Steven Universe 1.52

Jail Break

Steven wakes up with a black eye in a jail cell. He escapes from the jail cell and helps Ruby, a gem he doesn't recognize escape from a nearby jail cell. They are aboard a spaceship. Ruby takes off running looking for Sapphire. Steven chases after Ruby. They find Lapis Lazuli. Steven offers to help her escape but she just wants to stay put. 

Steven finds Sapphire and frees her. She is reunited with Ruby and fuses with her to form... Garnet. Steven is stunned. Jasper shows up. Garnet fights with Jasper while Steven finds and frees his Pearl and Amethyst. Pearl redirects the spaceship back towards Earth where it crash lands. 

Jasper merges with Lapis Lazuli but Lapis Lazuli pulls a fast one on Jasper and drags their fused form into the ocean.

Steven Universe 1.51

The Return

Peridot returns to Earth with Lapis Lazuli and Jasper. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl fear the worst. They convince everyone to evacuate Beach City, including Steven. He leaves with his father but later decides that he must return and stand with the other Crystal Gems.

Peridot tries dealing with the Crystal Gems herself but Steven steps in the way and blocks her attempt with his shield. The episode ends on a cliffhanger as Jasper singlehandedly defeats all of the Crystal Gems.

Thoughts

Lapis Lazuli tries to talk Peridot and Jasper out of attacking Steven and the others. Jasper seems to think that Steven is Rose Quartz. 

Steven Universe 1.50

Political Power

Pearl tests a device which she hopes will deactivate robonoids. It doesn't but it does knock out the power all across Beach City. Steven spends the next day going around town with Mayor Dewey trying to reassure people that the power will come back on and that everything will be alright. 

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl worry about the arrival of Peridot. They try to keep their worrying from Steven but in the end they level with him and tell him the truth.

Thoughts

Most of the previously seen residents of Beach City are in this episode but Connie and her parents are not. 

Steven Universe 1.48

Story for Steven

Steven finds a picture of his Dad with someone he doesn't recognize. Greg tells his son about Marty, his manager, and about how he (Greg) met Rose Quartz, Steven's mother.

Thoughts

Greg had more hair at the time he met Rose.

More backstory. I like it.

Steven Universe 1.47

Shirt Club

Stevn draws an image to advertise the fact that his father is giving guitar lassons. Buck, Mayor Dewey's son, gets a hold of the image and talks Steven into making t-shirts with the image on them. Steven thinks it's a great idea until after they distribute them. Everyone loves the t-shirts but they aren't interested in getting guitar lessons from his dad. Steven 

Thoughts

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are in this episode but they don't play an important role in it.

This was an okay episode but it didn't really do a lot for me.

Steven Universe 1.46

Open Book

Steven and Connie step into Rose's Room and try writing a new ending to the Spirit Morph Saga. Steven uses the room's magic to make himself look like Archimicarus. Connie dresses up like Lisa, the other main characters from the series. Things get weird but then Steven realizes that the Connie he's talking to isn't the real Connie. He runs from fake Connie and eventually finds the real Connie but it isn't until after Steven admits that he liked the ending to the story as is that fake Connie disappears.

Thoughts

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are not in this episode.

This was fun and not terribly consequential.

Steven Universe 1.49

The Message

Greg helps the Crystal Gems figure out how to decipher a message that is being transmitted by a Wailing Stone. They assume at first that it is an audio message but then it occurs to Steven and Greg that it might be a video message. They are correct. It was sent by Lapis Lazuli who warns them that someone is coming for them. They assume that the someone is Peridot.

Thoughts

The order of the episodes seems to be jumbled on Hulu, according to the Steven Universe Wiki. I just discovered that I skipped over three episodes by mistake.

The Wailing Stone previously appeared in 1.19 Rose's Room but I did not make any mention of it my notes for that episode. I went back and watched that episode. It only appears very briefly in that one.

This was a good episode. I like the humor and the way it expands the world in which the story takes place. Greg and Lapis Lazuli are the only characters to appear in this story other than Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Peridot is mentioned but does not appear.

Steven Universe 1.45

Rose's Scabbard

Lion finds Rose's Scabbard, among other items, while exploring the Gem Battlefield with Steven and the Crystal Gems. They bring it back with them. The scabbard makes Pearl very nostalgic. She tells Steven that she had a special relationship with his mother. Rose told her things that she didn't tell anyone else.

Pearl takes Steven to Rose's secret hideout but it turns out he's been there before. Lion took him and Connie there. They are there to find Rose's sword but after she shows Steven an image of the sword he claims to know where to find it. They return to the house and Steven pulls the sword out of Lion.

Pearl runs off. Steven follows her. He finally catches up to her. She shares some more herself and Rose.

Steven Universe 1.44

Marble Madness

Connie gets Steven interested in a series of books, The Spirit Morph Saga. He gives them a try but she gets a bit worried when he reads the books out of order.

A giant robonoid, sent by Peridot arrives in Beach City. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl destroy it but then another one shows up and then another, and another. Steven suggests that they should follow the latest robonoid that see what it wants.

The robonoid goes to the Kindergarten. There it goes to the Prime Control Room and contacts Peridot. Steven asks Peridot what she wants. The Crystal Gems step in and smash Peridot's connection to the Prime Control Room.

Steven Universe 1.43

Maximum Capacity

Steven's father discovers, on New Year's Eve, that he needs to clean out or clean up his storage unit. Steven calls in Amethyst to help out. She finds video cassettes of a show called Lil' Butler. Amethyst and Greg sit down and start watching. They watch all night. They are still watching the next day when Steven returns. Greg eventually decides he's had enough of Lil' Butler but Amethyst isn't ready to stop. She shapeshifts, first making herself look like Steven and then Rose Quartz. Greg really get uncomfortable.

Thoughts

Steven references the fact that he is not aloud to watch television, which dates back to the end of 1.32 Fusion Cuisine. I had forgotten about this prohibition and had to check the wiki to find out when and where the prohibition began.

Steven Universe 1.42

Weather Forecast

Connie is hanging out with Steven at his place when her mother calls. There is a snowstorm coming and she wants Connie to come home. Steven's father tries driving them home but they get stuck in the snow and have to walk the rest of the way.

Something weird happens and Steven finds himself stepping backwards in time more than once as he envisions different scenarios. In the end they leave earlier and don't have to trudge through the snow. Also, Steven discovers that Garnet shared her future vision power with him which explains why he he experienced so many different possible outcomes.

Thoughts

This was a decent episode. It wasn't bad but it didn't really excite me or feel like it expanded Steven's world.

Steven Universe 1.41

Horror Club

Steven, Lars, and Sadie hang out with Ronaldo who is having a scary movie party. They start by watching Evil Bear 2 but the power goes out in the middle of the movie. They try to figure out what has happened to the power only to discover that the house is haunted, by a gem that was stuck in the walls of the house.

Thoughts

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl are not in this episode. 

This story reveals that Lars and Ronaldo used to be friends when they were much younger but they had a falling out.

This episode didn't do much for me. I guess it expanded the backstory of this series a little bit but not enough to satisfy me.

Steven Universe 1.40

On the Run

Amethyst and Steven go on the Run, just like the No Home Boys, the main characters from a series of books that Steven has been reading. Amethyst takes Steven to see the Prime Kindergarten, the place where she was born. Pearl catches up to them. She is angry at Amethyst for brining Steven to the Prime Kindergarten. Amethyst and Pearl fight but Steven intercedes and gets them to stop. They all go home together in the end.

Thoughts

The title of this episode is also the title of one of the No Home Boys novels.

Steven Universe 1.39

Future Vision

Steven learns that Garnet can see possible future outcomes of his actions. At first he thinks its cool but then he gets freaked out after he learns how fatal some of the future outcomes could be. Steven gets paralyzed by indecision until he finally comes to terms with reality and the role he plays he determining his own future.

Thoughts

This was an okay episode. It felt a bit like an afterschool special. I guess that another possible ending could be one where Steven got distracted and completely forgot about he worries over the future. I guess that this ending is better than that one but at the same time I didn't find it to be terribly rewarding.

Steven Universe 1.38

The Test

Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl have just finished playing a game of Citchen Calamity, which Steven won, when he finds out that one of their previous missions was a test for him and he failed. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl come up with another test for Steven. He is close to completing it when he discovers that it was too easy. There's no way he couldn't pass it.

Steven gets angry because he feels like they are going too easy on him but then he softens his stance after he overhears them talking about their own insecurities.

Thoughts

The test from a previous mission that they refer to in this episode occurred in 1.03 Cheeseburger Backpack.

Steven Universe 1.37

Alone Together

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl try to teach Steven some dance moves in the hopes that it will help him to fuse with one or more of them. Nothing seems to generate any fusion.

Steven teaches Connie how to dance and they wind up fusing into Stevonnie, accidentally. They love it. They show the Crystal Gems, who are a bit stunned that Steven merged with a human. Stevonnie leaves the house and runs around by themself. They get invited to rave where everyone is astounded by Stevonnie's dancing. The attention they get eventually proves to be a little too much and they split back into their individual selves.

Thoughts

This was a really neat episode. It wasn't exactly what I expected. There were no fights. All the action was of the dance variety.

Steven Universe 1.36

Warp Tour

Steven thinks he sees comething while he and the other Crystal Gems are warping back to their house in Beach City. They try to convince him that he didn't but he persists. He can't sleep the night after they get back. He fears that whatever he saw is going to come and attack him.

The next night Steven sees an orb crash through the roof of the house. He tries to stop it but it does something to the warp pad and then uses it. Steven and the orb disappear via the warp pad. Steven gets tossed out of the warp stream.

Steven is rescued by the others. They no longer doubt him. They arrive in Galaxy Warp and then hide when they see someone come through the Homeworld Warp, which was broken until the orb and dozens more like it fixed it.

Steven Universe 1.35

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Steven discovers a portal within Lion into another world. He can't breathe in that world but he finds a video cassette that his mother made for him. He watches it with Sadie. The video was shot by his mother but is mostly of his father. Towards the end his mother turns the camera around and speaks directly to Steven.

Thoughts

I would say this is a good episode. I don't love it but once more is revealed, as I assume it will be, then I might appreciate this episode more.

Steven Universe 1.34

Watermelon Steven

Steven accidentally creates a bunch of watermelons that look like people. He doesn't know what to do with them. Something Greg says makes him decide to sell them. He sets up a table on the boardwalk. Pretty soon he has sold all but one of them. That's when he learns that the watermelons are sentient. They all start coming to life. Steven runs around town getting the watermelons back from the people he took them from.

Thoughts

This is a weird episode. I'm not sure what to make of it. I laughed a few times but I wouldn't call it a favorite or even say that it is an upper tier episode.

Steven Universe 1.33

Garnet's Universe

Garnet asks Steven if he knows what she did. He sees that she has a gem stone and comes up with a story about how her day went. She has two companions in Steven's story, Hopper (a frog) and Hoppy (a rabbit). Garnet, Hopper, and Hoppy attempt to help a hapless temple guardian only to discover that he has been lying to them.

Thoughts

Amethyst and Pearl do not appear in this episode. Hopper was voiced by the actor who usually voices the part of Pearl. Hoppy was voiced by the actor who usually voices the part of Amethyst.

This was an okay story. I like the alternate animation style in the depiction of Garnet's adventure. It isn't the style of it so much as it is the fact that they decided to do something different with this episode.