Summary: Garnet spends a day trying to behave unpredictably.
Review
There are three types of stories which get told when it comes to Steven Universe. One is the war of the Crystal Gems vs. The Gem Homeworld, another is a look into the lives of humans living in this alien targeted world, and the invitable side stories where these two aspects intersect. Now anyone who watches anime knows filler/side stories can either help you enjoy more time with the characters or just annoy the viewer because it’s not an episode which drives the plot. Pool Hopping falls somewhere in the middle of this rating.
Much like Steven Floats this side story focuses on struggling with controlling a super power. Instead of Steven though, the one who is having trouble controlling a power is one of the Crystal Gems. This offers opportunities for watching an experienced individual not be able to control a power they have had for a long time. In other words, prepare for a character to be frustrated.
The episode is a look at one of the biggest and most complex powers of the team: Garnet’s future vision. Given Garnet can see the future, a lot of the events which have played out in the show should have been avoided because Garnet could see them coming. Instead Garnet spells out how the future is often in flux and is takes near constant monitoring to make sure the correct path is taken. This coupled with the fact she must keep her mind clear to use the power properly makes for answers to many questions fans have had about the future vision.
Watching Garnet go from a cool and collected individual to an individual at their wits end is a fascinating sight. Despite how entertaining these elements are its not a groundbreaking episode, hence the lower score. Still, there have been worst Steven Universe episodes in the past.
