In the seventeenth episode of the third season of Steven Universe, I WASN’T READY. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
Connie’s first mission was a success. But what does it mean?
This is a gorgeous episode, first of all. The snowy locale was a surprise, even though we’ve seen winter in Beach City before. The decision to place an entire story in a forest like this is part of the reason this is such an effective episode. I could easily imagine that eerie stillness that comes from a fresh snowfall, the way it muffles all sound so effectively. That’s important because it made the eeriness of the mystery even worse. What other surprises lurked just out of sight or earshot?
I didn’t expect a mystery, either. After all the training that Connie completed, I went into “Gem Hunt” expecting the show to address that only. I mean, it’s an important story on its own! Was Connie ready for a mission? Had her training given her the skills she needed? And it wasn’t just her training with Pearl that was to her advantage. Connie came prepared for the winter, too! I LOVE THAT SHE BROUGHT SO MANY USEFUL THINGS! Look, I only found out last year that you can brew pine needles for a vitamin-rich tea. LAST YEAR. Connie had so much more figured out than I ever have, and I grew up with parents who loved fishing and camping. (I don’t care for fishing at all anymore. Camping can be fun.) Why is this meaningful? Because Connie is ready. That’s what she struggles with during the showdown at the end of “Gem Hunt.” Facing one of those corrupted gems frightened her, so much so that she truly believed she should not have come on this mission.
Yet look how well she performed! She kept in regular contact with Pearl; she helped Steven take shelter once the blizzard began; she tracked one of the corrupted gems expertly; and even when she faced it down, she still knew exactly what to do. She didn’t engage the gem, and instead tricked it so that she could reach the walkie talkie and contact Pearl. I didn’t think Pearl was being insincere or patronizing when she told Connie that she’d succeeded; the evidence was all over this episode!
While I’m very thrilled and proud of this development (MORE MISSIONS FOR CONNIE), I can’t get over the unbelievably creepy thing this episode also does: introduce Jasper’s mysterious plan to us. Maybe this felt so disturbing to me because those gem corruptions were so goddamn cute, but the context clues provided by the animation made me think that Jasper is doing something awful here. The creatures bolted away from Steven, Connie, and Pearl because they were afraid. How long had Jasper been in the north, culling corrupted gems? WHY ARE THEY COLLECTING THESE GEMS? There has to be a reason for it! Revenge? We’re they assigned some other mission that we don’t know about?
I DON’T GET IT. I’M SCARED.
The video for “Gem Hunt” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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