“I’m…not…a real person.”

In Reformed, we see Amethyst’s discomfort with her physical state lead to self-destructive self-loathing, and that’s her arc until Earthlings. In Sworn to the Sword, we see Pearl’s lingering feelings for Rose enhance a sense of worthlessness that damages her friends and herself (usually in that order), and that’s her arc until Mr. Greg. In Keeping It Together, we see Garnet face the consequences of an outsider who misunderstands and perverts fusion, and that’s her arc until Log Date 7 15 2. And in We Need to Talk, we finally explicitly see that Rose Quartz wasn’t as flawless as she may have seemed, and that’s her arc for the rest of the series.



This is a watershed episode in a series that lives in Rose’s towering shadow. Hints of her more problematic traits go all the way back to the second episode, where the conflict hinges on her secrecy, and we get glimpses into the more negative effects she’s had on Pearl (and Garnet) in Rose’s Scabbard and Sworn to the Sword (and Keeping It Together, a little). But these clues are much easier to see in retrospect, when we know that despite her kindness and love of humans, there’s a certain cold distance that Pink Diamond maintained with even her closest allies that’s just as responsible for Steven’s existence. It may be a given these days that the hero (and villain) of the rebellion was far from perfect, but her humiliating condescension towards Greg is a lurching change of course for her character that hits like a slap in the face.

Crucially, the reveal that Rose has issues doesn’t take away from what makes her great. She likes and loves her friends. She’s funny, as seen in her banter with Greg (my favorite: countering ”I’m getting a little worried about the future” with “Oh, just ask Garnet!”). And despite her blithe spirit, which is the source of all the positives and negatives we see in this episode, she’s willing to take Greg seriously when he affirms his sincerity. Which makes sense, considering what makes her such a huge deal among Gems is her appreciation for change.

Rose Quartz is the savior of Earth, but Pink Diamond was the person who tried conquering it in the first place, and they were the same person. Rose and Pink were both liars, but Rose and Pink both loved humans. They both knew that they needed to change, and that’s how Pink became Rose and Rose became Steven. And it’s vital that this change comes when Greg demands to be treated as an equal, because Pink Diamond’s entire life was a desperate attempt to gain respect. It’s chilling to watch this episode after meeting White Diamond and seeing how closely Rose mirrors her belittling behavior: she treats Greg as a joke, but because she knows how that feels, she immediately recognizes that she’s gone White when she’s called out on it. It’s not shocking that Greg is the love interest that sticks, because Greg is more of a kindred spirit than even he knows.

It goes hand in hand with a more mature depiction of Rose that this is also the first time we focus on her as a sexual figure. It’s kid’s show level to be sure, but the camera’s attention to her eyes and lips during What Can I Do (and, y’know, the song itself) gives us a glimpse of how Greg, an adult who’s at the very least in lust at this point, sees her. And it doesn’t hurt that Susan Egan can go full Megara to inject a certain sultriness in lines as simple as “Oh, yes.” If we’re going to have an episode about seeing Rose for who she really is, well, this is part of who she really is.

What Can I Do is another big flashback number on the heels of Comet, and not just because we finally hear Rose Quartz sing (which, again, Megara). Scroll down to any of my episode rankings for the past thirty-nine reviews and you’ll see that my favorite is Steven and the Stevens; forget Greg and Rose, the most monumental reveal of this episode is the origins of the Crystal Gems, Backup Band! And, if you haven’t already, close your eyes and just listen to Greg’s Stemage’s guitar solo on its own. Heck, listen to that guitar the whole song. Kudos to Greg for keeping up while his girlfriend turns into an even huger woman.



Greg remains the focus character, and he’s grown since Story for Steven. I love the new lived-in relationships he has with the other three Crystal Gems, from open rivalry with Pearl to big brother friendship to Amethyst to chummy admiration of Garnet. It would make no sense for him to get to know Rose without getting to know her roommates, and seeing most of them hanging out happily and even starting a band of sorts is a testament to Greg as a likable novelty. It’s one thing for Rose to see him differently by the end of the episode, but the rest of Gems take him more seriously as well. He’s a keeper.



Still, it’s his relationship with Rose that’s at the forefront here, and although we know they end up together, it’s great to see the dramatic first steps. Greg wears his heart on his sleeve, and I love that we’re seeing a more mature side of that earnestness after a flashback that saw him abandon his dreams of stardom for a mystery woman. He’s given a lot for this relationship, and this episode respects him enough to acknowledge it. Rose wasn’t an escape route and Greg isn’t a flaky quitter, and We Need to Talk puts a hard stop to that potential interpretation of his impulsive actions in Story for Steven.

At the same time, Flashback Greg is still a huge romantic prone to huge gestures for huge women, which allows him to believably set up a shining dance floor on the beach just for the two of them (it’s just the backdrop of their stage laid flat!). He and Rose are both shown to be infatuated—Rose even goes starry-eyed—but sustainable relationships also need the sort of dependability and resolve that Greg shows in his words and actions. He proves himself someone that deserves respect, which is critical for their conversation to work.

The talk itself is nicely understated, touching on the fact that both characters have been in relationships before without dwelling on details, and selling Rose’s confusion and distress in regards to love without falling on hackneyed “human emotion does not compute” tropes. It’s just the start of the next step in their relationship, and we get just enough to understand that progress is being made.

Structurally, I appreciate that We Need to Talk spends less time outside of Greg’s perspective than Story for Steven; it’s not perfect (the final scene in the past involves the other Crystal Gems saying things Greg couldn’t have possibly heard) but it’s better! It’s also a much more immersive setting than the other flashback, using an eighties vibe (Rainbow Quartz’s appearance, Garnet’s keytar) as shorthand for the past even though this definitely happened in the late nineties at the earliest given Sour Cream’s age. And on a fantasy Earth with locations like Delmarva, Keystone, and Empire City, I’m so tickled by Greg’s offhand reference to the real-world Marx Brothers: for the record, I’m pretty sure taciturn Garnet is Harpo, talkative Pearl is Groucho, and clownish Amethyst is Chico.

If it’s interesting to see Rose diverge from what we’re used to, it’s downright fascinating to see Pearl so confident and sassy around Greg. Story for Steven only references the Pearl factor with a one-off joke, but she practically needs to be a major plot point in We Need to Talk if we’re going to take seriously the notion that she loved Rose. This is Pearl pre-grief, still fighting for Rose, and I love that she’s a giant brat about it, especially after Mr. Greg clarifies how accustomed she was to Rose’s other flings. We only see Pearl act like her modern iteration at the very end as she’s crushed by the realization that she has actual competition: after all those years, she never thought she’d lose. And the tragedy, for her, is that her nettling of Greg about fusion is what caused him and Rose to get closer.



(Amethyst and Garnet are more similar to their modern counterparts; Amethyst is a bit more feral in the past, but she drinks motor oil to this day so there you go.)

Present day once again bookends a Greg flashback, but unlike Story for Steven we get thematic mirroring between the two time periods. Connie’s on a roll in terms of bonding with non-Stevens, first with Pearl in Sworn to the Sword and now with Greg. We’ve witnessed the pair hang out a few times now, in situations as intense as Ocean Gem and mundane as Winter Forecast, but we haven’t seen anything close to the connection they share here. Which is a shame, because Connie and Greg’s wildly different personalities help hide what this episode finally makes obvious: they’re both regular humans who love magic and are lucky enough to be close with magical people. In fact, they’re the only members of that club on the planet. In that way, they’re alone together.

Stevonnie’s grand reappearance lasts all of ten seconds, but it’s enough to leave a major impression. Greg once again proves to be a fantastic parent, quickly shifting from his initial shock to warm reassurance when Connie panics. Even though his straight recitation of the episode’s moral is a little After School Special cliche, we get a surprisingly bittersweet ending out of his desire to help Connie.



It’s lovely to that these two make this new connection, and while it’s never spoken, their bond is strengthened in retrospect with the knowledge that Greg can see his own stressful childhood in Connie, and is trying to be the helping hand he never got as a kid. And Steven’s exclusion allows him to understand his mother better, holding his gem as he observes the others grow closer. But as we’ll see in Steven’s Birthday—and the entire back half of Steven Universe Future—it’s a somber thing to see him left out of the Human Beings club.

Future Vision!



Connie’s secrecy regarding magic finally reaches a turning point in Nightmare Hospital , which alongside Sworn to the Sword and We Need to Talk solidifies her new role as Deputy Crystal Gem.

, which alongside and solidifies her new role as Deputy Crystal Gem. Pearl’s confidence in fusion as the thing that puts her and Rose’s relationship at a higher level than Greg could ever achieve is given new layers after seeing the birth of Rainbow Quartz in Now We’re Only Falling Apart.

While the title of this episode is a common enough phrase that it might not be an intentional reference, Yellow Diamond telling White “we need to talk” begins a similar baring of her soul that Greg gives here, to a condescending figure similar to Rose. The difference being that Rose listens, while White zaps away Yellow’s personality, because Rose may be flawed but she’s not a villain, no matter how much some fans want her to be.

The movie’s rock show mirrors the small rock show here beautifully, this time making Greg the one whose new fusion prompts Pearl to change.

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



It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Hilary Florido’s AU, and here’s another instance of it being the official promo art; like the lack of traditional promo art for Keeping It Together, this may be due to the Steven Bomb rushing things, but if that’s the case then I’m doubly grateful for the time she took to give us such a wonderful gaze into the Steven Universe Academy.

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

Definitely an upgrade compared to Story for Steven. There’s something to be said for love at first sight, but this is a great moment in developing both Greg and Rose as people in a real relationship.

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