Same Old World

"This isn't the same world that held you prisoner — not anymore. And I know it doesn't feel like home, but maybe that can change too."

"Same Old World" is the 3rd episode of the third season of Steven Universe and the 81st episode overall.

Synopsis
Steven flies around the world with Lapis Lazuli.

Plot
The Crystal Gems are gathered next to the hole in the ground made by the drill, attentively listening to Peridot retelling the story of how Steven and her drilled down to the mantle and pacified The Cluster. Peridot notices that Steven is distracted. He is too busy worrying about Lapis Lazuli, who's resting inside the barn, and goes there to visit. Garnet follows, telling him that she needs rest from the strain of holding Malachite. He decides to leave afterward. However, as he sleeps right outside the barn, he wakes up from noises, and when he goes to check, Lapis woke up as well and is ready to set flight again. Steven is indignant, as he has not been able to settle down with her, but she claims she does not belong on Earth and leaves.

The next day, Steven is questioning Peridot on her decision to stay in the barn while the rest of the Crystal Gems move back to the Temple. However, as Peridot insists that she prefers the place, he leaves and approaches Greg, who has finished packing everything into the van, including the Gems, who are ready to go. Steven tells him to go on, as he wants to fetch Lion and ride on him to Beach City. However, in the process of searching for him, he finds Lapis instead, sitting miserably atop the barn's silo. He climbs up and questions why she has come back, to which she responds that due to her behavior towards Jasper, she would no longer be allowed on Homeworld, so she cannot go back and has nowhere to leave to. Steven suggests she lives somewhere on Earth and tells her he can show her around to help her find the best place to stay. Lapis accepts, and, with Steven holding tight to her back, glides from the silo's top into the open sky, as the barn gets smaller behind them.

They approach the fields in the countryside, and Steven introduces Lapis to the concept of trees, farming, and seasons, telling her that she could live a farmer's life and live among nature. Lapis is fascinated by the leaves, but still has doubts. Steven moves on and guides her into a metropolis environment, showing her Empire City and introducing her to the urban life in Jersey. The area is incredibly polluted by smog, and the two are harassed by a local who throws a shoe at them. Lapis and Steven mock them, as they fly happily above the first layer of clouds, spinning, sprinting and doing tricks, including one where Lapis flips Steven, holding him by his hands this time.

When the clouds clear, Steven notices that they are deep into the sea and far from the coast, and wonders how far they are, however, something catches Lapis' eye: the Galaxy Warp. Memories from her past seem to come back to her, as she is immobilized by the structures, almost letting Steven slip from her hands. Luckily, she becomes lucid once more in time and lands on the platform, telling Steven that the Galaxy Warp was where she was abandoned. Raising the tides and summoning water that overflows over the warp pads, she uses her powers to transform the Homeworld Warp into a mirror, as she tells Steven about her past.

The mirror shows that Lapis was caught in the midst of the war between Crystal Gems and Homeworld Gems, for the planet Earth, while paying a short visit, and that in the middle of a battle, was punched by a soldier and poofed. Her gemstone was later found by Homeworld soldiers, who assumed she was part of the rebelling forces and imprisoned her in a mirror so that she would be immobilized while taking advantage of her captivity, requesting answers to questions regardings the Crystal Gems' leader and locations. However, Lapis was unable to answer back, for she knew nothing. Eventually, at the end of the war, the Homeworld Gems decided to retreat and return home. However, in the chaos of the evacuation, Lapis' mirror was dropped, and her gemstone was stepped on and cracked, condemned to stay forever in the Galaxy Warp, facing up towards Homeworld, for ages until she was eventually found and taken by Pearl.

Lapis' memories cause her to have a breakdown, as she stops with the magic and falls to her knees. Steven becomes worried, but Lapis decides that it be best for both if they return home. In the journey back home, Lapis is still feeling sad about always being a prisoner, now to Earth, but Steven tells her that she is not a prisoner and that the planet has changed, so her definition of home might just change too if she gives it a try. Once they are back at the barn, Lapis accepts Steven's request and decides that she would be willing to give Earth another opportunity. However, the two are interrupted by a nosy Peridot, who comes in to check on the two, much to Lapis' shock. Peridot explains that the Barn is also her new home, but Lapis is not having it because she thinks that the Barn is her new home, not Peridot's. The two turn back to a distressed Steven, who is not quite sure what to do.

Characters

 * Steven
 * Lapis Lazuli
 * Garnet
 * Pearl (non-speaking)
 * Amethyst (non-speaking)
 * Peridot
 * Lion
 * Greg
 * Malachite (mentioned)
 * Jasper (mentioned)
 * Greg's Aunt and Uncle (pictured)
 * Several Other Gems (flashback)

Objects

 * Hot Dog Duffel Bag
 * Greg's Van
 * The Mirror (flashback)
 * Ancient Gem Colony Ship (flashback)
 * Steven's Phone

Locations

 * The Barn
 * Empire City
 * Jersey
 * Galaxy Warp
 * Homeworld (mentioned)
 * Countryside
 * Surf City (mentioned)
 * Sea City (mentioned)
 * Aqua Town (mentioned)
 * Bayburgh (mentioned)

Songs

 * None

Instrumental Songs

 * "Blue Diamond (soundtrack)"
 * "Little Peridot"
 * Lapis' Tower

Trivia

 * This episode's name was first revealed in the episode listing on the Cartoon Network website.
 * It is revealed in this episode that despite the fact Gems receive their energy from their gemstone and not their body, they are still capable of being knocked unconscious when their body takes an excessive amount of stress.
 * The "SUMY" brand and Dogcopter can be seen on billboards in Empire City.
 * At one scene, there appears to be a billboard that has the word "HIMITSU" on it and above the word, there is a picture of a car. Himitsu means "Secret" in Japanese, and the billboard is most likely to be a theatrical poster of a 1970's Japanese spy film that is to be premiered in Empire City.
 * When the Homeworld Gems are fleeing Earth, there is a bright flash of multi-colored light in the sky.
 * The theme of the Diamonds plays during its emission.
 * There are moments when Lapis, Steven and Peridot's hair is larger than usual.

Cultural References

 * This episode's title is a reference to the line from William Shakespeare's "The Tempest", "Oh, brave new world that has such people in it!"
 * It is also very likely a reference to the "A Whole New World" song from the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin, where Aladdin and Jasmine fly around on a magic carpet seeing various sights like Steven and Lapis do.
 * Jersey is a reference to New Jersey, United States.
 * New Jersey Turnpike is featured in that area.
 * Empire City seems to be a combination of both Las Vegas and New York, as the expression Steven says, "What happens in Empire City, never sleeps" is a combination of two expressions of the former cities: "What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas" and "New York, the city that never sleeps".
 * According to Ian Jones Quartey, it is also equal parts Paris. An Eiffel Tower-like building can also be seen.
 * Steven's description of life in Empire City is an amalgam of various television sitcom premises.
 * In Empire City, a billboard reading "Dogcopter: Turn Off the Dark" can briefly be seen. This is a reference to the musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.
 * When Lapis and Steven are overlooking Empire City, Steven tells Lapis she can get a cool apartment, be a single Gem taking on the big city, have a fun job at a local coffee shop, and come home to a wacky roommate. This is a reference to the 1994-2004 television sitcom Friends.
 * This could also be a reference to the life of Eileen a character from Regular Show other Cartoon Network show.

Continuity

 * Peridot retells the gems the events happened during "Gem Drill".
 * Peridot decides to stay in the barn to restore the hole she made in "Message Received".
 * When Steven asks Lapis "Ready, Freddy?", she corrects him saying that her name is Lapis, similarly to how she corrected Steven in "Ocean Gem" when he said "No prob, Bob!"
 * Empire City, first mentioned in "Story for Steven", is shown.
 * A poster on Empire City shows an ad for the new Dogcopter movie.
 * Lapis and Steven make the fart noise from "Mirror Gem".
 * When Lapis is projecting her memories, her eyes appear to change back to the mirror design first seen in "Mirror Gem".
 * The episode visualizes Pearl finding the mirror containing Lapis at the Galaxy Warp, an event first mentioned in "Mirror Gem".
 * When she finds the mirror, Pearl has the same outfit she had in "Story for Steven" and "We Need to Talk".
 * The silhouetted animation style from "The Answer" returns during Lapis' flashback.
 * Steven has his Hot Dog Duffel Bag that he unboxed from the short "Novelty Backpack".
 * Near the end of the episode, a sign saying "UUU SPACE TRAVEL" can be seen on the barn. This is the same thing that was written on the chalkboard in "Back to the Barn".

Errors

 * After Lapis makes a loop while flying with Steven, a bright star passes over her instead of behind.
 * Lapis' halter top is in a brighter tone of blue when she is on the Galaxy Warp.
 * Peridot's Gem is missing during the close up of her explaining her and Steven's encounter with the Cluster.
 * In a scene where Steven is looking at Lapis at the top of the barn's silo while looking for Lion, the strap of her top is gone.
 * The tarp covering part of the hole in the side of the barn which was present in Gem Drill is missing.
 * When Peridot is explaining her and Steven's encounter with the Cluster, her hair is larger than usual. This also goes for Lapis, when she declares that she wants to stay on Earth, and when she yells at Peridot after discovering that she already lives in the barn.

Videos
Same Old World Same Old World