In the fiftieth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, Steven learns how hard it can be to just tell the truth. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.
Oh, I love this episode to PIECES. Watching Steven grow up and mature over the course of this show is a treat in and of itself, and I believe “Political Power” is yet more evidence that he’s doing so. It’s not an easy thing to learn: politicians lie. They may do so for their own reasons, and they may even believe that what they’re doing is in the best interest of others.
Yet this episode complicates matters further by tying it into this season’s story. Even if Steven came to understand Mayor Dewey, what happens when he discovers that the Crystal Gems are lying to him, too? What if they lied to him out of love? Does that excuse them?
Let me back up. “Political Power” felt like another acknowledgement from someone in Beach City that everything is super weird there. It’s sort of like how, every once in a while, Buffy would have a character make a comment on the strangeness of Sunnydale! Here, though, Mayor Dewey seeks out the Gems help after Beach City is hit by a power outage, one caused by Pearl’s experiments. I admire that Steven was willing to take responsibility for this, though a part of me feels irritated that the Gems were unwilling to help restore power, even though it was Pearl’s fault that this had happened.
But hey, that’s Steven: always willing to help others. In helping others, though, he gets an inside glimpse into how Mayor Dewey operates. Yes, it’s simplistic, and politicians lie much more strenuously (and harmfully) than Mayor Dewey does. What he reveals to Steven is disturbing! He has no solution to the power outage, and yet he assured Sadie and Lars that power would be back on that night. Why? To Steven, that’s just a straight-up lie, one that’s indefensible. Yet I’m now seeing why, at least for the moment, Steven went along with what Mr. Dewey did: Steven wants others to feel better. It’s second nature for him! If someone is sad or hurt or angry, Steven is always eager to assist others. So, he watches how Dewey’s lies comfort other people, and he’s conflicted.
Then, he’s further conflicted by the Gems. Their lies to him about Peridot are not comforting, especially since he overheard the truth. He knows they’re not trying to be malicious and that they want him to be happy! Yet he can’t ignore what he feels here. He knows that he’ll feel better if he’s told the truth about Peridot, and thus?
He tells the truth to the citizens of Beach City.
Well, after Nanefua gets SUPER PISSED at Mayor Dewey and inspires a near-riot, which happens to be my favorite joke of this episode. SHE TOLD THEM TO TIP THE VAN, OH MY GOD. I am still so touched by Steven’s motivational speech. That whole bit about Beach City being the light in the darkness? I LOVE YOU, STEVEN, YOU ARE SO PURE AND GOOD. And I love that this translated to him confronting the Gems and demanding that they stop lying to him, too. He understood why Dewey struggled with truth, just as much as he understood the Gems. Y’all, this show is so heavily based in empathy, and I’m just realizing how much of that plays into the basis for these stories, and I LOVE IT.
The video for “Political Power” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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