(SPOILER WARNING!!)
Sorry that it's been a while, real life stuff was getting in the way, blah blah blah, all that shit. Point is, I'm back and with more Steven Universe!
So by this point in the season, Peridot has become a full on Crystal Gem, living her newfound freedom at the family barn in the middle of the country side, all the while working with the Gems to finish the drill that will take them to the Cluster. But we don't time for that shit, we gotta have an episode focused on not one, but two left over plot threads. Specifically, a series of sentient Steven-shaped watermelons who have taken residence on an island (hence the name of the first episode, "Super Watermelon Island") and the monster leaving there; Malachite, the forced Fusion of Lapis and Jasper. Quick question; why hasn't Garnet found them buy now if she has been scouring the entire ocean since the first seasons finale?
Well, regardless, the Gems (bar Steven and Peridot) head over to the island to stop Malachite once and for all, especially now that Jasper pretty much seems to be in full control now. But Steven, through his ability to enter other people's dreams to become a watermelon (established last season, so it makes sense in hindsight), rallies the other watermelons together to help Alexandrite (the Fusion of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl) finally bring Malachite down, freeing Lapis and leaving Jasper to fall into a crevice caused by an earthquake from the Cluster's close awakening.
As a first episode, it's not bad but it was really rushed, moving from point to point at far too fast a pace. Yes, it was meant to finally resolve the subplot with Malachite still on the loose and Jasper in control, but because we didn't see much of Malachite since the first seasons finale, we are thus left uninterested when she finally does turn up to cause havoc. Not helped by the fact that, for most of the episode, we are stuck with the Watermelon Steven's and thus find it laughable when Malachite quickly gets taken down "Gulliver's Travel" style. It's frankly the weakest opening episode the entire show has had thus far.
Not helped that the next episode, "Gem Drill", suffers from the same pacing issues. With Steven back in his body and the planet starting to violently rumble, he and Peridot hop in the drill and..., well, drill their way to beneath the Earth's crust, finally reaching:
The way she says that will never not be funny.
Anyways, they try to penetrate it, but it does nothing, with Steven getting knocked out... only to wake up in the Clusters consciousness. Admittedly, this is a visually stunning scene with Steven floating in a dark, empty void, broken up only by the shards of the other Gems, as he tries to convince them that they don't have to form if they don't want to, so long as they have each other down there. And thus, each of the Gem shards bubble each other, preventing the Cluster from emerging and thus saving the Earth... in just under 12 minutes.
Yeah, this is what I was referring too earlier. Whilst still a really good way to resolve the situation with the Cluster, I think that some of this stuff could've been given a separate focus episode so that Steven has enough time to really convince the Gem shards, because it ultimately boils down to:
Cluster Shards: WE WANNA FORM!! WE WANNA! WE WANNA! WE WANNA! WE WANNA!
Steven: Don't.
CS: OKAY.
It's because of the rushed pacing (not helped by the shows infamous hiatuses of nothing happening between episodes) that Season 3's opening episodes are not as strong in comparison to, say, Season 2's opener "Full Disclosure", where the focus was on Steven trying to do the right thing before eventually realising that what he's doing will just hurt more in the long run, especially when cutting off one of the few friends of his who are human. It just felt that much of the stuff with the Cluster could've been resolved as the Season 2 finale, before taking time to do the stuff with Malachite. It would've fit more naturally as a Season finale.
But despite all of that, we do get actual consequences from the stuff that happened between Jasper and Lapis while they were Malachite, with Steven trying to help Lapis fit in more comfortably in the episode "Same Old World", where they try to help Lapis find a place to live and Steven then learns that Lapis was only on Earth by accident, having been mistaken for a Crystal Gem, forced in Gem Mirror and left behind when Homeworld retreated from Earth to avoid being Corrupted. Ultimately, Lapis does decide to stay at the family barn..., before learning that Peridot is there too.
And this isn't brushed over either, they dedicate the next episode, "Barn Mates", to Peridot trying to earnestly and honestly earn Lapis' trust, but failing every time due to how, beforehand, Peridot had treated Lapis as nothing more than a prisoner, a tool to be used to advance their plans for Earth and the Cluster. But even then, Peridot really tries her hardest to prove to Lapis that she's not the same cold, judgemental narcissist that she was before. Granted, Peridot still has a huge ego about her, but that's simply part of her character and not a trait that negatively affects her progress, as she is legitimately hardworking and shows her compassion for others. Even Steven is telling Lapis that Peridot does deserve a chance at proving herself, while still acknowledging that Lapis isn't wrong in distrusting her. But this is interrupted by the arrival of a Gem Ship, which is only stopped when Lapis intervenes, showing her concern for Peridot's life.
Because, damn it, everything is gay about this!
Still, what exactly was in that Gem Ship?
... Well, ... Shit.
