Monster Reunion is one of the hyped episodes of the Summer of Steven event as it features the return of Centipeedle after being bubbled by Steven many episodes earlier.
It begins with Steven gaining his healing spit back and wishes to use it on Centipeedle. Garnet objects as Centipeedle is a corrupted Gem and not a broken Gem, but gives in by Steven's cuteness. Steven used his healing spit on Centipeedle, and she gained a part-human form, but is unable to recognize Steven at first and is hostile. As the Crystal Gems were about to put Centipeedle down, Steven asks that he be given a chance to teach Centipeedle so the two can communicate.
Eventually, Centipeedle does remember Steven and the two communicated using Crayon and paper. The two began communicating through writing at first, but Steven was unable to read Centipeedle's, so they went with pictures instead. It is here we learn of Centipeedle's history. She was the leader of a team sent to Earth under orders to build Kindergarten. The Gem War later happened and as the battle intesifies, Centipeedle receives new orders to make a retreat, but was unable to find her ship, or her crew and was hit by a blinding light caused by the Diamonds.
Then Centipeedle undergoes a change, reverting back to her monster form, seeing that the healing spit is ineffective. Communication with Steven sort of broke down as she tries desperately to find her ship and crew before the transformation is complete. It took awhile for Steven to figure it out and they finally find Centipeedle's ship. Centipeedle however, compeltely reverted back to a monster before she could enter her ship. Steven opens the ship's hatch and Centipeedle is finally reunited with her crew. The Crystal Gems saw everything and is able to know what's going on through Centipeedle's doodles, which were actually Gem writing. Steven then asks Pearl to learn how to read and write the Gem language as he reads each writing from Centipeedle, ending with the one she drew of the Diamonds.
Even though Centipeedle is a minor character, her presence in this episode brings a lot of attachment to her character. Design-wise, I suspected it's yet another Anime reference, either to the Monster Girls series, or from Ryo-Oh-Ki from Tenchi Muyo. Unlike the previous episode, the reference here is subtle and the focus is more on Centipeedle's history and despair to find her ship and crew. The very presentation of the narrative of this episode harkens back to the show from Season 1, and it has quite a nice ambience to it. And because the episode looks and feels like it's from Season 1, the visuals appear just as such, so your tastes may vary in terms of character design and flow of animation.
And because of what I said earlier, I'm a bit confused as well with regards to Steven's behavior, as it appears he acts like he's still 10 or something, despite already in his teens. Never mind that him being a half-Gem sort of altered his aging process, but it's been a few years now, so I expect Steven to have some sort of maturity in his character at this point.
What is definitely a fact here is Centipeedle is adorable. Almost as adorable, if not more so, as Peridot. And you really do symphatize with her ordeals. Also a masterful performance by Dee Bradley Baker, who provided the voice very well.
After watching this episode, I stumbled upon a post by a user from Tumblr providing a theory that the corrupted Gems may actually mean that their data is corrupted by an EMP-like system designed by the Diamonds, as a way to quell any possible insubordination and/or to prevent the Gem War from happening again, after Homeworld's control of Earth is lost to Rose Quartz. This is likely what became of Centipeedle and the other Gems on Earth. The Crystal Gems were unaffected thanks to Rose's Shield, and Lapis, being trapped in a mirror, also protected her from being corrupted. It does shed some light on what the Gems are as a species, not to mention it has a Digimon-like vibe to it.
So are the Gems not just space rocks, but also a form of artificial intelligence? Have they reached a point that they are aware of their own existence and lived in the way Isaac Asimov imagined, a world where machines have a life of their own and live, breathe, die, and even possibly procreate like any other mammal? That will be for another time.
All-in-all, a good episode from the series, and I guess this marks the very end of Centipeedle's story - at least for now. There is still a chance we will see Centipeedle and her crew aiding Steven at some point. And when that happens, here's hoping Steven can help Centipeedle and her crew achieve human forms this time.
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