Beyond Steven's Universe Info (updated Apr 11)

[801] Gems Day Out - The Crystal Gems adapt to life without Steven around.
[802] Orange Quartz Orientation - A student at little homeschool is finding it hard to fit in.
[803] A Gem's Will - Amethyst tries to help a familiar Gem to Little Homeworld by herself, but when she needs help, an unexpected ally arrives.
[804] Prisoners of Their Freedom - Lapis teaches a Gem with a similar history to her own and confronts her time at sea.

[2020 Apr 03]
I don't feel like making a thread on /co/, so here's my thoughts on the episodes that aired today. Just got a chance to watch them. I think BSU is going to be just fine even without Sucrose's involvement and I hope they can use the opportunity to wrap up some loose ends. The episodes were painful to watch but in the nostalgic-hurty way, not a bad writing way.
>Gems Day Out
I felt like this episode set a good tone for the series to come if it can keep it up. I also appreciate that they gave Greg minimal influence in the episode outside of the beginning gag with Pearl coming in to wake up Steven only to remember Greg is living there now. It's been a long time since we were able to see the CGs interact with each like this without being focused on Steven, and I loved getting to see them bounce off of one another. Garnet being the fun quiet one, Pearl getting in the fun in her way like she did in the birthdays episode, and Amethyst showing off both her fun side and her developed maturity made me really nostalgic and proud. I also appreciate the Sugilite name drop and wonder if they'll manage to bring back Ms. Minaj for an episode, or if this was just meant to elaborate on Garnet and Amethyst's relationship or something. Honestly, seeing Garnet apologise to Amethyst for not having been there emotionally for her but being so proud of Amethyst for growing up and Amethyst saying it was unfair for them to have expected Garnet to replace RQ, makes me really hopeful for the direction of the rest of the series. While the CGs' interactions with one another were heartwarming, the interactions with the townies fell somewhat flat, but at least they remembered that townie-gem interactions exist. I felt like the pacing was a little bit wonky in the middle of the episode with the extended awkward silences and the voice acting was subdued, but that's probably the growing pains of Sugar leaving. 7/10
>Orange Quartz Orientation
Is the title of this episode a reference to something? I feel like between the title and the intro with Jasper using that specific hood I'm missing some epic anime meme. Anyways, I'm glad they chose to get the Jasper ace rolling right away instead of having us sit around wondering what was going to happen. The amount of secondhand cringe humor in this episode was a little bit high for me so the first half was subjectively not great but the second half was really good. I liked that Jasper had a reasonable explanation for her sudden interest in LHS, because even if her still viewing Steven as her Diamond is unsatisfying, I presume future episodes will develop her further. Or hope so. Jasper referring to LHS as Steven's court worked great for implied self-justification and I like that the CGs pulled a What Would Steven Do and relented. The gag of "each gem incorporates Jasper in her class/activity only for Jasper to turn it into competition or violence" was repetitive in the same way Everything's Fine was. I enjoyed the fact that Amethyst is the one who refuses to give up on her the most. The bit with Amethyst talking about how Smokey would be strong enough to do this but she by herself isn't, and Jasper's subsequent rage about fusions, made me pause the episode a bit. It was probably the best scene from the episode. I also liked that the resolution didn't involve Jasper changing her ways entirely, but taking a step in the right direction. LHS isn't for her right now and her alone training cave suits her better, but at least she has a reason to come around: as much as I wasn't expecting Bismuth to provide an excuse, it makes complete sense that Bismuth would enjoy having a strong fighter to test out her various arms! Between Jasper begrudgingly agreeing to come by to Bismuth's workshop and her comment about Amethyst as a potential sparring partner, I think Jasper has all of the reasons she needs to be a regular. Looking forward to seeing how their relationships develop. Fingers crossed that Jasper doesn't lose her personality. By the way, who boarded this one? The way Amethyst was drawn reminds me of Lauren Zuke but I know she hasn't worked on the franchise in years. Besides, Peridot and Lapis were conspicuously absent this episode outside of Garnet's comment about scheduling Jasper carefully to not run into bad memories. Here's hoping that Jasper and her former subordinate/toxic partner get some interaction. 4/10 first half, 9/10 second half, 6.5/10 overall.
Overall, as I said in the beginning, I'm pretty hopeful for how BSU will turn out. It was pretty odd that Steven never warped in with Lion or called or anything but it makes sense both from the standpoint of a Steven-less show (can't rely on him) and for his VA taking a long break. SUF's semi-regular schedule makes me believe there's no Stevenbombs either. Let's see how it goes, and whether the show will develop consistent arcs or just be an extended anthology. Do you guys know when the next episode descriptions will be up? Either way, see you next Friday /sug/.

[2020 Apr 10]
Hey /sug/! I couldn't catch the episodes when they aired, but man, good show today huh? I'm looking forward even more to what the BSCrewniverse has in store for us. Not sure if we have a name for the new Crewniverse, really, but we'll see what they have in store for us. Without further ado,  here are my reviews.
>A Gem's Will
The start of the episode really pandered to that nostalgia, didn't it? The set-up felt incredibly similar, complete with Amethyst going on a mission. I liked that it showed some of the consequences of Steven's departure, namely that the unbubbling process can go haywire! And boy was I glad to see Desert Glass again after I don't even know how many seasons, still stuck in her pillow. Amethyst insisting that she can take on an unbubbling by herself as a sign of her new maturity and responsibility felt in-character; I also appreciated that she thought about calling the CGs but decided not to ruin her one chance. I was less enthused by the four-line song they decided they had to shoehorn in. Desert Glass whipping up a sandstorm on the beach wasn't choreographed too well at the start, either: they went overboard with the effects and you can barely see the action. But I guess they learned, because the second half of the sequence, after Jasper comes in, was really well-done, smooth and solid, with some of the more on-model animation. The action sequence has me hopeful for the remainder of BSU. Here's hoping we get some non-Beach City locales a là the first season. Speaking of Jasper, her arrival felt somewhat contrived at first, but it makes sense that she's been keeping an eye out for any monsters attacking Beach City with her personality and given the recent Steven dino crisis. Amethyst being suitably impressed with her battle prowess and Jasper finally agreeing to work together instead of trying to fight Desert Glass separately were well done.
And the critical moment: Jasper and Amethyst started to fuse but couldn't do it in the heat of battle. I thought it was too soon for their fusion! Amethyst's comment about getting to know each other better is making it mighty hard for me to not think the BSCrewniverse is trying to ship them. But I can't see Jasper with anyone except Chadven.
The ending of the episode was really sweet with Pearl expressing that she would never doubt that Amethyst can be responsible now and Garnet saying that she knew Amethyst could handle Desert Glass just fine, yet encouraging her to ask the CGs for help if she ever needed it. The group hug at the end, and Garnet's remark that they'll always be Amethyst's family, are selling me more on the CGs being truly there for each other than most of SU did. I loved how Jasper was just standing there while the sappiness played in front of her; it's great to see her changing little by little each episode without faking that she suddenly wants a sappy relationship with anything. The final gag that Desert Glass wasn't even corrupted, just couldn't reform due to being in an object, was neat too. Desert Glass's unbubbled form is surprisingly cute. It makes sense if she's in the terraformer caste like Lapis Lazuli, but I wasn't expecting another petite, lithe gem. Her outfit was a little eye-rolly with the not!hijab but I get that she's supposed to be desert-themed. At least the Princess Jasmine-looking rest of her outfit left her with some serious midriff, and the green/white/reddish-pink is an eye-pleasing colour combination. The glorious shining unbubbling/gem formation into the cut-off AAAA— was comedy gold.
With the return to an action-oriented episode, Jasper and Amethyst playing off of one another extremely well, and the great introduction showing the CGs unbubbling together and the genuinely funny bit with Amethyst trying to unbubble Desert Glass on her own before disaster strikes, I've liked this episode the best in BSU yet. 7.5/10
>Prisoners of Their Freedom
Wow, I knew that Jasper and Lapis would end up on screen again together, but this was both bombastic and not entirely satisfying. If they bring up Jasper and Lapis's relationship again, I'll deal, but if this is the only mention we're getting in BSU, I'll be pissed. The animation quality looked uneven this episode. Lots of mailbox Jasper and Lapis being shorter than she should be. Hopefully this isn't a poor harbinger of the rest of the season. Art aside, I thought the writing did the best it could but tried to cram way too much into eleven minutes, so much so that I don't know where to begin.
I really enjoyed the parallels between Lapis and Glass, and the explanation regarding Desert Glass's lack of corruption was super interesting. Bismuth intentionally poofing and/or going after all of the terraformers to keep them from destroying the planet's natural state? Nice! Lapis, Glass, and the other terraformers found together having been imprisoned in objects? Nice! Pearl having kept the mirror in her gem after its retrieval from the Galaxy Warp, while Glass was brought back to Earth by way of a crashed ship and thus wasn't present in the Gravity Warp? Double nice! I looked it up and desert glass in real life is an impactite, so referring to her origin by way of an artificial meteorite (the crashed ship) is pretty baller. Glass in general was well-written; her trauma and pain from the years freaking out and building fortresses because everything hurt and it was the only thing she knew how to do was really sad and made me feel for her.
I enjoyed that Amethyst tried to get Jasper to shoo before they brought in Lapis. Jasper having the teeniest moment of hesitation and doubt before standing her ground was interesting to say the least. I also liked that Lapis came with "Nice" Lapis; I also liked Amethyst pulling a Steven and giving Specks her nickname, even if Specks is an ugly name and I would've preferred Freckles or literally anything else. Lapis's expression upon seeing Jasper again seemed kind of downplayed? Maybe it was just the wonky art.
The episode really fell apart when it tried to juggle Lapis helping Glass with Lapis and Jasper's first reunion since, what, Alone at Sea? Too much content for eleven measly minutes and as a result neither aspect felt fully realised. Individually, Lapis helping a gem who was similarly imprisoned in an object with healing from trauma is a beautiful idea to showcase how far Lapis has come as a person, and individually, Jasper talking candidly about what Lapis did to her are important ideas. By cramming them into one episode, both felt cramped and flat. Lapis agreeing that she'd hurt Jasper was a sight to behold, as was her admission that she wanted to fuse to take out all of her trauma on someone she didn't like. Her apology, and Jasper's subsequent scoffing, were marred by poor art and stilted animation but the voice acting alone carried the scene. I liked that Jasper didn't apologise back explicitly but instead offered Lapis a chance to spar with her. What a Jasper thing to say. Lapis turning her down was expected, but Specks agreeing wasn't! Specks hastily saying that she just thought it would be fun and didn't intend to return to hurting anyone made me laugh especially with Lapis's expression. Garnet's comment that Jasper and Lapis don't need to interact again was pretty mature as far as post-toxic relationships go.
The most interesting part of the episode for me was Jasper's comment to Glass that she's glad she doesn't serve the Diamonds anymore because the Diamonds are weaklings in the end. It's a step in not wanting the court back. Gonna be exciting to see where this goes. Maybe we'll get the Curly Malachite fusion that the other anon was rooting for in another few episodes if Specks and Jasper will be hanging out. I hope Desert Glass gets more appearances since the episode just ends on her and Lapis setting off to continue talking and healing. 5/10
I hope that the episode preview anon can leak the episode names again.