LUFTRAUSER
Banned
garnet best gem confirmed
Steven Universe |OT4| Every Rose Has Its Thorns
- Thread starter ScraftyDevil
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Well, I mean, the entire series is basically a slice of life, right? With aliens. It's more focused on character interaction than the distinction between filler and non-filler. If you get a lore episode, hey, that's great. But this is a show where a season can just end without any significant overarching plot impact, and that's okay. I think the rhythm's been established by the time this fourth season has rolled around, so either you're used to "episodes that don't matter" or you aren't.
I think the main reason is that the average episode is 11 minutes and there's not really enough time to get every single gem, steven, a coherent and well-paced plot, and good jokes all in there.
For a double length episode it didnt seem good to me. Was probably just expecting too much
yeah... I mean budget might play a role, but in general it's just hard to have a huge cast be worthwhile in such a short time.
makes sense, but they could for example have all Gems tag along on an adventure and give some of them only a line or two. They don't even have to say anything, just have them fight alongside the rest of the crew or give them some slapstick comedy moments
but honestly, at this point I wished they'd just increase the average episode lenght. I was never really a fan of the short runtime to begin with
unless it adds something to the episode it's better to just use less characters and devote the time to those characters.
even if the other characters were with and just had them right along or a slapstick moment that could still take away 30 seconds, which in an 11 minute episode is a little over 4.5% of the entire episode.
it would be nice to see the other characters more, but the episodes typically are packed to the brim anyways... so each second loss would be a big deal.
I mean in general steven universe feels like it has just as much happen in 11 minutes as most other hour shows on tv have for the entire 44 minutes they run :/
Just got home and saw the ep. Beforehand I was hearing rumblings of disappointment from the usual suspects so I was somewhat dreading it but I felt the episode was pretty all right for what it was. I know there are people out there who were hoping to find out more about Greg's side of the family and this episode did a lot to reach out to them. And there were lot of cute moments w/ all the gems interacting which I thought was great. Lapis laughing at her own self-deprecating joke was something else.
MisterGrey3000
Member
After this episode it's kind of hard for me to believe that Peridot's "Oh my stars, you're going to harvest me!?" line is of any real importance at this point.
Mostly because if "gem harvesting" was a big important imposing piece of gem-lore waiting to be revealed Rebecca and the crewniverse would have named this something like "Flying Family Feud" rather than intentionally mislead us.
Anyways, I thought this episode was fine; nothing amazing, but far from a stinker.
It had its moments (the first 2 or so minutes of Peri and Lapis, the pumpkin dog, the gems' misunderstanding family traditions, Andy's insults, and the Demayo family lore), but I honestly can't see myself ever willingly re-watching this one.
I mean...It was definitely disappointing for a half-hour special; all the awesome flourishes (like the eyecatches and cold opening) and narrative importance of the OVA-esque "Bismuth" set the bar a bit to high for me.
The crewiniverse is definitely capable of better imo.
Mostly because if "gem harvesting" was a big important imposing piece of gem-lore waiting to be revealed Rebecca and the crewniverse would have named this something like "Flying Family Feud" rather than intentionally mislead us.
Anyways, I thought this episode was fine; nothing amazing, but far from a stinker.
It had its moments (the first 2 or so minutes of Peri and Lapis, the pumpkin dog, the gems' misunderstanding family traditions, Andy's insults, and the Demayo family lore), but I honestly can't see myself ever willingly re-watching this one.
I mean...It was definitely disappointing for a half-hour special; all the awesome flourishes (like the eyecatches and cold opening) and narrative importance of the OVA-esque "Bismuth" set the bar a bit to high for me.
The crewiniverse is definitely capable of better imo.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
I thought it was a good episode, and the episode I think does hold importance for the future. A few notable things:
01.) Firstly, Steven's human family outside of Greg is introduced. We meet Andy, but it's also established that Steven has an Aunt, and Steven's grandfather is still alive living on an island somewhere. We'll most certainly be meeting them later, and I feel Andy will appear more than just a one-off.
02.) We get our new pet mascot character in the living Pumpkin, who I also don't doubt we'll be seeing more of.
03.) This is the second episode in the whole series that all of the gems and almost all main cast are in a single episode together, IE Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot, and Greg. The only 'main' character really missing in this episode was Connie (and depending how you look at it, Jasper). But as the series deep down is really a series about its characters and the different types of relationships that we all have, this I think is notable.
04.) Various smaller things I feel will probably play a role in the future. We now know Steven's family name (that's not Universe), Lapis and Peridot have a farm now, and I feel the fact that Andy has a plane and is a pilot isn't just a quirky character trait but may be used in the future.
05.) ...I thought some of the jokes in the episode were hilarious, and the message of the episode was quite timely.
01.) Firstly, Steven's human family outside of Greg is introduced. We meet Andy, but it's also established that Steven has an Aunt, and Steven's grandfather is still alive living on an island somewhere. We'll most certainly be meeting them later, and I feel Andy will appear more than just a one-off.
02.) We get our new pet mascot character in the living Pumpkin, who I also don't doubt we'll be seeing more of.
03.) This is the second episode in the whole series that all of the gems and almost all main cast are in a single episode together, IE Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, Peridot, and Greg. The only 'main' character really missing in this episode was Connie (and depending how you look at it, Jasper). But as the series deep down is really a series about its characters and the different types of relationships that we all have, this I think is notable.
04.) Various smaller things I feel will probably play a role in the future. We now know Steven's family name (that's not Universe), Lapis and Peridot have a farm now, and I feel the fact that Andy has a plane and is a pilot isn't just a quirky character trait but may be used in the future.
05.) ...I thought some of the jokes in the episode were hilarious, and the message of the episode was quite timely.
User 73706
Banned
At this point I think "harvesting" a Gem just means using it to power a machine (like Lapis in the mirror).
Speedydonut
Member
TheGreatDirector
Banned
Lol, that was an entertaining episode. It's funny seeing such a conservative cartoon character in arguably one of the most liberal shows and casts in a cartoon ever. Still, there was something very endearing about Andy's character and it's nice that him and Steven now have a family relationship.
I honestly was expecting something completely different with this episode but was pleasantly surprised with what it brought: a sweet Thanksgiving-like reunion.
I honestly was expecting something completely different with this episode but was pleasantly surprised with what it brought: a sweet Thanksgiving-like reunion.
PurpleMoustache
Member
I really liked this episode. It was cute, fun to see what stupid antics Peri and Lapis do when nobody is watching, and Andy, while cliche, was a great character.
My only problem is it laid a little too hard into "person/alien doesn't understand social norms" which is a trope I absolutely HATE. I couldn't watch much more than one episode of Kimmy Schmidt because of it.
My only problem is it laid a little too hard into "person/alien doesn't understand social norms" which is a trope I absolutely HATE. I couldn't watch much more than one episode of Kimmy Schmidt because of it.
I didn't like the episode it had it's moments but for an episode that featured all the Gems and was 20 minutes long THIS was the one you could have easily told in 11 minutes.
Depends if they record together or just record lines
Depends if they record together or just record lines
I really like how this is the polar opposite of Bismuth, what with a human character that starts off as an enemy and then sticks around. Shouldn't've been expecting a big Gem-focused episode, but we learned a lot about the world of Steven DeMayo.
Also, was this the first time America has been explicitly referred to as America in-show? We know Kansas is the same, but between stuff like Delmarva and Keystone, I wasn't sure if the country had a different name.
Yo.
Also, was this the first time America has been explicitly referred to as America in-show? We know Kansas is the same, but between stuff like Delmarva and Keystone, I wasn't sure if the country had a different name.
Yo.
4 is a cutie
Banned
This was an ok episode, but it didn't feel like it needed to be 22 minutes long
Corronchilejano
Member
I didn't even feel like it was 22 minutes. It went by really quickly. I liked it.
The first thought that jumped into my head upon meeting him.
Blood Diamonds
Banned
That ending credits theme has me worried
I DVR'd it so I missed the credits. What were they like?
It's the same tune from previous episodes' credits (minus Last One Out of Beach City), just a little longer since it was a double-length episode. The new bit is kind of spoopy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJXJjHNIXjE
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
To be honest, it seems like Season 4 for Steven Universe is having all of the 'Slice of Life' episodes at the forefront. I don't mind it personally, We're technically 9 episodes into the 26 episodes for Season 4, but all the episodes so far have mostly been sort of just day to day episodes of the characters (there's been VERY good episodes in this and some episodes that in some way address the characters important elements, like Steven's trauma in Mindful Education, but as a whole the season has been the obvious transition period of them having basically dealt with all of their immediate threats until the next threat shows itself).
However, the credits song has gone spooky ever since Mindful Education's credit sequence (with the exception of Last One Out of Beach City). Which is appropriate as obviously there were unresolved element in Mindful Education with Steven, I look forward to whatever they're building up too, a lot of the episodes have mostly been developing the characters rather than the situation (and in the case of Gem Harvest, even introduced us to some new characters), but it's obvious the first half of Season 4 is dealing with all of these kind of episodes because the second half probably has something in store for us.
However, the credits song has gone spooky ever since Mindful Education's credit sequence (with the exception of Last One Out of Beach City). Which is appropriate as obviously there were unresolved element in Mindful Education with Steven, I look forward to whatever they're building up too, a lot of the episodes have mostly been developing the characters rather than the situation (and in the case of Gem Harvest, even introduced us to some new characters), but it's obvious the first half of Season 4 is dealing with all of these kind of episodes because the second half probably has something in store for us.
Ignatz Mouse
Banned
My kids kept saying "this is just Thanksgiving!" at which point it dawned on me that this world doesn't seem to explicitly have Thanksgiving.
Exterminieren
Banned
I do feel like the series could use a little forward momentum in the plot department at the minute. I've enjoyed this season a lot so far, but in terms of developing plot lines and arcs this is quieter than it's been since Lapis came on the scene. Jasper's dealt with, the Cluster's dealt with, the Rubies are dealt with, Yellow Diamond isn't apparently aware that any of the gems apart from Peridot even exist... We could probably use some inciting incident or development by this point. We don't really have much of a sense of what the gems are even doing by this point, given they don't do much chasing of corrupted gems any more.
No Halloween either if Andy's generic candy giving holiday comment says anything
User 73706
Banned
One thing to keep in mind is that, barring the CGs destroying it so it couldn't be tracked or something, the gang still has access to a functional Roaming Eye starship. I remember someone mentioning that Season 4 could potentially start touching on some of the more profound effects the Gempire had on outer space, too, so I'm kind of expecting us to go off-planet at some point.
That being said, though, if they do still have the ship and Homeworld never heard back from the Rubies, I'd think they'd have either tried locating it or remotely detonating it.
That being said, though, if they do still have the ship and Homeworld never heard back from the Rubies, I'd think they'd have either tried locating it or remotely detonating it.
Rebecca Sugar stated that our real-world holidays don't exist in the show's setting. Which is weird, as they do celebrate New Year's Eve/Day in the episode 'Maximum Capacity'.
Is there religion in the show? I mean, if there isn't, shouldn't be Thursdays or Wednesdays either...
Sugilite and Alexandrite supposedly existed long before Ken-Ichi Sugi and Tsar Alexander II, yet they're named after gems that are named after these 2. Maybe everyone in-show speaks a universal Gem language that just happens to be translated to make sense?
User 73706
Banned
To be fair, celebrating the eve of a new year is a pretty common concept across calendared cultures - I don't remember if they necessarily namedropped a holiday that episode, but it's still a pretty notable "landmark" chronometrically even beyond American pasttimes.
metsallica
Member
Carl on Steven Universe is the best thing ever. Heartwarming, timely (for many reasons) episode.
4 is a cutie
Banned
or this particular piece of lore in the show is a bit half-assed
Killer Queen
Banned
Wait when did the show come back? What have I missed 
It's a new half-hour special, which aired on Thanksgiving. Basically, Lapis and Peridot are growing a vegtable garden, & Steven comes to help them.Wait when did the show come back? What have I missed
I'm unsure if there will be more episodes coming this year, or the hiatus will continue throughout 2017.
The gems had their names before they went to Earth though? They already have an altered history anyway
User 73706
Banned
Considering the gems are apparently automatically adjusting their mass to the gravity of any local planetoid at any given time, having passive Force translation abilities doesn't strike me as that far-fetched. Steven just seems to have lost a lot of the "passive" abilities that all Gems have.
Killer Queen
Banned
Oh yeah, Thanksgiving is different in America, that explains some of my confusion.
Oh? *reads description for upcoming episode*
Oh. Well, I didn't think we would get an episode that time skips back with Greg in his 30's and trying to raise Steven. (As we have gotten enough information from the episodes up to this point to piece it all together). I can't even begin to imagine how the Crystal Gems would've been like at that point. We know Garnet & co. adore the ground Steven walks on. They love him dearly. But when he was a baby and all those mixed emotions that were swirling, what with Rose's death, having to tolerate an irresponsible Greg learning to become a responsible adult (and how their relationship with him went south), and the whole thing with dealing with a human-gem hybrid? Sounds like fun times are ahead.
"No crying until the end."
Yeah, and it gets weirder when both Canada and the United States have their own separate days for that holiday. As a Canadian, it always throws me off.
Throughout the episode, Steven, Greg, and everyone else basically say they are looking forward to celebrate New Years Eve at the beach. It was also the episode where we get to see Pearl at her cutest, wearing that lumpy sweater and tapping that container with the wooden spoon.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Honestly in my opinion, Mindful Education and Last One Out of Beach City were top tier episodes from Season 4 so far. However, I thought Know Your Fusion and Gem Harvest were pretty good too. Kindergarten Kid I thought was good, Buddy's Book was amusing enough, and I thought Future Boy Zoltron & Onion Gang were okay.
Not just an island. The Keys. Which are apparently still connected to the mainland via bridge despite the state of Florida in this universe.
Well, in this universe it seems that the Crystal Gems kept humans out of the New World until William Dewey's party arrived. The Crystal Gems take over the role of the Native Americans and the humans the Pilgrims. It makes Andy's nationalist ranting ironic considering that Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl have been living on that land longer than America has existed and it was by their grace that humans were even allowed to colonize the land.
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