(We talked all about that right here, actually.)
All together the series totals 180 episodes.
With that in mind, I put together this list of episodes I feel best representSteven Universeon a whole.
Now lets find out why you should believe in Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.
Its foreshadowed at the beginning when Steven excitedly asks for fry bits.
He has no desire for the whole and perfect fries, he just wants the bits.
These characters are all cast offs from society.
They dont fit in any particular mold (much like the fry bits) but are still worthwhile.
Ever if you arent perfect, like a porkchop, youre still valuable, like a hot dog.
While the show can sometimes get very heavy, it never loses its humor.
This is not a bleak and cold world, especially with Stevens sense of humor.
In this episode, Connies (Stevens best friend) parents want to meet Stevens parents.
Stevens mom is dead and he considers the Crystal Gems his whole family.
This of course leads to wacky shenanigans but the message of the episode is clear.
Both Gem society and Earths society expect people to fit into certain molds, sometimes literally with Gems.
Yes, Steven loves hospital dramas.
There wont be a dry eye in the house once you see what Steven finds in Lions mane.
Yep, thats a sentence you just read.
It pulls no punches and sets you up for the feelings train that this whole show is.
This sleazebag, Kevin, who doesnt know the meaning of the word, no, hits on them.
This is where the consent part comes in.
Stevonnie doesnt like how it feels and becomes engulfed in feelings of dread.
Also of note is how encouraging Garnet is when Stevonnie first asks for help.
She doesnt shame Steven and Connie for fusing or their gender-neutral body.
She simply smiles and says, You are an experience.
Did I mentionSteven Universeon a whole is super positive and encouraging to minorities of all kinds?
This one squarely focuses on the toxic friendship between Greg and Amethyst.
He loses himself in them with Amethyst, forgetting about his own son.
When Greg finally snaps himself out of it, Amethyst is not pleased.
Rose casts a huge (eyyyyyyy) shadow over the series and its characters.
While most of the episodes end on a joke, this one is more contemplative.
Its here where so many of the plot threads come together into an epic season finale.
The stakes are raised, back-story is reveled, and we get a ton of world building.
Dont be fooled into thinkingSteven Universeis just a touchy feely show.
But you know whatSteven Universehas that most of those dont?
Lesbians, in the forms of Ruby and Sapphire.
If things go bad, dad will need a new son.
This show kills it with the low key jokes.
Here we have Pearl teaching Connie how to swordfight and in doing so projects herself onto her.
She instructs Connie to give everything to Steven, as she did for Rose.
Before the war, Pearl was a servant.
She had one job in this universe and that was it.
It was Rose who gave her a chance at individuality, to become something more.
Even if Pearl learned to be herself she could never escape wanting to serve someone.
She was willing to lay down her life because thats in her DNA (or whatever Gems have).
Rose wouldnt let her do that.
Even subconsciously, she wanted to serve Rose.
Both to protect her and to show her devotion.
If Rose could fight for herself… What would Pearl have?
Without fighting, did Pearl have any use to Rose?
This is why she lost Rose in the end.
Pearls whole arc is about finding confidence in herself.
To be able to love herself and in turn, better love others.
Part of that is Kate Miuccis pitch perfect performance of the character, but its also this episode.
Steven overhears Sadie singing at the Big Donut and convinces her to sing in front fo the whole town.
Sade isnt so sure but Steven is able to convince her.
Barb overhears though and decides to get involved.
She takes over the whole thing, giving her daughter an extreme make over.
Completely transformed, Sadie basically has a panic attack before she goes on stage.
She cant take it.
She hates what her Mom is done and rails, This is not your daughter.
Sadie is overwhelmed, dare I say smothered, by her mothers love.
Its yet another example from the show that you cant force people to change.
They have to gradually come to it if they want to.
Bonus points go to this episode for Steven rocking Sadies outfit when he goes to perform.
Yes, the series has writers but the artists have a huge say in where it goes and boy…
Does this episode ever put the artists at the forefront.
WheneverSteven Universegets into a flashback of any kind, they knock it out of the park.
It also revisits the shows mission statement.
Remember, if all pork chops were perfect we wouldnt have hotdogs thing?
Well to take it even further,Steven Universeasks us how we get to that conclusion.
How do you have that philosophy?
What does it take to get there?
The answer is simple.
Season 3 Episode 5: Hit the Diamond
This is just a fun one.
The opposing team of Rubys are also a hoot to watch.
Even if they all mostly look the same, the subtle difference in their voices always makes me smile.
Yep,Steven Universedoes a full on musical.
Yhy cant I move on?
Ironically its only through admitting that can she can finally begin to.
One of the many great things about the series is how it taps into real emotions.
They both needed someone who knew Rose and loved her.
They needed to grieve together.
Sadie didnt want to sing in front of everyone, Pearl however does want to change.
She just had to admit it to herself first.
Kiki more or less has it together, able to express her feelings around everyone…
Except for her sister.
She thinks she has to sacrifice her own happiness for her, because shes my sister.
Like Sadies Song, we are shown that family relationships are complicated.
Kiki loves her sister and says she doesnt mind helping her, but it starts to take a toll.
When Steven offers his help, she instantly puts it all on his shoulders.
Weve been dealing with the toppings of the problem.
We have to get to the sauce.
Its the only way to deal with each other in the long run.
Plus, we get thatEvangelionreference.
They make us care about the Earth Steven and the Gems are fighting for.
Without them, its just your typical save the world show.
Once you had that emotional compenent of friends and family?
Thats where emotional investment comes in.
These filler episodes help the audience get invested in the world around our main characters.
Lapis is forced to confront her trauma head on when Jasper reappears and begs her to fuse again.
Saying shes nothing without her.
Its rough to watch because its so close to what people in the real world go through.
The show gets abuse perfectly right in much the same way MarvelsJessica Jonesdid.
If I was ranking these episodes, this one would be at the top.
Here we get a different side of her.
Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond, yet she refused to allow anyone else that power.
Rose bubbled Bismuth rather than allow her to make what she deemed was a bad choice.
But is that really freedom of choice then?
These are tough issues that Steven is forced to tackle with no easy answer.
Is this little boy up to it?
Can he face these horrors and make it out the same happy go lucky Steven?
Connie is able to deal with her problems, but it takes a lot more for Steven.
Hes seen death and destruction.
Bismuth, Jasper, and the Eyeball Ruby all come back to haunt him.
These become a literal swarm in his mind of thoughts that grip him so tight he nearly dies.
Only through this bit of advice does he finally break out of it.
You have to be honest about how bad it feels before you’re able to move on.
Here Comes A Thought, the song featured in the episode really sums the whole thing up.
Take a moment to think of just flexibility, love, and trust.
On the way she does everything she can to appear cool but it backfires every time.
She tries to drive and gets chased by the police.
She tries to flirt with a mystery girl and nothing happens.
Again we see just being you is what wins out in the end.
Even if youre a fry bit or a repressed nerd lesbian, love who you are.
Dont change for someone else because if you do, you wont be happy.
Season four ofSteven Universecan perhaps best be summed up as sins of the mother.
Throughout the main arcs Steven desperately tries to come to terms with his conflicting feelings about Rose.
On the one hand, he loves her.
He wants to have known her.
On the other, he blames her for everything.
He thinks that by creating him she was just hiding from the mess she made.
Its another great example ofSteven Universeportraying realistic and complicated emotions.
The set up is all there.
The Navy Ruby, once the teams enemy, is now looking for sanctuary.
Peridot and Steven accept her but Lapis isnt sure.
In a delightful twist, Lapis gut instincts are completely correct.
Navy was playing them all and she steals their only spaceship.
When Steven confronts Aquamarine and Topaz, we get the scariest Steven Universe moment of all time.
This is the episode that proves why the regular people of Beach City are vital to theSteven Universestory.
To save his friends.
Through those friendships, Steven makes what he considers the ultimate sacrifice and will finally confront his moms actions.
Now thats how you do a cliffhanger.Check out our full review of this episode here.
It isnt one that reveals the back-story or blows fire up the mythology.
She didnt do it to escape responsibility for shattering Pink Diamond.
She did it solely out of love.
Its because of love.
Shes (quite literally) bent over backwards for Lapis.
Shes done everything she could for her and it wasnt enough.
Lapis would still snap at her.
Season 5 Episode 9: Sadie Killer
You ever feel so bad you feel good?
With that one lineSteven Universenails the crushing yet comforting sense of normalcy that can plague any creative bang out.
Not reaching for your dreams or just accepting youll always feel sad brings you a false sense of security.
Sadie sees her job as bad but at least it makes sense.
There are no stakes at the Big Donut.
Lets hope shes done with the Big Donut forever.Check out our full review of this episode here.
Steven thinks she needs help but she can actually see Steven is the one whos hurting.
She refuses to burden him anywhere and working through her problems is something she handle on her own.
Amethyst keeps it inside because she doesnt want to hurt anyone.
She keeps it inside because thats comfortable for her and thats presented as a perfectly great thing to do.
One is in Rubys perfection delivered speech at the wedding.
I wanna be me… with you.
So simple and yet it says it all.
The other was from Lapis, after the Diamonds try and destroy her.
Lapis is a survivor.
Shes messy, but shes still there for her friends when it counts.
Her hurt may make a run at define her but she fights it and right here?
She wins, if only for now.Check out our full review of the episode here.
We see just how angry he gets at what she did to Volleyball Pearl.
It has Steven question whether he should evenforgive his mother for what she did.
More importantly the show focuses on Volleyball and doesnt have a go at absolve Rose of her actions.
What happens when youre finally confronted by the deepest fears and anxieties in your life?
What if it all becomes so big you cant handle them?
And what if this was all done thanks to a magical cactus that repeats everything you say?
He puts all the responsibility on himself for everything.
This isnt a season about Gem battles or even wacky goofs.
This is about Steven and letting him process his trauma.Check out our full review of the episode here.
Fusion has been a stand in for all kinds of intimacy, for example.
Connies mother informs Steven hes dealing with trauma.
Read our full review here!
Steven Universe Future Finale (Episodes 17-20)
It all comes to an end here.
Steven is so afraid of admitting he needs help he keeps everything bottled up inside, to his detriment.
Thats what makes him feel like a monster and thats what makes his transformation into one so powerful.
Watching all of the episodes slowly pays off once you see just how much is foreshadowed from the beginning.
Id love to hear what all theSteven Universefans out there think.
