Even on its third season, Steven Universe really feels like it's trying to improve on itself, take risks, and go beyond most children's shows. While this season is a lot more uneven than than previous one, it's hard to fault the crew for trying.
Season 3 of Steven Universe is primarily about Jasper, an antagonist who was also introduced back in Season 1. After finally being separated from Lapis in the season premiere, Jasper looms over most of the season like a spectre, frequently popping up around the second half collecting corrupted gems. She's a much different threat compared to Peridot and The Cluster, being less of a looming danger and more of a dangerous force out in the wild, but manages to result in a fantastic payoff in the final few episodes. Jasper doesn't even show up too much, but her sheer presence leads to the season's big subplots, all of which are great. Amethyst's self-confidence issues compared to Jasper is some of her best material yet, the Ruby Squad who wants to retrieve her are hilarious and memorable antagonists, Steven's philosophy on forgiveness getting repeatedly tested, and best of all, Lapis dealing with the trauma of being trapped in Malechite with her. Lapis easily became one of my favorite characters, she's a realistic and complex depiction of PTSD and depression, and her sweet dynamic with Peridot is just adorable. If only she appeared a bit more often, though.
On an episodic level, this is by far the most experimental season of Steven Universe. Not all of these experiments paid off, but I'm glad the writers tried to keep things varied and interesting. At its best, we got an adorable Initial D homage, one of the most brilliantly bizarre season premieres I've ever seen, and a musical episode that would've been an easy highlight if it wasn't too short. At its most mixed, Season 3 also started to deal with some really complex and dark themes in episodes like The New Lars (consent), Alone At Sea (abusive relationships), and Bismuth (violence), all of which ended up becoming some of the most divisive in the series. And at its worse, we got a long stretch of Beach City episodes with pretty much no plot direction. Season 2 did a great job of sprinkling in those more low-key episodes throughout and struck a nice balance, but having eight entirely standalone episodes in a row really messes up the pacing. Thankfully, it does at least lead to a second half to the season that's pretty much nonstop plot and twists.
At its best, this season had plenty of fantastic episodes:
Same Old World: With Lapis freed from Malechite, we can finally start to delve into her backstory a bit. Same Old World does a great job of introducing Lapis's character arc, about adjusting to Earth and dealing with literally thousands of years worth of trauma. I love how supportive Steven is being here, and it was really cool to see Earth locations other than Beach City for once.
Hit The Diamond: This was a hysterical end to the season's strong opening arc. There's always something charming about episodes where the cast has to play baseball against an opposing team (DS9 had a great one too), but the decision to revolve the issue of the Ruby Squad with a sports game was just genius. Between Ruby and Sapphire's inability to keep their hands off each other, Lapis's sheer apathy, and the Ruby Squad being idiots, Hit The Diamond is easily one of the show's funniest episodes.
Monster Reunion: Centipeetle really is one of the best and most tragic characters in the series, isn't she? I definitely didn't expect to get a full-on backstory for what was previously just Steven's pet, but it gives her a lot more depth and leads to a really powerful ending.
Alone At Sea: Alone At Sea is another great Lapis episode that takes a really big risk. The show could have easily took the easy route by leaving Malechite as a badass heroic sacrifice, but Alone At Sea not only depicts the fusion as an abusive relationship, said relationship isn't entirely one-sided. Lapis is shown in a pretty unflattering light here, and both her and Jasper spend the episode dealing with some pretty rough Stockholm Syndrome. Alone At Sea hammers it home that Malechite is beyond unhealthy, which is why it's super powerful to see Lapis say "no" to Jasper and hopefully end the cycle of abuse.
Earthlings: This was easily the most intense episode of the show to date, with a great blend of humor, drama, and shocking twists. Steven finally fuses with a Crystal Gem, the badass Smoky Quartz is introduced, Pink Diamond is name-dropped, Jasper gets corrupted and bubbled, and the Ruby Squad has returned. It's insane how much was compressed into these 11 minutes.
Back To The Moon: This episode was incredibly funny, until it wasn't. Much of it had Amethyst pretend to be Jasper in an attempt to drive the Ruby Squad away, which not only led to a ton of fun jokes but a satisfying end to her character arc. However, the reveal that Rose shattered Pink Diamond and the cliffhanger where Steven gets sucked into space works as a great set-up for the finale.
Bubbled: Bet you didn't expect this one to be a highlight. Given how much I ramble about season finales, you'd think an episode about Steven floating around in a bubble would be a very disappointing ending to Season 3. Instead, I think it's tense, emotional, and a perfect encapsulation of the season's themes. Bubbled lets Steven cope with the Rose reveal, and the fact that he can't redeem everyone. The moments of silence as Steven floats in space are eerie, Eyeball is a legitimately terrifying villain, and the ending where Steven reunites with the Crystal Gems is just beautiful. Somehow, I found myself loving this finale.
Overall, Season 3 does a good job continuing the myth arc and developing the main characters, but it also takes a lot of risks with its episodes that don't always pay off. At its best, though, this season of Steven Universe is challenging and manages to stick the landing in spectacular fashion.
4/5 Stars
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