In the thirtieth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, Steven tries to help Lars and Sadie with their friendship. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.
I feel bad for Sadie – I really do! – but she basically manipulated Lars here, and it’s super uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean that Lars is now exonerated from being a giant jerk ALL THE TIME, because good gods, that boy is a nightmare to everyone around him. But the solution to Lars behaving poorly isn’t to trap him on a mysterious island where he might die, you know?
“Island Adventure†might start off as Steven’s story, but it ends focusing on Sadie. At the beginning, Steven ONCE AGAIN sees his friends unhappy, and his first thought is that he needs to do something for them. He is honestly too pure for every world. Well, he also likes being the Warp Master, too, and I don’t want ignore that. He’s just so excited that he can now use the warp pads!
But this provides an opportunity for Sadie to move closer to Lars… sort of. She recognizes how beautiful the island is that Steven brought her to, and she also knows that they might have an adventure! What better way to cure boredom than with a magical beach party??? Unfortunately, Sadie should have listened to Lars the first time. Yes, he’s a jerk, and yes, it’s frustrating that no matter what Sadie or Steven tries, Lars refuses to get out of his anger. It’s not a lot of fun to be around someone who is so committed to being negative.
But Lars very clearly communicated that he didn’t want to be on an island with a gem creature that could kill him. Instead of listening to that, Sadie camouflages the warp pad, tricking the others into thinking that they’re stranded on the island. It honestly colors my perception of what happens afterwards because the entire time, no matter how miserable or hungry Lars is, Sadie still conceals the truth, all in the hopes of getting closer to him. That is absolutely not cool. Which sucks because, if they had been genuinely stranded, this was an INCREDIBLE story of how Lars’s let down his walls and started enjoying himself and Sadie. Not only did he start having fun, but he even opened up to Sadie about his loneliness. (That would explain why he’s so mean all the time. He’s lashing out!)
However, what does that mean once we know the full context? I don’t doubt Lars’s sincerity, and I bet he really does like Sadie. He’s probably afraid of those feelings, and I’d propose that based on the fact that he’s just not comfortable with emotions in general. But it’s not fair to gain access to those emotions through fabrication, manipulation, or tricks, and Lars has every right to feel furious at what Sadie did. He can feel that right alongside admiration for her, too; they’re not mutually exclusive. I say that because he takedown of the invisible gem monster is OTHERWORLDLY. That is one tough character, and I enjoy her appearances a great deal. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t criticize her when she messes up, and she definitely messed up here.
I also just want to state that Steven’s song in this episode might be my absolute favorite song thus far. It’s so beautiful!!!
The video for “Island Adventure†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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