In the fourth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, I deeply understand the power of breakfast. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
I really didn’t know what I was getting into with Steven Universe. I guess my only assumption was that since this came about in a world post-Adventure Time, which allowed for both serialized and episodic animated television for kids and adults, that this show would be somewhat similar in that regard. I expected a lot of one-offs, and “Together Breakfast†is the first one I’ve gotten to that feels disconnected from what came before it. That’s not a bad thing at all because it gives me something else: my first look inside the Crystal Temple.
I wouldn’t say that there’s a deep message within “Together Breakfast†either, except maybe you should ask before going in people’s rooms? Yes, always knock. You never know what’s on the other side of a door, and also: privacy! It’s just a nice thing to do. In Steven’s case, though, the mystery is part of what fuels his curiosity. He just wants to have Together Breakfast with his best friends so badly! And as far as I can tell, the Gems rarely share the details of their trips. Steven, like the audience, gets bits and pieces.
He’s also a kid in a house with a door he can’t open, which hides a place he’s never been in. I’m gonna jump ahead a bit and point out that scene where Steven hangs on the Crystal Heart and Pearl tells him not to look down. That’s basically what the Crystal Temple is at all times: it’s the place that Steven is told never to go in and so he goes in there when he has a chance to finally do it. It’s not the best idea by any means, but for a purely selfish reason, I loved it. I GOT TO SEE INSIDE OF IT, TOO.
And what a weird place, y’all. So, for certain, it contains all three of the Gems rooms, each of which represent their personalities. I was surprised by NONE OF THIS. Pearl’s room is immaculately organized. Her sword display system alone is absurd. (But I love it. Oh my god, organization satisfies me so much.) Yet her room leads to Amethyst’s by waterfall, and I am going to think about this way too much. It’s so telling to me that Pearl is a perfectionist, but the things she drops or loses end up in Amethyst’s room and become part of the controlled mess that exists there. However, Pearl doesn’t even know this is happening, but instead takes it upon herself to “clean†Amethyst’s room. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD TAKE CARE OF YOUR INEFFICIENT STORAGE SYSTEM BUILT ON A WATERFALL. JUST MAYBE.
I know people who function better with organized chaos, but my mind is messy enough as it is. Clutter ends up stressing me out more, so I tend to aspire to be more like Pearl. Let’s talk about Garnet, though. Her room is the furthest away, located deep down in the Temple. Except WHAT IF THAT ISN’T HER ROOM? What if it’s the place where things are destroyed instead? The only reason I say this is because no one ever confirmed that this was Garnet’s room, and we never saw anything personal in that space. What if we haven’t actually seen where she lives?
Wait, I have more questions. What the hell was that smoke monster thing??? I know that each of the creatures we’ve met so far were pretty gnarly, and they’re set on destroying the world. But where are they coming from? How do the Gems find out about them?  Had the Gems captured it in that creepy scroll? What else could that monster have possessed? Because the Possessed Together Breakfast was hilariously creepy, but I’m guessing it could have been so much worse than that. Is it also strange that I kind of want to try popcorn on waffles now? I just like popcorn a lot, okay. DON’T JUDGE ME.
The video for “Together Breakfast†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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