About A Review Coming Out Tomorrow

Just a heads up - I have decided to review something that isn't in my normal review schedule.

I have written a review of a work that involves a Steven Universe voiceover artist. It's one of the most famous works in its genre, and it poses several questions as to our everyday life. Their role might not be the biggest, but it sets the plot of the entire work in question.

What is it?

Well, you'll find out tomorrow!

Scullyfied Simpsons: "Maximum Homerdrive" (Season 10, Episode 17)

"If you wanna be my lover
You gotta get with my friends
Make it last forever
Cos friendship never ends..."

"Don't you have school?" "Don't you have work?" "Ah, touche." - Homer and Bart, recognizing just how silly these plots are getting.

Airdate: March 28th, 1999
Written By: John Swartzwelder.
Plot: The Simpson family (bar Lisa) go to the Slaughterhouse, a steakhouse where the waiters kill the cow in front of the patrons. One menu item is a 16lb steak that only two people finished - Tony Randall and trucker Red Barclay. Homer decides to take on Red... but while Homer loses, the contest doesn't end too well for the trucker. Feeling remorseful, Homer decides to take on Red's last route to Atlanta, and Bart hops on for the ride.

Meanwhile, Marge and Lisa decide to install a new doorbell - one that plays "Close to You". Their patience to have somebody ring the doorbell wears thin, however, and eventually Lisa takes the plunge... one that will ultimately prove detrimental to the neighborhood's sleep schedules.

Review:

Oh, yeah! Set your amps to max, turn your hairdryers to Max Power, switch your radio over to Max FM, and take your son Max over to Lake Destiny, because we're in for our second Maximum episode in a row! Time to shift it into "Maximum Homerdrive!"

Through my life, the "road trip" has been a favorite pastime of mine. Thus, episodes of TV shows revolving around road trips seem to lure me in. And I have to admit it - "Maximum Homerdrive" is actually an episode I rather like. Yeah, it's silly, contains a rather thin plot, and probably the pinnacle of "Homer Gets A Job" plots that dominate Season 10. But, for some reason, I get a nostalgic feeling with this episode.

Under a critical lens, though... how does it hold up?

Steven Universe Review: "Maximum Capacity" (Season 1B, Episode 17)

Looks like Greg's storage unit is at... no, not making that joke.

I haven't really cleared this place out since your mom... ahem. - Greg, admitting he just collected 13 years worth of junk. TLC cameras are coming - people have to learn about this insanity!

Airdate: February 26th, 2015
Written By: Hillary Florido, Katie Mitroff, and Rebecca Sugar.
Plot: It's almost New Years, and what better way to celebrate than looking at Greg's storage unit, full of garbage collected over 13 years. As Amethyst comes over to sort through the trash, she discovers old tapes of Lil' Butler, a sitcom that Greg and Amethyst used to watch way back when. The two binge watch, and neglect the world around them.

Review:

Steven Universe is a psychologist's nightmare come true.

Shocking, right?

Yeah, anybody that's watched from "An Indirect Kiss" on can probably generate an undergraduate thesis on this goddamn show and how messed up its characters are. (Gotta get that diploma from State somehow!) Unfortunately, there are no therapists in fiction (and even if there were, I dunno if Steven would afford one), so these characters have to work through their mental anguish/trauma/lost Lenores with each other... and in so doing, wind up screwing up Steven mentally for years to come.

This episode... is another example of the characters' collective descent into madness and despair.

And it all started with Rose Quartz.

Where Did I Go?

...yeah. It's coming up on two and a half weeks since I last posted something. Not the first time I've gone a rather long stretch without an update, but probably the longest in some time.

I am deeply sorry for the radio silence. There are a few things that did go on over the past couple of weeks in my personal life - a couple of projects, some midterms, and a rather wonky schedule. Not helping matters was a small malaise - a cold, I think - that I came down with last week that sapped my energy for a couple of days. (I've rebounded since.)

Also, my next review is looking like that of "Maximum Capacity". And, to be honest here, the last few episodes of Steven Universe have varied considerably in their quality. StevenBomb 5 was "very good, but not as great as the prior StevenBombs", same with "Room for Ruby", "Tiger Philanthropist" was a dud, and "Rocknaldo" irritated me. There have been some great episodes  - "Storm in the Room" was disquieting, for example - but I think SU's been off-balance so far this season, and I think it's quieted my enthusiasm for this thus-far brilliant series a little bit.

Still, that's no excuse. I should've updated a bit earlier as to what is going on, and I am sorry.

Thankfully, I have Spring Break this week. Hopefully, I'll be able to focus and finish up my "Maximum Capacity" review by St. Patrick's Day.