In the nineteenth episode of the third season of Steven Universe, Amethyst deals with inadequacy. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
I figured that “Steven vs. Amethyst” would deal with the last-minute reveal in “Crack the Whip” that Amethyst felt inferior after that Jasper battle. BUT I DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD TURN OUT LIKE THIS. Once again, Steven Universe manages to address another facet of human social interaction. This whole show honestly feels like a guidebook on how to deal with friendships, romance, and the complications that come with everything in between.
Here, though, the show address feelings of competition and inadequacy. Up to this point, Steven had always been the “weakest” of the Gems. Now, this story does a fine job of dismantling that idea as a whole, but at the start, Amethyst feels like she’s finally been surpassed by the one person who was previously “worse” than her. Once you couple that with her existing self-esteem issues (explored over seasons two and three), it’s easy to see why she mopes around the house as Steven regales Pearl and Garnet with tales of his first victory. She feels useless, like a weak link, and it reminds her that she’s not built like other amethysts, either! And good lord, do I ever relate to this.
So, it felt obvious to me that Amethyst joined up in Steven’s training because she wanted to prove – to herself and even to Steven, I’d say – that she was stronger than he was. Petty? Sure. Yet even in minute behaviors like this, the show imbues a whole bunch of meaning and nuance. We can sense why Amethyst is behaving as she is, and there’s a level of heartbreak to it that Steven and Pearl can’t see. (At least not initially.) The more Steven bests Amethyst, the worse she performs. Which sucks because it’s also exciting to watch Steven get better and better! That contradiction fuels the tension throughout “Steven vs. Amethyst,” building until Steven realizes that his success has unknowingly come at the expense of his best friend.
Broken Record Mark is back, y’all: STEVEN TRIES EVERYTHING HE CAN TO MAKE SOMEONE ELSE FEEL BETTER. (Seriously, he’s written so consistently across the board. I love it.) Granted, it doesn’t work, and in this instance, it comes across more as patronizing than helpful, especially since Amethyst feels like a fraud. Letting her win at a video game isn’t going to solve the problem. Yet it’s at this exact point that “Steven vs. Amethyst” takes a turn that’s both hilarious and touching. I loved that the show allowed Steven to feel resentful towards Amethyst, especially since he’s struggled for so long just to feel like he could belong with the Crystal Gems. He gets one victory, and this happens?
This gives way to one of the strangest fights on the whole show, which pits Steven against Amethyst so that each person can prove that they’re the worst at fighting. Visually, it’s a beautiful mess, since both characters actually try really hard to win the fight but then immediately discount every awesome thing that they do. IT’S SO WEIRD TO WATCH. I admit that I got a little worried that someone would get seriously hurt, but thankfully, Steven and Amethyst realized how silly this fight was. Well, the fight was silly, but their issues with adequacy weren’t. Instead of thinking of themselves as flawed and untalented, they come to appreciate what they are good at! It’s a lovely approach that allows them to acknowledge things that might be holding them back while still celebrating the ways in which they are AWESOME.
I felt really good about this episode. REALLY GOOD.
The video for “Steven vs. Amethyst” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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