In the twenty-third episode of the first season of Steven Universe, Steven makes a different attempt with a gem creature. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
One of Steven’s most admirable features is his commitment to viewing all living beings as his next possible friend. Indeed, this appeals to me on a very basic level, especially since I think of all animals as potential best friends. I literally greet dogs on the street with, “Hello, friend!” So it makes a lot of sense to me that Steven would be the first person to look at one of these gem monsters and think, “Hey, I’d like to be your friend!”
Of course, he’s not the very first, but I’ll get to that later. This episode sheds a lot of light on why the Crystal Gems keep going on these missions. Gems are spread all about the world, corrupted in some way that allows these “monsters” to exist. Perhaps they are sick? Regardless, the Gems travel to find them and “destroy” the monsters, which causes them to revert back to their gem forms. (Which is very reminiscent of what we saw when Pearl was regenerating.) These gems are then stored in the temple in the same place where we’ve seen Garnet quite frequently. They’re not destroyed, though, which is important. FOR REASONS I WILL DISCUSS!
Thus, it makes sense that since none of the Gems were ever able to “heal” a corrupted gem, they have to view them all as a threat. The acid-spitting Centipeetle is no exception, either, until Steven deals with it. Notice how he makes his body small by laying on the ground! Right from the start, Steven does whatever he can to make himself appear to not be a threat to this creature, and it’s spectacular. He speaks to the Centipeetle with respect and admiration, and when the Gems return and threaten it, he stands up for the creature.
And y’all, I adore that Garnet has faith in Steven. I imagine that she must have immediately thought of Rose’s attempts to do the same thing with past monsters, and she wanted to give Steven a chance. It’s so important, too, because Steven needed this opportunity. And this isn’t so much about Steven learning to fail as it is about the hope that he inspires. Over the course of “Monster Buddies,” he works hard to tame the Centipeetle. He uses chips to help train it to follow commands, and when a seagull attacks, he devises an ingenious method to get the Centipeetle to spit its acid on command. The gem monster becomes PART OF THE TEAM EVEN. Without the Centipeetle’s help, would they have gotten to the Shooting Star?
Unfortunately, this episode ends in tragedy, and I’m still messed up from how sad this got. Steven believed so wholly in Centipeetle’s desire to be nice and good that he nearly died from it. In the end, the Centipeetle chose to save Steven and sacrifice itself, which is about as good as a creature can get. Again, I understand the hesitancy the other Gems have regarding these monsters. Even Rose Quartz and all her love could not cure these creatures, but perhaps that’s what Steven is here for. That’s why this episode is so important. Steven represents hope. He’s here to show that there might be another way in the future to deal with monsters. For now, though, he’s developed the power to bubble gems like Garnet does, though he adds his special touch: a bubble containing chips for Centipeetle.
I’m not crying because WE ARE ALL CRYING.
The video for “Monster Buddies” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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