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When a distress signal is sent from the enemy, Doug and Rob decide who’s sending the real cry for help?
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“Man, it sure would be nice if things worked out the way they do in cartoons.”
“Yeah. It would.”
I wasn’t sure how they would react to this episode, since it is somewhat of a “liar revealed” story. They were a more enthusiastic about it than I expected. It’s a neat coincidence that all of these episodes showing many different facets of Pearl come right after Doug said he to know more about her than her relationship with Rose.
I think I figured out that Pearl was up to something right after the part with Crying Pear. Steven and Amethyst lamenting the difference between reality and cartoons was a really strong way to end the episode.
Not to mention “Pear” + L… it all but spelled it out. I enjoyed that, though.
On top of that, the pear is voiced by Deedee Magno Hall, and the spoon is Estelle.
That too.
Fusion is definitely a big deal with Garnet and the other Gems but not in the way you think.
Well, you’re the ones who wanted to have a Pearl episode that didn’t focus on her connection with Rose. Witness the emotional turmoil that has come of your demand!
More seriously, I actually liked Sardonyx, but then I’m also a big fan of emcee-type characters. Eric Thrum of A.V. Club at one point asked (not sarcastically, I might add), “Is it just me, or did Steven Universe sort of dramatize emotionally clear-eyed, non-monogamous sex or casual relationships?”, and there’s something to the sense of betrayal in this episode. Fusion is intensely personal for Gems, so it’s not unreasonable for Garnet to feel manipulated in the same way she might if Pearl had been contriving excuses for them to literally have sex. You know things are bad when Amethyst starts acting maturely…
Less heavily, I also liked the in-joke of Sardonyx saying “Was I worth the wait?” in partial reference to her being the last of the three fusions available (at least until Steven figures out how to fuse with the other Gems).
You forgot that Pearl and Amethyst fused before, it was the first one featured in the show, Opal. So now we’ve seen Pearl/Amethyst, Garnet/Amethyst, Pearl/Garnet, and all 3 at once. I really like Sardonyx’s Las Vegas stage magician thing, but I think Opal is my favorite.
Ah, the episode where Pearls thirst becomes way too big.
Seriously though, I really like how this went down. She fucked up massively but you do understand where she’s coming from. She’s starving for affection and validation from another Gem she looks up to wich, since Rose is… I’m gonna say one with the Force, is Garnet. That doesn’t make it right but gives you another perspective on the situation.
And both Pearl and Amethyst looking for validation from Garnet was already hinted at in Secret Team were they both feared to dissapoint her.
08:00 Rob: shows that wrap up neatly at the end of every episode are not a bad thing. Doug: don’t call it “adult” and especially don’t say anything about “kids having adult experiences”. If anything call it “mature” and that’s not something new. This trend already started in the early 90s with Batman TAS and other shows. Have you already forgotten that?
From what I understand MANY elements of the various characters have been there from the earliest drafts. And technically they make the show up as they go on. It’s just that they have clear goals and story milestones to give the whole thing more sturcture than many other shows have.
great look into it guys and my opinion on pearls entire character is basically this one song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2xel6q0yao
pearl is the gem i relate to the most because i have complex ptsd and have managed to cram a pearl level of baggage into my 26 years of life.
no spoilers, but i also really like how the issues brought up between garnet and pearl in this episode are resolved in the next one.
They only start to get resolved. It takes a couple of episodes.
Rebecca Sugar says that she based a lot of the characters on herself, and that Pearl is the most like her. Which is not to say that she has the same kind of damage that Pearl has, but that she understands those kinds of clingy, needy feelings. She wrote her from the inside, rather than basing her on her observations of other people; she understands all of Pearl’s motivations. That’s what makes Pearl so complex and real, I think.
I relate to her because I’ve had a friendship where I was possessive, where I tried to put myself in a role to make myself feel closer to someone. It wasn’t as extreme as with Pearl, and unlike her, I was totally aware of what I was doing… But yeah, I totally get where she’s coming from.
I think you guys are right, too, when you say that Pearl bases her identity on her relationship to others. Now that Rose is gone, she’s lost her since of who she is.
Ugh, I can’t wait until you get to “Friend Ship,” where all of this is resolved.
Great review! I agree on your analysis of the characters, but I would say that Garnet has actually developed a lot. In the early episodes, she was so serious and cold, she barely spoke. More recently, she’s been smiling and showing more affection towards Steven. The relationship between Garnet and Steven is one of my favorite episodes of the show.
Man, I absolutely agree with you guys’ reactions to Sardonyx. (In that she REALLY wasn’t what you had expected.) And, call me crazy…… But I actually feel like Sardonyx feels more like what would happen when Pearl and Amethyst fuse, and Opal feel more suited to Pearl and Garnet fusing. Yeah… anyone else get that feeling? Kinda know where I’m coming from? Opal just has that cool look, and that collected, confident, graceful, elegant personality you would expect to happen with Garnet+Pearl. And Sardonyx has that elegance and grace, but also with a suave, humorous, fun-loving edge that REALLY feels like Amethyst combined with Pearl. Man… I’m actually still kinda confused as to why things are the way they are.
Sardonix has Garnet’s Pride and Pearl’s Insecurities, so she needs to constantly prove how cool and awesome she is. Garnet is a showoff, but she keeps it cool. Pearl is insecure, but she usually asks for companionship, not praise. Put them together, and you get Sardonix.
Is anyone else having problems watching videos on Channel Awesome lately? The streaming gets real slow occasionally for me. I tried to contact the site’s Contact option to report it, but it failed (?) That’s why I’m trying to leave the question here instead.
I like the bit when Sugilite is formed and Pearl has this look of loose and maybe terror on her face. That and the music just give me goose bumps.
The Steven Universe Wiki has a bit about the different fusion’s personalities if you want to read more about that.
What part of Sardonix is from Garnet? Simple. The Pride. Sardonix has Garnet’s Pride and Pearl’s Insecurities, so she needs to constantly prove how cool and awesome she is. Garnet is a showoff, but she keeps it cool. Pearl is insecure, but she usually asks for companionship, not praise. Put them together, and you get Sardonix.
really liked this episode and Sardonyx is my favorite designed fusion so far. I really like the whole fusion being kind of an addiction. That you feel more powerful and whole. This is why pearl and amythest abused it so much. They wanted the rush.
And thus began the infamous third Stevenbomb. I wasn’t much of a fan, because…well, that can wait until the last episode in this chain.
Also, with Sardonyx, we now have “all possible fusions”…that is, unless for some reason Ruby and Sapphire ever broke up and decided to fuse with someone else…and, of course, not counting the potential fusions that have to arise from a certain someone (see latest episodes)… I kind of agree with the conclusion reached on the SU Wiki: regardless of the fusion, all of them have a desire for Steven to see them as “cool” (even Sugilite).
I will say one thing. While I don’t necessarily think this was too bad of a moment for Pearl (even Amethyst sympathizes with her), at this point I was definitely thinking: “Ok, the writers can lay off already”. It seemed like every time we had an episode with Pearl as the focus it was to have her do something else bad or reveal something else negative about her. It was getting a bit stale by now.
They get a lot of theatre talent in this show. Sardonyx is voiced by Alexia Khadime, who’s starred in London productions of “Wicked” and “Les Misérables”. There’s an upcoming appearance by a Tony winner, but we’ll get to that later.
The Fusion of Garnet and Amethyst had a different design from the first episode
This was a surprise of a episode but great
Actually the Fusion of two different gems is considers a taboo by home world its only this wonderful for them
Garnet is not them she is her own gem like she is there daughter
Behold, Sardonyx!
Break the Tower of Mistakes,
Would you forgive Pear?
I’m a Pearl fan for much the same reasons Rob is, but I’d be lying if I said this episode was easy to watch. Not that I dislike it, but it’s definitely Pearl at her lowest point, even more so than “We Need to Talk”. This is the point where the show definitely starts to feel more arc-driven than before, where we had mostly standalone episodes that gradually contributed to a season-long narrative. It’s interesting to see how they try to convey Garnet’s views on something as alien as fusion. It’s consistently depicted as something analogous to sex or emotional intimacy, but Garnet reveres it almost to the point of a religious experience.
One thing that bugged me was that it seemed like fusions were supposed to blend the personalities of the gems to varying degrees, yet Sardonyx seemed to be graceful and playful like Pearl and Amethyst, and in hindsight, Opal was stoic and graceful like Garnet and Pearl. (I say hindsight, because the original fan theory was that fusions are all pretty quiet because they need to think about what to say together.) Of course, their appearances are great, and you can probably logic it all away (e.g. Pearl was super excited, so her excitement took over the whole fusion.) but Sardonyx’s personality threw me off a bit. x))
While you’re right and that Sardonyx wasn’t what I thought it’d be, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
Garnet’s primary personality traits are that she’s somewhat rash (her future-sight leads her to not consider fringe possibilities) and confident
Pearl is that she needs to be validated, and that she’s organized
Amethyst is that she’s impulsive and aggressive.
So you put Amethyst and Garnet together, you get impulsive, rash, confident and aggressive, someone who wants violence, is confident in their abilities, and doesn’t think about what their doing.
You put Garnet and Pearl together, and you get someone who’s organized, a bit rash, but needs to be validated. Someone who has confidence in themselves but still yearns to be appreciated by others. In other words: A showman, which is exactly what Sardonyx is.
Agree with the brothers about liking that the plot line wasn’t resolved at the end of the episode. What’s great about this show is people’s actions aren’t just outright forgiven just because the episode is about to end even if I admit it was a bit painful watching the gems not getting a long and not working things out right away during these episodes ;-;
Also props to Rob for loving and really enjoying Pearl especially because of her flaws. I get really tired of people hating on characters because they are flawed and pearl was getting a lot of hate on during these episodes.
Also the Walkers are so lucky they are watching these episodes now because it was actually painful having to wait each fay for the new episode XD
Rather disappointed to hear you weren’t that fond of Sardonyx. Personally she’s probably my favorite fusion. She’s just too stylish and fabulous for me not to love her.
I agree with Rob that Pearl is probably the best character because of her complexity, even if Garnet is still my favorite. And I like how the writing manages to make her heavily flawed without making her flat out unlikeable. Although I know that’s an opinion a lot of fans don’t share.
I too love how well plotted the story is. Like I said in the past, the show is the master of foreshadowing. You really get a sense that the writers have an very clear idea where the hell they’re going, which is something that I feel a lot of other good shows lack (Cough Adventure Time Cough).
Next up: A fight breaks out between a girl called Ruby and somebody with ice powers. Surprisingly enough its not an rwby episode.
Follow up comment to come. I’m still on Say Uncle. -_-
maybe you’re better off with her
maybe she’s better for you
i forgot how good it felt to be us
i guess i just got carried away
i tried to use you to make me feel strong, but i don’t care about that now
i see a tower built out of my mistakes, and it all comes crashing down
is there something i can do
is there something i can do
is there something i can do
can i make it up to you
I love how Amethyst felt guilt at first, and at the end, when we see Garnet’s reaction to Pearl, we understand why. The wrath of Garnet is insane.
Steven has some sort of big lady fetish like thing, I swear. Also, I was surprised that they left it on a cliffhanger. They have some guts.