Drop Beat Dad

"Just wait! We're gonna cram nine years of bonding into one spectacular event."

"Drop Beat Dad" is the 7th episode of the third season of Steven Universe and the 85th episode overall.

Official Synopsis
Steven helps Sour Cream put on a show, even though Sour Cream's stepdad doesn't approve of him being a DJ.

Plot
At Onion's House, Steven helps Sour Cream pack up his DJ equipment for a show he has planned for the night. With his enhanced strength, Steven has an easier time lifting Sour Cream's things than Sour Cream himself. Yellowtail arrives and speaks disapprovingly. While we cannot understand what exactly he is saying, Sour Cream understands him and defends himself from his stepdad, arguing that DJing is a viable career, and tells him that he'd rather be a DJ than a fisherman before walking away. Steven, with Sour Cream's equipment, follows him.

Steven and Sour Cream pass by Greg's car wash. While Sour Cream goes to the car wash's restroom, Greg chats with Steven; business has been slow for Greg. Just as Steven reassures Greg that business will pick up soon, a bright green bus stops at the car wash. Marty steps out and, looking at Greg and his business, remarks to 'Starchild' that the music business hasn't been so good for him. He tells Greg that he can "do one" better than payment for a car wash, as he pulls out an envelope and says they have some unfinished business. Sour Cream, returning from the toilet, is surprised to see his dad. He implies they last saw each other nine years ago, to which Marty makes a long explanation about his absence due to the rigors of the music industry.

Sour Cream tells Marty about his DJ rave that he's setting up for. Marty decides to stay in Beach City to make up for lost time and promote his son's event, showing him his business card which advertises Marty as a 'hype man' and 'pro motor'. He is unimpressed at Sour Cream's set-up in the warehouse where he usually performs and decides to move the rave to the beach. Steven voices his concerns, reminding Marty that when Greg performed on the beach, he did not do well. Marty admits to making mistakes and being a jerk to Greg in the past but tells Steven and Sour Cream that he has learned a lot about the industry. He then makes a phone call, which leads to a large banner on the water tower that advertises "DJ SC", which impresses Sour Cream. He also lends his own equipment to Sour Cream and makes Steven an official roadie. While setting up the equipment, Steven sees Yellowtail on his boat, watching Sour Cream and Marty through binoculars.

On the evening of the rave, a large crowd awaits Sour Cream. Marty insists on building up hype before Sour Cream performs. Marty promotes a type of soda called Guacacola to the audience but impresses nobody. Things worsen as people attempt to consume samples of Guacacola, only for them to find the taste terrible. The only person who seems to enjoy the soda is Onion. While the audience is scared away from the rave, Steven tells Greg and Yellowtail that this is Marty's fault. Yellowtail, furious, storms off on his boat. Meanwhile, Sour Cream confronts Marty, who tells him that the show belongs to him, not Sour Cream, and it becomes clear that Marty values his deal with Guacola more than Sour Cream and his rave. Sour Cream yells at Marty, at first in the language used by Yellowtail and Onion, then explains what he said in a language we understand: Sour Cream does not need (nor has he ever needed) Marty or Guacola's help for his show. Marty leaves Sour Cream and happens upon Greg. He tells him that he is only here for his legal obligation to give him an envelope. After handing over the envelope to Greg, Marty leaves Beach City. Sour Cream laments the apparent failure of his rave. He sees Yellowtail rushing towards him on a speedboat. Yellowtail gives Sour Cream his DJ gear, much to Sour Cream's surprise, and tells him to play. Sour Cream thanks his stepdad, and Steven is happy to help set up Sour Cream's rave. The rave attracts a decent crowd, including Sour Cream's family, friends and a few others. Greg remarks that the music business can be tricky. As he opens his envelope, he says that Sour Cream doing what makes him happy is what matters. He waves away the importance of money, but stops when he sees the cheque in the envelope, which entitles Greg to ten million dollars to Greg. Steven cries out for joy that Greg is rich.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Sour Cream
 * Yellowtail
 * Greg
 * Marty (antagonist)


 * Kiki Pizza
 * Jenny Pizza
 * Nanefua Pizza
 * Buck Dewey
 * Ronaldo Fryman
 * Peedee Fryman
 * Onion
 * Vidalia

Objects

 * Guacola
 * Sour Cream's DJ Gear
 * Greg's Check
 * Yellowtail's boat
 * Speedboat
 * Marty's Tour Bus
 * Marty's DJ Gear

Locations

 * Beach City
 * Onion's House
 * It's a Wash
 * Abandoned Warehouse

Music

 * TBA

Trivia

 * None of the other Crystal Gems appear in this episode.
 * The episode reveals that Sour Cream can speak Yellowtail and Onion's language.
 * It is implied that Sour Cream could speak the language in "Shirt Club", in which he is seen talking to his phone in the same language.
 * This episode reveals that Marty left Vidalia and Sour Cream at least 9 years before the events of this episode.
 * This episode's name is first revealed in the episode listing on the Cartoon Network website.
 * Steven learns that Marty is Sour Cream's birth father in this episode.
 * Steven demonstrates the super strength he inherited from his mother when he can lift and carry heavy equipment that Sour Cream and others had difficulty carrying easily. (His superhuman strength was already hinted in Arcade Mania, where he tore apart an arcade game panel and used it to destroy a screen, and in Joy Ride, where he lifted and moved Jenny without any problem.)
 * Ian Jones-Quartey makes a cameo in this episode.
 * Guacola appears to be a play on the Spanish word guácala which means "to indicate displeasure, disgust, or revulsion. "

Cultural References

 * The episode's title is most likely a mashup of the phrases "deadbeat dad" and "drop the beat".
 * A "deadbeat dad" is a father who willingly chooses not to provide for the family that he created, particularly out of selfishness and irresponsibility.
 * To "drop the beat" is to play music, particularly a bass or percussive backing.
 * When shown Sour Cream's DJ gear, Marty says the line "What is this, a concert for ants?!", which is a reference to the 2001 movie "Zoolander", in which the main character is shown a scale model of his school and says "What is this, a school for ants?!"

Continuity

 * Marty is seen again since his last appearance in Greg's flashback in "Story for Steven".

Errors

 * Marty's eyes change color from black and blue throughout the episode.

Videos
Drop Beat Dad Drop Beat Dad Drop Beat Dad