Fridge Brilliance / Steven Universe Season 3

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Super Watermelon Island

"Super Watermelon Island"

• When the watermelons go off to fight, a (presumably female) flower-wearing watermelon leaves her watermelon husband behind. When remembering that Steven created the watermelons, and who he's looked up to his whole life, it makes perfect sense that in the watermelon society, the women are the warriors.
  • And of course, the human-like relation Steven has with his father Greg compared to the Gems helps this notion.
• The watermelon animals make sense, as if the watermelons are anything like Steven, they'd love animals too.
• When Steven is walking through the village, he passes a giant watermelon idol with its arms outstretched. An older watermelon is teaching a bunch of kids the same position, having them all close their eyes and stretch out their arms. This is the same position Baby Watermelon made in the episode "Watermelon Steven" right before his Heroic Sacrifice. They literally respected him so much, the watermelons made an idol out of him and are now teaching his ways to their children. Probably also doubles as Fridge Horror is you consider that a bunch of young kids are being taught the nobility of self-sacrifice.
• While it does border on Fridge Horror, in the short run, the watermelon sacrifices might've kept Malachite at bay all this time. On one hand, Jasper hates Steven and wants vengeance on him. So eating one of the watermelons might satisfy her sense of vengeance. On the other hand, Lapis Lazuli wants to protect Steven, and she might see the watermelon sacrifice as a way to pacify her "prisoner", so long as the real Steven remains safe.
• In a way, Steven did save the day, not just by leading the watermelons to fight Malachite long enough to distract her, but also by stabilizing Alexandrite. How? Well, gem fusions are stabilized when they have a common goal. And seeing Steven in trouble (in the form of multiple watermelon people) invoked a common goal: protect Steven.
• Why is Steven the one chosen to be sacrificed to Malachite? Well, right before the elder points to him, all the watermelon Stevens place their fingers where their noses should be. This seems like a silly gesture, perhaps a term of respect for the Elder, but they're actually playing the "Not-It" game. Because Steven did not touch his nose, he was "it", and thus chosen for the task.
• The fusion dance the Gems do in order to form Alexandrite consist of Pearl and Amethyst dancing around while Garnet strikes some moves while otherwise remaining stationary; Pearl and Amethyst are the most volatile components of Alexandrite, while Garnet is the common central ground.
• A lot of people wonder why none of the Gems shape shift-stretched to save Jasper, but it's actually very simple: they'd just come out of being Alexandrite after a literally huge battle. They wouldn't have had the energy to stretch like that!
• Many people have brought attention to the fact that Pearl could've stopped Jasper from falling into that chasm but didn't, but those people overlooked something. As soon as the earthquake started, what was Pearl's first reaction? Catching Watermelon-Steven to keep him from falling. Even a living watermelon shaped like Steven is enough to invoke her maternal instinct!
• At first, fire breath might seem like an odd ability for Alexandrite to have considering her components. Until you realize that all the Crystal Gems use fire to some degree: Garnet is half Ruby and can likely generate heat like her, Amethyst can set her whips on fire and create explosions, and Pearl has her energy projectile which is named "Fireball" in the tie-in video games.

Gem Drill

"Gem Drill"

• When Steven is being affected by the Cluster as Peridot is attacking it, he's shown sweating and in pain and clutching his stomach (where his gem is). It almost looks like he's in labor. The Cluster was about to be born. With all the other birth/giving life/mother metaphors surrounding Steven and Rose Quartz, this feels intentional.
• Why does the Cluster want to stop forming once it learns that doing so would destroy the Earth? It's made of shards from former Crystal Gems. 5,000 years later and they're still upholding their duty as defenders of the Earth, even if they're shattered.
  • Even more: they got shattered while defending Earth. They literally died for this purpose and most likely being fully aware of that risk. Doing the very thing they wanted to avoid — destroying planet Earth — would not only have been the most horrible thing they probably could imagine, it would also have made their sacrifice utterly useless. Or worse, them having died for their beliefs would have otherwise enabled the enemy their victory.

Same Old World

"Same Old World"

• Why doesn't Homeworld at least try to determine if Lapis is a Crystal Gem or not before interrogating her? The Diamond Authority considers other Gems expendable and easily replaceable, so it's no facets off of their gemstones if their civilians get caught up in their conflicts like that.
  • Also as it was an opening battlefield by the looks of the flashback and the fact that Homeworld would most likely only use warrior Gems it wouldn't be too hard to assume they simply thought she was a Crystal Gem.
• If the Gem that poofed Lapis was a Crystal Gem, that would be another reason for her to blame them more for her imprisonment despite the fact that Homeworld Gems did the deed. They were just as guilty, for they didn't think to question her, and just assumed she was dangerous.
• That flash of light which has the colors of Yellow, Blue and White Diamond is likely connected to why most of the Gems left on Earth are corrupted.
• Her trance passing over the Galaxy Warp, one that causes her to almost let Steven slip, heavily implies PTSD. This was later confirmed by Lauren Zuke, a storyboard artist and writer.
• Lapis eventually decides that she'll stay "here here" for her new home — at the barn where Steven was comforting her. That's because for her home isn't just a place; it's also the people there. In several thousand years she hasn't met anyone like Steven, who has continually shown her compassion and empathy even after she's lashed out at him; Steven in a few hours has shown her that on Earth she can live anywhere she likes and have new experiences, building a new life from the shambles of her old one. Lapis needs Steven, and the barn is close enough to him but far enough from the Temple, one of her prisons.
• The places that Steven and Lapis visit foreshadow her living arrangements with Peridot: the wacky roommate has been mentioned for Empire City, but she stays in the country and intermingles with nature which foreshadows the farming experiment in "Gem Harvest"; in Jersey she finds that the people there express their hatred of the Earth openly, and she and Peridot explore expressing their conflicting emotions through "meep-morps".

Barn Mates

"Barn Mates"

• Steven's suggestion in "Same Old World", straight from a sitcom, about Lapis moving to the big city and getting a wacky roommate comes back here with her interactions with Peridot, especially with this image.
• The way the sky gets cloudier as Lapis gets moodier is likely a byproduct of her water powers subtly influencing the water vapour the clouds are comprised of. Once she calms down, the sky is bright and cloudless again as well.
• When Lapis breaks Peridot's tape recorder after receiving it as a gift, the latter asks "Were you trapped in a tape recorder, too?" In a sense, that's exactly what the mirror was when she was trapped in it.

Hit the Diamond

"Hit the Diamond"

• Why are the Rubies so dumb? If they're considered expendable, why would the Diamonds put in brainpower they're not going to need?
• It might seem weird to us that the female Pearl and Lapis choose the male names Earl and Bob as aliases... but that's just because we're human. The Rubies and other Gems, who are technically genderless aliens, would have no notion of gendered human names and thus wouldn't bat an eye at what would be a flaw to us.
  • Also they're the Gems least exposed to human culture, either by choice or by confinement, so they probably don't even know what genders most names traditionally apply to. Or that there even might be something like genders.
• The Chest and Navel Rubies are both the only ones with custom uniforms and the only ones whose gemstones would be obscured by the "default", implying that Homeworld custom is to have your Gem exposed and visible.
• The mission may have been a Xanatos Gambit. If they find Jasper, then fine. If they fail, then Yellow Diamond can just have them get shattered, either by the Cluster's appearance or by having them executed or otherwise punished and sent away for their failure.
• Well, now we know where Garnet gets her visor; one of the Homeworld Rubies wears one, so it's likely that our Ruby summons those too.
• Why didn't the Rubies know or care about Peridot? Yellow Diamond probably doesn't want that the knowledge of an insubordinate Gem spreads any further than absolutely necessary, since the very idea of disloyalty is practically unthinkable to the Homeworld Gems, and the last thing she wants to do is to expand their horizons on that front. She just wants the intel from the one loyal Gem left on Earth if she possibly can, so that she can plan her next move.
  • Also, what evidence does she have that the bomb inside of the communicator didn't shatter her after their conversation? As far as Homeworld is concerned, Peridot is dead.
  • Also, as far as Homeworld knows, the Cluster is still set to hatch any day now. To them, Peridot and the Crystal Gems are living on borrowed time, and their only concern is to extract Jasper, the only Gem stuck on Earth that's still loyal. This also means that they shouldn't engage in any risky and unnecessary behavior that would get them poofed.
• Why does Peridot claim that she's the new Crystal Gem leader? It's not just her ego, she's trying to make herself seem more important, so they'll leave the others alone.
• Why isn't there an umpire? Nobody present wants to claim they're part of a Diamond Authority.
• At first, Lapis' human name "Bob" might seem like a simple Odd Name Out gag. But thinking back to "Ocean Gem", what did Steven say to her after she thanked him for healing her? "No prob', Bob!"
• The Rubies not noticing Ruby and Sapphire flirting makes a lot of sense when you consider that romance like theirs is very unusual by Gem standards. The Rubies likely simply don't understand what they're doing.
  • Also, why can't Ruby and Sapphire focus on the game and not on each other? Because this is how they act all the time: they're a couple in perfect sync, which is why Garnet only unfuses deliberately or when they have a violent disagreement and can re-fuse just by touching like they do at the end of the episode instead of needing to do the Fusion Dance. After centuries of that, trying to hide their relationship, let alone pretend they're on different sides, is something they don't even consider anymore.
• The Diamonds probably try and make the Rubies stupid to better control them.
• Steven tells the Rubies that Jasper is on Neptune. Jasper is in the middle of the ocean and has been sealed beneath it for months. Now, what was the God of the Sea in mythology?
• Why doesn't Sapphire use her future vision to help the team win the game? During her life as an aristocratic Homeworld Gem, it's very unlikely that she ever had to get her hands dirty to make sure the best possible outcome occurred, but rather had other Gems to do it for her. Now that she's almost always fusing, she has Ruby to make sure that actions are taken, but on her own, she has difficulty internalizing the fact that she needs to act in order to get the best future. This attitude can also be seen in "Keystone Motel", when Sapphire did almost nothing to help smooth over the situation because she saw that everything would work out eventually. She forgot she had to take action in the present in order to shape the future.
• The Crystal Gems and Lapis going through the trouble of playing a baseball game against the Ruby squad to get them to leave seems like a waste of time when they could have fought them easily and bubbled them especially when the Rubies seem not too bright; however, that would not have worked out well for them for a few reasons. In a fight, there's the risk that at least one of the Rubies might get back into the ship and fly back to Homeworld to report to Yellow Diamond about rebels on Earth. Even if none of the Rubies escaped Earth, Yellow Diamond could've responded to their absence by sending a more competent squad to Earth whom might be harder to deal with than the Rubies or Yellow Diamond could've assumed the Rubies not coming back meant that they had been shattered due to the Cluster emerging and destroying the Earth at which point Homeworld would've gone to Earth to retrieve their geoweapon only to find a still intact Earth. Letting the Rubies think of the Crystal Gems as humans and sending them off peacefully to report that they didn't find anything would've given the Gems more time.
• Peridot mentions that Yellow Diamond is Commander in Chief of Homeworld's military, which makes sense once you consider that her outfit is evocative of armor, and most of her subordinates appear to be soldiers. It also accounts for her temper and impulsive actions, and why she was the Diamond in charge of the Cluster project.
• From a storytelling perspective, wouldn't it make more sense to go after Peridot? No, for Yellow likely thinks that she was killed by the communicator exploding or if that didn't do the job, the Cluster will.
• At the beginning of the episode, Doc says "we are here to retrieve the leader of the Earth mission" which we learn at the end is Jasper. They said this within earshot, so why did nobody notice? They likely thought she was referring to Peridot, since Peridot was the reason they came in the first place (and Jasper was stated to be an escort, meaning she was just acting as backup for her) and Peridot was likely too nervous to refute them, or too narcissistic to acknowledge Jasper as the leader.
• Amethyst and Pearl’s extremely happy reaction to seeing Ruby and Sapphire makes sense since they weren’t present the last two times Garnet unfused, meaning they haven’t seen Ruby and Sapphire since Steven was a baby.

Steven Floats

"Steven Floats"

• Why does Steven unlock the power now? He's finally home, he's saved the world, Lapis and Peridot are safe and getting along, he's going to get a doughnut in the morning, why wouldn't he be over the moon?
• Of course Garnet would win at checkers; her future vision allows her to see every possible move Steven could make before he makes it, and counter it.
• Steven refers to the Gems as "my guys". Given that recent episodes have developed Steven's ability to not only join the team but lead it, it makes sense that they'd be Gems Under Your Supervision.
• I was wondering why the Gems had a cake in the fridge, and then I remembered. They only headed to the barn a few episodes before Steven's birthday, and hadn't really been planning to go until the Cluster was brought up. They must have bought the cake for Steven's birthday!
• In "It Could've Been Great", Peridot reveals that Gems automatically adjust to the gravity of any planet or moon they land on. Rose, and now Steven's, ability to slow how fast they fall may be based on manipulation of their personal gravity, actively using that effect.

Drop Beat Dad

"Drop Beat Dad"

• When Sour Cream is yelling at Marty, he slips into the same language that Yellowtail and Onion use. This is Truth in Television in that people who were raised bilingually can sometimes slip into their second tongue without noticing it.

Mr. Greg

"Mr. Greg"

• Steven's actions in the episode when he reveals that he intentionally invited Pearl so that she would make up with Greg. He's not just pulling it out of nowhere. He's remembering "Keystone Motel", and hoping the same thing will happen with his dad and Pearl.
• Steven saying his mother will be going on the trip too just seems like Steven having an awkward, clueless moment at first based on Greg and Pearl's reactions. Then you find out that Steven wants them to make up and encourages them to bond over their shared memories of Rose, and it turns out Rose really was there in a sense, and he may have brought her up on purpose since it's part of what makes them similar.
• Steven told Lapis in "Same Old World" that "What happens in Empire City never sleeps." While Steven and Greg are found sleeping after arriving in Empire City, Pearl's song wakes them up. Steven doesn't sleep again until they leave Empire City.
• The promotional artwork shows Steven playing a big row of piano keys while grinning down at a smaller Greg and Pearl as they dance at the end of those keys. It neatly foreshadows how he plays them like a piano into confronting and resolving their tension together. Also the fact that it's done over a dance with Steven playing the piano.
• Steven's sudden proficiency with the piano. Although not always the case, pianos are commonly taught as an introduction to music and to help memorize the scales before moving on to other instruments. It's entirely possible that Greg taught Steven the piano (or keyboard as the case may be) before he started him on the ukulele.
• Greg and Pearl's interactions in this episode parallel Greg and Rose in "We Need to Talk"; after sharing a heart-to-heart and a dance they become closer and understand each other better. Like a fusion, if you go with the platonic relationship/conversation interpretation of fusion instead of the romantic/sexual one.
• In "It's Over, Isn't It", Pearl describes herself after losing Rose as "petty and dull with the nerve to doubt her". That line sums up so many levels of Pearl's development. She's not just doubting Rose's judgment over falling for Greg, she's doubting Rose's judgment on having Steven. Rose was a fabled general and strategist who approached many things in a very calculated way, and Pearl was willing to be poofed in order to follow her orders and even now fights in her name; Pearl doesn't realize what a huge stride it is for her independence that she's allowing her feelings to take precedence over Rose's orders. It's unfortunate that those feelings are grief and jealousy, but not blindly following Rose's wishes even when it hurts is a huge step for someone who regularly got poofed for her.
• In the same song, one of Pearl's line is "War and glory, reinvention", with Pearl staring down at the rose in her hand, her eyes noticably narrowing. The last word can be seen as a bit odd, though it can be linked to their revolution, to Pearl's own evolution as a character or simply to Rose giving her life to birth Steven. However, it is eventually revealed much later that Rose was Pink Diamond, who "reinvented" herself under a new appearance and identity. With that single word and through her body langage, Pearl actually hints at one of the biggest secret of the series.
• During "Both of You", Greg and Pearl are colored yellow and blue respectively, while Steven is bathed in pink lighting. In light of the revelations of "A Single Pale Rose" that Rose was Pink Diamond, it seems to show how Pink saw Blue and Yellow as parental figures in the same vein that Steven sees Greg and Pearl.

Too Short to Ride

"Too Short to Ride"

• Peridot unlocking a power she didn't realize she had namely telekinesis makes sense when you consider that, like Steven, this power was unlocked via her emotions, namely her desire to catch her tablet before it went into the ocean because of how important it was to her. If her personality pre-character growth is any indication, emotional attachment is an unusual trait for her race, so it's little wonder no Peridot has ever unlocked that ability before.
  • Her Heel–Face Turn also falls under this since Yellow Diamond was giving up a perfect chance for resources all to destroy Earth with the Cluster.
  • Also, in another comparison with Steven, Peridot wasn't supposed to have any powers, or so she was told, and that's why she never even tried to confirm this, and only found out because her friends encouraged her to unleash her potential, something that no other Peridot, apparently, has done before. This is similar to Steven's Dream Walker powers, as he discovered them by doing something that Gems rarely, if ever, do at all; sleeping. Both Steven and Peridot discover their powers because they're acting out of Homeworld's standards.
• Amethyst reassuring Peridot that they like her because of who she is and that she needs to focus on what she can do instead of what she can't is a Call-Back to Amethyst's having had to deal with the same kind of insecurities about herself in the past.
• Peridot being so attached to her limb enhancers makes even more sense now that we know she didn't know she had any natural powers of her own and thought they were the only way she could defend herself.
  • As does her initial enmity towards Pearl during their robot-building contest, as Peridot had legitimate reason to believe that the only thing she was good for was for tech related enterprises, with her apparent lack of Gem powers. Given how Homeworld treats its people, it was probably an inherently terrifying thought that Pearl could be as good as Peridot at the one thing she believed she could do. It completely threatened all sense of self-worth that she had.
• Given Peridot's magnetic nature and Steven referring to her Mind over Matter as "metal powers", it may be that its a form of Magnetism Manipulation.
  • It also makes perfect sense that Peridot has that as a power: peridots contain iron, making them magnetic.
• Peridot's enthusiasm about the old Earth colony makes sense now, she was probably thinking about how she might have been made as she was meant to be, powers and all, if the colony had proceeded as planned. She was also probably thinking about all the other Gems who had and would suffer from the shortage, due to her newfound sense of empathy.
  • As does her anger and calling Yellow Diamond a clod after the she refuses to listen to Peridot's plans to access the planet's resources without harming the local ecosystem. Peridot is a being who is learning empathy from her newfound friends, the Crystal Gems. So Peridot isn't mad just because Yellow Diamond is being petty and willing to destroy a planet of resources for a grudge over something that happened before she was mined. She's mad because she's thinking of all the Gems who'd been made and would be made weaker than they should be because of the resource shortage, something her leader is showing her doesn't matter to her. So not only is Yellow Diamond being petty, but she's not caring about her future subjects who will suffer because of her pettiness. That is why Peridot called Yellow Diamond a clod and essentially cut ties with Homeworld, because Yellow Diamond insulted not only Peridot's sense of logic, but also her newfound sense of empathy.
• It's entirely possible that Homeworld's resources crisis is artificial, created by the Diamonds in order to justify limiting the powers of Gems beneath their rule to prevent another Rebellion.
  • Another hypothesis is that they're fighting something that's badly draining resources, and a planet-sized weapon is more important than a planet full of resources.
  • The Rebellion might've been the reason they're in a resource crisis. In an attempt to make more soldiers to fight Rose, they all but depleted their own reserves, and wasted the Gem production, as most were probably corrupted, shattered in the conflict, or joined the enemy.
    • In hindsight, season 5's episode "Familiar" makes clear that this is likely true, in a way: the Diamonds have resources extracted from them which are a primary component of the mixture injected into the ground to create new Gems. The Rebellion cost them Pink Diamond. The death of Pink Diamond coincides with the start of Era 2. Yellow later states that "Pink's" return could mean the beginning of Era 3. Therefore, it's likely that at least part of the resource problem comes from the Rebellion taking out Pink Diamond, making the resources that came from her unavailable. Further, Pink's powers being the resource Peridot was missing also may explain why Peridot slowly begins to develop powers while on Earth as a Crystal Gem (i.e frequently exposed to Steven).
• Peridot revealing that she was born without any powers due to a lack of resources means that she essentially suffered the Gem equivalent of malnourishment and stunted growth. It also means her "limb enhancers" were actually prosthesis to compensate for this.
• Assuming the resource shortage is real, Yellow Diamond sending the search party for Jasper makes sense from a pragmatic viewpoint. Warriors like Jasper who have the full array of Gem powers would take too much of Homeworld's dwindling resources to replace. It's more efficient to retrieve them if they go missing.
  • Jasper is also the only member of the team to not rebel in some sense: Peridot called her a clod, while Lapis was forced into the role. Since the Cluster, in her mind, will activate at any second, she's dooming Peridot and Lapis to death for rebellion.

The New Lars

"The New Lars"

• As disheartening as it is for the Cool Kids and Lars' parents to not understand why Lars is rightfully angry with Steven for possessing his body, their are some reasons to explain why they react this way: 1) Humans of the Steven Universe world are accustomed to the supernatural, 2) Lars' parents think that Lars may just be acting like his usual jerky self, 3) the Cool Kids probably know that Steven would never intentionally take over Lars' body out of malice.
• How did the Big Donut get seagulls stuck in the vents? As Sadie mentioned in "Steven Floats", the Big Donut has started making their own donuts again, which would attract seagulls to the scent of fresh donuts.
• When Steven in Lars' body is shown his falling grades, he speaks the grade letters in succession. Makes sense since Steven is homeschooled, mainly by gems having limited knowledge in humans' school systems, thus he doesn't have knowledge in school grading.

Beach City Drift

"Beach City Drift"

• Stevonnie being an Instant Expert when it comes to racing makes sense when you remember that Steven is explicitly said to be a Child Prodigy (at least in music, but given how quickly he picks certain things up, likely in multiple areas) and Connie has signs of being one, and is very intelligent, regardless. Both have shown the ability to very quickly become skilled in things that they've gotten the basics of. Stevonnie, as their fusion, likely has their combined skills in these areas taken up to eleven, possibly even to the point of Super-Intelligence.
  • One can very easily learn to drive via using a Driver's Ed guide and going from there. Since Connie is a bookworm, she probably picked up the book before they fused.
• Why does Steven of all people state he actually hates someone, the someone being Kevin? Well, Kevin harassing him and Connie as Stevonnie in "Alone Together" opened up Steven to something: Not only will Steven have to deal with misogyny whenever he wants to fuse with the girl he loves, but he also has to live knowing Connie is going to deal with it all the time. He doesn’t just hate Kevin as a person, he hates feeling helpless about Connie’s societal struggles.
  • That and the fact that Kevin disregarded how Stevonnie felt. Seeing how seriously the Gems take Fusion, and how much emphasis they put on their partner and the shared experience, it was pretty much equivalent to Pearl's selfish desire to fuse with Garnet for the rush of it a while back. Steven's reaction even parallels Garnet's in terms of relative intensity.
  • Additionally, since Stevonnie is a fusion, Steven's hatred for Kevin would be a combination of Kevin harassing him and Connie, and because fusion influences the feelings of involved individuals. If anything, it would be completely different from Connie telling Steven about being harassed, since Steven wouldn't have the first hand experience of being harassed by someone on basis of their gender.
• Kevin seems to use the reactions of others to validate himself. No wonder he crumbles when the duo walk away, he's finally found someone he can't just get a rise out of anymore, and he's trying to regain control before everyone else follows suit.
• Steven and Connie's strong response to Kevin pressuring them to dance with him only seems like a metaphor for sexual assault until you remember that fusion is activated by Fusion Dance. Rather than being its own metaphor, it ties into the themes of consent and boundaries that have been long established by the show.
• Kevin's behavior makes a lot of sense when you think about him not as a simple Narcissist, but someone with actual Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Many of his actions, including being a jerk just to get a rise out of others for attention saying that Stevonnnie is obsessed with him when he's the one who's obsessed (projecting something about himself he won't accept onto someone else) is something people with this disorder do. Even his breakdown when they deny him the attention he wants is also characteristic of the "narcissistic rages" a narcissist will exhibit when their ego is bruised.
• Kevin's name has the syllables Steven and Connie loses from their names when they fuse into Stevonnie. It works on a thematic level too, since Stevonnie is a being made out of love for another, while Kevin is all about himself. He's the opposite of the two in every way.
• How were Steven and Connie able to so effortlessly fuse this time when previously they only did it by accident? They've been practicing out of sight!
• Kevin seemingly hitting on Stevonnie despite knowing their true nature makes sense when you remember one thing: Kevin is a self-admitted Troll and knows they don't like him at all and that upsets them, so of course he'd do it just to get on their nerves.
• Greg being hard on Steven for using the word "hate" becomes sadder when we meet Uncle Andy in "Gem Harvest"; from what we learn from Andy and Greg, the latter grew up in a typical anti-immigration-toting family that prided itself on tradition. Andy gives off a lot of negative vibes as a pessimist, that threatens to become infectious. No wonder Greg left, and makes an effort to teach his son to be kind; being around someone like Andy is quite depressing and stressful, and Steven runs the risk of going the same way by encouraging those feelings.
• Mixing in with Fridge Horror, the episode's High School AU title card has Steven and Connie, the teacher and librarian respectively, rushing to help Stevonnie, who is being flirted with by Kevin. At first it seems they're just being Reasonable Authority Figures concerned with some creep trying to get close to one of their students, but remember: Stevonnie is a person created out of Steven and Connie's love for each other when they fuse. This makes her, on some level, their child.

Restaurant Wars

"Restaurant Wars"

• More Fridge Funny, but given Jenny's reaction and Kofi's near-sadistic grin when offering Steven the VIP "card", it's implied that not only has he not offered this to anyone else, but was specifically waiting for Steven. This is probably because Steven ordering the Mozzarella Sticks were what started the war.
• Why didn't Ronaldo tell his family about his girlfriend? He probably knew that they wouldn't believe him.

Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service

"Kiki's Pizza Delivery Service"

• Why does continual use of his Dream Walker abilities tire Steven out? Because he's actively fighting against the cheese hands for Kiki, he's not really resting!

Monster Reunion

"Monster Reunion"

• Why did the Diamonds feel comfortable using whatever corrupted all the Gems? Because, as Centipeetle have shown, corrupted Gems can't activate Warp Pads, meaning that they were stranded on Earth!
• The fact the Diamonds used whatever corrupted the Gem Monsters shows why Homeworld didn't just return: as far as they knew, the Earth was currently overrun with vicious Gem monsters. Which also gives a good reason Peridot tried her best to do her job remotely rather than come to Earth and do it manually until she HAD to. This also explains why Peridot didn't find it odd that the Red Eye probe and her flask robonoids were being damaged/destroyed; she's already expecting hostilities.
  • Even more, when she first meets Steven, she is very surprised. Most likely, she didn't expect any kind of intelligence on a planet that must be overrun by insane monsters.
  • It's explained in "Lars' Head" that the Homeworld Gems all believe that the Corruption Bomb left the Earth uninhabitable in terms of life, which is why Peridot assumed that a race of Stevens have taken over the Earth.
• In the first episode, Centipeetle tried to get into the temple for seemingly no reason. This episode explained why; even when corrupted, she wanted to use the warp pad to find her crew.
• Why did Steven's healing spit work more than Rose's tears? Well it's revealed in this episode that the corruption caused by the Diamond's Fantastic Nuke isn't just physical in nature, but somehow mental too. Now think all the way back to "Monster Buddies" when Steven tried to rehabilitate a completely corrupted Centipeetle through The Power of Friendship. Basically, he already started the healing process a long time ago.

Alone at Sea

"Alone at Sea"

• Jasper's reaction shows a new potential reason for Homeworld's fusion stigma: the possibility of a loss of control in even their most loyal soldiers.
• Why is Jasper so obsessed with reforming Malachite compared to Lapis? Lapis' enjoyment of Malachite came from abusing Jasper for stress relief, which she feels guilty about liking after the fact, while Jasper reveled in the sheer power and Flight capacity Lapis brought.
  • In addition, Lapis had at least ONE selfless reason to form Malachite: to protect Steven. Which she can now do WITHOUT that. Jasper on the other hand, ONLY had that Power High and for no other reason.
• The reasons Jasper and Lapis enjoyed being Malachite are the exact same reasons they both formed Malachite in the first place: Jasper to get a power boost and Lapis to take revenge on Jasper for imprisoning her again.
• This episode provides another reason that Garnet was so ticked off at Pearl for deceiving her into forming Sardonyx: Jasper and Lapis shows what happens when a fusion is based off of purely selfish emotions and personal satisfaction rather than the positive relationship between their components. They become addicted to the emotions due to that being all it's about.
• Jasper and Lapis' emotions in this episode were extremes of Pearl and Stevonnie's past issues. Jasper is like Pearl, wanting to fuse to feel powerful. Lapis is like when Steven and Connie formed Stevonnie for selfish revenge rather than because they care about each other and want to enjoy each other's company. Only unlike those two cases, they spent a much longer time in that mindset to the point neither of them was willing to separate willingly and even Lapis had difficulty shaking the mentality.
• Another reason Jasper has become so obsessed with Malachite is again, the strength and power they had, something that she's apparently always greatly admired. Being a Quartz Gem, one of the most powerful short of the Diamonds themselves, she probably never even dreamed of that kind of power before, and having it torn from her instead of de-fusing willingly probably made it worse.
• When Jasper explains to Lapis why they should form Malachite again, she mentions how they could fly. Apart from Lapis, no other gem has been shown to be capable of flying without technology, apart from Amethyst shapeshifting, though Peridot mentions that shapeshifting consumes energy so most gems don't try it so flight would be a rare if unknown power, hence Jasper becoming elated at this new ability as Malachite. Another reason Jasper would focus on flight is due to her being a warrior, flight would be a handy advantage to have since you could scout enemy formations and stay out of range of your enemy's weapons. If Alexandrite didn't have access to Opal's bow, Malachite might have been able to win their fight by staying in the sky out of reach while using her hydrokinesis.
• Originally, the ship was called the S.S. Misery. Jasper/Lapis was a pretty miserable ship, and guess what sank at the end?
• Before setting sail, Greg and Steven renamed the boat “Lil Lappy”. According to sailor superstition, renaming a boat will bring bad luck. And indeed, the trip ends very bad for the boat itself.
• The episode points out something Garnet said all the way back at the send of season 1. "Yikes. They are really bad for each other". Point to note, she didn't just point out one or the other, she said they are both bad for each other and this episode pointed that out in all its terrible glory.
• When the fishing line snaps, we get this quote. It happens before Jasper shows up, but on a second watch, this is not only excellent foreshadowing, but a very succinct metaphor for everything wrong with Jasper and Lapis as a pair: something only meant to be temporary that ends up being permanent, and advice that it's better to let "the one that got away" go.
  Greg: Looks like this pole rental turned into a pole purchase, but you did a great job tangling with that beast.
  Steven: Yeah, don't worry about that one getting away.

Greg the Babysitter

"Greg the Babysitter"

• Greg mentioned in "Story for Steven" that Marty was the reason why he and Rose eventually got together. In this episode, Rose meeting Sour Cream, Marty's son, gives her the idea to have Steven.
• In this episode, Rose seems fascinated with the idea that humans can change and define themselves, rather than being defined from the moment of creation like Gems are. Now look at her and her closest friends: Pearl defied the set role for pearls to become Rose's "terrifying renegade pearl", Garnet's very existence is a defiance of both Ruby and Sapphire's intended roles and their society's rules, and of course, Rose herself defied her purpose when she rebelled against Homeworld. Naturally, she'd be fascinated with the idea of an entire race of people who changes and defines themselves as a matter of course.
  • Not only that, but falling in love with humanity as a species for that reason also explains a bit more. Seeing humanity having that ability when the Diamonds don't allow that and while Gems ARE capable of doing more than they were made for, the rules completely forbid it due to the rigid caste system. Not only did she see something worth protecting, she saw something that revealed the flaws in her own society.
• Rose implies that part of her reason for having/becoming Steven was to reinvent herself in ways that she normally wouldn't be able to, given how a Gem's nature is set when they are made.
  • The Guidebook states that Rose had Steven to experience childbirth and to have him serve as a link between humans and Gems. However, since the Guidebook was supposed to be written from the perspective of Steven, long before he knew his mother wasn't the war hero he thought she was, take it with a grain of salt.
• Greg leaving behind his star-shirt and starting to use a "It's a Wash" one is him leaving behind his immaturity.
• You could say that Greg's Heel Realization was foreshadowed quite early in the opening song, in the shot where Rose was tossing him up and down playfully — like one might play with a baby.
  • Not to mention the sight of him in the Ferris wheel is reminiscent of a baby carriage.

Gem Hunt

"Gem Hunt"

• Connie explaining to Steven that even though the pine needle doesn't taste good, it is good for your body isn't just from her maturity, but also from the fact that her mother is a doctor. So, it wouldn't be surprising for Dr. Maheswaran to teach her daughter the "If It Tastes Bad, It Must Be Good for You" lesson at some point.

Crack the Whip

"Crack the Whip"

• Steven and Connie have obviously been training together offscreen, how else would they be so in sync in combat?
• Amethyst being no match at all for Jasper makes sense given Jasper is another Quartz, meaning she's as strong if not stronger than her. Amethyst may be able to handle mindless beasts with her Unskilled, but Strong status, but Jasper matched or exceeded her on top of being much more skilled and experienced. In contrast, Stevonnie has Steven's experience and Connie's skill, in addition to Steven's Gem powers, so it's only natural they'd fare better.
  • Amethyst is also the only one who is inexperienced fighting other Gems. Pearl, Garnet and Jasper are all veterans of the Rebellion and Steven and Connie learned to fight by training against Pearl. Amethyst, however was born strong and with a certain amount of knowledge on how to fight so she never learned how to fight someone who can match her in both power and intelligence.
  • One other reason why Stevonnie is able to beat Jasper is the fact that she's a fusion involving a Diamond.
• Jasper's motives seemingly changing makes sense when you remember she blamed Steven for Lapis refusing to fuse with her. She still does and is trying to finish what she started.
• If Jasper wanted to attack the temple while Pearl and Garnet are away, why did she wait till the end of the day? She didn't; she walked all the way from the north to the beach and it took her a good day or two to do so.
• Amethyst's new appearance seems a bit random... until you make note of one thing: Jasper spent the entire fight saying how she was what Amethyst "should be". Jasper's color palette arrangement has her brightest color on her chest, her darkest color on her lower body, and her middle color as her shoes. What's Amethyst's new color palette arrangement? Brightest color on the chest, darkest color for the legs, and middle color for the boots.

Steven vs. Amethyst

"Steven vs. Amethyst"

• Why is Pearl's teaching method so different in this episode compared to "Sworn to the Sword"? Because she already tried her usual teaching method with him in "Steven the Sword Fighter" and learned that Steven has trouble staying focused during training. In response to this, Pearl has developed a new training regimen based on Steven's needs: She gives him several "challenges" to work on specific skills and rewards him with small prizes for his accomplishments during the day (much like quests in a video game).

Bismuth

"Bismuth"

• Bismuth's sheer power and durability (which seems to be at least on par with a Quartz) makes sense when you remember her purpose for being created. Bismuths are construction workers who build all of Homeworld's structures and buildings. For a job like that, one would pretty much have to be a living bulldozer.
• Note how Bismuth's gem is shaped and colored. On the outermost layer, the color is predominately pink, followed by blue, then green, and finally yellow. Along those lines, her philosophy of playing dirty and shattering their gems to make sure they're truly dead closely mimics Homeworld's tactics of putting down rebellious Gems. In other words: on the outside, she's a jovial piece of fun like Rose Quartz, but on the inside, she is just as merciless as Yellow Diamond is when it comes to her opponents.
  • Moreso than that, her gem forms a cavity in her chest, unlike the others who all project outward. This could represent both that she's more focused on the past than the others and has something eating away at her such as her absolute hatred of Homeworld and Rose's betrayal.
• Why doesn't Bismuth have a Gem Weapon of her own? She doesn't need one! Even if her shapeshifting her body doesn't work, she can just make weapons as needed!
  • Even more brilliant, bismuth is a type of metal, which through heat, can be molded and shaped into different weapons. Bismuth worked as a blacksmith for the Crystal Gems, who can turn herself into a weapon.
• Speaking of Bismuth's namesake gem, it's interesting to note that bismuth doesn't naturally have the rainbow colors and stairstep crystal structure it's known for. It only appears that way when it's created artificially. And Bismuths on Homeworld are a caste of... builders and artificers.
• Pearl's spear being upgraded into a trident makes perfect sense when you consider the biggest advantage of a trident over a spear other than having two additional points to stab with: trapping an opponent's weapon between the prongs, at which point there are opportunities for a skilled user to twist or wrench their weapon out of their grip (or snap it if you get the right leverage), which fits Pearl's Weak, but Skilled fighting style by giving her more options. In addition, the added weight likely isn't as big of a disadvantage as it would be for a human, as her strength and ability to alter the size of the spear would neutralize that issue.
• Throughout all of the promotions and leaks for the new episode they said Bismuth was a new Crystal Gem. They never said that Bismuth would be joining them.
• A breaking point is when a person (or object) snaps after taking in too much pressure. The "Breaking Point", a weapon created by Bismuth, is designed specifically to shatter Gems and how that works is it has a metal spike that applies enough force to shatter a Gem. Bismuth's "breaking point" occurs when her idea of a Gem weapon was rejected by both Rose and Steven, resulting in violent rampages that warrant being poofed and bubbled indefinitely. Alternatively, because she takes pride in a blacksmith, you can name her Breaking Point weapon her "Berserk Button".
• Rose may have been using The Power of Legacy when she didn't tell the others about what happened to Bismuth, wanting to preserve her memory.
• Bismuth is a very soft and brittle metal that has a lower melting point than other metals. Bismuth (the character) is a Blood Knight who works in a weapons forge full of molten lava, and is a very destructive person when angered.
• This episode explains why the Crystal Gems' weapons are good at poofing monsters; Bismuth specifically designed them, at Rose's request, to only poof their bodies and leave the gems unharmed.
• Why is Bismuth, an architect and builder — people who are usually depicted with calm, rational, or even pedant personalities — so bloodthirsty towards her former leaders? Well, for once, she went from being a creator of buildings and other mundane, passive designs to being the forger of weapons. However, when you look at it from a philosophical standpoint: she's a creative worker who realized that her talent and powers are wasted on building the same, repetitive designs for her superiors. Rose offered her the chance to explore the full extent of her capabilities, and this brought her to the realization that she has been exploited as a worker, and on top of that, insulted her as a creator through arbitrary limitation and petty degradation. For her, the war wasn't just about her freedom and the protection of the Earth, but also, the punishment and destruction of the ruling elite that dispossessed her, and so many of her kind, and overthrow the system they created — she's essentially the gem equivalent of a militant Marxist or anarchist, while her friends are "merely" defending themselves, their values, and Earth. In other words, the show's creator's haven't just created another blood knight to counter Jasper, but explained why you shouldn't stand up against something or someone out of sheer spite, or worse, putting your own spite before reason or others — it makes you just as bad as the ones you despise. Ideologies and factions that put revenge before the good of others can become the source of just as much, if not greater misery as the ideas they meant to replace.
• Rose refusing to use the Breaking Point makes more sense when you consider this: Jasper showed in "Crack the Whip" that crushing a Gem with your bare hands IS something Gems are capable of, and we can assume a hard hit to an enemy's Gem could do it. However, that is having the CAPABILITY to truly kill and the choice whether to do so or not. You have the OPTION of taking them captive. If they're a civilian who was caught in the crossfire, you have the option to rectify the mistake by sparing and letting them go. The Breaking Point is designed for killing and ONLY for killing. It's a weapon with NO CHOICE as to whether or not you kill your target. It's understandable that Rose would oppose such a thing, as it means you're surrendering any possibility for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
  • The Breaking Point is also wildly impractical as a weapon of war. It only works at point-blank range, and has a long priming time, meaning the Gem targeted would most likely have to be restrained in some way. It is a weapon of terror, not war.
  • Furthermore, using the Breaking Point against even one of the Diamonds would be tantamount to suicide. The Diamonds are the strongest gems with god-like power and the only possible way to even shatter one would require an army of gems using mass-produced Breaking Points, which again is suicide. The Diamonds can use long range abilities (i.e Yellow's thunderbolts, Blue's tears or White's mind control) which grant them the advantage against a close-range weapon. Rose was right to reject it because she must've known that arming each of the Crystal Gems with a Breaking Point and hoping they'd overwhelm any of the Diamonds without losing a large number of soldiers would be far, far too risky to be worth trying out.
• Bismuth treating Amethyst with respect and dignity seems like it was done specifically because of the double-whammy she just went through in the last two episodes, but it makes sense that Bismuth would be completely accepting of Amethyst; Bismuth respected Rose's philosophy that anyone can be anything so long as they chose, hence she's the only person who would have absolutely no baggage against Amethyst; to Bismuth it does not matter what made Amethyst what she is now, but what's important is what Amethyst chooses to be in the future.
• The name Breaking Point can either mean it is the point at which all gems would break (which is the weapon's intended purpose) but it could also mean that its Point (the tip) is used in Breaking gems. Given that Bismuth is known to make puns, it's not surprising that she'd name even a lethal weapon with such a mentality.
  • It also refers to a structural weak spot that can be struck to destroy the entire object. Suffice to say, it's a name that works on multiple levels, both as a weapon and a metaphor for going too far.
• Bismuth constantly refers to elite Gems as "upper crust", which is yet another pun and a phrase that works considering the history of their society, as low-ranking soldiers are grown deep underground.
• When Rose fused with Pearl, Pearl was able to keep her Shipping Torpedo plan from Rose despite the two sharing minds. It's likely that Rose shielded their memories from each other even while fused so that Pearl couldn't learn about all the things she had to do during the war, including Bismuth's fate.
• When Peridot first reformed, she was still carrying out the motions just before she was poofed. Bismuth reforms with both fists raised and panicky, hinting that she was poofed while fighting desperately. Fighting Rose would definitely be the cause.
• Why did the Gems leave Bismuth bubbled, with the other bubbled and Corrupted Gems? There are three main reasons:
  • She said with tears that she wanted to be shattered so that she wouldn't feel despair at how Rose locked her away and made her an Unperson. Bismuth is a Death Seeker who attempted Suicide by Cop by attacking Rose, her leader, and then Steven. For Bismuth, being bubbled is the closest thing to death, without shattering her, and she probably won't want to be disturbed.
  • For the Gems, their best friend tried to kill Rose's son while they were unaware. Even if they want to forgive Bismuth, they can't quite trust her since unlike Peridot, there's no way to depower Bismuth and make her harmless, while with Lapis, Steven was able to talk her down. They aren't ready, physically or emotionally, to rehabilitate Bismuth.
  • Steven is an All-Loving Hero, but he's visibly traumatized from the fight and The Reveal that his mother poofed Bismuth deliberately and hid her away. Most likely, with mindfulness meditation and help from Connie, he may try to reform her in the future when he's better equipped to handle the trauma.
• Bismuth asks "How can you value the Gems of our enemies more than our own?". "A Single Pale Rose" provides the answer: Pink Diamond was Running Both Sides. The Homeworld Gems were just as much "hers" as the Crystal Gems, and she didn't want any of her Gems to be shattered.
• Overlapping with Fridge Horror, Steven has an additional reason to be uncomfortable with shattering Gems: From his meeting with the Cluster, he knows that Gem Shards are still somewhat aware and sentient. Shattering a Gem doesn't kill it, it condemns it to a Fate Worse than Death.

Beta

"Beta"

• The Beta Kindergarten's appearance explains why Jasper is colored the way she is, she seems to have taken on visual cues from the environment she was incubated in!
  • It would also explain Amethyst's coloring since she was made in the Prime Kindergarten.
• Jasper turning out to be pretty much the Gem equivalent of the Ultimate Life Form not only explains why she could even hold her own against Garnet, but also why Yellow Diamond bothered to dispatch a team of Rubies to try and get her back in "Hit the Diamond". She’s not just a run off the mill, expendable soldier; she’s one of the probably few perfect Gem soldiers Homeworld has, if not the only one like her, given Peridot's reaction.
  • It also explains why she only sent Jasper with Peridot to begin with. Not only did she think Earth would be infested with monsters rather than occupied by an enemy, Jasper herself is abnormally powerful. Given the ease with which Jasper overpowered Corrupted Gems, she had a good reason to believe that.
• The reveal that the Beta Kindergarten was made to churn out Quartz-type Gems to bolster Homeworld's dwindling forces explains why we constantly hear about armies of Quartzes, supposedly made for war, being defeated by a ragtag bunch of random Gems from other disciplines; it's likely that due to the rushed job, all of them were defective and much weaker than they were supposed to be.
  • Not only were the Quartzes likely getting weaker, the Rebellion, as we've seen, were likely continuing to improve and possibly growing (it seems the Beta Kindergarten Gems would have MORE reason to join Rose, given they were literally made to be Cannon Fodder.
• The reveal of Jasper's origins explains why she constantly belittles Gems weaker than her and never needed to fuse; she has every right to believe that she is the strongest Quartz soldier to have ever existed.
  • Jasper's origin's and Amethyst's are very interestingly mirrored; as a Beta Gem, Jasper would have been the strongest out of the weakest group of Gems on the planet. The best of the worst, if you will. On the other hand, Amethyst, an overcooked and defective Gem from the Prime Kindergarten, would have been the weakest Prime Gem (the worst of the best).
• Steven's concerns about Amethyst's obsession with revenge on Jasper makes a lot more sense when you consider he's recently witnessed that kind of obsession and hate did to Bismuth.
• While "meepmorps" may be an Inherently Funny Word, it actually makes sense that Homeworld wouldn't have art (outside of things that venerate the Diamonds or show their history, like the murals in "Serious Steven") — it has no purpose on the battlefield, it gives Gems an opportunity to explore life in a way unrelated to their predetermined caste, and it has the possibility to produce subversive social commentary; all are huge risks to the Diamonds' rigorously-structured society (and indeed, artists are usually targeted by oppressive regimes in real life for the same reasons).
  • As "meep morp" is actually Lapis and Peridot's word for "art" (apparently something they had never heard of before), sometimes artists don't even realize the value behind their work. Peridot's works of "meep morp" were all carefully thought out and explained, meanwhile Lapis's were very easy to understand.
    "This is a baseball bat. It reminds me of the time I played baseball. This is the leaf Steven gave me. It reminds me of the time... Steven... gave me a leaf."
• The Reveal that Jasper was made on Earth gives a new meaning to the episode title "The Return". Jasper was returning to the planet she was made on.
• Jasper coming out better than any other quartz despite coming from from the sub-par Beta Kindergarten can likely be explained like this, while the unstable conditions often resulted in off-color gems, the larger variety also allowed something better to result from it. While the prime Kindergarten produced consistently decent quartz that also meant that it wouldn't produce anything exceptional.

Earthlings

"Earthlings"

• Why does Jasper talk more to Amethyst about the Diamonds, and about being made on an imperfect Earth that is full of Corrupt Gems? Because she can sense that Amethyst wants a rematch, and despite her disdain has some respect that the "runt" hasn't given up on fighting. In that way they're similar.
• Jasper during the fight with Amethyst and Smoky Quartz respectively does not attack Peridot, even though the latter is a sitting duck without her limb enhancers and has announced that she has become a Crystal Gem. Later on, she believes that "Rose" did Break the Haughty on Peridot to convert her; Even Evil Has Standards in that Jasper won't go after a comrade that in her mind has been brainwashed.
• During Amethyst's rematch with Jasper, Jasper tries to catch her whip like last time, but she's too slow this time and earns a crack to the face. Remember at the beginning of the last episode how Steven commented on how much faster Amethyst was getting at her whip-cracking?
• Why is Amethyst the first full-Gem Steven fuses with? They're the most alike!
  • For an added bonus, go back and rewatch the first scene of "Alone Together" when the Gems are trying to teach Steven fusion. Now, which dance does he come closest to matching and which Gem is he most in sync with attitude-wise? Amethyst. Had Pearl not been there disapproving of their laughing fits, they may have managed to form Smoky that night.
  • Their fusion weapon, a yo-yo, is a toy for children. Both Steven and Amethyst (barring her 5,000+ years of age) are the most childish of the Crystal Gems. And the reason why Smoky Quartz was able to curb-stomp Jasper with it is because Amethyst, the impulsive one, has Steven's skill and versatility — a yo-yo is a versatile toy that promotes skill and creativity in children.
• Now we know why Jasper is so obsessed with defeating Rose Quartz; Rose was apparently the one who took out Pink Diamond, the same Diamond she and Jasper were supposed to serve under. Since Jasper has the fanatical loyalty to her Diamond that seems to be ingrained into most Homeworld Gems, no wonder she'd be bent on revenge against the Gem who betrayed their leader.
  • Even more than that, Jasper stated that Gems only exist to serve their Diamonds. By taking out Pink Diamond, Rose took away Jasper's entire purpose in life.
  • One small detail that shows she's still loyal is when she talks about Gems obeying their Diamonds, the image zooms out to reveal the old diamond logo with Pink Diamond.
  • Jasper's perfectionism is painful with the context in this episode. Her entire self-identity is being The Ace of Homeworld's army, the favored daughter of Homeworld's Earth like Superman is the favored son of Krypton. Unlike the rest of the Crystal Gems, who rebelled for the right to find and be themselves, Jasper is a flawless example of what a Quartz is supposed to be. She fits perfectly in the Gem hierarchy and has never had a reason to feel frustrated or doubtful... but it's lonely at the top. She can't be a peer to the Diamonds and her only equal, Rose, is no longer in existence and Lapis rejected her. What she really wants is the strength that comes from a solid relationship, but she has no idea what that even is. Add this to the implied horror of forcing a Gem to fuse just to have that connection with someone, anyone, to be her idea of a better self, and you get one (appropriately) well-crafted Nightmare Fuel.
• When Gems are talking about the Diamond they serve under, they say "my diamond". In "The Return", Jasper never says "my diamond" in reference to Yellow Diamond, she always calls her just that.
• Among Jasper's army is one random Cluster Gem. It seems to be the odd one out until you remember that the Beta Kindergarten was where the Cluster entered the Earth's crust.
• Why does Smoky Quartz, a human-looking fusion, have a third arm sprouting out of their left elbow? One reason could be that the yo-yo is not known for precision, so they need support in order to better control its movements. Another reason could be due to Smoky's humor, which come from both Steven and Amethyst. Some comedians use extra arms/hands as props in their skits.
  • Also, consider this. Most Gem/Gem fusions have 4 arms. This was a fusion between a full Gem and a human/Gem Hybrid, so there's only 3/4 of a full gem's worth in them.
• The entire reveal about Pink Diamond puts a new perspective on why Jasper said Rose Quartz was a priority back in "Jail Break". It was far more personal than anyone would have thought at the time.
• When Amethyst and Steven fused for the first time, the fusion occurred with a nuclear blast-like manner. Amethyst and Steven fusing was a spur-of-the-moment, so the feeling of complete shock from seeing that happening was represented by a literal explosion.
• Mixing in with Tear Jerker, Amethyst calls Jasper her "sis" before bubbling her gem because despite being wholly different from each other, they're still Quartzes. It's also Sympathy for the Devil on Amethyst's part because Jasper's recent obsessive behavior, when compared to Amethyst's made it seem like they're actually similar. Despite appearing to be a strong Gem, Jasper suffers from as many psychological issues as Amethyst does.
  • In addition, both were made on Earth to serve Pink Diamond, who you can consider the "mother" to them. It might also be why she had such a close connection with Rose, who you can consider her big sister.
• Peridot trying to reason with Jasper shows a lot of Character Development. Before, when she tried to reason with Yellow Diamond, it was on the basis that Yellow Diamond wouldn't destroy the Earth if Homeworld could use its resources. Here, Peridot knows that Jasper is an emotional Gem who has hurt her roommate Lapis (which in part was Peridot's fault for using Lapis as an "informant" about the planet Earth). So she says that on Earth she's learned to be free, appealing to Jasper's emotional side and trauma from being Lapis' prisoner and wanting to use again. Peridot also knows that what she did to Lapis by bringing her back to Earth appeared unforgivable, but she changed and Lapis forgave her with Steven's help. Jasper could easily go down the same path, if she wished.
• When Jasper accuses Steven and Rose of only offering help to Gems "after they're worthless", she isn't actually wrong. Rose only showed kindness to Ruby and Sapphire after they had become outcasts, having attacked them before they first became Garnet. Amethyst would be considered defective by Homeworld's standards, and likely killed on the spot. Steven aided Lapis when she was cracked, and again after she realized she couldn't adapt to Homeworld after thousands of years in the mirror. The gems only gave Peridot a chance to redeem herself after her limb enhancers were taken away, and Jasper was consistently called a monster by Steven and only offered sympathy when she was being corrupted and in the middle of a breakdown. Technically, she wasn't wrong about how the Crystal Gems recruit new members.
• Smoky Quartz is a fusion that's larger than even Jasper. This is because Steven is the Reincarnation of Pink Diamond, who was quite large herself.
• Smoky Quartz's Leitmotif contains the signature Diamond synth. It makes sense, as Steven is a Diamond.

Back to the Moon

"Back to the Moon"

• Eyeball being a Rebellion veteran explains why she was chosen for the mission: familiarity with the planet.
• Pink Diamond's gemstone being on her navel explains the positioning of the Diamonds in the original symbol. White Diamond, the color we most associate with diamonds, has her Gemstone on her forehead, and apparently has the most colonies (according to her mural, in which she also seems to be holding onto Homeworld), so she's on the top. Blue and Yellow Diamond have about even numbers of colonies, and their gems are on their chests, so they're in the middle. Pink Diamond, having her gem on her navel like her subordinate Rose (similarly to how Yellow and Blue Diamond had Pearls with Gems on their chests) is on the bottom, and only seems to have Earth and the Moon as her territory.
• Jasper and Eyeball's reaction to Pink Diamond's death adds another layer onto why Rose was against Bismuth's intentions to shatter the Diamonds and the nobility: tyrannical despots and horrible bosses or not, the Diamonds are still the leaders of a Cult of Personality. Killing Pink Diamond may remove her as a threat, and probably frees some, but that doesn't change the fact that some are so fanatically devoted to them that killing the Diamonds might just make it worse.
• In her mural, Pink Diamond is seen reaching for what looked like Earth and the Moon. It's possible that Pink Diamond is the youngest of the four Diamonds (Yellow, White, and Blue have already conquered planets while Pink had none prior). Conquering Earth, her first planet, may have been her biggest aspiration and would have reached it had Rose not betrayed her.
• Why is Eyeball the smartest of the Rubies? Simple. She was made during Era 1, when the Homeworld Gems didn't have to compensate for anything when it came to making soldiers. It could be a possible reason why the rest of the Ruby squad is so stupid, as most of them were probably made after Era 2 began.
• Why doesn't Leggy know who Pink Diamond is? Because as Wordof God states, she was literally made the day before her first mission to a distant planet. Afterwards, she spends presumably several weeks to months looking for Jasper. At no point in this point does she spend any real time on Homeworld, where she would be open to indoctrination from the Diamonds.
• Eyeball is the oldest of the Rubies and has the lightest skin tone. In real life, a Ruby will become lighter the longer it is exposed to torchlight.

Bubbled

"Bubbled"

• Why are healing abilities so rare as to be unheard of, if not possibly unique on Homeworld? Because Pearl claims they resulted from her love and empathy, something that the Diamonds' society has in very short supply. Also, the only Gem to ever demonstrate such powers on-screen was Pink Diamond, and Diamonds have been shown to have a level of power way beyond all other Gems.
• Eyeball's serious mental instability goes a long way to explain why despite being the eldest of Ruby Squad, she's not the leader. Unlike Jasper, Eyeball was clearly mentally unstable before coming to Earth, so it makes sense the more levelheaded Doc would be the leader instead.
• After throwing Eyeball out of the bubble, Steven re-seals himself and seems to be finally running out of air. We're treated to a shot of him drifting in the depths of space, and then the screen cuts to black for what feels like a long couple of seconds, making it seem like the Crewniverse might just end the episode there. They've actually been conditioning us to think this is a possible ending for the episode, as many episodes since Jasper's return have ended in cliffhangers, cutting straight to the credits without an Iris Out.
• The second season ended with Peridot suffering a nervous breakdown following her rejection of Yellow Diamond's petty desires and realizing her leader wasn't perfect. The third season ends in a similar fashion, but on a darker note: Steven has to accept that his mother wasn't an All-Loving Hero or perfect, as the Gems and his dad have led him to believe, and suffers a lot of emotional turmoil from it after witnessing the consequences of Rose's actions. Unlike Peridot, who has Garnet to help her through it, the Gems can't help Steven through his Broken Pedestal crisis because they are the ones who insisted Rose was amazing.
• Garnet and Pearl are very vague about Rose shattering Pink. With the new episodes from season five in mind, it's probably that they didn't see it themselves, Rose told them that she did it. Whether or not Rose was using exact words and keeping yet another secret remains to be seen. She was, though Pearl knew what truly happened.
• Eyeball walking on Steven's bubble like it's a Baby Planet actually makes sense when you consider that Gems' bodies automatically adjust to the gravity of any planetoid. Everything with mass has some gravity, even Steven and his bubble.

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