Monster Buddies

"You just got...GARNETED!!"

"Monster Buddies" is the 23rd episode of the first season of Steven Universe, and the 23rd episode overall.

Official Synopsis
Steven accidentally releases a monster from a gem bubble and attempts to tame its wild, violent instincts.

Plot
The Gems and Steven are first shown fighting an Ice Monster in a snowy mountain while trying to acquire a powerful artifact called the Shooting Star. Garnet slams the Ice Monster into a wall, causing the ice ceiling to start to cave in. The rocks begin to fall on Amethyst and Garnet bubbles Steven (much to Pearl's objection), warping him back to the Temple. He breaks out of the bubble, accidentally popping the bubble containing the Centipeetle's gem as well. The Centipeetle reforms small in size, and is scared, so Steven tries to tell the Centipeetle to relax. However, the Crystal Gems come back and see the Centipeetle. They think that it is a threat, with Garnet almost about to kill it, but Steven tells them that it didn't harm him at all, and that he will try to train the Centipeetle. Garnet allows it, although Pearl still thinks that it is dangerous. Garnet tells Steven that he can tame the Centipeetle.

On the beach, the Gems have secured the Centipeetle to a rock with chains and have summoned their weapons in case the Centipeetle did any harm. However, Steven wants the Gems to put away their weapons and go inside the house. Pearl objects but Garnet insists that Steven can do it. They go inside and the Centipeetle breaks free from the chains. Steven begins trying to calm the Centipeetle by feeding it some Chaaaaps brand potato chips. This works well until a seagull flies down and bites Steven's hand, trying to eat the chips from it. The Centipeetle spits acid at the seagull to protect Steven, causing the seagull to fly away scared. Steven eagerly runs up to the house, wanting to show the Gems the Centipeetle's new "trick". Every time Steven squawks like a seagull the Centipeetle spits a stream of acid. One stream almost hits Garnet, another melts a picture of Pearl off of the refrigerator, and still another knocks a sandwich out of Amethyst's hand and melts it, much to her dismay. Steven suggests that the Centipeetle could help them on missions, but Pearl immediately dismisses this idea. However, Garnet thinks that the creature's acid venom could be the only way to continue through the ice cavern without causing a cave in.

The Gems and Steven eventually make their way through the cavern to the room containing the Shooting Star. Pearl explains that the Shooting Star is far too hot to touch with bare skin and that Garnet should use her gauntlets. Garnet summons her gauntlets, and the sight of them causes the Centipeetle to get frightened and spew acid all over the ceiling, causing large amounts of ice and rock to fall. Pearl says she knew bringing the creature was a bad idea and knocks it into the wall hard with her spear, accidentally causing a large stalactite to loosen from the ceiling. Garnet and Amethyst continue to attack the Centipeetle as Steven tries to convince them to stop. Amethyst accidentally pulls the Centipeetle directly into herself, Garnet and Pearl, knocking the three over. As the Centipeetle is about to attack them, Steven approaches it, crying, and asks it to stop. He tells it that it doesn't need to fight or be a monster anymore, he then hugs the Centipeetle, calming it down. The stalactite breaks from the ceiling and falls straight for Steven, but the Centipeetle pushes him out of the way, sacrificing itself to save Steven. Garnet comforts Steven, telling him that he did a good job raising the Centipeetle, and that his mother would be proud of him. She explains that Rose Quartz once used her powers to try to heal the monsters, but was unable to do so.

Steven begins to feel discouraged, but Pearl tells him that maybe one day, when he gains more control of his powers, he may be able to do things even his mother could not. Steven then bubbles the Centipeetle's gemstone, and vows to fully heal it someday. He transports the gem back to the Temple, along with the bag of "Chaaaaps" chips, and the episode ends with two star shaped irises closing on the bubbles containing the gemstone and the "Chaaaaps".

Characters

 * Steven
 * Garnet
 * Amethyst
 * Pearl
 * Lion
 * Centipeetle Mother (Semi-antagonist)
 * Ice Monster (Antagonist/debut)
 * Rose Quartz (Mentioned)

Objects

 * Shooting Star (debut)
 * Chaaaaps (debut)

Locations

 * Beach City
 * Crystal Temple
 * Beach House
 * The Burning Room

Soundtracks

 * Monster Buddy
 * Monster Spelunkin'
 * Fight, Flight, or Love

Trivia

 * Steven learns how to bubble Gems as of this episode, and is shown to be able to bubble other objects such as a bag of chips.
 * Steven is the first and so far only Gem to bubble a non-gem object.
 * Steven is the only one to have bubbled an already bubbled Gem twice (Garnet had already bubbled the Centipeetle Mother), and his mother had previously bubbled the Gem shards in "Secret Team".
 * It is shown that when a Crystal Gem teleports a bubble, it is teleported to The Burning Room in the Crystal Temple.
 * It is revealed that Rose Quartz has tried to tame Monsters before, just like Steven did in this episode, but has failed at "healing" them.
 * This marks the first episode where a "villain" is reformed.
 * It appears that all Gems have different colored bubbles when bubbling a gem or an item.
 * Like Pearl in the episode "Steven the Sword Fighter", the Centipeetle Mother goes through many past forms while regenerating such as a humanoid, a large centipede-like form seen in the episode "Gem Glow", and a much smaller centipede form which is used for most of this episode. This might be a reference when Pearl talks about how the monsters were corrupted Gems.
 * In one moment of the Centipeetle's awakening, you can see a humanoid figure emerge before turning into a Centipeetle, which is proof that it was once a gem.
 * At the end of the episode, the gem of the Ice Monster can be seen inside the Burning Room when Steven bubbles the Centipeetle Mother's Gem.
 * This is the second episode to have the word Buddies in the title, the first being "Bubble Buddies".
 * This is the fifth episode not to end with a single star-shaped iris as 2 star-shaped irises closes at the chips and the Centipeetle, The first four were "Giant Woman", "Lion 2: The Movie", "Coach Steven", and "Steven and the Stevens".
 * So far, this is the second episode to end with more than one star-shaped iris. This first happened at "Coach Steven".
 * It is shown briefly that the interdimensional door leading to The Burning Room is about a corner from the floor of the room and is located on a precipe around the edge of the room.
 * When the Centipeetle attacks Amethyst's sandwich, she says "Mi Torta!", referring to the Mexican sandwich.
 * This is the third episode where Garnet speaks more than a few words, with the first being So Many Birthdays and the second being Beach Party.
 * This is the first episode where the Crystal Gems fought two different corrupted gems, in this case the Ice Monster and the Centipeetle Mother, in a single episode.

Continuity

 * The Centipeetle Mother from "Gem Glow" returns for a second appearance in this episode.
 * The Burning Room is shown for a second time since the episode "Together Breakfast".
 * Pearl explains in "Ocean Gem" that the Gem monsters they fight were just like them, and we can see in this episode that when the Centipeetle Mother is regenerating, a humanoid figure emerges.

Errors

 * When Steven arrives at The Burning Room the bubble of the Centipeetle Mother is not there.


 * Garnet's gauntlets are shown wet although she never put her hands in the liquid containing the Shooting Star.


 * When Amethyst uses her whip to attack the Centipeetle Mother, she pulls it into herself, Pearl and Garnet resulting in them all landing on their butts. Amethyst lands on the right of Garnet, and Pearl is on the opposite side, but when the scene changes, they have switched sides and Amethyst is upside-down. The Centipeetle has also moved further away.
 * When Steven embraces the Centipeetle Mother, he is hugging her head, but when the camera changes he is seen hugging her mane.
 * In a scene where the Centipeetle Mother enters the house with Steven, the Gems' room door with the star can be seen without gems, such as Garnet's gems or Pearl's etc.

Videos
Mi Amigo, El Monstruo