Joking Victim

"Careful. It's hot."

"Joking Victim" is the 21st episode of the first season of Steven Universe and the 21st overall episode of the series.

Official Synopsis
When Lars pawns off all his work on Sadie, Steven helps out by working a shift at the Big Donut.

Plot
Steven is on the Beach City pier when Amethyst approaches him, suspiciously asking him if he wants to try some of her fries. He enthusiastically agrees and eats some, only to discover they are laced with Fire Salt. Desperate for something to drink, Steven rushes to the Big Donut and causes a huge mess on which Lars slips on. When Sadie tells Lars to clean it up, he complains about hurting his back and earns the day off from an overly worried Sadie. Once he leaves, Sadie remarks on how she will not be able to run the store on her own, and Steven volunteers to help.

Sadie officially dubs Steven, "Lars for the day", and shows him a tour of the Big Donut's employee room. She shows him where the extra supplies, napkins (which she sleeps on when she's tired), and doughnuts, which are shipped in from a baking company are. Steven questions why the Big Doughnut doesn't make their own doughnuts, which Sadie answers that they did, but not since the "accident" (the screen then pans over to the other side of the room, showing a burnt outline of what was most likely the old cook). She then shows Steven a (presumably long) intro video, staring Mr. Smiley, a former actor/singer. After the video is done, the two get to work. While working, Mr. Smiley comes in, and sings along with an enthusiastic Steven to his previous intro video, who then makes a remark about Mr. Smiley's "former" career, much to Mr. Smiley's disappointment.

After the day is nearly done, Sadie jokes that the two should call Lars and tell him he's been replaced by Steven. Excited, Steven agrees, but when he learns it's a joke, he subtly tells Sadie that she should just fire him since he's such a jerk. At first, Sadie starts to agree, but defends him, and says that he's a nice person once you get to know him. She tells Steven that when she and Lars were younger, Lars had wanted a video game, but was banned from the only place in town that sold it. So, as expected, Lars had asked Sadie to wait in the long line to get it for him. Once she had brought the game over to his house, she saw that Lars had gotten her a large box of Oyster crackers in return for the game, and let her be player 2 for the game. Sadie then remarks that they spent the rest of the night together, and that it was nice of him to do so. Steven suggests that they should do something nice for Lars.

After work, Steven and Sadie head over to Lars' house with a box of doughnuts, and much to their surprise, see the Fish Stew Pizza car already parked in front of his house. Steven assumes that Lars had already ordered pizza, but sees that he had invited over Jenny, Buck Dewey, and Sour Cream to hang out on his trampoline. Jenny bumps into Lars (much to Sadie's horror) and thanks him for inviting them over, to which Lars bashfully admits that he has the whole day off due to him faking his back injury. Sad and angry, Sadie runs infront of the house, and starts to back away once she sees the pizza car. Steven comforts and reassures Sadie that she doesn't need him. Angrily sobbing, Sadie remarks that Lars had made a fool of her, and has burned her too many times, so just once, she wants to burn him back. Steven then tells Sadie that he knows how to burn someone, and tells her to go home.

The next day at work, Sadie watches TV while Steven comes in with the Fire Salt that Amethyst had pranked him with, telling Sadie that they should prank Lars with it. At first, Sadie refuses to go with the idea, but after seeing Lars come in and dramatically fake his injury for another day off, she grabs the bottle from Steven and puts a large amount of it on a doughnut. Sadie then approaches Lars, and asks him about his back. Lars says that it still hurts, but says that he knows that he can count on Sadie to help, calling her, "P2". Sadie tells him to relax, and to have the (Fire Salt-covered) doughnut, warning him that it was hot. As Lars takes a bite out of the doughnut, Steven laughs at Sadie's pun about the doughnut being hot, and Lars finally reacts to the Fire Salt. Due to the insane amount Sadie put on, Lars starts to breathe fire and damages the Big Donut's interior.

Panicking and desperate for something cool, Lars runs out of the store and wreaks havoc among Beach City with his fire breath. Chasing him down, Sadie and Steven put out the fires Lars has started among the city. In the city, the Mayor unveils a large bowl containing the largest amount of ice cream in beach county, which Lars melts with his flaming breath. Eventually, Lars, Sadie, and Steven head to the pier, where Amethyst is hanging out. Amethyst asks Steven why Lars (or as Amethyst calls him, "Doughnut Guy) is breathing fire, to which Steven replies that he put too much Fire Salt on a doughnut they pranked Lars with. Angry at this discovery, Lars holds down his fire breath, and starts to chase Steven. Through the smoke and flames, Sadie then confronts Lars and tells him that it was her who pranked him. She tells him that after everything she's done for him, he still lies to hang out with other people. She says that she thought about the night they played video games, and can't stop thinking of him as a good person since then. Holding Lars' hand, she then starts to say another thing (possibly to say that she thought he liked her) but stops and asks him if calling her, "Player 2", "was just another way of saying she could've been anyone". Lars tries to reply, but starts to choke on the flaming doughnut, in which Steven preforms the Heimlich maneuver on Lars, which was something he learned in the Big Donut Intro Video (while doing so, he sung the jingle he learned with it when performing the actions). Sadie then puts out the flames on the doughnut, and starts to put out the rest of the fires caused by Lars. Approaching Sadie, Lars is told that she (Sadie) won't apologize to him, but Lars says that he wants to help, and understands if she wants to be alone. Sadie's kind personality kicks in again, and she tells Lars that he can stay and help, but not before getting him water and a not burned shirt. A proud Steven looks on while Amethyst tells him that the two (she and Steven) make a good team, with Steven replying that she didn't do anything. Amethyst shrugs her shoulders as the star zooms onto her face.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Amethyst
 * Sadie (Antagonist after finding out Lars was faking until his mouth was burning)
 * Lars (Antagonist after finding out Steven pranked him until Sadie's confession)
 * Jenny Pizza
 * Sour Cream (Cameo)
 * Buck Dewey (Cameo)
 * Mr. Smiley
 * Peedee Fryman (Non-speaking cameo)
 * Fryman (Non-speaking cameo)
 * Mayor Bill Dewey

Songs
"Do or Do Nut"

Trivia

 * Sadie states that Steven has made at least five messes in the Big Donut before (all of which she cleaned up by herself).
 * This was the first episode that both Lars and Sadie had major appearances.
 * This is the third time Amethyst has given Steven a magical item that has caused havoc in Beach City, previously doing so in the Pilot and the episode "Onion Trade".
 * This episode reveals Mr. Smiley's first name, which is Harold. It is revealed the used to be an actor/r&b singer when he was younger.
 * This is the second episode not all the Crystal Gems are seen together. Neither Garnet or Pearl appear in this episode.
 * This is the first time Sadie is seen crying.
 * This is Sadie's first major role.
 * This is the first episode where no Gem powers were used.
 * It was revealed through storyboards that Peedee Fryman and Mr. Fryman were set to appear in this episode, but their scene was cut due to time.
 * It was also revealed through storyboards that Lars wore a scorpion shirt instead of his snake shirt because he was self conscious about wearing it around Buck after Buck previously insulted his snake shirt in "Lars and the Cool Kids".
 * This is the first time we see the residential area of Beach City more close.
 * Gems might be resistant to spicy foods, as shown when Amethyst ate the fries, which were seasoned with Fire Salt, shown at the beginning of the episode.
 * Although she might have just bought new fries.

Cultural References

 * The title of this episode is a reference to the band Choking Victim.
 * The singing training video Steven watches starring Mr. Smiley seems to be parodying a series of Wendy's training videos that were also music videos.

Continuity

 * In the employee room, there is a poster of The Purple Puma and Tiger Millionaire from the episode "Tiger Millionaire".
 * Lars is still in touch with Jenny, Buck Dewey, and Sour Cream from the episode "Lars and the Cool Kids".

Errors

 * When Steven gives a drink to Lars, Steven's shirt has the shape of Star and not the logo of The Big Donut.
 * In a scene where Sadie gives Lars the "spicy doughnut" there is two doughnuts seen on the tray, yet in the next shot only one is seen.

Transcript
Click here to see transcript.