Here we are at the end of the week. Five brand new episodes of Steven Universe have come and gone, and who knows when we’ll get more (for reference – the last chunk of episodes aired in September and October). Rebecca Sugar and her dedicated crew put great effort into these 55 minutes (give or take), and “Log Date 7 15 2” was an excellent way to cap it all off.
The last episode of Steven Universe – “It Could’ve Been Great” – ended on a bit of a cliffhanger: after realizing that Peridot (Shelby Rabara) may not be as on-board with the Crystal Gems as he thought she was, Steven (Zach Callison) watches her sneak off with a special communication device stolen from the Homeworld base on the moon. We were left wondering what this meant for her standing among Garnet (Estelle), Pearl (Deedee Magno), and Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), as well as what it meant for the Gems’ plan to destroy the dangerous weapon incubating within the planet. “Message Received” doesn’t hesitate to answer these questions.
No sooner do I lament the lack of Peridot’s (voiced by Shelby Rabara) presence in the recent episodes of Steven Universe, than Rebecca Sugar and her team provide the viewers with a heaping helping of the misanthropic Homeworld defector. And what writers Joe Johnston and and Jeff Liu have provided the audience with is exactly what the show needed at this mid-point in the week.
You hear people say “we’re in the Golden Age of television” all the time these days. Some have taken to calling our current climate “peak TV.” And while that descriptor certainly adheres to the recent influx in serialized dramas all over premium and basic cable, many argue you could apply the term to animation as well. I don’t buy in on many cartoons – even the ones geared towards adults can be hit-or-miss, especially when their entire shtick is the juxtaposition of a simple animated style with dirty jokes. But so many people – people I know personally, even – sing the praises of shows like Adventure Time or My Little Pony, so there must be some merit to these programs. Last year I took a chance on one such show – Steven Universe – mostly because the main character and I share a first name (and he spells it the correct way). I was skeptical at first, but irrepressible charm and catchy music eventually yielded love; and with a batch of new episodes premiering this week, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to write about a series that I have come to enjoy immensely.
Steven Cohen's 365 Days of Reviews 