I actually like this episode quite well. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the more plot heavy, action-packed episodes, but imo steven universe has always had this type of storytelling. It'll have it's actiony moments, and then it's quiet moments. I like that it takes its time to build its world and go slow. I've always enjoyed the townie and 'filler' episodes for what they are. It is part of steven universe.

I think it's really an issue of scheduling that ruins things. If the show aired regularly, this episode wouldn't be interpreted as bad. It's just that we're constantly starved for content and we expect every episode that CN releases to be a splash.

And in a way, this episode provides a nice breather. We're getting an hr long special with the next ep, so I'm ok with a slow ep.