Steven Universe – Log Date 7 15 2 Review

“So am I going to have to wear a star? Where am I going to put the star!?!”

Log Date 7 15 2 is an episode about finding peace and common ground. For Peridot this is a meaningful subject when it comes to two separate contexts. As a character who has been wrestling with a significant case of internal turmoil, she has finally moved towards accepting one perspective over the other, but emotionally she is still in conflict. Furthermore, her ability to communicate with and understand Garnet has been quite limited up until this point. Log Date 7 15 2 not only provides a sense of conclusion to both of these conflicts, but also succeeds in being the strongest of the subset of episodes in which Peridot gets to better know a particular member of the Crystal Gems.

The episode kicks off with Peridot still in the throes of what can only be described as a giddy meltdown, which is actually pretty hilarious to watch. She is frantically expressing her anxiety/excitement over the events of Message Received to the recorder that Steven had previously supplied unto her, but eventually insists that he take it since she must “return madness to its source.” Garnet then takes her aside to try and calm her down, and Steven, wondering when they came to be on better terms, decides to listen to Peridot’s logs in order to figure out the answer. As the setup for an episode, I found the narrative device of Peridot’s logs to be an interesting and often amusing one, though there was a slight moment of concern where I thought that this might take the form of a clips episode detailing Peridot’s growth. While that it technically an accurate description, none of the clips that we see detailed in this episode have been presented in prior episodes, so it lacks the stigma that is often associated with the phrase “clips episode.” Friends had a tendency to use a similar narrative device for episodes like The One with All the Thanksgivings, and it works extremely well here as it allows viewers to closely perceive the developments that occurred over time while still utilizing new material to illustrate this character growth.

I used to find that episodes centered around Garnet were generally not counted amongst my most favored episodes. This pattern has shifted a bit throughout this season as Garnet has become less mysterious, and we’ve gotten to learn a bit more about Ruby and Sapphire through episodes like Keystone Motel and The Answer. Log Date 7 15 2 builds upon this further by allowing the viewer to learn more about her through her interactions with and appreciation of Peridot, and the reverse holds true as well. There is something very moving about watching Peridot actually try to reach out and connect with Garnet, and to see Garnet recognize this and attempt to make the process of understanding as easy and painless as possible is equally sweet.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• No, I am not such a huge Friends fan that I can automatically remember all the episode titles off the top of my head. I had to go pull out my copy of the season 5 DVDs to cite that episode title… Okay, maybe I am a huge Friends fan.

• I was almost expecting to hear a new rendition of the opening theme, but if they are planning on implementing one, they haven’t done so yet.

• Peridot’s book of jokes was named Jokes!: How to Make People Laugh Around You Instead of Feel Bad. Much like Steven’s book from Sworn to the Sword, it was a brilliant split-second visual gag.

• In keeping with the oddly successful background gags, the “filmed in Canada” element of Camp Pining Hearts was quite amusing, as was Peridot’s extremely analytical approach to shipping the characters.