I feel like each season of Steven Universe prior to this one has added something big to the series. 1A introduced fusions, 1B introduced Homeworld, 2 introduced The Cluster, and 3 introduced slightly gray layers to Rose and Steven. But Season 4 doesn't really add anything. It's still a good season, but it feels kind of directionless.
For the first time, this season of Steven Universe doesn't quite have an overarching storyline to it, rather there are two pretty big arcs around the middle and end of the season, both of which are pretty good. The first big arc is the Zoo arc, which involves Greg being kidnapped by Blue Diamond and the Crystal Gems staging a heist to rescue him from the Human Zoo he's being kept in. This is a fantastic storyline, filled with strong world-building that fleshes out Homeworld and even some of the Diamonds, as well as fun heist shenanigans. It also plays into Steven's character arc throughout the season, as he deals with guilt from what he did back in Season 3 as well as frustration towards Rose Quartz after learning what she did to Pink Diamond. The other major arc is in the last few episodes, about some of the Beach City residents being kidnapped by mysterious gems. It's an intriguing mystery that ends in another great season finale, but the fact that those gems are only built up in the last few episodes makes most of the season feel like it lacks direction, and it gets worst.
As per the usual, each season of Steven Universe has its episodic stuff, which is unfortunately very hit or miss this time around. On one hand, we got fantastic episodes like Mindful Education, Room For Ruby, and Last One Out Of Beach City. However, this season also contains some of the worst in the series, like Onion Gang, Rocknaldo, and the bafflingly double-length Gem Harvest. The former two are interesting because it made me realize that each season has an episode for pretty much every major Beach City character. Each season has a Ronaldo episode, a Lars episode, an Onion episode, and that takes up a large chunk of the season because each episode is short and focuses entirely on Steven's perspective. And that leads to the realization that not much has really happened for the characters outside of the main four after all this time. A big example here is Lars, who finally got character development four seasons in because he appeared so rarely. And a lot of times, characters develop off-screen, like how we never see Lapis and Peridot become friends, or Amethyst bond with the gems at the Zoo. It all adds to the general feeling that nothing really happened in Season 4.
Still, this was a solid season of Steven Universe, and with it came some great episodes:
Mindful Education: Even with my complaints about the season, Mindful Education is my favorite episode of Steven Universe to date, dealing with anxiety and guilt in a very concise and hopeful manner. Garnet's song was already fantastic, but the scene where we learn Steven is guilty for what he did to Bismuth, Eyeball, and Jasper really pushed it to the top for me.
Steven's Dream: The Zoo arc starts with a bang as Steven and Greg go on a trip to Korea to solve a mystery surrounding a dream he had. Just like in Same Old World, I love to see the characters leave Beach City for a bit, but the best part was when Greg meets Blue Diamond and sympathizes with her only to get abducted in a painful cliffhanger.
That Will Be All: The Zoo arc ended on a pretty fantastic and satisfying note with That Will Be All. For starters, we got to spend some time with Yellow and Blue Diamond, finally getting the chance to learn more about the two major antagonists. But also, the final sequence where the Crystal Gems escape the Zoo and humiliate Agate in the process is incredibly cathartic.
Storm In The Room: This was a really dark and intense episode that served as a strong epilogue to the Zoo arc. Steven's frustration towards his mom really comes to a head here, culminating in a fantastic and emotional scene where he calls her (or at least an image of her) out.
I Am My Mom: Even the weaker seasons of Steven Universe have fantastic season finales, and this one is hands down one of the best and most intense yet. Aquamarine is a fantastic villain. She's terrifying, sadistic, and brutal. I love that such a random moment in Marble Madness ends up becoming really important to the plot. Steven letting himself be taken to Homeworld is not only a fantastic cliffhanger but shows him finally trying to fix the problems he and his mom caused, and I love seeing Lars finally start to face consequences for his cowardliness. And overall, it was great to see the Beach City folk take part in the finale's major conflict and I hope Lars being taken to space means this shift will continue into Season 5.
Overall, I enjoyed Season 4 of Steven Universe, as it contains some strong individual episodes, a great finale, and a fun Zoo arc in the middle of the season. However, it also suffers from a lack of direction, and the fact that the series feels like it's stopped trying to better manage its time.
3/5 Stars
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