“WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT”

As you know if you’ve read this blog’s description and/or certain other reviews, I’m a children’s librarian (surprise, someone writing about youth media works in youth media). The passion that consumes Connie when talking about her favorite series is something I’m therefore accustomed to, both as a reflection of myself and as the ideal reaction of one of my kids. Still, while sheer enthusiasm may be wonderful in real life, it makes for a pretty dull plot if left unattended, and I love how Marble Madness and Open Book manage to show two distinct ways nerding out can go wrong.

Connie’s past frustration with Steven’s lack of shared fervor and familiarity with book series basics like reading in order (unlike cartoon series, which can apparently be watched in a variety of orders, ahem) is enough to fill a subplot, but Open Book needs to be fueled by the kind of rage that fans reserve for the content itself. And sure enough, Connie’s minute-long rant about the ending of The Spirit Morph Saga is a thing of beauty. Seriously, I clocked it, she’s rambling for fifty-eight seconds, nearly a tenth of the episode’s total runtime.

What she, and perhaps we, don’t notice is that Steven isn’t on the same page. It’s easy to attribute his grimace with Connie’s general zeal rather than a firm disagreement, and said zeal is endearing to nerds like us, making it just as easy to forgive her for not genuinely asking for Steven’s opinion. But this is a series about empathy, and Connie is definitely in the wrong for steamrolling the conversation.

Far from making her a monster, or even a jerk, this mistake humanizes Connie as any good narrative mistake does: I’m sure we’re all guilty of going on and on about something we love without paying enough attention to the person we’re talking at. It adds a subtle lesson to an episode that doesn’t spare much time for subtlety, a lesson that fans of all ages could stand to hear more.

Mind you, just because Open Book isn’t very subtle doesn’t mean it’s bad. Something is clearly up with Connie when they enter Rose’s Room and she keeps delegating the details of their adventure to Steven’s imagination instead of hers—a benefit of her impassioned speech is how obvious it is when that passion evaporates. But she needs to be blatant for the eeriness of her behavior to sink in, and for our occasionally obtuse hero to understand that something is clearly wrong.

Even more obvious is the romantic subtext of Fake Connie Connterfeit’s final conflict with Steven, between her wedding dress and her menacing “I know you like her.” But that’s what makes the twist that he’s hiding his true feelings about the book all the more satisfying. Steven and Connie’s relationship often veers platonic, which is terrific, but the crew gets great mileage out of remembering its origins as a crush (see: An Indirect Kiss, Alone Together). Even if he acts younger than his canonical thirteen, he’s still mature enough for crushes to be a factor in his life. Connie can make Steven feel embarrassed like no other character, and this dynamic makes Connterfeit’s words and Steven’s reaction hit us right in the gut.

Is Open Book a horror episode? I lean towards no, but it’s certainly unnerving in the way only Rose’s Room can be. Connterfeit’s eeriness is amplified by an unfortunately unavailable distortion of Connie’s theme, and Connterfeit’s slightly off delivery devolving into a frightening glitch (on top of the aforementioned book rant) cements the episode as the series’s best Grace Rolek showcase so far. Sure, she’ll outdo herself soon when she finally gets to sing, but credit where credit’s due, she’s amazing here.

For better and worse, this is the fewest number of characters we’ll see in a Steven Universe episode, with only three (four if you count Floaty Pink Whale’s silent cameo) and two voice actors between them because one is a clone. While this allows for laser focus on the story it’s telling, the lack of subplot or side characters also forces some narrative padding in a way that’s rare for a show with such a tight time constraint. Steven and Connterfeit’s imaginary second act adventures drag on a couple scenes too long, and the chase leading up to the finale takes forever; the latter stretch is especially unfortunate for Steven’s repeated variations of “I don’t want this” after it’s been made obvious that Connterfeit is doing the opposite of what he wants now so he should really stop saying stuff like that. Yes, lack of subtlety isn’t always bad, but in this case it definitely hurts.

And don’t get me wrong, this one’s a ton of fun. Steven’s falcon suit is a wonder to behold, Connie’s gusto rules, and even Connterfeit gets some humor between bouts of uncomfortable strangeness. Moreover, I can’t really imagine a sideplot that could fit into this story without some serious rejiggering, so I see why they’d forgo one.

Still, the pacing suffers regardless of how fun Open Book often is; it’s great that the crew gave this format a shot, but I’m glad they returned to a structure that makes the most of their many wonderful characters. Steven Universe has a killer roster and an insane batting average for well-structured eleven-minute plots, so no need to adjust the formula too dramatically.

It’s cool to watch Open Book alongside future episodes like Tiger Philanthropist and Rocknaldo for their varying perspectives on fan culture. All three have the same general message of fans benefiting from avoiding extremes, but while Open Book is a more general message, the latter two episodes seem aimed squarely at Steven Universe fans themselves. Ronaldo and Lars are always going to come across a bit rougher around the edges than Connie, but honestly all three are pretty sympathetic stand-ins for people obsessed, regardless of how frustrating the fandom (or any fandom, really) can be.



Some people just like schmaltz, and the world would be a better place if hardcore types accepted this as easily as Connie. To a degree. Too much sugar (as opposed to too much Sugar, which might not exist) will eventually make you throw up.

Future Vision

Steven’s art style, complete with plus-sign teeth, will be explored further in Shirt Club, which takes place after Open Book in both the intended and the aired orders.

This is the second time Connie’s gotten her hands on a sword, which is two times too many not to be foreshadowing some sort of training montage at least .

. Together Forever is just plain mean to Open Book. It was uncomfortable enough for Connie in a wedding dress to torment Steven about his secret feelings before we learn that his love of weddings has some serious downsides.



I’ve never been to this…how do you say…school?

Okay Hilary now you’re just pandering to me.

I guess you could read it that way…

It’s nice to see Open Book come right after fellow Connie episode Full Disclosure , and Steven’s had way more time to realistically finish the Spirit Morph Saga than if this episode immediately followed Rose’s Scabbard . That last book alone was 917 pages long!

come right after fellow Connie episode , and Steven’s had way more time to realistically finish the Spirit Morph Saga than if this episode immediately followed . That last book alone was 917 pages long! However, the break between Full Disclosure and Joy Ride bleeds momentum from establishing the new status quo. Season 2′s Homeworld pacing is wonky regardless (looming threat Malachite is ignored for most of it then jumps back in out of nowhere as Season 3 begins) but I can imagine some folks prefer a more direct link between the first two intended episodes. Still, Open Book partially relies on the TV ban that Joy Ride sees lifted, so it has a pretty limited airing window.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Open Book is the first of many early Season 2 (viewing order) victims of the preceding season’s cream of the crop. It’s a good, but not great episode; with better pacing it might be ranked higher.

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