{"id":6802,"date":"2018-04-05T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2018-04-05T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6802"},"modified":"2018-04-01T12:30:22","modified_gmt":"2018-04-01T19:30:22","slug":"mark-watches-steven-universe-s05e15-pool-hopping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/04\/mark-watches-steven-universe-s05e15-pool-hopping\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Steven Universe’: S05E15 – Pool Hopping"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of Steven Universe<\/i>, HELP ME, I AM OVERWHELMED WITH FEELINGS. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I got the episode I wanted, and I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready! Like I said at the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pool Hopping,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d this was such an intimate episode, particularly in the context of season five. So much Big Stuff has transpired this season, but in contrast to that, this is about Garnet being random. Why? So she can \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hop pools\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of probability and gain a sharpness to her ability to see multiple threads of possibility. Which is<\/i> a Big Thing <\/i>in the grand scheme of Garnet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s characterization, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s achieved in such a small way!<\/p>\n

At the start of this episode, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re thrust into this randomness, but only after<\/i> some necessary context that is actual foreshadowing. I DIDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T REALIZE IT AT THE TIME, BUT IT TOTALLY IS. Beach City has changed, undeniably so, and through glimpses of those changes\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlike Mayor Nanefua sharing the evacuation plan with residents\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwe understand that this is not<\/i> a static place. An adaptation has occurred, even if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not immediately obvious to us or even the people of Beach City. We start out with a larger view of this place, and then the episode narrows its focus from a whole town to just two of the people in it. How have they<\/i> changed?<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not immediately apparent. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s partially because Garnet was keeping information from Steven, of course, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also because I <\/i>had adjusted to the new realities of Beach City as well. Garnet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s future-reading abilities have always been a constant, though, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s absolutely why she experienced so much anxiety over the muddied flashes of those pools of possibility. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the natural leader of the Crystal Gems, and she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a parental figure for Steven. Thus, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got everyone<\/i> looking up to her for\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, pretty much everything. Guidance, advice, a nudge down the right path. Which means that this is a lot<\/i> of pressure for a single person to be under. Therefore, Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unpredictable choices have contributed to her future vision clouding up more than they ever have before.<\/p>\n

I was glad that Garnet didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily blame Steven for this. It may have been the integral element to her transformation, but she didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wish Steven hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> made the many shocking decision she had made. No, this was more about her fear that she couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be enough, that all these people suddenly couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t rely on her. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how we get this roundabout solution to the problem: Garnet pushes herself and Steven to make improbable decisions out of the hope that new pools of possibility will appear to her. All of thus leads us down a wacky path of pizza, muses, and a one-eyed kitten, and then promptly to one of the most emotional scenes of the whole season. It really was<\/i> heartbreaking watching Garnet admit the truth because she clearly prides herself on being a source of stability and comfort for other people.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to take care of yourself!!! Look, I tend to be the person in a friend group that people seek out for help and comfort, and I really do find that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m naturally good at it. Plus, I like<\/i> it. A whole construction of my identity\/personality is being the person I wish<\/i> I had as a kid and a teenager. But you know what? That can be exhausting, especially if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going through shit in my own life. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just mean stress or being busy; I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not exactly a dependable friend if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in a depressive episode, an anxiety spiral, or I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been triggered. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay to take time for yourself<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfectly okay for Garnet not<\/i> to be the all-knowing, all-dependable leader. As Steven puts it, she can just choose to manifest what she wants in a situation, rather than what should<\/i> happen.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s with that slight refocus that a whole world reveals itself to Garnet. She can choose what she wants<\/i> to happen, and it honestly never occurred to her that this was a solution. AND LOOK HOW HAPPY SHE GETS ONE SHE REALIZES SHE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S BEEN APPROACHING THIS WRONG. She helps rescue those cats, she adopts one (WELCOME TO THE SHOW, CAT STEVEN), and then her mind is cleared, enough so that she can see that Steven has grown up before her eyes. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this made me so emotional. Steven has matured so much since the start of Steven Universe<\/i>, AND GARNET IS SO HAPPY FOR HIM and I <\/i>am so happy for him. This truly feels like the start of a new chapter, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exciting. It shows us that the writers are still willing to push the show in new directions, and I, for one, and very pleased with this.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pool Hopping\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"