Mar 11, 2014

Steven Universe" compilation: Many Birthdays" and "Lars and the Cool Kids

"So Many Birthdays" script and storyboards by Raven M. Morrissey and Paul Villeco.

"Lars and the Cool Kids" storyboards by Lamar Abrams and Matt Braley.

I usually walk away from "Steven Universe" with a few laughs and forget what happened as soon as it ends, but if developments like "Giant Woman" and "So Many Birthdays" continue, this show will have a special meaning for me! It just might. The theme of this episode was heavy on the idea of "growing up," and the ending was a wonderful realization that everyone should consider.

Once again, the episode begins with Pearl and Amethyst arguing about something unrelated. A smell lingers in the air, and Gems and Steven stumble upon a five-year-old burrito (the likely source of the stench) and an "old" photo of Gems and Steven's mother. This makes us wonder how old Gems really is. Thankfully, the ever-curious boy asks. Gems live a long time, but they don't show signs of aging like humans do. Stephen then has to be irritated about their birthday - Garnet admits it's not something the Gems do or care about. Like Steven, I was appalled by that. Later, he promises to throw them each a birthday party.

Each gem got her own special day, which ended as a failure even though they all wore Stephen's lucky birthday suit-cape and crown. Amethyst doesn't understand the concept of a piñata and asks the question everyone has wondered: "You had candy and didn't give it to us..." Steven tries to step up by playing the clown and telling jokes at Pearl's party. At Pearl's party, Steven plays the clown and tells jokes. When Steven declares that Garnet's birthday will be the "ultimate birthday," you think, "What's the point? No, it wasn't. The kazoo racer was not a hit. That's because playing kazoo in a miniature car doesn't sound appealing to the Gems.

Their hesitation to celebrate birthdays makes Steven wonder if he is already too old to blow out the candles on special occasions. This mental breakdown was probably my third favorite moment in the series. Anyway, his breakdown led to a very interesting outcome...

Walking through the fog, both in reality and in his mind, Stephen continued to question his birthday and growing up. As he did so, his gems began to shine and age. At first it was simple puberty. Four hairs sprouted on his upper lip, his voice changed and acne became noticeable. When he came to the store and began to think that all he had to get was a job, he became a five o'clock shadowy man with a straight back. By the time he got to Lars' store, he looked like George Costanza in "My Neighbor Seinfeld. After being kicked out of the store over a misunderstanding about his "birthday suit," his aging escalated and he went from looking like his father to looking like an old man with Gandalf's beard. He is returned to Gems thanks to the lion. Yes, that "Steven's Lion" lion was resurrected this week, but up to this point he had played no significant role other than that of a party-goer.

Gems always shows concern when Steven is in a tight spot, but this was the first time he showed emotional concern rather than instinct to help. This was probably because they had to face death. He tried to reverse his aging by over-celebrating the birthday rituals he had learned: the piñata, the little car, the clown, the pie. Pearl's tearful attempt to perfect the clown was a hilarious moment in a tense situation.

Stephen's age began to fluctuate according to his state of mind and he would go back and forth between boy and man. After all, you are as old as you feel. This lesson is my second favorite moment and comes from "Frybo," an episode that flowed wonderfully after this week's new release.

I only hope this theme continues. Because as interesting as it is to see Pearl and Amethyst clash, these episodes that capture Steven's journey to manhood are much more interesting.

"So Many Birthdays" was the best of the Steven universe I saw, so I wasn't expecting much from "Lars and the Cool Kids" when Steven and Lars encounter the so-called cool kids. The best part was the jostling between Steven defending his mother and Lars laughing about being cool.

Gems and Steven come across a huge, mossy, overgrown quarry that Steven's mother planted once upon a time. Pearl points out that Stephen's mother, Rose Quartz, always saw "the beauty of everything, no matter how gross," which might also explain why she was with Stephen's father in the first place. If you've forgotten, refer to the opening credits to see what he looks like. After Pearl produces some police tape to keep the humans from moss, we lose a gem for the rest of the episode as Stephen heads off alone for lunch at Fish Stew Pizza.

There he encounters a reluctant Lars, who fails to engage him in a high-five. Lars feigns calm as he lurks in the parlor window, staring at the cool entourage he wants to join. His father owns the pizza parlor, and there's Jenny, the black woman in charge. Around her are Sour Cream, a raver who seems to be related to Little Onion by his paste-like appearance and name, and Buck Dewey, who is forever wearing sunglasses, perhaps to hide his relationship with his politician father.

Somehow Steven instantly wins over the cool trio and invites him and Lars to a cruise session. It's like a driving scene from 21 Jump Street. Steven seems amazing at driving safely, and Lars is less impressive with his pretentious behavior. Steven continued his safety patrol when they decided to go to Dead Man's Mouth.

Turns out that's what the humans called the moss pit they had seen earlier. Ignoring Stephen's warnings, the cool kids get covered in moss. As Steven and Lars argue about what to do, Lars crosses the line. He bad-mouths the moss and Stephen's mother, which angers the little guy. It was really weird and surprising to see Steven react like that. For Steven, who is usually happy-go-lucky, an angry face was new to him.

Lars and Steven had to take the moss-covered cool kids up the hill, Steven's idea, which would have been fine had Jenny's car not been a stick shift. Lars and Steven work as a team to get them to the hill, and while they too are covered in moss, the sun breaks and the clumps of moss bloom into beautiful flowers. Once the moss was removed and the weather cooled off, Steven praised Lars for his achievement.

This was not as high-concept as last week's, but it did show what really matters to Steven: human interaction. Usually it's a quick run-through or one-on-one. This week we saw him with his buddies instead of Gems, and he even proved that he doesn't always need a gal pal to save the day.