In the twenty-sixth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, I can’t. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
Well, I’ve reached the first “arc” of this show, and y’all, I am so pleased. I’m not used to this show having sequels of any sort, so I figured that we might learn more about Lapis Lazuli in a much later episode.
NOPE. She immediately steals the entire ocean so she can get home. WHICH IS IN SPACE. My god, this episode reveals so much more about the world of the gems, yet it opens up an entirely new mystery. What else haven’t the gems told us???
Let’s start with Steven, though. Even though Steven did what he thought was right, even though he treated Lapis with respect and tried to befriend her, he still takes it upon himself to save the entire ocean. He honestly did not expect anyone else to make the journey with him, and yet? HE STILL WAS GONNA DO IT. Of course, I’m super into the group’s first road trip ever, and I was even more amused that Connie and Greg came along, too! They all came together to help Steven, to get the ocean back, and to solve the mystery of Lapis Lazuli.
Well, it wasn’t so much of a mystery to the Crystal Gems, who knew the whole time that EVERY GODDAMN GEM ON THIS SHOW WAS ONE OF THEIR OWN. I don’t exactly know how a gem becomes corrupted, but hey, at least a theory of mine was proven correct! So, the Crystal Gems have been doing the best they can given a shitty situation. How long have gems been corrupt? Why are all of them on Earth and not on the Gem home planet? I don’t know! I don’t even have a clue! All I know is that Garnet has been bubbling the gems until someone can figure out a way to de-corrupt them. (For lack of a better term, I guess. What would you call that?) Of course, there’s an even bigger question here: Why wouldn’t they tell Steven any of this? Why keep it a secret? That’s the biggest reason I felt very strange about this episode. Lapis doesn’t seem to be lying about who she is or what she’s doing. Instead, she implores Steven to think critically about his friends, who are the only ones lying here.
Well, lying by omission, of course. But once Steven knows the truth, he does his best. Note that he’s the one who implores everyone to stop fighting so he can talk to Lapis. Actually, let me just acknowledge how incredible that massive fight is, y’all. It’s some of the most creative choreography we’ve seen so far, but the fact that it includes pretty much all of the major characters too makes it feel huge. Plus, it’s actually kind of scary. Lapis BREAKS GREG’S LEG. She nearly drowns Steven and Connie! And why?
So she can get home. THE GEMS ARE FROM A DIFFERENT PLANET!!! How? How did they get to earth? Why did Lapis say that she never believed in Earth? Was she corrupted at home first or on Earth??? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND I SUSPECT IT WILL BE A WHILE BEFORE I FIND OUT THE ANSWERS. For now, though, I’ll be satisfied by Steven Universe, the boy who sees other people hurting and does everything he can to make them feel better, even if that means spitting in his hand and rubbing it on someone’s back. WHICH IS A THING THAT HAPPENS HERE. As weird as it sounds out of context, it’s a gorgeous scene. Steven gives Lapis her power back, and he helps her to return home. It’s a gorgeous sequence, both in terms of the visuals and the characterization.
What will this mean for the Gems? I have no idea, but by gods, this show just got a million times better. I WANT TO KNOW SO MUCH MORE!
The video for “Ocean Gem” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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