Channel Awesome
If you’re going to live together, you should ALWAYS do a road trip. Doug and Rob look over Steven’s latest trip.
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A lot of people really like this episode, and I by no means think that it’s a bad one, but I don’t think I like it quite as much. As fun as it was to finally have an episode focused on Ruby and Sapphire, and to explore both how a couple can react to emotional turmoil (fiery, explosive anger vs cold, passive-aggressive fury) and how a person can be internally conflicted over forgiving somebody for a genuine F-up, the penultimate scene just didn’t sit quite right with me. I’m not talking about the reveal about Sapphire having one eye or the reconciliation between Ruby and Sapphire (that was adorable and touching, and also highly instructive for the show’s blossoming Rule 34 community); I’m talking about Steven’s asking if they’re fighting because of him, and the pair reconciling over that. Again, it wasn’t a terrible scene, but it was way too cliche and on the nose in my opinion in terms of the couple fighting allegory they had set up. Again, not a bad episode, but that moment really hurt my investment by reminding me how scripted this all actually is.
That said, the coloring in this episode for Ruby and Sapphire’s anger was wonderful, and I really loved Greg in this one. “I’m off to see a man. An internet man. …If I’m not back in an hour… call the police.
To be honest im on the boat of this was a bleh episode. It was overall just boring espcially compared to the episode that came before it. Theres also a wayyyyyyy better R&S episode down the line.
Yes, the next state over really is called Keystone. “The Keystone State?” “Yes, the state named Keystone.” Beach City is a town on the Delaware shore, where Rebecca Sugar is from. Beach City is in the state of Delmarva, named after the Delmarva Peninsula. Of course, that was named because it was made up of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia… so don’t think about it too much.
The geography is a bit different in the Steven Universe universe. We’ve already seen that Florida is an island; we’ll see more in a later episode. And Kansas really is the entertainment capital of the world.
I think I’ve stayed at many motels identical to the one they stayed at. It’s been ages since I’ve had square pizza, though. “He won’t like that it’s square.”
I thought Rebecca Sugar was from Silver Spring Maryland…
Specifically, Beach City is an alternate-universe version of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Lived in Chicago for a while and I have to say I love Giordano’s. But then I am a cheese-a-holic!
I had Pizza Uno once in Chicago. It was OK. Then I had it in Ohio, not quite as good. Then I had it in New Jersey, and I would barley even call that edible. Somehow it got worse the further from Chicago I got.
My family had Giardano’s pizza when we went to visit family in Chicago. That was some delicious pizza!
I’m kinda sad how you guys have barely been talking about how all these character’s developments and story interactions and how they affect Steven. Yes, these episodes are focused on other characters, but it all leads back to how Steven responds to all of what’s going on around him.
Also, that pizza rant at the end has made me want some (actually good) new york pizza.
Because of the Gems presence on earth over 5,000 years ago the earth that Steven lives on is different than the one that we know. So yeah some of the states and countries are different
It’s interesting watching them comparing Ruby & Sapphire’s relationship to the classic Disney films in light of the homage and style of The Answer.
I wonder what Doug and Rob will think of it?
I can’t help but get the feeling that they got a “no” to the two kissing on the lips so they decided to go with something more “intimate” to get the point across.
http://neodusk.deviantart.com/art/Steven-Universe-Inside-Steven-547392912
Someone had to post the link to the comic since no had yet…
Bonus points for Rob bringing up that line during the pizza rant.
I’m actually not a terribly huge fan of Ruby and Sapphire. To me, it almost looks like they represent the nasty side-effect of remaining fused for too long. They’re now totally obsessed with each other. It’s all they think about all the time. Look, I get the fact that the fact they’re fused all the time is supposed to be representative of their love or something…but, and maybe I’m reading too much into it, a relationship where it’s always just “us” and never any time apart is just as toxic, if not more so, then spending time away from each other all the time and never interacting at all.
They clearly have their own characters to them and I like the little “nods” they make to them. (Such as Garnet only ever cries out of “Ruby”‘s eye as she’s the emotional one of the two.) I just get unsettled how whenever they’re apart they either can only think about each other or want to immediately refuse. I’m kind of thinking about how it would be like if Steven and Connie wanted to “be Stevonnie” all the time…
To be honest I dont hate R&S,but they are far from the favorite. I actually like the gem they make more which is garnet. Whats weird is garnet doesint act like neither of them. Garnet feels like its own gem. The closest resemblance of personality is sapphires dead paness.
I think this is explicit intended to be one of Garnet’s major flaws – Ruby and Sapphire and thus Garnet are so secure and secluded in their inner world that they don’t remember other people are single entities and need reassurance and interaction from her/them. This is what leads to stuff like Amethyst being jealous of their combined power and Pearl being jealous of their relationship. It’s also why Garnet acts so distant until Steven meets Ruby and Sapphire. Interestingly, the same attitude STRENGTHENS her relationship with Steven since Garnet sees Steven as a fusion of Rose and Greg. That’s why in later episodes like Secret Team and Keeping it Together Garnet actually trusts Steven more than Pearl or Amethyst.
I think one of the more enlightening comments from one of the staff is that Garnet was worried about getting close to Steven until she met Stevonnie. Afterwards, she was absolutely thrilled and immediately told Pearl and Amethyst it was time for Steven to meet Ruby and Sapphire. We’ll never get to see that scene since Steven wasn’t there for it, but I think it really illustrates Garnet’s kinship with Steven and why she can alienate Pearl and Amethyst.
I had to chuckle at this, because Doug and Rob’s argument about the kissing thing was very similar to my argument with one of my close friends about it. For me, I was kinda like oh… *clear throat* about that part when I saw it because my neck is extremely sensitive in uh… an intimate kind of way, so whenever I see that I just kind of naturally think in that direction. For my friend, it’s just a column of flesh holding your head up, so she saw it as something akin to a kiss on the cheek. But very similar viewpoint, I don’t see it as bad, but as more of a PDA than what I’d expect in a PG show, regardless of who’s getting their snug on lol It was definitely adorable though! đ
“This will pass. She’ll eventually just burn herself out.”
“THAT’S WHAT YOU THINK! I AM AN ETERNAL FLAME, BABY!”
This was a good episode, and it was nice to see Ruby and Sapphire again. I wondered if Sapphire was supposed to be a cyclops, since her eye had always been covered up. I like how Amethyst and Pearl were given some bonding time off screen. Their attitude towards one another has really changed since On the Run.
If I had to criticize something, it would be the way in which Ruby and Sapphire ended up resolving their conflict. Steven didn’t really have any reason to think he was to blame for the strained relationship between the Gems, and this is one of the few times in the series that I’ve felt an emotional episode climax to be somewhat forced. Once they mentioned the square pizza, I figured that topic would take over the entire rest of the video.
I can understand Steven blaming himself because a) Steven’s already expressed concerns that the Gems blame him for Rose being gone and b) it was his idea for the stakeout to catch Peridot fixing the communications hub that ended up revealing Pearl’s deception. It’s not such a stretch that he’d think that he’s part of the problem. Hell, it wouldn’t even be that much of a stretch if part of Garnet did resent Steven a little, even if she knew it wasn’t fair. The term “don’t shoot the messenger” exists for a reason, and she really was enjoying being Sardonyx until she found out it was based on a lie.
With that said, there’s something cringe-inducingly clunky about Steven’s “Is it me?” and Sapphire’s emotional breakdown is so over-the-top melodramatic that it makes me giggle. Ruby’s response saves it for me, though, because the “Oh shit, I made her cry. Fix it!” response felt really real.
My favorite part was Ruby and Sapphire’s argument in the background in the diner.
Ruby: “You don’t know me!”
Sapphire: “How can I not know you? We fuse all the time!”
Oh no, how DARE you insult my dangling greasy wet cardboard pizza! Actually, I still fold all my pizza no matter what style or however impractical. It just feels wrong to me to eat it without all the cheesy goodness effectively between two crusts. It took me a very long time after leaving New York to realize that that’s not the normal way to eat pizza, though I still do secretly laugh at people who try to eat floppy pizza without folding it.
I’ve always just used two hands to eat that kind of pizza.
Why have it floppy in the first place? Screw uniqueness, just make a calzone.
I go to my aunt’s place in NYC every summer, and there’s a place near her apartment that serves square pizza, but I’ve never had the freaking napkins the Walkers are describing.
The pizzeria place in Tampa, FL that you guys mentioned might be this place:
http://www.eddieandsamspizza.com/
Never personally ate there even though I don’t live too far away from it. Now I’ll have to go try. As for the episode, I really like how it gave us a window into how Ruby and Sapphire work as a couple. It serves to remind us of how much turmoil Pearl’s deception caused everyone on an emotional level. As for Steven feeling like it’s his fault, that’s something some kids would feel when parents or guardians are arguing around them. Things are getting ugly, and then Steven gets angry, then sad and guilty. Poor Greg gets stuck with the tab as he kept hopelessly trying to make it all better, even after that proves impossible. I personally like this episode, because it shows that Garnet is flawed but still an interesting person(s).
“make you grow a fifth eye somewhere” do you have two more you’re not showing us rob??
Iâm surprised the kissing was the moment Doug thought âWow, this show is going really far.â Did you just forget about the first scene of âAlone togetherâ?
I personally donât really have too much of an issue with weak pizza. Frankly I actually think thatâs how pizza I supposed to be. Considering the pizza I ate in Italy also all fell down if you didnât hold it right, although I could just be remembering stuff wrong.
Next up: SATAN RETURNS!
Beach City is meant ot be located in Delaware and was inspired by various coastal town Rebecca Sugar visited as a kid during holidays. I’ve also read that people from that general area discovered quite a few references in the show only they could understand.
And the states in SU are named after their nicknames and not their regular names.
John Stewart? The Green Lantern?
They meant Jon Stewart the former host of The Daily Show.
I know. It was a joke that, I think, Jon Stewart himself made at one point.
The short lived Green Lantern animated series had the reverse version where Hal Jordan thinks by “John Stewart” Guy Gardner is talking about the “fake news guy”.
Ah I see. Hard to tell when someone is joking online sometimes.
It is a funny episode
Follow up comment to come. I’m still on Say Uncle. Also, yeah, Doug is right. You never see neck kissing on kids’ shows. I don’t know how I feel about that. I remember being shocked when I saw the butt tap on Incredibles. I think I was about 8 and I thought that Disney had somehow made a PG-13 movie. Also, I like Garnet when Garnet is Garnet if that makes any sense. Oh, and on the pizza front, I eat pizza about once every two months. I usually on a diet besides that. đ
A state named Keystone,
Home of evil square pizza,
It’s not you, Steven.
I really enjoyed this episode, mostly for getting to see more of Ruby and Sapphire’s personalities. Tempermental and reserved being represented by heat and cold isn’t exactly world-shatteringly original, but they work well off one another. I’m especially a fan of Ruby’s cartoonish freakouts. A lot of the time the show underplays its facial expressions, but when the animators cut loose it’s frequently glorious.
I know some people are down on the resolution for this episode, and it did surprise me with the turn it took, but I bought it well enough. Steven’s never seen the Gems fight to the degree they are now. Despite the fact that he’s remarkably perceptive when it comes to emotional matters, he’s still a kid, and kids in situations where parents are fighting with one another will often blame themselves, regardless of how little sense it makes. Since the target audience for this show and this episode in particular are those kinds of kids, I’m not opposed to them trimming down on the subtlety a bit to ensure the audience gets the message.
oh no, the hell being raised by England from two girls kissing was from We Need To Talk
you know, the episode with no girls kissing
I don’t think it’s as far north as New York, maybe one of the midsouth east coast states, maybe Jersey, Delaware, or Maryland? When a gem fusion is stable she has a unique personality, but when it becomes unstable the component gems’ personalities start to separate. I think when Pearl took advantage of Garnet Ruby was just mad while Sapphire was so broken she started to just LIVE in her future vision. Remember, Garnet has future vision which mostly comes from Sapphire’s half of the abilities. Unable to deal with the betrayal Sapphire just looked into the future where they had forgiven Pearl and mostly ignored the present, which is what made Ruby even madder, forcing the separation.
Now I know why they made the last episode a cliffhanger.