“ |
Even if there was nothing we can do for that one patch of land, there's still a whole Earth blooming all around us. |
” |
—Steven |
"Back to the Kindergarten" is the 8th episode of the fifth season of Steven Universe and the 136th episode overall.[2]
Official Synopsis[]
Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot try to spruce up the Kindergarten.[3]
Plot[]
Steven does his morning routine at the sink, given the fact that he let Peridot live in his bathroom after Lapis had left Earth. He and Amethyst decide to give her a visit. When they get in the bathroom, they find out that Peridot is still feeling upset after what happened. To make her feel better, Amethyst suggests visiting the Prime Kindergarten after meeting the Gems who were created at the very same place, adding that she can explain the difficult details that there are. They use the train to reach the Kindergarten, to Peridot's displeasure of her saying that using the Warp Pad is much more convenient.
At the Kindergarten, Peridot shows Amethyst which hole belongs to which Gem of the "Famethyst". Peridot, remembering how she used to be a true Kindergarten technician, realizes that life doesn't start at that place, but ends instead, since Gems, to be created, suck out the life in the vicinity. This effectively makes the whole concept of performing a reintroduction at a place like the Kindergarten impossible. Then, they find a "flower", much to their surprise, and all think that life can grow again at the Kindergarten. Therefore, they start planting sunflowers in teamwork and leave the Kindergarten, hoping that the results will be satisfying.
The next morning, Peridot temporarily leaves the bathroom for Steven to shower, talking to Amethyst about the recently planted garden. As soon as he comes out, Peridot forces him to quickly prepare and go back to the Kindergarten, expecting that the whole plan of reviving the Kindergarten went smoothly.
However, the three find out that the sunflowers completely withered up, and one of them turns into dust as Peridot picks it up. She is now depressed and disgusted about the Kindergarten due to the fact that it rendered the land around it lifeless to the point of plant life cannot survive. Amethyst tries to calm her down, but Peridot is sure that everything is already ruined and that nothing can change it. Steven tries to cheer her up with the fact that the flower they have seen before is still living. Peridot, in a fit of despair, stomps on the flower, but then feels bad for her action.
Suddenly, the flower turns out to be part of a corrupted Gem that bursts out of the ground and swallows Peridot. It retreats underground with Amethyst tracking it with her whip. To save Peridot, she and Steven form Smoky Quartz to poof and bubble the monster.
While on the train back to the Temple, the trio is disappointed, realizing that life really can't be reintroduced into the Kindergarten. Peridot exclaims that she wanted to do this to get over with the fact that Lapis left her and took The Barn, only to find out that the attempt of doing so by reviving the Kindergarten is futile. As they pass through the countryside, they see a large patch of land with sunflowers and suggest that they should try gardening again at the other location, since Peridot really got into the process of gardening. The episode ends as the three hug.
Features[]
Characters[]
- Steven
- Amethyst
- Peridot
- Pumpkin
- Smoky Quartz (non-speaking)
- Flower Monster (debut)
- Lapis Lazuli (mentioned)
- Amethyst guards (mentioned)
- The "Famethyst" (mentioned)
- "8XJ", "8XK", and "8XL" (mentioned)
- Garnet (pictured)
- Pearl (pictured)
Objects[]
- Peridot's Tablet
Locations[]
- The Barn (mentioned)
- Beach House
- Prime Kindergarten
Music[]
Instrumental Songs[]
- "I Miss You (She Took The Barn)"
- "Shorty Squad in the Kindergarten"
- "Smoky Quartz" (remix/shortened)
- "The Train Home"
Trivia[]
- This is the first time Smoky Quartz has bubbled a Gem.
- Peridot reveals new knowledge of the Kindergarten: the hairstyle of the Gem who emerges is based on iron deposit formation, and the Gem's full "name" and the number is labeled from top to bottom of the rock foundation.
Cultural References[]
- Much like "Back to the Barn", and "Back to the Moon", the name of this episode could be a reference to Back to the Future.
- Additionally, it seems to specifically mirror the episode "Back to the Barn" in the title. While "Back to the Barn" features Peridot's first contact with the barn, Back to the Kindergarten features her first time without it after Lapis takes it.
- The lone flower on the Flower Monster seems to be a reference to the Silent Princess, a flower previously thought to have been extinct, from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as they both have similar design and seemingly grow against all odds, however, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released on March 3, 2017, which would have been too late into the animation process for this to be an intentional reference, leaving this as most likely a coincidence.
Continuity[]
- Peridot is still depressed after Lapis left in "Raising the Barn".
- Amethyst mentioned the Amethyst guards from "That Will Be All".
- Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot took the same route to the kindergarten from "On the Run".
- Peridot returns to living in the Beach House's bathroom, as she did earlier in "Catch and Release" and "When It Rains".
- When Steven is getting ready in the bathroom (both in the sink and in the shower), three split screens are shown like in "Catch and Release".
- As Steven and Amethyst form Smoky Quartz, the sound effect during Garnet and Amethyst's forming Sugilite from "Coach Steven" can be heard.
Errors[]
- When Peridot is hunched over in the tub, her left hand is incorrectly drawn as a right hand with the thumb on the wrong side.
- The functions of the play and the pause button on Peridot's tablet are reversed.
- When Peridot says "Hey, thanks for doing this with me." her right eye's pupil becomes transparent for a frame.
- When Amethyst rushes to Peridot's help after the latter has been attacked by the corrupted Gem, she has her whip out, but in the next shot, she is seen summoning it again.
- When Amethyst says "Yeah, we got the subtext," her left arm is the color of her hair.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.