Steven Universe: Say Uncle

Crossovers are very tricky. Some may happen organically, like how the DC Superheroes first met each other. Some work out based on the people that own them, like Transformers and G.I. Joe. Some come about due to having access to the same actors, like anything with Richard Belzer as Agent Munch. Then you get to the oddities that make you question just how the hell these things came about.

Like Archie for the past forty years.

So what happens when you announce a crossover where the only connection between the two properties is that they air in the same network? You get angry fans.

This is the story of the Steven Universe episode "Say Uncle," which crossed over Steven Universe, a show with a set continuity and situations, and Uncle Grandpa, a freaking acid trip of a show that makes "Duck Amuck" seem coherent. So, why did these two shows that are nothing alike cross over? Humor perhaps. Regardless, it was an odd choice and it set off fans of the show.

Now I have never seen an episode of Uncle Grandpa. I have no desire to see an episode of Uncle Grandpa. But this...well I'll let my review of his episode speak for itself.

Our episode begins with the main character, Steven Universe, meditating on the beach. 

"Shield."

With that, his stomach starts to glow. Has he become a Teletubbie?

Suddenly, he gets taken by an Anime power up sequence!

"It's over 9,000!"

Then the screen turns pink and we learn that instead of creating a shield, Steven has created a bubble! 

"Not bubble! Shield!"

This requires a bit of explanation.

So, as I have stated already, Steven Universe is very similar to Tenchi in regards to characters and story.

I even wrote a crossover fanfiction of the two together! It is still ongoing, but what can I do?

Steven here is basically Tenchi if he were a 10 year old who had women wanting to protect him and not sleep with him. Like Tenchi, he is half alien on his mother's side. While Tenchi had the ability to create a shield in the form of Light Hawk Wings, Steven can create a shield from the gem in his stomach.

You read that right.

You see, Gems (the alien race Steven's mother was a member of) are actually living rocks that project the image of humanoid females. They are genderless but use the female pronouns. Though they can fall in love, they cannot reproduce with each other.

Enter the man, the myth, the legend: Greg Universe.

He and Rose Quartz, the Gem in question, fell in love and she became pregnant. Turns out when Gems get pregnant, they literally retreat into their gem and give up their physical form to birth the half human/ half Gem child. Since Rose's gem is on Steven's stomach, think of it as an umbilical cord.

Now Gems have magical powers. Rose's were the ability to create a bubble force field, healing tears, and a shield. Steven, at this point, is still struggling to master the shield part, as he inherited most of her powers.

Tears being changed to spit for example.

"What am I doing wrong? The Gems can all summon their weapons! Why can't I? Isn't there someone who can help me?!"

Be careful what you wish for.

The beach then starts to shake. Dolphins appear and crabs clear the way. Suddenly a giant clamshell rises from the ocean floor. In a visual homage to "The Birth of Venus" we are teased that the clam contains none other than Rose Quartz herself.

 "I have Captain America eyes!"

Nope, it's Uncle Grandpa.

"Good morning!"

"You aren't my dead Mom! I'll be scarred for life!"

This is apparently his catch phrase. I tested this by saying "Good morning!" in this exact same voice in my English class and a few kids called me Uncle Grandpa.

Yes, I could look more into this show for the sake of the review, but damn it its my birthday. I don't want to taint this experience.

"Bravo! This guy sure likes to make an entrance. What do you think Mr. Dolphin?"

"I think you damaged his psyche!"

Right here. Right here the tone of the episode is established. If this were Tenchi, I'd be afraid that this episode would end with Uncle Grandpa dealing with abandonment issues or seeing Onion discover girls for the first time.

It would be horrifying.

So Uncle Grandpa's schtick is that he goes around the wold helping children but acting like an idiot in the process. Is he just that stupid or is he a genius? I have no idea. All we need to know is that he's here to help Steven. Steven is super excited...and confused.

"Oh my gosh! Uncle Grandpa! You're really here, I can't believe it! I mean, I LITERALLY can't believe it. How is this even possible?"

That's some good old fashioned lampshading right there. Though it does beg the question of how Steven knows who Uncle Grandpa is. But if you thought THAT was lampshading, get a load of this:

"Don't worry bro. None of this is canon."

And with that, fans of Steven Universe were put at ease. They even look at the camera as if to say "Calm down and enjoy this ten minutes of humor. Don't think about it."

"I should really just relax!"

"But THIS is!"

Hmm? Oh, it's a literal cannon. You know, the weapon. CanNon.

He fires the cannon (with his head as the cannonball) and as it flies through the air, the stream of smoke reveals what exactly this episode actually is:

This episode was aired on April 2nd, 2015. For those not in the know, it is the day after April Fool's Day, the worst day of the year to go on the Internet. As such, this is the only episode of Steven Universe (and probably Uncle Grandpa) to date that is not canon at all.

His head strikes a cruise liner where two reoccurring characters from Steven Universe, Sadie and Lars, are apparently out to sea.

 *INSERT TITANIC JOKE HERE*

When the missile hits the ship, it starts to sink slowly into the ocean, leading to this gem (get it?):

"Oh no! Our ship!"

Shipping means to pair two characters together romantically. These two are shipped quite often. Hence, the joke. But, since Uncle Grandpa said that THIS was "cannon," could that have actually been referring to sinking the Sadie/ Lars ship canonically? 

Probably not, but I leave that to you to decide. 

Ever the professional, Uncle Grandpa gets straight to business:

"So, I hear your belly's being a bit of a bummer."

Alliteration. I love it!

Uncle Grandpa gives Steven the old once over and diagnoses him with the "belly blues," the worst he's seen. Steven is amazed that he's encountered it before and UG explains it simply to him.

"I was there! - Don't you remember?"

...what?

It turns out that Uncle Grandpa WAS there at the beginning of Steven's adventures...as an advertisement bumper during the first episode of the show, "Gem Glow."

I guess this cartoon will never play on Nickelodeon otherwise this joke will just be awkward.

"I don't remember that at all."

That's because you don't break the fourth wall Steven.

UG reasons that the shield only comes out when Steven is in trouble, so there is only one logical way to bring it out: shoot him with a rocket launcher. Steven expresses his doubts about the safeness of such an experiment, but UG alleviates his fears.

"Don't worry kid. I'm wearing a helmet."

He shoots him...and it's a dud. Time for Plan B: Pokemon.

"Beedrill, I choose you!"

"Go Ekans!"

Unfortunately for Steven, nothing seems to have worked. However, UG is undeterred and has one more trick up his sleeve.

"Okay, I'm going to steal my former teacher's ship, kidnap your friend Connie, lure you into space, and shoot you with a laser beam."

"Will that work?"

"Saw it on Toonami once."

Meanwhile, Steven's absence has been noted by his guardians: The Crystal Gems.

"Amethyst, have you seen Steven this morning?"

"Yep. He's hanging out with some weirdo. I think he's trying to vaporize Steven."

"WHA?!"

It's kind of amazing that these two Gems have spoken one line each, but it gets to the core of their characters. The blonde woman is Pearl, who is the prissy, graceful, organized, motherly one of the group. She is probably the most emotional of the three and has attachment issues.

HARD.

Our purple friend is Amethyst. Unlike Pearl, she is lazy, brash, outlandish, and very laid back.She likes to eat a lot (Gems don't need to eat or sleep. Again, they are rocks). Pearl, on the other hand is repulsed by food, but strangely likes to make pies (though they probably do not taste good...or maybe they do given her strict adherence to rules). Given their polar opposite attitudes, the two often clash about the missions they undergo and Steven's well being. 

Sound familiar?

Going back to the dialogue, we can imply that Pearl is some kind of motherly figure to Steven as she is wondering where he is. She is concerned but merely just wants to know that he is safe while having fun. Meanwhile, Amethyst is just getting kicks out of Uncle Grandpa throwing animals at her charge.

So what exactly is Uncle Grandpa's next plan?

"I don't expect you to talk Mister Universe; I expect you to shield."

Pearl does not take this well.

"Whagahaha?! STEVEN!"

The laser then kills Steven, leaving the rest of the episode for Uncle Grandpa to escape alien justice.

Or maybe he will turn into the Hulk.

"No! Not bubble! Shield!"

Oh. Silly me.

" Hmmm... I would've sworn the Doomtastic Death Ray of Dastardly Destruction would've worked, You wanna try the bees again?"

Again, alliteration!

See what I did there?

Before we can experience a ten year old being pelt with bees for the third time, the Crystal Gems as a whole decide to make their presence known.

Oh, the woman with the Afro and the sunglasses is Garnet. She's the authority figure of the Gems. She can be laid back, stern, or really anything she needs to be. She is a woman of few words and really doesn't have a Tenchi girl comparison beyond Washu at times. I'd more compare her to Yosho honestly.

I'm leaving a hell of a lot out about her, but she might be the best character on the show behind Greg Universe. She is also voiced by Estelle, who may be the best voice actress on this show, which says a lot as these women are FANTASTIC. Actually, the whole cast is perfect, though I wasn't really feeling Nikki Minaj. You read that right.

"What's going on?! Who is this... stranger?"

Steven explains that this is Uncle Grandpa...which leads to one of my favorite bits in the entire show.

"Uncle...Grandpa?"

"So that would make him Greg's brother...and father?"

"That would explain a lot."

A few things about this:

1) The deliveries are perfect.

2) Just like Nobuyuki, Greg gets no respect.

3) The writers swear up and down that this was not an incest joke...but how could it not be?! And unlike every other example of incest on this blog, I find this hilarious as opposed to disturbing.

But we have reached the point that all of our main characters are in place. It is time to figure out just who Uncle Grandpa is. And this exposition is told to us...by the man's fanny pack who has the same voice actor as Storm Shadow and Destro from G.I. Joe Resolute.

"Thaaat's right! He's not just your Uncle Grandpa, Steven! He's everyone in the world's Uncle Grandpa!"

What does that even mean? Regardless, to accentuate this point, we get a shot of all of the character's heads floating around the planet. 

"And when he comes to town,you're sure to have a fun time!"

Three things:

1) This is apparently a call back to the first Uncle Grandpa episode "Belly Bros." 

2) The Earth from Steven Universe is different than our Earth. Notice where Florida is. This is explained that the world was altered by the Gem's influence on the planet.

3) Look at the character's faces. THEY ARE AWARE THAT THEIR HEADS ARE FLOATING IN SPACE. 

Of the four, Steven is the only one who is enjoying himself.

"Ahahaha, we're in space!"

...can you breathe Steven? How are you alive right now?

The heads soon return to their original bodies and we get the origin of one of my reoccurring GIFs:

This is followed suit by the other two Gems.

"AHHHH! MY HEAD IS ON BACKWARDS!"

The main reason she has to say that is because her design looks the same from both the front and the behind. The only difference is that her Gem is on her chest. 

Garnet, ever the cool one, only shivers.

"Ugh."

However, since Steven and Uncle Grandpa kept their cool, they returned to their bodies unharmed.

"Bad ass bro."

The Gems then realize that they may be out of their element.

"Shut the fuck up Donny!"

"Obviously, we're dealing with some super-powerful reality-warping entity."

Just call Batman or Superman. They can help you out with this problem. 

"Here. Read this."

"Apdnargelcnu?"

"I've got nothing."

The Gems then try to talk it out with Uncle Grandpa...which gets them as far as you'd expect.

"Um...Uncle Grandpa"

"Good morning!"

"Yes. We've decided to..."

"Play video games?"

That is Super Smash Bros. Melee on a GameCube, but with obscure characters from both shows.

"No."

"Run around in circles?"

"...no."

"Eat a three way sub?"

"Yo!"

We then get to a GIF I have been trying to use for months, but I haven't been able to get without the subtitles.

"AMETHYST!!!"

Pearl has gone full Ayeka on us.

Garnet decides that enough is enough and plainly spells it out:

"[Y]ou are a danger to Steven and the planet Earth, and we MUST destroy you!"

What? Your response to meeting a kind but eccentric elderly man is to KILL HIM when you have never once condoned murder in this show?

Shit just got real indeed Boy Wonder.

"Bad morning."

Steven is baffled and scared at the prospect of his three guardians trying to kill his...whatever Uncle Grandpa is exactly to Steven. However, no fucks are given and playtime is over:

"CRYSTAL GEMS!"

"RUN AWAY!"

We have officially entered Mortal Kombat. If this ends in a Fatality, I would be amazed.

Steven and Uncle Grandpa follow the narrator's advice and get the hell out of there. The Gems follow suit, but Amethyst trips on the "RUN AWAY" gag from before.

"Whyyyy?!"

Get it? Because she tripped on the "Y" and is confused how she can trip in a letter. We really are in the Steven Universe version of "Duck Amuck" and I love every second of it.

"I'm sorry, they're not usually like this!"

Uncle Grandpa then asks his fanny pack to create a "plot hole..." which wipes away the scenery, leaving a white background. 

Duck. Amuck.

When Steven asks where they ended up we are treated to...a flying hot dog singing.

...

"What the hell was that?"

Is...is this an Uncle Grandpa thing?

In a nice touch, the animation shifts from the Steven Universe style to the Uncle Grandpa style.

We find out that Uncle Grandpa lives in a van called the Uncle Grandpa Recreational Vehicle, or the U.G.R.V. 

"Oh, cool! My dad lives in a van too! Did you used to be a rockstar?"

"I'm STILL a rockstar kid."

I think that may be my favorite Uncle Grandpa moment in this show.

So Uncle Grandpa shows a little boy the back of his van...

...and Steven remarks on the space, thinking that he could fit a million vans in there.

"Actually, it's more like forty or fifty vans, see?"

Then an anthropomorphic slice of pizza comes riding in like a badass on a motorcycle.

Wait, what?

Badass.

"Oh, Hey! It's just me, PIZZA STEVE, just the coolest and tastiest Steve, who ever lived."

Was this entire episode thought up just because there are two characters named Steve?

 

"Hi Pizza Steve, I'm a Steve too! Steven Universe!"

Pizza Steve is not happy about this development.

"Come on Uncle G, I've got two rules! No more than 40 or 50 vans, and only ONE Steve allowed!"

I'd like to point out that Pizza Steve is played by Adam DeVine, who half of my audience may know from Workaholics and the other half may know from Pitch Perfect. Personally, I love him in both. He is such a douche that it's so easy yet impossible to hate him. Basically, this character IS Adam DeVine if he were a slice of pizza.

That is a sentence I just wrote.

Uncle Grandpa tells Pizza Steve that Steven Universe is special and then Uncle Grandpa's pet dinosaur tells us just why:

"He's a Crystal Gem!"

How do you know that talking dinosaur man with the beautiful voice of Kevin Michael Richardson?

"I have a comprehensive knowledge of all magical denizens of the multiverse, I know ALL about the Crystal Gems!"

Ah. Wait, what exactly makes up this multiverse?

So this guy's name is Mr. Gus. I gather that he is supposed to be the straight man to all of this madness, yet he shows Steven his own original character, called a Gemsona (a fan coined term).

"My gem is on my tail, and my weapon is a frying pan."

He's so proud.

Mr. Gus explains that Steven's powers are maternal and, as such, draw upon the emotions that Rose Quartz gave to her son. 

Also there is Flying Realistic Tiger, a tiger that is represented by a real tiger.

...okay...

Back on Bugs Bunny's drawing board, the Crystal Gems are running around. Pearl, who is acting crazier than usual...

"Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself..."

...expresses her fears about this situation.

"WE'LL NEVER ESCAPE! THIS IS OUR NEW HOOOME!"

Garnet tells her to calm down...leading to this famous GIF.

"I'M NOT OVERREACTING!"

As she runs around, Amethyst notices that Steven is nowhere to be found. Don't worry, he's right here!

"Looking for me? PIZZA Steven Universe?"

 

"That's not my baby!"

Is this the new dynamic for the show? Pizza Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems?

"Aaaaw, nice!"

What?

"DON'T EAT PIZZA STEVE!"

That is so morbid.

"Okay, I'm ready for this episode to end."

Estelle, please keep doing voice acting. You are fantastic at it.

Garnet then kicks the walls of reality down...

Literally.

...and we are treated to a tea party with Steven, UG, the realistic tiger, and Steven's pink lion named Lion.

"Your hair wants cutting!"

The Gems are finally ready to kill Uncle Grandpa and decide to be very hypocritical about their reasoning for it:

"He's a monster!"

"Hiss!"

Says the woman who is drawn with pointed teeth and the one who is literally snarling like an animal.

Uncle Grandpa, for his part, takes the three towering, scary alien women pretty well:

"Good morning!"

Then they curve stomp him like a boss.

"Kill...me..."

Then the Gems take the whole Mortal Kombat theme to the next level:

"FINISH HIM!"

Note the lack of italics. That is in episode dialogue. Time for a Fatality!

"Noo! Don't hurt him!"

The hell happened to the animation?

Of course, seeing as we are less than three minutes away from the episode's end, the compassion Steven has for UG causes him to produce his shield and save the day set to a kicking instrumental version of the show's theme.

Oh, I never mentioned the theme song:

I love it so much. When this show has good music, it HAS good music. My favorite songs, besides the theme, are "Do It For Her/Him," "Giant Woman," "What Can I Do For You," and, the best song of all, "Stronger Than You."

The Gems are amazed that Steven could care so much for Uncle Grandpa that he would produce his shield. 

"I hope he didn't care about that pizza..."

This leads to Steven's big speech, which is directed mainly at the fans who bitched about this episode before they ever saw it:

"Listen! It was a big, weird surprise when Uncle Grandpa showed up here today. We've never met anyone like Uncle Grandpa, but you can't just attack people you don't understand. You have to stick up for them, and listen to what they have to say. You guys always do that for me."

Oh wait, that's gonna be confusing in a few paragraphs. Oh well.

Pearl then realizes how Ayeka she has gone and has a mini breakdown.

"Steven, you're right."

"I'M SO SORRY!!!"

You guys are learning so much about the origins of practically all of my Steven Universe gags.

"I also apologize for Pearl."

"Thank you, you taught us a valuable lesson, Uncle Grandpa."

Estelle should never say "Uncle Grandpa."

Since Steven has managed to project his shield, that means that Uncle Grandpa is no longer needed for this crossover. So, any parting words? Any GEMS of wisdom?

"Remember kids! Don't be afraid to be super we-e-e-eird! Steven and I have got your back. See with eyes unclouded by hate, and always remember to say..."

"GOOD MORNING!"

"Truly this man is the Son of God."

The episode ends with UG flying off on the Flying Realistic Tiger and checking Steven off of his list and...wait, what's on that list?

"Dexter, Deedee, Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Ed, Edd, Eddy, Billy, Mandy, Mac, Juniper, SWAT Kats, Flapjack, Finn, Oh! Steven...now who's next?"

I'm using it for its intended purpose this time!

Oh my God. That's practically every child Cartoon Network original protagonist (poor Suzie from Johnny Bravo, Robot Jones, Mike, Lou, Ogg, Class of 3000 crew, Otto from Time Squad, Cow, and Chicken). Though I have to question SWAT Kats for two reasons. The first is that it is not a Cartoon Network original show. The second is that the Kats are not children.

But who gives a crap, it's freaking SWAT KATS. I want to see that episode. Hell, I want to see ALL of those episodes. 

The episode's final shot shows that Uncle Grandpa is going to visit Clarence, another Cartoon Network show I will never watch.

Oh, the episode was dedicated to Pizza Steve, who died as he lived: Adam DeVine.

Review

I love this episode. 

I love it so much that I used this episode in my Steven Universe/ One Piece crossover fanfiction as a plot point (which was even mentioned on TVTropes as a recommended fanfiction for both Steven Universe and One Piece, unlike my Steven Universe/ Tenchi Muyo crossover, which saddens me, but what can I do? Tenchi isn't that well known anymore sadly.)

Is this the best Steven Universe episode? Not even close. Is this the funniest episode? As a whole, yes. There are funnier moments in individual episodes, but this episode works because it is a parody of itself. The only thing that was taken seriously was the voice acting.

The characters are complete exaggerations of themselves and it works because it only ever happens in this one episode (in regards to the Steven Universe characters anyway). These characters are layered and deep. Every now and then, a good chuckle can be beneficial.

Now one of the fun things about my review style is I mainly write as I watch. As such, I decided to break my own word and watch the episode of Uncle Grandpa to see if this humor worked because of the Steven Universe settings. I was greeted with an obese kid fist bumping UG with his stomach.

Yeah...

Now don't get me wrong, I think UG has potential to get better if I were to continue watching. The concept is a good one and Uncle Grandpa can be enjoyable in small dosages. It is like if I meshed Mister Magoo with Ren and Stimpy. It's just not my thing. 

I'm not reviewing this normally, so here are pretty much my favorite things about the show:

Best Character: Pearl. She is so over the top for this one episode. I love it.

Best Voice Actor: Deedee Magno-Hall. Look, Estelle is perfect in this episode and her deliveries are always spot on, but Magno-Hall pretty much dominated the entire episode. She had to play an exaggerated version of herself and damn it she gave it her all. Combine that with the over the top animation and you get a wonderful pair.

Best Line: "That would explain a lot" with "I'm STILL a rockstar kid." as a close runner up.

Best Moment: The Gems freaking out in "Duck Amuck" land.

Well that was fun. Maybe one day I will review every Steven Universe episode on a separate blog. Who knows?

Join me next time as I return to the convoluted world of Tenchi for what you have all been waiting for: the finale of my Daughter of Darkness review!