UPDATED 7/20/15
I love Steven Universe and I can't believe I haven't conducted reviews of these episodes. So here I review the last 5 new episodes of June and 5 new episodes this week.
I love Steven Universe and I can't believe I haven't conducted reviews of these episodes. So here I review the last 5 new episodes of June and 5 new episodes this week.
"Sworn to the Sword," Episode 9
Pearl trains Connie to be a sword fighter and takes it too intensely, putting it akin to Pearl and Rose. A very intense episode and I kind of feel like this is coming too soon. Pearl is way too eager to allow a human--Connie--to fight for Steven, when she never taught Greg any fighting skills. Maybe because she sees herself in Connie and also since Connie was able to fuse with Steven means something. But I still think its too early in the relationship.
Grade: A
"Rising Tides, Crashing Skies", Episode 10
A snore of an episode where Ronaldo does a documentary about the Gems. It has its funny moments but no new information and no real growth for Ronaldo.
Grade: C
"Keeping It Together", Season 2 Episode 11
Garnet finds out that Peridot has forced fused fragment gems which freaks out Garnet, who is a fusion. She freaks out in front of Steven and later apologizes. Steven asks how it is be a fusion, Garnet says he should know as he has fused before, but he means all the time. She kind of clears up that even though Sapphire and Ruby are their own persons, Garnet is her own person and they are like her left and right arms. But the episode itself feels a little disjointed and the pacing is off.
Grade: B+
"We Need to Talk" Season 2 Episode 12
This is a great episode!!! This is better than "Story for Steven," I love the flashback episodes. It has been alluded to that Pearl really cared for Rose Quartz and there was adversity between the Gems and Greg. It is nice to see young Greg (he brings up the story since Greg witnesses Steven and Connie fuse), he is so short and cute with his long hair. Meaning LOTS of year passed between when Greg met Rose and Steven was even conceived. So anyway, in this ep we see Rose fuse with Pearl making Rainbow Quartz, which reminds me of Danse from Jem and Rose Quartz singing like Jem. Greg wants to fuse too and tries to with Rose, which makes her laugh and makes Greg realize that Rose is not like any normal woman, well she is an alien gem. And I got the sinking feeling that Greg loved Rose more than she did and she wasn't aware of the concept but since we have Steven and see them kissing in an earlier flashback, I have confidence that eventually she understood it. The producers admitted that Pearl was indeed in love with Rose.
Grade: A+
"Chile Tid" Season 2 Episode 13
The title "Chille Tid" translates roughly to "Chilling Time" from Norwegian Bokmål. The Gems are finally searching for Malachite after Lapis Lazuli force-fused her and Jasper together in the season finale. Steven is able to communicate with Lapis in his dreams and has Amythest and Pearl dream as well. Pearl has never dreamed before. Steven dreams his life is like an old school sitcom and eventually communicates with Lapis, trying to tell her they will help. She feels responsible and tries keeping Jasper at bay. He tells Amethyst and Pearl that he did see Lapis, who is fused and is still in control, but was unsure for how much longer. Garnet arrives home and falls asleep. I liked the episode, as usual everything is going slow and this complicated premise makes sense and is delivered in an understandable manner.
Grade: A
The following five eps aired on the week of July 13.
"Cry For Help" Season 2 Episode 14
Peridot is trying to send a message to homeworld so Garnet and Pearl take down the tower by merging to be Sardonyx, who seems to be theatrical and comical (voiced by Alexia Khadime, who has played Elphaba in Wicked. Amethyst feels left out and jealous, Steven suggests checking out when Peridot rebuilds the tower since it happened again and they formed Sardonyx again. They find out Pearl rebuilt it, they reveal this to Garnet and Garnet is upset. At the end of the ep, Steven and Amethyst mention how they wish it would get solved like in a cartoon. That's what I like about this series, when characters are mad, they stay mad. I have been looking forward to seeing a Garnet and Pearl fusion for a long time. We even get a cute Amethyst song.
Grade: A+
"Keystone Motel" Season 2 Episode 15
This was a fun episode because it showed Ruby and Sapphire after their premiere. Garnet is mad at Pearl for what she did in "Cry for Help" and splits up. She tags along with Steven and Greg to a motel in a state named Keystone apparently. So Ruby is very mad and creates heat, heating up Steven's pool. And when he goes into the motel room, Saphire has gone all "Queen Elsa" with ice powers. They make up but it is an important and touching episode showing what appears to be a same gender relationship (since all Gems do use female pronouns and are voiced by females, the creator Rebecca Sugar they are genderless).
Grade: A++
"Onion Friend" Season 2 Episode 16
Onion pops up and steals Steven's snack and he and Amethyst follow Onion to his house to find artwork of Amethyst. Steven finds out that Vedalia (Marty's girlfriend in the flashback "Story for Steven") is Onion's mom and an old friend of Amethyst. She is also Sour Cream's mom and since Sour Cream said Yellowtail was his step-father and Yellowtail is Onion's dad, means Sour Cream has another dad. Many fans suspect it is Marty. Steven is freaked out by Onion's antics but Amethyst gets to vent with an old friend. This is a great episode, it explains a lot about Amethyst and also expands the mythology of Beach City.
Grade: A++
"Historical Friction" Season 2 Episode 17
Steven is rounded up by the mailman/budding actor Jamie to do a play on the first mayor of Beach City, the great-great grandfather of Mayor Dewey. But what Dewey wrote is not historically accurate and it is in a positive light, so Pearl--who was really there---helps Steven write a new script which Dewey isn't sure about but eventually accepts once the audience loves it. It is interesting to see that the Gems have been around for years. It also hinted that Rose Quartz fused with the other Gems to make one big Gem. This doesn't match with the other episodes in the week but its a nice break. The only thing that meshes with the rest of the week is Pearl's off-comment about her own choices.
Grade; B
"Friend Ship" Season 2 Episode 18
The Gems are tracking Peridot by jacking one of her machines to the Warp Pad and able to find her. They fight her but fail. There is still friction between Garnet and Pearl. The quartet think they trap Peridot in an old ship but she traps them inside. Steven and Amethyst escape and Pearl and Garnet are stuck in walls that about to slam together. They manage to make up and fight Peridot again but get her foot and she escapes. They have their happy ending, I am glad, this episode is a great end to a week of an emotional roller coaster. It worked out perfect, it was like a movie. Well Historical Friction could had been anyway, unrelated but the five episodes coalesces.
Grade: A
