“Vote For My Dad.” The stakes have never been lower, but Steven Universe thrives on the small stage. The episode’s plot is simple: Steven and Buck Dewey make T-shirts together, then disagree about what said T-shirts are for. It’s a light, sit-com-esque premise that leads into an earnest look at what growing up can take from […]
“You’re awfully cute, and I really want to play with you…but your life is short, and you have dreams.” Rose Quartz is the structuring absence of Steven Universe. She’s the ducks flying north from Tony Soprano’s pool, the vacated desk of Laura Palmer, the hole around which the themes and characters of the series revolve and against […]
“Don’t worry, bro. None of this is canon.” That’s how Uncle Grandpa, star of a show so tonally divorced from Steven Universe that absolutely none of this should work at all, pops into Beach City. What follows is a bizarre adventure that’s equal parts Terry Gilliam cartoon, bad anime, and Fourth Wall demolition session. Steven, frustrated by his inability […]
“Come on, aren’t you your own mom? You can do whatever you want.” Living up to a parent’s legacy can feel impossible. Steven lives in the void his mother left, a hole in the lives of every one of his parents, biological or otherwise. It’s easy to see the tension between his desire to step […]
