Favorite Episodes of Steven Universe (in alphabetical order)
Alone Together (Season One, Episode 36)
Alone Together is such a visual episode. There isn’t much talking while the Gems try to teach Steven to fusion dance, Steven and Connie only exchange a few words before dancing, there’s no words in the song they dance to and Stevonnie doesn’t actually say too much. It truly feels like an experience where the audience is feeling the creation of this new person right along with the characters.
Bismuth (Season Three, Episodes 20-21)
This episode was a can of worms. A new Gem who was apart of the original team, clearly coded as Black with more Black Panther/Malcolm X type views. Now knowing how this thing plays out, I know why the episode ended as it did. Even being so empathetic and compassionate, Steven can be very binary in his thinking about good and evil and you needed someone to challenge his perspective. “Shattering is wrong,” he says, “Mom wouldn’t do that,” he says...only to find out that Mom did do that.
I really think that this episode more than any other altered Steven’s (and the Gems) perception of his mother. Bismuth is walking proof of her hypocrisy, her lies and her manipulation which is why Pink bubbled her in Lion’s mane and told the Gems she lost track of her.
Putting the heavy stuff aside, I really love Bismuth’s design and how she interacts with the Gems. You can clearly feel the love (and later betrayal) in those relationships.
Escapism (Season Five, Episode 28)
A lot of people hated this episode because it felt like a loss of momentum but to me, this signaled the calm before the storm. So much happens in “Change Your Mind” - action and dialogue wise - and in this episode, you just get to feel Steven’s desperation. They really need help, he is very overwhelmed and all odds seem against him. Hearing Stevonnie quietly sing “Escapism” in the background of Steven’s travels just cements these feelings of loneliness and isolation...and also the trio of Lion, Greg and Bismuth..it’s just interesting.
Hit the Diamond (Season Three, Episode 5)
Honestly. Every time you think Steven Universe has gotten as gay as it can get, you have episodes like this that not only has a lesbian couple playing baseball but has another character openly comment that they’re flirting. It’s never been done before and I’m not sure that another show will ever do it.
It Could’ve Been Great (Season Two, Episode 23)
Life and death and love and birth and peace and love on the planet Earth. This is another episode that starts off super cute with a good lesson about taking a break and not working yourself too hard...and then it just spirals deeper and deeper into darkness. Peridot clearly isn't completely on the side of the Gems, she clearly still finds her prior means of life exciting and acceptable. In hindsight, Peridot is actually spot on about Rose Quartz, in that she did doom the planet and while I didn't want to see Peridot get her ass kicked by the Gems that scene, where you get close-ups of all the Gems faces INCLUDING Steven's - is just great.
Jailbreak (Season One, Episode 52)
This was the game-changer. We found out there was a Diamond authority. We met Jasper. We got a fusion. We found out there had already been a fusion. We got a kickass song, that to this DAY is basically the anthem of the show. And we got Ruby and Sapphire who in their five minutes of screen time gave us a glimpse into an epic love story. This episode has it all!
Marble Madness (Season One, Episode 44)
Steven and Connie reading! The goop hug! Peridot! There is so much going on in this episode but at the heart of it really is Garnet allowing Steven to be heard. Given that this is the second episode with robonoids, I have to assume that the reason Garnet goes with Steven’s idea is that she tells him in “Warp Tour”: I should’ve listened to you, you’re a Crystal Gem too. So this time she does listen and Steven was right but also very wrong. The Gems do learn that Peridot has a mission on Earth, but Steven asking Peridot questions has a few consequences down the road.
Mindful Education (Season Four, Episode 4)
I actually like the beginning of this episode more than I like its end. There’s a call back to “The Message”
Garnet: Hold the phone. Now give the phone to me.
And honestly, I just think it’s a great lesson for kids. I suffer from severe anxiety and after this episode aired I constantly replayed “Here Comes a Thought” because it helps me find my footing. It also helps my son when he feels frustrated at school or in situations he has no control over. So more for the song than for its content, I love this episode.
Mr. Greg (Season Three, Episode 8)
The Crewniverse was able to fit SEVEN songs into an eleven-minute episode without it feeling crowded and that is an accomplishment in and of itself. I love that even though it’s a musical there actually is a point: Greg and Pearl (mostly Pearl) really needed to move past their relationship regarding Rose. We see what resentment did to Amethyst (Maximum Capacity is a trip) and it just wasn’t healthy to let those feelings continue to fester. Also “It’s Over, Isn’t It?” is absolutely stunning. It is Pearl’s defining song and tells us everything we need to know about her character.
Serious Steven (Season One, Episode 8)
This is early Steven Universe and it’s just adorable. Steven is apart of the team but still not quite part of the team and is trying very hard to be useful, he’s still a kid and this is arguably WAAAYY to intense for him, but Garnet is there and it’s just sweet.
Sworn to the Sword (Season Two, Episode 5)
Steven and Connie are so incredibly cute together. I love their jam song, I love that Connie's the one to learn to fight (I can't imagine Steven swinging that sword around,) "Do It For Her" sounds so sweet and motivational but it's also kind of dark? This is also the first time Steven and Connie really fight together and solidify themselves as a duo and I just love it. Quick note on the rewatch though: it seems like Pearl was trying to make Connie into a Pearl. Am I wrong?
The Test (Season One, Episode 38)
Everything about this episode: the setup, the pacing, the ending - is great. I love the levels the Gems create for Steven and I love that both parties never knew that they needed validation from the other. Steven reassures the Gems that they're doing great jobs as guardians, while Steven comes to understand that the Gems just want him to believe in himself and do right by him.
That Will Be All (Season Four, Episode 15)
Honestly, it's the song. I do like the Famethyst and Garnet punching Holly Blue. But the clear highlight of this episode is having TWO Diamonds and hearing Patti Lupone singing "What's The Use of Feeling (Blue)?"
We Need to Talk (Season Two, Episode 8)
The intro to this episode with Steven and Connie is just adorable and Rainbow Quartz is awesome! But what I really like is that last part of the episode where Greg tries to fuse with Rose and they both realize that she doesn't completely respect him. She thinks he's fun and cute but doesn't necessarily see him as a complete person. I'm someone who really doesn't like Rose Quartz, but I have to admit that I actually do believe she was in love with Greg. I do believe that this is where she started to make an effort to be a better person and not just a Diamond playing with humans.
When it Rains (Season Two, Episode 18)
What I love about this episode was the pay off of Steven and Peridot's relationship, while her arc wasn't complete until "Message Received," "When It Rains" is when she first shows care for Steven. It makes sense as he was the first person she interacted with on Earth, he doesn't immediately attack her like the other Gems do. In fact every interaction after "Jailbreak" they've been like a set of kids. She asks him politely if the other Gems are with him, he tells her to have a great weekend, she does kidnap him but doesn't try to hurt him and he gives her back her foot. Seeing Peridot so afraid of something she's never experienced and then telling Steven not to go outside because she's worried about him is so sweet and marks a change in her character.