Crack the Whip

"Oh, good... You didn't need me at all..."

"Crack the Whip" is the 18th episode of the third season of Steven Universe and the 96th episode overall.

Synopsis
Amethyst takes charge of Steven and Connie, and while the trio is having fun, it all turns sour.

Plot
Pearl and Garnet are getting on the Warp Pad while Steven tries to talk to them. They interrupt, telling Amethyst to "hold down the fort" as the were going back to the Great North to look for Jasper. Just then, Connie and Lion arrive, and Steven tells Pearl that she was supposed to be training with Connie that day. Pearl apologizes and says that they will do it next week when Jasper is not running loose, and Garnet says that that would be the best case scenario. Then they warp out.

After that; Steven, Amethyst, Connie, and Lion have fun around Beach City and sword fighting on the beach. Eventually, Steven and Amethyst go into the water, and Connie soon joins them after a little coaxing. While Steven and Connie splash each other, the ground starts to shake and the Orange Great North Monster climbs out of the water onto the beach, directly in front of Sour Cream. After the Gem shakes the water off, Sour Cream runs away. Amethyst then uses her whip to wrap it up and poof it. Then Steven bubbles it and sends it to the Burning Room.

Then the Green Great North Monster rises from the ocean with Jasper on it is back. Jasper then reveals that she is collecting Corrupted Gems to form and army, and asks where the rest of the Crystal Gems are. Steven then starts to tell her they are not there(referring to Pearl and Garnet) but is cut off by Amethyst. Then Amethyst tells Steven and Connie to fight the Corrupted Gem while she takes on Jasper. Jasper and Amethyst proceed to fight while Jasper insults Amethyst, including questioning why Rose Quartz kept her around, and wears her down by spin dashing and kicks. Steven and Connie continue to fight the Gem, but Steven shows concern for Amethyst since he sees her being beaten. Eventually, Jasper's head slams Amethyst into the ground poofing her. Steven and Connie see this and go to get Amethyst back from Jasper. As they run toward her to attack, they fuse into Stevonnie and get her back. Jasper then expresses her disgust that Steven (who she still calls Rose) had fused with a human. She jumps on top of the Corrupted Gem and rushes at Steven and Connie, who jump on top of Lion. Lion and the Gem Monster butt heads and Stevonnie rushes at Jasper, throwing shields at her and hitting her in the head with Rose's Sword, which poofs the Corrupted Gem.

Amethyst begins to reform. Her new outfit has only changed slightly, her top going from dark gray to white and her leggings staying the same. She reforms ready to fight, looking around for Jasper. Amethyst looks ahead to see Stevonnie in control of the situation.

Jasper realizes she has been defeated and gets angry because a fusion once again beat her. After collecting the Aquamarine Corrupted Gem's gem, she walks back into the ocean, claiming she will be back. Stevonnie says "I guess she lives in the ocean" then turns around and unfuses, informing Amethyst that they defeated Jasper. Amethyst is surprised that they fused and were able to defeat Jasper. She then becomes depressed, realizing that they did not need her as Steven and Connie ran back to the Beach House.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Connie
 * Amethyst
 * Pearl
 * Garnet
 * Rose Quartz (mentioned)
 * Lion
 * Jasper (antagonist)
 * Sadie Miller
 * Peedee Fryman (non-speaking cameo)
 * Jenny Pizza (non-speaking cameo)
 * Kiki Pizza (non-speaking cameo)
 * Sour Cream
 * Stevonnie
 * Green Great North Monster
 * Orange Great North Monster

Objects

 * Rose's Sword
 * Rose's Scabbard
 * Warp Pad
 * Pretty Hairstylist
 * Connie's Glow Bracelet

Locations

 * Beach City
 * Beach House
 * Big Donut
 * Fish Stew Pizza
 * Beach Citywalk Fries
 * Beach City Funland
 * The Great North (mentioned)

Music

 * TBA

Trivia
*She reformed quickly with no problems unlike "Reformed"
 * This episode's name was first revealed in the episode listing on the Cartoon Network website.
 * This episode marks the first time that Stevonnie engages in combat and fights using Rose's Sword and Steven's Shield, effectively combining their fighting styles.
 * Amethyst reformed again this episode

Cultural References

 * "Crack the Whip" is an idiom referring to the disciplining of one's subordinates.
 * When Amethyst is surfing at the beach, she shouts, "Bungacowa!" similar to, "Cowabunga!" slang commonly used by surfers when expressing happiness and excitement.
 * When Jasper kicks Amethyst into the air and rapidly punches her, it resembles the fighting moves from the video game franchise, Mortal Kombat.
 * Jasper's rapid punches could also be referencing the animes Fist of the North Star, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Continuity

 * The monsters from the Great North reappear since their capture in "Gem Hunt".
 * The Ferris Wheel in "Greg the Babysitter" reappears in this episode.
 * This marks the second time Amethyst shouted, "Bungacowa!" The first time was in the episode, "Chille Tid".
 * While restocking inventory at the Big Donut, Sadie was humming the jingle for Pepe's Burgers, which was first heard in "Mr. Greg".
 * Amethyst once again does not bubble a Gem after poofing it, adding to the many consistent times when she has not been seen bubbling.
 * Steven uses his floating power, which he first discovered he had in "Steven Floats", during his training session with Connie.
 * Connie mentions freezing up during her and Steven's encounter with the Corrupted Gem during her first official gem mission in "Gem Hunt".
 * Jasper reveals her reason for hunting Corrupted Gems in "Gem Hunt" was so she could tame them and force them to serve her, in order to use them to combat the Crystal Gems.
 * Before retreating, Jasper yells "It's always fusion!", referencing the fact that this is the second time a fusion gem overpowered her, the first time by Garnet in "Jail Break". xffff

Errors

 * In the close-up shot where Jasper says, "Then she had low standards", the stripes on her face disappear.

Videos
Crack the Whip Crack the Whip Crack the Whip Crack the Whip