Steven Universe 's latest episode “Sadie’s Song” brings us into solidly post-hiatus territory as the second Steven Universe episode after “ Nightmare Hospital .” The new episode of Steven Universe , “Sadie’s Song,” is summarized by Zap2It as follows:
“Steven helps Sadie with an act for Beach-a-Palooza.”
Watch the preview trailer for Steven Universe episode “Sadie’s Song” below:
(For lyrics to the snippet of Sadie’s Song from this trailer, check here .)
“Sadie’s Song” begins with the “Beach-a-Palooza” stage being assembled as Steven hands out flyers to everyone. He heads into Sadie’s donut shop to find Sadie, only to hear music. He’s drawn to the back room, where Sadie is dancing and singing as she works, bopping along to the beat.
Sadie’s song sounds very aspirational, and she clearly loves it. It’s about always being noticed, having tons of friends and always being listened to. No longer able to contain himself, Steven claps with delight: “I didn’t know you could sing!” He encourages her to sign up for Beach-a-Palooza, gushing over her voice.
Sadie is very unsure and is the first to put down her own abilities and interests. She says her song is dumb and cheesy and catchy, but admits that she knows every word. Steven offers to help her put a routine together, and when she shyly asks if Steven really thinks people will want to hear her sing, Steven’s enthusiastic response emboldens her. She finally agrees to perform at Beach-a-Palooza.
Sadie’s room is in the basement of her house, with a notably huge pile of stuffed animals by the stairs. Steven and Sadie discuss Beach-a-Palooza plans briefly before her mother Barb arrives, an event Sadie clearly dreads. Her mother loudly and proudly hands her another stuffed animal which Sadie discreetly tosses on the pile of other stuffed animals she doesn't care about. I guess Mamadukes isn’t the type to pay much attention to those cues. Sadie tries to get Steven to shut up about Beach-a-Palooza before finally just admitting to her mother that she’s performing.
Barb immediately heads straight to the closet to start planning Sadie's performance for her, despite Sadie’s meek assertion that she can probably handle things on her own. As Barb dives into memory lane, fishing the uniforms of one discarded hobby after another out of Sadie's closet, Sadie slumps into a chair and quietly gives up. “Let’s just try to keep it simple,” she tries to suggest. Barb cups her ear: “What was that?” she says. Looks like Barb’s got a listening problem, and it's got nothing to do with her ears.
And that’s really the plot of the episode. Barb and Steven build off of one another to create a bigger and flashier stage show than Sadie ever wanted, the demands of which Sadie struggles to keep up with. She can’t even walk in kitten heels, and they offer her stilettos. They make her over with hair and make-up, which Sadie passively endures. When she says nervously that she doesn’t really want her name on the flyer, Barb turns it into a hype-inducing mystery guest act. Poor Sadie.
Cut to Beach-a-Palooza. Steven is super excited, as is Barb, who says of Sadie, “Never even went to the prom and look at her now.” Aww, Sadie. Mr. Smiley, the MC, tries to get Sadie to smile, but Sadie’s anxiety levels are reaching crisis mode. “I can’t breathe,” she gasps, gulping down water. Steven keeps trying to encourage her to work on her routine, but Sadie’s anxiety only increases. Finally, she dunks her entire head in the water dispenser and, hair and make-up ruined, starts unloading on both Steven and her mother.
Sadie never wanted to do things this way: she wanted to do Beach-a-Palooza her way, but because Barb and Steven didn’t listen, Sadie is stuck in the terribly anxiety-inducing situation of having to do something she doesn’t want to do in a way she doesn’t want to do it. At that moment, the special mystery guest is announced.
The show must go on: Steven apologizes to Sadie for not realizing she never wanted to do Beach-a-Palooza like this, does a quick wardrobe change into Sadie’s crop top and split skirt, kitten heels, and even makeup, and performs a truly inspiring rendition of Sadie’s song. And his skirt-and-makeup attire is not a subject of ridicule or even commentary as the audience goes wild in the background. Thanks yet again for consistently putting out the most progressive children’s show on TV, Steven Universe team.
“Sadie’s Song” closes with Steven strumming the ukelele for Sadie in the donut shop’s stockroom. Sadie is singing loud and clear, looking relieved to be doing things low-key and no-pressure -- in her own way.
In “Sadie’s Song,” we see a different issue between Barb and Sadie than we saw in “ Nightmare Hospital” between Connie and Dr. Maheswaran: one not of trust, but of communication. While Sadie has a voice, she speaks softly and lets herself be railroaded. Her strong desire to please and little self-esteem make it easy for someone who isn’t listening to steamroll her, even without intending to. By contrast, Barb’s huge, effusive personality overwhelms Sadie’s shyer and quieter one, leaving Sadie unable to assert herself in her mother’s massive shadow.
Barb only wants to support and encourage Sadie, not stifle her, but Barb has drowned her daughter out with her own thunderous voice. Through no malice, through every good intention, she scarcely allows Sadie to finish her sentences with her enthusiasm to support Sadie in whatever it is Sadie has even passingly mentioned. But when we see Barb and Sadie talking on the steps of the stage, it’s clear that Barb never understood what she was doing. When she places a reassuring hand on her daughter’s back and smiles, Sadie smiles too, looking relieved.
I wish we could have gotten the complete conversation between Sadie and Barb. Sadie’s outburst is fine and she clearly expresses her frustration, but the quiet resolution on the stage steps seems like the more useful model for parent-child interaction. But by the end of the episode, we see Sadie’s boundaries and comfort zone being fully respected: she is singing on her own terms in an environment that doesn’t cause her anxiety, without being forced to push herself further than she is willing to go. And that’s a very positive resolution as well.
I’m loving the focus on mother-daughter relationships in “Nightmare Hospital” and “Sadie’s Song.” Significantly, we’ve now had two characters confront their maternal figures about their mistakes -- mistakes born of love, but mistakes that needed correction nonetheless. Is this building up to a possible conflict between Steven and the Gems that will need resolving? Or will this wind up tying into the Homeworld Gem plot, with Rose’s secrets exposed? That one will hurt, because Steven doesn’t have Rose to talk to. But he does have a full quartet of loving parental figures who will be able to help him navigate any emotionally painful waters.
The next episode of Steven Universe , “Catch and Release,” air Sept. 24 at 5:30 PM EST. Its summary is, “A look inside Steven’s bathroom,” and I have my fingers crossed that they fish Malachite out of the toilet or something.
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If that doesn’t work for you, Sling TV offers a “Best of Live TV” package that includes Cartoon Network and has a 7-day free trial available. Otherwise, you can watch HD quality episodes of Steven Universe on Cartoon Network’s web site the day after new episodes air, or take a look at the HD quality episodes of Steven Universe already up for viewing.
To check out past recaps, just click here for all of our previous Steven Universe coverage. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for more Steven Universe recaps and other news. And remember to watch the new episode of Steven Universe, “Catch and Release,” on Sept. 24 at 5:30 PM EST.
