So here's what's up. I've full-on bought in on this show - not "second best show of 2016" bought in, but I mean, top twenty, easily. It's just so damn fun and enjoyable. But! But I'm going to echo something Kevin said when he called Steven Universe the fifth or sixth-best show of 2016. Season 3 had no sense of urgency! There were twenty-four episodes here, depending on where the seasons start and end - which is another issue entirely, but whatever - and although Season 3 began and ended on high notes, the whole middle stretch there was just... slow. There were maybe ten or twelve or fifteen straight episodes that just did absolutely nothing to advance the show's mythology, its plots, in conflicts. I don't need to see Steven and Connie drag racing against a douchebag. I don't need to see Steven spend an episode trying to rehabilitate a primitive centipede monster. I don't really care about baby Sour Cream. I had no desire to see Steven and Lars swap bodies. And I definitely didn't want to go five or six straight episodes without hearing from Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl!
I mean, don't get me wrong - still plenty of awesome here. Seeing the Gems play baseball was a lot of fun, as was the "Shorty Squad" spending a day in an amusement park; Peridot's emergence as a breakout character picked up right where it left off at the end of the second season. Amethyst got a great arc late in the season where she lost and then regained her confidence and swagger. And, sure, Uzo Aduba's Bismuth was an unexpected surprise. And I've always loved Lapis for reasons I can't fully understand - I just want her to find happiness, dammit! Oh, and that full-blown musical episode was pretty neat, even if "Greg becomes a millionaire" is a weird and very forced arc that this show totally didn't need at all.
But look at me, babbling on like an angry nerd about what worked and what didn't, when what's really important here is how quickly and fully this show has captured my attention and interest. I'm all in! I'll be caught up completely in a matter of days, I'm sure, and the DVR is set to record the rest of Season 4. And then we can all gab about our favorite characters and moments and theories! Hooray! Sween, jump on in here! The water's wonderful!
I disagree. The first season had bottle episodes as well. And I think the ones in season 3 were absolutely phenominal. On the surface they might not advance an over arcing plot, but they are vital to us getting a deeper understanding of our characters. Steven trying his hardest to rehabilitate the centipeedle was incredibly important as it showed us that there is still, to a certain degree, some humanity (rather gem-manity) left in the corrupted gem monsters. It was important for not just Steven to learn that, but the other Crystal Gems (as us the audience).
ReplyDeleteAnd the drag-racing episode is another insight into how Connie and Steven's personalities work together in a fusion (which will be important later on as they train to fight together). Lars and Steven switching bodies is a fun way how showcasing how Steven's powers are increasing while also giving an important lesson on letting people choose their own paths despite what you think is best. And the Shortie Squad episode was nice in that it helped Peridot get over her sadness at losing her tech and being unable to shape-shift and discover her own unique powers through fun and friendship. (Hint we also learn that the Gem Homeworld has dwindling resources so newly made gems have to have tech enhancements since they can't have powers, tell me that's not important world building)
I think just because they don't advance anything doesn't mean they don't have just as much merit. Yes it's sad to go 6 episodes without the Gems but it's refreshing to get to delve into the world of the supportive cast. It's a kids show at heart and kids need a break from large scary world domination plot line to ones that teach simple life lessons.
Sorry I could write a whole thesis on Steven Universe and would defend it to the death.
Zoë! Great to hear from you. You're right that even the bottle episodes (and perhaps especially the bottle episodes) are important for character building, and you're right that the show drops world-building information - often subtly - anywhere and everywhere. So perhaps "absolutely nothing to advance the show's mythology" was an exaggeration.
DeleteBut! I stand by the minor complaint that the show took its foot off the gas pedal for a little too long in the middle of Season 3 there. Between when Steven returns home from the aftermath of the cluster incident ("Steven Floats") and when Jasper returns ("Alone at Sea") there are eight straight episodes in which there just isn't an overall arc. The cluster's been contained, the rubies are off on Neptune, Malachite's been separated, the Gems don't have any inner turmoil to deal with - there's just nothing going on.
Now, in hindsight, maybe this was intentional; as I look back at the airdates, I see that the eight-episode stretch I just described aired over the course of only ten days or so, in late July - perhaps this was the show's way of having a little "dog days of summer vacation" thing. But as someone who binged the hell out of this show after the fact, the airing pattern of those eight episodes was completely lost on me, and as a result they just felt like this gaping lull in the overall storyline. Standalone episodes are great, but when they pile up in the middle of a narrative they're not really standing alone as much as collectively delaying the next big storyline, you know?
Anyway, I'm only like four or five episodes away from being all caught up, and I can't wait to dive in on all the theorizing and speculation I've been avoiding for fear of spoilers. Write that thesis! I would read it.