In the thirty-second episode of the first season of Steven Universe, THIS EPISODE IS A LOT. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of child abuse, homophobia, racial stereotypes.
Well, there’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get into this.
Garnet
I might have to keep a list of funniest moments in this show, mostly so that Garnet’s conversation with Mrs. Maheswaran can be right at the top. Just… it’s so indicative of who Garnet is, and it’s also a hilarious joke. “They’re bleeding. Oh no, they are dead. Don’t call again.â€
SHE IS PERFECT.
A Lie
So, there are probably a million ways to interpret this episode, but I’m gonna focus on two of them. I thought it seemed too deliberate that the writers had Connie use the word “nuclear.†That’s such an interested choice for how Connie lied to her parents regarding Steven’s family. While we all know that Steven’s family is about as non-traditional as humanly possible, it had never been an issue. Until now, that is. The fact that Connie was able to recognize that her parents would freak because Steven was being raised by three people who appear to be women set off alarms in my head. Not only could this easily be a story about a kid who doesn’t have both parents, but it could also help kids who have LGBT parents talk about this specific phenomenon.
I know that my own personal experience is part of the reason why I thought this. Connie’s fears felt familiar to me, but only because it’s something I’ve had to worry about myself. In my previous relationship, I wasn’t even allowed to be out to my partner’s parents. They just thought I was a best friend. It’s not a fun thing to experience, and it’s not the only context where I’ve had to worry about my sexuality or how I would be perceived. This doesn’t need to be explicitly explored in the show itself for me to get this kind of meaning, of course, but it also feels intentional sometimes.
Mrs. Maheswaran
Admittedly, though, I think that’s an intentional thing because I’m biased in another way. Connie’s mother reminds me way too much of my own, and that’s why my instinctual reaction was to dislike her. And I know I have complicated feelings on that! I am always going to dislike mothers who use fear to parent their children. On top of that, I’m wary of how close this might come to the tiger mom stereotype that’s often given to Asian mothers. Granted, it’s a term rooted in Chinese culture initially, but Mrs. Maheswaran is the first negative motherly figure on this show, and it’s suspicious that she also happens to be non-white and, based on her last name, of South Asian or South East Asian descent.
In a more general sense, Mrs. Maheswaran simply does not feel funny, not like Alexandrite does. The fusion of all three of the Crystal Gems is an utter disaster, but I did not get the same sense of cruelty from her. Alexandrite might be strict with Steven after Steven runs away, but her behavior is drastically different when compared to Connie’s mother. Take that phone conversation in the beginning of the episode. Connie’s formal way of speaking might seem funny, but to me, that’s a huge red flag. Who forces their child to talk to them like that at such a young age? Throughout this episode, I was left feeling deeply uneasy about how Mrs. Maheswaran spoke to her daughter. There’s no kindness in her voice. Everything sounds like a judgment. And as someone whose mother criticized them at every turn, who used fear to raise her children, who created the kind of paranoid environment that Connie lives in here… it’s awful. I did not turn out fine, it didn’t make me a better person, and I would trade that experience in a heartbeat.
Even when Mrs. Maheswaran accepts Steven’s family, it’s not because they’re good people or because you shouldn’t be a judgmental jerk. No, it’s because she admires their ridiculous punishment of Steven. That’s the only thing that impresses them!!! Nothing else! Like fusing together to help their son, or speaking to him respectfully, or being affectionate with him. Just discipline.
I hope Connie’s family doesn’t stay like this, y’all. She was even too afraid to tell her parents that her eyesight was healed! THAT IS NOT A GOOD ENVIRONMENT.
The video for “Fusion Cuisine†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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