A lot of people have given Garnet grief for some perceived hypocrisy in the above screenshots. Sure, Garnet says this now that she’s being lusted after by some creepy mailman, but back when Ruby and Sapphire first met all it took was chasing a frog and two minutes of singing for it to be twu wuv foreva. And let’s not forget that Greg fell head over heels in love with Rose within five minutes of meeting her.
But Rose and Greg, in that respect, were redeemed in “We Need to Talk”. That episode showed clearly that, while Greg and Rose may have become infatuated when they first met, it took real work and a lot of talking before they were able to form a proper relationship. “The Answer” featured none of that, and a lot of viewers seemed to feel cheated.
I think that’s a bit unfair. Partly because I think it was pretty clear that the events in “The Answer” took place over some time, maybe days, maybe weeks, but considering the lifespan of Gems it could easily have been months or years before Ruby and Sapphire decided to fuse again. In addition, after “The Answer”, Ruby and Sapphire had five thousand fucking years to get to know each other and build a relationship. And most of all, because Ruby and Sapphire did get their own version of “We Need to Talk”, and it was called “Keystone Motel”.
Okay, right off the bat, this is my favourite episode of “Steven Universe” so far, hands down. Because I’ve seen some kids’ media handle similar themes as “We Need to Talk” (”Beauty and the Beast” is a great example); the themes of realising someone isn’t who you think they are, and that you’re falling in love with them. Sometimes the characters start out infatuated, sometimes they start out hating or fearing each other, but by the end they’re in love. It’s not an uncommon story. But I don’t think I’ve seen any such stories touching on what we see in “Keystone Motel”.
“Keystone Motel” is exactly what Garnet was talking about in the first two images; it’s about how a relationship takes fucking work.
Ruby and Sapphire are an established couple. They are committed, devoted, and deeply in love. And they are fucking pissed at each other. Ruby feels that her feelings are being ignored and devalued. And Sapphire feels that she must put her own pain aside for the greater good, and can’t understand why Ruby can’t do the same. Neither of them is wrong, but neither of them is right either. Their inability to reconcile these emotions are what leads to Garnet un-fusing. So yes, the couple literally has a fight so furious that they separate. And they both talk about how infuriating the other can be, and how useless it is to talk to them sometimes.
They talk. Sapphire realises she’s been ignoring Ruby’s feelings, treating her anger as though it wasn’t legitimate. Ruby realises that she’s been letting her rage and pain carry her away, forgetting that Sapphire has her own way of expressing her emotions. They realise that they’ve both made mistakes, are both expressing their feelings of hurt and betrayal in their own way, and that there’s nothing wrong with that. And through it all, despite being angry, and irritated, and in pain…they still love each other.
A couple does not have to be sunshine and rainbows and lovey-snuggle-bunnies 24/7. You can be angry with someone, hurt by their behaviour, find them annoying as all fuck…but still love them. And you can still work out your problems, if you’re willing to communicate and put in the effort.
How many times do we see that in any show or movie, let alone one for kids? And how valuable, how powerful is this lesson? How important is it to teach that sometimes relationships take work, and sometimes that work comes hand in hand with pain. But if you love each other, if you listen, if you respect your partner for who they are…then you can come through it all the stronger.
I fucking love Garnet. Because Garnet represents one of the very, very few examples in popular culture of a healthy relationship. And that is so fucking important that I do not have words to express it.
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