In the thirty-eighth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>, Steven demands the Gems test him. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
I admit that even\u00c2\u00a0I\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>forgot about the Sea Spire and the statue that Steven left behind on that mission. So, bravo to\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0for waiting so long to follow up on that. Why? Because in the time that has passed since \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cheeseburger Backpack,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Steven really\u00c2\u00a0has<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0grown. Many of his skills have developed in surprising and impressive ways, and given the last episode, that still feels like an understatement. Now that we know the Sea Spire mission was a test for Steven, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to see how much better he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be at it had he gone on it again.<\/p>\n
Thus, we have the impetus for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Test.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It makes sense that Steven felt a bit resentful about not\u00c2\u00a0knowing<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0he was on a test, but he channels it into a desire to prove to the Crystal Gems that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got what it takes. Which is not something I thought they doubted, you know? They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re now regularly taking him on missions, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s contributing in his own unique way, and THIS IS A GREAT THING.<\/p>\n
Still, this was important for Steven, and the Gems knew that, though not for the same reason I intially thought. The test rooms they devise for him challenge his brute strength, his dexterity, his memory, and his ability to discern patterns, all important skills for possible missions. And while he may not be perfect in executing these tests, he succeeds, right up until Garnet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s room, where a spiked column nearly crushes him to death.<\/p>\n
Except it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. It\u00c2\u00a0can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i>.<\/p>\n
In revealing this, the show takes a very uncomfortable turn, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rewarding one. Steven had every right to feel like the Gems weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t taking him seriously or that, at the very least, they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe he could succeed in a dangerous situation. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Test\u00e2\u20ac\u009d invalidates those concerns either! Rather, Steven, upon finding a way out of the game room that allows him to observe the Gems, makes a decision to put someone else first. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a continuation of the same selfless, kind, and considerate person we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen of Steven time and time again. And for the record, he definitely\u00c2\u00a0still<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0had anger within him! The whole time he walks back through the test rooms, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clenching his fists and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got a scowl on his face.<\/p>\n
But once he exits the test (officially), he puts aside his needs because he realized that the\u00c2\u00a0Gems<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0were the one who needed a victory more than him. Yes, Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s healing powers haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worked in a while, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to work on. However, recall what the Gems admitted: that they are all ill-equipped to deal with Steven, the first human-gem hybrid any of them have ever known to exist. None of them know if they can ever help Steven.<\/p>\n
So Steven grants them that, allows them to feel worthy, and validates each of them. It is one of the sweetest things he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ever done, and I nearly burst into tears watching it. WHAT IS THIS SHOW DOING TO ME.<\/p>\n
The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Test\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – I am now on Patreon<\/a>! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.<\/b> In the thirty-eighth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe, Steven demands the Gems test him. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[666],"class_list":["post-5985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-steven-universe","tag-mark-watches-steven-universe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5985\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"