We Need to Talk

"If you ever need to talk to another human being about this, you can always talk to me."

"We Need to Talk" is the 9th episode of the second season of Steven Universe, the 61st episode overall, and the fourth episode of the second StevenBomb.

Official Synopsis
Greg tells Steven and Connie the story of how he learned about Gem fusion.

Plot
The episode opens with Steven and Connie helping Greg organize his old albums in the back of his van. In the middle of the project, Connie mentions that her knowledge of Greg's music is limited due to her parent's discrimination towards many genres of music. Glad at the chance to play some music, Greg puts Nietzche's Breakdown on. While listening to the song, Steven and Connie start dancing, resulting in them fusing into Stevonnie. They promptly unfuse after seeing Greg's shock. Greg is surprised to learn they can fuse, so Steven and Connie become suspicious. Greg then launches into a story about his experience with fusion.

After the two sit down in the van, he puts in an old VCR which shows him singing a duet with Rose Quartz. Amethyst plays the drums and Garnet plays the keytar. However, Pearl excludes herself from the band and is behind the stage, noticeably bitter and jealous of Greg. The way in which Rose sings about Greg as a human makes him uncomfortable. Greg and Rose continue singing until Pearl suddenly walks up and whispers something in Rose's ear. They start dancing and Pearl fuses with Rose, in an effort to one-up Greg, into Rainbow Quartz, who dances for the remainder of the song and unfuses. Pearl then drops the mic, ending Greg's guitar solo. Rose tells an amazed Greg that Pearl told her to fuse so his video featured "a little something extra". She then says she has something to do and leaves, but promises she'll see him later. Amethyst asks Greg to "pay up" for her playing the drums, and gives her a bag of "Pop-Pop", to which she tears apart and starts eating.

After Rose warps off, Pearl spitefully tells Greg that he is just a phase and that Rose only likes him for his novelty as a human being. When Greg objects to this, she explains the concept of fusion; because he isn't a Gem, he is not able to fuse. Pearl boasts that fusion is the ultimate connection between Gems, and emphasizes that Greg is nothing but a human. Greg asks how she knows humans can't fuse, and when she can't reply, he vows to fuse with Rose.

Greg practices dancing like Pearl did, using the video he took, but Garnet and Amethyst interrupt. He asks them for help. Garnet explains to him that in order to really fuse, he would have to have a gem at the center of his being, a body made of light, and a partner he's willing to trust with that light. Greg laments over Pearl's correct assumptions and berates himself for not being a Gem, and Garnet throws a stick into the ocean to force Amethyst to give them some privacy. She tells him that she thinks he can do it, but he has to dance his way, not like Pearl.

Greg waits for Rose by his van, noticeably nervous. When she arrives, they start dancing. They continue dancing until Greg steps up to her height using various boxes and kisses her. He then exclaims dejectedly that they didn't fuse and Rose starts laughing, telling him that he can't fuse because he's human. He replies that that's the problem, and he's enjoyed the past few months, but he's worried about the future. He then asks if she respects him, which she laughs off. Greg gets angry and asks her to talk to him like a real person. Rose is at a loss for words, and explains how she's not a real person, thinking that he already understood that. Greg realizes that Rose is an alien, proceeding to laugh and cry.

Rose then asks why he's laughing, and then why he's crying. Greg replies that he has concerns about how their relationship will work due to their vast number of differences. Rose asks what they should do, and Greg says he just wants to talk; they begin a conversation about humans and their feelings. Greg asks Rose if she's ever loved other humans, which she confirms. He then asks if she's ever been in love, and she asks Greg how she would know. He tells her that love feels like torture. Rose asks if their relationship is torture to him. He tells her that it is, and she apologizes. Greg says she shouldn't apologize, which confuses Rose. She laughs and says that at least they have one thing in common: they're both confused.

They continue dancing, much to the dismay of Pearl, who's hiding along with Garnet and Amethyst behind a large, hand-shaped sculpture, spying on Rose and Greg. She asks Garnet and Amethyst why they're still dancing, since the fusion isn't working, but Garnet tells her that it is. Amethyst says that Greg is her favorite one so far. Pearl says sadly that she thinks Greg is Rose's favorite too, which ends the flashback.

Back in the van, Connie asks Greg if they were ever able to fuse, and he says no, but that it was more important that they talk to each other. He then says interaction between humans and Gems is still new, and that Steven and Connie will have to work with it. He also tells Connie that if she needs another human to talk to, he's there. They high five while saying "Human beings", as Steven clutches his gem and whispers the same thing.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Greg Universe
 * Connie Maheswaran
 * Stevonnie (non-speaking cameo)
 * Pearl (flashback, on video)
 * Garnet (flashback, on video)
 * Rose Quartz (flashback, on video)
 * Rainbow Quartz (debut, flashback, on video)
 * Amethyst (flashback, on video)

Objects

 * Greg's Van
 * Greg's Music Collection
 * Pop-Pop
 * Warp Pad (heard)
 * Greg's Microphone
 * Greg's Guitar
 * "Nietzche's Breakdown" (debut)

Locations

 * Beach City
 * It's A Wash
 * Crystal Temple (flashback)

Songs

 * "What Can I Do"
 * "Love Like You (The Ocean Returns)" (ending theme/credits)

Instrumental Songs

 * "Theme from An Endless Romance"

Trivia

 * Although it was said in "Fusion Cuisine" and "Giant Woman" that fusion is serious magic and should not be used for fun, Rose and Pearl seemed to have no problem with fusing to form Rainbow Quartz purely for the purpose of entertainment.
 * The episode was released early on Amazon and iTunes in a bundle with "Keeping It Together".
 * It's revealed that Greg still kept his stage equipment, as he had the light panel even after he broke up his partnership with Marty.
 * This episode was hinted in the promo art with Greg's head.
 * After the episode aired, Matt Burnett confirmed via his Twitter that Pearl's love for Rose was not of the platonic kind, but romantic, as evident by her behavior.
 * One of the albums Greg was holding is titled "Q U A D R I N O M E T R Y - THE SECRET OF THE WAVE LIES IN C R E A T I O N".
 * It is heard in Greg's van in "Ocean Gem", where he said that it was one of Rose's favorites.
 * The album cover closely resembles the Red Eye in the episode "Laser Light Cannon".
 * It is shown that Pearl was not fond of Greg in the past, evident by her unkind behavior towards him in the episode.
 * It is shown that Amethyst learned to play the drums with Greg.
 * It is implied by the lyrics Rose was singing that she saw her relationship with Greg as a game and she enjoyed "playing along".
 * It is shown that Greg was not the first human that Rose loved, but possibly the first one she's ever been in love with.
 * The episode revealed that Rose Quartz did not initially take humans seriously but rather simply extended the love she shares for all living things to them.
 * This episode reveals that Rose was never homesick for the Gem Homeworld.
 * When Greg says "I think I get it!" his phrase comes out with a large accentuation in the "I" because he just saw Garnet's third eye, possibly for the first time, exclaiming "Eye!", but covering it up with the rest of the sentence.

Controversy
This episode raised controversy when it aired in the United Kingdom. This is because the scene where Rose Quartz and Pearl were dancing was slightly censored, removing some of the more intimate moments of their dance, and replacing it with extended shots of Greg's face. This censorship caused outrage from UK fans, who believed the censorship was related to LGBT attitudes. A petition was even put up to have this censorship removed, and gained thousands of signatures. However, Cartoon Network UK defended their decision to censor the scene, stating that "(they) have to ensure everything on air is suitable for kids of any age at any time", and that "We do feel that the slightly edited version is more comfortable for local kids and their parents". This reply sparked more controversy, since the censored content was still nothing more than PG-rated.

Cultural References

 * A poster with a picture of K.K. Slider from the Animal Crossing series can be seen when Greg puts the tape in the VCR.
 * One of the albums Greg owns is an Orange Magic Orchestra album, which is a reference to the Japanese group Yellow Magic Orchestra's album titled Naughty Boys.
 * One of Greg's albums entitled The Philosophy Majors- Nietzsche's Breakdown bears similar resemblance to the album cover of No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom.
 * The Philosophy Majors may be a reference to The Philosopher Kings.
 * The T.V. in Greg's van has the label "SUMY" above the controls, referring to Sony Electronics.
 * Rainbow Quartz's last dance step resembles a voguing dip from the vogue dance.
 * When Greg calls Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl: Harpo, Groucho, and Chico, he was referencing the Marx Brothers, a nineteen-thirties comedy troupe.
 * Garnet is compared to Harpo due to their shared silent nature, Amethyst to Groucho because of their blunt and sarcastic personalities, and Pearl to Chico because of their occasionally spastic behaviors.
 * The dance between Rose and Greg features many of the same dance steps, and a similar glowing dance floor, that were seen in the film Adolescence Of Utena when Utena and Anthy dance.

Continuity

 * Connie reveals that her parents don't know about Stevonnie or her adventures with the Crystal Gems and Steven. However, Mrs. Maheswaran is now informed of this as of "Nightmare Hospital".
 * It should be noted that Connie was wearing the same outfit as in Stevonnie's debut. Coincidentally, Steven and Connie were wearing the same clothes as on Stevonnie's debut.
 * The hand statue that Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl hide behind to watch Greg and Rose dance is the same one that was destroyed by the Centipeetle Mother in "Gem Glow", obviously unmelted due to that event not yet happening.
 * Amethyst later reuses her ability of using drums in "Steven and the Stevens". However, that episode's events occur chronologically after it.
 * Rose's description of her fusion, "Pretty cool, right?", is the same one used by Stevonnie in "Alone Together" in regards to their own fusion.
 * The brown jacket Greg used trying to fuse with Rose was the same one he used as a "responsible parent" in "Fusion Cuisine".
 * Amethyst and Garnet are playing the same musical instruments they played at the end of "Steven and the Stevens".
 * Pearl was the only one to not play her signature instrument.
 * Rose indirectly mentioned Garnet's future vision when Greg said he was worried about the future and Rose told him to ask Garnet.
 * This is the second time Stevonnie appeared, and so far the only time she had a non-speaking cameo.

Errors

 * In the flashback when Garnet is telling Greg that if he wants to fuse, he can't dance like Pearl, her hair is shown without any lines to define its shape. Then they suddenly appear, but disappear in the next shot.
 * Rose's size was larger after Rainbow Quartz unfused than before Rose and Pearl fused.
 * When Garnet was about to throw the stick for Amethyst to catch, The television behind Amethyst is off, and in the next scene it turns back on.
 * When Rose and Pearl are about to start their fusion dance, Rose walks off the stage holding her microphone. Once Rose and Pearl start dancing together, Rose isn't holding the microphone.
 * When Rose spins Pearl, her right leg was raised. After that, her left leg is raised without her right going down.
 * When Rose and Pearl fuse, Rainbow Quartz is in the center of the room. Once Rainbow Quartz starts dancing, she is suddenly next to Greg.
 * When Rose and Pearl fused into Rainbow Quartz, the microphone disappeared, when they unfused, Pearl was holding the mic.
 * When Pearl is talking to Greg that he is a human and can't fuse her legs are bigger than normal.
 * When Greg asks Rose if she has ever been in love with a human, Greg is shown to be barefoot. However, he was wearing sandals both before and after that.
 * When Greg tells Pearl that he will try fusing with Rose; they're in a background where there is no stairs and there's only a wall. However, when Greg drops his mic, where Amethyst is; there is a different background.
 * When Greg stands on the various boxes to kiss Rose, his left sleeve is missing.We need to talk Rose Surprised Greg Smiling.png
 * When Amethyst tells Greg that a fusion dance isn't about his head, Garnet and Amethyst are standing on Greg's mat but in the next shot with their feet shown, they're standing on the sand. There is also no stick on the sand shown.
 * The stick that Garnet throws while telling Amethyst to give Greg and her some privacy, wasn't there until she looked at the ground. Amethyst is also standing on the sand before she kicks some sand to get the stick.
 * When Pearl and Rose were fusing, their gems didn't glow. This also happened in "Jail Break", when Ruby and Sapphire fused into Garnet.
 * Amethyst's drumming animation during "What Can I Do" doesn't match the drumming in the song.
 * When Rose tells Greg about Rainbow Quartz, Amethyst is missing from the drum set.

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