{"id":6003,"date":"2016-11-29T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6003"},"modified":"2016-11-22T11:41:06","modified_gmt":"2016-11-22T19:41:06","slug":"mark-watches-steven-universe-s01e44-marble-madness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/11\/mark-watches-steven-universe-s01e44-marble-madness\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Steven Universe’: S01E44 – Marble Madness"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the forty-fourth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>, Peridot\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s weird bubble robots return. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH. We can go from something like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maximum Capacity\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Marble Madness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in a SINGLE EPISODE, and it just\u00c2\u00a0works<\/i>. In the process of giving us a huge update on the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greater story arc, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re also shown that Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sense of curiosity and good will can actually help out!<\/p>\n

Well, not\u00c2\u00a0perfectly,<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0of course. In order for good will to work, the other side has to be invested in it, too, but NOW I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M JUMPING WAY AHEAD. Let me back things up to Connie and her perfection, namely in that at one time or another, I have been Connie, fiercely recommending some awesome series to another person, desperate to make sure that they read or watch it in the right order. However, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all be real: I AM UTTERLY STEVEN, TOO, PROBABLY 95% OF THE TIME. Thankfully, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all have helped me to avoid the whole reading a series in the wrong order thing, but I absolutely have had very basic questions about super obvious things while in the midst of something. LOOK, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M TRYING OKAY.<\/p>\n

Anyway, now that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve addressed this hilarious incident, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about Steven and robonoids. (I have no idea if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s spelled correctly, OH WELL.) Peridot\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s robo droid things are back and they are\u00c2\u00a0literally<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0bigger than ever, and for what purpose? Since they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t speak \u00e2\u20ac\u201c are they even living creatures, or are they machines??? \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not much that the Crystal Gems can do but destroy. I understood this reaction because what else could they do? Those\u00c2\u00a0things<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0were mostly likely sent for nefarious purposes, so destroying them was the only reasonable solution I saw.<\/p>\n

And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where Steven came in. Steven, who wonders so much about the world, who knows that he knows\u00c2\u00a0nothing<\/i>, who revels in the experience of learning about every single thing ever. He is the one to make an important point: why don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they just see where the robonoid is\u00c2\u00a0going<\/i>? Why not let it tell them, in its own way, what its purpose is? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so simple, yet so obvious! I love that about Steven and how the show allows him to question the world he lives in this way. While there is an unfortunate implication to his technique, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe the show punishes him for being curious at all.<\/p>\n

Indeed, if Garnet hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t supported Steven, would they have ever found out why Peridot was sending those bubbles to Earth? AND NOW I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M EVEN MORE CREEPED OUT BY KINDERGARTEN AND PERIDOT THAN I WAS BEFORE. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a brilliant thing here in showing us the remains of Kindergarten before revealing Peridot\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plan to restart it. We are given a glimpse of the past, a ghost of history, and our mind fills in the blanks. What if this place was active again? How long would it be before all life on Earth would be wiped out? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a disturbing thought, made all the worse when you realize that\u00c2\u00a0Peridot doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care<\/i>. After meeting Steven and realizing humans still inhabit Earth, Peridot is still willing to start up Kindergarten and wipe them all out. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no reluctance on their part to eradicate everyone, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0chilling.<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even mean that in the whole \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, wow, this is a kids show!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sense either. IN ANY SHOW THAT IS A DISTURBING THING.<\/p>\n

The Crystal Gems stop Peridot, but y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Peridot could shoot things across space to Earth. I highly doubt that this actually going to stop Peridot\u00c2\u00a0permanently<\/i>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only a matter of time, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Marble Madness\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>
\n– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Check 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\u00a0 Mark 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":"