I had a feeling that they'd have a unique spin on that tired old trope...unlike Arthur.They did one of those "too short to ride the roller coaster" tropes, but that wasn't the focus. Instead, it focused on Peridot's inferiority complex with her loss of gadgetry and seeming lack of powers, and she even revealed that the newer Homeworld Gems lack the cool shapeshifting powers that Steven and Amethyst have.
Episodes like this are why Peridot has become my favorite Crystal Gem. She gets hurt easily, but she dives into anger and frustration and stews instead of trying to show her true emotions. Seems like she's still down about losing her cybernetic limbs back when they were enemies.
I also loved that she was somehow able to bond with a cheap carnival prize Alien doll.
That really seems to be something they're slowly working towards. That's something they're not going to reveal all at once. Look how long it took them to get an episode where we see Sour Cream and Yellow Tail's relationship. Something only mentioned in passing a season ago. What I really liked was that Steven tried hard to patch the relationship up, only to get a terrible reaction from Sadie. It's true, the only thing we get to see out of the relationship is that they were something once, and they're not sure what they are now.As for today's episode, "The New Lars". I just don't get it. I just really wish we would get an episode that very clearly shows why Sadie likes Lars so much. We haven't really been given a reason to care about their relationship. He's just a jerk a majority of the time.
However, I think there's one thing we're all overlooking. Steven discovered a new power. He can possess the minds of others and swap them out with his own.