Episode Followup: Beach City Drift

I had to start this followup over a few times because it quickly devolved into gushing about how good this episode is. I mean can you blame me? It's fun, and gorgeous, and Stevonnie is the best, and...

.... anyway let's get started.

Looks like Steven's gotten better with the gearstick than last time we saw. Foreshadowing~~~~

Connie's back! Best episode of the week! Sorry, Mr. Greg. Pearl and Greg coming to an understanding through song is great and all, but it's no Connie mother-flippin' Maheswaran.

I really hope Greg stays rich. Then again, when he splurges on a car, he still buys used. He's not a man of expensive tastes!

Here's some more 90s Greg for all you 90s Greg fans! He could be a car model; check out that pose.

Uh Greg, if you're gonna lie all over the car like that you should at least buy it dinner first, heh heh am I right?

Oh uh, you did? Wait, where did the spaghetti come from? Greg, what are you doing?

Now the spaghetti is stuck in the car, Greg. Who is taking these pictures?

(sigh) please submit your Greg x Dondai (Grondai) fics to beachcitybugle@gmail.com. I guess it's canon now. He's got a feel for his automobile.

Oh hey, is that the clerk from Mr. Greg? And I hope we see that police officer in a future episode too!

Aw yiss, there's music, they're happy and having fun... they gon' fuse!

Except then this creep shows up to ruin everything.

"Kevin."

You can try to kill Steven like Lapis, Jasper and Peridot did, and he'll forgive you. Emotionally hurt Steven though, and he'll hate you forever.

Wait, is that a Blackberry? What is this, 2006? Get with the times, lame-o. (Apologies to any Blackberry users out there I'm sure they still make phones)

"Hey! you forgot to- eh, what do I care? I'm rich."

Life goals: Greg Universe.

"Hate's a strong word!" "It's a strong feeling, too."

Do these two remind you of anyone?

"That guy? He's not even worth the time of day. Don't even give him the satisfaction of thinking about him." "Thanks, Mr. Universe."

♫♪♬♫

"I still feel like there's something big I wanna say to him, y'know? Something to make him think."

Man, and I thought Steven was intense this episode. This is the face of a determined Connie. By the end of this episode, Kevin will think. Rest assured.

"I'll race you!"

Stevonnie's back! And they've got a speaking part! And they're low-key flipping the bird. Kevin's going down!

"Ohh! Ohhhhhhhhh!"

Ronaldo's reaction is my reaction, except to Stevonnie instead of the car.

"Are you saying that you don't know the true power of the Supremo?"

Anime glasses thing! Ronaldo is entering sage mode!

Race time! Start the music and cue the CGI cars, we're doing this proper! Also some have pointed out the Blue Jay might be a shout out...

"It's Kevin time!"

That's the catch phrase you shout right before you ruin everything, isn't it Kevin.

"Ha-ha!"

Even Stevonnie's mocking laughter is adorable. They're so adorable I'm gonna die.

"Omigosh, this is it!" "Are they gonna crash?" "No! We're about to witness the true power of the Supremo!" "Ohhh!"

I think Ronaldo's found his niche here. I like it when he's the nerdy sage, rooting for our heroes from the sidelines because he knows what they're capable of.

There's a lot of great faces in this episode, but I think Stevonnie's "Oh crap" face wins the best.

Stevonnie, didn't anyone tell you driving barefoot is dangerous?

Inertia Drift?! Did anyone else cheer during this moment? This cartoon race has me so pumped!

"I know you wanna be close, but this is a little clingy!" "Ugh." 

Just close the window, Stevonnie! Stop listening to this loser and go win your race!

Also the characters are looking the wrong direction in these shots. This was probably done on purpose though, to avoid breaking the 180-degree rule. It's more important to make sure that the viewer is able to follow what's going on than making sure the shots are 100% accurate.

"Ugh! Why do you have to be such a jerk all the time?" 

It's also important to have characters ask questions the audience would like answered.

"Blah blah blah lies lies lies"

Would anyone else have been disappointed if it turned out Kevin's story was real? I'm glad he doesn't have some tragic backstory that Steven can help him cope with through friendship. Just let us have someone we can hate. The show's probably gonna redeem Jasper soon enough, but we'll always have Kevin!

"I'm like this because I think it's funny!"

Kevin is your typical internet troll. No wonder Steven instantly hated him!

"No! We have to beat him. He deserves to lose!"

Stevonnie referred to themself as "I" when they first pulled up to the race, but now they're using "we." Maybe the hallucinations start when Stevonnie's fusion starts to unravel?

 AHH STEVONNIE'S HALLUCINATIONS ARE SCARY TURN IT OFF

"Steven, he's the reason we fused." "(Gasp!) We are obsessed with him!"  

Here's why Steven and Connie are so great together. Connie realized that their drive for revenge was consuming them, and she got right to the point of how it made them fuse for the wrong reasons. Steven instantly got on the same page, and then the both of them figured out how to salvage the situation. Stevonnie is an experience, and they made sure it's a good experience.

Ah, so this is one of those racing games where the competitors aren't allowed to get too far ahead of you. That or Kevin was just waiting so he could gloat more. Probably the second one.

You closed the window. Thank you! Now you can focus on being awesome!

I love this shot so much. Not only is it really cool and an homage to many similar shots in Initial D, but it also shows how much fun Stevonnie's starting to have now that they've decided to just enjoy themselves.

Did I mention that this episode is gorgeous?

Rose Quartz laugh

 Yup, that's it, it's official. Stevonnie is going to save the world.

Of course he has nitrous. What self-respecting street racer doesn't?

And Kevin won. Fortunately for him, this episode was a lot closer to Initial D than Tokyo Drift, or else he would've ended up like this. (Tokyo Drift spoiler)

"Aww, I was rooting for you, Dondai!" "Kevin is the worst! Boo!"

Ronaldo is just so much more likeable when he's rooting for the good guys.

"You know, Kevin, you were right. The view from the mountain was pretty great."

And just like that, Connie gets her wish. Kevin only seems to have fun when he's winning, but Stevonnie doesn't care about that. They're together for the right reasons, and now nothing can get them down. Stevonnie is in charge of their own emotions, and they're a much stronger fusion now.

"Second place isn't so bad... for my first time driving a car!"

This delivery. This shot. This frame. This character. Hang on I gotta write a letter.

Rebecca Sugar
c/o Cartoon Network
Somewhere in the 100s
Steven Universe, TV, 7:00 PM

Dear Ms. Sugar,

Please keep AJ Michalka on staff so you can include Stevonnie in more episodes. In fact, please rework all future episodes of Steven Universe to feature Stevonnie. They are the best.

Thanks,
Dave

If you agree, please write your own similar letter and mail it to:

Rebecca Sugar
c/o Please don't actually do this
2013 The Show is Perfect As It Is St.
Keep Up The Good Work, TY, 12345

And they heard him exclaim

as they drove out of sight

"You're obsessed with me!"

Which they ignored.

Goodnight.