In the twentieth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, SUGILITE. OH MY GOD. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.
Trigger Warning: For talk of exercise/weight loss, body issues, body dysmorphia.
This was unexpected. WHAT A JOURNEY. I love how casual this episode is about revealing a new gem fusion, at least until it’s not subtle or quiet at all. We’re dropped into the Gems’s latest mission, which isn’t about battling some new creature or monster, but taking out a building. Okay, not the most intense mission on the show so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In an effort to save time, Garnet suggests a fusion: Sugilite, the fusion between her and Amethyst. In that moment, I became Steven. It was “Giant Woman” all over again, and I have no shame. I just got so excited, okay??? CAN YOU BLAME ME?
Their dance, y’all. Was Garnet vogueing? IT WAS SO GLORIOUS, FRIENDS. And Sugilite was something else, a massive, excited, and powerful fusion, one that combines the strength of Garnet with the exuberance of Amethyst. Which… yeah, that’s about as out-of-control as a fusion could be. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE SEE. Sugilite takes glee in destroying the communications tower without any regard for how that affects other people, including Steven and Pearl, who have to leave because of the flying rubble. What little we see of Sugilite in this episode suggests that she is hard to control and eager to use her abilities for anything. It’s why Pearl urges Garnet and Amethyst not to fuse for this mission. What if she’s too much?
Spoiler alert: Sugilite was too much.
But that’s not the message that Steven takes away from this. Which is understandable! He just sees how cool it looks when Sugilite tears that building apart, and all he wants to do is contribute to these missions in a way just like that. That’s why he becomes obsessed with being “strong” once he’s home. To him, that’s what power represents, and I don’t blame him for thinking that way. He watches the Gems use physical strength to their advantage all the time, and it makes sense that he’d internalize that message. There’s so much more to the world than physical strength, of course, and that’s what Pearl deeply wishes Steven could understand. She even sings an incredible song about it. (IT’S SUCH A GOOD SONG, COULD THERE BE MORE SONGS IN THE FUTURE.”) Power can come from so many things!
And this episode gets real close to something personally upsetting to me. I haven’t spoken about it much in my writing (I don’t think I’ve said anything since I watched My Mad Fat Diary), but I have a number of issues around dysmorphia, self-esteem, and working out. I have been exactly where Steven has: excited at the concept of working out, eager to get quick results, and then crushed by the reality that bodies (especially mine) do not work that way. Steven compels his father, Sadie, and Lars to work out with him, and it turns out he’s actually a fantastic coach, but strength does not show up over night. No, horrible SORENESS does. Always a fun feeling! (I’m currently sick while writing this, and I know the day I head back to the gym is the day I guarantee I’ll be as sore as Steven is here.)
In the end, Steven realizes that Pearl is strong in her own way. She’s clever. She’s brilliant at planning. And her cunning mind is what allows her to defeat Sugilite, not her physical strength. It’s honestly one of the cooler messages on the show, something I hope to see more of as Steven learns about his own body, too. I love that he’s not a skinny kid and that this episode did not have him fret about his size. He can be just who he is and still be a valuable person.
The video for “Coach Steven” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
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