Rebecca Sugar's Steven Universe (Warning: Untagged Spoilers)

[DabigRG]

I guess I can say I thought this was a good episode objectively, but I don't what to say beyond that. This episode is pretty much made of trailer bait, though.

Looks like I was wrong about Ronaldo having a role in this episode. Not sure if that disappointed me, honestly.

Also, Greg being related to Carl Brutananadilewski confirmed.

[Remy]

On 11/19/2016 at 2:02 PM, DabigRG said:

Also, Greg being related to Carl Brutananadilewski confirmed.

Definitely the funniest/weirdest thing about the episode to me, was not expecting to hear that voice in this show, especially playing basically the same character. Really funny lmao. Who's next, Master Shake?

Really sweet epsiode I thought, it's nice to see something so compassionate after such a shitty election cycle

[Tara]

Tonight's episode was brief, but it does have some very emotionally tense moments that I feel definitely make it worth the watch.

I had wondered for awhile what an episode that takes place shortly after the death of Rose might be like.  I pictured it would feature the characters moping over Rose's death, and trying to come to terms with it.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that the pacing was quite different than I expected.

The wounds that Rose's death left in her wake are obviously still there, especially in Pearl.  Seeing that kind of torment on Pearl's face was pretty upsetting.  I could really relate to the way she expresses her anguish with such a look of emptiness in her eyes.  Meanwhile, it was evident that while the others were confused, they were trying their best to move on, but weren't quite sure what that meant.

It never occurred to me, however, that the gems wouldn't fully comprehend the ramifications of Rose's decision to have Steven, but it makes so much sense seeing it in context.  He resembles Rose and even has her gem.  They don't understand that Rose really is gone forever, and they don't understand why someone would choose their own life over that of something they can't understand.  So when Pearl realizes that, no matter how much it pains her, she has to respect Rose's final wishes and accept the reality of the situation, it really hits hard in the feels.

I do wonder if there's perhaps a previously-establishsed plot point that I don't quite understand.  What would have happened if Pearl had succeeded in what she thought she could do to reunite herself with Rose?  We can probably assume based on the framing that it could have been fatal, but what I want to know is what specifically would have happened.  Would she have pulled the gem out?  Would it have actually worked?  That's what I don't quite get.

Really good episode.  I liked it a lot ;_;

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Spoiler

Baby Steven is cute. No wait, he's too cute!

I honestly found the pulling gem scene a bit scary, but it shot me in the feels that, Pearl and the rest of the gems should respect Rose's decisions, having a son was what she wanted, and Pearl breaking down like that was also sad. 

Amythest and Garnet trying to cheer up Steven and get him "back to normal" was cute and funny as well. 

Though my attension was to the credit music. Instead of the Love Like You music, it's some really good but ominous piano techno music. Are they implying that something dark is going to happen soon?

 

[Tara]

4 hours ago, Candy Cane Kahuna said:

Though my attension was to the credit music. Instead of the Love Like You music, it's some really good but ominous piano techno music. Are they implying that something dark is going to happen soon?

Any place I can listen to those, since the broadcast I have recorded has ads played all over the credits.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

7 minutes ago, Tara said:

Any place I can listen to those, since the broadcast I have recorded has ads played all over the credits.

Seen it in this video. Skip till the end.

I think this type of music played in Gem Harvest as well.

[DabigRG]

So, to get some interesting discussion going down, I'm gonna post a few questions to get some outside opinions that aren't reddit or tumblr related. Pick one if you wanna get extensive:

Who/What are some of your favorites?

Who/What are some of your least favorites?

What do you think could be improved about certain characters/episodes/plotpoints?

What do you think about the trend where the weaker gem in a fusion has the most pull in what it looks like and/or how it acts?

What do you think is in the future for the Crystal Gems, Beach City, and Homeworld?

[Tara]

To answer the questions above...

- I'm quite fond of Pearl, simply because I relate to her a lot.  I admit to being a little bit on the clingy side, so I can understand how the death of someone you love so much could hurt you to such a degree and how that depression can manifest itself in ugly ways.  I don't defend some of her actions, because yes, she's done some pretty bad things and was very mean to Greg, but I can't help but feel an immense amount of empathy for her, because it's evident that her wrongdoings come from a place of inner-turmoil, not from a bad heart.

Beyond that, I also love Garnet's maternal nature and comforting presence.  It's hard not to feel calm when she's around.  Not to mention, she is literally the best ship incarnate.  Ruby and Sapphire are just little darlings, and they're so great together and apart.

Then, there's Lapis, who in addition to having probably the most tragic story arc, actually has a very fun personality.  I didn't care for Peridot much at first, but now that she's reformed, I have to say I quite like her.  She's arrogant and boastful, despite having no credentials to earn it, but she's so funny because of it!

- I think Lars and Ronaldo might be my least favorites.  The former, because I think he's just an awful person with no redeeming qualities, and the series has yet to sell me with a reason to feel otherwise.  Pearl does some bad things, but we know that she cares about other people, and she's taken visible steps to improve upon her shortcomings.  But Lars is pretty complacent with his lousiness, with it only ever really being brought in question in the episode where he and Steven switch bodies.  Made worse is that he drags Sadie, a character I actually do like, into the affair, and no matter how you pair them (romantically, platonically, however), they're just not right for each other in any stretch of the word, yet I feel like the series is trying to get us to think that they could make a good couple, and I just feel like even if Lars shaped up to be less of a louse, the two still seem incompatible to me.  It's infuriating.  As for Ronaldo, I just find him very annoying.  I feel like we never learn anything from him.  There are some clever internet references here and there with him, but that's about as chuckle-worthy as it ever gets with the character, and you don't even need that character to make those references.  He's just constantly unpleasant and just not very funny or charming in any stretch of the word, in my opinion.  Except, maybe, for when he gets dumped by his girlfriend that everyone had pretty much assumed to be a fabrication.  That was hilarious and could only have worked with Ronaldo.

- Beyond things that are character development-related, I feel like Connie's life away from Steven remains a little bit ambiguous.  This is perhaps intentional as it's not really super important to the plot, but I would like to see more of her home life in the form of some slice of life episode when the big, dramatic plot point is on break.  There's a comic in which Steven goes to school with Connie that is kind of cute.  An animated adaptation of that might be interesting.

- I never really thought about that trend in much detail.

- It's hard to say what the future holds, but I imagine that as Steven grows and matures, there will be a lot of divided loyalties and difficult decisions he must make that might alter his course.  As we are learning with each new revelation, Rose may be well-meaning and sweet, but she's not perfect and (like we all do) she has skeletons in her closet.  The Gem Homeworld remains ambiguous, so it's impossible to predict what could happen with that, but I'm hoping that we will get to see more of it soon, and get an understanding of where it currently stands in the war.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

https://mobile.twitter.com/cartoonnetwork/status/811588726912585729

Looks like Steven Universe is coming back January 30th. Either a Steven Nuke or a daily schedule. 

Either way, looks like it's gonna be serious. Pretty excited for this!

[Tylinos]

Also, we've got some episode titles and descriptions for that week's Bomb:

• Monday, Jan. 30: “Steven’s Dream” – A strange dream prompts Steven to search for answers.
• Monday, Jan. 30: “Adventures in Light Distortion” – Steven and the Gems take off on a search and recovery mission.
• Tuesday, Jan. 31: “Gem Heist” – The Gems try to pull off a heist.
• Wednesday, Feb. 1: “The Zoo” – Steven visits a special zoo.
• Thursday, Feb. 2: “That Will Be All” – Steven and the Gems make a daring escape!

[Vec]

6 hours ago, Snowmmetra said:

https://mobile.twitter.com/cartoonnetwork/status/811588726912585729

Looks like Steven Universe is coming back January 30th. Either a Steven Nuke or a daily schedule. 

Either way, looks like it's gonna be serious. Pretty excited for this!

They hinted about that palanquin back at "Buddy's Book". I knew they wouldn't just let that pass

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

3 hours ago, Tylinos said:

Also, we've got some episode titles and descriptions for that week's Bomb:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

• Monday, Jan. 30: “Steven’s Dream” – A strange dream prompts Steven to search for answers.
• Monday, Jan. 30: “Adventures in Light Distortion” – Steven and the Gems take off on a search and recovery mission.
• Tuesday, Jan. 31: “Gem Heist” – The Gems try to pull off a heist.
• Wednesday, Feb. 1: “The Zoo” – Steven visits a special zoo.
• Thursday, Feb. 2: “That Will Be All” – Steven and the Gems make a daring escape!

 

I wonder whether Peridot will appear in one of these...

[pastelspectre]

Steven Universe is literally one of my favorite TV shows ever! I'm so excited to see it come back soon. I've seen all the episodes so far and so I'm excited to see the new episodes. My favorite character is Peridot, probably because I feel I sort of relate to her a bit.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Heads up, CN screwed up again by uploading some of the new episodes in their app or something.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

3 minutes ago, Fusion Ellipsis 2017 said:

Heads up, CN screwed up again by uploading some of the new episodes in their app or something.

Heh, not just any episodes, try, THE WHOLE STEVEN BOMB that was set to come out later on the 30th of January!

[pastelspectre]

Not gonna lie, I watched the whole Steven Bomb of 2017 on Dailymotion. All I'm gonna say is, you guys have a lot to look forward to. A ton of plot development and some cool characters return!

[Tara]

To watch the leaked episodes or wait    I should probably just go ahead and watch them so I don't have to worry about spoilers.  But then there won't be anything special on the 30th.  

[Kevin]

I watched the whole Steven bomb this morning and while I don't want to give anything away, I will say you're in for a real treat! That was one of the best Steven bombs ever!

[StaticMania]

They weren't leaked...though technically now they kind of are.

[KHCast]

They're on demand so I guess CN just said "fuck it" lol

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Ohh shiz, you guys are in for a RIDE.

DIS GON BE GOOD.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

Seen the whole bomb (my first Steven Bomb watched ever since getting into the show late last year).

I tell ya guys,  the info you get from this bomb would be the equivalent of a OHK attack of evidence dealt out by Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3!

In fact,  @Tarais it alright to post about them,  of course spoilered, since the episode's were technically "officially" available ?

[Tara]

56 minutes ago, Jovahexeon New Year NiGHTS said:

In fact,  @Tarais it alright to post about them,  of course spoilered, since the episode's were technically "officially" available ?

Just keep them in spoiler tags until after they've aired on TV (to accomodate for regional restrictions and internet-related difficulties and so forth).  But yeah, by all means, feel free to discuss them. =P

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Oh, we can discuss the leaks? cool.

Spoiler

TINY CARNELIAN IS THE CUTEST FUCKING THING HOLY SHIT

[MightyRay]

Spoiler

So... the reason why Rose was 'one of a kind' is because Pink Diamond bubbled them all up due to our Rose going rogue and turning gems against homeworld? Because if so then hooboy what a can of worms we've got waiting to be unleashed.