More than anything, this is a fun little adventure episode, but there are still some small bits worth appreciating. Such as Pearl expressing her appreciation for Earth’s capability for life despite being previously wasted because of the battlefield. Otherwise, like CheeseBurger Backpack, this is a dungeon episode, except in this instance, rather than various trials towards a final goal, it’s a puzzle, and the various trials are a misdirection.
This structure of the dungeon allows Steven to interact with it in a particular manner; Steven is still immature and, throughout the episode, cannot contribute to completing the trials, consistently requiring Garnet’s help, and the gems consistently express doubts about Steven being there. The recurring instance mentioned is a comical one where Steven got dizzy on a ride and accidentally destroyed it, a mundane struggle he failed to tackle in comparison. However, despite Steven’s childish behaviors, he shows problem-solving capabilities, relaying the experience back to the tea cup ride and solving the puzzle. Steven seems to have a long way to go to prove himself, but he’s making progress, and this is a fun episode.
This is the show's first episode that I particularly don’t care for. On the positive side, the exposition introducing shapeshifting is delivered quite naturally, brought on by Steven’s understandable enthusiasm to learn about it and potentially do it himself. And by its end, this is another episode where Steven resolves an issue without the gem’s assistance. I like that Greg helps him, considering the beginning of the episode reinforces his hesitation to be involved with gem stuff.
The main element I don’t like is the horror angle it takes later in the episode. I don’t care for body horror in general, and the Cronenberg-esque horror of an animal taking over a man’s body here is just kind of gross and jarring. Also, what I liked about the horror in the prior episode was the more comedic angle it adopted; this is far more dramatic but in a way that I find dull. But at its core, the main point of this episode is to introduce shapeshifting and that because of Steven’s lack of control over his powers, shapeshifting is particularly dangerous for him. I think it’s adequate for that, but I still don’t like this episode.
This is the show's first episode where the gems have minimal involvement. And while Steven has consistently helped the gems before, this is the first of a group of episodes where Steven manages to resolve the issues presented before him more or less by himself. In this case, despite ignoring Pearl, Pearl was the one who initially lost the gem shard, and when Steven fights it, she hardly contributes.
Overall, Frybo is a weird episode, but it's a variety of weird that I think is fun. I particularly enjoy the contrast between Steven and Peedee; both want to be involved with the work of their parental figures but aren't able to get fully involved or involved in how they wish to. However, Peedee is particularly dulled by the mundanity of his work, giving a spiel about the cyclical nature of jobs and the limited time in life that I found humorous in contrast to Steven's bubbly nature. However, Peedee's position changes after the episode. In the following episode, we see him working the deep fryer, and as the series continues, Peedee becomes continually more independent. The method by which the conflict between Peedee and his father is resolved is the first of many in the series, being resolved through emotional honesty with Peedee's father coming to understand how Peedee truly feels about working in the fry costume.
But also, this is the first episode to take a shot at horror; introducing a mindless monster that possesses clothing and potentially misinterprets commands it refuses to go back on is a fun idea. The general angle of this horror is a comedic one, the monster being defeated in the comedic way of being attacked by a swarm of Steven's clothes.
So, I think this episode is fun. I don't dislike it; however, I also feel it's a bit inconsequential; the concept of gems shards has little relevance later in the series, and Peedee remains a side character. Overall, it's watchable.
Steven’s anticipation for the gems’ company is endearing, and despite the lack of awareness he later has for the potential threat, I feel the whole episode is too playful and peppy to dislike. However, it doesn’t offer much; we have yet to learn much about the gems.
There are tiny nuggets of information introduced, such as Garnet being more independent and handling some missions by herself and Pearl having a collection of swords we have yet to see her use. Garnet continues to be mysterious and stoic, with a mysterious object and the mysterious bubble room. Amethyst’s room matches what we’ve seen from her up to this point; it’s purposely stuffed and chaotic, and similarly, Pearl’s room is a contrast, simplistic, and tightly organized. Steven still can’t access his powers, but in this case, at least, he’s the one to resolve the danger even though he caused it. However, most of the episode is simply an adventure through the different regions of the temple, and it’s fun enough.
I don't feel there's much to say about this episode; more or less, it's a repeat of Gem Glow, with Steven making an effort to prove himself to the gems. Except in this case, he's accepted that he cannot control his powers yet but believes he can assist the gems through his ingenuity and tools.
The tool in question for this situation is a novelty backpack, an idea consistent with the more comedic/childish tone of these earlier episodes. What ensues is a solid dungeon-crawler episode that doesn’t offer too much of note; it provides the first instance of Pearl being overprotective of Steven and introduces the idea that there used to be more gems on Earth, even if what happened to them is still a mystery.
But regarding the mission, some of Steven's ideas succeed, and it's nice to see the gems supporting him despite their doubts, but in the end, Steven makes a blunder that, regardless of prior successes, renders the mission pointless. But Steven proves he can assist the gems, and as we learn later, the spire was deliberately used to test Steven, a test he passes and more consistently earns a place in future missions the gems go on.
I wonder if this could’ve made for a better pilot, but part of me thinks Gem Glow’s stronger focus on Steven’s struggle to harness his powers makes for a better start. Either way, I prefer this over the first episode.
The main reason for this is its introduction of Rose, the enigmatic character who had to die for Steven to live, and the introduction of Greg, Rose’s lover, a hoarder who clearly has a genuine love for Steven and Rose. And I really enjoy the interactions between Steven and Greg; upon Steven exploring Greg’s storage unit, Greg offers some solemn reminiscing and confirms that Rose gave up her physical form for Steven to live—the logistics of how Steven functions as this hybrid remaining a mystery for much of the series.
For Steven, in the first episode, confronted with the gems’ doubts, he tried to prove himself to minimal success. This episode is similar, except here, Steven is excited to prove his worth to the gems who believe he doesn’t have the cannon or broke it, happily running around Greg’s storage unit hastily grabbing anything that might be the cannon. And Steven, rather than failing to activate his powers in the vital moment of peril, as in the first episode, succeeds after reciting the “If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs” affirmation—this sentiment of finding beauty in imperfection being a recurring idea throughout the show.
But the main takeaway relating to Rose is that I have from the episode is that, despite what the gems may think, Rose loved Greg as much as he seems to have loved her, but it highlights Rose’s imperfections. Greg was given a weapon without knowing how to work it, and the gems didn’t even know Greg had it or also how to use it. It seems clear that Rose loved them but, at the very least, left them somewhat ill-equipped.
While I wouldn't go so far as to categorize this as outright bad, it's a bit of a weak start that fails to capture what the show becomes. There’s a noticeable difference between the consistent peppy, lighthearted comedic tone of episodes like this, which features the mundane struggle of losing one’s favorite treat, and a more comedic resolution of Steven sacrificing the cookie cats to minimal avail, and the more dramatic angle the show adopts.
Moreover, I believe it doesn't offer much intrigue. There’s no drama introduced that I would want to see continued; we have yet to learn anything about the monster they are fighting, and there's little mystery beyond how Steven's powers will develop. Additionally, the initial characterization feels archetypal, with Steven’s validation-seeking motivations (that I still find endearing), Amethyst’s portrayal as sloppy and chaotic, Pearl as uptight and coordinated, and Garnet as stoic. Even elements such as the anthology of assistance they attempt to offer Steven while clearly portraying their desire to support him only further this simplistic characterization.
So, while I don't find the initial childish nature of the show as annoying as some may, with the more comedic tone of which the comedy is a bit stale and a rather generic opening to an adventure fantasy, I can see why some are turned off by the show's initial episodes, despite my belief that the show soon evolves from simply watchable to something special.
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024-12-31T23:59:59Z