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Victin Since: Dec, 2011
#47376: Feb 28th 2017 at 2:26:35 PM

I think the show deserves a rewatch so I can have a better opinion. At least so I can tweet about each episode - I forgot to do it when I began the binge >_> But for now I'll mention some of the episodes I liked the most. I'll try to avoid mentioning the things I dislike for now.

  • Season One
    • "Joking Victim", "Island Adventure": I find the relationship between Lars and Sadie cute... if I can't see why anyone likes Lars (I said just now I wasn't doing that <_<)
    • "Alone Together": I think this is about when the show had me start thinking about transhumanism.

  • Season Two
    • "Love Letters": I liked learning more about Garnet and meeting Jamie.
    • "Sworn to the Sword": nice, self-contained, and tells us a lot about Pearl, Connie and Steven.
    • "We Need to Talk": similarly, also telling us about Greg, Rose and the Crystal Gems before Steven was born.
    • The Sardonyx story arc: I liked how the show handled not only the issues between Garnet and Pearl but also how it affected everyone else.
    • "Too Far", "Message Received", "Log Date 7 15 2": for showing how Peridot comes to enjoy the Earth and befriend the crystal gems, and calling Yellow Diamond a clod.

  • Season Three
    • "Hit the Diamond": the Rubies are so dumb, but so different from each other too.
    • "Mr. Greg": it's nice to see Pearl moving on, and she and Greg reconciling.

  • Season Four
    • "Last One Out of Beach City": I found Pearl a little out-of-character in this episode, but again, it's nice to see her move on and even get acquainted with human life. I was amused by the show making stuff like the gems not being citizens explicit.
    • "That Will Be All": The Amethysts, the creepy song, and the Crystal Gems dissing Holly.

Well, I did explicitly mention the Sardonyx story arc, but I found many of the story arcs dealing with the War and Homeworld to be very exciting. Those had me watching one episode after the other.

HextarVigar That guy from The Big House Since: Feb, 2015
That guy
#47377: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:18:24 PM

And then there's the Cluster.

Damn, that thing is wrong.

Your momma's so dumb she thinks oral sex means talking dirty.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#47378: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:25:34 PM

aka Homeworld's idea of payback

Just be glad they didn't try to nuke the planet..oh wait,they did,they nuked their own forces and the rebels,which is probably what caused their resource shortages in the first place

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#47379: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:29:16 PM

Isn't much of a nuke without any explosions...

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#47380: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:34:05 PM

[up]There was a loud sound and bright light viewable all across the world, it just didn't do anything to any non-gem object or organism.

Funny, I wonder if human historians/anthropologists noticed cultures all across the world alluding to a single visible event—like Krakatoa, but even bigger.

HextarVigar That guy from The Big House Since: Feb, 2015
That guy
#47381: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:35:54 PM

"Remember all those friends you lost? They're a bomb now."

Your momma's so dumb she thinks oral sex means talking dirty.
Victin Since: Dec, 2011
#47382: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:37:15 PM

I wonder what kind of weapon causes the corruption in gems *shivers*

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#47384: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:43:10 PM

[up][up][up]And now I wonder if there's shards of Pink Diamond in that cluster.

MightyMatilda Mr. Clueless from New Jersey, USA Since: Jan, 2015
Mr. Clueless
#47385: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:44:08 PM

@thatother1dude: Granted, a huge number of cultures have a myth about an ancient, cataclysmic flood, but most historians just consider it a coincidence.

De Romanīs, lingua Latina gloriosa non fuī.
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#47386: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:47:56 PM

There was a loud sound and bright light viewable all across the world, it just didn't do anything to any non-gem object or organism.

Randomness just appreciates the traditional nukes...

This more of a mental one...which won't be dismissed, but still looked down on.

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#47387: Feb 28th 2017 at 3:51:03 PM

Granted, a huge number of cultures have a myth about an ancient, cataclysmic flood, but most historians just consider it a coincidence.
Probably because that's just an exaggeration of real type of disaster experienced all over the world. Not a specific, extremely unnatural sound.

RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#47388: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:00:30 PM

Humans in this world seem to have a Weirdness Censor, honestly. No one questioned the giant, clearly alien temple (which was occupied when Beach City was settled), which is probably the most visible sign of Gem habitation, and everyone seems to have settled down barely a year after a giant green hand ship exploded in midair and nearly destroyed the city.

People are surprisingly chill about Gem-related things, is my point.

It's been fun.
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#47389: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:03:39 PM

On another forum I frequent one guy keeps saying the lack of recognition is down to the dangerous levels of gem radiation,which has made the population of beach city dumber then usual

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
randomness4 Ghost '11 from The Land of Inconvenience Since: Sep, 2011
Ghost '11
#47390: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:04:16 PM

It's because people rarely ever went to that side of the beach...apparently.

Now it's just that they don't care...

Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.
Victin Since: Dec, 2011
#47391: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:11:09 PM

@Red Savant: Gems have been around ever since written history has been a thing, or even before that. I think people are vaguely aware gems exist, but don't do anything about them because the gems aren't that weird as, once again, they've been around. Maybe they did once in ancient history, and got into an agreement with the Crystal Gems, or scared away, or there wasn't enough mutual interest.

@Kayeka: I'm wondering if Pink Diamond was really shattered. Granted, all evidence so far seems to point towards that, so it's a wild mass guess-worthy theory at best.

SilentColossus (Don’t ask)
#47392: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:26:34 PM

My problem with the Beach City episodes in relation to the Myth arc is how separated they are. Sometimes it feels like two separate shows. Rebecca Sugar has said the series is about the mythical being fascinated by the mundane, but we hardly see that, aside from episodes with Rose.

Humans that aren't Connie or Greg are rarely connected to the myth arc, and even then, they typically serve a small role. Greg's role in the recent bomb was unusual.

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#47393: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:27:35 PM

Yeah I think the residents of Beach City are just used to it.

Andy seems much more willing to question it.

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
SilentColossus (Don’t ask)
#47394: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:33:15 PM

Yes. Exactly.

They put so much effort into worldbuilding for the gems that the lack of the same for humans is strange and notable. And you can't brush it off as being a cartoon because of all the effort put into Homeworld.

There are ruins. There are corrupted gems. There were three spaceships. Humans should have noticed, and probably have, but there is so little attention placed on it.

edited 28th Feb '17 4:35:12 PM by SilentColossus

thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#47395: Feb 28th 2017 at 4:51:34 PM

Humans have two types of indifference toward the gems: There's people from Beach City, who are aware of their existence and ignore it. Then there's people from out of Beach City (the Maheswaran, Mystery Girl, Andy, Marty) who find gem-related things strange... but not particularly notable.

Gems have been around ever since written history has been a thing, or even before that.
Almost certainly before: The war started 5750 years ago, while the earliest writing systems (that had words and not just numbers) date back about 5300 years.

Humans should have noticed, and probably have, but there is so little attention placed on it.
I've long figured that, from our perspective, archaeology must be the weirdest shit in this world. Evidence of alien presence on Earth is abundant and obvious, but we can't really do anything with it because gem technology is as good to humans as stage props. It's like being in a world where it turns out Hercules is real, and he lives three houses down from you.

edited 28th Feb '17 4:51:44 PM by thatother1dude

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#47396: Feb 28th 2017 at 5:06:01 PM

I wonder if it's denial more then anything else,people this case choose to ignore the evidence of alien structures and artefacts just so they can continue to go about their lives as part of a coping mechanism

edited 28th Feb '17 5:06:29 PM by Ultimatum

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
Bocaj Funny but not helpful from Here or thereabouts (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Funny but not helpful
#47397: Feb 28th 2017 at 5:09:25 PM

There's people that think the pyramids were made by aliens.

I guess in Steven Universe there's people that think alien temples were made by lost human civilizations.

Forever liveblogging the Avengers
Victin Since: Dec, 2011
#47398: Feb 28th 2017 at 5:16:53 PM

._. I-I'm sorry for the Wall of Text.

The show reminds me a lot of Ponyo. One of the main themes of the movie is acceptance, and I see a lot of that in the show. In both works, sometimes that goes beyond what's believable to reinforce how important acceptance is. Off the top of my head the example that comes to mind is Connie's mom worrying more about how her own behaviour led to Connie mistrusting her than her daughter lying to her and training to go on life-endangering adventures.

Additionally, oftentimes I find that the characters' personal issues are more important than the external issues they face. I think there are a few episodes the characters are dealing with an external problem, then they fail to deal with the problem, followed by the show taking a break from the problem to see one character's introspection or dialogue between multiple characters, and finally ending with the problem basically solving itself. I feel like putting it that way makes it sound like a bad thing, but I disagree, even if one might dislike the execution or the idea in itself. How Steven and Peridot dealt with the cluster is an example, but I think I had a better one I just can't remember right now.

Extra Credits once had an episode on "Why Aren't There Science Fiction Games?"(, in which they quote someone else who) I'll paraphrase here: "science fiction should make the marvelous seem mundane, and then mundane life will seem marvelous." I think the series does manage to do that, and, although maybe it's just me, maybe it's only natural, the show gets better at it after we have an idea of who the characters are.

The way I see the show succeeding at such is, interestingly, not when Rose Quartz is fascinated with the Earth and Humanity, but when the characters are shown enjoying their lives and caring about themselves and each other. It's the little details, like the gems choosing to eat and sleep (or choosing not to), or in the bigger ones, like the gems spending time together and having fun. You see these amazing people, capable of superheroic acts and feats of legend, and you see them struggling the hardships you struggle. The loss of a loved one, loss of trust between friends, feeling like an outsider, being unable to help the people who refuse to be helped, or with problems you can't do anything about but be there for them.

In a way, I think that's the Myth Arc of the show. But, yes, pls gimme more of the War against Homeworld.

@Silent Colossus: I have to agree I wish the humans were better developed - actually that's a loaded sentence. Let's say I wish they had been handled differently. I'm trying to keep in mind the characters I like rather than the ones I don't in saying this.

For example: Lars. I don't see any reason to think Lars is anything other than a jerk except that somehow Steven and Sadie like him. Hold on - we do see Lars not being a jerk: when other people act like jerks towards him. Sadie keeps him stranded in a desert island for days. Steven hijacks his body (I found that terrifying). And that's when he behaves less of a jerk than you'd expect him to.

Uh, I might have been too specific here. But to answer the rest of your post, and other people: I do think humans - especially, say, the government - should have noticed or shown noticing the gems and everything related to them, and I would love to see that. However, ultimately I don't think that's the point of the show. Although I'm not saying they wouldn't do it in the future, who knows.

@slimcoder: Andy is told they are aliens and is still more interested in the barn.

@thatother1dude: Assuming they are in the year 20XX, I calculated the war started between 3 and 4 thousand B.C., which Wikipedia said was about when writing was invented. I didn't bother to check if that was accurate.

My biggest pet peeve is that, even if people didn't think too much about the gems, they should be paying more attention to their technology. Of course, I'm sure the Crystal Gems would try to stop humans from meddling with gem technology, but still.

I would be amused if there was some kind of reveal like "the current year is actually in the real world's past, though through the study of gem tech humanity advanced a little faster."

InAnOdderWay Since: Nov, 2013
#47399: Feb 28th 2017 at 5:40:55 PM

I shitpost in /sug/ more than I should, and dear god do they hate this. It's like a masquarade plot but worse because people straight up don't give a shit. One of the coolest parts of a fantasy/reality crossover is seeing people's interactions when they first face the unknown, and the oddities that happen at the intersection between reality and fantasy. Of course the natural problem is that this state is inherently unsustainable, and sooner or later everything will either be real, or not. Extra Credits I believe had a good episode on that too, no clue on the name though (I'll find it later).

It's just... it's more than just unbelievable, it's frustrating. It's frustrating because there's so much cool stuff that's going on and happening and so rarely do we see characters actually reacting to it.

And even worse than that, we don't even see the fantastical become mundane. The show seems to actively work to separate "gem stuff" from "human stuff", by keeping the gems out of Beach City and downplaying any interaction the Gems have with Beach City, which directly works against the themes of the show.

Edit: Gravity Falls was a good use of this trope. It had a reasonable explaination to show why people care so little about the obvious supernatural prescence in the town, but we still had the main cast actively reacting to the weird world around them. And the characters never really get "used to t", which I like. Up til Weirdmaggedon every new fantastical element introduced was treated as a weird new thing to play around with.

edited 28th Feb '17 5:43:18 PM by InAnOdderWay

thatother1dude from Land of the Ill, Annoyin' Since: Jan, 2001
#47400: Feb 28th 2017 at 6:21:44 PM

I think there are a few episodes the characters are dealing with an external problem, then they fail to deal with the problem, followed by the show taking a break from the problem to see one character's introspection or dialogue between multiple characters, and finally ending with the problem basically solving itself... How Steven and Peridot dealt with the cluster is an example, but I think I had a better one I just can't remember right now.
I wouldn't say the external problem "solves itself", it's more than the character comes up with a solution spontaneously once they're no longer distracted. Going back to the first episode, Centipeetle was a threat all the Crystal Gems together couldn't really figure out how to beat. But once Steven decides to stop trying to force his power, he immediately succeeds by using the cookie cat freezer to electrify her.

My biggest pet peeve is that, even if people didn't think too much about the gems, they should be paying more attention to their technology.
The way I figure, gem technology isn't just unusable by humans, it's incomprehensible—that even in the modern day, human scientific analysis cannot determine how gem tech functions, or discover anything else of value. As far as they can tell, they're just carved piles of rock. That's what I meant when I said it was "as good to humans as stage props".

This might even apply to the gems themselves: while they're poofed, they may be materially indistinguishable from mundane (if improbably large) gemstones.

The show seems to actively work to separate "gem stuff" from "human stuff", by keeping the gems out of Beach City and downplaying any interaction the Gems have with Beach City, which directly works against the themes of the show.
It's not just the show, humans and gems have been collectively avoiding each other. It's what Rose and Greg meeting, and Steven being born, so unusual.

That said, it's still disappointing that there's still so little meaningful interaction between gems that aren't Steven and humans that aren't Greg or Connie. Especially since "Beach Party", way back in season 1a, was based entirely on that.


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