In the eighth episode of the second season of Steven Universe, Steven and the Gems try to track down Peridot and discover something horrifying. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of consent and homophobia.
If Garnet is made of love, then what Peridot has done is horrifying.
“Keeping It Together” is a Cronenberg nightmare come to life, yet another piece of evidence that those from the Homeworld do not hold hold Earth to any standard other than that of a resource. It is a place that can benefit them, and that’s it. They care not for one living creature upon the planet. But there’s another layer added here that makes them seem even worse: they don’t even seem to care what happens to other Gems.
I’m guessing that Kindergarten is the key to understanding this. If the Homeworld Gems have mined planets in order to create Gems, then each individual Gem is disposable. Replaceable. Meaningless. For each that rebels, they can make a hundred more. For each one born flawed, they can make a thousand more. What’s the price of one life when weighed against that?
There’s the main difference between Garnet and the Gems of the homeworld, and I’m so thrilled that Garnet was put at the center of this. Garnet’s fusion is entirely based on mutual love and – here’s the kicker – consent. Both Ruby and Sapphire want to be together, so much so that they fused to form Garnet as permanently as possible. So, to her, what Peridot has done goes against everything that she believes. Peridot does not inherently value the live of gems, so much so that she was willing to use PIECES OF THEIR BODIES to fuse them together for an experiment. Now, if I understand gem physiology correctly, even shards of a gem are still technically “alive” in some sense. They retain some life or part of the original being, so fusing various parts together would be like surgically grafting various sentient body parts together.
No wonder Garnet is horrified to speechlessness by what she discovers here. No wonder she can’t respond as she usually does as she stares down the monstrosity that Peridot made. NO WONDER SHE ALMOST COMES UNDONE. And y’all, this is a barely veiled metaphor for homophobia, isn’t it??? This is what the Homeworld thinks of fusion. It’s a punishment. An experiment. It is anything but love and respect and friendship, and thus, she has every right to feel disgusted by what Peridot has done.
Which means I feel a whole lot of love for this show. Here’s a metaphorical representation of gay/queer love that is also literal at the same time. TAKE NOTE, GENRE SHOWS/BOOKS. YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO THIS, I PROMISE YOU. Y’all, Steven Universe was clearly made for me, you were all right, I HAVE NEVER BEEN LESS PREPARED FOR A SHOW EVER.
The video for “Keeping It Together” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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