as drunk as he was. It snowballed from there. The host consistently provoked the Sex Pistols, seemingly on concerns about financial hypocrisy, but clearly to try and get band members to say something shocking to try and embarrass them and their genre. He got his wish and paid for it – the band responded with responses from Steve Jones and John Lydon that ranged from contempt-fueled sarcasm to profanities that would be eyebrow-raising today, let alone on 70s teatime TV. Fanning the flames was Grundy making a pass at Siouxie Sioux (who was 19 – Grundy was 53, mind you), which provoked a litany of insults from Jones calling him out for being a “dirty old man” and a “dirty bastard.” Those are the mildest of what he threw out to the seemingly tanked-up clown who kept provoking and patronizing the punk rockers. This was all broadcast live. The episode ended with the Pistols and their entourage dancing to the theme as Grundy slowly realized what TV viewers across the capital city saw.¹

Britons up and down the country woke up to news headlines decrying “The Filth and the Fury” and raging about those “Foul-Mouthed Yobs” that had defiled good clean television. Thames suspended Grundy for two weeks, and they canceled Today within months, the brand clearly damaged beyond repair; Grundy’s career likewise never recovered.² The Sex Pistols, meanwhile, became one of the most famous and influential bands in late 70s Britain, even if their meteoric rise gave way to an insane disintegration within 14 months.

Punk Rock had gone mainstream. The Alternative era was truly underway.

It was a subsection of rock and pop music that dared to put the feet to the establishment’s fire. It challenged conventions regarding societal norms, pop culture, the contemporary economy, politics (especially as Thatcher and Reagan ascended to the alarm of left-leaning rockers) the Monarchy when applicable, sexuality, sexual orientation (Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley was openly bisexual), the educational system, concepts of war, the Cold War itself, you name it. It was confrontational, often profane, loud, and rarely pretentious. Punk Rock took the status quo and smashed it to bits.

Even as the first wave of punk receded, new alternative genres such as Synth-Pop, Ska, Jangle Pop, and Post-Punk would further the groundbreaking nature of that early wave – The Smiths, Public Image Limited, The Cure, The Damned, New Order, U2, The Ramones, Depeche Mode, The Beat, et al. would carry the torch through the 80s. Each added their own challenge to the establishment, asking questions that one wouldn’t expect from other areas of the popular music scene, adding their own dimension to the rock mosaic. To this day, while there is no definitive “80s Alternative” sound, the mosaic of that era is one of my favorite “eras” of the rock and pop music world – in fact, my own favorite band, synth-disco duo Pet Shop Boys, emerged from and were influenced by elements of those music scenes.

As for why I’m bringing this up? In a Steven Universe review of all places? Well, the last time I brought up punk music, it was in a review of an episode dedicated to punk rock and romance. This time, we’re discussing the birth of a band and Steven Universe‘s examination of a goth-driven subgenre in the Alternative Rock realm.

Welcome to the age of Sadie Killer and the Suspects.

Or, in short, welcome to “Sadie Killer”.

Steven Universe Review: “Raising The Barn” (Season 5, Episode 7)

You’ve got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We’ve gotta make a decision;
Leave tonight, or live and die this way.
– “Fast Car”, Tracy Chapman.

Airdate: December 22nd, 2017 (released online on November 10th)

Written By: Danny Cragg (credited as Amber Cragg) and Hilary Florido

Plot: Steven finally gets a phone call – Peridot and Lapis are checking in! Unfortunately, the kid’s explanation of recent events drive Lapis into a state of panic, and she decides to take Peridot and scram. There’s just one issue – Peridot herself. And she only comes to the conclusion when trying to retrieve Pumpkin after the pet runs off.

Review:

Did you hear that sound back in November 2017?

That was the sound of thousands of Lapidot shippers crying out in terror… and then sobbing as they surfed the Archive of Our Own for weeks on end, swimming in their grief, trying to escape into fanfiction of varying quality, cursing the name of Rebecca Sugar and the Cabinet of Maniacs we as abject geeks call the Crewniverse.

Their fabled ship, floundering in the brisk autumn water. Probably the ship with the most devoted followers, and it took a massive, and now apparently irrevocable, body blow. Nothing in the Steven Universe fandom was ever really the same after this. It seems weird in a show full of epic episodes, but “Raising the Barn” was a quiet power, as it really tossed the old rules of shipping out the window. After all, if Lapis Lazuli/Peridot, one of the most venerable pairings in fandom, supported since back in Season 1B, hinted at during Season 3, wasn’t safe… what was?

Did I mention yet that this was Danny Cragg’s first writing credit with the series? After being a storyboard artist in Season 2, the mad lad got himself a promotion. And in a show that is known for stomping on fans’ hearts? Well done, sir, you help write one episode and helped drive much of the fandom to despair! You were built for the Crewniverse writing room. Even Molisee and Villeco had a couple of episodes under their belt before “So Many Birthdays”, and that wasn’t even the saddest episode they wrote. (Go on, guess!) You, though? Right in our hearts!

Which leaves the ultimate question – how the hell did it happen? Besides Sucrose and Company wanting to wring every last teardrop out from our eyes?

Steven Universe Review: “Off Colors” (Season 5, Episode 3)

Don’t beat yourself up like that, Lars. That’s what the killer robots are for. – Steven Universe, trying to give comfort to Lars as the two face certain death on Homeworld.

Airdate: May 29th, 2017

Written By: Lamar Abrams and Jeff Liu

Plot: Lars and Steven are on the run from Homeworld after the latter’s trial fell apart in spectacular fashion. Forced to hide in the literal Homeworld underground, they wind up encountering a group of outcasts, the Off Colors. And with Homeworld on the prowl, will Lars find himself able to rise to the occasion?

Review:

Lars Barriga. If you’re a Steven Universe fan, you don’t need to be reminded of how much antipathy the fanbase once had for this character.

If you’re not, though? A quick review wouldn’t hurt.

He was probably the most widely disliked character in the show. And it wasn’t in a good way – it’s not like the writers intended to alienate the fans from this character. They weren’t making a baddie. So why did Lars fail so early on? I’ve talked about this before, but to summarize for newcomers: a combination of a tonal mismatch, somewhat repetitive plots, and a general desire amongst many fans to go into space rather than look on Earth. In short, the character was just off enough to attract negative attention, on-screen long enough for it to matter, and his presence went against fan hope and desires for the show’s development.

How we were all played, or so it seems.

Becky Sugar and the Crewniverse had some tricks up our sleeve for our least favorite angsty fast-food employee. It’s certainly not the first character the writers used to play us off the path – remember Peridot’s first appearance and how we feared her? Oh, how we should have learned our lesson then. Or what about the autocratic Diamonds, not redeemed but humanized in ways that made them more tragic? Did you really think they would leave Lars, an actual ally to our hero (no matter how flawed he was) in the lurch?

Well, they didn’t.

And after the past couple of Lars-centered episodes rescued the character’s role, the show’s redemption of his piece of the narrative is cemented in “Off Colors”. It’s not one of the best episodes, but we have a damn fine outing here overall.

Steven Universe Review: “The Zoo” (Season 4, Episode 13)

“Walls don’t open! They’re walls!” – Wy-six. The people of Berlin would disagree with you.

Airdate: February 1st, 2017

Written By: Lamar Abrams and Katie Mitroff

Plot: Steven has tracked his father down into the Gem Zoo. But he finds out that they’re not the only Humans there. Indeed, for centuries, a group of humans have been making their homes in this environment, with all of the comforts of life and none of the displeasure therein. The utopia is perpetual, or so it seems. But could Greg be the cog in the machine?

Review:

“The Way to Eden” is the twentieth episode of the third season of Star Trek: The Original Series. Airing in February 1969, it revolves around hippie-esque aliens looking for their Eden and hijacking the Enterprise with their sheer hippie-ness. And SPOCK, of all people, is willing to sympathize with the hijackers. In contrast, the youthful Chekov doesn’t side with them.

To cut a long story short, it is widely considered one of the weakest episodes of The Original Series – up there with the infamous “Spock’s Brain”, the poorly-produced “And the Children Should Lead” (nice acting), and the misogynistic “Turnabout Intruder”. Besides the contentious characterization and plot, a substantial part of the critique has been related to the treatment of the contemporary counterculture, a treatment viewed as simplistic and somewhat cynical, particularly for the seemingly liberal and insightful Trek universe. The attempts to deconstruct utopia in a series that espoused it are judged to have fallen on their face in lieu of a blatant social commentary that alienated the counterculture viewers within the audience.

A few decades later, a liberal neo-hippie gets her own piece of sci-fi on the air. Entitled Steven Universe, it spent it’s time on the air demonstrating progressive ideals through a science fiction and humanistic lens. The show itself has generally portrayed elements of what can be argued as “countercultures” positively, as part of SU‘s general cultural ethos. Further, Steven Universe is known – infamous, some would argue – for its possession of an idealistic aura.

On that note, the writers also decided to do an episode broadly revolving around a society that evolved to have quasi-utopian and mildly “stereotypical” hippie elements. The series is doing a partial deconstruction of itself, some would argue. In fact, they make this episode a part of the Out of this World arc in Season 4. Go big with deconstruction or go home?

Steven Universe Review: “Adventures in Light Distortion” (Season 4, Episode 11)

“If being a pancake means saving my dad, then bring on the syrup!” – Steven. Good news, he doesn’t turn into a pancake. The bad news is that he doesn’t turn into a pancake, if you get my drift.

Airdate: January 30th, 2017

Written By: Raven Molisee and Paul Villeco

Plot: Steven’s in a panic because his father has been kidnapped by an interstellar autocrat. A fair reason to panic, most would argue, particularly since Greg is en route to a human zoo. Ergo, the Crystal Gems venture into the deep nothingness of space. With the trip projected to take 70 years, Steven tries to look for a way to get to Homeworld before his father is dead. Unfortunately, by playing with the settings, he messes with the Gems’ physical forms.

Review:

Who wants to go on a SPACE TRIP?

That’s probably what Greg Universe would say if memes based on Steven Universe were applied across the canon. After all, some jokes just won’t die easily. There’s just one teeny-tiny issue – we last left Greg as he was being kidnapped by a blue giant alien lady and taken to parts of the galaxy unknown to humanity. It’s only the kidnapping scenario that I would almost least-like to be in.

So Greg will not be proposing any space trips today.

But he will be the impetus therein. Steven Universe is going to space, and we aren’t coming back until he’s back from the stars. We’re in the Out of this World arc – Steven Universe going as close to Star Trek as it has gotten so far, and probably as gotten as close to Trek as it would ever get.

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to “Adventures in Light Distortion”, or as I like to call it, as close to a good version of “Threshold” as you’re ever going to get, for reasons I’ll get to in a second.

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.

Steven Universe Review: “Last One Out of Beach City” (Season 4, Episode 6)

“New Pearl – no plan!”

One Saturday, I took a walk to Zipperhead.
I met a girl there, and she almost knocked me dead.

Punk rock girl, please look at me!

Punk rock girl, what do you see?
Let’s travel ’round the world
Just you and me, punk rock girl.
– “Punk Rock Girl”, The Dead Milkmen

Airdate: September 8th, 2016

Written By: Hilary Florido and Jesse Zuke (credited as Lauren Zuke)

Plot: Amethyst’s plans to go to a local garage concert are almost scrapped after Greg has to drop out for personal reasons. Pearl and Steven, however, volunteer to go in his stead. The former decides to take the night in an attempt to be cool. But even her best-laid plans are thrown out the window when a woman catches her eye. So alluring is this woman that, when the two meet up again on the road, Pearl makes an attempt to embrace her inner rebel.

Review:

Let’s go back to the dying days of the summer of 1978, clear across the ocean from where I’m writing this review.

Bear with me for a minute here.

John Peel, a DJ at the BBC’s pop radio station (Radio 1), was previewing records to play on his “freeform” nighttime radio show. Peel’s show had gained a cult following due to both his eclectic music tastes as well as his ability to popularize certain genres of music to British audiences. In one particular case, sometime in September of 1978, he came into contact with an EP from the Undertones, a Northern Ireland based punk band. Said EP opened with a two-and-a-half-minute bit of power pop, “Teenage Kicks”.

To say he liked the song would be the epitome of understatement. Peel immediately put it on his show’s playlist, and on one early occasion, spun it twice in a row. The Undertones were signed to a major record level shortly after, and “Teenage Kicks” was re-released and charted in the Top 40. Upon hearing a mainstream DJ spin the song, Peel claimed to have burst into tears, and noted that the song still had a similar effect on him years later. When he died in 2004, the opening lyric – “Teenage dreams so hard to beat” – was etched on his grave, taking to it his opinion that “Teenage Kicks” was the greatest record of all time.

It’s an argument I have a hard time refuting. While not my own personal favorite, “Teenage Kicks” is easily in my own top tier of songs that I’ve ever heard. Mind you, I don’t think I would class myself as a punk enthusiast (I prefer both the contemporary disco genre as well as the synthpop that would define part of the 80s “alternative” scene – New Order, Depeche Mode, and especially the Pet Shop Boys). But I do quite enjoy pop music from the 70s and 80s. It’s hard to think of another record that so easily captures the aura of infatuation, something that so many of us have had to deal with. We got a brilliant bit of pop music set to an early punk beat, simultaneously relatable and unique… and all in two-and-a-half-minutes. A song that reflected the desires of the target audience, and brought even older listeners back to the first flush of love.

This from a genre that is often stereotyped as angry young men and women raging against the establishment (best epitomized by The Jam and the Sex Pistols), from a band that came out of Troubles-era Northern Ireland. The best song out of that era, out of that region of the world torn apart by paramilitary conflict, was a song about infatuation, a yearning to be loved by somebody, a near-universal desire for the listening audience be it in their past or present. The punk sound simultaneously aided and bellied a rather universal truth.

Still with me? Good. Because punk is the name in “Last One Out of Beach City”. But love is the game. And today’s punk enthusiast staring down her emotions? Pearl.

Alright, now that you think I’m ridiculous, let me explain.

Steven Universe Review: Season 3 Wrap Up

“That’s exactly what she said.”

Well, there it is. The end of Steven Universe Season 3. (And with funny, damn near fascinating timing – Future is about to wrap up in the next couple of weeks.) Yet again, what a season of television.

I’ll be honest – I do rate Season 2 above Season 3. But to suggest that this represents a decline would be a rather hyperbolic take on my opinion. I prefer to look at it as saying that Season 3 has Steven Universe holding its own as the show gets deeper and deeper into the story arc. Not all shows do so – Heroes, anybody? So props to the Crewniverse for making yet another season of compelling television.

To put it simply, Season 2 felt “tighter” than Season 3 did. By this, I mean that Season 2 mostly maintained a consistent sense of quality through the stretch of episodes. Season 3 is relatively inconsistent in quality – “Restaurant Wars” and “The New Lars” setting themselves up as among my least favorite episodes. Things started to pick up again with Jasper’s reappearance, leading to a rather solid set of episodes revolving around her and Amethyst. Then “Bismuth” came, and four of the last five episodes ranked amongst my favorites, brilliantly setting up the last two seasons while fleshing out the titular character and the specter of the deceased.

Thematically, Season 3 felt more like a bit of a deconstruction of the first two seasons. If those seasons showcased optimism winning out over colder paths, this season took an alternate route, demonstrating the necessity of realpolitik, and how we can occasionally be forced to set our personal codes of conduct aside for the good of the world. But it also demonstrates how even then, it should be a very, very reluctant path. The concept of idols is utterly smashed, as I’ll describe below. Let’s just say comparing ourselves to others can have less-than-ideal consequences.