Okay so this bomb wasn't like the best but it had two amazing laugh out loud moments for me. There was
Pearl and Amythest's look when Steven said his friends were the best
and the one that had me literally fall out of my chair laughing
"somewhere between learning to summon my shield and finding out my mom was a war criminal", the delivery just makes it. I also really liked aquamarine.
The fight in the ship was cool but it bothered me that Connie had no trouble clashing with Topaz. The gems have superhuman strength so a regular human child should not be able to block an attack so easily
Yeah, that was a little odd. I feel like they should have made it so Topaz's blows consistently knock Connie down in the same way Topaz was knocking Steven away every time she hit his shield with her mace thing. It would've added a better sense of weight and believably to the fight.
I still think it was a pretty dope battle though.
Also, is it right to assume that blue gems hold a higher class than yellow? Aqua, Holly, and Sapphy all seem to hold a certain degree of authority over other gems, so it seems that blue gems are above the others.
I feel like there are plenty of elite yellow or Yellow Diamond-aligned gems just waiting to appear on the show, but Jasper made it pretty clear that common warrior gems who have to fuse in order to be powerful (like rubies and maybe topazes- though I'm not too sure with the latter because they seem pretty big and powerful even as singular gems) are specifically seen as inherently weak and worthy of being looked down upon. I get the feeling that the elite of Yellow Diamond's court (most likely powerful singular warriors akin to Jasper) are not particularly made for the job that Aquamarine was doing, and its probably not their place to deal with diplomatic issues. Plus it was a joint effort on the part of BD and YD, they each contributed to the mission in a way that makes sense with their roles as leaders.
Blue sends her talky, cunning gem while Yellow backs her up with some bulk/muscle from her court.
Dude's still on the ship so it's gonna be weird with Steven having to get back to earth with Lars in tow and I don't see him redeeming any gems there to help him.
Her little ribbon/bow is most likely era 2 tech. Pink's forces wouldn't have had the luxury of using those in the war because they were created after her death/shattering.
Plus, I think the only reason Aqua was able to capture everybody (including a very powerful four gem fusion) in her tractor beam is because they weren't prepared for it.
Its kind of like how Garnet wasn't prepared for Jasper's destabilizer and was instantly wrecked when Jasper had the common sense to completely neutralize her and avoid an intense fight.
Yeah, that was a little odd. I feel like they should have made it so Topaz's blows consistently knock Connie down in the same way Topaz was knocking Steven away every time she hit his shield with her mace thing. It would've added a better sense of weight and believably to the fight.
I still think it was a pretty dope battle though.
I don't think that's the case.
I feel like there are plenty of elite yellow or Yellow Diamond-aligned gems just waiting to appear on the show, but Jasper made it pretty clear that common warrior gems who have to fuse in order to be powerful (like rubies and maybe topazes- though I'm not too sure with the latter because they seem pretty big and powerful even as singular gems) are specifically seen as inherently weak and worthy of being looked down upon. I get the feeling that the elite of Yellow Diamond's court (most likely powerful singular warriors akin to Jasper) are not particularly made for the job that Aquamarine was doing, and its probably not their place to deal with diplomatic issues. Plus it was a joint effort on the part of BD and YD, they each contributed to the mission in a way that makes sense with their roles as leaders.
Blue sends her talky, cunning gem while Yellow backs her up with some bulk/muscle from her court.
Based on the gems we've seen, yellow seems to act as the military force behind the gempire, while blue acts as the aristocracy/management. We don't know enough about the gen caste system to make a clear call, but everything we've seen shows blue gems as being a cut more posh and refined than yellow gems
I mean, it wasn't stellar, but I enjoyed this bunch of episodes, as set-up.
Lion 4:
I don't think I saw or read the spoilers for Lion 4, just that people were pissed about it. And I... kinda get why? Like, on one hand, the case could be made that the Rose stuff was overhyped by this point, and it was anti-climactic just to seemingly end it like that. On the other hand, this is one of those cases I'm willing to overlook, because to me, the lesson at the end of the episode serves a better purpose than PLOTPLOTPLOTPLOT. There was no master plan for Nora's Steven's birth; he's not a super weapon, he's not really a 'chosen one', and he's not just an escape route. His parents just wanted him to be, period. Steven's destiny is for Steven to decide.
Bit of a weak episode overall, seems like it would have been better aired seperately prior to this bomb, but I do believe it has value. Also Nora's a cute name
Doug Out:
I really enjoyed this episode, and I really enjoyed Doug. Not much else to say about it, but the tease at the end was good. I wish I didn't know what was coming though, lol.
The Good Lars:
It almost feels weird liking a Lars episode, but it seemed like he was on track to actually learn to be comfortable with himself and fit in. I'm glad Sadie did to an extent. The ending tease here did a good enough job building tension to just barely save this episode from being a low-key feel-good-but-nothing-really-happens episode. Barely.
Are You My Dad?:
omg the drawings. All of them hilarious, but Garnet.
"Uh, I like me." PLS
I feel like Steven could have gotten out of the log before Connie got got, but it's not a huge contrivance or anything. Decent episode, mostly buildup.
I Am My Mom:
Whew lad, this one got tense. Topaz poking out from the cut needs some JJBA 'menacing' text, stat. Aquamarine's faces had me shook, and then Topaz grabbing Jamie's head had me LEGIT SHOOK. I really thought that could have gotten messy. If there's one thing this episode did really well it was capitalizing on the tension that was built up throughout the previous episodes.
I don't like that Lars is still a little shit, but I am very curious to see what will come of him being taken along for the ride. At first I didn't really like the ending because of what I got out of Lion 4, felt like it was immediately going back on that lesson. But after watching it again I think I misinterpreted Steven's actions, and the explanation he gave to his loved ones sounds in line with what he learned.
I can understand why people were disappointed with these episodes. On a highs vs. highs, lows vs. lows basis, Season 4 didn't quite knock it out of the park like the previous 3 had done. I think this past season calls into question what direction the Crewniverse is trying to take this show in, the scope they want to achieve (or avoid). And with Rebecca Sugar supposedly writing herself into a corner with this upcoming season, I am starting to get a little worried about how all this will play out.
Honestly, I think Doug Out and The Good Lars were my favorites from the bunch. It would have been I Am My Mom, but I feel like that episode loses a bit of impact viewed separately from the rest of the arc.
So are we ever going to have a season finale that completely fucking nails it like the return did ever again, or...?
I mean don't get me wrong, there have been a lot of really great episodes so far,
but we haven't had one that just totally annihilates everything like that ep did.
I have to agree that there's not a single bad episode here. I loved the Zoo arc, but Adventures in Light Distortion and The Zoo felt like padding episodes with a few stand-out moments: the incredibly dark near-death experience for Steven in the former and the Choosening in the latter.
Lion 4 is great for what it is, despite angering some fans who wanted concrete answers. Doug Out was great mainly because of Doug himself. I really hope he gets more episodes.
The Good Lars was definitely the biggest surprise episode here. It's actually a bit frustrating it was released at the same time as a bunch of other great/excellent episodes, because I think it got overshadowed. This was the episode that finally
made Lars a sympathetic and relatable character and it pretty much immediately changed the fandom's negative opinion of him. He's no longer a "God, I hate him" level of character like Ronaldo (I like Ronaldo, fyi), but now he's a seriously flawed character who's trying to make himself better. He screws up, but hey, so do all the other characters.
It's definitely one of the comfiest and most true-to-life episodes the show has ever done.
Are You My Dad? reminded me a lot of The Return, in that it's an episode
full of dread and foreboding that unfortunately gets overshadowed by its more climatic subsequent episode.
And of course I Am My Mom is a game-changer. Not as amazing as Jailbreak, but a hell of a way to end a season.
If I were to rank this bomb's episodes, I Am My Mom would be the top for its crazy ending, Are You My Dad?/The Good Lars would be tied at #2, followed by Doug Out and Lion 4: Alternate Ending.
Season 1B (A/A-) >> Season 3 (A-/B+) > Season 2 (B+/B) = Season 4 (B+/B) >> Season 1A (B/B-)
Top ten best episodes IMO
1.) The Return/Jailbreak
2.) Bismuth
3.) Rose's Scabbard
4.) Mr. Greg
5.) The Answer
6.) Lion 3: Straight to Video
7.) I Am My Mom
8.) On the Run
9.) That Will Be All
10.) Sworn to the Sword
Honorable Mentions:
Mindful Education
Mirror Gem/Ocean Gem
Super Watermelon Island/Gem Drill
Earthlings
Bubbled
Last One Out of Beach City
Hit the Diamond
Giant Woman
Message Received
Cry for Help
Maximum Capacity
Gem Harvest
And with Rebecca Sugar supposedly writing herself into a corner with this upcoming season, I am starting to get a little worried about how all this will play out.
My guess is that Season 5 ends with one of the Diamonds being defeated, a full-scale Homeworld invasion, and/or Beach City being destroyed (after everyone evacuates, obviously).
I don't think the show is ending next season though. There's too much merchandising coming out this year for a show that supposedly has only one season left. The Save the Light console game would have never been greenlit if the show was ending this year or next.
A 2 minute preview and some screenshots of Stuck Together (an episode that is supposed to premiere after this bomb) has already leaked guys lol
Watch out if you don't want to be spoiled.
A 2 minute preview and some screenshots of Stuck Together (an episode that is supposed to premiere after this bomb) has already leaked guys lol
Watch out if you don't want to be spoiled.
She was literally a blank slate of a character up until this leaked preview. I could easily see her as a mostly silent Android 16 type who starts encountering emotions for the first time, but doesn't defect right away. I could also see her being poofed or shattered for narrative purposes after she stands up to Aquamarine or the Diamonds.
Heck, maybe only one of the Topazes rebels. One of the recurring themes in this show seems to be Gems discovering their individual identity after eons of being treated just another gem of their type.
So are we ever going to have a season finale that completely fucking nails it like the return did ever again, or...?
I mean don't get me wrong, there have been a lot of really great episodes so far,
but we haven't had one that just totally annihilates everything like that ep did.
Season 1 was a rediculously slow burn, and had a really clear arc for the Crystal Gems collectively. This was a team scarred by massive loss being dragged into an escalating conflict without their leader and emotional center. The stakes were being slowly, progressively raised with Lapis, Peridot, and finally Jasper's introduction in the finale. We slowly got to learn the defining traits of every main character, starting with Steven and ending with Garnet.
And each major event was broken up by a fair number of monster of the week / townie / Lion / fusion episodes that didn't advance the central homeworld plot, but gave us much needed context for the world.
All of this was paced over 52 episodes.
I don't think any season since has had such a cohesive story, or such an effective gradual raising of the stakes.
However, I'd say the last bomb in a nutshell was quite reminscent of S1. I loved the three middle episodes essentially focusing on the townies, with the main plot slowly being advanced in the background. Steven also had development from Storm in the Room to Lion 4, and into Are you my Dad / I am my Mom.
Also, once you air Jailbreak, you can't go back. It can feel like retreading ground with the Rubies after that finale, and as far as we know there isn't another long running Easter egg / character secret like Garnet being a fusion, which was amazing
So I have DirecTV & noticed that the Bomb is available On Demand. But I've never used their In Demand service & know it doesn't identify what is/isn't free.
Does anyone know if I can watch the bomb for free starting today? Watching the Bomb On Demand would show even more support than watching it live because my cable provider would know I went out of my way to watch each episode, right?
I really don't care, we've known her for like an episode and a half. If she gets redeemed that fast i'm going to be pissed, and frankly I want her to just not get redeemed.
She was literally a blank slate of a character up until this leaked preview. I could easily see her as a mostly silent Android 16 type who starts encountering emotions for the first time, but doesn't defect right away. I could also see her being poofed or shattered for narrative purposes after she stands up to Aquamarine or the Diamonds.
Heck, maybe only one of the Topazes rebels. One of the recurring themes in this show seems to be Gems discovering their individual identity after eons of being treated just another gem of their type.
Going off of Topaz's "I'm so done with this..." facial expressions whenever Aqua asks her condescending questions, these scenarios all seem pretty plausible.
I'm mainly just amused that "topazdemtion" might be happening so fast considering that we've spent less than 15 minutes getting to know her.
Going off of Topaz's "I'm so done with this..." facial expressions whenever Aqua asks her condescending questions, these scenarios all seem pretty plausible.
I'm mainly just amused that "topazdemtion" might be happening so fast considering that we've spent less than 15 minutes getting to know her.
Normally I'd feel bad for not watching on TV, but I have to imagine that watching all of the episodes directly from the Cartoon Network App gives CN a much clearer picture that people are interested in a show compared to just Nielsen ratings.
Eh, I'll put it on anyway. Better to watch on a Tv than an iPad after all.
Unless you have a Nielsen box, watching or not watching the show on TV is absolutely meaningless. If you can, you should watch it on the app since that gives them far more accurate and useful information on how the show is doing.
Normally I'd feel bad for not watching on TV, but I have to imagine that watching all of the episodes directly from the Cartoon Network App gives CN a much clearer picture that people are interested in a show compared to just Nielsen ratings.
Eh, I'll put it on anyway. Better to watch on a Tv than an iPad after all.
Unless you have a Nielson box anyway nobody here has any effect on the ratings. Best to watch it on the app if you want to contribute in any way to letting CN know your interest.
Aquamarine being ridiculously OP with that wand is a reference to Lapis being ridiculously OP with the whole "controlling all the world's oceans" thing.
So are we ever going to have a season finale that completely fucking nails it like the return did ever again, or...?
I mean don't get me wrong, there have been a lot of really great episodes so far,
but we haven't had one that just totally annihilates everything like that ep did.
Yeah since then there hasn't really been a huge emotional impact episode mixed with lots of action, shocking revelations, and a great fight scene. We've had one or the other, but not all at once.
