Steven Universe Future | Episode 11 & 12
Added 2024-09-12 15:00:03 +0000 UTCStevonnie finally appears! Also, an INCREDIBLY heartwarming moment from Peridot. These two episodes were a lot slower imo, but the moments between Steven and Peridot and Steven and Connie, more than make up for it.
Hope y'all enjoy!
Comments
Bismuth Casual- Man, I was RIGHT there with you for the first half of this show being all "where is Connie?? Show me my daughter!" Though by the time we get this episode, it started to become way more clear as to Why they made that decision on a plot scale... "When Connie and I were fighting to save the universe things were sort of easier. We were fighting the same fight, now it's like we're living different lives. I wonder if I'm even her best friend anymore." This line from Steven would not hit quite as hard if she had been hanging out with him on screen casually just an episode or two prior. Connie's absence in the show thus far is because she's largely been absent from STEVEN'S life lately, too. She's been super busy with her fancy lil' advanced college prep school. He has been feeling that distance just as much as the audience has, and it leaves him anxious and unmoored. That's a huge part of why he then... as you've already seen in the next episode... tries to cling in SO HARD with his disastrous proposal- because I think he's been feeling super insecure of their relationship, and felt the need to try and Cement It in some big, dramatic way. (Which, man. Do I have a LOT to discuss on the next episode, because HOO BOY. There's a lot to unpack there with his choices and what factors of his skewed upbringing led him to think Proposal would be a good idea rather than... idk... just asking her to be your gd girlfriend??? But later.) I digress though! Connie!! I love her, always happy to see her. Bismuth, too. I was totally eating up the coy lil' Bismuth/Pearl hints this episode was feeding. Quite honestly I don't feel like this show tries to push for any one dynamic over another with many characters- but I must admit, Bismuth and Pearl would be a pretty cute possibility and I would certainly throw my hat into that ring. Good for them.
Novantinuum
2024-09-13 04:51:34 +0000 UTCSo, episodes 11 and onward actually DID in fact come out in 2020~ in March. Ep 12 aired March 6th, right at the beginning of toilet paper hoarding time. So yeah, it WAS very contemporary. Made me laugh, because Pearl's toilet paper joke was a complete coincidence on Crew's part. Now, for some more in-depth rambles... In Dreams- This and Fragments coming up soon are my two personal favorite episodes of SUF. In Dreams just... has such a charm to it that I adore. I always loved the Steven and Peridot dynamic in the original show, and this one is basically just a huge love letter as to why. The friendship chemistry with these two is electric- their personalities bounce off each other very well, and it's just FUN to see them interact. Re: Steven's ability to sorta project his thoughts to the TV- it's VERY subtle and never commented on in the actual show, but I believe he's actually showcased a small shade of this ability once before! In the mid s1 episode Maximum Capacity, Amethyst shapeshifts into Rose in front of Greg just to be cruel and emotionally vindictive as they're arguing, and Steven walks into this and yells for them to stop. Well, when he does this, the television set they were watching TV on ABRUPTLY goes to fuzz. And based on the fact that they were watching VHS tapes it doesn't make sense for that to have happened organically. Thus, I can only imagine that it had to have happened at Steven's subconscious control as he yelled "Stop!" Ahahah I feel like so much of this episode is like, storyboarders being meta on the topic of fandom and it's pretty funny to me- the fact that Steven and Peridot are outright discussing ships and character foils, the fact that their whole reboot of the reboot is just them making fanfiction together, Steven LITERALLY MAKING A SELF-INSERT OC! (Stefan is SO cursed, I cannot take him seriously, ahahahah.) But most of all, I think the Crew very much were talking straight at the audience with Peridot's line "You're talking about them like they're real people- it's just a story! And a story needs conflict." I have to laugh. Very much an important thing that many need a reminder of at times. On the topic of Steven's self-insert, though... with knowledge from future episodes in my back pocket, it suddenly makes a Lot of sense why he'd invent this hunky, popular character who helps people and everyone likes as his idealized "caricature" of himself. Particularly on the "hunky" bit, I remember thinking... why is That aspect specifically important to him? But then one thinks about the bulky, indomitable strength of the form he takes in Fragments... and the line in the song next episode that goes "I'd rather be tall, I'd rather be smart-" And what I think may be going on here is that... deep down, what Steven REALLY wants is to compensate for how small and helpless he feels caught within all this baggage and trauma of the past. In that... well, maybe if he could've been big and strong enough, he never would've gotten so hurt in the first place. :( One of the other aspects that I enjoy about this episode is how... WEIRD that moment in the dream is with Obsidiconnie? Connsidian?? A lot of the dream segments have pretty clear-cut meanings, but this one is a bit more nebulous. Connie showing up in the first place makes clear sense- Steven, who OBVIOUSLY has had feelings for her for a long time, is feeling guilt for almost kissing someone else, even if it's merely a character in his dream- but Connie having Obsidian's body?? Damn if I know, lol. I could probably write a long meta essay on what it COULD mean, but I think there's a lot more interpretations one can make here. And then that segment with Steven's dream breaking down at the end into this jumble of TV signal lost and static sounds as he's begging Peridot to stay with him, not to leave him behind like everyone else... damn. That segment lives in my head eternally rent free. One of the most creative ways they could've ever tackled this interaction, the visuals are haunting and the music cue that goes along with it is perfect. Every time I watch it, it gives me chills.
Novantinuum
2024-09-13 04:39:50 +0000 UTC
