STEVEN UNIVERSE 5X27 "Escapism" Full Length Reaction
Added 2024-09-16 20:32:22 +0000 UTCHere is my full length unedited reaction to Steven Universe 5X27!
Streamer: Max
Comments
A very unconventional penultimate episode, but a very interesting one. As already mentioned in another thread, I have additional thoughts about the metaphoric possibilities of the watermelon Steven conflict, but I will add on to this comment later with those thoughts. I like how- in having a whole plot point where a character has to ask for backup, for help- the writers make the experience of Steven DOING so a very strenuous and almost Greek Odyssey epic style journey. I feel like many other shows would've tacked on such a plot point in just a few minutes instead of lingering on it- and I think the fact that SU instead DOES linger on it is something that can tell us a lot about Steven's mental state going in to the finale. Steven... bless his heart... has never been terribly great at asking for help. At least, not for a good few seasons. I am really showing my "has thought way too much about this cartoon" card here, but I've actually edited a supercut of every single time this character makes an overt appeal for help in the entire show, and... there's a LOT when he's young and still figuring stuff out in season 1, but then... he just Stops. He doesn't ask for aid even once in all of season 2, despite telling Peridot- verbatim- "It's okay to ask for help, you know!" Half of my supercut is filled with season 1 moments alone, and the other half contains the super scattered moments that show up within the other four seasons... AND the movie... AND Steven Universe: Future. Like, the ratio is hilariously skewed towards S1. I combed the episode transcripts for this, too. All that to say, the fact of the matter is... at some point along his journey... this poor kid has gathered up all the burdens of those around him and started to carry them on his own shoulders. He's out here helping grown adults through their emotional baggage. He's fighting for peace in the middle of a literal war. Back in s4 he overtly made the choice to turn himself in to potentially get killed by Homeworld to absolve crimes he didn't commit but felt responsible for, when all along Connie was right there and fully willing to help him. All of this stuff has caused him to have to grow up so, so fast- and so, anymore, it takes a LOT for him to actually ask for that aid. To admit that he Doesn't have it all together. So that's a big part of what I feel this episode is about, thematically. It's a long, strenuous journey he has to take just to reach Bismuth because on an emotional scale- so is the act of simply ADMITTING he needs help. Proud of the kid for doing so.
Novantinuum
2024-09-17 01:06:33 +0000 UTCThere’s definitely a lot of potential interpretations and layers to what the watermelons represent in this episode, but some of my musings involve explicit spoilers for the finale so I will have to come back and comment about my musings after that is posted tomorrow ahah. The above comment is definitely one of those many possible interpretations.
Novantinuum
2024-09-16 23:27:38 +0000 UTCDamn.... watching this episode is a super bizarre experience for me because.... Back in the day... when the show was around the hiatus point between seasons 2 and 3.... there was a leak which pretty much spoiled the fact that somewhere in the future there was going to be a song called "Escapism" (i don't remember if the leak did say that the episode itself was called that), and OH BOY..... very few times i have seen a fandom go as nuts as to when this leak happened. Everyone was speculating and theorizing about which character was the one singing this enigmatic song (Lapis was the most popular guess) and also speculating about what was the context behind a song with such a title. So when i say that this episode is a bizarre experience for me... i mean that often... when the episode "Escapism" is brough up to me my mind inmediately goes to... "oh yeah, that really popular song from the Season 2/Season 3 break" but then i think twice and i remember that it is actually the penultimate episode of the show xddd. And what's really funny is that all of the people that theorized about who could be the one singing the song ended up being completely wrong... because in the end the song wasn't even performed by any of the characters... but instead it was played as a Non-Diegetic track performed by AJ Michalka, the voice actress of Stevonnie (and Catra from She-ra) and Rebecca Sugar xddd.
Julio Castillo
2024-09-16 22:49:28 +0000 UTCIt's definitely an odd choice for the penultimate episode, that's for sure. I do love the detail of Steven drawing on the beach, then writing what he actually meant after. That directly parallels Bubble Buddies from season one.
vivian xavier
2024-09-16 22:46:38 +0000 UTCThe person singing Escapism is AJ Michalka, she voices Stevonnie (and Catra in She-ra) 😁 And Rebecca Sugar is the one singing the song in the final credits (Love Like You)
Blue Eons
2024-09-16 22:35:47 +0000 UTCAhh yeah ok I see that now. I wasn't quite sure what exactly was happening there, but that context definitely helps. I knew there was some deeper meaning happening there, but it went over my head for sure haha
mikeyventure
2024-09-16 21:34:52 +0000 UTCThe watermelons are supposed to parallel the Crystal Gems (the one’s with the stars) and the Homeworld Gems (the one with the war paint) Each of the groups “follows the teachings” (to put it that way) of different watermelons. The one’s with the star follow the Baby Melon, the one from the first watermelon episode who sacrifices themselves and so the other ones are banish to the island. Then when they fight Malachite, the Flower Melon (that’s what I call the one with the pink flower collar), instructs the melons to fight instead of sacrificing like the have been doing, so after that the second group was created: those who fight. I think watching the episode with the context helps you understand it better and notice certain stuff. Also I think the Shark is the cluster ??? but I am not sure of that one.
Alex S F
2024-09-16 21:09:52 +0000 UTC
