SU rewatch- S1E2- Laser Light Canon
To fill up the space between now and the movie, Iāve decided to rewatch Steven Universe from the very beginning, and record any thoughts or musings that come to mind while rewatching- and also to hunt for potential clues for what we might expect in the future.
So without further ado, here I go.
Other posts in this series:
One of the things I love about the first few episodes of this show is how effortlessly they set up character relationships, and the initial status quo. This is the first time we see Greg, and yet in just ten minutes we learn:
Who Greg is as a person. (Loving and supportive to Steven, satisfied with a simplistic life, sentimental, a bit self-conscious about his failed rock star past, and kinda anxious about all the magic stuff)
Stevenās relationship with him. (He literally thinks the world of his dad and itās precious)
The Gemsā relationship with him. (They genuinely donāt know him as well as they should by now.)
All of this, and nothing about it even seems rushed. A lot of the above is sketched out within short bits of dialogue or wordless reactions- for example, you can tell Greg is self-conscious about his old music when Steven mentions the CDs and then plays one in the van in his movements alone, and through those very same sequences you get the sense of just how much of a hero he is to Steven. Thatās some damn good character writing.
On the Gemsā relationship with him, it becomes clear very quickly that they havenāt gotten the chance to actually know Greg like Steven does.
Pearl:Ā "Greg is.. nice, Steven. But I doubt Rose would entrust someone like him with such a powerful weapon.ā
With her hesitation and wording here you instantly get the sense of how sheās barely spent any time with him to even know what heās like. Even Garnet and Amethyst write off Greg as mostly a lost cause, which I find interesting. (Esp for Amethyst, who used to hang out with him quite a bit- I think they drifted apart when Rose gave up her form, though? Itās been a while since Iāve seen that specific ep.) But anyways, I find it very interesting that they look down on Greg for being kindaā¦ scatterbrained and buffoonish when Steven clearly exhibits some of the same traits. When itās Steven they seem to find it endearing and part of who he is- the one who brings them together, the one who makes them laugh. But when it comes to Greg- heās looked down on for those traits.Ā
Now clearly, thatās because Greg is still taking a lot of theĀ āblameā for Roseās absence. And from the emotional toil that causes for everyone, no wonder Greg distances himself from all the Gem stuff.Ā
Itāll be so interesting seeing all three of the main Gems get to grow closer with Greg as the rewatch continues, and see where this dynamic starts to shift.
Amethyst (about Greg and the laser light canon): āHe probably broke it, or lost it, or dropped it in the ocean by now.ā
Two things about this comment. One, another moment showing just how much the Gems donāt know Greg at this time- since they blame the loss of Rose Quartz on him, they wrongfully assume that Greg has either moved on from it, or doesnāt care, or was careless. They literally think he wouldnāt have cared enough to save her belongings. Theyāre wrong about all of this. Because Greg is actually super sentimental- heās saved everything in a storage unit! Heās kept old photos, remnants of the past, etc.Ā
Two- itās ironic that Amethyst is practically blaming Greg of just dropping a powerful Gem weapon in the ocean, when itās highly insinuated that Obsidian did just that.
Garnet:Ā āWe can handle this, Steven.ā
Odd that she pushes Steven away from helping initially even with her future vision. Is it possible that her current understanding of who Steven is (admittedly still not capable of much when it comes to fighting corrupted Gems) kinda gives her tunnel vision and leaves her unable to foresee the outcomes where Steven is the one who comes through for them?
And in enters Greg. Wow, god I love Greg Universe so much.
He justā¦ comes out swinging with a waffle iron. Absolutely iconic. (I mean I would too if my kid was jumping up and down on the roof of my van- Steven what the hell got into you, you nutter? Donāt jump on vans, honey)
Greg:Ā āAnyway, whatās up? Just needed to see your old man, pal around, learn some lessons about life?ā
Greg:Ā āThe Gems told me not to get involved with magical stuff.ā
These two comments weave together to suggest that Greg- while still a big part of Stevenās life- doesnāt see his son daily, and that the Gems specifically have pushed him away. (In the āwe donāt particularly care for you but we canāt exactly tell you that in front of your adoring sonās faceā sort of way.)
Greg not seeing his kid every day makes senseā¦ later episodes tell us that Greg had Steven live with the Gems when he got older as a way for him to learn about his Gem heritage, since he didnāt know everything about that. Despite this, I love how Steven still takes time to hang out with his dad a lot, listen to him tell stories, play music togetherā¦ Later in the episode, when Gregās talking about how he first met Rose, Steven laughs and fondly saysĀ āI know, dad.ā You can tell he lives for hearing his dadās stories, even if he gets caught up on the same ones a lot. Itās a cute detail. :D
A ton of other human world/magical world stories tend to segregate between the two worlds, but this one doesnāt and I appreciate that. Greg (and by extension, Beach City) knows all about Steven and the Gems, and the Gems grow closer with all the humans as time moves on.
āIf every porkchop were perfect, we wouldnāt have hotdogs.ā
Itās a silly idiom, but its meaning is poignant and absolutely the perfect way to describe Roseās concept of life and change and fusion and love. I can see why it resonated with her so much. Immense beauty and joy and happiness can be found in so-called āimperfectā things. Look at Greg in the photo, with that hotdog in his mouth- heās no perfect put-together man with his life figured out, but heās genuine.Ā
Itās quite fitting that out of every possibility she used this idiom as the key for her laser light canon- and a telling reminder to the rest of the Gems of how much Greg and Steven meant to her personally.
Pearl:Ā āThe gem! You have Roseās gem!ā
Ahhh yes, weāre back to the early days of the series where everyone sees Steven as a boy whoās the carrier of Roseās gem. Hmm. ;D;
And itās obvious that all the side comments Stevenās heard over the years similar to this one have taken their toll, becauseā¦
Steven (about the laser light canon, but alsoā¦):Ā āPlease work. Unlock. Activate! Go! Please?? Everyoneās counting on you! You canāt just be useless-! I know you can help!ā
For most of the show Steven does a fairly good job at plastering on a smile and keeping his deepest insecurities buried, but this is a telling moment where they directly come to the surface. In the days after his gem first activated, Iām sure he became really frustrated when he couldnāt get it to happen again. Even if Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl consider him a Crystal Gem, he knows itās only honorary at this point. The three donāt let him go on missions yet, they gently push him away when he begs to help, they console him for the possibility that he may not figure out his gem powers, and so heās desperate. Heās desperate for them to see him as a true part of the team. Desperate to prove himself in their eyes.
In the end, Roseās loss left such a gap in everyoneās lives, one that Steven can feel every inch of, and he has to exist knowing heās the reason why the gap exists in the first place. Thatās a hard place for a twelve year old kid to be.Ā
