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The last Steven Universe episode of 2018 left off on a concerning loss for the Crystal Gems, that’ll hopefully be made up for in the next episode, “Escapism.” But just as exciting as the show’s return is the official debut of a song that fans may already know well, which finally makes it onto air in “Escapism.”
The new episode will feature a song that series creator Rebecca Sugar first released back in September 2017, also called “Escapism.” The song originally debuted in episode 10 of The Steven Universe Podcasts.
The episode’s version of the song has been uploaded on to Spotify early in some regions, though it’s not available yet in the United States. Cartoon Network has had Rebecca Sugar’s version on its official YouTube channel since 2017, however.
Steven and Connie — or possibly Stevonnie — will likely be the singers of the canonical version, as they figure out a way to escape jail and Homeworld with the rest of their friends.
[Ed. note: Spoiler warning for Steven Universe’s most recent episode, “Together Alone,” below.]
As for where we left off last time, “Together Alone” ended with Steven and Connie dancing together and eventually fusing into Stevonnie during a ball at Homeworld. For a royal Diamond to dance among the commoners was already unheard of, but to fuse with an “organic” is a whole different situation. Ruby and Sapphire, who were split up to abide by Homeworld traditions, re-fused into Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst fused into Opal and two other gems into the room were extremely relieved to find there were other mismatched gems that liked to fuse to, so they also fused.
White Pearl, who was there on behalf of White Diamond, was not a huge fan of seeing Steven fuse with Connie. Disgusted, Yellow Diamond poofed all the gems back to their stagnant forms and threw Steven and Connie into prison.
While most viewers are expecting the Crystal Gems to return (perhaps in new outfits) in the next episode, the preview showed Connie and Steven alone in jail as Connie tries to cheer him up. With the fate of the Crystal Gems unknown for the most part, Steven has a long way to go to persuade the Diamond Authority that organic lives and fusions are important.
“Escapism” premiers tonight, Jan. 7, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The next episode (and season finale), “Battle of Heart and Mind,” will air on Jan. 21.
