Steven Universe S03E15, "Alone at Sea"

[kate_nepveu]

. . . hmmm.

I am not quite sure the pacing on this episode worked fully. I think the Jasper confrontation needed a little more meat on its bones? I got the impression that Jasper was lonely and seeking what she's been taught to value, power, via fusion, but somehow it didn't quite land the way I wanted it to, maybe because it came so late in the episode. I'm impressed they're trying something this complex with the black-hole abusive relationship, again, and I think it was almost there. Or it's just fatigue talking. I dunno.

("Thanks but... I'm not putting that on my body." I love Lapis' bored/disgusted/side-eyeing faces.)

(S.S. Misery, indeed. Whether "loves company" or Stephen King, I see what you did there.)

Comments

[rushthatspeaks]

I think that's true. I also think Lapis wanted to stop being herself. Also not a great idea.

Malachite is, as well, Lapis's way of trying to get some agency over her situation, and I'm sure Lapis feels that on some level she was only meeting violence with violence. Not remotely a good enough excuse. I'm also pretty sure Lapis would say that she wanted a longer-term solution to the problem of Jasper than just punching her, which is not an excuse either, because the Crystal Gems demonstrate that you can, in fact, spend thousands of years just punching gem shards when you need to and have that be an aggravating but manageable status quo.

Violence of some kind seems to be what all the Gems, not just Lapis, resort to habitually when they have no idea what else to do, which is one reason Steven's position as breaker of patterns and forger of new, healthier models is so significant. I'd say that habitual violence is a characteristic trait of Gems, except that, uh, also a trait of many, many humans, just not mostly the ones this show focuses on. Culturally, the Gems are all certainly encouraged to be violent, and not to think things through overmuch.

Going to be interesting to see what the writers do with Jasper, since physical violence is one of Jasper's major things, and we've seen her trying to work with others so far only in a context where Jasper frames that as 'this is how we can be more efficiently violent'. And she is met with violence both times she asks for something, too, though I am way, way, way more down with the second time and Lapis punching her, because punching Jasper is at least a proportionate response. But Jasper is, I think, going to have to learn something else to want and some other ways to react to situations, and we really have no hints yet as to what those are going to be, as Steven has not yet had a chance to interact with her except while she's actively being a danger to him.

[kate_nepveu]

This is so interesting, thank you both, and I suspect that it is partly why the scene wasn't landing for me quite right!