Steven Universe: Season 3

Well, that ended sooner than I expected. For some reason after Season 1 they cut the seasons in half. Now, let's see my reactions to Season 3 episodes (amidst all of these leaks)

• Super Watermelon Island: Wait, we just saw a massacre on screen. They're watermelons, but still. Also there was a brief moment where Lapis and Jasper's unconscious bodies weren't in the shot with the Crystal Gems, even if they were supposed to be there. Also speaking of those two, Jasper falls into the cracking Earth... I really wonder what they're going to do there (maybe she will appear in Gem Drill - hey I know my reactions are gonna be released at the same time, but still I like to do things one episode at a time ). But yeah the giant fight was pretty cool (even if it was leaked in February), the most interesting part seemed to be what actually was Lapis and Jasper putting aside their hate towards each other to fight the Crystal Gems. One thing I've also seen at least one person mention was how Alexandrite actually tried to deescalate the confrontation before having to resort to combat, looks like the Crystal Gems may be learning some stuff from Steven (and the fact that they seem comfortable about Peridot after the Yellow Diamond ordeal also kind of shows that they trust her more, even if they didn't really heed her warnings of the Cluster at first). They sure were quick to get to the island however, as was that fusion dance (TBH I wonder if it was a little too fast, though the former was kinda comical). On another note, the Watermelon stuff was weird, Steven somehow can possess them (seriously actually seeing it happen to one going about their business was... something), and now we have a strong diversity of Watermelons that are equivalent to different animals. What kind of selective breeding does it take to create Watermelon chickens? Also I know she didn't have a real role in this episode but Peridot was great as usual, her single-mindedness is something I actually relate to a lot and she had some of the best lines, like now I'm really interested to know even more about her relationship with Jasper besides what little we saw in Jailbreak. Also heh, she's actually trying to hammer in the whole "you're rebels" thing by encouraging Steven to find a way to help the Crystal Gems. Oh yeah also fuck, the quakes were from the Cluster after all, time to watch Gem Drill...
  
• Gem Drill: So it's time to destroy the Cluster... wait, no, talk to it? That was... unexpected. Actually, no, I'll admit that it maybe isn't so unexpected. I kind of had a feeling that maybe there would be some sort of dilemma where Steven might feel like he's unable to destroy the Cluster because he can't bring himself to kill it, but with his powers he was actually able to communicate with it and actually find another solution. I have to admit, cynical me did take a bit to come to terms with it, but it does actually make a lot of sense with the show's philosophy. Though I guess I have to wonder how gem shards can bubble like whole gems, that might be the part that feels kind of weird (though I guess the Cluster is kind of an entity in itself, so maybe that's how it has the power to do that). However, cynical me returns to say that the Cluster is still there, so if Yellow Diamond realised this she could maybe find some way to unbubble it and then the shards would end up feeling like they have to form again. So, Cluster aside, the episode was very tense, especially when they were under attack from the mutants and were struggling to drill. Though I wonder what the behind the scenes discussion on the whole "can't fit everyone into the drill" was like. Also Peridot really teased some more Homeworld stuff right there, huh (and "billions of other lifeforms that matter far far less to me," ROFL)? I guess now the big question is where the show will specifically go now, all I can think is that we're going to be hearing from Lapis very soon. Also Steven's comment about the gem mutants makes me wonder if we will get a resolution to that plotline, maybe in a way that's similar to what happened with the Cluster. But yeah, pretty good episode, even if a lot of it was quite surprising.
• Same Old World: Hmm, I wonder where the Crystal Gems are at during all of this? I really hope we're not going in for a repeat of what happened in Island Adventure. Anyway... that was interesting, that's for sure. First of all, wow Steven and Lapis' first meeting actually got meta! Like, they actually acknowledged that they only seem to ever meet during really bad situations. Peridot was fun as always, I mean she actually made a toilet joke work when I usually cringe at that sort of stuff. With Lapis and how she talked about trapping Japser in Malachite, a part of me wonders if I heard any guilt through her (or maybe it's fear)? Oh, also nice callback to no prob Bob there, ready Freddy. Lapis learning about the world was funny, Steven of course was innocently explaining everything while Lapis, being completely alien to Earth things, was wondering what on Earth he was talking about. It's also kind of sweet that she did seem to have some fascination with certain things like seasons changing, though. The flashback was certainly surprising, Lapis getting trapped was all a mishap apparently. I wonder why nobody recognised who she was and why she was assumed to be a Crystal Gem (and she got smashed in the panic of Homeworld leaving Earth)? She seems to still have a lot of secrets... Also her saying there was no hope of stopping the rebellion suggests she still feels affiliated with Homeworld and believes in Homeworld's side of the war (for now at least, a part of me wonders if she has any resentment for all of these mistakes they made as well), even if she believes she will be punished for her actions towards Jasper. I also wonder if Lapis' resentment towards the Crystal Gems is still primarily "you knew I was in there" and being on opposing sides, or if there's other factors that we still don't know? That flash of light at the end with that transition to Pearl was interesting, because the Diamonds' theme played (Blue and Yellow essentially have the same theme, at least at the beginning, Yellow's changes up). I think it supposed to be used to say the Diamonds are leaving, but one wonders why it was used at that point (okay maybe my brain is trying to make connections that aren't there, whatever :V). Of course Lapis realised Earth could be able to have a place safe for her especially after she realises she barely saw any of it (also wow reversal of figurative speech, "it's funny" that happened indeed), but... Peridot shows up, which of course is going to make things awkward for the next episode... But yeah good episode, and I'm sure it's gonna provide more Lapis speculation and theories. I just hope the other gems and Greg aren't super casual about Steven being away for a while...
• Barn Mates: "New compact look," huh? Peridot calls him Steven Quartz, too. Peridot still seems to miss her enhancers though with the paint cans, though. Of course Lapis is Lapissed, and she wants Peri away because of the whole ordeal with Lapis being used as her informant. Also Peri being against Homeworld has really gotten to her, with that "I'm a big deal comment." Of course Peridot tries to convince Lapis that she's different and stuff, but... yeah. Steven drew them with anime eyes on the card, WTF? Peridot's apology took an hour to write, too... that's honestly what I'd be like. I'd be really picky and take ages to decide what I'd say. One thing that stood out was that Peridot implied that Lapis Lazulis may be a kind of gem and not just something rare, she said they were partial to water and flying (and has she actually seen Lapis around water?). Of course maybe she's judging from observation, but still. Lapis was then dramatic and explained the whole Malachite ordeal (though the way she was drawn kinda reminded me of Brian from Family Guy, lol). I think something interesting is how Steven does bring up how Lapis is being really cold to Peridot's attempt to try and appease her, but I'm kind of thinking he doesn't actually know her full side. Lapis obviously finds it hard to trust people, and we can already see some reasons why with being stuck in the mirror and all of that. I'm just wondering if Steven fully understands how much she's actually been hurt by everything, and how that affects her outlook towards others. One thing that kind of bugged me was how Steven being away for a day wasn't addressed by the Crystal Gems when they arrived, especially when in the last episode they mentioned that Steven would arrive soon. It does kind of remind me of Island Adventure in that way, actually, but here they at least seemed to respond to something. I guess one thing I'm not too sure on is Lapis' "are you alright" with Peridot. IDK if it's because she actually saw that Peridot's basically an outsider like her, but it did seem kind of quick. I'd say this hasn't been as good as the other episodes in Season 3, but I still thought it was decent. It had some funny moments and interesting character insights, though I do think it's a little contrived. One person I've talked with has pointed out that it did kind of turn from "Peridot needs to stay here too" to "Peridot wants to be besties with Lapis" without much setup. I mean it was still Peridot trying to say that she's willing to live in the same place, but they kind of threw in this whole friendship angle too. I mean being friends with the person you're staying with certainly helps, but still. Of course the CGs can't really discuss much about Lapis being with them because we end in a cliffhanger...
• Hit the Diamond: Rubies! And one of them actually likes Earth, wow (though it seems she likes every planet she visits XD). Lapis actually sees how serious Peri is, and Pearl is like "you call everyone a clod." Apparently Yellow Diamond also commands all of Homeworld's armies, heh. Also "that's my word" re Garnet calling Peridot a clod, wow. Ruby decides to sneak among the other Rubies and play along... and it works, because Rubies are apparently more brawn than brains (oh and there's a newbie Ruby too who doesn't know what's happening, they actually call her that too). The Rubies want to check the barn to make sure the "leader of the Earth mission" is there, but our Ruby brings out Steven and he decides to challenge them to baseball. So Peridot hides and the Gems dress up like humans to fool the Rubies, which gives us a really funny scene where they give us their fake names (with Lapis obviously not wanting to even be there and having no idea of what she's actually doing, heck she's like that the whole episode and it's also pretty funny)... and the Rubies do the same, which of course is just "Ruby" repeated six times. After Amethyst Sonics a home run and gets Steven worried, we see Ruby and Sapphire can't control themselves and begin flirting (Lapis gives the perfect reaction to it too). Peridot gives a funny thank you to being told she's lied to to make her feel better, and Steven actually gets them to cut it out. It works briefly... until they accidentally fuse, which makes the Rubies realise what's going on. Peridot comes out deciding that she should fight her own battles, but it turns out the Rubies want... Jasper. Peridot is as surprised as we are, and she straight up admits the things she did (while saying she's the new Crystal Gem leader, lol). Steven quickly says they're on Neptune, and the Rubies buy it. This was a pretty fun episode, the Rubies were entertaining and having everyone awkwardly play along was funny (especially Lapis and her most of the time looking like she doesn't even want to be there). Peridot again shows how she's becoming more selfless, and seeing Ruby and Sapphire together was sweet while also kind of showing another angle of why Garnet likes to always stay fused. I mean, it's hard for her to even concentrate properly! Of course the most interesting thing however was why the Rubies want to find Jasper and actually don't care about Peridot, especially with "YOU CLOD" and stuff... What does Yellow Diamond actually feel about Peridot now, and is there a reason she wants to find Jasper? Let's see where this goes in the following episodes, I guess!
  
• Steven Floats: ...first episode with just ONE storyboard artist? I think, anyway? GARNET STEALS PHONES... and it's from Kofi Pizza. I sense a future plot... That was a nice change of pace from all the stuff we've gotten before. Would've been nice if we got a mention of where Peridot and Lapis were, but I mean they started to get along so I guess the last two episodes are kinda indicative of their status (Amethyst did mention her, actually). Gosh, that "fresh" close up was creepy. Steven's imagine spot was certainly something, it does kind of show how he's been struggling with his life lately, and I guess it does also have an air of missing Beach City. Heck, it feels nice to be back in Beach City, period. But yeah it turns out that Steven's floating power (something all gems seem to have) is tied to his emotions like everything else he has, and positive emotions can slow his descent while thinking more negative thoughts increases it. Also I felt bad for Pearl when she said "I would've liked a hug," heh. So yeah, different from what we've gotten recently but I enjoyed it enough, it was funny and sweet (pun not intended, I just realised it works with the doughnut thing).
  
• Drop Beat Dad: Another pretty light episode, but still good. Marty was actually kind of interesting, because he certainly did give the impression that he was better than where we saw him in Story for Steven, but of course him appealing to Sour Cream's desire to be a DJ was all a ruse to end up selling that crappy drink of his. Definitely the moment that stuck out for me most was when Sour Cream snapped at Marty and started speaking in Yellowtail's language, I wonder how he was raised and if he's familiar with that language as much as English (for all we know Yellowtail could always have been a part of Sour Cream's life he just had Onion with Vidalia later). Was a little surprised at Yellowtail supporting Sour Cream at the end initially, but I think it was a response to seeing Marty take advantage of him. We have seen this kind of story in lots of other shows, but I thought it was executed well, it had its funny moments (that teeth glare) and a nice ending (also the punchline at the end where the "it's not about money" speech gets halted because of that giant cheque was actually pretty funny).
• Mr Greg: Wow, musical episode, and they definitely kicked it up a notch for this episode. Pepe's Burgers was apparently what Marty used to make Greg rich, huh (I'm sure someone's going to connect it to the frog Pepe somehow :V). Pearl's response actually made a lot of sense, like of course she'd be baffled at what she saw but she could also see why that style of song would appeal to Rose. Don't Cost Nothin' was nice because it showed how humble Greg and Steven were, that they enjoyed the simple things in life and knew what mattered to them, and that the money they got was just something extra. Empire City was probably the weakest song, but I still thought it was good. Steven's role in the episode was actually quite interesting, he knew that Greg and Pearl needed to confront the Rose issue and he decided to take advantage of the trip to set that up (and Rose came too... sorry, that was just bizarrely funny). The revelation where he reveals to Pearl his intentions was really well done on Zach Callison's part. Mr Greg (the one in the hotel) was fun, I related to Pearl a lot though and the stinger at the end leads into the next song. It's Over is probably my favourite song tied with the next one, Deedee Magno Hall's theatre background really shows here. It's a really good summary of the tragic nature of Pearl (it even highlights how she still feels kind of lost after Rose died, even when she feels responsible for looking after Steven), and it's quite interesting that she feels like she should've moved on by now, but I mean emotions are like that, especially in regards to someone you loved really deeply. Steven bribing the butler to leave was unusually funny, though that last song was also brilliant. It was just a really nice resolution, and I hope Pearl and Greg feel better around each other now. The last song was basically a redo of Don't Cost Nothin', but recontextualised for the ending. So yeah, over the top hotel staff were funny, but the songs were some of the best they had ever done and my favourites were actually really moving. I don't blame many on the Crewniverse saying it was a favourite, and I think this episode is going to be one of mine too.
• Too Short to Ride: This episode actually hit pretty close to home, because it confirms what many suspected - Peridot's enhancers are basically assistive technology. Peridot discovering the internet is as fun of a concept as it sounds, and it does lead to things like discovering cat videos. Also Peridot describes her height as indicative of her "rarity and importance," which has some interesting implications. Also, "another lifetime ban" really makes you wonder how long said bans really last for (and wow the shapeshifting actually fooled Mr Smiley). Also what the heck is Onion doing with the fire (huh, we've actually seen him a fair bit now that we're back in Beach City)? Also Peridot sucks at lying, I can relate. XD Peridot hating being touched I can also relate to, geez these people really need to learn boundaries, huh? Also wow thanks for the Cat Fingers callback. When Peridot reveals that Homeworld has less resources and thus she doesn't have abilities to her knowledge, I almost get the sense she's kind of internalised these feelings of ableism, that because older Gems are stronger and more powerful she feels weaker, though I think she also feels embarrassed to admit it to Steven and Amethyst because they also display these abilities and promote the idea of them being normal. The scene with Amethyst and Peridot on the beach though... that was really emotional. Amethyst's talk with her really reminds me of a lot of ableism I see, people often try to dismiss the real limitations disabled people have, and I think Amethyst's "you're focusing more on what you could be" was supposed to miss the point and add to that. How it applies to Peridot is interesting though, because while she knows what she's actually capable of, like I said I do think she kind of has this shame about being weaker and not living up to what Gems are "supposed to be." It's especially interesting they used Amethyst here, because she's also not how she's "supposed to be," not exactly in a way that leads to disability like Peridot but the way she reacted to hearing about Amethysts from Homeworld makes me wonder if she feels like she came out wrong (and I do think she was kinda ticked off about Peridot's shapeshifting comments because that's something she does a lot, which ties to her own insecurities). Also yikes, Amethyst throwing the tablet into the ocean was definitely meant to echo Catch and Release. However, Peridot then... finds out she can manipulate metal. Definitely an interesting idea, I'll say. Not exactly sure what this will mean, but I guess I'm just relieved Peridot was able to save her tablet and get the cute alien plush. Also nice that they didn't go the "technology is bad" route that many people were expecting (I think? others seem to think so :/), because even with this ability Peridot still can't do everything. But yeah, definitely an interesting episode, sure they had some funny moments but they really did something quite fascinating character and story wise, and I feel like they're building an arc between Amethyst and Peridot in some way.
• The New Lars: Well that was... something. Steven somehow possesses Lars' body. Just, after yesterday's heavy subject matter, this is somehow the perfect antidote. I could already see where they were going when the episode kicked off, like Steven seemed to be trying to decide how Lars should live his life (well, regarding Sadie anyway), even if Lars is a jerk. Interestingly enough Steven in Lars' body is liked more by everyone else even if some find it weird (Onion's reaction was priceless), however Sadie does pick up on the fact that something isn't right and realises that "Lars" is out of character, and calls him out on his behaviour. Of course Steven manages to switch back, and Lars is angry about it. However, the episode does end nicely with Lars and Sadie having a talk over things. Was a nice episode, of course it was pretty bizarre, but there were some pretty funny moments and it does do some good things with Lars' character.
• Beach City Drift: Wow, Kevin is a jerk. His ego was funny to watch at times actually, but gosh he was a pretty awful guy. It's hard to blame Steven for being so angry at him (not to mention what happened in Alone Together), and Connie was too (oh hey long time no see), though she ultimately was better at controlling her emotions. You even see that in the beginning, she does have similar feelings to Steven about him and wants to get back at him but she's already much more cool headed about it so it didn't surprise me she was the one who came to doubt what they were doing. So yeah, it was an interesting way to bring back Stevonnie, also the race sequences were pretty good and the score to them helped that (the scene where they unfuse also was pretty tense). Not much else to say, I liked this episode a fair bit.
• Restaurant Wars: Wow, who knew Kofi and Fryman had such an intense history? Deep fried pizza sounds disgusting yet I could actually picture someone making that. The wars now have the kids of their respective parents forced to work jobs they're not used to, and they clearly hate it. Steven feels guilty since he unwittingly started the war, so he gets with the kids of the Pizza and Fryman families to plan an end to the conflict. Steven tries to get Kiki and Ronaldo to pretend they're in love to get their parents to stop fighting, and while it seems to work at first Ronaldo's girlfriend Jane sees what is happening and leaves him. Not gonna lie, actually felt bad for Ronaldo here. Steven then gets them to stop fighting by opening his own restaurant that would compete with them, and ends up succeeding (complete with fancy outfits from the Gems). Not much I can say about this episode, but it was nice and fun, though hopefully Ronaldo can fix that relationship of his.
• Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service: Well that was kinda trippy, huh. Also lol, the Gems must be pretty busy. But yeah this episode was good, if a little creepy with the cheese stuff (seriously if I was confronted with that amount of cheese I'd throw up). This is also the first episode for Jeff Liu's new storyboard partner, Colin Howard, and if there's anything I can gather from this episode he seems fond of puns, because there were a lot of them. One wonders if when this episode was pitched one of their goals was to come up with as many pizza and cheese puns as possible. Also was nice to see an episode focusing more on Kiki since we've mainly seen Jenny around, and in a way this kind of explains why we see the latter more given the former is too afraid to stand up to her sister and let her know she's been having anxiety about doing so much work (and again the theme of "don't care about others at the expense of yourself" comes up). I do kind of wish we got to see the talk the twins had and I guess it was kinda predictable, but it's nice that Kiki was able to for now at least catch a break. Also I find it interesting how Steven's dream abilities work, they seem to mostly enable him to connect with people currently on his mind, and it seems he can actually get physically tired from doing lots of stuff in dreams. So nice episode that looked into the Pizza sisters' relationship, expanded on Steven's dream powers and had lots of puns, basically.
• Monster Reunion: So a kind of fun episode ends up going into something kind of emotional. Steven rediscovers his healing powers, which leads to a funny scene where he smashes a plate much to Pearl's shock. In a nice show of her growing trust in Steven, she believes him, even if her reaction was also to avoid him touching the broken plate. Steven then tries to see if he can heal Centipeetle's corruption (after convincing Garnet), and it... kind of works? Like she's kind of half-formed, but she's still, well, Centipeetle. Garnet is pessimistic and decides she should be bubbled, but Steven believes he can work something out with her. It's also confirmed that corruption is a psychological thing, and that the Diamonds caused whatever it was that did the corruption. In a pretty emotional scene Centipeetle explains through drawings (since she cannot speak to Steven) how she was the leader of a crew of her kind, only for her to have fought in the Gem War (the part where it explains she was involved in building implies she was on Homeworld's side) and have been left behind by everyone else when the Diamonds' weapon corrupted her. However Steven is able to find a ship that has some of the other Centipeetles (Garnet could decipher that the others didn't leave her behind so they stayed in the ship even if they got corrupted too), and they end up letting her go stay with them. This was a nice episode, it of course gave us some more history and had some pretty funny moments but Centipeetle was a very sympathetic character too and it was easy to get invested in her story, and it's nice they ended on a different note to Monster Buddies where Centipeetle gets her own happy ending for the time being (at least until Steven can figure out more about gem corruption).
• Alone at Sea: Well then, that certainly was something. Lapis actually gets to meet Greg, and while the initial meeting was understandably kind of awkward, they seemed to be alright in the end. They and Steven go on a boat, but Lapis is troubled given that despite Steven's insistence on getting her to have fun she keeps thinking about Malachite and what happened there. She even seemed to have a flash back with the "don't put me in charge" outburst. She also seems to have a lot of remorse for what she did, too. In one of the most interesting parts of the episode, Lapis has an outburst and reminds Steven of all of the bad things she has done, but admits she actually misses Jasper. Her mentioning being fused for so long implies that might be a part of why she feels this way, but it also might be some twisted attachment she may have developed in general. The build up to Jasper was also intense... oh yeah, Jasper's back, and she's pissed, even calling Lapis a monster (after comparing herself to her, in fact). Jasper however also actually misses Lapis (I guess it's kind of like Stockholm Syndrome?) and wants to be Malachite, in particular citing her power ("we could fly!"), however Lapis refuses, acknowledging how unhealthy their relationship was (in particular she reminds Jasper of how much she loved hurting her). I kinda wish we got to see a bit more of Jasper given that she basically got punched away, but this was certainly an intriguing episode. It started out kinda fun, Lapis not really getting human stuff was endearing, but it managed to get intense and emotionally complicated pretty quickly. This certainly feels open ended, I'm guessing Jasper will return eventually.
• Greg the Babysitter: So another flashback episode, which begins with a song of what life was like for Greg when he was with Rose. It shows many things, but it turns out Greg needs money. We then jump to Vidalia and baby Sour Cream, the latter of which doesn't even have a different voice (which is kind of funny actually), and Greg needs to babysit for her. Rose actually gets to meet Sour Cream, and is fascinated by how humans grow up, given that gems are born fully formed and know what they're supposed to do. However Rose ends up not really understanding the idea given that she lets Sour Cream climb a ferris wheel, and Greg has to get him out (and then Rose has to save the both of them). Greg then gets his job at the car wash. Not really much to say here, it was a good episode, we did learn more about Rose as well.
• Gem Hunt: Connie goes on her first Gem mission! The scene where Steven was taking photos was amusing, and it was cute seeing how excited he was about it. Connie also is determined not to disappoint Pearl, too, and it's also amazing how prepared she is. She's really the kind to think things through, huh? Also it turns out they're actually facing two corrupted monsters, which raises the stakes. Steven and Connie convince Pearl they have to split up, and while it was funny seeing how much they knew what they were doing, it was also nice because we're really seeing Pearl begin to listen to not only Steven but also Connie (and the "remember, together" line showed she has learned her lesson from Sworn to the Sword). Connie's talk about how she's so prepared because she's convinced humanity is not handling itself well was kind of random, but it does show how Connie thinks a lot about the world she lives in and it also feels like they might be setting up what kind of things she could be looking at in the future (I could see her maybe playing a key role in humanity's future... maybe she WILL be a president :V). Also wow Pearl, way to be sassy to your student when she's trying to please you. After some tea and a Scooby-Doo reference, they think about these humanoid tracks that are confusing and then find one of the monsters. Connie begins to doubt if she's ready for this, but she pulls through and gets Pearl to come and help... only for Jasper to show up (already!) and take the monster down. Jasper then leaves quickly, leaving her motivations a mystery, but Connie is reassured that she did what she was supposed to do and that Pearl didn't expect her to fight. Was a pretty good episode, we got to see how Connie thinks about how she would approach missions and we have Jasper on the loose, which raises a lot of questions. Look forward to seeing where this goes next episode.
• Crack the Whip: So after a training session is cancelled due to a mission, Connie hangs out with Steven, Amethyst and Lion. We get some funny moments, but we see Amethyst's apathetic attitude emphasised a lot. However she actually does give Connie some interesting advice for battle about needing to be flexible and expecting the unexpected, and it's a nice build off of the last episode in that regard. Things seem fun until the monsters from last episode show up, which Jasper is using to face the Crystal Gems. Amethyst takes down one before Jasper shows up on the other, and the two of them have a confrontation. Amethyst puts up a fight, but Jasper is always dominant, and she not only rubs Amethyst's defect status in her face, she also poofs her. Just as Jasper is about to crush her... Steven and Connie go after Jasper and fuse into Stevonnie. It was pretty epic, and they manage to take down the second creature, and Jasper seems kind of obsessed with how they used fusion. Amethyst reforms, but feels like she's useless despite taking down the first creature, given that Jasper's words probably really got to her. Think this is going to come up in later episodes for sure, and this episode definitely was something. Starts out fun, but gets intense as soon as Jasper shows up.
• Steven vs Amethyst: Wow, this thing with Amethyst is really shaping up to go somewhere, huh? Amethyst actually decides to go train with Steven and Pearl because she feels like that's what she needs after her defeat last episode. It's interesting she decided to go when Pearl was mentioned because of how she kind of sees her as the "ideal" Crystal Gem, and I also noticed her react to Pearl's comments about the CGs being smaller and less gifted. Steven actually growing in his abilities ends up making Amethyst envious of him, especially since Steven beats her at all of the challenges she faces. After Amethyst notices Steven letting her win in a game, she admits these feelings and they build up into a confrontation... where they try to prove they're worse than each other. It starts out funny with that kind of wording, but the actual fight is pretty intense. After they both get exhausted they admit their feelings to each other in a pretty sweet scene, especially with Steven admitting he's trying to hard because he feels pressured to be like Rose. It definitely helped them relate to each other, and it was nice but Pearl comes in at the end with a funny moment about how they ruined the ruins. But yeah, pretty good episode, very dramatic (amazed Steven vs Amethyst actually had them fight) and was great with Steven and Amethyst's characters.
• Bismuth: Um... wow. So Steven finds the gem Bismuth in Lion's mane, and we find out she's a Crystal Gem. Specifically, she was who made the material weapons for the Crystal Gems, after she met Rose and loved the idea of being able to determine her own destiny after building stuff for Homeworld for ages. However, it soon becomes apparent that her attitude is very violent, obviously meant to reflect the most extreme side of what the Crystal Gems were. Amethyst is initially suspicious of her, but Bismuth's weapon upgrades (seems she can modify Gem weapons too) win her over. Steven is not so sure though. However, it is interesting how they're subtly adding to this Amethyst arc they're planning, because she does have these feelings of being left out. After testing their new weapons, Bismuth wants to see what Steven is made of, but given his nonviolent nature he's of course reluctant. Also, when Bismuth talks about how Rose affected her, she implies she was born on Earth? Interestingly Steven actually admits to her his feelings about feeling like living up to her, and since Bismuth takes Rose's message to heart she sees that he can be what he wants to be. However, things get dark really quickly, where Bismuth reveals she had a weapon that would be able to shatter Gems. Steven of course refuses to use it, and the Bismuth gets furious. It seems Rose had a confrontation like this and ended up bubbling her, and also didn't tell the others the truth. After a pretty intense fight, Bismuth is stabbed with Rose's sword and bubbled. Steven promises to tell the other Gems the truth though. So yeah, started out kinda fun, but it did get intense really quickly. Bismuth was actually kind of scary, but she was also a pretty interesting character, and definitely gave a new look at the Crystal Gems.
• Beta: Oh hey, Canadian airing! So even with her upgraded weapon Amethyst is still obsessing over Jasper, and to try and calm her down Steven takes her for a visit to Peridot and Lapis. Even if I felt Barn Mates was kind of rushed I still love the fact that the two of them are getting along, heck Lapis is even watching Camp Pining Hearts with Peridot! Also, Peridot with a bow tie looks cool on her. They also redesigned the barn, which was pretty awesome (though I feel bad for the alien plush floating in that tank ). The tour is pretty funny, especially when they start sharing their art (or as Lapis calls them, meep morps), though Amethyst clearly isn't enjoying herself and has an outburst. Peridot tries to cheer her up in her own way, but she also reveals Jasper was born on Earth in the Beta Kindergarten. Peridot then shows them around said place, which was created in a desperate attempt to make more soldiers, most of which didn't come out as they hoped... except for Jasper, whose exit hole is apparently the most perfect Peridot has ever seen (there's also a nice moment where Peridot is fine with asking for Steven's help to get up into the hole). Steven reassures Amethyst that who she wants to be is what's important, not her background... however Amethyst wants to beat Jasper. And just after she says that, they discover Corrupted Gems in cages, owned by Jasper... and the episode ends. This was pretty good! Fun first half, interesting second half that build up to the next episode. Can't wait to see what comes next.
• Earthlings: So... wow. We get to see some of how Jasper thinks at the beginning, feeling like she's above everyone else on Earth while resorting to getting corrupted Gems for her "army." When Steven and Amethyst face Jasper, she also  actually kind of exhibits a mentality that could almost be say... eugenicist, and if not then it definitely comes across as fascist. She seems to think any Gem that is unable to serve their purpose under the Diamonds must be purged. As I expected, Amethyst wouldn't actually beat Jasper, because that's what she's basing her self worth around. Steven reminds her that she's more like him, and in a sweet scene, they hug and... fuse into Smoky Quartz. Yeah, Steven and Amethyst fuse and then fight Jasper! They actually end up causing one of her attacks to release her "army," however she... fuses with the gem monster she still had in Crack the Whip (which seems to have an element of pride to it, she's obsessed with being beaten by fusions). I don't know how she can do that (maybe related gems like quartzes are easier to fuse?), but that happens. However, she's still beaten by Smoky Quartz, and the gem monster leaver her after unfusing. However, things get intense quickly because it turns out fusing with a corrupted gem, well, corrupts you. In an interesting line, she perceives "Rose" as recruiting gems who are weaker and at their lowest point, which makes me wonder if that will be something explored later. Jasper actually perceives Peridot as falling into this category, however she talks about how Earth made her feel more free. Jasper then breaks down and reveals she's so obsessed with beating Rose because she perceives her as ruining her "colony" and "planet" (which suggests she seems to still have attachment to Earth despite talking about how much she hates it), but most ominously she mentions that Rose did something to Pink Diamond. What that is... I guess we will find out later. Also when Amethyst bubbles corrupted Jasper, she actually calls her "sis." This is definitely Jasper's turning point (especially since Steven now has found a way to sympathise with her), and while I don't know what she will do in the future, it was a pretty emotional way to go out. However, when they return to the barn, Steven, Amethyst and Peridot are faced with Lapis holding the Ruby squad from Hit the Diamond in balls of water (or bubbles?) with Garnet and Pearl. Cliffhanger! So that was a big episode, it had a lot of stuff going on, but it definitely got really emotional. I still kind of wonder how one fuses with a corrupted gem, but either way this was great and I look forward to seeing what happens in the future.
• Back to the Moon: So the Rubies return, looking for Jasper. After some silly antics trying to ask them what their deal is (Navy and Leggy sure are forgetful, lol), Amethyst shapeshifts into Jasper for the episode, and the Rubies fall for it. Eyeball is even a Jasper fangirl who also fought in the war! While the Rubies fall for the disguise, Amethyst still has to file a mission report with them, so they have to go to the nearest Diamond base - the Moon. So yeah, they arrive on the Moon (after Pearl overdoing the melodrama - and she thought Amethyst would be unconvincing :V), and they see the mural of Pink Diamond. It turns out Earth was her colony (which I guess explains why the injectors had pink gems on them), in fact... and she's now definitely not Rose (RIP in peace, Rose Diamond). Eyeball actually saw Pink's fall, she says she saw Rose with her own eye shatter her. Steven of course is in disbelief and heartbroken, Garnet and Pearl look nervous (Pearl was literally shaking) and Amethyst while she couldn't really express much, she did show concern towards Steven. Amethyst also barely holds her Jasper form, but successfully convinces the Rubies to leave... except not really, they catch her when she shifts back into her normal form. Sardonyx knocks the fused Rubies out, but Steven is taken with them, ending with a cliffhanger. This episode was good, however after so many brilliant episodes lately, this admittedly feels kind of underwhelming. Sure, the Rubies were funny and the Pink Diamond reveal was dramatic, but it felt much less substantial than everything before (though maybe it's just building up to Bubbled). Still, look forward to what happens next.
• Bubbled: So in a really atmospheric opening Steven instinctively bubbled himself and is hurling through space, however Eyeball latches on to the bubble and is in space with Steven. We also learn a bit about Eyeball, who also wanted to see Rose Quartz for closure. Steven of course reveals that he is her descendant, but of course Eyeball is sceptical. However, after they pass through an asteroid field, her gem is cracked, and Steven convinces her that he can help. Even if Eyeball is understandably weirded out by Steven licking her gem, it does convince her that Steven is Rose's son. However... Eyeball tries to kill Steven because she wants to right the wrong of her shattering Pink Diamond. Steven throws her away but barely survives in space and is found by the Crystal Gems. We get a nice reunion with Love Like You playing, and Garnet confirms in an emotional scene that Rose did indeed shatter Pink, because she thought it would be the only way to make Earth truly free. This of course does indeed bring up a lot of questions, which I'm sure will be answered later. This episode was definitely something unique, it was really atmospheric and even tense at parts, and while it wasn't exactly what I expected out of a season finale I guess the reveal about Pink Diamond is sort of supposed to be the big thing at the end. Now on to Season 4!