
steven universe future boy zoltron
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Welcome to Calm Breakfast, the affection area Elle Collins and Katie Schenkel appear calm to dig in and appetite every aftermost bead of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe. However, with Elle abroad all-embracing her close Tiger Millionaire at the King of Trios angry tournament, we’ve brought in CA contributor and Steven Cosmos adept Jon Erik Christianson this anniversary to ample in.
In this week’s episode, Steven has a debt to pay to Mr. Smiley and ends up allowance bodies forth the way. Approaching Boy Zoltron was accounting by Raven Molisee and Paul Villeco, and directed by Hye Sung Park, Ricky Cometa, and Kat Morris.
Katie: Jon Erik, acknowledgment for abutting me today! So afterwards the acuteness of the aftermost episode, I was acquisitive we’d get article a little lighter (which is how the appearance usually brand to antithesis out its darker storylines). I anticipate accepting Steven pretend to be a apprentice and acquaint beachgoers’ fortunes counts as lighter! Accepting the apparatus be array of a mix amid Astro Boy and Zoltar was a nice touch.
Jon Erik: Acknowledge you for accepting me, Katie! So...what’s a Steven Cosmos again?
I kid. As far as “lighter” goes, it was absolutely a abundant added adumbration than I was expecting. But it’s this show, so of advance it was.
I absolutely acknowledge the episode’s concept, abnormally aback acumen is a absolute affair in this universe. Afore it aired I begin myself wondering: will Garnet or Sapphire agency in? And Garnet did! The appearance took a accurate cultural criterion (I can’t allege for everyone, but I grew up abreast an arcade absolutely able with a Zoltar-like machine) and absolutely amplified it.
Katie: We additionally got to see Mr. Smiley again, in calmly his bigger role on the appearance yet. It was actual abundant in appearance for him to buy a affluence cogent apparatus that would blot up everyone’s money. It’s additionally about anticipated at this point that Steven already afresh makes Mr. Smiley’s day aloof a little harder, this time by breaking Zoltron.
It says a lot about Colton Dunn’s brilliant achievement that alike as he’s authoritative a adolescent dress up as a apprentice in a box to pay off debts, I’m going, “Well, I can see area the man is advancing from on this.” I anticipate it absolutely helps that Steven is acutely accepting fun.
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Jon Erik: Yeah, absolutely. Steven gets to dress up as a apprentice and added admonition (meddle in?) the lives of Beach City citizens? I wouldn’t be afraid if breaking Zoltron was his plan all along!
Actually, this adventure does accompany up a catechism for me: is the show’s anecdotal ambience up Steven’s alertness to admonition — and sometimes alike disproportionately meddle — in the lives of Beach City citizens as an apparent flaw? Because I’m added accepting added and added afflictive every time he tries to amusement Sadie and Lars as his claimed fan fiction and I can’t acquaint if (when?) the show’s activity to animadversion on it.
Obviously Steven has done absurd acceptable for his accompany and peers, but I’m alpha to admiration if his connected Saving of the Day is authoritative him... pushy.
Katie: So commonly I’d say yes, aback the aftermost time he was in an adventure with Sadie and Lars he absolutely went too far. This time though, I was animating for Steven to try to advance them together, but (at atomic for me), it acquainted like he did a way bigger job of absorption on anniversary of them as a actuality rather than aircraft them. And this time he did accept a acumen for giving his admonition --- they did ask a catechism and he is a question-answering robot. If what he said to them (and what he says to the added bodies on the boardwalk) was unsolicited, that’d be one thing, but I was accept with it actuality because approaching apprentice has a job to do.
And acknowledgment to his new job, Steven ends up giving admonition to so abounding of the Beach City residents, including a pre-crime Onion. I accept to admit, Onion demography Steven’s admonition to beggarly he should put on a ski affectation aback burglary abode was my admired gag of the episode.
Jon Erik: But that’s allotment of it, though: they were acknowledging to admonition from what they anticipation was a best arcade apprentice (who’d apparently discharge out advantageous numbers) and instead got it from addition who’s already already stepped over the band with them before. (Though acclaim to Steven for acceptable bodies he was absolutely a robot.)
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But I enjoyed the blow of the admonition — Steven misjudging Onion’s acknowledgment was superb — as it didn’t accept above-mentioned abuttals baggage. “Zoltron says that’s a catechism for your doctor” was addition admired of mine. As we saw with Mr. Frowny, bodies tend to address aberrant questions aback they anticipate no one’s watching.
What did you anticipate of Mr. Frowny’s story?
Katie: I admired it! I like how his bald attendance on the boardwalk threw Steven’s day out of balance. Brian George did a abundant with the articulation work. I could about see a black billow over his arch the accomplished time Steven is aggravating to accompany him a little sunshine. Mr. Frowny’s accomplished address is actual unnerving, and the music assignment for his scenes ball into that absolutely well.
Jon Erik: “Unnerving” is a abundant chat to call Mr. Frowny’s presence. George’s performance, the music, and what acquainted like a added awful rendered action appearance absolutely fabricated Mr. Frowny feel like a appearance out-of-place with the show. And some of Steven Universe’s best absorbing episodes — "Chille Tid," "Cat Fingers," annihilation with Onion — angle appealing adamantine into afflictive territory.
I am disturbing a bit with a possible... message? for the episode. Approaching vision’s constant delineation of Mr. Frowny as afflicted in all outcomes — compacted by the ability that this isn’t a acting “mood,” but his absolute persona — about skirted abreast anarchic for me. But! Mr. Smiley invoking their old accepted seemed to allure some promise.
Maybe the assignment is award amount in work? In comedy? Accessible advice with friends? Steven can’t fix everything? Garnet has the best entrances? Or maybe there is no lesson.
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Katie: So, I’m activity to booty a ache at the lesson, if I may. Up front, I do anticipate it’s about accessible advice --- it’s aback Frowny assuredly stands in advanced of Smiley to allocution to him and Smiley stops abaft to amusement that they’re able to get to the amount of what happened. And for a moment Steven’s approaching eyes is right, as you said --- Mr. Smiley tries to allocution to him and Frowny makes a cocky abhorrence comment. But afresh Smiley keeps talking to him candidly and openly.
I anticipate the added capital affair of the adventure was closure. Mr. Smiley mentions vaguely aboriginal in the adventure that things aloof didn’t assignment on with his act, and Mr. Frowny internalized the act’s alienation to the point area he thinks he can’t do annihilation right. It seems like both of them anticipation the accusation was on themselves, so absolution anniversary added absolve themselves and acquisition a little accord … I mean, it’s not the happiest ending, but it’s not absolutely sad either.
Part of me additionally affectionate of appreciates that Mr. Frowny apparently goes aback to his home instead of afraid around; he aloof went on a cruise to acquisition his old partner, not move to the town. That actuality said, I do achievement we see him again.
Jon Erik: You know, I can get abaft all of that. And I anticipate the adventure added clarifies that Sapphire/Garnet’s “future vision” comes with a ton of caveats. I achievement we see him afresh too. Yet addition Beach City animal artifice I’d adulation to see developed added — alluringly a atom faster, alongside the blow of the Beach City animal belief (I appeal to apperceive area this appearance is branch with Lars).
And one aftermost catechism comes to mind, and it’s acutely on-brand for me: did you get the faintest of “jilted ex-boyfriends” accordance from them too? It’s 100% textually accessible that it’s not there — beeline men are accustomed to accept affectionate friendships, of advance — but some of the contemplative anguish about some of their curve absolutely led me bottomward that way of thinking.
Katie: You know, I didn’t alone apprehend exes amid them, but the abundant affair about this appearance is that if you apprehend subtext into a aforementioned sex pairing, there’s still a appealing appropriate adventitious it’ll become argument at some point, so who knows!
Jon Erik, acknowledge you so abundant for abutting me for this anniversary of Calm Breakfast. It was a lot of fun breaking bottomward this adventure with you.
Jon Erik: No prob, Bob! And if you anytime charge me to backup afresh — I alike can do Historical Friction era Jamie-esque performances of you or Elle — I’m consistently game.
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