In the fourth episode of the second season of Steven Universe, Connie and Steven attempt to console their lovesick mailman. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
I LOVE THIS EPISODE A GREAT DEAL.
Look, it’s never easy to get rejected, and I appreciate that “Love Letters” doesn’t forget this fact. It’s a terrible thing to have to go through, so much so that there used to be a time in my early twenties when I probably would have related to Jamie far more than Garnet in this episode. Granted, that’s a complicated thing for me. Being gay adds a level of misery to it all, since I never got to have a high school romance. After so much time without any love, rejection felt like it stung so much more as I started dating. Add a ton of things on top of that – the difficulty of dating while gay, the undeniable fact that MEN ARE TRASH ALL THE TIME, a lack of self-esteem, and a propensity for sabotaging relationships because of said lack of self-worth – and y’all, I was pretty much a Nice Guy for a bit.
And it takes a lot of introspective examination to un-do this kind of damaging thought. It really does! It’s not always easy to accept rejection at face value, but that’s what is necessary. No one owes you their love or affection or friendship. It is not a transaction. It is not a requirement. Thus, “Love Letters” is a fantastic way to get this message across, and I’m so pleased with how this unfolded. Garnet is spectacular, so it’s no surprise that Jamie became infatuated with her. And it’s important to call it infatuation. That’s what this is. Jamie is not in love with her, nor is there love anywhere in this one-sided interaction. Love is work and respect and knowledge, and there’s none of that here. (Except within Garnet, and y’all… I love that you cannot deny who Garnet is here. This episode explicitly refers to Ruby and Sapphire as being in a relationship. IT IS CANON. Not just canon, either, but openly referred to, which is great, because I’m sick of having to play a Where’s Waldo-esque game with non-straight people in the things I watch and read.)
So: Garnet is hilariously direct with Jamie, at least when she dictates the letter that Connie and Steven write for him. (That’s my favorite scene possibly of all time, I LOVE IT SO MUCH.) Granted, the Gems are notorious for having difficult relationships with humans, since they often don’t understand the intricacies of social interactions. I could see that in the letter itself, which would have come off as cruel had Steven and Connie given it to Jamie. But not giving it to him and composing a letter that let him down “easy” backfired so spectacularly, y’all. In this case, Jamie actually needed the more direct rejection. The flowery version that Connie wrote only fed into the imaginary relationship that Jamie saw growing before him. There was no reciprocation here whatsoever, and yet? He totally believed there was.
I really loved that scene on the beach, too. Garnet apologizes for how harsh she was to Jamie, but the writers don’t have her give in to his unhealthy desires. No, they have her stick to her rejection, and THAT IS SO IMPORTANT. At no point do they tell us that Jamie’s behavior earns Garnet’s time or attention. He is not entitled to it at all! Garnet is kind enough to give him advice, and she respects him enough to tell hm the truth. That’s a wonderful thing.
The video for “Love Letters” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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