| “ |
Bismuth, I think I've forgotten how to talk to humans. |
” |
| —Steven | ||
"Bismuth Casual" is the 12th episode of Steven Universe Future.
Official Synopsis[]
Pearl invites Bismuth to the roller rink for a lesson on how to forge human relationships.[2]
Plot[]
The episode starts off with Bismuth, Pearl, Connie, and Steven driving in his Dondai and listening to music, on their way to the Starlight Roller Rink, where Pearl is excited for Bismuth to start experiencing relationships with humans.
Once they arrive, they see Sour Cream as the rink's DJ, and Bismuth becomes amazed by the humans skating around but is also nervous since it's her first time. Steven comforts her by informing her that it's his first time as well. She questions how he has constantly missed out on human activity, and he responds with all that's happened since he came into his uncontrollable powers, he hasn't been able to catch up on any of those activities.
Meanwhile, Pearl encounters some of her human friends, as they introduce themselves to Bismuth, Connie, and Steven. The humans take a liking to Bismuth, once they heard that she constructed Little Homeworld, and Steven and Connie prepare to go skating until they encounter some of Connie's friends from her school. Steven tries to associate with them, but the conversation doesn't go so well due to Steven attempting to relate their family issues to those of his Gem family.
Changing the subject, Connie asks everyone to skate with her, but Steven struggles to stand at all. Connie offers Steven some help for him to skate, but he denies it and says he'll catch up with her. While Connie and her friends skate around the rink, Steven barely skates by holding on to the edge of the rink, and Pearl and Bismuth pass by with the humans. Bismuth seems to get the hang of skating, and the humans compliment her for doing so well. Pearl informs her how exchanging phone numbers works with one another, then she rolls away, stating that Bismuth doesn't need her help to connect with humans as the others she met already like her.
As Bismuth and the humans continue to skate by, Steven "successfully" skates an entire lap around the rink. Connie stops for a bit to check up on Steven and asks if they can hang out. But Steven denies it, saying she's supposed to have fun with her friends, to which Connie replies that he is her friend. Steven insists that she keep on skating to give him a moment alone. As she leaves, he questions what he's doing.
Bismuth passes by to see what's going on, and Steven tells her that he feels that he's lost his touch with humans: when he's alone with Connie, it's fine for him, but it's more difficult with her new friends around. Bismuth points out that even though she made friends with other humans, she was really only here for Pearl, and wanted to catch up with her seeing how happy she is.
Steven then expresses that Connie's friends think he's weird and questions, if she's still his best friend anymore, at which Bismuth sets him straight, stating that Connie came along to be with him, and being weird, is part of who he is and what makes him a Crystal Gem, and that didn't stop him and Connie from being friends. This proves to be enough motivation for Steven to get back into the roller rink and hang out with Connie once more.
Bismuth pushes Steven into the rink, and he manages to skate for a few seconds, but soon faceplants to the ground. Connie rolls up to him, and he apologizes for being so distant towards her and starts to express his anxieties over her life without him and wanting to reconnect with her, but then changes the subject, saying he doesn't know how to skate. Sour Cream announces a nightly skate competition will take place momentarily. This gives Connie an idea, and she offers Steven her hand; he takes it and they fuse into Stevonnie.
As Pearl and Bismuth enjoy themselves, still skating with other humans, Stevonnie gets their own skates and enters the rink. They struggle at first, but soon attain balance, and skate amazingly with ease, much to everyone's amazement, including Connie's friends who are astounded by their fusion. Sour Cream announces Stevonnie as the winner, as the latter unfuses and everyone applauds.
As the winners, Steven and Connie pick the next song, in which they choose the same commercial song they heard earlier, dedicating it to Bismuth and Pearl. The episode comes to an end with everyone skating together, and Connie and Steven sharing a laugh.
Features[]
Characters[]
- Steven Universe
- Pearl
- Bismuth
- Connie Maheswaran
- Stevonnie (non-speaking)
- Sour Cream
- Khadijah, Jaime and Brandish (debut)
- Patricia and Daniel (debut)
- Jingle Singer (voice; debut)
- Crazy Lace Agate (cameo)
- Orange Spodumene (cameo)
- Greg Universe (mentioned)
- White Diamond (mentioned)
- Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond (indirectly mentioned)
- Emily King (mentioned)
Objects[]
Locations[]
- Starlight Roller Rink (debut)
- Little Homeworld (mentioned)
- Cram School (mentioned)
Music[]
Songs[]
- "Cam's Camshafts"
- "Can't Hold Me"
Instrumental Songs[]
Trivia[]
- This is the only Steven Universe Future episode where Uzo Aduba voices Bismuth.
- With Emily King's "Can't Hold Me" played, this is the second time a real-life musician's music is played in canon in an episode, after Mike Krol's appearance in "Last One Out of Beach City".
- Both episodes feature Pearl having a night out and individuals romantically interested in Pearl.
- Emily King sings the end credits music of Steven Universe Future, "Being Human".
- Possibly not by coincidence, this episode focuses largely on Steven having forgotten how to interact with humans, or "be human".
- Stevonnie makes their second non-speaking appearance, the first being "We Need to Talk". It is also their final appearance overall in the Steven Universe franchise, not counting flashbacks from "Growing Pains".
- This is the first time a member of the Cool Kids directly interacts with Connie.
- A gender-neutral/unisex bathroom with a transgender symbol (⚧) can be seen in the background of the skating rink.
- The animated versions of Ian Jones-Quartey, Lamar Abrams, and Kat Morris make cameos in this episode.[3]
- In the background of Starlight Roller Rink, a sign can be seen for "Angstromboli Pizza", a portmanteau of "stromboli" (a type of Italian turnover often made with pizza dough) and "angstrom" (a measurement equal to one ten-billionth of a meter).
- When Bismuth pushes Steven back onto the rink, a "No Pushing" sign can be seen inside.
- The background music from "Alone Together", "Kevin Party", and "Reunited" are reused.
Cultural References[]
- The title is a reference to the dress style "business casual".
- The title is one of many puns the series has made involving substituting the word "business" for Bismuth's name, previously done in "Bismuth", "Made of Honor", and "Change Your Mind".
- A shirt can be seen that reads "HE WAS A SKATER BOY", a reference to the Avril Lavigne song "Sk8er Boi".
- Jaime is wearing a shirt with the album art of the punk band Bad Brains' self-titled debut album.
Continuity[]
- Bismuth is confirmed to have a crush on Pearl, hinted at through Bismuth's flirtatiousness toward Pearl in the episode with her name.
- After they unfuse, Steven's blue sock and Connie's red sock are the same as the paired red and blue socks in "Keeping It Together".
- Steven references the rave from "Alone Together" he and Connie were at after first fusing and the events of "Change Your Mind" where White Diamond "tore into [him]" and took out his gemstone.
Errors[]
- When Pearl is unbuttoning Bismuth's shirt, her hand clips through Bismuth's arm.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.
Gallery
Video[]
