Say Uncle (Steven Universe)

"Say Uncle" is an episode of the American animated television series Steven Universe. The episode, written and storyboarded by Joe Johnston and Jeff Liu, is a non-canon crossover with Uncle Grandpa, another Cartoon Network series. While The A.V. Club described its announcement in February 2015 as "confusing", the episode aired on April 2, 2015, to high critical praise. The episode was watched by 1.926 million viewers.

"Say Uncle"
Steven Universe episode
Steven (right) meets Uncle Grandpa. As explicitly said by Uncle Grandpa who breaks the fourth wall, the episode is non-canon to both series.
Directed by
  • Byung Ki Lee (animation)
  • Elle Michalka (art)
  • Jasmin Lai (art)
Written by
  • Joe Johnston
  • Jeff Liu
Story by
  • Matt Burnett
  • Ben Levin
  • Rebecca Sugar
  • Ian Jones-Quartey
  • Kat Morris
Produced by
Original air dateApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)
Running time11 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

In the episode, Uncle Grandpa tries to help Steven master his shield ability, causing many nonsensical events along the way and making Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl see him as a threat.

Plot

When Steven (Zach Callison) is frustrated that he is unable to summon his shield, Uncle Grandpa (Pete Browngardt) comes out from an ocean portal to help. Steven, initially confused, is assured of Uncle Grandpa's goodwill after he offers help and reminds Steven that "None of this is canon". Uncle Grandpa initially guesses that Steven has "belly blues" and tries a variety of weapons on Steven to no avail. When Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall) see what is going on, they come to attack Uncle Grandpa, but Steven stops them. Belly Bag (Eric Bauza) introduces Uncle Grandpa and his role as "everyone in the world's uncle and grandpa". Despite this, the Gems see him as a threat and prepare to attack. As he and Steven run from them, Uncle Grandpa summons a plot hole from Belly Bag, transporting them to Uncle Grandpa's world.

In his RV, Uncle Grandpa introduces Steven to his friends Pizza Steve (Adam DeVine), Mr. Gus (Kevin Michael Richardson) and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger. Mr. Gus almost reveals the secret to Steven's shield before Pizza Steve enrages him by defacing a drawing he has made, and Steven and Uncle Grandpa are sucked into a giant Belly Bag. The Gems, meanwhile, escape from the plot hole after Garnet literally breaks the fourth wall. They arrive to see Uncle Grandpa, Steven, Lion, and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger having a tea party. Before they can attack Uncle Grandpa, Steven tries to stop them, and finally summons his shield because he cares about Uncle Grandpa, to all their amazement. Steven finds the moral in all this to not attack strangers for what they have to say or their opinions. The Gems all apologize, and Uncle Grandpa leaves on Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, reminding the viewer to "stay weird" and checking Steven off a list of other CN protagonists: Dexter and Dee Dee (Dexter's Lab), Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (The Powerpuff Girls), Ed, Edd n Eddy, Billy and Mandy (The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy), Mac (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends), Juniper Lee (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee), Flapjack (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack) and Finn (Adventure Time), as well as the Hanna-Barbera-created SWAT Kats, leaving Clarence as the last one on the list.

The screen at the end of the episode says "In loving memory of Pizza Steve", because Amethyst had eaten him while in the plot hole.

Production

Cartoon Network announced "Say Uncle" in February 2015 during their upfront for that year. A crossover of Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa, two of their programs, it is an episode of the former show.[1] Kevin Johnson of The A.V. Club described this announcement as "inexplicable" and connecting of "two wildly, tonally-different shows whose only tangible connection is that they're both animated in color". He wrote, in conclusion, that "someone should check into the Cartoon Network Studios and make sure there isn't a gas leak".[2]

"Say Uncle" was produced as the fourth episode of the second season of the series, and was the third episode of the season to air. Chronologically, however, according to producer Ian Jones-Quartey, its events occur late in the show's first season, between the episodes "Shirt Club" and "Story for Steven"; consequently, following an "intended story order" list for the season written by Jones-Quartey, Wikipedia lists it as the 48th episode of Season 1.[3] Joe Johnston and Jeff Liu wrote the episode, which guest stars Pete Browngardt, Eric Bauza, Adam DeVine and Kevin Michael Richardson as their respective Uncle Grandpa characters. Show writer Matt Burnett wrote on Twitter that it was 100 percent canon, but later admitted this to be an April Fools' Day joke.[4][5] According to him, the episode was the idea of creator Rebecca Sugar.[6] The special was also partially conceived as a deterrent against the often verbally abusive comments that Uncle Grandpa received after its premiere, which negatively impacted on the confidence of many of the show's crewmembers.

Broadcast and reception

The episode aired on April 2, 2015 and was watched by 1.926 million viewers. Cartoon Network promoted it with the launch of Attack the Light!, a Steven Universe mobile game.[7] The episode received critical acclaim. Sharing a clip of the show on The A.V. Club, Eric Thurm wrote that its announcement caused confusion among fans, "not least because the deeply surreal and ridiculously over-the-top Uncle Grandpa is much weirder than Steven Universe".[8] In spite of this, he graded the episode an A, describing the simple plot as all it needs to introduce Uncle Grandpa to the show. He wrote that this introduction allows the show to break the fourth wall and play around with different styles of animation.[9]

References
  1. "Cartoon Network Unveils Upfront Slate for 2015–2016". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. February 19, 2015. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015.
  2. Johnson, Kevin (February 20, 2015). "Cartoon Network Is Making a Steven Universe–Uncle Grandpa Crossover". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015.
  3. Jones-Quartey, Ian (July 12, 2015). "The Intended Order". Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  4. Thurm, Eric (April 2, 2015). "Okay, I'm... Not Ready for This Episode to End?". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  5. Burnett, Matt (April 2, 2015). "And he was right. April Fools". Twitter.
  6. Amidi, Amid (April 2, 2015). "Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa Crossover Special Airs Today". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015.
  7. Milligan, Mercedes (April 1, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe Crossover Premieres April 2". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  8. Thurm, Eric (April 1, 2015). "Exclusive Steven Universe Clip: Uncle Grandpa Comes to Town". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  9. Thurm, Eric (April 13, 2015). "Review: Steven Universe: Say Uncle". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015.
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