Steven Universe S3 Ep 7 ‘Drop Beat Dad’ – Review
Last Monday saw the release of not one but two new ‘Steven Universe‘ episodes. ‘Drop Beat Dad‘ was the second aired and is the seventh episode of season three. It had not been previously aired, unlike ‘Steven Floats‘ which actually premiered on Cartoon Network France last month.
Plot Point
The episode starts with Steven helping Sour Cream set up for a gig he has planned for that night. As per usual, Yellowtail does not appear to approve of his stepson’s dj-ing and they argue. Sour Cream, still on edge from the argument, decides to stop off at the carwash and, as Steven and Greg talk, a large fancy bus pulls up. Out steps Marty, Greg’s old manager and Sour Cream’s estranged father. Marty immediately shows interest in Sour Cream’s budding career in music. He claims that he wants to make up for lost time by helping him to set up for his semi-annual rave.
He first decides that the warehouse Sour Cream usually plays in is not a big enough venue. Instead, he sets up for the rave out on the beach. He provides them with extra equipment and more roadies. Sour Cream is delighted with this until Marty’s reasons for helping him out come to light. As it turns out, Marty is only interested in promoting his new soda and turns Sour Cream’s rave into an advertisement.
The two argue and Marty admits that he only wanted to use the gig to advertise Guacola, telling his son not to be so selfish. Sour Cream yells at Marty in Yellowtail’s language. Marty withdraws his help and leaves Sour Cream with nothing but a ruined show. However, Yellowtail saves the day by bringing all of Sour Cream’s old equipment. He is able to play the gig by himself without Marty’s help and it’s a huge success. Meanwhile, Greg opens the letter Marty gave him and finds a cheque for ten million dollars!
Tidbits
This episode confirms that Sour Cream is able to speak the language that Yellowtail and Onion communicate in. ‘Shirt Club‘ had implied this earlier as he was talking on the phone similarly. It was also clear before this that he could at least understand what they were saying. He would often answer Yellowtail in English but clearly understand what the other was telling him. In ‘Joy Ride‘ he mimics Yellowtail but it is unclear if what he’s saying is accurate or not. But this episode at confirms that, even if they don’t communicate often in the language, Sour Cream can speak it.
Steven’s superhuman strength is obvious in this episode. It was obvious that he also possessed Rose’s inhuman strength in ‘Joy Ride‘ when he lifted Jenny easily. He also managed to smash up the video game panel in ‘Arcade Mania‘ impressively for someone his size. ‘Dropbeat Dad’ shows him lifting a chest alone while barely breaking a sweat. It’s clearly extremely heavy as Mary responds with a shocked “What does Greg feed that kid?”
The most obvious pop culture reference is from Marty. When he sees Sour Cream’s DJ gear he responds with, “What is this, a concert for ants?!” This is a reference to ‘Zoolander’ (2001). In this, the main character says, “What is this, a school for ants?!” in response to seeing a scale model of a school.
Ian Jones-Quartey makes a cameo in this episode. He was the supervising director from the beginning right up to June 2015. He stepped down from this position to work on ‘K.O! / Lakewood Plaza Turbo’. He shows up in this episode however and can be seen lying on the ground with a can of Guacola.
Conclusion
The end of this episode sets the scene for the ones to come. The episode ends with Greg receiving ten million dollars from Marty. What he and Steven do with the money is an obvious plot development for future episodes. However, it is also safe to assume that, with the rest of season three airing this summer, this will be the least of Steven’s worries. Future episodes still have to deal with Jasper and probably The Diamonds. Don’t forget that later episodes will also show a new Crystal Gem! Summer of Steven is only getting started.
Writer, artist, perpetual holder of notions.
