“ |
Everything here is so advanced, I can't even understand it. There's no way anything on Earth can stand up to it. Please, don't put up a fight, it will only lead to devastation! |
” |
—Lapis Lazuli |
"The Message" is the 49th episode of the first season in Steven Universe, the 49th episode overall, and the second episode in the first StevenBomb.
Official Synopsis[]
Steven and the Gems try to retrieve a message from the Wailing Stone.[2]
Plot[]
Steven listens to Greg's new song for his new album, "Water Witch", which is based on the ocean incident. In the song, Greg portrays Lapis Lazuli as a villain. Steven quickly corrects his dad, saying that Lapis just wanted to go home, and then sings his own verse of the song. They then hear a screeching noise coming from the Beach House. Steven rushes over to see the noise coming from the Wailing Stone. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Garnet eventually manages to muffle the sound by covering the stone with pillows. The Gems believe that someone is sending a message. With all the other stones on Earth previously gathered, they conclude that another Gem is sending a message to them from space. Pearl suggests that the audio is distorted because the message's signal is too advanced for the Wailing Stone to process. Hearing this, Steven tells them that his dad may be able to help.
Greg tries to receive the message with his audio equipment, but his van battery overloads. The Gems frustratingly decide to return to the house. This leaves Greg distraught as he just wants the Gems to have some faith in him, so he sings a song about his feelings. He and Steven then theorize that the message from the stone is not audio, but video, and convince the Gems to give Greg another chance. With help from the Gems, who restart the van, Greg and Steven get the Wailing Stone set up with Greg's equipment and TV. After a few adjustments, the message is finally clear, with the sender revealed to be none other than Lapis.
In the message, a distressed Lapis states that the Gem Homeworld is very different now, being more advanced than when she was last there. To make matters worse, she states that another Gem is on her way to Earth and that she is not coming alone. By the end of the message, she warns them not to put up a fight, believing that it will only lead to devastation. Amethyst and Pearl panic, believing Peridot is going to attack Earth, but Garnet remains seemingly calm, only stating that they succeeded in receiving the message. Garnet shakes Greg's hand and, much to his delight, thanks him for his help in decoding the message. The episode ends with Greg and Steven playing with a voice modulator.
Features[]
Characters[]
- Steven
- Garnet
- Amethyst
- Pearl
- Lapis Lazuli (pictured/video)
- Greg Universe
- Peridot (mentioned)
- Jasper (indirectly mentioned)
Locations[]
- Beach City
- Gem Homeworld (mentioned)
Objects[]
Music[]
Songs[]
Instrumental Songs[]
Trivia[]
- Lapis Lazuli tells the Crystal Gems that a Gem who knows Steven's name is coming to Earth with another Gem(s), referring to Peridot.
- The ending theme is the same as the one heard in "Winter Forecast", but this time there is static at the end of the song.
- Amethyst says Gregory when talking to Greg which may imply that Gregory is his full name.
- Steven is shown playing guitar with his left hand despite normally playing with his right hand.
- This is the first episode where Peridot is only mentioned.
Cultural References[]
- Greg's version of the Lapis Lazuli song sounded similar to the beginning of "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC.
- Greg's comment that "video killed the audio star" is a reference to the 1979 song "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
- It is seen from inside the van that Greg possesses many records, one showing the 1977 cover of Queen's News of the World album.
- The way that the Wailing Stone plays when Steven opens his mouth is similar to a scene in the 2002 Disney film, Lilo and Stitch.
- The 'a-Bloo Hoo Hoo' pedal Greg uses in his first attempt to refine the signal is a spoof of 'Blue Voodoo' audio equipment.
- The name is also a take-off of the "wah-wah", a type of guitar pedal, as both are onomatopoeia for crying.
- The transmission of the audio message by a Wailing Stone is somewhat similar to the transmission of a real-world "Numbers Station". A Numbers Station is a strange type of shortwave radio station characterized by unusual broadcasts of a message usually as an encrypted data either by strains of numbers or in the case of "The Message", a loud noise packed with encrypted data inside that is near impossible to decipher. Most of the messages carried out by Number Stations are actual commands or homing signals from the sender to another and are used in espionage.
- Specifically, the noise emitted by the Wailing Stone resembles the sound of a Backwards Music Station. A Backwards Music Station is a distinct type of Numbers station characterized by a distorted whale-like noise and irregular distorted static, although not true to its name. Both noises from the Wailing Stone and a real-life Backwards Music Station emit a hidden audio message that could not be deciphered easily.
Continuity[]
- The Wailing Stone from "Rose's Room" is shown.
- Clips from "Mirror Gem" and "Ocean Gem" are shown during Steven's song.
- The events of "Ocean Gem" are mentioned by Greg, along with the album cover he made from being inspired by those events.
- The first track of the album is "Lapis Lazuli".
- Garnet is able to conduct electricity and withstand its power passing through her body, an ability previously demonstrated in "Arcade Mania".
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.
Design[]
- [00:36] Before Greg hands Steven the artwork of Lapis, the spine of the notebook is on the left (in the viewer's perspective), but when Steven holds it, the spine is on the right. When Greg takes it back, it is on the left again.
- [03:02] When Pearl bubbles the Wailing Stone, the bubble looks like a Garnet bubble instead of a Pearl bubble.
- [05:00] As Greg says "Here goes nothing" and begins his audio processing, the TV is missing inside the van.
- [10:11] When Garnet adjusts her visor while saying that they got the message, Ruby's gem is missing.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.