Top 10 The Batman Episodes

So, you'd think people would celebrate Batman Day a completely different way than this (some may even actually celebrate it on Batman Day; I do have my excuses, though), such as yet another post illustrating just how brilliant Batman: The Animated Series is, or some sort of "Let's Take A Look At Some of Batman's Greatest Moments", you know, that kind of thing. Most would not choose to celebrate Batman by taking a look at what is generally considered to be a "mediocre series that isn't fit for the Batman lore". I would disagree with that collective statement, however. Granted, Season 1 of this show was a 22-minute toy commercial (barring The Big Heat and Traction, and of course, the 2-part finale), but by the time Season 2 rolls around, the show really picks up, and by the end, becomes a show that can go toe-to-toe with the best of Batman: The Animated Series.

Now, I could go into a whole argument on how B:TAS isn't as good as everyone says it is. But, that would be straying way off topic, and seeing as how I'm justifying my opinion on this series by talking about these 10 episodes, that would render the point of this whole thing moot. All I'll say is that Batman: The Animated Series had its fair share of mediocre episodes, as well. And yet, people praise this series as being the greatest in animated history. Why? Two episodes. Heart of Ice and Almost Got 'Im. Definitely fantastic episodes, but that's just what they are. Two episodes. Hardly enough to justify this series being the "greatest of all-time". Now, this point will come into play later when I talk about a certain episode, which is why I mention it here, but for now, let's get on with it! The Top 10 Episodes of (the largely unappreciated series, in my opinion) The Batman.

10: Cash For Toys 

Season 3, Episode 6

"Cash Tankenson; the last line of defense you'll ever need."

Remember JTV? That utterly lame Joker episode back in Season 2 where the only fun part of it was Patrick Warburton as Detective Tankenson, the impulsive detective? Many people seem to think that episode was the last time we get to see our old friend, Detective Shades, whereas people seem to forget all about his second appearance in this classic. Cosmo Krank, a new villain, is threatening Bruce Wayne's life due to his disapproval (and, basically, destruction), of his toy line. Commissioner Gordon pits Bruce with a bodyguard that has to watch him 24/7, making it rather difficult for Batman to come out and stop this villain from rampaging with his crazed line of toys.

And while I thought Krank was a good enough villain on his own, he's not why I was on the floor laughing at some of the best material this series has ever had. That honor goes to Cash Tankenson, who just so happens to be Bruce's new bodyguard. Just as impulsive as ever, Warburton brings this character to life, with, of course, help from the classic writing. One moment that will always stick out to me is seeing him begging for his life when some of Krank's toys have him, and then minutes later walking up to Batman delivering "About the whole 'Cash begging for his life' thing... that never happened, right?" It may be the last time we ever get to see our ol' Detective Shades, but it's definitely a proper sendoff.

9. Batgirl Begins

Season 3, Episodes 1&2

"Remember me? Plucky sidekick?"

Many say Batgirl was a very poor character in this series. That she's annoying, kinda bratty. I beg to differ, citing these episodes as my main argument. What I expected from this episode given all the controversy around the character is that we're getting a Bat-Mite for this series (not the good one that came in the series after this one. I'm talking New Adventures of Bat Man). What I got was a surprisingly well-told story involving what pushed Barbara Gordon into becoming Batgirl, and what turned Pamela Isley into Poison Ivy. Temblor was a very good villain for the first part, and I was actually a little surprised to learn that he originated from this series. Nothing feels forced in these episodes; Barbara gets to see Batman in action before even thinking about becoming Batgirl, Pamela was a huge plant-lover before she was mutated into Poison Ivy, who kidnaps Gordon, which gets Batgirl out on the streets. A well-done episode, all-around.

8. Riddled

Season 2, Episode 2

"Unmasking you would be all too easy, so, we shall play a game."

Now that Detective Ellen Yin sees things from Batman's perspective (oh, and the two just happen to be partners, now), we have an opportunity for some interesting episodes involving the new partnership. And, while The Bat, The Cat, and the Very Ugly did showcase this partnership a little better, there's no denying that it's center-stage here, and portrayed rather well. The Riddler, who is new to this episode, is without a doubt one of the stronger villains on this series. His Maryln Manson-esque design surprisingly fits the character extremely well, and even barring the design, this is the greatest animated version of Riddler to date. For more reasons than this episode alone, but we'll get there when we get there. For this (Christopher Yost-written) episode, Riddler shines by showing us different kinds of clues and riddles than we're used to. I, for one, was definitely puzzled throughout the episode, but, loyal to the character, Batman managed to decipher every single one of his clues. And the finale involving Riddler attempting to guess Batman's identity (in the style of 20 Questions. Nice touch) was nothing short of brilliant.

7. Rubberface of Comedy/Clayface of Tragedy

Season 1, Episodes 12&13

"All it takes is one rotten day. Ever had a rotten day, Batman?"

Largely cited as the episode that actually kickstarted the series and had it stop being a 22-minute toy commercial (deja vu, much?), this Season 1 finale certainly served as the best episode of the series up to that point. We get to see The Joker's first appearance in this series without him being over-the-top annoying (which, believe it or not, folks, happens a lot more than most say. This version of Joker is honestly a bit underrated. Penguin, on the other hand...), and we get to see our introduction to Clayface. And, can I be one of the many to say that this is the defining version of Clayface? I mean, this series took the character in such a tragic direction, basically gave him a Two-Face story, but in this case, it's a little more personal. Watching Ethan Bennett further descend into madness as Joker torments him (in, can I say, one of the best standalone scenes the series has to offer), and then seeing him mutate into Clayface and simply, in his own words, "melt, physically and mentally", is honestly one of the harder things to watch in this series. But, in a good way. It's such a tragic beginning for a tragic villain, and I love every second of it.

6. Seconds

Season 4, Episode 9

"You can't stop me, Batman, it's FATE!" "I don't believe in fate. I believe in choice."

Okay, to be fair, The Batman is a little more heavy on the whole "supervillain" side of things than just the good, normal people who had a rotten day. A good example of the latter would be the previously mentioned episode, but these types of episodes rarely come up, which is strange for something like Batman, where that is the main theme that keeps the titular character going. Here, we have a perfect, textbook example of a story showing a good person making a bad choice at the wrong time. Francis Gray can travel backwards in time a measly minute or so, and uses this to his advantage, as his physique isn't the greatest, but allows him to anticipate attacks or obstacles. He gained this power simply because his family was in a bad place, and so, he was to steal a pricey watch, only to be thrown in jail, and forced to fix the guards' clocks (as he worked as a clock repairman). All of these clocks, however, drove him so mad, he could see the seconds he was losing, and unlocked the ability to turn back time. He uses this power to "get revenge" on Gotham, but when Batman brings in his son, it's too late, and his revenge has already begun. In this heart-wrenching scene (I was actually crying at this point), Francis manages to go back to 20 years, to right before he made the bad choice that started all of this. He decides to not make this choice, and his life ends up turning out great because of it. It's hard to talk about this episode. Partly because it's so deep into the Batman lore that it's easily one of the best Batman stories (and it's only Number 6!), but also because simply talking about the incredibly written plot, I've typed out as much as I want to type about a single episode, so, let's just move on before this episode drives me to tears again.

5.  Gotham's Ultimate Criminal Mastermind

Season 3, Episode 13

"I am no ordinary criminal. I am Gotham's Ultimate Criminal Mastermind."

Hugo Strange is one of the better-utilized villains on this series. He starts off as a protagonist, until Batman (and the audience) learns more about him, and it all comes full circle in this episode, where he becomes a full-on villain. The insane Arkham Asylum psychologist creates D.A.V.E (Digitally Advance Villain Emulator), with the (false) hope that it will help capture the many villains in Gotham. D.A.V.E has all of the knowledge of every villain past (he doesn't even know he is a computer program), making him the ultimate criminal, and, of course, the ultimate criminal will stop at nothing to create the ultimate crime. He anticipates all of Batman's moves, Gotham basically falls to its knees because of him, he even correctly deduces Batman's secret identity. And, as it turns out, Strange coded D.A.V.E to upload himself (i.e: it wasn't an accident), which gets him sent to the Asylum. But that leaves D.A.V.E, an undefeatable villain who is about to reveal the secret identity of The Batman, who gets so badly beaten, the only way for him to defeat D.A.V.E was to tell him that he is a program, not an actual criminal, which gives him the perfect opening for the final blow. What an incredible episode. Hugo Strange development, D.A.V.E is a seemingly unstoppable villain, it's a struggle, and like I said about other episodes, I love every second of it.

4. Strange Minds

Season 2, Episode 10

"Could it, perhaps, stem from a past trauma? Perhaps someone you once failed to rescue?"

Like mentioned before, this version of The Joker has gotten a lot of hate. But, why? Because he's different? Need I mention that the entire purpose of The Batman was to not use the same exact characters that The Animated Series pulled off so well? It'd be one thing if people simply didn't like this version, but it's different, since people only don't like him because he's different. Oh well, fan of this Joker or no, you can't lie, this episode looks good on him. In a desperate attempt to save Detective Yin from Joker, previously built-up villain Hugo Strange ventures to inside Joker's mind, with Batman following his trail. What follows is 22 minutes of insanity. Seriously, the animation has always been this show's main strong point, and it shows here. The scenery is nothing short of brilliant and creative, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Strange seems more interested in how Joker's mind works than finding Yin, which becomes Batman's job. His deep-rooted need to save people takes center-stage here, and it's nothing short of beautiful. Even briefly in this earlier part of the series, they nailed Batman's character. The episode is definitely one heck of a ride, with a fun Joker and a definite Batman story. It's insane, it's triumphant, it's somehow only number 4.

3. The Batman VS Dracula

Released DTV: October 18, 2005

"You spurred my offer of eternal life. The next time, we do not part until maggots feed upon your flesh."

I'm sorry, but if that line alone doesn't tell you just how dark in tone this Direct-To-DVD movie is, you may want to get yourself checked out. Pitting Batman against Dracula could be one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. In fact, it was so dumb, they made it work. Arguably one of the few times The Penguin appears in this series where he's actually a great villain, he's not even at the forefront of the action. What we see here is possibly the single greatest interaction between hero and villain this series has to offer. Batman and Dracula as a "two sides of the same coin" thing surprisingly works well here. This is also more than just an extended episode. The movie is a lot darker than the series, or just about any form of animated Batman up to that point. Where you would expect small amounts of blood, you get a scene set in a blood bank where the blood is quite literally raining on the two characters in combat. I don't want to spoil too much, as you owe it to yourself to see this movie (and, plus, I know it is kind of cheating putting this on the list, but it's too good to leave out), I'll just leave it with that its intensity factor and sheer amount of cool moments, you're sure to be kept on the edge of your seat during this very different take on the Batman lore.

2. Meltdown

Season 2, Episode 6

"Being Ethan Bennett is hard, really hard. Being Clayface? Now that's cake. So say your goodbyes, because this is the last you'll ever see of him."

Remember when I was talking about The Clayface of Tragedy and mentioned that it's heart-wrenching to see Ethan Bennett further and further descend into madness? Imagine that x10 for this episode. At the beginning of the episode, he is declared a sound mind, and the only way he can remain out of prison is if he doesn't use his powers, while in the meantime, Wayne Tech tries to find an antidote to his condition. But, consistently, he gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, forcing him to morph. All of this (including the coming of Joker, who he wants revenge against), drives him more and more insane until the climax, which is one of the most heart-wrenching parts of the series. A definite classic, and one of the quintessential episodes in showing why this version Clayface is undoubtedly one of the best.

Before I unveil Number 1, here are some

Honorable Mentions:

• The Big Heat
• The Laughing Bat
• Night and the City
• Grundy's Night
• A Fistful of Felt
• RPM
• Thunder
• A Matter of Family
• The Breakout
• Artifacts
• Strange New World
• Two of a Kind
• Rumors

1. Riddler's Revenge

Season 4, Episode 10

"And in that one instant, I lost my last chance to... to not be The Riddler."

The Riddler is one of the more interesting villains on this show. And yet, at this point in the series, he's only had one of his own episode, this being his second. But, that doesn't matter. For a villain to be truly great, you don't need a quantity of episodes (arguably what ruined The Joker and The Penguin from early on), you just need quality. This, my friends, is the high point of the quality of The Batman, and it goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Heart of Ice. We get a backstory for The Riddler, and it's an incredibly good one. It has everything that has made Batman work in the past, but one key element is thrown in for good measure: tragedy. Whether you're a fan of this series or not, you can't lie that the one thing this series does better than anything else is tragedies. And it really shines here. The story of Edward Nigma and how he became The Riddler is some of the most heartbreaking stuff I've seen come out of Batman as a whole. And thus, he seeks revenge on the one who did him wrong, who ruined his life. There's a twist in here that's perfect, the episode is simply a ride all the way through. Without a doubt, this is the greatest animated version of The Riddler. Without a doubt, this is the greatest episode of The Batman.

 

"One last riddle for you, Robin. When is a villain... not the villain?"

And that about raps it up! The Top 10 Episodes of The Batman. Like I said with the honorable mentions above, there are more than just 10 good episodes of this series. I marathoned this series recently and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is what inspired me to make this list. Here's the thing, though. After finishing this marathon, I then took to watch some randomly selected episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. I'm told that the show is better than The Batman in every way, and is one of the greatest animated series of all time. To that I say OBJECTION! In order for The Animated Series to be the greatest animated series of all time, it would have to defeat the likes of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which has 60 astoundingly good episodes, with only 1 being mediocre (3 guesses if you're a fan of Avatar what that episode is. You probably only need one, though). So, you're telling me that every single episode of Batman: The Animated Series is good? I'm sorry, but that's completely false.

There are many terrible episodes of The Animated Series. I mean, the good episodes are really good, don't get me wrong, and I think the series is overall expertly done, but from the way everyone's building up the series, it sounds like every single episode of the series is on the same level of quality as Heart of Ice. Which is WRONG. I know this has turned into a rant on The Animated Series, but I'm sick of hearing it getting compared favorably against The Batman when few of these people even know what they're talking about.

Basically, I've reached this conclusion -- Heart of Ice came fairly early in the lifespan of Batman: The Animated Series, and so, there are so many people that think of the show favorably because of it. The Batman, however... didn't even have an episode of undeniable quality until its Season 1 finale, but since then, it has generated a wall of incredible episodes. And its quintessential episode, Riddler's Revenge, didn't show up until Season 4, almost 4 years after the series premiered. So, the general consensus seems to think every single episode of Batman: The Animated Series is like Heart of Ice, which is completely wrong. And they think that every single episode of The Batman is like The Bat and The Belfry, which is also completely wrong. From the way people are describing it, The Batman is mediocre because it has a lot of good and bad episodes, and yet, Batman: The Animated Series suffers from the same problems. And B:TAS's worst days are worse than that of The Batman. So really, it's one or the other, but not what seems to be the general consensus right now. Are both shows truly great? Or are they both mediocre?

But, basically, that's my opinion on The Batman and the hate that it gets: it's a very well-done and well-written series that doesn't get the love it truly deserves. I hope you enjoyed my endless ramblings and, of course, the list!

And of course, Happy belated Batman Day!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) #71: Turtles in Time

It's getting tough for longtime Turtle fans such as I. Or, at least, on the cartoon side of things.

Before I say anything else, I need to say that this show started off with great promise, and continued to fulfill the greatness in episodes continuing from then. And, while I do acknowledge that there is a noticeable decrease in quality in Season 2, I still very much enjoyed the show. Season 3, the show's current season, is when things started to get hard to watch. The seasons' first 7 episodes had the Turtles in a familiar location throughout other iterations of the series -- the farmhouse in Northampton. The problem here is that rather than taking time to develop the characters and kick off a couple character arcs (which, besides Leo, the show refuses to do for whatever reason), we resort to more filler, and more Monster of the Week (MOTW) episodes, which we had already seen an abundance of in the previous season, so this style of episode had worn out its welcome by then.

The Creep (a.k.a: Unresolved Mutant Story #47)

Then, after a run of 7 episodes where only one had anything plot-related, and only one other that was actually fun, the show got back on track with its eighth and last episode in Northampton, Vision Quest. And man did that episode kick some serious shell. Immediately after, we get an abundance of episodes that felt like the show was really getting itself back in order. Then, the previous "Turtle Bomb", as I call it, came and went. Four episodes, one that was filler that would've been fun if it had gone anywhere, one where most of my hate from it comes from some lies talking about a Dark Raph arc from the show's producer, one that was just irredeemable crap, and one that was pretty good barring some repetition, which brings us to this week's episode, which is the introduction to longtime fan-favorite, Renet Tilley.

Renet's appearance in the 2003 4Kids series.

Now, to be fair, I never did see much of the 2003 series, and I'm not a big fan of tracking down a bunch of comic books to read them one time and then toss them aside, so I didn't really have much prior knowledge when it came to Renet's arc (which, I have heard, is a fan-favorite arc in the 2003 series), but the idea of this 2012 series is not to be solely fanservice to anyone who was previously introduced to the Turtles, though it does do it a lot, and brings a smile to my face. No, this show was primarily meant to introduce kids of today to the Turtles, which it has done very well so far.

So, naturally, if the show wants to excel at what it wants to do, it could tell me, who's never seen anything about Renet before, what her deal is in her debut episode. But, that's just this episode's main problem. The episode's entire introduction consists of the Turtles running on the rooftops, encountering Renet, Renet fangirling over the "Turtle Warriors of the Past", a thrown-together introduction of Savanti Romero, the episode's villain, and Renet using the time scepter she has to throw Savanti out of this time. Literally.

Stinks that there are no stills of this episode yet. Oh well, this art still kicks so much butt.

So, there you go. That's about as much information you're gonna get in this episode. Sorry, but gotta cram in a bunch of medieval crap that we already exhausted all the jokes we could get out of in Mazes & Mutants, which was already a mediocre episode as is. Yes, not soon after, an accident happens with the time scepter and the Turtles and Renet get sent to medieval times. At this point I was thinking that this was going to play out similarly to the incredible video game of the same name, and send the Turtles through different times. Unfortunately, we're spending the entire episode in the medieval times, and rather than make something clever out of it, the Turtles would rather wait around for this episode to be over. For a good 10 minutes or longer, the plot, unclear as it was anyway, comes to a screeching halt.

Oh yeah, and Mikey has this weird crush on Renet. One of those stupid "love at first sight" things. At least Donnie and Leo actually gave reasons for caring about April and Karai respectively (and in this very episode no less, which was, in my opinion, the highlight), but Mikey would rather take the shallow route, and literally give us no reason for liking her. He doesn't even say she's pretty or good-looking in the slightest. I mean, that'd be shallow, anyway, but it would at LEAST be a reason. Besides, the whole thing seems rather forced. One more reason to not care for Mikey in this series, I guess. I really wanted to like him, but he seemed to just go through a downward spiral in this series. Eh, better than the movie, who was a flat-out creeper from the get-go.

Anyway, Savanti shows up and steals the time scepter from Renet. ...Oh no? I mean, I get that the thing can alter reality itself, but the thing didn't get much buildup. The time spent on having the Turtles fight knights for no reason could have been used to, if not build up Renet or Savanti, at LEAST build up the time scepter's importance, so when Savanti does steal the time scepter, it at least has impact on the audience.

Property of Nickelodeon. If you didn't guess.

The entire rest of the episode consists of the Turtles and Renet chasing down Savanti. This ends with a particularly good action scene with a bunch of gears, ala a clock, but that's just what it is. An action scene. The animation is definitely great in this episode, I mean, Season 3 has shown a drastic improvement of the show's animation over, say, Season 1. But a really good action scene does not excuse lazy writing.

The episode ends with the Turtles and Renet defeating Savanti and getting the time scepter back. But, when Renet tries to port the Turtles home, some crazy time thing happens (again, no buildup, so not really much impact, hence why I don't quite remember what it was), and the Turtles are accidentally sent to modern-day Japan! Okay, this is interesting! They're surrounded by a bunch of ninjas! Oooh, how are they gonna get out of this one?!

Cliffhanger. It ends on a freaking cliffhanger.

Yes, the one time I was actually excited about the events of this episode, and it's not even in the episode itself. What a waste of an episode. I really want this show to pull up from its doldrums, I really do. But the interactions between the Turtles and Renet are simply awkward, and not the good kind, mind you, there isn't much tension between the audience and Savanti (but the show is clearly capable of creating this kind of tension, as seen with Shredder and The Kraang), and... that's about it. Yeah, the episode doesn't have much going on for it. I've never wanted to like a TMNT episode this much, but there's so much of nothing, it almost comes off as a filler episode, and yet, it's apparently supposed to be a large turning point of the central plot. All I can say is, this show better pull itself back together. Now, there's literally no way this next episode can be bad (when has the Turtles going to Japan EVER been bad, even in the 1987 series?), but I guess we'll see. For now, I'm going to go play a much better use of the name of this episode. See you all next time!

Ohhh it was Hell finding a physical copy of this game...

Episode Verdict

+  Leo's line about Karai

+  The action scenes, though!

+  A few good jokes here and there

+  The Japan Cliffhanger!

-  Renet, an interesting concept with an uninteresting execution

-  Awkward crush between Mikey and Renet

-  Awkwardness all around

-  A strange refusal to build up any important plot points

-  Staying in the Medieval setting throughout the episode, rather than using this episode's idea      to its full potential

Overall: 6/10

Steven Universe #63: Cry for Help

Something that I'm sure would be shocking to some people is why I didn't include Steven Universe on my normal lineup for reviews. This is because, at the time, the show simply wasn't impressing me. I can watch Gravity Falls and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and get easily sucked into their worlds. But, the thing about Steven Universe was that it was a very mixed bag for me. I thought the concept was incredibly creative and, as you would know if you even watched a single episode of the show, the characterization is superb. But, the writing always seemed a little distracted to me. I mean, I know that the show has to make 52 11-minute episodes each season, and there's only so much you can exhaust out of a concept even this creative, but, that's only this show's main flaw.

Garnet, a main protagonist, in the climax scene of "Future Vision"

Episodes like Future Vision are probably the best examples of what I mean. The idea for the episode is so amazingly good. It starts off very promising and its climax is priceless. However, its main problem? Everything else. After Garnet reveals to the titular character Steven that she has the ability to see different paths of the future (not just see THE future, see different paths. Interestingly unique way to go about it, animation wise!), we are subjected to a good 7-8 minutes (over half the episode) of nothing of substance happening. And, this is fine, as long as we get some good jokes. We get one actually funny joke, but most of the time, we're given good reminders on why comedy isn't at the forefront of Steven Universe.

Nevertheless, I did everything I could to give this show a shot. And the episodes themselves ended up becoming mixed bags. By that I mean, episodes like So Many Birthdays, Mirror/Ocean Gem, On The Run, and The Return/Jail Break are spectacular, and are good reminders of why this show is so well-known and respected. But then you have episodes like Lion 2: The Movie, Beach Party, Steven and the Stevens, Watermelon Steven, and even the show's debut episode Gem Glow that are good reminders why no one ever mentions them. That's the thing about Season 1 of this show. There's a dedicated fanbase that will stand by this show until the very end, but they refuse to ever mention the likes of episodes such as Steven's Lion that feel like you're watching a show of completely different quality.

So. Much. THIS!!

Season 2, on the other hand...

Clearly, times have changed, since I am now reviewing an episode of this show (and not only that, adding it to my main lineup). What has Season 2 done that delightfully improved the show over Season 1? Simple. It takes more time to make sure almost every episode is good. Now, even the episodes that are strictly filler and comedic are usually hilarious. And the continuity/story episodes have been knocked up about 11 notches. What was the final nail in the coffin for any doubts I originally had about Steven Universe? This beauty of 3 episodes, fitting together under one nice, neat arc. And I'm going to review all three to further show what makes this cartoon one of the greats.

We start off the episode, innocently enough, with a show within a show. Crying Breakfast Friends is the name, and it's a hilarious parody of the show it's within. And, well, the title says it all. It's a show about friends who cry a lot and just so happen to be breakfast foods. And the Crystal Gems' reactions to this show are nothing short of priceless. The signal of the TV, however, gets a little fuzzy, and it turns out to be because of Peridot! ...She's a recurring villain on this show if you're new. She's broadcasting a signal to all over Earth, signalling any Gems that may be colonizing Earth that she's stranded and needs to get back to Homeworld. The Crystal Gems quickly deduce that Peridot could only be broadcasting a signal like this at the Gem Communication Hub (a recurring location of the series), and even after being destroyed by Sugilite (a fusion between Garnet and Amethyst), it has been rebuilt. However, this time, instead of forming Sugilite, Garnet decides to fuse with Pearl to form-- oh my god, it's happening, is it?!

"Was I worth the wait?"

To be honest, though, Sardonyx, the result of this fusion, is a little bit irritating to me. I mean, she's very close to what would happen if you fused Garnet's personality with Pearl's personality. Thing is, though, Garnet is a very fun character on her own. Pearl is a very fun character on her own. Sardonyx, though, feels very stuck-up, and her voice... just... ugh. But I wouldn't be lying if I didn't say she didn't get a laugh out of me. "And yes, sometimes I am known to smash". Communication hub is down, yay.

And here we go with the Crying Breakfast Friends again, this time, foreshadowing what's about to happen in the episode. That's probably the best way to use these "show-within-a-show" things, and it was used subtle enough here so that your first time watching, you're not gonna catch that, but the second time, you're probably gonna say "Clever!" out loud... at least, I did.

Anyway, Peridot's signal comes in again, and when the Gems investigate the hub, it was, somehow, built once again... overnight! Pearl and Garnet fuse once again, and Amethyst (who goes the entire episode annoyed that Garnet is fusing with Pearl rather than her) sings a song, talking about her feelings of sorrow towards Garnet, and how she wishes she could make up for the Sugalite incident back in Season 1. In all honesty, though, this is the low-point of the episode. The song is very short (it doesn't even clock in a minute), and the lyrics aren't that powerful.

After this, we see Steven and Amethyst staking out the hub, to see exactly how Peridot's been able to fix the hub. After some top-notch banter, it's revealed that Pearl has been using Peridot's escape pod (that had previously been found by Steven) to fix the hub herself so that the can fuse with Garnet again. Amethyst and Steven tell Pearl as she and Garnet are about to fuse that she needs to tell her the truth. But, Garnet sort of figures it out on her own. And she... is less than amused.

Dang, Garnet, you scary!

After an amazingly satisfying outburst from Garnet that just hits all of the right notes, Garnet tells Amethyst to fuse with her, and Sugalite destroys the hub in one blow. Cut back to the Crying Breakfast Friends once again, this time, a little more annoying than they normally are, seeing as how we just had this emotional moment seconds ago, and plus, their crying lasts the rest of the episode, and it's... irritating. To say the least, anyway. We get a nice enough ending besides that and the episode ends.

I seriously changed my mind on Steven Universe after seeing this episode alone. And seeing as how it's only part 1 in a 3-part-series, all I can say is...

BRING IT ON!

Yes, but it was an overall fantastic episode that had all the right words, put all the characters in the spotlight, creates a well-done arc out of a character that is irritating, making Sardonyx a plot device, but, in this case, a good one. I'm excited to see what's next in this series, I'm excited to review the next two episodes I will review, and I guess I'll see you all next time!

Episode Verdict

+  Tension between Garnet and Pearl

+  Well-paced story and great comedy, out of the norm of some of Steven Universe's worst

+  Crying Breakfast Friends

+  Sardonyx creates a great arc, but...

-  ...she is a VERY annoying character.

-  Tower of Mistakes is definitely not this show's best song.

Overall: 8.5/10

Welcome!

Hey, ho, and hiya! Aaron here, though you probably don't know who this "Aaron" maniac is. Let me explain -- I am an aspiring writer of animation, and though I've been contacted by a couple of companies (Frederator, as an example), it's always been the same thing, too young to sign a contract. Bleh. So I figured that as a side project to the YouTube videos I'm making/I'll be making, I could give my own opinion on current animated series (you are going to hear me use the word "cartoon" a lot, but realize that I use it with the most positive of connotations, and only use it so I don't have to type out "animated series" all the time. Plus, there will be some shows I review that aren't seen as animated "series" by most animation fans, anyway!

I guess I should go ahead and give a list of the series that I'll be reviewing, since I watch these shows a good bit anyway:

• Gravity Falls
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)
• SpongeBob SquarePants (once it enters its 10th season)
• Star Wars Rebels

I'll also take a look at most currently-airing cartoons at least once. I'll do my best to look at both sides of an argument while giving my own opinion, but realize that there will be some reviews where that will be a little difficult for me (looking at you, Teen Titans Go).

I also plan on doing "flashback" reviews when there are no new episodes for me to check out at the time. As a large fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Batman: The Animated Series, you'll most likely see some reviews of those pop up every once in awhile. I especially plan to do an "Avatar Takeover" sometime later, where I flat-out marathon and review all episodes of Airbender and Legend of Korra, so expect to see that!

I guess there's nothing else to say now but see ya until my next review!