History Recap / StevenUniverseS4E17Rocknaldo

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: This is not a subtle episode.
** Ronaldo starts pretending to be a Gem, expects the Gems to cater to him when doing their duties, gets upset over Connie's presence and claims that he should have Rose's Sword instead of her, and eventually kicks Steven out of his own house. It's similar to the toxic [[VocalMinority vocal minorities]] in fandoms who proclaim a show's values but do little to actually act on them, sometimes even [[{{Hypocrite}} doing the exact opposite of what they preach]].
** Ronaldo trying to be a gem can also be read as an allegory for cultural appropriation, and the concept of a self-described ally speaking over the minority group they're attempting to support; Ronaldo's accusation that he thought the Crystal Gems were about love and acceptance when Steven calls out his behavior is a common response from allies who do more harm than good.
** Ronaldo calling Steven a hypocrite for being intolerant of his {{jerkass}} behavior is a common tactic used on liberals by hardcore conservatives and hate groups to make them seem like the intolerant ones. His conclusions of being the "ultimate outsider" also mirrors these same people who, while still technically marginalized groups, try to make their marginalization seem equal to those of actual minorities.
** Pearl questions whether or not Steven should humor Ronaldo's decision to become a Crystal Gem, a common question asked by liberals who don't want to entertain the better half of people who seem like they're part of a hate group.

* NoTrueScotsman: Ronaldo questions Steven for sleeping and wearing his shirt over his gem, as "real" Crystal Gems don't do this. He uses similar reasoning to try muscling Connie's position on the team away from her, questioning her dedication, despite her membership being months senior to him, because she commutes to the temple instead of living in/by it. Steven himself ends up calling Ronaldo just "a guy with a blog", [[PlayingTheVictimCard which Ronaldo seizes upon to criticize Steven for being close-minded]]--even though said comment was besides Steven's actual point, [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint which Ronaldo was missing entirely]]. Steven apologizes for his wording, but reiterates that Ronaldo hasn't really tried to live up to the group's actual goals.

** Ronaldo bragging about being a gem while being dismissive of the actual gems is clearly a dig at how violent and judgmental the show's fans can be, despite it being all about love and tolerance.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: This is not a subtle epieosde.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Ronaldo starts pretending to be a Gem, expects the Gems to cater to him when doing their duties, gets upset over Connie's presence and claims that he should have Rose's Sword instead of her, and eventually kicks Steven out of his own house. It's similar to the toxic [[VocalMinority vocal minorities]] in fandoms who proclaim a show's values but do little to actually act on them, sometimes even [[{{Hypocrite}} doing the exact opposite of what they preach]]. Similarities can also be drawn towards cultural appropriation, and the concept of a self-described ally speaking over the minority group they're attempting to support; Ronaldo's accusation that he thought the Crystal Gems were about love and acceptance when Steven calls out his behavior particularly echoes how hypocritical allies and opponents react to being called out for their behavior.

* EyeTwitch: Steven momentarily has one when Ronaldo keeps him up at night with his shenanigans.

** A lot of Ronaldo's behavior here seems seems to be a dig at the fandom's less savory elements.

* MinimalistCast: It's just Stephen, Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet and Ronaldo, with Peridot and Lapis Lazuli absent, and Greg also absent.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: After Ronaldo's passed out from exhaustion, Amethyst shapeshifts into him and mimics his voice to inform his father that he's home.

* TakeThatCritics: The "They Hate Men" line in Ronaldo's rock people pamphlet that shocks Steven so heavily may be a reference to people who think the show's feminist and LGBT themes means that it promotes an anti-male agenda.

** Steven's offense at the Gems being called "rock people" may be a jab at fans who call them "gay space rocks".

* FreudianExcuse: Ronaldo implies that part of why he was acting so selfish is because he's so used to being an "outsider"; he couldn't break out of that mindset even when he was actually being accepted.

** Ronaldo's "weapon" is a replica sword he bought at Delmarvacon, both things mentioned on the blog Blog/KeepBeachCityWeird, though the sword he brings is a different one than the one he mentioned.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Amethyst reads a recent blog post on "Keep Beach City Weird" where Ronaldo states that he's halting his blog and "may never come back to the internet". Soon after the Crystal Gems are finished reading and comment on Ronaldo taking time to think, he makes a new post.

** Ronaldo's "weapon" is a replica sword he bought at Delmarvacon, both things mentioned on the blog Blog/KeepBeachCityWeird, though the sword he brings is a different one.

* DelayedReaction: When Steven first tells Ronaldo that he's not actually a Crystal Gem, he convinces Steven that he needs to think about what it means to be a Crystal Gem. Steven does, then realizes that Ronaldo really ''isn't'' living up to the standards he professed and goes back.

* FreudianExcuse: Ronaldo implies part of why he was acting so selfish is he's so used to being an "outsider". He couldn't break out of that mindset even when he was actually being ''accepted''.

* LaughingMad: Shortly before passing out from sleep deprivation, Ronaldo laughs as if in reaction to Amethyst saying something funny, and she points out she didn't even say anything.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: After dropping the unconscious Ronaldo off at the fry shop, Garnet orders the Crystal Gems to depart. She, Pearl and Amethyst then leap off the boardwalk and land about twenty feet away on the beach and walk away.

* RageBreakingPoint: Though still subdued, Steven finally snaps at Ronaldo when he starts suggesting Connie is less dedicated to helping the Crystal Gems than he is, and doesn't deserve to be trusted any more.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: At the beginning of the episode, Ronaldo is handing out "Ronalphlets" which describe "rock people" who have stones embedded in their bodies, can summon weapons from another dimension, and can change their forms, without realizing he's describing the Crystal Gems until Steven points it out.

** A lot of Ronaldo's behavior here seems like a dig at the fandom's less savory elements.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: After Ronaldo's passed out from exhaustion, Amethyst shapeshifts into a purple Ronaldo and mimics his speech.

* NoTrueScotsman: Ronaldo criticizes Steven for sleeping and wearing his shirt over his gem, as "real" Crystal Gems don't do this. He also uses similar reasoning to try muscling Connie's position on the team away from her, and subsequently to kick Steven out of his house when he loses his patience at this.

* PlayingTheVictimCard: After having his patience tested for several days, Steven tells Ronaldo [[NoTrueScotsman he's in no position to say what it means to be a Crystal Gem when he's "just a guy with a blog"]]. Ronaldo counters that he's not being accepting of others, genuinely ignorant of his own hypocrisy. It works, causing Steven to sulk off in shame... until he realizes he ''was'' mostly right, and finds a more effective way to phrase his complaints (namely pointing out that Ronaldo stopped trying to learn anything about the Gems once he stopped being the center of attention).

* NeverMyFault: While Ronaldo acknowledges that he was a jerk to Steven, he claims it was because of him being a "lone wolf", not because of his rather self-centered and unlikeable personality.

* TheCameo: Connie only has brief appearance in the episode with no lines.

* FantasticSlur: Ronaldo unintentionally refers to the Crystal Gems as "rock people" in his pamphlet, which Steven finds offensive.
* FreudianExcuse: Ronaldo implies part of why he was acting so selfish is he's so used to being an "outsider", he couldn't break out of that mindset even when he was actually being ''accepted''.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Ronaldo uses Steven's reasoning for letting him to join as a reason for why Steven hasn't been acting like a Crystal Gem...despite him being the one not living up to those ideals Steven proclaimed and being a selfish jerk about it. Steven calls him out on this.
* IgnoredEpiphany: When informed of his (potentially) damaging misrepresentation of Gems, Ronaldo profusely apologizes, and determines he needs to learn more about them. He decides to do so by inviting himself to be a Crystal Gem, and when Steven generously accepts him, Ronaldo turns it into another self-aggrandizing exercise after the Gems leave him out of a mission. [[JerkassRealization He does learn something by the end, though.]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: Ronaldo "joins" the Crystal Gems for no reason other than the notion that he's an outcast like them, and proceeds to insert himself into every aspect of Steven's life and constantly annoy him, even going as far as claiming ''he'' should be wielding Rose's sword and kicking Steven out of his own home for not tolerating him enough. Steven ultimately calls him out on it, and Ronaldo [[JerkassRealization realizes how selfish he was being]].

* LaughingMad: Shortly before passing out from sleep deprivation, Ronaldo laughs as if in reaction to Amethyst saying something funny and she points out she didn't even say anything.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: After dropping the unconscious Ronaldo off at the fry shop, Garnet orders the Crystal Gems to depart. She, Pearl and Amethyst then leap off the boardwalk and land about twenty feet away on the beach.
* NeverMyFault: While Ronaldo acknowledges that he was a jerk to Steven, he claims it was because of him being a "lone wolf", not because his rather self-centered and unlikeable personality.

* CharacterDevelopment: After Ronaldo ended every previous major appearance failing to learn anything, by the end of this one, he's realized how selfish he can be and is actively trying to help the Crystal Gems with a redone Ronalphlet.

* JerkassRealization: Ronaldo finally has one when Steven tells him to his face what a selfish jerk he's been.

* TheCameo: Connie only has brief appearance in the episode with no lines.

-->''I took a real long nap and then I did some hard thinking. I wasn't acting like Bloodstone. I was acting like... Jerk-naldo. You accepted me. But I still thought like an outsider. ''

* PlayingTheVictimCard: After having his patience tested for several days, Steven tells Ronaldo [[NoTrueScotsman he's in no position to say what it means to be a Crystal Gem when he's "just a guy with a blog"]]. Ronaldo counters that he's not being accepting of others, genuinely ignorant of his own hypocrisy. It works, causing Steven to sulk off in shame... until he realizes he ''was'' mostly right, and finds a more effective way to phrase his complaints (namely pointing out that Ronaldo stopped trying to learn anything about the gems once he stopped being the center of attention).

* RealityEnsues: Ronaldo has been staying up for three straight days, so it's no surprise that he faints from exhaustion.

** Steven's offense at the gems being call "rock people" may be a jab at fans who call them "gay space rocks".

* TrailersAlwaysLie: The synopsis for this episode is "Ronaldo sets out to find all the rock people living in Beach City!". What ''actually'' happens is that Ronaldo goes to live with the Gems to learn more about them.
* TwitchyEye: Steven does a little one when Ronaldo wakes him up at night.

** The "They Hate Men" line in Ronaldo's rock people pamphlet may be a reference to people who think the show's feminist and LGBT themes means that it promotes an anti-male agenda.

** The "They Hate Men" lie Ronaldo tells about the Gems may be a reference to people who think the show's feminist and LGBT themes means that it promotes an anti-male agenda.

* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Ronaldo is handing out pamphlets warning people of "Rock People" living in Beach City, who have stones embedded in their bodies, are able to summon weapons from the "Mud Dimension", and can shapeshift. [[RightForTheWrongReasons He is unintentionally describing the Crystal Gems to a T]], aside from mind-control minerals in the water supply and the Mud Dimension thing.