STEVEN UNIVERSE S4:E16-REVIEW

Meanwhile, in the planet Earth.

So this was a cute little way to truly end the recent story arc, a tale about what went on in Earth while the other Gems were in space. It's not great, but the episode acts as a charming little side adventure, similar to the ones you'd find in a Pixar or Dreamworks home video release. This episode also shows how much the team really needs to include Peridot and Lapis more often, I get that they're not exactly enthusiastic about saving the world (well, mainly Lapis) but they add a lot of fun to the show and could work if written well into the plots. Connie is good here, but the more we've seen from her, the more I feel she only works if Steven is around to bounce off her, which is a shame. Still, if this episode is an example of how a team consisting of a completely different group works I'd honestly like more.

The episode begins with Connie recounting what happened in the absence of the Gems. Peridot, always the narcissistic self-important Gem, decides that for the team to work, they'd need to become like the original team, Connie as Steven, Lapis as Amethyst, Pumpkin as Pearl and Garnet's role filled by Peridot herself. With little to actually do, they decide to operate Greg's car wash, which goes smoothly at first, but this goes bad quick. With Peridot and Lapis trying to impress people as their characters, the car wash becomes a show of clashing egos, things become a mess. Connie tries solving things like Steven would, which only leads to more arguments, but eventually it's all resolved with everyone deciding to embrace their own roles. Thus the arc truly ends with Greg getting a new sign for his car wash.

This is a shallow episode, but it's a cute one and I honestly can't complain. The "Crystal Temps" probably won't get a full episode dedicated to them again, but I wouldn't mind seeing another; however I do want these characters, especially Peridot and Lapis, to be utilized more, there's so much potential there that it honestly feels like a waste to keep them in the barn. 

As a palate cleanser from the last few episodes, this does its job fine. It's cute, not entirely memorable, but I laughed and that's good enough sometimes.

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Written by Octaviano Macias