Line #19 Recap/StevenUniverseS5E16LettersToLars


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/letters_to_lars.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/BluesClues Mail's here, mail's in!]]]]
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4	'''Original airdate:''' April 30th, 2018
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6	'''Production code:''' 1053-145
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8	----
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10	Steven writes to Lars about the latest news in Beach City.
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12	!!Tropes:
13	* ApologyGift: Dewey gives Mr. and Mrs. Barriga a type of donut named in their son's honor, implicitly to apologize for his insensitive remark regarding Lars's kidnapping in "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E5DeweyWins Dewey Wins]]".
14	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Played with; Ronaldo assumed Homeworld's abductions were made up — not because they involved aliens, but because he heard it from a government official (Mayor Dewey). He believes ''Steven'' saying the same thing ([[MyGodYouAreSerious as soon as he realizes he's not joking]]). He then complains that Lars got abducted and not him.
15	* BedsheetGhost: Mr. Dewey tries dressing up as a ghost to help with Sadie's band. Buck points out that a bed sheet ghost isn't really that scary, and Sadie is mad Dewey cut holes in ''her'' bed sheets for his costume.
16	* CaptainsLog: The episode begins with Lars dictating an entry.
17	-->'''Lars:''' Captain's Log: ...I think it's a Friday.
18	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Amethyst uses her shape-shifting to become a plunger for Jamie's improv show. Neither she nor Peridot get that the point is to act it out.
19	* ContinuityNod: The whole episode references the various changes that have happened in Beach City.
20	** [[Recap/StevenUniverseS5E5DeweyWins Nanefua has replaced Dewey]] as Beach City’s Mayor, and now Dewey is wandering aimlessly throughout town searching for a purpose.
21	** Pearl has gotten her [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E6LastOneOutOfBeachCity very first cellphone]], and she clearly is still learning just how it works.
22	** Greg still has a lot of money even after the events of "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E7DropBeatDad Drop Beat Dad]]", "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E8MrGreg Mr. Greg]]", and "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E15AloneAtSea Alone at Sea]]".
23	** Kiki and Pearl's friendship goes back to the Season 1 episode "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E18BeachParty Beach Party]]".
24	* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Although demonstrating some serious SkewedPriorities, Ronaldo's assumption that Lars is on an "adventure of a lifetime" in space is [[LikeADuckTakesToWater a lot closer to the truth]] than Steven had guessed before his first time checking in on the Off Colors.
25	* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: After losing the election, the former Mayor Dewey desperately tries to find a place to fit in somewhere in Beach City. He ends up finding his new place at the Big Donut.
26	* HappinessInMinimumWage: Dewey takes going from mayor to donut shopkeep pretty well, as he's happy he still has a place in Beach City. He also enjoys naming donuts after himself.
27	* {{Improv}}: Jamie starts an improvisational comedy troupe, the "Beach City Laugh Guards", with Amethyst, Barb, Mr. Smiley, and Peridot. Dewey tries to make himself part of it.
28	* IrisOut: Over Steven's head sticking out of Lars' hair.
29	* {{Irony}}: In "Dewey Wins", Dewey promised to "do everything in [his] power" to find a replacement for Lars at the Big Donut. Unlike most of his promises as mayor, Dewey ends up fulfilling this one, but only ''after'' he stopped being mayor, and by becoming said replacement.
30	* JerkassHasAPoint: PlayedForLaughs. Peridot argues that improv would be a lot more clear if the actual prop is clear. After Amethyst agrees with her, she notes how she "improved improv".
31	* LampshadeHanging: Lars points out that he ''doesn't know'' a lot of the people Steven is updating him on, giving Peridot as an example. Steven then realizes they really haven't ever met[[labelnote:*]]Lars was in the crowd when Peridot helped run the car wash in "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E15TheNewCrystalGems The New Crystal Gems]]", but even if he remembered what she looked like, he's unlikely to have heard her name.[[/labelnote]], so he should introduce them once Lars gets back.
32	* LowerDeckEpisode: The episode shows how most of Beach City's been since the events of the [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E23AreYouMyDad season 4]] [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E24IAmMyMom finale]].
33	* MisplacedSorrow: Ronaldo is upset to learn that Lars really is in space... [[IJustWantToBeSpecial because he's jealous that Lars got abducted and not him]].
34	* MundaneMadeAwesome: Pearl treats her "cellular phone" with absolute ''glee'' and importance.
35	-->'''Kiki:''' ''[delighted]'' Pearl... is this your first cell phone?!\
36	'''Pearl:''' ''[smugly]'' Maybe.
37	* MyGodYouAreSerious: Ronaldo thinks Steven is joking at first when he says that Lars got stuck in space.
38	* NinjaProp: The episode's narration appears to be a VoiceoverLetter for Lars reading Steven's letter, but it's actually Steven himself SoundingItOut while sticking his head out of Lars's hair.
39	* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: In a more benign sense; after Nanefua became mayor, the Crystal Gems and people of Beach City work together to make the town safer. Seemingly as a consequence, Gems and humans are interacting much more often. {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d by Dewey in his depressing speech.
40	* PunnyName: Peewee's tater tot food truck is called "Hot 2 Tot", after the phrase "hot to trot".
41	* RedOniBlueOni: In respective order. Steven is a very outgoing person who knows pretty much everyone in Beach City, so he updates Lars on everyone's activities. Lars, on the other hand, was not, and doesn't know who most of these people are.
42	* RevealShot: The shot of Lars apparently reading Steven's letter stays in very close to obscure Steven's head sticking out of Lars' hair.
43	* StatingTheSimpleSolution: After Kiki, Jenny and Pearl come up with a convoluted three-part plan on how to warn the people of Beach City in the event of an emergency they quickly realize they can just text them.
44	* TooQualifiedToApply: Jamie doesn't want Amethyst to shapeshift into props for the improv troupe because it's so easy she isn't really acting.
45	* {{Unobtanium}}: The Off Colors begin the episode scouring an AsteroidThicket for a "flotanium deposit" to get their warp engine online.
46	* VignetteEpisode: Shows many different scenes of the people of Beach City and the Gems, with Steven's letter as a FramingDevice.
47	* VoiceoverLetter: Parodied. Steven had been reading the letter to Lars the whole time. Lars questions why Steven sent him a letter if he's just going to tell him what happened.
48	* WinWinEnding: The first scene in Beach City is of the Big Donut still closed because no one's running it. Throughout the episode, Dewey tries to find a place where he belongs now that he's not mayor anymore. Steven eventually puts two and two together and advises Dewey to work at the Big Donut, though he's got a long way to go with running the place.

Context Recap / StevenUniverseS5E16LettersToLars