The Message

"Everything here is so advanced, I can't even understand it. Please Steven, don't put up a fight, it will only lead to devastation!"

"The Message" is the 46th episode of the first season in Steven Universe, and the 46th episode overall.

Synopsis
Steven and the Gems try to retrieve a message from the Wailing Stone.

Plot
Steven listens to his father's new song for his new album, "Water Witch," which is based on the ocean elevator incident. In the song, Greg portrays Lapis Lazuli as a villain and Steven corrects him saying that Lapis just wanted to go home. They then hear a screeching noise coming from the house.

Steven rushes over to see the noise coming from the Wailing Stone. After several attempts to turn off the stone, and eventually muffling it, the Gems believe that someone is sending a message. With all of the other stones previously gathered, they conclude that another one of their own is sending a message to them from space. However, the audio is distorted, making the otherwise advanced message to be unclear. Hearing this, Steven tells them that his dad may be able to help with this.

Greg tries to receive the message with his audio equipment, but the technology is too advanced for the equipment and overloads the van powering it. The Gems frustratingly decide to return to the house. This leaves Greg in distraught as he just wants the Gems to have some faith in him, so he sings a song about his feelings. He and Steven then theorize that the message from the stone is not audio, but actually video, and convince the Gems to give Greg another chance.

With the help of the Gems, who restart the van, Steven connects the wailing stone to a TV. The message is finally clear, with the sender revealed to be none other than Lapis.

In the message, a distressed Lapis states that the Gem Homeworld is very different now, more advanced, than when she first resided. To make matters worse, another Gem is on her way to Earth, even knowing who Steven is, and she's not alone. By the end of the message, she warns them not to put up a fight, believing that it will only lead to devastation. Amethyst and Pearl panic, believing Peridot is going to attack Earth, but Garnet remains seemingly calm, only stating that they accomplished in receiving the message. Garnet shakes Greg's hand and, much to his delight, thanks him for his help in decoding the message. The episode ends with Greg and Steven playing with a voice modulator.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Garnet
 * Amethyst
 * Pearl
 * Lapis Lazuli (pictured/video)
 * Greg Universe
 * Peridot (mentioned)

Locations

 * Beach City
 * Beach House

Objects

 * Greg's Van
 * Wailing Stone

Songs

 * Lapis Lazuli
 * Wailing Stone

Trivia

 * It is revealed that there is more than one Wailing Stone and the Gems have collected all the ones on Earth.
 * It is hinted that Amethyst has used cars before, but says she has never done it with a key.
 * It is revealed that Lapis Lazuli did make it to Homeworld, but it's now more advanced than ever.
 * Lapis also claimed that she didn't tell the Homeworld about Steven and the Crystal Gems.
 * It is revealed that the Wailing Stone's audio messages can be converted to video via the proper equipment.
 * Lapis Lazuli tells the Crystal Gems that a Gem who knows Steven's name is leading other Gems to Earth, referring to Peridot.
 * Lapis Lazuli doesn't show her wings in the video-message. This might be because she can summon her wings at will and didn't need them at the time.
 * In "The Return" and "Jail Break", she is seen without her wings until she tries to escape Jasper.
 * This is the first episode where a song ("Lapis Lazuli") is played that is dedicated to Lapis Lazuli.
 * This is the second time Greg successfully helped the Gems out. The first being in "House Guest," where he patched the Geode with duct tape when the Gems couldn't seal it.
 * Third if you count "Laser Light Cannon" (which was a joint effort between him and Steven).
 * There is heavy audio distortion at the end of the end-credits theme similar to what's heard throughout the episode.
 * The sound emitted by the Wailing Stone was loud enough to pop a bubble from the inside.
 * Before Greg's car battery explodes, you can hear Rebecca Sugar's voice.
 * Amethyst said Gregory when talking to Greg which may imply that Gregory is his full name.

Continuity

 * The Wailing Stone was shown from  "Rose's Room."
 * The events of "Ocean Gem" are mentioned by Greg, along with the album cover he made from being inspired by those events.
 * The first track of the album is "Lapis Lazuli."
 * Garnet was able to conduct electricity and withstand its power passing through her body.
 * This was previously demonstrated in "Arcade Mania."

Cultural References

 * Greg's comment that "video killed the audio star" is a reference to the song "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
 * It is seen from inside the van that Greg possesses many records, one showing the cover of Queen's "News of the World" album.
 * The 'a-Bloo Hoo Hoo' pedal Greg uses in his first attempt to refine the signal is likely a spoof of 'Blue Voodoo' audio equipment.

Errors

 * When Pearl bubbles the wailing stone, the bubble looks like a Rose Quartz bubble instead of a Pearl bubble.
 * When Garnet adjusts her visor after saying that they got the message, Ruby's gem is missing.
 * Before Greg hands Steven the artwork of Lapis, the spine of the notebook is on the left (in the viewer's perspective), but when Steven holds it, the spine is on the right. When Greg takes it back, it's on the left again.
 * Steven is shown using a left-handed guitar instead of his usual right-handed guitar (or ukelele).

Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.

Video
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