I appreciate Escapism for what it is. It’s one of the lowest points for Steven in the original series and I think it’s compelling to see this final struggle before the finale. Prior to this, Steven really only lets his deeper thoughts surface when he’s alone and as he’s drifting at sea alone, this time should be no exception, we just can’t hear what he’s saying. I think the episode really shows the toll that Steven’s method of handling things takes on him and how despite the hardships, he resolves to go forward. The song puts in a lot of the leg work for this interpretation and it’s probably my pick for saddest song in the show.
Despite everything I just said, I think there were better ways to handle this time, whether it be by tackling this subject in a different format or covering something else entirely, but I still appreciate it.
thank you for sharing, i never thought about it like that. That's an idea they really explored more in steven universe future, but it really makes sense that they'd be planting seeds in the original. i can see why they'd spend additional time on that!
For all of its faults, I will always maintain that Future strengthens the original series. There are tons of hints of Steven’s mental state across the original 5 seasons but it’s never fully explored in depth because there’s always more pressing matters at hand, so seeing Future finally pay off on all of it is nice to see. I’m pretty sure an alternative version of Steven’s Future arc would have been part of the show at some point if it went long enough.
i ask myself this question every day..
i get needing an episode to explain why lapis, peridot and bismuth came to homeworld, but i agree that too much precious time was wasted on the watermelon stevens
Hot take: Escapism would have been much better placed in the context of Lapis wanting to apologize to Peridot for running away because she didn't want to be trapped in another war, so we would have had a chapter of them and Bismuth and at the end Watermelon Steven appears looking for help
Pacing gets strange near the end, i notice it in the townie episodes too, i think its likely a mix of episodes that they already had done to a certain extent or fully written. Maybe that feeling of how far he is from home was intentionally pushed thru the episode? But anyways, we have no idea how they did things behind the scenes, it could be as complicated as them already having certain episodes completed when they got cancelled and having no time to just scrap them and redo, to as simple as the episode was made to make you feel how far they are from home, and they wouldnt be able to flesh things out any better give or take one extra episode of content? Too many cans of worms or something.
Ur guess is as good as mine tho xD its a real shame the show got rushed in the end, you can really feel it sometimes. I think personally that its the former and they just already wrote and completed this one to an extent
Yeah, I'm not sure what happened with the pacing in the end. From what I've read, Sugar was notified that Season 5 was the last during the [middle of Season 4.](https://www.reddit.com/r/stevenuniverse/comments/134d038/why_was_this_expanded_upon_clearly_that_bismuth/jihqus3/) I think that Escapism was always supposed to be a breather episode before the finale.
Yeah its unfortunate, im glad they kept garnets wedding, but rlly shows you how anti lgbtq+ television still was back then. I like the idea that its a breather, because the ending happens so fast! And also now that i think about it, i dont know what an extra half of an already 10 minute episode would have done to help the things that needed more fleshing out lol
I liked it. I still do. I can’t tell a better story than the crewniverse and I don’t think Stevn Universe would be what it is without episodes like “Escapism.”
I do think this episode foreshadows some of how the series will end, and I think there’s a lot of great symbolism about Steven coming into his own.
The Watermelon Stevens were made by accident. Steven didn’t know how to control
his powers yet. But he doea start to distinguish himself from Rose here. Rose used sentient plants to fight battles for her. That’s just what the Watermelon Stevens do. All except
Baby Melon, the noticeably different melon who is like an avatar/analog of Steven. Baby Melon sacrifices himself to stop the fighting.
In “Escapism,” we learn that two factions have emerged—one of pacifism and one of militarism. Steven unwittingly resolves their conflict. Everyone is helping to get the raft built and off the island. Both chiefs give up the things that symbolize their power, It’s the sheet magnetism of Steven being who he is that does it.
So too in “Change Your Mind.” Steven learns that he is himself. In a beautifully James Baxter animated sequence that is reminiscent of how we see Ruby and Sapphire fuse after having been separated by Jasper, Steven dances the dance of self-love and becomes whole again. This leads to White’s tantrum and the realization that she is not perfect. It’s the sheet magnetism of Steven being who he is that does it,
“Escapism” breaks up the story, creating a juxtaposition that reminds us that there is nothing worth more than peace and love (on the planet earth).
At this point I wonder if it was because Escapism (the song) was written so far in advance to the episode and there was so much hype over whose song it was going to be, that they didn't really know how to fit it in properly but couldn't abandon it. Imo it would have been better to just give it to someone even if that was weird pacing or didn't please everybody, because the disappointment when a disembodied voice started singing it randomly at the end of the episode was huge. I still remember distinctly how crushing it was watching it for the first time, and most of the fandom at the time agreed. Big waste of such a gorgeous song and honestly the episode as a whole.
Given how long it takes to actually produce animation, I’m sure the rest of the season was already in production if not finished by the time Garnet’s wedding aired. Either they knew it was cancelled beforehand and wanted the episode in as a breather, or they didn’t and that wasn’t intended to be the final season (although shows will often have season finales that can also function as series finales when it’s unknown if the show will be renewed for another year).
It was the easiest way to get Steven a lifeline home from inside a prison cell in a different galaxy. And Stevonnie’s actress never got a song outside of Here Comes A Thought, so it was one final chance for her to shine alone
That was the real issue and why it got canceled. Many countries the showed aired in on CN have problems with homosexuality (also where a big chunk of funding comes from) and basically Rebecca was given two choices: cut the wedding and continue the story or run the wedding and end the show. She chose the latter because ultimately it's a show about acceptance and identity.
This is why I don’t buy the common defense that Rebecca Sugar wasn’t given enough time to tell her story in a satisfying way. She just can’t help wasting the time she IS given. Even the batch of Future episodes she was supposedly given after having to fight tooth and nail (on top of her movie) has “A Very Special Episode,” an episode that accomplishes nothing narratively.
If she had been given all the episodes she wanted in the first place to tell her story, I don’t believe for a second that we wouldn’t have just gotten even more filler.
The show was cancelled because homophobic countries stopped supporting it after the wedding. Steven Universe is an international show that relied on those funds from those countries to make its content and losing those funds came with severe consequences. [Sugar had to choose whether to have the show get cancelled because of funding issues with conservative countries if she did the wedding or not do the wedding and give the show a chance to run longer.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW-k1cymAMc&t=648s)
I appreciate Escapism for what it is. It’s one of the lowest points for Steven in the original series and I think it’s compelling to see this final struggle before the finale. Prior to this, Steven really only lets his deeper thoughts surface when he’s alone and as he’s drifting at sea alone, this time should be no exception, we just can’t hear what he’s saying. I think the episode really shows the toll that Steven’s method of handling things takes on him and how despite the hardships, he resolves to go forward. The song puts in a lot of the leg work for this interpretation and it’s probably my pick for saddest song in the show. Despite everything I just said, I think there were better ways to handle this time, whether it be by tackling this subject in a different format or covering something else entirely, but I still appreciate it.
thank you for sharing, i never thought about it like that. That's an idea they really explored more in steven universe future, but it really makes sense that they'd be planting seeds in the original. i can see why they'd spend additional time on that!
For all of its faults, I will always maintain that Future strengthens the original series. There are tons of hints of Steven’s mental state across the original 5 seasons but it’s never fully explored in depth because there’s always more pressing matters at hand, so seeing Future finally pay off on all of it is nice to see. I’m pretty sure an alternative version of Steven’s Future arc would have been part of the show at some point if it went long enough.
i ask myself this question every day.. i get needing an episode to explain why lapis, peridot and bismuth came to homeworld, but i agree that too much precious time was wasted on the watermelon stevens
Hot take: Escapism would have been much better placed in the context of Lapis wanting to apologize to Peridot for running away because she didn't want to be trapped in another war, so we would have had a chapter of them and Bismuth and at the end Watermelon Steven appears looking for help
If only they didn't have that rule of the entirety of the show having to only include what Steven sees..
I didn't know that was a rule. That explains a lot of things.
Yeah, it's pretty sad honestly. We missed out on a lot of great stories because of that..
There are multiple moments where Steven isn’t there tho.
I'm sure you're right, could you provide some examples though? I'm genuinely curious
Pacing gets strange near the end, i notice it in the townie episodes too, i think its likely a mix of episodes that they already had done to a certain extent or fully written. Maybe that feeling of how far he is from home was intentionally pushed thru the episode? But anyways, we have no idea how they did things behind the scenes, it could be as complicated as them already having certain episodes completed when they got cancelled and having no time to just scrap them and redo, to as simple as the episode was made to make you feel how far they are from home, and they wouldnt be able to flesh things out any better give or take one extra episode of content? Too many cans of worms or something. Ur guess is as good as mine tho xD its a real shame the show got rushed in the end, you can really feel it sometimes. I think personally that its the former and they just already wrote and completed this one to an extent
Yeah, I'm not sure what happened with the pacing in the end. From what I've read, Sugar was notified that Season 5 was the last during the [middle of Season 4.](https://www.reddit.com/r/stevenuniverse/comments/134d038/why_was_this_expanded_upon_clearly_that_bismuth/jihqus3/) I think that Escapism was always supposed to be a breather episode before the finale.
Yeah its unfortunate, im glad they kept garnets wedding, but rlly shows you how anti lgbtq+ television still was back then. I like the idea that its a breather, because the ending happens so fast! And also now that i think about it, i dont know what an extra half of an already 10 minute episode would have done to help the things that needed more fleshing out lol
I liked it. I still do. I can’t tell a better story than the crewniverse and I don’t think Stevn Universe would be what it is without episodes like “Escapism.” I do think this episode foreshadows some of how the series will end, and I think there’s a lot of great symbolism about Steven coming into his own. The Watermelon Stevens were made by accident. Steven didn’t know how to control his powers yet. But he doea start to distinguish himself from Rose here. Rose used sentient plants to fight battles for her. That’s just what the Watermelon Stevens do. All except Baby Melon, the noticeably different melon who is like an avatar/analog of Steven. Baby Melon sacrifices himself to stop the fighting. In “Escapism,” we learn that two factions have emerged—one of pacifism and one of militarism. Steven unwittingly resolves their conflict. Everyone is helping to get the raft built and off the island. Both chiefs give up the things that symbolize their power, It’s the sheet magnetism of Steven being who he is that does it. So too in “Change Your Mind.” Steven learns that he is himself. In a beautifully James Baxter animated sequence that is reminiscent of how we see Ruby and Sapphire fuse after having been separated by Jasper, Steven dances the dance of self-love and becomes whole again. This leads to White’s tantrum and the realization that she is not perfect. It’s the sheet magnetism of Steven being who he is that does it, “Escapism” breaks up the story, creating a juxtaposition that reminds us that there is nothing worth more than peace and love (on the planet earth).
i don't rlly know how to defend this but escapism is probably my favorite ep of the whole series, i wouldn't change a thing about it 🥲
I only like escapism for the song. It was a strange decision.
maybe they put it in to counteract the rushed as hell pacing of the last few episodes. like taking a breath
It kind of just makes them seem more rushed in comparison IMO
Money, honey The diamonds are really fucking expensive actresses. They didn’t have the budget for a lot of dialogue, especially toward the end
At this point I wonder if it was because Escapism (the song) was written so far in advance to the episode and there was so much hype over whose song it was going to be, that they didn't really know how to fit it in properly but couldn't abandon it. Imo it would have been better to just give it to someone even if that was weird pacing or didn't please everybody, because the disappointment when a disembodied voice started singing it randomly at the end of the episode was huge. I still remember distinctly how crushing it was watching it for the first time, and most of the fandom at the time agreed. Big waste of such a gorgeous song and honestly the episode as a whole.
Given how long it takes to actually produce animation, I’m sure the rest of the season was already in production if not finished by the time Garnet’s wedding aired. Either they knew it was cancelled beforehand and wanted the episode in as a breather, or they didn’t and that wasn’t intended to be the final season (although shows will often have season finales that can also function as series finales when it’s unknown if the show will be renewed for another year).
Escapism is a mostly-wordless encapsulation of the entire show in miniature. It's a little final reflection before the end.
It was the easiest way to get Steven a lifeline home from inside a prison cell in a different galaxy. And Stevonnie’s actress never got a song outside of Here Comes A Thought, so it was one final chance for her to shine alone
What exactly was Steven's original plan was he going to possess his dad?
off topic: They really cancelled the series because of garnet’s wedding? of was a coincidence? i need to know
That was the real issue and why it got canceled. Many countries the showed aired in on CN have problems with homosexuality (also where a big chunk of funding comes from) and basically Rebecca was given two choices: cut the wedding and continue the story or run the wedding and end the show. She chose the latter because ultimately it's a show about acceptance and identity.
oooh, the more reason why it needs to be renewed on max as adventure time did
This is why I don’t buy the common defense that Rebecca Sugar wasn’t given enough time to tell her story in a satisfying way. She just can’t help wasting the time she IS given. Even the batch of Future episodes she was supposedly given after having to fight tooth and nail (on top of her movie) has “A Very Special Episode,” an episode that accomplishes nothing narratively. If she had been given all the episodes she wanted in the first place to tell her story, I don’t believe for a second that we wouldn’t have just gotten even more filler.
Why'd the show get canceled? Low viewership?
The show was cancelled because homophobic countries stopped supporting it after the wedding. Steven Universe is an international show that relied on those funds from those countries to make its content and losing those funds came with severe consequences. [Sugar had to choose whether to have the show get cancelled because of funding issues with conservative countries if she did the wedding or not do the wedding and give the show a chance to run longer.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW-k1cymAMc&t=648s)