Reality-bending shenanigans, shifting animation styles, Deedee Magno Hall getting to go full ham, this is really all over the place. The closest equivalent to such a fully comedic Steven Universe episode is Looney Toons homage Kindergarten Kid, and even that feels quiet compared to Say Uncle. Declaring outright that the episode isn’t canon, reinforcing it by declaring April Fools, and sinking Lars and Sadie’s literal ship before cutting back to the beach like nothing happened is a perfect introduction (which makes the other introduction even worse by comparison), and from there it’s a ridiculous nonstop romp. And they never speak of it again.īut like I said, I do enjoy the rest of Say Uncle, even if it takes fast forwarding through the first thirty seconds to do so.
Instead he ignores the serrated knife that Uncle Grandpa shoved in his heart and is thrilled to see him, consistency be damned. It also forces Steven to transform into a character we haven’t seen before, because the one that we know and love would be a wreck at this point. It’s tasteless in a way that can be comedic in the right context, but in no way has Steven Universe ever provided that context. …I mean really, what the hell? It only takes the first joke for Uncle Grandpa to sledgehammer away whatever goodwill Say Uncle had as a crossover, and the rest of the episode is spent crawling out of the rubble. Oh man, what a riot! See, this kid going through an existential crisis thinks he gets to reunite with his dead mother, but instead it’s a kooky prankster! It’s funny because we’re really attached to this relationship and it’s one of the emotional cores on the show, so we don’t expect someone to shit all over it. In fact, if not for one early gag ruining the tone for the rest of the episode, it might be something of a cult classic in my mind.īut alas, they had to introduce Uncle Grandpa impersonating Rose Quartz.
It’s incredible that this isn’t my least favorite episode of Steven Universe, that it’s straight-up enjoyable for stretches at a time. At least it’s not a clip show?Ĭonsidering this, the best thing I can say about Say Uncle is that it should’ve been wayyyyyyy worse.
It’s easier to swallow when the characters share a world, such as in comics or with Buffy and Angel, but smashing two universes together usually ends with an episode that spends way too much time explaining the situation, shuffling through a collection of meta jokes pertaining to each show, and ending with nothing changed. Well, that’s not fair gimmicks tend to suck, and crossovers are a prime example of this. But this is in large part thanks to me not being a child I can imagine plenty of children getting a huge kick out of its Random Humor on Amphetamines brand of comedy.Ĭrossovers also are not for me, because they tend to suck. From what I’ve seen, it’s funny in a nonstop madcap visual assault kind of way, one that lends itself to watching one or two episodes then spending the rest of your life letting your eyes rest. This doesn’t mean I hate it-I’ve literally only seen its pilot and Say Uncle, which isn’t enough to form a strong opinion-but I’m just not interested in watching anything further. “Okay, I’m ready for this episode to end!”