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♫ I can show you how to be strong, in the real way. ♫

Pearl


"Coach Steven" is the 20th episode of the first season of Steven Universe and the 20th episode overall.

Official Synopsis[]

After seeing Garnet and Amethyst fuse into the powerful Sugilite, Steven is determined to become super strong.[2]

Plot[]

Coach Steven (002)

The episode begins with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven warping to the former Crystal Gem Communication Hub. Pearl explains that it is releasing bursts of electromagnetic interference and needs to be destroyed, inciting a confused response from Steven. Garnet then tells Steven that it's "hurting television", which manages to sufficiently motivate Steven to help out. As a joke, Amethyst transforms into a more muscular version of Steven and starts punching the pillars. Pearl stops Amethyst, telling her that they would need a well thought out plan in order to destroy the hub. Garnet decides to use Sugilite, a fusion of Garnet and Amethyst, despite Pearl's warning against the plan that Sugilite is a dangerous entity. Garnet states that "They don't need to be careful; They just need to be huge".

Coach Steven (059)

As Pearl struggles to cover Steven's eyes, Garnet and Amethyst then fuse via a synchronized dance, creating Sugilite. She forms her special weapon: a combination of Garnet's interlocking gauntlets and Amethyst's whip, forming a weapon similar in nature to a flail. Sugilite then uses this flail to begin smashing pillars. Pearl becomes frustrated and worried and tells Steven that they are going home, disappointing Steven. Steven is hit with debris from Sugilite's carnage, and Pearl hastily warps them away just before a boulder crushes the Warp Pad.

Coach Steven (100)

Steven goes to the Big Donut to visit Lars and Sadie. His head is wrapped with bandages and he dons a pair of sunglasses, both in order to cover the cut he received from the rock. Lars and Sadie start to laugh as Steven displays his tiny injury with Lars telling Steven to toughen up and be a man. Ironically, he then struggles to open a jar of herring, which Sadie easily opens for him. Steven then comes up with the idea to exercise as a group and suggests Greg should be their coach.

Coach Steven (131)

Greg builds basic workout equipment for the group. He also decides to join their workout, saying he'd missed out on exercising for decades. Steven goes to his house for sweat bands and meets Pearl inside. Pearl asks what he is doing outside, and Steven explains that he wants to be strong like Sugilite.

Pearl goes inside the house and begins to sing "Strong in the Real Way" while picking up Steven's clothes. Steven starts the workout with Greg, Sadie, and Lars and he begins singing where Pearl left off in the song.

Coach Steven (158)

Greg, Lars, and Sadie are up and ready the next morning for the day's workout, but Steven is sore from exercising yesterday. Regardless, he gets up and finds Pearl downstairs questioning where Sugilite is, noting that the Warp Pad is down (because Sugilite inadvertently destroyed it after Pearl and Steven left, unbeknownst to Pearl.) Outside, Sugilite is seen walking home, angrily wading through the ocean. When Sugilite reaches the beach, Sugilite shouts that she is bored and complains that Pearl left her behind, Pearl replying that she thought Sugilite did not need help. Pearl suggests that Sugilite separate back into Garnet and Amethyst, to which Sugilite replies by suddenly kicking her. Pearl tells Sugilite that they (Garnet and Amethyst) have been fused together for too long. Sugilite refuses to split apart and, in her rage, destroys Greg's gym. Steven concernedly asks why Sugilite destroyed his dad's gym and why she is attacking Pearl. Pearl tells Steven to get out of the area and throws him behind a ridge.

Coach Steven (252)

Pearl retrieves her spear and starts to fight against Sugilite in an attempt to separate her back into Amethyst and Garnet, though Sugilite hits her with a harsh strike. Greg moves in and grabs Steven to move him away from the conflict, much to Steven's disdain. Pearl launches another attack, knocking off Sugilite's shades. This infuriates her further, prompting her to headbutt Pearl downwards, smack her into the air again, and then slam her back down into the ground with a two-handed overhead strike. Sugilite then swings her weapon at Pearl, knocking away Steven and Greg as well. Pearl, seemingly unable to fight any longer, then gives up right before Sugilite is about to destroy her, stating that she's sorry to Steven, Garnet, and Amethyst, and that she "isn't strong enough to protect anybody or do anything". Steven then tells Pearl via his bullhorn (he was using it earlier to coordinate the workout) that he knows that she can take her down, and how she always knows what to do.

Steven's motivation encourages Pearl to get up, ready to take down Sugilite. Pearl looks at the top of the Crystal Temple and seems to formulate a plan. She taunts Sugilite, to which Sugilite replies by attacking with a punch. She misses and Pearl begins to run up the cliff, Sugilite chasing close behind. Upon reaching the top of the cliff, Pearl leaps off and, as Sugilite twirls her flail for an attack, throws her spear at the cliff directly below one of Sugilite's feet, crumbling the portion and causing Sugilite to lose her footing and fall. Sugilite quickly recovers, asking Pearl if she really thought she'd be able to defeat her, before being cut off by the end portion of her flail then coming down on top of her head, causing her to split back into Garnet and Amethyst in a puff of purple smoke. Both are left face-down in the sand.

Coach Steven (271)

Pearl rushes over and asks the two if they're okay. Garnet explains how Sugilite overworked their bodies, so she agrees that Pearl is right. Pearl suddenly becomes very excited and proud of herself, and as a result, she enthusiastically hugs the fallen Gems. Immediately after, she notices that both are in pain and apologizes. Steven said to Pearl "You did it!" and she thanks him. Garnet tells Pearl that she is right, and they should have listened to her. Pearl replies she is right, and Steven cheers her on, after which she suggests that they go on a mission. The episode ends with Amethyst asking how long is Pearl going to keep that up, Garnet saying that they deserved it, Lars questioning what just happened and Steven shouting: "Drop and give me 20!" into his bullhorn.

Features[]

Characters[]

Objects[]

  • Sugilite's Flail (debut)
  • Steven's Boombox
  • Steven's Megaphone
  • Makeshift Workout Equipment

Locations[]

Music[]

Songs[]

Instrumental Songs[]

Trivia[]

Cultural References[]

  • Garnet's dance moves while preparing to fuse with Amethyst bear similarities to Michael Jackson's dance moves.
  • Steven saying "It's all the me I could be!" is an obvious reference to the famous army slogan "Be all you can be."

Continuity[]

  • Pearl suggesting to Garnet to fuse with her instead hints to the future Garnet (and by extension, Ruby and Sapphire) and Pearl fusion, Sardonyx.

Errors[]

  • When Amethyst shapeshifted into a more muscular Steven, her gem can be seen on her shirt despite it being concealed when she shapeshifted into him previously in "Cat Fingers" and again in "Maximum Capacity."
  • The small piece of the pillar that Amethyst chucked off that Pearl is holding disappears in the next scene.
Coach Steven (060,1)

Sugilite's gray colored chest. Also note how Garnet's gauntlets are colored purple and keep the same design before they form the mace of Sugilite's flail.

  • When Sugilite is summoning Garnet's gauntlets, her chest is colored gray.
    • Also, before Garnet's gauntlets clasp together, they are recolored purple instead of red, and keep the same design beforehand, which is odd, given how Garnet's gauntlets remain the same for Sardonyx in "Cry for Help" until her war hammer is formed, and the hybrid Obsidian in "Change Your Mind" until they combine into their greatsword.
  • When Sugilite first summons her flail, Steven and Pearl aren't in front of her.
  • In the scene where Steven arrives at the Big Donut, Lars' shoes are slightly overlapping one another at the top.
  • When Lars is showing off his strength while opening a can of sardines, the sandwich he is eating disappeared along with his lunch bag.
  • During the montage of Greg done building a gym, he constantly keeps losing his sandals and then wearing them again.
  • When Pearl walks away from the window when she is singing, the clothes she is carrying disappears except the one she is folding.
  • When Steven is singing "Strong in the Real Way", one scene shows that the red and blue stripes on his sweatband switch positions for a split second before changing back to normal again.
  • When Sugilite yells that she's bored, her top arms are completely black.
  • Pearl runs up to Sugilite saying, "You're back!", Sugilite's top has inverted colors.
Coach Steven (231,5)
  • During this scene, after Pearl is knocked into the air by Sugilite, the corner of her left arm constantly flickers.
  • When Sugilite's flail hits Steven, Greg, and Pearl, it appears to have landed on the sand in front of the Temple, but in the next scene, it appears to have crushed the house.
  • In one scene when Pearl is fighting Sugilite, Pearl's shoes were not colored in.
Coach Steven Sugilite Error
  • When Sugilite first hits the ground, her top design is inverted, her pants are all-black with no knee cut-outs, and her upper right-hand glove is filled in with black instead of showing her skin.
  • When Pearl hugs Garnet and Amethyst, Garnet's left shoulder pad turns black for a frame.
  • Yellowtail is mentioned in the credits, though he does not appear.

Transcript

View the episode's transcript here.

Gallery

New Gallery

Click to view the gallery for Coach Steven.

Videos[]

References

ve Episode List
Pilot Pilot
Season 1 A: Gem GlowLaser Light CannonCheeseburger BackpackTogether BreakfastFryboCat FingersBubble BuddiesSerious StevenTiger MillionaireSteven's LionArcade ManiaGiant WomanSo Many BirthdaysLars and the Cool KidsOnion TradeSteven the Sword FighterLion 2: The MovieBeach PartyRose's RoomCoach StevenJoking VictimSteven and the StevensMonster BuddiesAn Indirect KissMirror Gem/Ocean Gem

B: House GuestSpace RaceSecret TeamIsland AdventureKeep Beach City WeirdFusion CuisineGarnet's UniverseWatermelon StevenLion 3: Straight to VideoWarp TourAlone TogetherThe TestFuture VisionOn the RunHorror ClubWinter ForecastMaximum CapacityMarble MadnessRose's ScabbardOpen BookShirt ClubStory for StevenThe MessagePolitical PowerThe Return/Jail Break

Season 2 Full DisclosureJoy RideSay UncleLove LettersReformedSworn to the SwordRising Tides, Crashing SkiesKeeping It TogetherWe Need to TalkChille TidCry for HelpKeystone MotelOnion FriendHistorical FrictionFriend ShipNightmare HospitalSadie's SongCatch and ReleaseWhen It RainsBack to the BarnToo FarThe AnswerSteven's BirthdayIt Could've Been Great/Message ReceivedLog Date 7 15 2
Season 3 Super Watermelon Island/Gem DrillSame Old WorldBarn MatesHit the DiamondSteven FloatsDrop Beat DadMr. GregToo Short to RideThe New LarsBeach City DriftRestaurant WarsKiki's Pizza Delivery ServiceMonster ReunionAlone at SeaGreg the BabysitterGem HuntCrack the WhipSteven vs. AmethystBismuthBetaEarthlingsBack to the MoonBubbled
Season 4 Kindergarten KidKnow Your FusionBuddy's BookMindful EducationFuture Boy ZoltronLast One Out of Beach CityOnion GangGem HarvestThree Gems and a BabySteven's DreamAdventures in Light DistortionGem HeistThe ZooThat Will Be AllThe New Crystal GemsStorm in the RoomRocknaldoTiger PhilanthropistRoom for RubyLion 4: Alternate EndingDoug OutThe Good LarsAre You My Dad?I Am My Mom
Season 5 Stuck TogetherThe TrialOff ColorsLars' HeadDewey WinsGemcationRaising the BarnBack to the KindergartenSadie KillerKevin PartyLars of the StarsJungle MoonYour Mother and MineThe Big ShowPool HoppingLetters to LarsCan't Go BackA Single Pale RoseNow We're Only Falling ApartWhat's Your Problem?The QuestionMade of HonorReunitedLegs From Here to HomeworldFamiliarTogether AloneEscapismChange Your Mind
Film Steven Universe: The Movie
Steven Universe Future Little HomeschoolGuidanceRose BudsVolleyballBluebirdA Very Special EpisodeSnow DayWhy So Blue?Little GraduationPrickly PairIn DreamsBismuth CasualTogether ForeverGrowing PainsMr. UniverseFragmentsHomeworld BoundEverything's FineI Am My MonsterThe Future
Shorts Lion Loves to Fit in a BoxThe Classroom Gems: What Are Gems?We Are the Crystal GemsThe Classroom Gems: How Are Gems Made?UnboxingThe Classroom Gems: FusionCooking with LionGem KaraokeSteven ReactsVideo ChatSteven's Song Time
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