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Steven Universe: I Am My Mom (2017)
Wow.
Wow. There's not much more I can say about this episode within the IMDb guidelines.
The final episode of the long-protracted Season 4 finally aired, and, even though I was expecting something as least as good as "Bubbled," I was absolutely blown away. For the first time since Season 1, I actually felt scared. What was going to happen next? Would all the humans be safe? And don't even get me started on that ending. I'd say that in terms of raw emotion, this episode is easily on par with "Keeping It Together."
As for Season 4 in its entirety: I feel like this season was much more uneven than previous ones, and I'm willing to bet that that stems from the lack of a season arc. Season 1 handled worldbuilding and Steven's growth into a real Crystal Gem, Season 2 was all about Peridot and the Cluster, and Season 3 had a loose story around Jasper and the Ruby Squad. But Season 4? It had a midseason explosion of plot, and then nothing again until this bomb. Luckily, the overall quality did not really drop from Season 3 to 4, and Season 4 had two of my favorite episodes: "Mindful Education" and "Last One Out of Beach City," plus probably this episode. Overall, I give Season 4 a B: not bad, but a bit low as Steven Universe goes. Here's to a exciting and hopefully trauma- less Season 5!
Steven Universe: The Good Lars (2017)
Lars is back, baby! (or not ?_?)
As a devout Lars fan, I was equal parts dreading and being excited for this episode. The last episode starring Lars, "The New Lars," is by far my least favorite episode of Steven Universe, so I was anxious to see what the crew would do next for my favorite troubled teen.
The crew picks up a thread from "Island Adventure" and explores Lars' love of cooking/baking. All the scenes with Lars are just lovely, and it's so incredibly refreshing to see him at least somewhat happy or excited. Plus, it tickles my heart how the Cool Kids throw a potluck for no reason.
What worries me is the ending. What does the future hold for Squarehead McGee or his best friend, Donut Girl? Stay tuned!
Steven Universe: Are You My Dad? (2017)
Things are heating up...
Hoo boy. We're just one episode away from the season finale and it's clear that things are coming to a head. Missing people. British fairies. Are you my dad? Let's review:
- It looks like these mystery gems are looking for some humans in particular. Lars? Sadie? "My dad?" After digging through the vault a little, it seems like the gems are looking for the list of humans Steven gave Peridot back in "Marble Madness." If so, I applaud the crew for utilizing some great continuity and hope that they can pull it off.
- In between the tense parts, we have some light moments. The drawing scene in particular was very funny, as I can relate with basically all of those tropes.
- So, the new villains: Aquamarine is... interesting. She seems to be some sort of cross between Babydoll from Batman and Frieza from DBZ. As for Topaz... well, we haven't really seen any of her yet, but that fusion trap is rather frightening. Can other fusions do that?
Overall, I'm very excited about this finale. Should be great!
Steven Universe: Doug Out (2017)
A lighthearted journey with Crispin Freeman
One of the blessings and curses of Steven Universe is its deep cast of characters. The blessing is fairly obvious, more characters equals more depth to the show, but the curse? Some characters get shunted off to the side. A good example of this would be Doug Maheswaran, Connie's dad, voiced by the great Crispin Freeman, known from just about every anime dub since the 2000s. Mr. M hasn't showed up in episode since "Winter Forecast," which was broadcast in February 2015, almost two years ago!
So what exactly is this episode? Well, Doug is on a stakeout at Funland, and he brings Steven and Connie along for the ride. Predictably, crazy antics ensue. This episode reminds me of a Season 1A episode - Doug's desire to be as cool as his daughter reminds me of Connie wanting to be as cool as Steven in "Lion 2: The Movie."
However, it's clear that this light-hearted mood will not return next time as we travel down the rabbit hole known as Stevenbomb 6... Who are Big Headphones Gem and Butterfly Girl? And what do they want with Onion? Stay tuned for more!
Madam Secretary: The Seventh Floor (2017)
A refreshing change of pace
I'm an avid watcher of Madam Secretary, and, while I do enjoy it, it has a bit of a routine to it. One main plot dedicated to the newest problem Secretary McCord has to solve, with 2-3 subplots dedicated to Henry, her family, and her staff, along with a check-in on how the over-arcing season conflict is going. While this routine is one I find quite enjoyable to follow, it can get tedious after a while.
That's why this episode stands out to me. Rather than focus on Madam Secretary, like the show usually does, it focused on her "team," starting with Blake and working around the horn, from Jay to Nadine to Matt to Daisy. Not only does it set up and resolve a central episode conflict as usual, it also expounds upon the staffers' big issues this season, as well as a few unexplored idiosyncrasies. (A small focus was put on music this episode, from Blake's love of showtunes to Matt's "song.") Plus, Daisy's discussion with MSec at the end of the episode was beautiful and easily one of the best speeches this show has done so far. Great stuff!