There are plenty of twists and turns in Steven Universe, and a handful of Big Episodes that leave lasting impacts on the rest of the series. Lion 3 and Warp Tour and Alone Together and Rose’s Scabbard and Jailbreak and Bismuth and Lars’s Head and A Single Pale Rose give us new perspectives on characters and build relationships in neat ways, but all of them do just that: they build on what exists. They’re crucial for the growth of the plot and the characters alike, but none of them make the show fundamentally different. Garnet is still Garnet after we learn that she’s a fusion. Steven and Connie are still friends after they become Stevonnie for the first time. Even the huge reveal that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond is based heavily in the familiar: we already knew that her problems with secrecy and control have shaped the universe she left behind. We learn more, and the characters grow more, but the core premise of the show is left intact.

The initial core premise of Steven Universe is this: Steven, the growing son of a human and a Gem, is raised by the three remaining Crystal Gems to fulfill his mother’s legacy. I would argue that there are only three episodes that are true paradigm shifts for the show’s original run, reconfiguring not just the plot or the characters but this foundation of the series forever, even if their effects aren’t immediately felt.

The first is Bubble Buddies. Before it, Steven is a kid defined by his relationships with the adults in his life, and after it, he has a best friend his age that he’s going to spend the rest of the series with. It may be an early episode, but we still have a decent impression of Steven by then, and Connie changes his status being limited to son or younger brother. Through a human peer that’s an actual lead character, he has an avenue for growing as a person beyond just becoming a full-fledged Crystal Gem. This would be an entirely different show if Steven was still the only main kid.

The second is Mirror Gem. Before it, Steven is a kid learning how to be a Crystal Gem for general do-goodery, and after it, he’s wrapped up in a conflict with stakes. There are more Gems beyond his friends and mother, and not all Gems are on the same side, and their homeland is not Beach City. While there are hints of the Gems’ past before this episode, Lapis Lazuli reveals that the larger plot of the series is far from ancient history. This would be an entirely different show if Steven’s adventures were still episodic without any major opposing external forces.

The third is Catch and Release.

“That’s new.”

Before it, Steven and the Crystal Gems are a well-defined quartet of characters (quintet if you count Ruby and Sapphire separately, but the whole point of Garnet is that you shouldn’t), and after it, they’re a fluid family capable of adopting newcomers into their roster. Steven’s power of empathy can turn foes to permanent friends, and his close-knit team isn’t alone in their new rebellion against Homeworld. Steven’s role within the group is changed forever. This would be an entirely different show if Steven was still the newest member of the Crystal Gems.

This is our Toph moment more than our Zuko moment, although Peridot shares his reformed antagonism and one-on-one “field trip episodes” (if not his character development up to this point). Our cast is well-established and in a great groove, so it’s a huge risk to tinker with that formula. For every Chris Traeger and Ben Wyatt there are a dozen Scrappy Doos. The lineup of the Crystal Gems could have easily remained fixed for the duration of the series, considering the well-defined roles each member plays and the emphasis on Steven’s position in relation to his elders.

And it’s not like the other Gems we’ve met at this point were dying to join up. Lapis is friendly with Steven, but just about the first thing she does when released is attack the Crystal Gems. Plus she’s out of commission, trapped in a fusion with a Gem that’s even less likely to enlist. And Peridot has never been portrayed as anything less than an antagonist, even when she shifts from menacing to irritating.

But desperate times call for desperate measures, and while we’ve gotten some hints that there’s something behind Peridot’s distress about being stuck on Earth, it’s clear when she invades Steven’s room to kidnap him that she’s not freaking out for no reason. Breaking into our hero’s home is a step above anything any foe has done at this point, and even though we’re not given much time to think about it, it’s honestly pretty scary. I’m glad Steven seems cool with his kidnapping, and they do give the situation some of the gravity it deserves by having Amethyst check up on him about it in her own teasing way, but part of me wishes we had more time to unpack the way his home has been breached.

In their final appearance, Peridot’s floaty fingers do amazing work conveying her frazzled state, stretching so far out that her hands stop looking like hands. And her hair, which has been so pristine that I initially took it for a solid construct, is finally shown disheveled as she claws at her face and is zapped by her own electricity; expect more spikiness as she grows more attached to Earth. Obviously she’s missing her foot as well, although this actually allows her to hang onto it when the rest of her enhancers are discarded, and the image of her clinging to the last piece of her former life shows that this isn’t going to be an easy transition.

The growing humanity of Peridot correlating with the loss of her more robotic elements might not be subtle, but boy does it work. We’ll soon see how much influence size has in Homeworld’s Invader Zimmish height-related hierarchy, first with Amethyst’s runtiness and then with Yellow Diamond’s hugeness, but for now Peridot’s shrinking act is most important for evening her out with Steven. And without her mechanical prostheses, her character-defining robohands are just regular hands, and it looks like she’s wearing socks. There’s no going back to intimidating from socks.

In retrospect, it makes sense that it’s Peridot, not Lapis, who first joins up. She’s a starker contrast to our heroes, who not only allows us to gain more insight into modern-day Homeworld, not only gives us a new foil to develop our heroes, but presents the opportunity for some spectacular character development of her own. Lapis’s Daria phase is excellent, but our first recruit has to be far more dynamic and mean, pushing the show into expanding its messages about love and communication. Just how far do we go in accepting others? Can we do it when they’re sputtering messes that hate us and are clearly loyal to our enemies?

Steven Universe says yes, because Steven Universe says yes. He tried befriending the Mother Centipeetle, but this was doomed by her corruption and the Gems’ prejudice. He talked Lapis down from stealing the ocean, but they were already friends, and she did the opposite of join him afterwards. We know he wants to see good in Peridot—back in The Return, even when Beach City is being invaded, he holds out hope that she’ll change her tune upon seeing how nice everyone is—and now he finally gets to see that dream come true.

Obviously this doesn’t happen all at once. Peridot’s allegiance is far from set by the end of Catch and Release, and won’t be until we meet Yellow Diamond. But this is still a watershed episode for showing us that her conversion is even possible, and for giving us several minutes of her and Steven more or less getting along. As with the introductions of Connie and Lapis, we won’t see just how important this episode is until later, but it does have an immediate sense of divergence from the norm. This is the first episode I rewatched immediately after it was finished. I just couldn’t believe we were actually going in this direction.

It’s so great to see the OG Crystal Gems working together so smoothly after Friend Ship, but it’s even greater that they don’t feel the need to remark upon it. The story of their growth is shown in their awesome coordination and how they’ve adapted to Peridot’s tricks; it was inevitable that they’d defeat her after she ran out of gimmicks, as her only advantages over their numbers and experience is technology and surprise, but those numbers only work if the Crystal Gems act as a team.

There’s a nice mirroring of Warp Tour to ring in this new era of Peridot, even if that means the Gems don’t listen to Steven again. At least in this case it’s not so much about not believing him as it is knowing him: he’s a trusting kid, and they’re not wrong to doubt Peridot’s intentions after she just, y’know, kidnapped him. This element might’ve gotten frustrating if we spent more time butting heads, but Steven moves the plot along quickly with knowledge he’s retained from all the way back in Together Breakfast: a pole through Rose’s Room can bring him right to the basement.

It helps that the Gems pretty much immediately realize Steven is right, even if Peridot is still an opponent. From the other side of the bathroom door, all three get a great line read that summarizes their initial reactions to their new intruder: Amethyst’s “Homegirl knows we’re gonna beat her into a green pancake” is casual but threatening, Garnet’s attempts at diplomacy shift to a shrugging “Okay, let’s kick her butt” as soon as fusion is insulted, and Pearl’s joking solution to put her on a leash fades into a wonderful hum of contemplation. It’s nice that Steven is on board with Peridot, but it wouldn’t make sense for our favorite stubborn rocks to share his optimism, and this conflict will make for some great episodes in the near future.

(Glad to see Regular Steven again, by the way. Don’t worry, I’m still mad at what Sadie’s Song did to him.)

The Cluster Arc is one of the high marks of Steven Universe, concluding our second season with a bang and changing the status quo. Peridot quickly became one of my favorite characters on the show during this period, and a big part of that is thanks to Jesse Zuke (credited as Lauren) and Hilary Florido, the boarders behind this episode as well as Too Far and Log Date 7 15 2 and Barn Mates and Too Short to Ride and Beta. They’re not the only major Peridot pair (check out Raven Molisee and Paul Villeco showing off with Message Received, Gem Drill, Earthlings, and Kindergarten Kid), but so many of her huge character developments are Zuke'n’Florido’s. Her move into the bathroom. Her bonding with Amethyst and Garnet and Lapis. Her metal powers. Her Meep Morps.



Zuke'n’Florido understand better than anyone that Peridot is a raccoon, brimming with mischievous curiosity but scampering and hissing and hoarding and clawing furiously at her surroundings whenever she’s more than 0% uncomfortable. What’s more, unless Peridot’s summary is a red herring, Zuke was also in charge of her amazing if infrequently updated Twitter account. (They might still be updating it if fandoms weren’t the worst.) Peridot has never been one-dimensional—from the beginning we’ve seen her as a worker bee with no patience for flaws who scatters at any sign of trouble—but she’s imbued with delightful depth as we get to know her better.

I obviously have to talk about Shelby Rabara now, because this straight-up doesn’t work without her. Peridot’s vocal evolution from villain to reluctant ally to loyal friend is terrific, and even this early in her development Rabara gives her great little moments of vulnerability. Her muffled “Why would you make such a miscalculation?” is adorably earnest, and her fearful but curious questions about the danger levels of common bathroom items brings pathos to what could’ve been a ridiculous scene. She can make a word as innocent as “pebble” sound like a swear. I’m so happy we finally get more of this.

This is only the beginning of the Cluster Arc (oh yeah, we also get a hint about the actual plot in this episode), and Peridot will only get better as she, uh, gets better. But Catch and Release is a terrific starting point, and I’m so happy that the promise of the Peridemption pays off so well. There’s a world where Steven Universe doesn’t have a growing number of allies, and it’s a worse world.

Future Vision

Peridot actually does end up on a leash pretty soon.

Using “pebble” as an insult seems like a continuation of “clod,” but it turns out Pebbles are an actual thing on Homeworld. Whether Peridot knows that is debatable, because she was so far removed from life among the Diamonds that she’s never even heard of music, but still..

I’ve never been to this…how do you say…school?



Don’t worry High School Peri, S(tev)enpai will notice you soon enough.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!



This arc is full of ringers, and Catch and Release is no exception. Even beyond what it eventually represents, the episode stands tall on its own for the banter, the slapstick, and the wonder that is Cute Peridot’s Theme.

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