In the twenty-fifth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
WHAT DID I JUST WATCH. WHAT DID I JUST WATCH.
This was an episode about Steven making yet another friend, this time with the friend in question being a mystical gem mirror that can replay back any event it witnessed. First of all, leave it up to Steven to make friends with a mirror. I admire his dedication to friendship. I REALLY DO. And, as I usually do as I’m watching or reading something, I started to develop theories about what this story might be about. My initial take is that this was going to address Steven’s loneliness. Unlike everyone else in “Mirror Gem,” Steven has no summer plans. He doesn’t go to school, he isn’t preparing for the summer rush in Beach City, and he definitely doesn’t have a summer buddy. (Yet!!! Connie is about to be free for the summer!)
So he turns to a mirror. It seems silly, but it’s so beautifully in character for Steven. Like we’ve seen many times before, he views things and people in good faith. He wants the best for them, and he believes the best of them. Indeed, he is the first person to try and speak to the mirror as if it is a person, which is explains why the Gems were so mortified when they realized what was going on. And look, I had an idea for a review based around the fact that Steven’s life is so strange and unique. I wanted to talk about how so many issues of his stem from accidental isolation, some of it due to his circumstances and the rules set up around his life. I think that’s worth exploring, though I am more and more certain that the show itself is going to start bringing this stuff up.
Why? Because “Mirror Gem” just pulled the rug out from under me, and I’m barely halfway through the first season.
This is an upsetting episode, and it’s not because things are a bit sad or unfortunate. When Steven refuses to hand over the mirror and accidentally strikes Garnet in the process, this story jettisons into a new level of storytelling. Everyone, including the audience, was horrified at what Steven had done, and THAT WASN’T EVEN THE MOST SHOCKING MOMENT OF THE EPISODE. I don’t know what to do with Lapis Lazuli. I don’t. In just a couple minutes and with a few carefully placed lines of dialogue, she has completely upended the entire narrative of this show.
Y’all:
WHY DOES SHE ASK IF STEVEN IS A GEM AND WHY IS SHE CONFUSED BY HIS ANSWER?
Does this episode imply that all the gem creatures are actually people, but some of them are warped or corrupted? How can you tell the difference?
WHY DID SHE SAY THAT THE CRYSTAL GEMS KNEW SHE WAS TRAPPED IN THE MIRROR BUT DID NOTHING TO SAVE HER? Why would the Gems ever do something like that?
Where is home??? Why does she assume Steven knows where home is?
Why does she tell Steven not to trust the Gems?
What if the Crystal Gems haven’t been telling the truth from the start?
I don’t know what to do. I AM SO CONFUSED.
The video for “Mirror Gem” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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