“ |
Earth... is a prison. I got out because I'm better than this place. I only came back to finish you off. You can't manipulate me, Rose Quartz. I’ve been fighting from the second I broke free of the Earth's crust because of what you did to my colony, because of what you did to my planet, because of what you did to my Diamond! |
” |
—Jasper |
"Earthlings" is the 23rd episode of the third season of Steven Universe and the 101st episode overall.
Official Synopsis
Amethyst tries to exact revenge with a showdown in the Kindergarten.[2]
Plot
Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot hide behind a rock face while observing Jasper interact with a Corrupted Gem. Peridot suggests they head back to the temple and get reinforcements, to which Steven agrees. They realize that while they were talking, Amethyst was sneaking up to attack Jasper. Jasper is bullying the caged Corrupted Gem, telling her that "we all only get what we deserve," before turning around and saying, "right, Amethyst?" Amethyst is shocked and falls off the ledge before jumping up for a rematch. Jasper disparages her, telling Amethyst that she was "fated to lose the moment she came out wrong."
Steven runs to Amethyst's side and summons his shield while Jasper equips her weapon. Peridot attempts to show off her metal powers by moving a metal rod but fails to do so. Amethyst picks up Steven and throws him to the side, telling him to not interfere with her rematch. She attacks Jasper, who is seemingly pushed back by Amethyst's new upgraded whips. The more Amethyst attacks, the more she realizes that Jasper is unaffected. Amethyst uses her spin dash technique while on fire to attack Jasper to no avail. Jasper easily kicks Amethyst away, who lands near Steven. As Jasper advances, Steven knocks down an injector by throwing his shield, which separates Jasper from him and Amethyst.
Amethyst claims she can not win, feeling that what Jasper said was true. Steven gives her a pep talk by saying they are both unique and that they have each other. Amethyst is reassured by Steven's words and they hug, fusing together for the first time. Jasper angrily questions who the fusion is supposed to be, to which they respond by saying that a Rose Quartz and an Amethyst make a Smoky Quartz, while also fusing Steven's shield and Amethyst's whip to form their yo-yo. Jasper is irritated, thinking that fusion is the only tactic the Crystal Gems have. Smoky Quartz casually counters that they have a lot of tricks before attacking Jasper with their yo-yo, pushing her back. Jasper uses her spin dash, but Smoky Quartz dodges. Jasper's attack breaks the cliff face where her Corrupted Gem army is held captive, which results in the Corrupted Gems fleeing.
Jasper sees the Snow Monster still trapped in its cell and attempts to run over to it while Smoky Quartz tries to stop her. Jasper eventually reaches the Corrupted Gem and fuses with her, forming Zebra Jasper. As Zebra Jasper advances, Smoky Quartz spins their yo-yo to create a wind blast. Zebra Jasper is pushed back momentarily, but holds her ground and slowly advances forward. Smoky pulls out two more yo-yo's and creates a tornado. Zebra Jasper is lifted into the air where Jasper unfuses from the Corrupted Gem. She tries to fuse with the Gem monster again, telling her they can beat the Crystal Gems if they stay together. The tornado subsides and the pair falls to the ground, unfused.
The Corrupted Gem runs away, which prompts Jasper to lament that no one she fuses with ever wants to stay with her, followed by her laughing bitterly and then noticing the change in her arm. Smoky Quartz sees that Jasper's arm is starting to corrupt, so they unfuse and Steven offers to help Jasper, who declines violently, slashing Steven with her corrupted claws, though missing his skin. Jasper states that Rose would only take Gems who are at their lowest point so that they can be made to feel like they mean something. She even points out Peridot, who she thinks was stripped of her status and her limb enhancers. She asks why she would side with Rose, and Peridot says while on Earth, she has learned things about herself, and Earth can set you free.
Jasper still does not accept any of this and yells at Steven that he can not manipulate her. Steven, on the other hand, tells her he just wants to help. As Jasper gets more furious and becomes more corrupted, she yells about how she has been fighting because of what Rose did to her colony, her planet, and her Diamond. Steven, confused, asks “Yellow Diamond?” Jasper, taken aback by his ignorance, screams “My diamond! Your Diamond! Pink Diamond!” Jasper becomes fully corrupted and advances quickly on the Crystal Gems.
However, Peridot pierces Jasper with a metal rod that was used to cage a Corrupted Gem, poofing her. Amethyst then bubbles Jasper and the trio head home. Amethyst says she does not want to do anything for a month, before groaning at the sight of Lapis, Garnet, and Pearl who have trapped the newly returned Ruby squad from "Hit the Diamond".
Features
Characters
- Steven
- Amethyst
- Peridot
- Smoky Quartz (debut)
- Jasper (antagonist)
- Ocean Jasper
- Zebra Jasper (debut)
- Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond (mentioned)
- Yellow Diamond (mentioned)
- Blue Diamond (indirectly mentioned)
- White Diamond (indirectly mentioned)
- Corrupted Gems
- Cluster Gem (cameo)
- Garnet (non-speaking, cameo)
- Pearl (non-speaking, cameo)
- Lapis Lazuli (non-speaking, cameo)
- Ruby (Doc) (non-speaking, cameo)
- Ruby (Eyeball) (non-speaking, cameo)
- Ruby (Army) (non-speaking, cameo)
- Ruby (Navy) (non-speaking, cameo)
- Ruby (Leggy) (non-speaking, cameo)
- Alexandrite (indirectly mentioned)
- Stevonnie (indirectly mentioned)
- Malachite (indirectly mentioned)
Objects
- Injectors
- Smoky Quartz's Yo-Yo (debut)
- Limb Enhancers (mentioned)
- Roaming Eye
Locations
- Beta Kindergarten
- The Barn
- Crystal Temple (mentioned)
Music
Instrumental Songs
- "Jasper"
- "Consolation (Steven & Amethyst's Fusion Dance)"
- "Smoky Quartz"
- "Duel of the Quartz Soldiers"
Trivia
- This episode's name was first revealed in the episode listing on the Cartoon Network website. The episode was originally named "Earthlings Part 2".[3]
- This episode is the first to have a title card with the Beta Kindergarten as the background.
- This episode shows Amethyst bubbling a Gem on-screen for the first time.
- This episode confirms that the North Monsters were Quartz Gems and to a greater extent, different varieties of Jaspers.
- Most of the Gems that Jasper captured were Quartz Gems that looked similar to the Great North Monsters. However, she did also capture at least one artificial fusion and one water bear.
- This is the first on-screen transformation from a non-corrupted Gem to a Corrupted Gem.
- It is also implied that if a normal Gem fuses with a Corrupted Gem, that Gem will also become corrupted.
- This episode aired on Kimberly Brooks's 48th birthday.
- This episode shows that although Jasper wears the Yellow Diamond insignia, she still owes allegiance to Pink Diamond for whom she was made.
- This episode also shows that Jasper was made on Earth and only returned to avenge what Rose Quartz did to Pink Diamond.
- A Cluster Gem, similar to one from "Nightmare Hospital", appears, fleeing from the Beta Kindergarten after most of the cages break.
Cultural References
- Smoky Quartz's yo-yo attack may be a reference to one of Ness' attacks in EarthBound. It may also be a reference to Killua from Hunter x Hunter, who also uses yo-yos as weapons.
- Jasper's fusion with the Snow Monster resembles the Deathclaw from the Fallout series.
- Jasper's corruption may be a reference to Tetsuo Shima's mutation from the 1988 film, Akira.
Continuity
- This episode continues from where "Beta" left off.
- Jasper does not want to get beaten by yet another fusion, referring back to the events of "Jail Break", "Super Watermelon Island", and "Crack the Whip".
- Jasper remarks about how her fusion partners never wanted to stay together, referring to Malachite.
- Amethyst tells Steven to stay out of her fights and tosses him aside in the process, referring to her fight with Pearl in "On the Run".
Errors
- Note: Time is displayed in [mm:ss]; [00:00] refers to the point after the title card is displayed and before the episode's start.
Plot
- [05:08] When Jasper spin dashes toward Smoky Quartz, she goes through the injector that Steven had knocked over despite having moved it behind her.
- [05:13] When Jasper spin dashes into the cliff and the cages break, seven Corrupted Gems are freed, but only three managed to escape.
- [07:47] When Jasper attacks Steven as he attempts to heal her, Steven's sandals fly off and disappear until the end of the episode (They are not seen in the next two episodes, however).
Design
- [04:45] When Smoky Quartz announces their name, the whip was studded with amethysts instead of smoky quartzes.
- [05:22] When Jasper spin dashes into the cliff wall and the cages break, the Gem that looked like the one from "Nightmare Hospital" had one of its head lumps disappear while the cages collapsed.
- [09:02] During Jasper's corruption, part of her outfit near her collar is miscolored.
- [10:40] When Steven, Amethyst, and Peridot first see the Rubies, Lapis' waistband between her top and her skirt is miscolored.
Animation
- [06:43] When Jasper and the Snow Monster were falling from the sky, Jasper's right arm is miscolored for a few frames before returning to its normal colors.
- [09:33] During Jasper's corruption, one frame had her lips missing.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.