I think the Gems could have enhanced the episode by... being in a completely different episode that would have replaced this one.
Like, in moderation I have no problem with Steven-only episodes, but it's kind of gotten to the point now where it's a staple. And I feel like that staple is seriously impacting the show's potential. I just look at the last episode (which technically was filler, just as this one), and I see how much better these stories become when it's Steven AND the Gems being involved. If they want to have some down-time before shit hits the fan again, why not have more of these kinds of episodes? They're great!
There's also the factor that I don't particularly care for Onion. It seems like the writers don't know what to do with him. Most of the time he is portrayed as an uncaring, destructive, unrepentant crook who breaks into arcades and sets buildings on fire on a whim, without caring who he hurts. But then every once in a while, for some reason, someone seems to realize: "Oh shit! This unpleasant character with no redeeming qualities we created is not well-liked by the fans! How could this have happened??" and they quickly put out an episode in which Onion is suddenly human and just misunderstood. Then, once that is over, Onion goes right back to being a jerk. One semi-nice gesture does not make all the very questionable deeds from the previous episodes forgotten. Just like saving one bug does not make up for the countless ones that were undoubtedly smashed before.
And to round it all off, I didn't like how Steven was portrayed in this episode either. There's a problem where Steven seems to only be as competent as the plot allows. Steven is actually very insightful and strong in his own way, if he is allowed to be. Yet here, after being dragged into the woods and confronted by... a bunch of weirdos in masks, he completely falls apart. He just slumps over and gives up. This is the same Steven who fought a seasoned war veteran one-on-one and won. He didn't even use his bubble (which is usually his first go-to in situations like these). The fact that he didn't even try to protect himself is seriously out of character, and it just soured the episode even more for me. Let Steven be competent please, it is fun when he's allowed to be more than a bumbling oaf.
So yeah, I don't like Onion-centric episodes, I don't like no Gems allowed episodes (since there've been too many), and I don't like episodes in which Steven's competence suddenly nose-dives for no reason. This was all three of those things in one, so... yyyyeah. Not the most enjoyable episode for me.
Still better than The New Lars, though.