“Letters to Lars” is the 16th episode of the fifth season of Steven Universe and the 144th episode overall.[4]
Official synopsis
Steven writes about the latest news in Beach City.[5]
Conspiracy
While traveling through space with Off Colors and finding Flotania deposits in one of the asteroids in the Yellow Diamond asteroid mines, Lars receives a letter from Steven and reads it. Steven explains that things have changed in Beach City while Lars has been gone. The Big Donut has been closed indefinitely since Sadie was on tour with Sadie Killer and the Suspects, and Steven informs Ronald that Lars is still lost in space, much to his initial disbelief and eventual jealousy. Former Mayor Dewey appears and, after noticing that the Big Donut is still closed, notes that he has a lot in common with him.
Nanefua Pizza replaced Bill Dewey as mayor of Beach City and began making elaborate evacuation plans in case the Homeworld gems returned. Attending one of the meetings, Steven offers to help with food rations. At Garnet’s suggestion, they note that all local restaurants should apply. Dewey, who is also at the meeting, points out that they need a plan to contact everyone about a potential emergency: Jenny offers to drive Nanefua around town with a loudspeaker. Kiki offers to go on foot to inform all the businesses, and Pearl offers to use her new cell phone to call everyone as soon as the Crystal Gems hear of any impending danger. Greg offers to buy and install a powerful telescope at the lighthouse so they can watch the sky for impending danger, a job Ronaldo immediately volunteers for. Soon everyone has a role in the plans, except of course ex-Mayor Dewey, who makes things uncomfortable by making this fact known.
Sadie Killer and the suspects prepare for a big show in Beach City, which Steven hopes Lars will get home in time to see. At rehearsal, Sadie directs the band on what they’ll be doing for the show… only to be interrupted by ex-Mayor Dewey in a sheet, hoping to play the ghost. His son is quick to explain that they are not looking for that scary. Sadie then realizes that former Mayor Dewey cut holes in her bed sheet.
Jamie continues to establish a local theater scene that includes performing one-man shows and teaching improvisation. He hosts a regular improv show on the beach with “The Beach City Laugh Guards”, which consists of Mr. Smiley, Peridot, Barb and Amethyst. However, the only participants are Steven and Pearl, with Pearl giving an improvisational suggestion to “Steven” each time, and Steven being unable to pick a single suggestion. Additionally, the improv team runs into trouble with amethyst turning into objects instead of mimicking them. To make matters worse, ex-Mayor Dewey appears in the middle of the scene, prompting Jamie to call it quits.
Greg still has a lot of money after buying the lighthouse telescope, so he tries rich people’s sports. He and Garnet try to play tennis on the weekends, but the power of Garnet’s punches makes things very difficult for Greg, as does her ability to shapeshift. Former Mayor Dewey tries to join in, but ends up getting hit in the face by one of the balls.
Beach City Underground Wrestling continues (which Lars is excited to hear about): The Marmalade Boys fought in actual marmalade and the crowd ate it up (not literally because it was gross), Concrete Heat and The Wolf of Wall Street faced off in a steel cage match, and Good -Looking Guys ended up losing the tag team titles to Sea Wasp and Shark-O-Mania.
Peedee has started his own food truck, except he’s not old enough to drive, so it’s parked next to the family fry stand. He specializes exclusively in taters, but Steven still orders pieces. Steven comments on the massive potato on the roof of the truck, which Peedee explains is actually an old truck head repainted by Mayor Dewey: the new city council wanted to get rid of all of Mayor Dewey’s old stuff, so they gave him the Mayormobile, and he has it all. since Nanefua took over, he has been doing great. Steven notices former Mayor Dewey nearby and heard the whole thing, which depresses him even more.
Steven catches up with former Mayor Dewey, who explains that he’s mostly upset about all the changes happening in Beach City and misses the little things of being mayor: dressing up for work and walking down the boardwalk and seeing all the smiling faces. He comments that he looked forward to it every day like anyone would to their morning donuts. This gives Steven the idea that ex-Mayor Dewey should take over the Big Donut – which he happily does, serving everyone their coffee and donuts and giving him a new sense of purpose. Although Dewey’s usual pomposity is shown by renaming all the donuts after himself. All but one type of donut, a pink donut with pink sprinkles, which he has Steven name “The Pink Lars” and delivers to Lars’s parents.
Lars finishes the letter only to notice Steven reading it out loud from inside his hair. He points out that it doesn’t make much sense for Steven to write a letter if he just wanted to read it out loud, plus he doesn’t know half the people Steven mentions, like Peridot. Steven simply replies that they will have to meet once Lars arrives on Earth. Lars smiles and thanks him for the letter.
Details
This is the lowest watched episode of the series with less than 400 thousand viewers.
This is the last episode of the series that ends with a starry iris.
The idea of Garnet and Greg playing tennis together on the weekends was first jokingly suggested by episode co-writer Lamar Abrams in a 2016 interview for the season 3 premiere.[6]
Cultural references
The tag team “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a reference to the movie of the same name.
Continuity
Everyone was preparing to protect the Homeworld gems from “I Am My Mom”.
The plan that Nanefua and the Crystal Gems make in this episode is the same one that is put into action when Blue and Yellow Diamond come to Earth in “Reunited”.
Mayor Dewey reopens the Big Donut, which has been closed since Sadie left in “Sadie Killer”, though it is briefly open with Garnet behind the counter in “Pool Hopping”.
Mistakes
When Greg says “maybe I’ll pick up one of those high powered telescopes for a lighthouse or something”, his beard is changed.