{"id":7165,"date":"2019-01-17T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7165"},"modified":"2019-01-13T17:12:45","modified_gmt":"2019-01-14T01:12:45","slug":"mark-watches-steven-universe-s05e27-escapism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2019\/01\/mark-watches-steven-universe-s05e27-escapism\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Steven Universe’: S05E27 – Escapism"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-seventh episode of the fifth season of Steven Universe<\/i>, Steven and Connie devise a bizarre means of seeking out help. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Holy shit, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a while since we last saw the Watermelon Stevens. I think it was way back in season three? That episode with Malachite? And LOOK WHAT HAPPENED SINCE THEN. Admittedly, this must be a strange episode if you happened to have missed the other watermelon episodes. Like… you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have no idea why there are sentient watermelons in the shape of Steven, so this probably would have felt like a weird fever dream? Which makes this work regardless, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Steven has to enter his own magical dreamworld in order to try and get Bismuth to help them. So what unfolds here is dreamlike either way, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the stranger episodes of this show. But holy shit, IT WORKS SO WELL.<\/p>\n

Lemme back up. LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TALK ABOUT CONNIE. Because as Steven understandably sinks into despair over this, Connie is quick to provide Steven with a sense of hope. I mean, this more or less addresses what I said in the last review. I was worried that Steven was putting too much stock in convincing White Diamond to help un-corrupt the gems of Earth. How was that plan going to work? But now, in this weird prison room (which is most certainly not Pink\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s room, as I mistakenly thought it was), Steven is coming to terms with just how difficult this is going to be. I love that Connie provides him with a counter without invalidating how he feels, though. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so important! She knows this is a REAL shitty situation, but she does a great thing here, and I love when this show provides positive moments like this. This is a great way to help friends who are SUPER down. Sometimes, we need other people to do the positive thinking for us.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, I feel like there are probably some references or meanings to the long Watermelon Island sequence that I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pick up on. I noticed that scene with the Watermelon Shark felt a whole lot like Jaws<\/i>, but otherwise, this is a wordless story where emotion is conveyed through seed-filled facial expressions and layered imagery. Steven swims through his dreamspace to the island full of Watermelon Stevens, only to discover that there are two factions, each with their own customs and religion. One thing I liked about this was how the episode made it clear that Steven knew that this was the most absurd path to home. Frequently, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s groaning in frustration because no one can understand him or<\/i> these Watermelon Stevens are too interested in their own traditions. Which I am now realizing is probably a metaphor for the Diamonds or maybe for gem culture. Factions fighting with one another, Steven being unable to reach them or talk to them because of their culture and their traditions.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, Steven moves from one group to the other, trying his best to communicate his desire to make a boat, and all the while he refuses to get involved in their conflicts. I was reminded of the random gems who were inspired to fuse in the last episode, since here, many Watermelon Stevens abandon their rituals to help Steven. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not all of them at first, but eventually, he changes their world by just being himself<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so damn pleasing, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s astounding to me that the show is able to make us feel so much during a sequence where not a single word was spoken. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s incredible! And it feels so long<\/i>, too, so that when Steven finally makes it to Beach City, we get the sense that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been ages. I mean, part of that is because of how visceral<\/i> this is. Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, Steven loses an arm and a leg. And I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really his body, but STILL. If we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re gonna talk about what Steven was willing to sacrifice in order to save the others, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS EPISODE. I just love him a lot? And I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help getting teary-eyed when he finally got his message across, though I had to laugh that he finally spelled it out. So does this mean ALL of them are coming to Homeworld, or just Bismuth???<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Escapism\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

– The paperback edition of my debut, ANGER IS A GIFT, is now up for pre-order!<\/a> It comes out on May 7, 2019.\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":"