Steven Universe: Barn Mates
May 26, 2016 9:48 PM - Season 3, Episode 4 - Subscribe
Steven helps two friends get along at the barn.
Steven and Peridot incessantly bother Lapis who just wants to be left alone and be given time to deal with her trauma.
Steven and Peridot incessantly bother Lapis who just wants to be left alone and be given time to deal with her trauma.
Some of us have already seen two episodes beyond this one, due to CN France showing episodes ahead of time. It's hard for me to talk about the (space!) ship in this one without talking about the next episode, which is really weird....
I have a hard time watching this episode because I empathize with both. There is nothing in the world that says two people must be friends if one of them doesn't want to, even if the other is desperate for it. But Peridot tries so hard, and she has come pretty far. And I would think that the one thing Lapis really needs after months of forced fusion and thousands of years of isolation is friendship.
I do wonder what Peridot and Lapis are going to do by themselves. I mean, what do gems without a job or mission do, like to relax, or for a personal project? They don't need to sleep and most seem like they have little use for creature comforts, judging by Pearl and Garnet. (Amethyst's whole life has been spent on Earth, so she obviously picked up some human habits.)
posted by JHarris at 12:42 AM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have a hard time watching this episode because I empathize with both. There is nothing in the world that says two people must be friends if one of them doesn't want to, even if the other is desperate for it. But Peridot tries so hard, and she has come pretty far. And I would think that the one thing Lapis really needs after months of forced fusion and thousands of years of isolation is friendship.
I do wonder what Peridot and Lapis are going to do by themselves. I mean, what do gems without a job or mission do, like to relax, or for a personal project? They don't need to sleep and most seem like they have little use for creature comforts, judging by Pearl and Garnet. (Amethyst's whole life has been spent on Earth, so she obviously picked up some human habits.)
posted by JHarris at 12:42 AM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, Peridot always had the drill as her project. Now that job is over, what has she done so far, aside from build Lapis a pool?
She really has such good intentions, and she has come such a long way. It's funny to hear Stephen tell her to speak from the heart -- I expected her to say that Gems don't have a heart, but she also seems to have lost her literal-mindedness and learned to understand human/English idioms. I also sympathised with Peridot and felt a little irritated at Lapis's refusal to accept anything Peridot offered. But 5,000 years of being left behind or otherwise mistreated and ignored, and then have the Gem who captured you to take them to Earth try to be nice...well, I guess it would be hard to accept.
I've also already seen the next two (all three eps in a row this morning), so I hope I didn't say anything spoilery there...I don't think I did.
posted by tracicle at 6:45 AM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
She really has such good intentions, and she has come such a long way. It's funny to hear Stephen tell her to speak from the heart -- I expected her to say that Gems don't have a heart, but she also seems to have lost her literal-mindedness and learned to understand human/English idioms. I also sympathised with Peridot and felt a little irritated at Lapis's refusal to accept anything Peridot offered. But 5,000 years of being left behind or otherwise mistreated and ignored, and then have the Gem who captured you to take them to Earth try to be nice...well, I guess it would be hard to accept.
I've also already seen the next two (all three eps in a row this morning), so I hope I didn't say anything spoilery there...I don't think I did.
posted by tracicle at 6:45 AM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
You can definitely sympathize with both of them, I think. Also, what Peridot still hasn't done is apologize, and that's something Lapis needs to hear more than she needs gifts.
Their dynamic is very sibling like...Lapis the moody crabby teen sister, Peridot her adoring but exasperating little sister. Who literally lit up when Lapis asked if she was ok. I think they'll be alright.
posted by emjaybee at 9:52 AM on May 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Their dynamic is very sibling like...Lapis the moody crabby teen sister, Peridot her adoring but exasperating little sister. Who literally lit up when Lapis asked if she was ok. I think they'll be alright.
posted by emjaybee at 9:52 AM on May 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also? I wish Peridot would actually call her Lapis (maybe she did near the end and I missed it). The scene where Lapis is trying to "nap" on the silo roof, when Peridot is shrieking "LAZULI!", Lapis seemed fairly irritated. But when Steven called out "Lapis?" she was much more receptive.
Granted, it could simply be that she does like Steven, and I'd respond poorly to Peridot's screeching as well. But every time Steven says "No prob, Bob" or something similar, Lapis makes a point to say, "Um. It's Lapis," which leads me to believe she might have a preference there. Peridot probably means it in a chummy sort of way at this point, but Lapis doesn't seem to really get that kind of thing right now, and Peridot was using it in a dehumanizing (degeminizing??) way when Lapis was her captive. Lapis hasn't shifted gears yet. Peridot needs to.
The scene near the end with Lapis and Peridot flanking Stephen as Lapis slapped down the Gem ship was a nice sort of almost-parallel to the opening scene of the credits where he's surrounded by Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Very definitely made me think that he's going to end up with his own Crystal Gem army as well as having inherited his mother's. I don't particularly like the idea that the third of his Gem trio would be Jasper, but I don't see any viable alternatives to that yet.
posted by angeline at 10:16 AM on May 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
Granted, it could simply be that she does like Steven, and I'd respond poorly to Peridot's screeching as well. But every time Steven says "No prob, Bob" or something similar, Lapis makes a point to say, "Um. It's Lapis," which leads me to believe she might have a preference there. Peridot probably means it in a chummy sort of way at this point, but Lapis doesn't seem to really get that kind of thing right now, and Peridot was using it in a dehumanizing (degeminizing??) way when Lapis was her captive. Lapis hasn't shifted gears yet. Peridot needs to.
The scene near the end with Lapis and Peridot flanking Stephen as Lapis slapped down the Gem ship was a nice sort of almost-parallel to the opening scene of the credits where he's surrounded by Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Very definitely made me think that he's going to end up with his own Crystal Gem army as well as having inherited his mother's. I don't particularly like the idea that the third of his Gem trio would be Jasper, but I don't see any viable alternatives to that yet.
posted by angeline at 10:16 AM on May 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
What about that new Ruby? She's definitely going to end up being friends with Steven. Everybody does!
posted by Galaxor Nebulon at 10:52 AM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Galaxor Nebulon at 10:52 AM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised Steven let Peridot write what she did in that card though, it was hilarious but definitely not very... effective.
posted by numaner at 11:27 AM on May 27, 2016
posted by numaner at 11:27 AM on May 27, 2016
Since the show is playing pretty loose with introducing new gems I'm no longer so concerned with Jasper getting redeemed. I actually do hope Jasper comes back demonstrating how gems get corrupted.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 12:48 PM on May 27, 2016
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 12:48 PM on May 27, 2016
What about that new Ruby? She's definitely going to end up being friends with Steven. Everybody does!
I'll have more to say about that... next week.
I'm surprised Steven let Peridot write what she did in that card though, it was hilarious but definitely not very... effective.
This is where we have to remember that Steven, for all his emotional maturity, is still a kid. He still thinks he's BFFs with Lars, for example. He's probably closer in experience to Peridot than Lapis, especially if Peri turns out to be a new gem, since Lapis is still very very old.
posted by JHarris at 3:06 PM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'll have more to say about that... next week.
I'm surprised Steven let Peridot write what she did in that card though, it was hilarious but definitely not very... effective.
This is where we have to remember that Steven, for all his emotional maturity, is still a kid. He still thinks he's BFFs with Lars, for example. He's probably closer in experience to Peridot than Lapis, especially if Peri turns out to be a new gem, since Lapis is still very very old.
posted by JHarris at 3:06 PM on May 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Steven's third in his new army will be a healed Centipeetle. Or the ENTIRE CLUSTER.
posted by emjaybee at 9:52 PM on May 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:52 PM on May 27, 2016 [6 favorites]
About bubbles. You know how the other Crystal Gems "boink" bubbles to warp them to the temple?
What would happen if Steven "boinked" the Cluster bubble? (Easy answer: real estate values in Beach City would plummet.)
posted by JHarris at 12:40 AM on May 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
What would happen if Steven "boinked" the Cluster bubble? (Easy answer: real estate values in Beach City would plummet.)
posted by JHarris at 12:40 AM on May 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I totally felt bad for Peridot - although I do understand where Lapis is coming from. I'm hoping that the new gem at the end will wind up bringing them together.
posted by dotgirl at 12:07 PM on May 30, 2016
posted by dotgirl at 12:07 PM on May 30, 2016
I think Steven may have reined in Peridot on the card-writing as much as he could. After all, it took her an hour to compose it! Steven probably rejected many messages that were much more inflammatory, and this was as far as he could get her to compromise.
posted by Galaxor Nebulon at 9:35 AM on May 31, 2016
posted by Galaxor Nebulon at 9:35 AM on May 31, 2016
I'm going to call the new Ruby, "Rubeye" until someone stops me.
posted by RobotHero at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by RobotHero at 1:02 PM on June 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've been calling her "Terminator Ruby".
posted by Galaxor Nebulon at 6:29 AM on June 2, 2016
posted by Galaxor Nebulon at 6:29 AM on June 2, 2016
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I can't say Lapis isn't justified though, seeing as her life has been a series of traumatic experiences for the last, oh, five thousand years or so. It wouldn't be a bad idea to give her some space and time to figure things out before trying to start up some new paradigm. Of course Homeworld already has other plans there.
I'm guessing this new arrival is "The Cluster is late. Expendable team, go investigate." Got here pretty quick, though, could be a team sent out as soon as YD got off the phone with Peridot. That would be more consistent with how long it takes to go from Homeworld to Earth.
I was really afraid that Lapis would hold it against him when Steven told her he'd come back for her on the hand ship and never did. Good to see she has apparently forgiven this small omission.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 10:07 PM on May 26, 2016