Steven learns about Onion’s group of friends.
SPOILER ALERT
When fans heard about this episode there was a lot of speculation about what would happen. Would Onion befriend monsters and Steven would have no choice but to fight against them despite Onion’s protests? Would it cause him to have to look at his mom’s point of view when it came to making tough calls? No, it is in fact an episode about Steven hanging out with Onion’s friends who are in fact only around for the summer.
A couple things need to be addressed here. First, the fact Steven fights monsters on a regular basis. Why would he be afraid of some kids in bad Halloween masks? Also, does he not grasp the concept of pretending? Did he really think Garbanzo was hurt and Pinto had healing powers?
Now for the big problems. This show is one of the best animated series on TV and it’s been repeated extensively through these reviews. Sadly, the creative team doesn’t seem to know how to balance the general Beach City elements with the more fantastical elements it has introduced through the Gems. There is a possibility of an alien invasion in the future. Why are we worried about Onion? Sure, he’s an interesting character with his inability to talk and his destructive tendencies but is this what the Onion fans were really hoping for? There really being nothing to him but being a little kid? Fans were hoping he would meet monsters or hang around in the temple with the Crystal Gems but instead they got him playing make believe in the woods.
This series has shown it’s possible to have the Beach City characters and have fantastic elements all at the same time. Episodes like Beach Party, Historical Friction, or Greg The Babysitter showed great moments of regular citizens affected by the science and influence of the Gems. It has been shown to be possible to keep the human characters and keep telling a rich and deep story. This episode though isn’t the brightest moments for Steven Universe. Both the show and the character.
