Steven Universe Review: S5E5 - Dewey Wins

[@growingpains7753]

The worst part is that them crying in the trailer made it seem as if they were going to face this issue, but it ended up just being used as a gag

[@infiniteenigma1]

The worst part was that they made us believe they were going to give us some answers finally but then dicked us over with ronaldo jokes in the next ep.

[@growingpains7753]

infiniteenigma1 Honestly

[@infiniteenigma1]

you are right though in that for a show that stresses so much about the importance of emotions, you think they would treat the emotions of grieving parents with a little more respect.

[@growingpains7753]

^^^^^^^^^^

[@youwhat.]

Maybe it's because CN knows people want to see and gives it to them, unlike the shitty writers who care more about being preachy and creating drama plotlines

[@edoboleyn]

The thing about creating a show whose protagonist is supposed to be an emotionally sensitive and constantly maturing “empath” is ... you actually have to write emotionally sensitive material from a mature point of view. Instead, their moral perspective can be seriously spotty. Some characters get passes others don’t and that stands out precisely because the show so emphasizes precisely those themes. In a way, this episode is a sort of miniature version of my unease with the show’s treatment of Jasper and Lapis. Consent, emotional mistreatment, and healthy relationships figure prominently throughout the show, but the Crew seem intent on clearly depicting Jasper, a victim of abuse trapped in a fusion against her will, as the scary aggressor and Lapis as a unerring victim whose past wrongdoing is never explored. This is a show that spent an entire Steven Bomb on how wrong it was for Pearl to mislead Garnet in order to get Garnet to consent to form Sardonyx, the pain it caused Garnet and her composite Gems. When Peridot hurts Amethyst’s feelings in “Too Far,” she has to learn to recognize her guilt and her mistake and then apologize-though apparently Amethyst was fine with Peridot saying worse stuff about Garnet the fusion and Pearl the Actual Slave. Soooo it stands out when Steven and the creators treat Lapis with kid gloves after she, you know, attempts to drown two kids or unnecessarily traps Jasper in a hellish, self-destructive fusion at the bottom of the ocean. Just like it does when Steven “Mr. Empathy” Universe and the show itself forget about Lars, you know, DYING and his parents losing their teenaged son in space.

[@alicequeenofmadness9995]

I completely agree with everything you just said

[@sapphire_willow]

I feel for Jasper at times, and I really want to see her character develop and overcome, but at the time Malachite formed she was a serious danger to everyone and the Earth. To me, painting her as a victim during that phase is kind of like victim-shaming or blaming a woman who has a romantic partner arrested for trying to hurt or rape her...sure there might be some sort of rehabilitation and redemption for the aggressor, but until then the danger they pose can be minimized by confinement. Also, remember that it was Jasper who initially coerced Lapis into fusing in the first place! Lapis took a situation that would have been horrific for many people, and instead reduced the damage done. You do make an excellent point in that we are unaware of Lapis's specific transgressions, if there are any, and her motivations for them.

[@whodatninja439]

And Lapis is the most powerful of all the gems. SHE BEAT ALL OF THEM SINGLEHANDEDLY!

[@Rex13013]

Mere C Both Jasper and Lapis did a lot of horrible things, but the show blames Jasper for everything and give Lapis a pass for everything she did. Jasper could've easily been redeemed and the end of the Steven nuke, and I'm not saying that just because she's my favorite character, is because she was in the right in a lot of stuff and like you said they could've written it better, I mean Lapis and Peridot got redeemed and they've done their fair share of bad things.

[@KingOpenReview]

Gps1337 I don't think it would have made sense for Jasper to be redeemed not because of what she's done, but because of her current thought process. She still has that vandeta against who she thinks is Rose, and still buys into Homeworld ideology. I do think she's coming to a crossroads though, where she'll have a chance to switch her allegiance or reaffirm it.

[@ramonorozco2670]

This steven bomb was very disappointing. The entire plot revolved around Connie and Steven's breakup. With some lapis stuff added in. But honestly it was resolved within one episode, and based on what Connie said it could have been resolved quicker if they had met in person sooner. All that buildup led to nothing. And don't even get me started on the whole pink diamond back story that straight up trolled us.

[@banzar1529]

broke up as in stopped being friends i guess

[@gracekelley2907]

You make some good points, especially about how... childish it was that Steven realized what he did to Connie at the end by having it happen to him. It felt very much like a 90s educational show with set morals every episode. And you brought up a good point at how Lars' parents were given the shaft in exchange for the election as a main focus. I didn't even realize it until just now, but you're right. Why the hell would Steven want to support Dewey after he said such a terrible thing about replacing Lars? At the very least Sadie and the Barrigas should have been questioning Steven as to why he went behind Dewey so hard when he supposedly cares about Lars' safety, or Steven shouldn't have been as blind to everything except for making sure Dewey won. Its like he had tunnel vision, or he was clinging to the election in a desperate attempt to make sure something didn't change. But now that I think about it, I honestly feel like Steven didn't grow AT ALL during the bomb. He got why offering himself up hurt Connie, but I don't think he realized how hard it hit everyone else or just how fucked up it was that he was basically offering himself to die, and earnestly thought that earth would be spared just because he asked nicely. Also, why the hell didn't we get to see the Gems reaction to Steven acting like things were ok at the start?! In Gemcation, they all assumed it was homeworld related, but couldn't Garnet have seen that theres a high possibility he's worried about Connie? He was staring at his phone all weekend and no one thought to ask him why? IS it normal for Steven to be so obsessed about his phone? Damn, now that I think about it, there are so many holes in how this plot of "Steven and Connie have a rift and other things happen" was treated, no wonder why I had such a lukewarm response to most of the episodes. I thought there would be a bigger focus on the emotional repercussions of what Steven did. I thought that Greg and the gems would take him aside and help him to see that Steven's self sacrificing is destroying himself instead of trying to get him to talk about Homeworld, sure, that could be part of the conversation, but the main conversation should be "why the hell did you give yourself up to be killed by the Diamonds?" I thought that they'd start treating him like what he is, a very traumatized young man who needs help. He's almost 15, I thought that Steven would mature a little, but no. He hasn't, he's getting worse even! And thats scary and needs to be nipped in the bud very soon. And unless they do this season, I don't know how long my patience will hold with this show. Because Steven will only continue to do things like this, but its going to get worse as Homeworld starts coming to earth more and more. What will it take, him getting poofed before someone realizes that he is not ok mentally? And its going to get to a point where I'm so frustrated with this character's lack of emotional progression and mental regression that I'd probably take a break from the show, at least until it does get discussed so we can start seeing a healthier Steven. But at the very least, things ARE changing in Beach City, and thats nice to see. If only our protagonist could follow suit.

[@aaa1e2r3]

Honestly, I felt that both Steven and Connie were both kinda written out of character for this coming story line to even be possible. Like you had said, Steven is surprisingly unempathetic for this episode, it kinda reminded me of Omniverse Ben. That being said, Connie didn't come out of this clean either. The way she was framing it, it sounded like Steven had just given up and let himself be taken, but after checking out the episode, this really was not the case. The two of them were getting curbstomped by the two Topaz, and when Aquamarine stepped in, he was the only one on the ship, excluding Lars who was hiding. Considering this all, it made perfect sense that Steven would go for the sacrifice play

[@TheDestny117]

Exactly my thoughts. I find it kind of insulting that the story ended up putting Steven as if he was the one to blame because of this.

[@sylendraws1249]

Athavan Rajasingham I hate melodrama

[@CombatSportsNerd]

Shuttering-Flutterflies What consequences was he supposed to Face?

[@ccaw5785]

I think a lot of times we want characters to act entirely rationally, but real humans do not always act rationally (in fact they rarely do).

[@CombatSportsNerd]

Shuttering-Flutterflies Bubbling bismuth wasn't even a bad move considering she tried to kill him,Lapis rooming with Peridot turned out great for months until Steven brought up BD,violating Lar's privacy is irrelevant this late in the game, Jasper deserved to be demonized(along with Lapis) because you don't kidnap someone along with most of their entire family,knock them out then attempt to kill two of them on separate occasions and expect immediate forgiveness just because of your tragic past. Life doesn't work like that. However I'm not against Jasper redeeming herself seeing as how her actions made sense and weren't done out of pure desire to ruin everyone's day. So I wish her good luck. As for the rest of the stuff you mentioned yes he has got to fix those issues

[@youwhat.]

The whole drama between Connie and Steven felt SO forced and obviously just a way to divert from other issues that should be taking precedence. The writers even joke about this in Gemcation which just makes the problem more salient and irritating. If you watch Star vs, this is like that fight Star and Marco had in Storm the Castle but instead of Star realizing that she was unnecessarily rude to Marco for his decision due to her own ambitions and going to apologize the next day, what Star did would be to completely ignore Marco for days while he tries to make up with her. It would feel contrived there because they are best friends and it feels even more contrived in Steven Universe after what happened in Full Discourse and Mindless Education. The issue of Connie just snubbing Steven is addressed but Connie doesn't apologize for it fully. Also nothing is ever done about Steven's attitude in general. Not only is the drama contrived but it doesn't lead to any character development for Connie at all because this situation only happened because she was written way out of character. Steven's flaw in self sacrifice and not taking the ramifications of his actions seriously could have been addressed a million better ways with an actual sign of development that isn't constricted to one person. Whole bomb was utterly disappointing in terms of plot. Some things were amusing though, like Sadie's song and character development. Also Steven was out of character as well. How could he not understand how what he did might have Connie upset after Sworn to the Sword? Why did he need the Major Dewey incident to point it out? He's been built up the whole series as the sensitive one? It makes no sense. If they were going this route, they should have made him understand how Connie felt and why but still INVALIDATE it due to utilitarian reasoning. That would have gotten across the Rose arrogance while having Steven still be in character as well as give Connie a more solid reason to act the way she did. As it was, Connie was just acting rude **cough** like a total bitch **cough* with little provocation tbh.

[@jamestolbert1856]

Yeah Steven should’ve never have been oblivious to Connie’s hurt emotions and she should’ve never have made him feel what he did was selfish which is just ridiculous considering if he didn’t everyone would’ve been taken to the zoo

[@jamestolbert1856]

With no way out

[@sarahupegui6797]

You speak the truth. Steven is way too oblivious and the mayor sucks and does not deserve the effort. I was waiting for an episode on Lars' parents, their son sort of died after being abducted by aliens, I want to know how they feel, but instead, they spat on their faces. Way to go Crewniverse.

[@Szellah7]

i feel mayor think is just a aniversary talk about trump

[@dragb9284]

Sarah Upegui ok yeah agree with the mayor but I can kinda give Steven a pass, I mean he’s gone though a lot in the span of a few days and watched late die. That had to have been a little traumatic.

[@donalbornoz5986]

drag b They should've focus on that, not in what we got

[@MaxiaCrest]

Keoh 8 Lar isn't fine tho. He still alive as pink zombie but these bombs should've focused on the aftermath of that and how it will affects his family from now on. Also how Sadie's handling Lar's being another planet. It's fine is you like these bombs but I find them to be really bad.

[@raptirboy180]

What has mayor Dewey done to deserve this hate what actually has he done that was bad that didn’t involve ancient alien technology

[@flotuna2937]

I agree with you on the most part but I can see why he wanted mayor Dewey to stay as mayor. Steven has always known him as mayor Dewey. He doesn't understand normal human systems without being told, such as school. He wanted things to be normal, as they were before he went to home world.

[@CombatSportsNerd]

Flotuna Ooooohhhhhh That's why Steven was acting like this

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

Yeah, I think Elk vastly overestimates Steven's intelligence. He's more mature and knowledgeable about human civilization than the other Crystal Gems, but that's because they're even more ancient alien babies than he is.

[@catherga]

I still find it hilarious that the same town that nearly descended into a chaotic riot over a 24-hour power outage is able to maintain order and relative calm when one of their own literally gets abducted by aliens.

[@GreenNinja70]

This whole bomb just threw me off. Steven- Lars died, and is trapped on Homeoworld because of him, and instead of coming up with a rescue plan, or caring about his endangered well being. He spent six episodes ( roughly 3 weeks) helping a politician who shows little concern for Lars well being, goes on vacation, starts gardening in the Kindergarten, joins a band, and goes to a party. He doesn't even go looking for Lion until the end of the bomb. Connie- Yes Steven left you, but it was to protect you from spending your entire existence in a zoo. There was no way Stevonnie could stand a chance against Aquamarine. So instead of being a good friend or being there for Steven , you not only have his late mothers sword in your possession , but you keep his pet Lion- who you know is the only gateway to Lars. Lapis- Was it really necessary for you to take the entire barn, and just leave Peridot and Pumpkin with nothing.

[@MinyMiny]

"For a show all about resolving conflicts by crying about it..." oh my gosh you somehow just highlighted the main thing I find annoying about SU in one sentence lol

[@whodatninja439]

Steven cries like every episode. it's getting annoying. I THOUGHT HE WAS GROWING UP

[@SonicmaniaVideos]

Growing up doesn't mean less crying you fool...that's not how emotion lords work.

[@jamiethomas3768]

Who Dat Ninja he doesn’t.

[@jamiethomas3768]

MinyBeats VA Steven Universe was already terrible, but this arc was where it solidified itself as the worst cartoon in animation history. SERIOUSLY!

[@moonydoll7109]

Something that bothered me about this episode too, is that it seems like Steven almost wants to be considered responsible. Like no matter what evidence is shown (like Dewy's disregard for Lars as a person) or the facts (like the fact that even if the aliens were out of Dewy's control he still should have tried to do something, literally anything); Steven will rewrite the narrative to put himself at fault. This self pitying martyr complex is so irritating and makes it hard to feel bad for Steven. But its never brought up or treated like a flaw.

[@jordanswenson5073]

The fact that Dewey relied on a child to help win a political ceremony was imo kinda pathetic and cringe. Kids show yes but the context of Steven not having any political expertise to me was really frustrating, even if Dewey was merely a mayor. Good episode but still Steven trying to fix problems such as these were rather silly

[@garrettcrumes8103]

You just made me so depressed. You just gave me the realization that my Steven Universe expectations have dropped and I hate it. I watched the 6 episodes with a basic feeling of “these are ok, and could’ve been a lot better” but with everything you pointed out here it’s just not ok for a show that’s been so spectacular and done so many amazing things. I’m so sick of the slump I feel this show has over-gone and the general lack of growth and direction as I watch the show. The episodes just missed so many opportunities and focal points that just were not ok. I don’t even know how to describe this but just for a show that’s done sooooo much it’s disappointing and disheartening to see all the drops in direction, animation quality, character development, and purpose that has just been lost for some reason and I don’t understand why. It’s just so disheartening for such an amazing show and I HATE it. It used to be that episodes were great and spectacular. Now it’s either ok or occasional amazing. I’m UPSET

[@Yapity111]

I think you misunderstand. Steven knew that Connie was upset that he turned himself in. He just didn't understand why that was a legitimate reason to be upset. I don't think he saw it as something that he did wrong or had to apologize for. I don't really either. There's no way they could've formed Stevonnie and won that fight, what did she expect him to do? I thought it made sense for Steven to only realize why it hurt when Mayor Dewey gives up without even talking to Steven. Although again, in real life? The decision is up to Dewey, it's his life. As much as Connie and Steven are close, and as much as Connie wants to bear Steven's burdens in life, she can't. I think that would've been a much better lesson. I agree that this episode was slog. The whole Steven bomb was unfortunately very boring. Why didn't Steven press back into saving Lars?? I thought you were his friend Steven. Lars doesn't want to stay in space forever.

[@PikaKip32]

RainAngel111 kinda couldn’t do anything without lion

[@youwhat.]

But its OOC for him not to understand that. He is the fucking emotional sympath of the group. Also, Sworn to the Sword happens so this is just an example of shitty writing with no excuse.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

Sworn to the Sword is the whole reason that Connie is upset in the first place. Steven had a whole season and change of development learning about the gems and Rose to change his mind about that and see why Pearl thought that he was so important, and why in the end one of the two of them would have to take a bullet. Connie didn't have that, so her perspective is unchanged (for the better, since Steven learned lies).

[@simonholmes841]

I think she expected him to treat her as an ally, not as a mere liability. Even though his decision was rational, it left her behind, cast out, helpless. It was an act of love, but it actually diminished their relationship in her eyes. Being his treasure is nothing compared to being Jam Buds with him. It's a harsh reminder that she belongs in the mundane world, that the magical destiny isn't really hers, that what she thought was empowerment was only a fantasy. I love how her experience mirrors Greg's in this way, and I wish they'd explore her side of it more. I disapprove of so much of Connie's story being that 'Steven cares about her.'

[@Yapity111]

I understand that, but I feel that the Crewniverse did badly handling it. No matter how much she wants to, Connie can't take on Steven's destiny. About the closest would be if they form Stevonnie permanently (essentially like gem marriage). I don't think it was right for her to be mad for this long, or for Steven to be the one who is painted as a bad guy.

[@leopardeye1654]

Personally I saw Stevens behavior as some ptsd or form of denial. As in the main reason why he’s so focused on Dewey’s victory and oblivious to Connie’s problem is because he’s afraid that things are going to change for the worse in the near future , with the whole diamond threat ever growing, and so seeks to keep everything around him the same. He might not even be fully aware of this himself.

[@brianbrush5107]

but they never said that

[@leopardeye1654]

That is true. I got the idea because change seems to be a major theme this bom. A lot of things are different now. From the top of my head: -There’s a new major -Lapis left and took the barn with her -Peridot now lives at the temple again -Sadie quit her job at the big donut -Connie got a new haircut There might be even more and the show shows not tells us various methods of dealing with it

[@brianbrush5107]

dont get me wrong im not denying thats what they intended and i love little symbloism here and there but heres the thing if you NEED to analyze it to understand why this charachter is doing it then its bad writing the symbolism is just a bonus

[@leopardeye1654]

I agree. I got the feeling they tried to cram to much into a single episode. I would probably have worked out fine if they had eater made this two episodes or a two-parter.

[@laurenmungaray3912]

I thought the same. I understand why Connie and Steven did what they did and people have high expectations for children lol i think it was in character for them and makes the characters feel like real people.

[@hundragant]

I found it frustrating that the citizens were placing so much blame on Dewey. He had no part in the abduction, and what the heck is he expected to do about it? Send his military into space? I feel bad that Dewey had to deal with that. He seemed to have been placed into a losing situation.

[@eldib12345]

This whole steven bomb showed such a large lack of social and emotional understanding or maturity. These episodes were so awkward and morally skewed, this writing was just awful period.

[@sladikk]

The conflict made no sense, the episodes themselves weren't fun to watch, the writing was bad...Great return after the longest drought in the show's history, guys

[@Szellah7]

sladikk maybe that's a case, they knew it would be overhyped so they inserted few more episodes before "lars of the stars"

[@infiniteenigma1]

yeah if I had to sum up this stevenbomb it'd be conflicted. The only good eps to me were the ones about peridot and Sadie. Everything else was just steven trying to help and getting help from some of the more unlikable characters in this show.

[@alchco5809]

This show is shit now

[@sladikk]

Sebastian Zellah Maybe that's why they shoved it on the app and I had to watch with my smartphone

[@NoirRaven]

I'm pretty sure, as with Lars being a dick for the majority of the series, this will, eventually, bite Steven in the ass later. Rebecca said this season (or what remains of it,) is one where everything changes for Steven and that he's going to be facing some hard truths that he's got to learn to deal with. I think this Steven Bomb was just the start of this journey and we're not done with Lars' parents just yet. However, is this the direction they should've gone in? Absolutely not. It's beyond insensitive and spits in the face of everyone watching, much less the characters. Also, I don't know how you feel about spoilers so you'd better stop reading now but... ...In one of the later episodes, everyone thinks Steven is traumatized over the Diamonds and throughout the episode, we're teased about their lore but Steven keeps shutting everyone down. Pearl seemed programmed not to tell anyone as she literally fights with herself trying to tell Steven about them, when it's revealed he only cares about Connie and his breakup with her and oh, my god, the amount of backhand I felt when this happened. I wasn't surprised because at this point it's pretty clear the crewniverse hates their audience but, god damn, I am so sick of Steven now.

[@jaybee27D]

NoirRaven Pearl was about to reveal something too, when he finally snapped right before she could. So annoying

[@anothernerdontheinternet]

NoirRaven these episodes had to exist to make changes to the status quo and see how rhe last 2 arcs changed beach city. Not saying you are wrong, but these episodes had to be a thing.

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

Bonnibel Butterfly Cipher yeah, all off this episodes (except back to the kindergarten) had some change, changing things that were stablashed in the pilot, Sadie quiting her job, lapis leaving earth, and the change of mayor

[@lovelovemiraclesunsetgirl]

i don't know why you're acting like steven deserves "blame" for cutting pearl off i said it on another comment but he's a freaking 14 year old at the end of the day he's just gotten back from being in space for several days in a place where he's a wanted criminal, he's been desperately hoping _someone_ would catch onto what was wrong if his immediate reaction to garnet seemingly knowing is any indication, and he already knew pearl was totally wrong about what was up he doesn't not care about homeworld or that shit, not in the _slightest_ but he's a 14 year old going through all of that and someone he loves and has been his best friend for some time and always been there for him seems to want absolutely nothing to do with him because of him doing something heroic that he thought they'd be nothing but thankful for, and especially considering that's the first time he's _dealt_ with that kind of "loved one apparently ignoring you and being constantly paranoid about if they hate you" type stuff yeah it's completely unrealistic to pretend steven's going to prioritize magical homeworld destiny stuff over those feelings at a time like that, because at the end of the day, he's only a kid, and even a kid who's willing to put their life on the line to save everyone is going to get emotional after all the build-up throughout the vacation

[@minhacontaize]

We don´t want realism, we want to have fun. I see 14 year olds everyday!

[@VonOddly]

I'm starting to get fed up with Steven Universe. It's like how all the characters didn't give a shit about the Rubies being in space.. or that the gems aren't even concerned with getting Lars back. It's frustrating.

[@anothernerdontheinternet]

FredVicious67 it isn't that they are not concerned, it's just that Connie took Lion with her and they have no way to get in touch with Lars that is not through vising him via Lion. But yea, the rubies thing last season was kind of frustrating.

[@whodatninja439]

Plus the Crystal Gems never seems to do anything anymore. They always gets their ass kicked. Steven is the one who has to save them all the time.

[@whodatninja439]

All the CCs do is keep lore secrets, and give exposition but only when the plot demands it. it was interesting at first, but now FOUR YEARS LATER, it's just annoying. i think Rebecca Sugar makes it up as she goes.

[@dragb9284]

FredVicious67 yo be honest the rubies tried to kill them and there honestly not a lot they can do to get Lars back. Ok be real with there resources what exactly can they do to get Lars home. Plus gems arnt is they don’t really know Lars and as cold as that is, it’s kinda true beings tend to priories those close to them over strangers.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

Did you forget he Navy episode where 1 she was a little shit and 2 she stole a spaceship and might have gone to save all her comrades? Either they're safe, or they're little shits who don't deserve to be safe anyways. Obviously they're fun characters to have around and as a viewer I want them to be okay, but there's no reason the Crystal Gems should feel that way.

[@4facedshepherd59]

Honestly I had similar thoughts when it came to Steven's development upon watching this episode. Steven has been on quite a good roll with questioning his mother's acts against pink diamond, and if even very shortly, having to face Lars' death. After everything, not understanding Connie's anger seemed super out of character for Steven, making the introduction have a sort of awkwardness that never left for the episode's entirety.

[@lavenderglaab835]

I agree about Lars's parent's grief. I was really disappointed that we didn't get to see them telling his family about what happened.

[@aleksandarbrezar9980]

I agree with you. I tried to see Steven's jokes about the whole experience as a coping mechanism. I think that it'll all get far more serious as the season goes on. But I am NOT a fan of the whole Mayor Dewey thing. The lesson Steven got from it seemed just forced in, like a brick being crammed into a small space. I enjoyed Sadie. Her mentioning Lars to Dewey was a powerful scene. I wish we got more of that, and just let the whole Nana - Dewey thing be a background story. I wanted to see the consequences of Lars' disappearance. I wanted to see how they would react to the entire thing, because THAT'S WHAT MAKES ME LOVE THIS SHOW. The entire story about Connie resonated with me. It reminded me of a couple situations I was in. But why make that the focus?! WHY LEAVE PERIDOT IN A BATHROOM FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITHOUT ANY COMMUNICATION?! SHE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS ON HER OWN BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING NEW TO HER?! "I am more upset that I did something stupid than, I don't know, almost being killed, having to flee from, not one, but TWO Space Hitlers, meeting a group of defects who are scared out of their minds because anything can kill them just for being made the way they were, and also MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND DYING IN MY ARMS AND THEN COMING BACK JUST BECAUSE OF PURE LUCK. Conni pls luv me agai"

[@aleksandarbrezar9980]

Also, thanks, Connie, for taking away Lion from Steven, and most importantly, Lars' parents and Sadie.

[@jamiethomas3768]

Aleksandar Brezar I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTEEEEEE COOOONNNNIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Michaela_ZC]

Steven doesn't like things to end. We see this since the first episode of the series. Spite his growth, Steven still has his fundamental problem that he is scared of change, and that's why he supports Dewey. So many parts of Steven's life has changed recently and the town has been his one saving grace from that. No matter what, Beach City would stay relatively the same. Now not even that is true, with Lars being gone, so he's trying to keep everything the same. Our main character is having real faults that make him potentially harmful that are based in his core philosophies, and I think that is cool.

[@Caught_You200]

I agree with you 100% This episode had so much potential to be emotionally powerful and mature, and this is what the crewniverse shat out after the longest hiatus ever for SU. The made the most cursory effort to showcase the devastation that the Barrigas felt and spent actual money making that garbage episode that could’ve been summed up in 2 sentence throw-away conversation.

[@TrojanTeapot]

Steven not talking to Lars' parents about what happened to him is definitely one of the worst decisions the show has made so far. Another really annoying aspect of this episode, and this Stevenbomb in general, is that you would expect Crystal Gems to actually start coming up with a plan to deal with the looming threat of Homeworld, and for Steven to tell them about the trial he experienced. You know, the trial for Rose Quartz? Leader of the Crystal Gems? Important stuff like that never gets addressed anymore. Remember back in the beginning of season 2, the Crystal Gems actually cared about looking for Peridot and Malachite? They should show the same amount of care, if not MORE, for whatever Homeworld is planning. Maybe they do, but we're never SHOWN this, and that's a major problem.

[@wolpertingera5829]

Please. Nothing is more important than two little kids having friendship problems. THIS is the real issue they have to deal with not some danger from outer space that can destroy the planet.

[@ripwitch9833]

Them actually making plans for the upcoming threat? Nah, wait till they're already on Earth to do that, we have to get Connie (and Lion) back so they can be friends with Steven again and let Ronaldo become an honorary gem!But yah I agree, we never get the feel that they care for the upcoming threat until it's like right on top of them. Especially when there's concern of another war, the gems really should be on top of it.

[@laurenmungaray3912]

He did it off screen so what's the problem? Plus, why do we need them to care about what Homeworld is planning onscreen? They know it'll be bad, we don't need to hear it from them. The audience aren't stupid, we don't need it to be told to us.

[@titansjojo1445]

I agree. This whole Connie Steven spat was so dumb. I wanted to see Lars' parents.

[@Yapity111]

Yeah, it's not as if Steven being abducted, and several characters ALMOST being abducted, and the Gems being singlehandedly defeated by one gem, and LARS BEING STUCK IN SPACE didn't give them enough material to work with. Geez. This spat feels completely contrived and it was dragged out *so long*. When is Steven going to save Lars?? This is one of the few Stevenbombs where I actually feel like I almost just forced myself to finish it.

[@devilovesdevil]

Titans JoJo I'm glad others see it as dumb I was severely confused the skewed the situation as if he just gave up cuz I dont understand how that could be when I'm the episode they were getting desteoyed basically and he saw a way to stop before someone got severely hurt. I thought Connie yea can be upset she couosve lost him but to ignore him that much was intense when she learned back in mindful education to talk about those issues when she held in how she hurt that kid. Even Lion acting like that was so weird to me he didnt even miss Steven. Even the Lars thing wasnt brought up at least in conversation to lead up to them talking about him later in episodes at least. There was no Steven while in his upset state thinking about Lion like how am I going to check on Lars and that also being a reason he needs Connie to answer him.

[@sprint7412]

I really didn't like Steven and Connie's break up. It felt forced. Like the writers suddenly changed Steven's personality so he wouldn't get that what he said to Connie when he got back wasn't okay to say. I thought these new episodes could have been written better.

[@BucketThinkTank14657Nerd]

Mayor Dewey just got steamrolled for no reason here. I mean, the entire thing is on Steven and yet Lars' parents act as if the Mayor has the ability to get Lars back. This would have probably worked if Steven never told what happened to anyone but Sadie (who is waiting for him to tell the Barrigas) and the Barrigas complain to Dewey for not doing anything. Having Steven avoid his problems as Mayor Dewey does the same thing with the election until the two of them have to face the reality. Steven is also seriously downplaying what happened to Lars, as he's basically a zombie stuck on a planet where people want him dead. Steven I think in regards to Connie thinks that because the issue is resolved then everything is ok. This highlights a problem with Steven that I think is pretty consistent, he is very much set on the idea that any problem can be solved if he just throws himself at it. It's a very hero thing to do and for Steven, who sees it all as his fault because "he's Rose" makes sense for him because it seems he's embraced that for some reason.

[@TotallyHypnoSquid]

I kind of feel like steven didn’t tell his parents everything, like it’s kind of like they know he got kidnapped but not what actually happened

[@nightowl8477]

4:08 even though the whole concept of this episode is that Steven was responsible for the abductions, and the episode was about him feeling guilty about it...but he never spoke to the parents...? Bad writing

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

He talked to them off screen

[@StarWarsAddict527]

It would have been better if we saw him do it.

[@pascalh5274]

there was no indication in any way that he did, he only said he wanted to.

[@clairemercer3099]

Steven was on a high after returning from Homeworld but you're right about the Barringas. As for his immaturity Steven is being held back by the gems. Unlike most children he does not have chores, a job or school. He can skip out of doing something unpleasant and do things when he is ready not at a set time like the rest of us.

[@Kompy__]

Thank you! These episodes were so disappointing, especially after the trial.

[@YeagerBomb-ww3bn]

Don't get me wrong, new episodes were good, but why the hell did Steven totally forget or stop carrying that his mother might have not shattered Pink Diamond? I mean did that just get swept aside? I know he cares more about Connie and all, but still. No mention of who offed Pink? Also, does he not care that the Diamonds are now hunting for him?

[@capsulon445]

This is why I hated "Lars' Head" and wanted him to comeback to earth with Steven ASAP, because judging from the upbeat ending of Steven f***ing smiling despite Lars' situation I knew that the next episode wasn't going to have Steven confronting Saddie/Lars parents as well as it being another case of how the Gem stuff is distancing itself from the human stuff ( and by human stuff, I mean characters who are NOT CONNIE OR GREG) by writing out one less human character for a bit. Now had the ending of "The Wanted" special ended on a sour note of Saddie walking in as everyone is gathering around Steven, and ask him "Where's Lars?", there would have been absolutely no way for the Crewniverse ignore this plot element in the upcoming episode. Instead they chose the easy way out and as a result the pacing of this Steven Bomb was so off putting that its caused people to question the overall quality of the show.

[@omarsanchez8956]

Finally someon is saying all of these, it was so frustrating, several weeks passed and Steven did not do a single thing for Lars

[@infiniteenigma1]

To me the next ep was the most frustrating but yeah I can definitely see why this one rubbed you the wrong way. The most annoying thing to me about this ep was how Connie was depicted as feeling betrayed when honestly she should have felt useless, since that was what she was when Steven had to give himself up.

[@infiniteenigma1]

Right?! Like at this point in the story with how much things that happened in the past are affecting the present that they would stop playing with us and take the time to fill us in a little as to what happened. I just hope hope it will be worth the build up as opposed to Lapis' backstory

[@infiniteenigma1]

Yeah I only barely accept the Pearl thing thing cause apparently some have noticed that this might have some real lore attached to it. Otherwise it'd be the most overt and insulting "fuck you" to the audience

[@lovelovemiraclesunsetgirl]

she did feel useless, though it's just that what was done to make her feel that way made her feel betrayed, too, because she'd been promised that when the time came she wouldn't be useless and they'd team up ...and steven's angsting was kind of totally reasonable when you take everything into consideration though i do get that it cutting pearl off is pretty tease-y but honestly, i think it's clear we're gonna be finding more about that stuff very soon, and it just gave us another pretty massive thing about pearl anyway _(her seemingly being LITERALLY unable to speak about the matters - in fact, when you think about it, was steven even "cutting her off" if she isn't able to say what she wanted to anyway? isn't revealing that rather large detail about pearl inadvertently kind of probably all that could've happened anyway?)_

[@infiniteenigma1]

So I disagree with with the betrayal thing cause when you look at that situation in "I am my mom" they had a small window to fuse but missed it and then Connie just went along with fighting on her own beside Steven instead of getting another chance to fuse into Stevonnie. It's not like they had much of a chance to fuse anyway. That whole scene was chaos. Plus by the time Alexandrite showed up and then got neutralized it became abundantly clear that not even fusion could solve this. The way its been recently portrayed is that Steven chose not to fuse and chose not to talk about it. We know that's not true so it just feels like Connie is pushing her negative emotions on Steven who doesn't need any more stress than he already has.

[@infiniteenigma1]

I do agree though that after everything that happened, the fact that he feels like he drove away the same person who stood by him when he transformed into a baby must be heartbreaking, but I feel that it would have been good for Steven to take his mind off of it like he was supposed to in gemcation and maybe learn more about this past war that's causing him so much pain right now.

[@Kevin-bloo]

The worst part of this bomb is that I didn't care at all about Steven and Connie. It never really seemed that Steven was sorry for going out in space alone but more for hurting Connie which is a huge problem. He made a promise with Connie that they'd go through this together. But, he says this once!! And it's in the last episode of the bomb. All I got from this bombs was that he wanted to apologize to Connie, not show that he wanted to make things right. And the entire "I did not know what to say" thing is complete and utter bullshit!!!!! If something like that happened I'd be furious!! Especially if the person who did this blew me off to do something else after I SHOWED him I was not okay!!! They had some many opportunities for Steven to make things right (meeting with Lars parents, helping Sadie adjust, trying to make things up for peridot/acknowledging that Lapis leaving was kind of his fault). And he didn't. We just got annoying, depressed Steven, a pink diamond and possibly white diamond dick tease and a batch of boring, preachy episodes. The only saving grace was Sadie Killer cuz it was a bit interesting and brought a major change in the show.

[@RacecarsAndRicefish]

I had been waiting for so long to see what becomes of lars but they hardly even mention him... Like, lars is on homeworld with the diamonds trying to hunt him down, while connie is sad that steven left without her or something, and they decide to focus on connie?

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

pcakes Steven couldn't do anything about Lars because lion was with Connie the whole set of episodes

[@RacecarsAndRicefish]

Davi Matheus Betim good point, but lion shouldn't have been with connie imo. It feels like maybe they did that just so steven has an excuse not to visit lars

[@Floodbane]

"connie being mad steven went on space adventures without her was perfectly reasonable" this entire subplot was moronic and just made connie an even worse character

[@redgeoblaze3752]

I think the main reason for all of this backlash to this bomb comes from three possible reasons that may overlap. 1: When the show first started, we didn't expect anything of substantial story, so to see anything, is exciting and new, but that slow drip hasn't sped up, and we start to expect lore, and story development, rather than being pleasantly surprised by it. 2: Many of us started watching the show later in it's life span, (Like I did) so we were able to binge watch all episodes in a shorter time, meaning we get the story developments faster than they were delivered when the episodes were being aired first. Meaning we feel like it's slowed down, when really the amount of story episodes has increased (three world development episodes in season 1 for example) Furthermore, I noticed that when the summer of steven was going on, this complaint wasn't said nearly as much, if ever. 3: The long wait between episodes will invariably lead us to forming our own theories on what's going to happen, then those lead to expectations, then those expectations lead to disappointment in the final product. This one seems the most obvious, (Just look at the disappointment people had towards "Gem Harvest")

[@pokemonpika77]

So I ended up watching almost all of these episodes backwards, I did watch Sadie Killer before Kevin Party. But, as weird as that was, I liked how I watched them. It made me feel like this episode was completely unneeded, they could have added the Connie stuff to the start of Gemcation and it would have been fine. Or, like you said, done a whole episode about Lars' parents and Sadie. I might even tell people to skip this episode completely and just tell them that Connie and Steven aren't talking right now.

[@steelbarber]

Glad I’m not the only one who thought this episode lacked a whole lot of sense character wise

[@ShabyUwU]

This bomb made me feel like The Abducion and Homeworld arcs never happened and that's awful, after raising the bar so high you would think the Crewniverse would know how to maintain it there, but boy, little I know they would drop it so hard. To think this is the same show who once had me completely hyped each week. (S1B -& S2).

[@cadr003]

I personally liked that Connie was angry at Steven for his self sacrifising behavior, because it does put her in a terrible position and would've been good for character development. But like you said, the execution of it all seems so piss poor. I wish he wouldve learn his lesson from the Crystal Gems, Sadie, or one of the cool kids (like a plot where one of the coo kids gets in an argument with one another and Steven has to help and himself learns a valuable lesson). But nope, we got this election bull.

[@totallyjerd1751]

I have lost all enjoyment with SU, because most episodes are filler stories. I wouldn't have a problem with this, if those filler stories weren't boring as hell. The people of beach city are B O R I N G.

[@aliamcbride]

This episode was just plain annoying. Everyone was written OoC and it didn't make any sense for this storyline to even exist. Why would Steven not understand Connie's feelings when she literally says why she's upset? Why would Steven think that helping out Mayor Dewey is more important than being with Sadie and Lars' parents, even after Dewey showed that he clearly thinks Lars can be replaced? Why does Steven seem to care so little about Lars being trapped in bloody space? They could have done so much more with the aftermath of the last episodes, especially since it was so eventful.

[@aliamcbride]

Also, throughout these episodes, the gems make ZERO effort to get Lars back. While Peridot, Amethyst and Steven are planting flowers, Lars is STILL. IN. SPACE!!

[@megacrashthehedgehog5377]

I honestly don't think this episode was terrible, just really boring. Sure the episode started off promising but then it just went straight downhill.

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

Mega Crash The Hedgehog I agree

[@lourdespacheco3700]

You hit the nail on the head! Everything you said is how I felt the entire episode ! I thought it was ridiculous how naive and oblivious he was and I seriously expressed it in those same words the day I saw this episode! It was out of character for him to support Mayor Dewey after he brushes off Lars' disappearance as nothing important! I expected Steven to burst after he belittled Lars' situation but he continued to support him. Ridiculous...but apparently Steven randomly acts naive and oblivious to situations. Also it irritates me when they make Steven say things are fine when they're not. Yes I know he's a teen and teens are like that, but I would like for him to show that he is mature enough to ask for help when he needs it, to know that it's okay to say it's not okay like amethyst said because as we've all seen he has been through a lot that should've changed his perspective on things ! I'm not expecting him to give up his childlike ways or to stop having fun/joking around, all I'm saying is he gets these developments but they seem to be forgotten when he acts naive to the seriousness needed in situations. but then again this episode didn't have any complexity since it was more likely geared to kids cause they parallel "the breakup" between Connie and Steven with his fallout with Dewey & I seriously don't think that was a good enough comparison but for little kids to have an idea they made that horrible comparison when the two are nothing alike! Out of all the times they have explained things beautifully, this was one they failed imo. It would have made sense if they would've paralleled the betrayal Connie felt with the gems or even with one of the cool kids who Steven has a close bond to but Dewey? They merely spent some days or weeks together and he realized what Connie felt with Dewey LMAO it just doesn't compare, it doesn't make sense! This was an ass pull and a boring one at that too !

[@Thechaosprime]

Crewniverse: HEY I GOT A IDEA EHY DONT WE CREATE AN EPISODE AROUND A BORING BACKGROUND CHARACTER AFTER A MASSIVE ARK WE JUST HAD AND GLOSS OVER IT LIKE NOTHING!!!!!

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

CHAOS STUDIOS I think they wanted to show that the Earth still spins, and the background characters, still leave, when Steven is doing his stuff

[@Thechaosprime]

Daniel Crecca i hate this show

[@Thechaosprime]

Daniel Crecca im actually planning to make a whoke rant on this shit show

[@Thechaosprime]

Daniel Crecca dont worry ill talk about that.

[@Missdigitallycrazed]

Oh look I'm early for once. I 100% agree with you. This episode was a colossal waste of time, and should've been about Steven talking to Lars' parents about Lars. I don't care about Dewey or Nanefua (Even though she's a pretty good character too), and I kept wondering why Steven hasn't talked to Lars' parents yet. Like, he doesn't talk to them AT ALL during this bomb, and it's honestly frustrating....Hopefully he does so in the future? But I don't know...

[@CombatSportsNerd]

The real issue here is if he did talk to Lars parents what we actually say? I want him to talk to them too but I'm at a loss as to how he would approach it without giving them heart attacks

[@Missdigitallycrazed]

That's a good point. I guess it wouldn't be easy to say "Hey, so your son died, but I kinda revived him, at least somewhat" without it coming off as a bit awkward. But I don't think it should be straight to the point, I think he just needs to water it down a bit before getting to the "heart attack" kind of news..

[@CombatSportsNerd]

Lovelyduckly Yeah so long as he walks them through it step-by-step instead of dumping the entirety of the past five seasons on them at once things should be all right. I just hope he uses his life experience to execute this scenario correctly.

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

He talked to them off screen

[@Missdigitallycrazed]

It should've been ON screen, then. Why'd we have to waste time on a mayor, who by the way is absolute shit at his job?

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

I found the whole bomb disappointing, but "Dewey wins" was definitely the worst of the bunch.

[@stephenskinner7207]

Man, I hated this episode. I know this term gets overused, but it really did just make me cringe, from start to finish. The dialogue, the plot (or lack thereof), the cardboard cut-out moral, the characters, the fact that Steven is gonna be worried about municipal politics after coming back from space and leaving an undead friend on another planet...it's just so boring, hammy, and unnessecary!

[@tristanneal9552]

Imagine this: Remove Dewey completely, and Connie doesn't leave until the end of the episode but she's made it clear that she's mad at Steven and is giving him the cold shoulder. Steven meets up with Sadie and they decide to break the news to Lars's parents together. The episode mostly focuses on this, and after a heart-wrenching talk with Lars's parents Steven realizes how important our friends and family are and goes to confront Connie. Connie explains that she is mad that he just gave himself up and then they have the talk from the start of this episode, but now it is at the end and has had some emotional buildup leading to it. And then, in a slightly different end to that conversation, Steven explains how deeply his actions have hurt Lars's parents and asks how Connie can even act so upset about something so petty. Connie tells him that just because other people are experiencing hardship, that doesn't mean she's not entitled to her feelings of anger and frustration, and then tells Steven she has to take a break to think about things. If the episode had been written this way, it would have resolved several issues. First we would have got some great moral messages (the unintentional collateral impact Steven's actions can have, the value of our loved ones, not comparing people's problems to belittle the feelings one party may have) that wouldn't have been shoehorned in or forced. We wouldn't have spent the entire Steven Bomb wondering "what about Lars?", because Lion would be gone and Lars's parents would have had actual screen time. Connie would have had a much better explanation of how she's feeling, so her leaving and giving Steven the silent treatment wouldn't have been so uncharacteristic. And it would have set up the following story arc in exactly the way this episode did.

[@wook5676]

Sounds WAY better

[@ghostsurfer23]

Another reviewer I watch posited that Steven's obliviousness was meant to demonstrate that he's inherited some of Rose's negative qualities as well as her positive ones. We haven't combed Rose as a character nearly as much as I'd like, but the gist I've gotten is that while she was very loving and empathetic outwardly, she could be selfish and short-sighted on less broad issues. If this is something that gets explored more in the near-future, I'll forgive it here. As for Steven siding with Dewey so completely, I honestly think that's meant to be read as Steven coping with his stress(albeit poorly) Since there was no immediate fix to his Connie problem, he threw himself in fully to helping Dewey, something he probably would have viewed as something that could be easily fixed with only minimal effort. Because he was keeping his momentum going on the endeavor(to avoid having to dwell on Connie) he wouldn't have been able to slow down and consider if maybe Nanefua was a better choice for mayor. Are these explanations perfect? Certainly not, but there's evidence to support them, so I'm willing to take them to heighten my enjoyment of the show.

[@HerohammerStudios]

I find it weird that everyone keeps saying how sick they are of Steven when, in all honesty, all the characters were annoying assholes. Fuck, Kevin was the most interesting character in this whole bomb and nicer than the main ones throughout most of his episode

[@gooseguse]

I've never agreed more. Even the comments are right. The only one I liked was "Back to the Kindergarten". Because of Peridot of course.

[@daydrunk11]

I think this was the worst episode of the show entirely (at least so far). Steven had absolutely nothing to do with the mayor's shitty approval rating because he sucks as a mayor and everyone hated him already. And his emotional ignorance to connie was really stupid and out of character. Also, that conflict lasted for all 6 episodes which was really stupid and really did not do anything for me but irritate me

[@rayanhey2411]

This episode is bad , and they should feel bad

[@federicoarmada8775]

Good things: > Making Lion leave with Connie is not the worst thing they could come up with to puspose the next meeting with Lars. > Now people actually care about the aliens, as we see how Steven giving himself up makes everyone go through some crisis (Donut Boy stops being Donut Boy, Major Dewey stops being Major Dewey, Barn Mates stop being Barn Mates and Donut Girl stops being Donut Girl). On the other side, the "Everything that doesn't include Steven happening off-screen" thing is a pretty big deal the show should let go.

[@chaoticlady_fairy]

Can I say something? I hundred percent agree with you the episode shouldve been all about talking about them and telling Lars family and the details Sadie doesn’t know about also why Steven believes he’s safe. Does anyone remember onion friend? The part where amethyst and vidalla started talking about what she was going through that was what we needed. Though I have to ask if Connie even realized Lars was still gone or cared about that . Because I get why she was pissed but everyone came back minus him .

[@bigboi7107]

I personally think that if Connie went to homeworld with Steven in that situation would be awful she would just slow him down and maybe even get stuck on homeworld because it was pretty lucky that the zircon got yellow angry like that while Lars was up there with them if Connie was there she would probably still be in a bubble head thing and most likely starve to death

[@buythislamp]

I've been watching SU since it premiered, and would probably keep tuning in to new episodes if they aired regularly, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to touch this latest batch of 6 yet for how uninteresting the show's become to me. And to hear it's not even spending time fleshing out Lars's parents' worry/grief, when one of its main draws has always been how it portrays heavy and complex emotions? I dunno, I may be happier keeping tabs on the story via youtube reviews and the like than actually sitting through the episodes. So with all that said, I definitely appreciate the very fresh and "rant-y" review here. :)

[@Storytelle7580]

SU really does rely on the 'it's not time for the plot to move forward yet so it's not'. Nope the characters don't move the plot, the plot moves the characters. This 'bomb' could've been resolved in two episodes max really. Since when does anyone give a monkeys about Dewey? Especially after the plot heavy episode last time. He's one dimensional, just like the majority of beach city and he and them weren't even characters in this episode, just a device to make sure Steven didn't realise what an ass he was being until it was convenient (Connie-venient?) for the plot.

[@Cryogenicmonkey]

I know nobody wants to say it but was this episode supposed to be a reference to last year's election? I know the episode's title is a reference to the false "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline but I feel it might've slipped into more recent events as well.

[@infiniteenigma1]

I think Gem harvest was a reference to the last election and is honestly a far better handled one. I think this ep is just meant to show the far reaching consequences of what happened from the last arc. It just had an election in it.

[@youwhat.]

Daniel Crecca eh. South park is doing a real shit job on the political front this season. Last season too. Seems they are stuck in their bubble...

[@jonjnorth]

I'm so glad to see that there is someone else who feels similar to me about this episode! I thought Steven was completely out of character throughout this whole episode! I get that he doesn't get what Connie's upset about, but why on earth is helping Mayor Dewey defeat Nanafua more important than mending his relationship with Connie? Frustrating is the perfect way to describe this episode. Eventually I am planning to review this episode myself, but honestly I think you said everything I want to say and more.

[@Szellah7]

yeah i don't know about it maybe it is too hard to write it or maybe it's not a good moment to concentrate on lars at that point in the narrative, so they kinda had to avoid it, cause "the talk" might be better suited in let's say next bomb when we get around to "lars of stars". I think that most of these were good but not this one and, some were written to vividly, like peridot and lapis breaking up episodes were too on the nose, and lapis taking the barn had no sense other than cnflict, but i liked vacation, and sadie killer, though it ended kind of wierd. How will sadie be bored with work if she won't work? No idea. I was thinking like pearl could u know pose as her or something. But u know like this whole bomb was meant to show how much does steven care for coney, and their hipotethical break up. Like some things where too on the nose, and much had to be avoided to keep the main focus at "the live goes on" aspect of it but we got poliphonic narration and now we know several points of view on the end of relationship. and too all of u who think steven is dumb in it. u r right. However u know, his a teen like this whole arc was too shatter his ever growing teenage self-confidence. If they never write any story on that premise again, we can assume it was a way too show his teenage enxt without intervening in the main plot.

[@samiamtheman7379]

One problem I have about the episode is the townspeople are mad that he did nothing about the aliens that abducted people. Quick question for the Crewniverse: What the fuck was Dewey supposed to do? It's not like anyone knew aliens were involved until the last minute. Also even if he had known, the most security we see around Beach City are his 2 bodyguards, Mr. Maheswaran, and at most 2 cops (that one from Greg's picture and the one who drove the cop car when Pearl ran a red light). Also what makes people think Nanefua will be better? The only time she ever got political was when she told a crowd during the blackout to tip over Dewey's truck while he was still in it (and if the riot continued, they would've likely attacked him). Yeah, being part of a lynch mob isn't exactly a great thing to put on a resume.

[@bloodsword6577]

I don't think I've ever seen you ROAST SU this bad before. Worst of all, you're not even a little wrong. I think, on the whole, a big problem here is placement. SU is usually pretty good at dealing with the aftermath of the big episodes. Going straight from escaping back to Earth into a Dewey episode was probably not the best call. Even one episode in between would have probably given an episode with this theme a much more positive reception. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they finally addressed Dewey's flaws. But all told, this was probably not the place to do it. Juggling this and the grief of Lars's friends and family in one episode was not the way to go. It makes me wonder what kind of pressures the Crewniverse is under right now.

[@professoruber613]

I think that Steven may have just wanted to return to normalcy after all the recent events. Which is why he supported Dewey so much, because, Dewey being Mayor = Normal. It could also be why he didn't recognise why Connie was upset, because he was trying so hard to pretend everything is normal.

[@raptirboy180]

Elk thank you for actually saying the truth I really appreciate you. S.U holds a special place for me but the creators are really disappointing me. They have so much time to work on the plot and episodes it almost feels sloppy what they end with. Before y'all say anything I understand that a lot of what I'm feeling is just overhype but these guys have so much time they should at least be able to get the characters size right

[@minhacontaize]

Always happy to get a notification from your vlog.

[@frickinfrick8488]

The way the show treats dewy is just confusing. They clearly show him doing horrible shady things yet the episodes are set up as though we’re supposed to be rooting for him. They literally excused his bold face lying as him nobly taking on the burden of the truth as to not worry the townspeople, like wtf am I watching?

[@pedmonds2011]

These episodes make me scared about about the future of Steven Universe. I like Steven Universe but with episodes like these, it just makes it hard to defend the show. The writing is just bad, Lar’s parents grief is treated as a joke, the art is still inconsistent, Lapis just takes everything and leaves. I want this show to be better but it’s current makes me think otherwise.

[@CalebCraft10]

Idk. I've been incredibly ignorant of other people's feelings at the age of 15 despite generally being an empath. Although that could be because of how tough it is for me to understand social common sense due to aspurgers, and the fact that I hadn't really interacted with people for 3 years prior. I can actually relate all too well with all of these episodes unfortunately. Saying / doing stupid things that should have required common sense at the time, constantly messaging the other person out of fear for their well being, etc. Although iny case there wasn't really a happy ending.

[@WhiteRaven696]

Steven as a character continuously pisses me off to no end. Sadly, a show about Steven would be so much better WITHOUT Steven.

[@jonathanhall3640]

Glad to see new videos from you

[@smoogieboogie1694]

Steven was so desperate to keep everything the same as when he left because he wanted to come back to normal. That's why he wanted Dewey to stay the mayor.

[@Nionivek]

This entire episode is like the Weenie version of Full Disclosure.

[@gorrilaboy22]

Well, I guess I'm not just crazy when I felt that the show was going down hill.

[@shopeanimashaun8477]

This was a terrible and boring episode

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

Shope Animashaun it wasn't that bad

[@BananaMike780]

I didnt care for this bomb. Steven was way more oblivious to other peoples emotions than usual, and why the hell did connie take off with lion? you know, the only way for anyone to get to lars? I know she's upset, but that was incredibly fucking selfish. Same with Lapis taking off with the barn and leaving peridot behind. It's one thing for her to leave, but to also take the barn, leaving peridot with nothing? christ.

[@patrickzantomaster]

Yo Steven ignoring Sadie's fatigue after after telling her that they CAN VISIT HIM EVERY TIME...btw why didn't he visit him with lars' parents, or just check up on him from time to time, like y'know someone getting thrust into a whole life? yeah steven ignoring facts, or Rubies or just being plain stupid only worked for season 2 because he didn't realise the dangers of space adventures...

[@fatelyre]

Steven lives in his own little universe. I hope SU shows what happens to people who live in an emotional bubble and distance themselves from reality via Steven.

[@lonelyllama8635]

I honestly thought this episode was about voting for woman who knows communism. Dewy wasn't always this dumb, Connie wasn't this "picky" either. I don't think I'm going to watch this show anymore and I don't think I could get back into it.

[@ChVckBlAck]

I don't like Sadie Steven literally said what happened to lars was my fault and she brushes it off then she yells at mayor Dewey blaming him for his disappearance what was he gonna do why does Steven get a pass whenever he endangers lives like when he stole lars' body lars was upset but the others defended him why would you defend him that was a complete breach of privacy and literally everyone almost being captured was his fault if Sadie is gonna blame someone it should be Steven also where is the government and the military in Steven universe why does no one care about aliens on the planet also why are Steven's powers called magical it's not magic it's science

[@amirani.otm2]

I was discussing this episode with my friend a few days ago and what we perceived was first, that Steven's obliviousness in general was caused highly not by him being a kid, which I thought at first, yet (my friend pointed out) but by the Rose in Steven, desperate to account for her mistakes by sacrificing herself for her loved ones (thus being oblivious of them). I think this happens precisely because Steven and Rose are empaths (of the mom-type, also): sometimes they end up overseeing their loved ones' feelings for what they think it's best for them, a form of searching for the "greater good". We can see that in the little we know about Rose: If she did shatter Pink Diamond or commited something unspeakable of that sorts to end the war I think she must've planned it and executed it alone, going rogue without the other Crystal Gems, to "relieve" them of the burden of what had to be done, leaving them feeling something alike what Connie felt when Steven went to homeworld alone, as the situation is analog. Also we are being strongly hinted that Rose had a lot of unresolved business in her life when she decided to have Steven, which I don't think she did to run away from these issues but, at least in part, because she saw this as the better way for her loved ones to understand her position: being a gem who done terrible things against life but still profoundly loved humans. In a way this worked because we see Pearl and Garnet growing more close and empathic to humans and viceversa (Greg and the other citizens of beach city), all this thanks to Steven being a human-gem or gem-human. Yet this also was a "roguelike" action from Rose, leaving their loved ones deeply scarred. Then in this episode we see this pattern again, when Steven thinks he has to sacrifice himself to account for her mistakes, blindly giving himself into a crusade without stopping to actually think about what he is doing. That being said (!!!) your remarks are SO true. The grief of Lars' parents and Dewey's cruel way of dealing with Lars' situation should've been a wake-up call for Steven and there's where I think the episode went all wrong. I would love to see the Crewniverse picking up on this!

[@parforet]

The weakest out of the new batch imo

[@anothernerdontheinternet]

BorealBear agreed

[@Billybobjoe0222]

They were all bad in my opinion

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

I thought this was the one I felt the worst executed, the one with the least significance was "Back to the kindergarten) since there wasn't any change in the status quo

[@LobstertheGiggy]

It was hardly a great batch to begin with though unfortunately

[@Dante45p]

The rest were pretty good

[@grooseylucy818]

Thanks for putting into words my nagging feeling about this episode. I don't agree that all of these episodes are bad- I liked Raising the Barn and Back to the Kindergarten, loved Sadie Killer but the rest were disappointing and boring filler. I was honestly expecting it at this point, though. Steven Universe USED to be my favorite show but multiple times now we've seen these awesome emotionally charged and engaging plot episodes sandwiched between these mediocre and completely irrelevant episodes the crewniverse refuses to acknowledge as filler. I just wish there was some consistency because it really kills all excitement for the show. I honestly don't mind the lack of focus on Lars's parents- even in their debut episode they were background characters- but at the very least they should have had an episode to focus on how Sadie is dealing with everything but she was mostly over it by Sadie Killer. This whole ordeal was a great excuse to make the Beach City episodes more plot centric and have all the townsfolk worried about alien invasion but all they seem to care about is getting a new mayor, what's the deal?

[@tessam7068]

These are the only things i liked about the new SU episodes - the song from Sadie Killer - nanafua. just nanafua - finding out more about mystery girl - how relatable peridot is (at least to me) otherwise it was shitty and frustrating, ngl. they made the abduction arc have a few consequences, but they were really poorly written ones and didn't focus on the actually compelling consequences (like the mourning of Lars's parents). along with that there was steven's obliviousness and pearl's LITERAL inability to say jack or shit about pink diamond (i didn't find that clever, just annoying, even if it does explain why she always has her hand over her mouth whenever rose smashing PD comes up; sidenote the "party boy" joke sounded like such random tumblr humor and it made me cringe) AND STEVEN CUTTING GARNET OFF ABOUT PINK DIAMOND (LIKE IT'S SEASON 5 FUCK YOU) and just. lapis literally just taking off with the whole fucking barn anyway, with no regard for her character development or peridot's feelings??? the constant back and forth shift in tone by using painfully out of place jokes/cuts??? steven not straight-up giving up on mayor dewey after he said such a shitty and insensitive thing about lars??? literally. a mess. it basically was just a sad reminder of why i've fallen out of love with this show. call me when something productive actually happens

[@joechapman1021]

Are you stupid you must be ?lapis left because she does t want to get caught up in another war because she is afraid of being hurt again and the wrath of the diamonds

[@joechapman1021]

Obviously you didn't pay attention

[@tessam7068]

I'm not gonna argue over a cartoon. But to clarify, i do understand why she left, because it was literally said like five times. imo it was just ridiculous that she still took literally everything, even though peridot wasn't going to come with her. lapis leaving because she's afraid of war/the diamonds was in character; lapis literally tearing her friend's life out of the ground while doing so was just ridiculous. she didn't need to take the whole barn because she was only planning to take it in the first place to appease peridot.

[@grooseylucy818]

"finding out more about mystery girl" Did I miss something important? Please share your knowledge with me! I need to squeeze every last drop of plot out of this boring filler!

[@tessam7068]

In Kevin Party it was shown (although subtly) that Kevin knew her/dated her, and her name is Sabina. It's not officially confirmed but it's pretty obvious that's what the crew was trying to imply

[@guinealover6674]

Thank goodness, most of the reviews I'd seen so far were positive and I thought I was the only person dissatisfied with these episodes and their conflicts.

[@brianbrush5107]

seriously why did they open with filler its been months you dont need an episode to let the audience have a breath they've already had a breath and want to see more happen with the story it comes off as more annoying then refreshing

[@anothernerdontheinternet]

brian brush tbh i wouldn't call it "filler".

[@CombatSportsNerd]

brian brush FUCKIN THANK U

[@brianbrush5107]

your welcome

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

brian brush they aren't fucking filler you idiot, I can agree that the execution was eh, but all of them had a change in status quo, beach city has a new mayor, Sadie quits her job, lapis left earth, all of these are major things, and change not only character state, and in some cases plot development

[@grooseylucy818]

They weren't ALL filler but it it was MOSTLY filler. That's what's upsetting people. Dewey Wins, Gemcation, Kevin Party and arguably even Back to the Kindergarten despite being a decent episode were all filler. So what if they change the status quo of other boring filler episodes? No relevant plot development was had. Changing the mayor from one worthless background character to another will change nothing. Honestly, besides Lars and Sadie what have the beach city randoms ever done? Genuine question- the best I can think of is The Return where they all make a conscious effort to be as far away from the plot as possible. Sure, Peridot, Lapis and Sadie got character development in their episodes, but Steven and Connie got a petty fight that was drawn out for no real purpose other than to tie episodes together with pointless drama. Edit: being perfectly honest Sadie Killer was filler too. It was GOOD filler but filler nonetheless.

[@sharkanenoa5928]

i think the reason steven was like this because, he gave him himself up to homeworld to pay for his moms crimes, but when he got the idea in his head that Rose might not be responsible for Pink Diamonds death, it took that weight of him, make him feel that he ultimate gave him self up for no reason

[@Renan.m]

I don't like steven as a 14 year old. I always saw him as more of a 11 year old boy based on the way that he acted. there was no transition between then and now, the things that he does today that are that are happy and upbeat (like steven used be) feel just like when lisa simpson does something nerdy or antisocial or when bart pranks someone, very unnatural like a caricature of someone

[@Chilla001]

Oh yay Steven's back let's completely ignore Lars and have some stupid filler for 95% of the bomb because fuck Lars right? *sarcasm*

[@darkmask5933]

3:22 ... is that Betty from Adventure Time on the right?

[@pieguy0455]

they made me wait so long for the 6 episode atrocity and now they might be going into another hiatus knowing them :/ i've given up tbh

[@davimatheusbetim9046]

Pieguy045 see you in 2020

[@earlborinaga9008]

I agree some things in this episode were awkwardly presented, and I was disappointed when they didn't delve deeper into lars' parents. I guess I'll save more judgement for when the entire season is released so I can see how things resolve.

[@kennethsatria6607]

The haitus had blinded me...

[@shanshan8687]

This bomb was horrid and thank you so much for summing up my problems with it

[@minhacontaize]

Am I the only one who thinks Connie super hyper over reacted?

[@youwhat.]

André Kuster-Cid no

[@minhacontaize]

You think so too? If my significant other were more concerned about her / his feelings of being left out of the "play" than about my well-being after being abducted by space dictators, I´d be kinda pissed.