Cartoons!

[tegan]

It makes me almost want to go back and see how much that may have colored her interactions with Stephen's dad. I always got a bit of a tension there, but assumed it was just a slob thing, like with Amethyst.

 

I always figured they were naturally resentful of him for being responsible for Rose's "death."

[BobbyBesar]

Not spoilering because it isn't specific to the newest episodes:

 

Certainly, some level of resentment from the gems towards Greg was always pretty clear, and for that matter there's always been a detectable tension between loving Stephen while acknowledging that he's the reason they lost Rose.

 

Even while watching earlier episodes, I think that Pearl's always seemed to embody that the most, but that's also because she's simply the most emotionally available of them.

[Merus]

Gravity Falls:

 

I always had a suspicion that when the show decided to do a mythology-focused episode, it'd end up being tied into development of the main character relationships because that's how Gravity Falls works. It didn't actually occur to me that the episode where they finally address Grunkle Stan's suspicious behaviour would be one where they drive a big wedge between the twins and Stan but given how Gravity Falls constructs its stories, I really should have anticipated that.

 

The episode did kind of feel like half a story, though, which I guess is the other hazard with this kind of thing, where you can't have a solid conclusion because you want to end on a cliffhanger.

 

Cliffhangers are just the worst; they're borne out of commercial reality (as is, for that matter, a lot of what we think of as 'good' storytelling, where heroes are easily identifiable, villains are beaten and stories have definite, tidy resolutions) but they stop working the minute you can put the two stories one after the other.

 

Edit:

[tegan]

Major spoilers regarding last night's Steven Universe two-parter ahead:

 

 

 

 

EDIT:

For a while, I was wondering where the fifth Gem was, since there's the star on the door with five colors, I assumed one was missing and would show up eventually and at first assumed that was Lapis, but then it went Madoka so now I'm left wondering again!

I've been wondering about this as well. I figure maybe there's a Sapphire Gem or something.

 

High fucking five.

 

I also always thought it was a bit weird that Garnet had two gems when everyone else just had one.

[Twig]

I don't remember what I said there but I can't open it 'cause I'm not caught up. D:

[tegan]

More finale spoilers ahead:

 

 

Oh, also, on Steven Universe:

 

Pretty sure Pearl loved Rose. It would not at all surprise me if they tried to sneak LGBT themes in and it seems pretty abundantly clear from context.

 

Plus, you know, gems are a seemingly all-female species anyway.

 

Pearl/Rose still unconfirmed, but Ruby/Sapphire is. So not so much "sneaking in LGBT themes" as "one of our primary characters is literally a walking gay relationship".

[SecretAsianMan]

Major spoilers regarding last night's Steven Universe two-parter ahead:

 

 

 

 

 

High fucking five.

 

I also always thought it was a bit weird that Garnet had two gems when everyone else just had one.

 

I knew that Garnet had to have something to do with the fifth gem based on this scene

 

although I admit the idea of a fusion didn't occur to me

[BobbyBesar]

Seeing those spoilers, I feel dumb for not figuring it out earlier. They did a pretty good job of dropping all the hints you needed. For example, I did wonder idly about what SAM posted above, but I figured it might just be sloppiness.

I give mad props to their writing team.

Now I really want to rematch some earlier episodes (Alone Together, in particular).

[tegan]

My favourite super-subtle hints included

Garnet being ecstatic that Steven fused with Connie and the fact that Garnet is voiced by a singer like every other fusion besides Alexandrite.

[deleted user]

_

[SuperBiasedMan]

I haven't kept up with the show but I suspected the fusion part, not the relationship. So now my further theory that the end goal is to have one 5 way fusion would have some awkward implications and would dial up the progressiveness here to 11.

[deleted user]

_

[Tanukitsune]

Well, I just caught up with Gravity Falls and Steven Universe, wow.... that was... a lot? 

 

On Gravity Falls:

I really hope the shortened theme was a one time thing.

What a cliffhanger, does this mean that the real Grunkle Stan was the guy at the end of the episode?

 

On Steven Universe:

I had no idea that there would be so many episodes to catch up to. The episode with the mayor seemed almost like filler, but I loved the rest.

It was great to see Steven's dad interacting with the gems, arguing with Amethyst, helping with the message and such.

 

The big reveal about Garnet was amazing, it was great to see how she got her compassion from one gem and her fighting spirit from another.

 

I'm kinda confused, are the gems supposed to genderless or not? Everybody was saying on social media how LGBT the ending was, which could refer to Pearl or Garnet, but if there are genderless.... would that them pansexual?

 

How is everybody feeling about Adventure Time? I don't really care about Regular Show anymore and I'm afraid Adventure Time would be going the same way. I guess you can tell Pendelton Ward left the show?

[BobbyBesar]

I haven't kept up with the show but I suspected the fusion part, not the relationship. So now my further theory that the end goal is to have one 5 way fusion would have some awkward implications and would dial up the progressiveness here to 11.

I guess. We already saw a 4 way (what we thought was 3 way at the time) when they met Connie's parents. I mean, of course they can escalate it further, and Steven fusing with the others would be significant, but it is a matter of degree.

 

What I'm guessing (not really) is 7 way fusion with Steven's powers allowing Connie and Greg to join in.

[Twig]

I am caught up on Steven Universe and can read the spoilers! Hurray!

Weirdly enough I only really noticed Garnet had two gems somewhere in like episode late-30s when she held up both of her hands and two of the gems on the gem door lit up (which I just noticed SAM also pointed out in that spoiler'd screenshot. And then I was like "huh I wonder" and it turns out yeah!

 

Also her song was the bestest.

 

Garnet was always my favorite, and she remains so! 

[SuperBiasedMan]

I guess. We already saw a 4 way (what we thought was 3 way at the time) when they met Connie's parents. I mean, of course they can escalate it further, and Steven fusing with the others would be significant, but it is a matter of degree.

 

What I'm guessing (not really) is 7 way fusion with Steven's powers allowing Connie and Greg to join in.

Ok I really haven't kept up well. Did not know there was a 4 way or that there were 7. I gotta catch up on this show.

[deleted user]

_

[tegan]

How is everybody feeling about Adventure Time? I don't really care about Regular Show anymore and I'm afraid Adventure Time would be going the same way. I guess you can tell Pendelton Ward left the show?

 

Adventure Time is like one of those webcomics that flourished in the early noughties that started out as zany adventures and then moved into drama, but didn't actually know how to tell dramatic stories. A lot of episodes feel like clumsy parables that don't go anywhere or reveals with no significance.

 

I personally consider Jake having kids to be the worst decision the show ever made. Jake can't just avoid his kids forever or he'll look like a terrible person, but any time they show up they just weigh everything down.

 

They're trying to play it like there are big questions left unanswered and stories left unfulfilled with the way they're playing around with episodes like Evergreen and Dark Purple, but I dunno. It's all gotten very meandering and dull to me.

[BobbyBesar]

Oh, also I'm a little surprised that Steven Universe didn't push the familiar thing from Connie's books a little harder, given what we know of Lion. Maybe it's too obvious to bother going into it? Or maybe that's a next season thing they're just laying groundwork for.

[Cleinhun]

Oh, also I'm a little surprised that Steven Universe didn't push the familiar thing from Connie's books a little harder, given what we know of Lion.

Wait fuck I just noticed that, am I an idiot?

Maybe it's too obvious to bother going into it? 

Pretty sure it's totally obvious and I am, in fact, an idiot.

[tegan]

Oh, also I'm a little surprised that Steven Universe didn't push the familiar thing from Connie's books a little harder, given what we know of Lion. Maybe it's too obvious to bother going into it? Or maybe that's a next season thing they're just laying groundwork for.

 

We're into season 2 now, and the next episode's description is "Steven and Connie go into Rose's Room to recreate a book series ending." Maybe they'll get into it.

 

(I was thinking the same thing, incidentally)

[BobbyBesar]

Ok, I finally watched the Steven Universe finale (yeah, I read spoilers before I watch things). Agree with most everything people say, some great stuff going on there.

 

1) I don't see how anybody could mistake the intent of Garnet's song. It's lyrics are almost literally "We're lesbians. Deal with it". They even basically tell Steven they were planning on "coming out" to him on his birthday.

2) Nobody mentioned how disturbingly rape-y Jasper / Lapis was! Holy crap.

[SecretAsianMan]

 

2) Nobody mentioned how disturbingly rape-y Jasper / Lapis was! Holy crap.

 

In what way do you mean?  I can think of a few ways to interpret that scene and I wanna be sure I understand what you're saying before I agree or disagree.

 

One thing I really like about Garnet's new form: her eyes.  Before it was really hard to tell what color they were but now her eyes are clearly all different colors.  One's red, one's blue, and one's red and blue mixed together (purple).  It's a neat way to show the relationship

 

[tegan]

2) Nobody mentioned how disturbingly rape-y Jasper / Lapis was! Holy crap.

 

Jasper definitely comes off as super predatory there. I'm glad Lapis gets to fight back the way she does. Hopefully if they introduce another rad super butch character like her, she won't be quite so clearly villainous.

[BobbyBesar]

In what way do you mean?  I can think of a few ways to interpret that scene and I wanna be sure I understand what you're saying before I agree or disagree.

 

The context was pretty significant. We had just had Garnet's song talking in detail about how her fusion was super consensual and super cool. I forget the exact words, but Jasper addresses Lapis and says something along the lines of "You should just let me do this to you, it will make your life easier."

 

Lapis's revenge after that was pretty cool, but that moment was honestly pretty disturbing.

 

The survivor / revenge interpretation for Lapis gets a little messy, given that she has some measure of agency and empowerment, but on the other hand, she's fused with her attacker forever...I guess if you want to get into a really deep metaphorical read that's also somewhat appropriate, but that leads to some pretty complex places.