Steven Universe eps 7 & 8
Added 2025-01-11 17:00:03 +0000 UTCKeeping it Together + We Need to Talk
WHAT DID I JUST WITNESS??
Comments
Also to Greg's credit, the implication here and throughout the series that Rose has been with a lot of humans, but Greg was the first one that put his foot down and made her take him seriously.
Ferret
2025-01-29 23:04:39 +0000 UTCI think, to Greg's credit, that if Pearl weren't such a salty bitch about it, *he* would be fine with Rose being poly (which imo she clearly is). His issues with Pearl are never over who Rose actually loves, they're about how she treats him, and he clearly isn't jealous of Pearl's ability to fuse with Rose so much as he's insecure about it.
Ferret
2025-01-29 23:04:01 +0000 UTCI panicked so hard when she said she got spoiled thank irene its not what I thought
LupinDuPaon
2025-01-27 06:06:04 +0000 UTCOh jeez turns out pressing enter posts your comment ; I was going to add that whatever I thought during my first watch, it was based on which eye was crying....looking back for reference, I probably thought it was Sapphire 🤦🏾♀️ like I went "which eye-- right side is crying? Sapphire's crying and...bleh I don't know anymore
Jasmine
2025-01-21 00:25:20 +0000 UTC(I'm glad others are saying this ; I can't remember if it was my original reaction or it came from seeing a little more of them, but I always assumed it was Ruby.
Jasmine
2025-01-21 00:21:57 +0000 UTCThe song at the end credits is actually about the Batman gem they have to defeat in the Season 3 finale.
Suwi
2025-01-20 04:13:30 +0000 UTCkinda just wanna say (since i do this kinda thing in uni) phages don’t actually target body cells they target bacteria and are usually hyper specific to one kind of bacteria per type of phage so they are technically safe for humans but if they get into your stomach they can kill bacteria that help you digest food etc. (not really steven universe related but just something i thought id share for fun)
Wispa
2025-01-19 19:05:09 +0000 UTCSame sizes yes. Greg might be slightly shorter to scale with his full hair, but he was also only 22 so he could def grow.
Simone Lott
2025-01-18 18:11:27 +0000 UTCAnd it's ANY relationships. including bad ones. case and point? Sugalite
Gab Gab
2025-01-17 20:30:33 +0000 UTCPart of it is on my old Tumblr account https://frankendeers.tumblr.com/post/637429567262507008/i-am-made-of-love-and-its-stronger-than-you
David Mocken
2025-01-17 17:14:08 +0000 UTCGems are sexless beings whose society has no gender binary or concept of gender at all, really. They sort of use she/her pronouns just because. To my recollection, all named singular gems we meet use those pronouns.
JamJarWorks
2025-01-16 14:37:16 +0000 UTCShe forgot 😢
🍄autisticshroom🍄
2025-01-15 22:09:56 +0000 UTCExactly this. Any two gem can fuse, they've made that fairly clear so far. The stability of the fusion comes from the trust between the ones fused (Or smth along the lines, I honestly don't remember the exact reasoning) Fusion can be an intimate thing for some (Crystal gems), and for others it's no different from working on a group project with some classmates. In a ven diagram it'd be right smack dab in the middle because it's a little of everything. I like that it can correlate intimacy, but the way some people emphasize that it's only intimacy/sex reference thing is really uncomfortable to think about in regards to some fusions.
Adrian_B
2025-01-15 18:23:18 +0000 UTCCorrect me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure all the gems are the same size as they usually are. There a just a few factors making it look off 1. Greg. He looks like Steven, but is his usual height (maybe a bit shorter), which is around the same height as Pearl. However, because he looks like Steven, he makes all the gems and himself look smaller than they actually are. 2. Amethyst. Her hair and outfit makes her look super young. That combined with the fact that she usually is Steven's height (aka child), makes her looks super short, and by comparison, everyone around her. If you wanna see they're actual heights to a reference we can all grasp, look at them all next to the van. Garnet and Greg look relatively tall to average. Amethyst is still short, but what's new XD ( If you look at 44:52 ish, it's a good reference)
Daniel Nolt
2025-01-15 06:31:17 +0000 UTCFun Fact Mosco, Rose is voice by Susan Egan, AKA Meg from disney's Hercules. So she sings in that too! The song she sings in Hercules is "I won't say I'm in love" btw.
Daniel Nolt
2025-01-15 06:13:05 +0000 UTC[Mod] Best to not post spoilers at all, thanks
Spywi
2025-01-15 05:16:24 +0000 UTC[Mod] @Mina Beavers please delete your comment and do not post spoilers
Spywi
2025-01-15 05:13:25 +0000 UTCShe'll be reacting to the extended intro when she does episodes 13 & 14!
Sanmei
2025-01-15 05:11:44 +0000 UTC// One of the things that’s really important to me about the show is that the Gems are all non-binary women. They’re very specific and they’re coming from a world where they don’t really have the frame of reference. They’re coded female which is very important. I was really excited because I felt like I had not seen this. To make a show about a young boy who was looking up to these female-coded characters—they appear to be female, but they’re a little more representative of nonbinary women. They wouldn’t think of themselves as women, but they’re fine with being interpreted that way amongst humans. And I am also a non-binary woman which is been really great to express myself through these characters because it’s very much how I have felt throughout my life. // —Rebecca Sugar
Sanmei
2025-01-15 05:06:49 +0000 UTCLikely true but still a headcanon
Tim Chaos
2025-01-15 04:20:09 +0000 UTCSeems like it, like the asari from mass effect
potato potato also another potato
2025-01-15 03:19:49 +0000 UTCI just got a random thought, are all the crystal gems species all female? I can't think of a single male crystal gem character.
Animegirl
2025-01-15 03:14:08 +0000 UTCTo make things even more complicated, my personal interpretation is that the show is using Stevonnie's fusion as a metaphor here for talking about sex (or other things related to growing up ) with a trusted adult BUT at the same time I don't really see Steven and Connie's relationship that way. More like deep love of a friend turning into possible romantic feelings. Sexual or not, merging with another being might still bring up complex feelings or questions worth discussing with someone you trust. (And I took Pearl's comment about their fusion being "inappropriate" as being prejudice against humans and gems fusing, probably because of her feelings about Rose and Greg's relationship.)
CoreenXavierson
2025-01-15 01:49:28 +0000 UTCI didn't see anyone else mention this (if they did I apologize), but Stevonnie does use they/them pronouns!
Fia_Mae
2025-01-14 22:35:20 +0000 UTCThe voice actress does a great job pretty much all the time, but the voice change to sound more like the high pitched and then more alto and calm Sapphire was excellent. Edit: Just because Ruby is the more "emotional" one, people seem to assume the anger is coming from her, but the dialouge really gives it away.
Mina Beavers
2025-01-14 18:30:24 +0000 UTCExactly. It's a metaphor for relationships in its simpliest form, and some relationships have sexual elements and so some fusions have sexual overtones. That doesn't mean ALL fusions do, obviously, but I feel like a lot of people who argue that "fusions =/= sex" go too far the other way by trying to imply that NONE of the fusions are sexual or that the metaphor is never about sex when that's just untrue.
Mina Beavers
2025-01-14 18:28:03 +0000 UTCIt does seem weird that harmony between gems equals a humaniod body. I think if we'd gotten to see, say, Garnet fuse with Volleyball we would have a better idea how much of a fusion is determined from their mental state vs which is jist part of what, say, a Smokey Quartz IS. Unfortunately, we only have one such example.
Mina Beavers
2025-01-14 18:19:40 +0000 UTCI was going to suggest Grose but that's the human naming convention.
Mina Beavers
2025-01-14 18:05:24 +0000 UTCBuddy how do you say that and then not share the thesis 😭😭😭
Bruna G
2025-01-14 17:53:00 +0000 UTCI think it IS an intimacy thing, it’s just that not all intimacy is *sexual intimacy* (I’d also argue that for adults sometimes it’s easier, or at least more common, to be vulnerable sexually than in say, an honest conversation)
Bruna G
2025-01-14 17:50:36 +0000 UTCActually *Ruby* is the one with the high voice
Bruna G
2025-01-14 17:45:17 +0000 UTCIntimacy comes in different forms. It's like sitting on someone's lap. In some contexts it's a pretty sexual (for lack of better term) thing, in some contexts it super isn't. But there's still a level of familiarity you can assume if you see someone sitting on someone else's lap.
Gone
2025-01-14 04:58:13 +0000 UTCBasically with fusion, the more closely aligned two people are and the healthier the relationship, the more like a human or gem the fusion looks. So Rose and Pearl were very close but still didn't quite see eye to eye/understand each other, so the different sets of eyes. Stevonnie looks very human, but they might have the advantage of being 3/4 human anyway. Garnet looks almost perfectly human except for the third eye, but Alexandrite, the fusion of Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, with all their wildly different points of view, outlooks, and means of doing things, looks monstrous, although not as bad as the Jasper/Lapis fusion. (And what did Garnet say after Lapis dragged their fusion down to the bottom of the ocean? "Wow, they are really bad for each other." Or something to that effect.)
James S
2025-01-14 02:57:59 +0000 UTCMosco, listen. As someone who has seen the entire series, and has more context, I just wanna say... IT'S NOT AN INTIMACY THING Okay well, it isn't always an intimacy thing. Again, no spoilers. But if it was exclusively an intimacy thing... then that would make a few scenes in the series EXTREMELY WEIRD
Gab Gab
2025-01-13 22:52:45 +0000 UTCWe see garnet unfuze in the episode where Greg gets square pizza. It disgusts her so much to see pizza in such a disgusting shape that Ruby and Sapphire split
Gab Gab
2025-01-13 20:44:03 +0000 UTCIf fusion is sex then... well I can't give any spoilers but that would make some things very weird
Gab Gab
2025-01-13 20:04:00 +0000 UTCI did not write a 85 page Master's thesis on gender and sexual politics in Steven Universe for me to remain silent when people die on the hill that "Fusion is sex" - Fusion, like queerness itself -is a multitude. It does not mean one thing for a pair or more or even the individuals within one single fusion. Just like being a woman, being a person, being in love or being a good friend does not mean the same to everyone. It's a very blurred mix of everything intimate and it is up for the viewer to tear apart or (more importantly) accept the incongruencies and confusion within.
David Mocken
2025-01-13 18:29:29 +0000 UTCAnd that ,,thing" is just top-notch writing on the team's part. *Chef's kiss*
LikeCat
2025-01-13 16:31:18 +0000 UTCIn "We Need To Talk" my favorite part is the end when Greg and Rose are laughing and spinning around. And Garnet says it worked and Amethyst says this one is my favorite. I always took that to mean that Greg and Rose did fuse. Just not in the normal way. And I thought it was so mature of Amethyst to say the fusion between Greg and Rose was her favorite fusion. (Even though she meant Greg is her favorite human.) I just love the idea that not only did Greg and Rose deepen their relationship but Greg also succeeded in fusing in a new way. I know that's not the point but I wish we could have gotten a name for a fusion between Greg and Rose.
Looking at the stars through leaves
2025-01-13 07:03:17 +0000 UTCWith fusions don't read too much into the whole 2 arms or 4 arms thing. Each fusion is different and some gain extra body parts while other just gain extra powers. The whole holding hands so they only have 2 arms things is Garnet only.
Looking at the stars through leaves
2025-01-13 06:56:34 +0000 UTCagreed, i think people just push back at that because it'd make stevonnie a bit weird given their ages (but then again pearl does describe them fusing as "inappropriate" soooo.....)
potato potato also another potato
2025-01-13 06:34:53 +0000 UTCCan’t wait for you to see Steven fuse with Onion!
Shiranui solstice
2025-01-13 00:50:26 +0000 UTCI kind of think of fusion as a connection of souls. There has to be absolute trust in some capacity. Friendship, romantic, parental, sibling. I like to see it more as trust and intimacy that can vary as to the type it is. Also I would love for your gf to join you while you watch these live, you guys are so CUTE
Shiranui solstice
2025-01-12 23:04:36 +0000 UTCDude, spoilers!
Lynn
2025-01-12 22:49:06 +0000 UTCFusion is relationships. Some are sexual, some are romantic, and some are platonic. Fusion itself isn't sexual. If you watched SU when it was coming out, you were in the trenches with "Fusion is sex" arguments.
Eliza Rose
2025-01-12 22:36:05 +0000 UTCYeah, moving beyond a simple crush or infatuation into something more intimate.
Jenny Dahlqvist
2025-01-12 21:43:11 +0000 UTCMeg was such a huge crush of mine, and so is Rose. Makes perfect sense.
Jenny Dahlqvist
2025-01-12 21:42:15 +0000 UTCHumans inventing Transformers to be able to take on Gem Fusion is *chef's kiss*.
Jenny Dahlqvist
2025-01-12 21:40:01 +0000 UTCI think the show absolutely uses fusion as a metaphor for sex, especially in "We Need to Talk." It's just not a one-to-one metaphor, so not every fusion has to have a sexual connotation.
CoreenXavierson
2025-01-12 18:17:22 +0000 UTCI think it's fine. If fusion was a sex thing, some stuff in the original series would already be just too problematic imo. And I like that there's stuff in Gem culture that have no direct counterpart for humans. They did NOT make themselves a favor by making them dance like that in the first season though.
Marcy_UwU
2025-01-12 17:01:57 +0000 UTCJem *and the Holograms* 👀 It was truly outrageous.
Craig Rangoon
2025-01-12 16:51:55 +0000 UTCAt first I wasn't sure if it would perhaps be too spoilery? But when I thought about it (and watched it again myself) and I think it would be a good idea! Also a more authentic viewing experience to watch it around this time in the series.
Linus Thorelli
2025-01-12 16:39:16 +0000 UTCThat's really only an issue in Future. And I feel like that scene was put in specifically to stop people from saying that fusion is a sex thing. It is always a little weird when a creator tries to smack the fandom's hands away from something so directly.
Will and Kim
2025-01-12 15:55:34 +0000 UTCAgreed. As much as I love "I am a (lesbian) experience" Garnet, I cannot help but love our sapphic Pearl a little more. Her pettiness is just so much fun and the depth of emotion behind it is utterly incredible to explore.
Will and Kim
2025-01-12 15:50:02 +0000 UTCIf you thought this episode was crazy wait until you see Greg’s Van, Jenny’s Pizza Car, Mayor Dewey’s Election mobile and Ronaldo’s Heelys combine into a Voltron!
Alex
2025-01-12 15:01:30 +0000 UTC(and yes, I know there's at least one more level to what Rose is saying here than just Greg and her being different species, but... spoilers!)
Arianod
2025-01-12 14:16:27 +0000 UTCFor me, the part that hits the hardest about We Need To Talk is when Rose freezes and says "...I'm not a real person". Up to that point, it looks like Pearl is right and Rose isn't taking Greg seriously; then that happens and you realize that she's only been saying and doing what she *thinks* are the right things. She loves Greg, she loves humans, but she doesn't *understand* them, and suddenly she's terrified that she's made a mistake and ruined things with Greg. That's some top notch writing right there.
Arianod
2025-01-12 14:10:12 +0000 UTCPhobias aren't rational. My baby nephew was scared of the buttons on his clothes, of all things. Nobody took him seriously until someone else in the family said "oh my god me too, always been". Then we looked it up and who'd have guessed, Fear of Buttons is a thing and it even has a scientific name (koumpounophobia) Why are some people irrationally afraid of buttons? We just don't know.
Arianod
2025-01-12 13:55:37 +0000 UTCPearl is best gem, full stop ^^
Arianod
2025-01-12 13:50:07 +0000 UTCOMG the next two ones are Cry For Help and Keystone Motel. That's gonna be *such* a rollercoaster for Mosco 😅😅😅
Arianod
2025-01-12 13:48:34 +0000 UTCDad of the year ^^
Arianod
2025-01-12 13:45:54 +0000 UTCSomeone please trademark the “Those are Bedroom Eyes” quote. I need that on a tee shirt and mug with this exact screenshot on it. This is what the fans need. 😍🌹🌈💅
Liam Gradwell
2025-01-12 13:16:35 +0000 UTCSee, Mosco? The holes were not the most disturbing thing about Keeping It Together 😅
Arianod
2025-01-12 13:02:26 +0000 UTCdo you think now with the new intro you'll react to the extended intro? the start of s2 is probably the perfect time to watch it as it teases stuff to come in this season :)
Doge Creations
2025-01-12 11:30:56 +0000 UTCSO much to unpack with this pair of episodes. The sheer body horror in the first episode... This show goes from sweet and innocent to... that... The ramifications of what that actually was is horrifying to think about. Imagine encountering a human equivalent... "We Need To Talk". Amazing episode! Just incredible! More lore with Rose and Pearl. The amount of "tension" in this episode is just bananas. A part of Rainbow Quartz's design I love is the eyes, actually. You can tell Rose and Pearl's eyes apart. Not just in shape, but in intention. Rose's are more flirty and fun, while Pearl's have this devious "Be jealous." Look about them. But nail on the head, the key word with Fusion is "intimacy", and that takes on many forms. While it's not inherently "sexual", you can't tell me what Rose and Pearl just did wasn't on some level. If their fusion was the equivalent of Pearl making out with Rose to make Greg jealous, I'd suppose Stevonnie (in this episode at least) was two kids sneaking a smooch, not realizing a parent was watching. And that bit at the end... Yay! Greg is bonding with Connie! Oh no... Steven realizing he's neither Gem nor human and is effectively alone... The poor little bean!
Joey Quixote
2025-01-12 11:01:10 +0000 UTCThat one line says SO much to us, and I cannot wait for more.
LikeCat
2025-01-12 09:22:03 +0000 UTC"I like the way... humans play... I Iike playing along~" god I LOVE THESE EPS
Alp
2025-01-12 07:00:52 +0000 UTCI was gonna comment on the fact that the socks were trans flag colors. But, now that you mention it, I realize that your observation and my observation are the same thing. Neat!
Will and Kim
2025-01-12 06:39:54 +0000 UTCKeeping it together was the episode that showed me that this cartoon can get creepy and have dark implications. 'We have to talk' showed me that 1) Pearl and Rose were DEFINITELY a thing and 2) that yes, they were indeed implying that if both sides mean it, fusion has a MUCH stronger meaning than just a basic connection between two beings. Glad you also saw/noticed these. Love watching the Steven reactions. You just gotta try to ignore the giggling in the corner of the room from your gf XD
WolfieOo
2025-01-12 05:58:32 +0000 UTCAt least, Pearl seems to have plenty of jealousy and spite.
Sanmei
2025-01-12 05:16:42 +0000 UTCI mean she's older than our species. It'd be hard to imagine she hasn't had a lot of partners in over 10k years.
Zefram Mann
2025-01-12 05:00:29 +0000 UTCIf someone hasn't mentioned it yet, Rainbow Quartz' design was a pretty clear homage to Dance, a character from an 80s cartoon soap opera called... wait for it... "Jem", about a pop star with pink hair. :)
Zefram Mann
2025-01-12 04:58:30 +0000 UTCOhhhh my goddddddd such a good pair of episodes, AND SUCH GOOD EPISODES COMING UP!!!! I love Keeping It Together, both for the lore and Garnet interactions. I can not WAIT for Cry For Help and Keystone Motel. ALSO... I think it would be funny if you read the episode descriptions. They're spoiler-free and they always have an... interesting way of describing what's gonna happen lmao.
Alp
2025-01-12 04:18:55 +0000 UTCYou say you love Rose’s singing? Fun fact: her voice actress also voiced and sung as Meg from Disney’s Hercules!!
alexistiffn
2025-01-12 03:47:28 +0000 UTCnope! the one sadie and lars being trapped on island and kissing was censored in my country
deny
2025-01-12 03:12:05 +0000 UTCthey probably will do in their own time aand do much stuff 😍
deny
2025-01-12 03:11:02 +0000 UTC"this one is my favourite" - she says and gets hair like his
deny
2025-01-12 03:09:14 +0000 UTCThese and the coming episodes are some of my favorites. There are individual episodes I like more but this is the biggest run of consistently incredible storytelling of the whole show. You said it exactly the way I always thought about why those fusion experiments are so horrifying to Garnet. To us it just looks like two pieces of rock stuck together, but to a gem it looks like something out of The Thing. I really, really love how We Need to Talk echoes what Garnet said in Love Letters about love taking work. Steven thinks of Rose and Greg's relationship as a fairytale romance, and we see their meet-cute in Story for Steven, but here we see that it was a real relationship where they had to work to understand each other.
dys
2025-01-12 02:45:10 +0000 UTCAs for the gems looking younger in the flashback, a common theory is that they reformed after Rose became Steven. They mention that gems physical forms represent their mental state (like how Steven aged so rapidly)- The gems got older when Rose died.
Wolfie
2025-01-12 01:29:20 +0000 UTCHardly a novel observation here, but I'm so impressed by the emotional intelligence at the heart of this show, and in the specific context of these episodes, the way it uses the concept of fusion as a metaphor to talk about relationships and intimacy - of all kinds - without getting didactic or explicit. We have Garnet talking to Greg about the need for openness and trust; we have Pearl and Amethyst bickering and struggling to stay fused outside an immediate crisis; we have Homeworld completely failing to understand fusion as anything but a utilitarian power move; we have the contrast between Garnet's solid, stable form built on love and mutual respect against the misshapen monster created from Jasper & Lapis' toxic and domineering relationship. But especially, I can't think of many kid-friendly shows that address the topic of consent at all, and none that do so as intelligently as this one - here and elsewhere. In Stevonnie's first fusion, we get the two checking in with each other, and Steven explicitly saying "We can stop." (I think it's really important that it would be Steven to say that.) Garnet counsels them to make sure they're a good experience together. And here, Garnet is unequivocal - fusion *must* be a choice, and being forced into intimacy is wrong, full stop. It's *so good* at teaching by example and giving a framework to talk about things.
Simon Davis
2025-01-12 01:21:20 +0000 UTCidk if this is too 18+ but i sincerely believe that rose was an absolute FREAK in the bedroom even before settling down with greg like i just know in my heart she got AROOOUND I mean honestly tho, who would say no to her fr fr
peachy af
2025-01-12 01:11:54 +0000 UTCThe ‘keeping it together’ episode always disturbed me-the gem fusion experiments. To see the body parts of your fallen friends and comrades stitched together and brought back- suffering and unable to be fixed…as many disturbing things have happened in this show, this is what really changed the game and changed the feeling of this show. The horror of war.
Wolfie
2025-01-12 00:52:20 +0000 UTCGarnet saying that "it worked" implied that Greg did indeed fuse with Rose, but in a human way. They made a connection, and she could tell that they loved each other in a similar way that ruby and sapphire did.
GrandStorm
2025-01-12 00:24:44 +0000 UTCI also loved that the socks were Ruby and Sapphire's colors ^_^
Stellar Kruize
2025-01-12 00:04:17 +0000 UTCOnce she is better you and Elijah should re watch the series together and record it. Also we are going to need an Elijah cam during your reactions to this show.
Jeal Tar
2025-01-11 23:56:37 +0000 UTCI love that Greg has not a trace of envy of Steven & Connie fusing. Once he gets over the surprise he is clearly happy for them.
Albedo12
2025-01-11 23:39:25 +0000 UTCThis is a very minor suggestion, against like a big fantastic ocean of Enjoying These Reactions, but it crossed my mind that 'cats and cookies' could be a bit out dated now? Only thinking cookie cats haven't been around since the first episodes, maybe something like Gems and Stevens could be more relevant to the whole show? Having said that, cats and cookies is Tradition now and I'll watch and enjoy regardless. Plus it will be relevant again when you find out Lion is hiding the actual Cookie Cat factory in his mane.
notatortoise
2025-01-11 23:29:02 +0000 UTCthink this was the first ep to ever get censored overseas (in france)
Ashley Minor
2025-01-11 23:24:06 +0000 UTCRe Garnet: "But I am even more than the two of them / Everything they care about is what I am: I am their fury, I am their patience, I am a conversation..."
Simon Davis
2025-01-11 23:11:29 +0000 UTCNot to be simplistic but those people were just hate-filled. They saw a show with a majority female, poc cast and crew and twisted that to garner views. People like Lily Orchard have said recently that they never actually watched the show properly. These people knew what they were saying was false but just didn’t care.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 22:52:03 +0000 UTCI love "We need to talk" because up to this point Rose has pretty much been presented as this perfect empathetic being, but when she was faced with Gregs emotions she accidentally ended up being somewhat callous and completely clueless as to why he was reacting the way he did. She wasn't flawless, and that only makes her more compelling as a character, just like the other gems. I also love the way that they showed the shift in the relationship between Rose and Greg. Until now she has only ever called him by his stage name. He's been the cute and entertaining human that she enjoyed having fun with. Now they were instead trying to have an open and honest conversation so that they could understand each other better. Because of this, she called him by his actual name for the first time and he literally shivered.
Verdant Crown
2025-01-11 22:46:39 +0000 UTCI never understoods how these "critics" only understand fusion as such. I mean, we know that is really intimate between Ruby and Saphire, but what about Conie and Steven, what about Garnet when she fuse with the others ? You can't say "fusion is sex" and have just one that might go with it and dismiss all the others exemples.
Spadeas
2025-01-11 22:43:41 +0000 UTCI SUPPORT PEARL'S RIGHTS AND PEARL'S WRONGS THIS IS A PEARL SUPREMACY HOUSEHOLD
Blue Eons
2025-01-11 22:27:09 +0000 UTCREAL
Blue Eons
2025-01-11 22:24:57 +0000 UTCPearl and Rose focus episodes are always so good
Vex Valor
2025-01-11 22:21:01 +0000 UTCSay that again 👀
S3EP8
2025-01-11 22:08:15 +0000 UTCGarnet is the answer when it comes to fusion.
Noir Queen
2025-01-11 22:07:30 +0000 UTCIf fusion become one person, I wonder how Rainbow Quartz works with the differences of view on Greg by Rose and Pearl. It's even like the two pairs of eyes look at him differently
CaptSamavor
2025-01-11 22:06:39 +0000 UTCIt’s taken a while but I’m glad we’re finally seeing the damage slowly undone by those awful youtube videos.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 22:02:16 +0000 UTCOur girl is definitely way too salty to be a freshwater pearl.
Albedo12
2025-01-11 21:56:16 +0000 UTCLove Greg’s reaction to this. Non judgemental, brings it back to his own experience and offers his support to both Steven and Connie. A+ parenting, no notes.
Matthew Palmer
2025-01-11 21:45:26 +0000 UTCI love these videos. I just got plans for a date cancelled on me so this cheered me up a bit.
Connie Clemons
2025-01-11 21:39:17 +0000 UTCthat was some stellar writing, between pearl and garnet, i mena the whole episode was fantastically written, but that part is one of the standout moments.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:26:51 +0000 UTCit's a tough contender to beat.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:25:10 +0000 UTCI figure it's not completely dissimilar to what i feel looking into the night sky sometimes, the vastness does kinda make me really uneasy. Probably not helped that I used to be terrified of alien abductions, cause my dad made me watch X-files when i was really young and it scared the hell out of me and i wasn't old enough to really contextualise the fact that is was a tv show, so it got kinda internalised.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:24:38 +0000 UTCOk actual last comment but Steven clutching his gem after the human beings line is so sad.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 21:21:25 +0000 UTCGarnet has a theme, it's almost sad she didn't have the 2 piles interlaced.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:21:06 +0000 UTChere, here. Cowards indeed. Confident Pearl is a menace though. =)
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:20:00 +0000 UTCI think i can thusly expand the metaphor to mean stars are eucaryontic cells, planet's feed of their light and gems feed of planets to make more of themselves. I wonder how asteroids factor into that, also can gems be made from asteroids?
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:18:16 +0000 UTCcowards the lot of them
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:16:00 +0000 UTCI want to write something, but I realised half way through that half of it are spoilers for a few episodes. So to keep it vague, given certain circumstances and Garnet's inclusion in the close friend circle of Rose that fusion amongst them is pretty casual. Also, it seems Pearl understands romantic attraction a lot better than Rose.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:12:40 +0000 UTCthey is no straight explanation
jack blakemore
2025-01-11 21:05:40 +0000 UTCI like to imagine Connie at least but maybe both blushing up a storm seeing the almost kiss++ with Pearl and the full on kiss between Steven's parents.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:04:56 +0000 UTCpearl went MINE
jack blakemore
2025-01-11 21:04:24 +0000 UTCpretty good analogy, though i would add that it also has the added angle of someone forcing negative telepathy on both parties, so like forcing a telepath to mindwipe someone
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 21:02:18 +0000 UTCThis series was rated TVPG when it was still airing. I think you can see why.
GhostPuss
2025-01-11 21:00:40 +0000 UTCit was a rough time back then. especially because it often got mixed in with a lot of homophobia and tied in with certain particularly nasty homophobic stereotypes.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 20:59:22 +0000 UTCI do think that Rose, at this point, didn't really have a conception of monogamy at all. There's definitely some offhand mentions in this episode and others that imply Rose has taken human lovers before, and she's presumably been having her situationship with Pearl the whole time.
Tristan Haller
2025-01-11 20:58:19 +0000 UTCthey just did it in front of there dad was a sentence choice
jack blakemore
2025-01-11 20:57:29 +0000 UTCSteven really lives the Half-elf dilemma, in between worlds. Keeping it together horror into one of the most emotionally dense episodes. What a ride. Poor Pearl, coming to a really painful realisation. I wonder when Amethyst reformed into her more mature looking form, like she looks like a preteen in the past, while looking more older teen/young adult in the present.
Willow Arkan
2025-01-11 20:54:52 +0000 UTCLast comment but the credits song has been the same since Episode 1. It’s been developing. So on a re-watch of the series it’s worth listening to them all.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 20:52:35 +0000 UTCIf nobody's said anything yet... Rose's voice actress, Susan Egan? She's the voice of Megara/Meg from Hercules.
AbsurdToastling
2025-01-11 20:49:53 +0000 UTCGarnet did bust it wide when Arm Rest jumped into her crotch that one episode so its definitely intimate idc what anyone says I agree with you
Haley Commet
2025-01-11 20:46:49 +0000 UTCIt’s not a spoiler at this point but The Crystal gems is the group and gems are the species as a whole. So only Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven are Crystal gems. Just wanted to clarify that.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 20:36:13 +0000 UTCFusion being just a sex thing was something a lot of bad faith critics levelled against the show. Fusion is relationships in all forms. Plutonic, romantic, familial. It’s not supposed to have a one to one parallel it’s a stand in for a lot of things.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 20:32:54 +0000 UTCSeason 1b to Season 3 is SU at its best and this continues the trend. The use of forced fusions and the complex relationship between Rose, Greg and Pearl is so fascinating. The music continues to be top notch as well.
High Voltage
2025-01-11 20:27:48 +0000 UTCThere's a lot of layers to this; but what I think I CAN say without spoiling, is that Fusion is pretty central to Garnet's personal identity and history. And furthermore, an explicitly positive center. So there's a visceral and moral horror at the face value of what was done to the shards, but there's also a deeper horror at the violation and desecration being performed using *fusion* as the implement. Again, there's a lot going into this that still constitute spoilers; but for an analogy... imagine a telepath who exclusively uses their abilities to support others, to share thoughts and feelings with their loved ones, to the point where they don't even realize that telepathy CAN be used any differently. Now imagine that this same telepath witnesses another using their abilities to completely erase and enslave the minds around them. Garnet is witnessing something that is anathema to her very identity.
dz1jgmeyer
2025-01-11 20:18:04 +0000 UTCJust wanted to say: Came for the free trial, stayed for the extra fun times and uncut songs. So congrats on earning another viewer and hi from way, WAY south of the wall! (apologetic english wave) Also, you're the first person in years I've heard use the phrase "fannying around" - even if the subtitles never know what that is, LOL!
Angelus Lupus
2025-01-11 20:11:53 +0000 UTCFinally, we see the flying green Dorito again. ^^ So many good episodes in one go.
Markus Erdt
2025-01-11 20:08:58 +0000 UTChoooo boy these episodes were big ones and i canNOT wait for the next two episodes >:3
WhatJoSaid
2025-01-11 19:41:45 +0000 UTCNothing specific about the episode, but can I just say how much I am enjoying you watch this!? Obviously I enjoy your other reactions (I am a subscriber after all), but watching you experience this show for the first time has been such an excellent rewatch for me!
Chet Bliese
2025-01-11 19:34:16 +0000 UTCalso, though we don't see a break between the recording & the rest of the verbal story, or steven's reactions, it's really funny to imagine that while we're watching the band scene when rose & pearl are fusing, steven & connie are sitting there watching the recording of that, lmfaooo
gasoline
2025-01-11 19:24:24 +0000 UTC"we need to talk" is such a good episode. so much insight on the pre-steven relationships, and rose. this is one of the best episodes to see reactions to, yours is the best though, just like me fr when i saw this episode as it came out 😂
gasoline
2025-01-11 19:22:32 +0000 UTCRemember the line in her song...? "We are a conversation."
Mark Ten
2025-01-11 19:09:41 +0000 UTC"ROOOOOOOOSE!" "KANNEEDDAAAA!"
Sanmei
2025-01-11 19:03:04 +0000 UTCYeah... season one had a few REALLY good, feelsome episodes, like Lion 3: Straight to Video, where Steven finds the tape his parents recorded for him, but... season 2 is when things really started to kick into high gear. I feel that fusion could be described as a wholly unique form of intimacy which is ubiquitous to this particular alien race. It doesn't map 1:1 to any human form of intimacy, but we can draw parallels between intimate human activities and connections. Rose doesn't hesitate to fuse with Pearl right in front of Greg, indicating that, at least to her, fusion doesn't occupy the sort of niche that "activities reserved for your monogamous partner" does. But whether that's necessarily part of the way her culture considers fusion or something to do with Rose herself is less clear. Rose doesn't really seem to grasp the idea of romantic love at first when Greg tries to talk to her, but maybe it's more clear to her afterwards? Up until now, we haven't always had a lot of examples of just how different gems and humans are, mostly seeing just three gems in particular who have spent several years raising a half-human child and living adjacent to human culture. I think this episode underscored a few potential differences.
Sanmei
2025-01-11 18:58:33 +0000 UTCFyi, Rose’s singing voice is very sweet indeed, her VA is Susan Egan who also voiced Meg in Disney’s Hercules
Annieme
2025-01-11 18:55:12 +0000 UTCIt’s not *all* about sex…but Pearl and Rose are *absolutely* about sex (not only sex, mind, but it’s definitely there).
Matthew Abbott
2025-01-11 18:51:19 +0000 UTCIf there isn't one yet already, we really need an "energy Energy ENERGY ENERGY!" shirt design.
Stephen Mumford
2025-01-11 18:43:32 +0000 UTCWhen you do your rewatch of the series, you are going to spend soooo much time going "oh, *that's* what that meant!" Pearl got so petty in the second episode. Just headcanon, but I think Rose couldn't fuse simply because she doesn't *think* humans and gems can fuse. Like with Pearl, the idea just doesn't occur to her. Steven wasn't raised that way, so that wasn't a block to him... ...or it could be just because he's half-human. Like I said: Headcanon.
David Johnson
2025-01-11 18:42:51 +0000 UTCThis attitude is why she gets all the email addresses
Tyrant-Den
2025-01-11 18:42:47 +0000 UTCWithout spoilers, Garnet able to stay fused indefinitely because Ruby and Sapphire are so complementary to each other, as Garnet said, she’s stronger than Ruby and Sapphire put together. However traumatic events can cause instability, you see what happened here when Garnet’s personality started diverging and she was speaking to herself. Stevonnie did the same thing when they began to be overwhelmed at the rave they went to. When that happens it’s a sign that a fusion has become tenuous.
Matthew Abbott
2025-01-11 18:35:25 +0000 UTCLike I commonly say "you're not ready for what lies ahead" I aint joking, lol but im super glad your so into this series, also wait till Onion's true form is revealed
Omegasigma
2025-01-11 18:31:11 +0000 UTC"Greg doesn't know that Rose and me fuse in his van every Sunday."🎶
Kyle Murrell
2025-01-11 18:28:03 +0000 UTCComments: what gem do you think Elijah is and mosco is and what would be there fusion???
PinkPonytail _Girl
2025-01-11 18:26:45 +0000 UTCPearl is my favourite character in the show because who else on earth would have the GALL to go "oh, you're gonna steal my girl? OK. Lemme just make out sloppy style with her in the middle of YOUR music video. She loves it btw <3" TL;DR: Pearl would win the lesbian olympics
Jamm Jar
2025-01-11 18:25:53 +0000 UTCAs we get further on, there is 1 thing i wanna see if you notice whenever Pearl covers her mouth. Just, so it's noticed when the depths of the complication of Pearls feelings twords Rose are revealed are better known
Martin E Melcher
2025-01-11 18:16:08 +0000 UTCThe "bedroom eyes" and the dip from the dance sequence were edited out of the broadcast version of the show. The "What Can I Do For You" music video on Cartoon Network's youtube channel is likewise de-sexified.
Albedo12
2025-01-11 18:11:50 +0000 UTCSpecifically the injectors are designed like bacteriophages, viruses that specialize in infecting bacteria.
Matthew Abbott
2025-01-11 18:10:38 +0000 UTCI love when Steven Universe does body horror. Also Smokey Quartz is the primary antagonist for later this season. I'm sure you've noticed we've had a fair amount of fusion-related material this season already, relative to the amount of episodes, and that's because fusion is sort of the "theme" of the season. Smokey is the triple fusion of Jasper, Lapis, and Peridot. A big ol biomechanical monstrosity thanks to Peridot's robot limbs, like something out of AKIRA.
Gone
2025-01-11 18:07:07 +0000 UTCYou wanted more about Pearl and Rose, here is Rainbow Quartz. But more seriously, some people will surely said it too, but this episode was censured in some country, because yeah, Rose and Pearl fusing together, was too much gayness to show for kids (cowards), and also... yeah I can definetly understand Greg and Pearl feeling about Rose, her design made her attractive and her voice... oh boy. It's good tu remember that it is a kids show, but they don't hesitate sometimes, which is with the steaminess in this episode or the creepy stuff. I mean, we had cat monster Steven in season one already and this was already nightmare fuel, but the fused shard is naghmare fuel on the design level, and concept wise too.
Spadeas
2025-01-11 18:05:48 +0000 UTCThis was the horniest episode of this show and probably of all time. I never expected to see Pearl fucking Rose in front of Greg. This episode should be considered +18
Aeyamq
2025-01-11 18:03:51 +0000 UTCBelieve me, you DON'T want fusion in general to be a sex thing
Marcy_UwU
2025-01-11 18:03:47 +0000 UTCFun little moments in these episodes: The Gems' laundry piles at 5:35 - Amethyst's is just a messy heap, Pearl has folded the most, Garnet has two small, equal piles. Garnet plays the keytar, a fusion of keyboard and guitar. Greg's reaction when Garnet lowers her visor, possibly for the first time in front of him: "EYE! think I understand."
Albedo12
2025-01-11 18:03:18 +0000 UTCI don’t feel it but I get it. It’s less a fear and more an uncomfortable feeling, a bit like anxiety. The worst I’ve ever felt is a little unnerved looking at some specific examples but just seeing stuff like the Kindergarten or honeycombs or something usually doesn’t do anything.
A Magic Duck
2025-01-11 17:44:59 +0000 UTCfake spoiler: Garnet is the first fusion
John Bossert
2025-01-11 17:36:43 +0000 UTCCrystal clods
Andy
2025-01-11 17:36:25 +0000 UTCi don't understand the phobia
John Bossert
2025-01-11 17:21:28 +0000 UTCJust in case the absolute body horror monstrosity of the final gem shard hand monster isn’t enough to sell you on how nightmarishly wrong the shard experiments are, Garnet’s pure terror and the fact that Ruby and Sapphire almost can’t keep it together really drives it home. Honestly, the Gem Shard experiments are possibly the most horrific things in the show.
A Magic Duck
2025-01-11 17:17:48 +0000 UTCKeeping it together is one of those episodes that you dont expect it to go the way it does and when the gem shard part shows up… *bam* immediately creepy and triggering episode.
Annieme
2025-01-11 17:16:03 +0000 UTCThe first time I saw Pearl and Rose fuse in front of Greg I thought, “Pearl that is playing dirty. That’s just mean!” If Fusion is intimacy, Pearl at the very least just made out with Rose on camera. But what I LOVE is what an absolute romantic Garnet is in that episode. She knows that Rose and Greg can’t ever fuse the way gems can, but what she tells him is how to be intimate with her. How to be open with Rose. When Pearl is just looking confused saying it didn’t work and Garnet just calmly says, “it did” it melts my heart. Also, I firmly believe that Garnet never saw Steven coming with her future vision. Remember, she’s essentially seeing possible outcomes based on probability. She’s essentially a computer that’s very good at making guesses but she needs to know what she’s looking for and she needs data to feed her “prediction engine” basically. There is absolutely no precedent for anything like Steven so there was no way for her to guess that he would eventually exist. That’s my take on it, anyway.
A Magic Duck
2025-01-11 17:09:56 +0000 UTCITS HAPPENING !!!!
Simone Lott
2025-01-11 17:05:20 +0000 UTC
