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This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the song.

I'm not gonna let you stand there and remind me of everything I hate about myself!

Amethyst


"On the Run" is the 40th episode of the first season in Steven Universe and the 40th episode overall.

Official Synopsis[]

Steven and Amethyst try out life on the road.[2]

Plot[]

On the Run 016

Steven is reading a book in the Beach House when the Gems warp in carrying the Flask Robonoids from "Warp Tour". Steven asks what they are doing and Pearl tells him that they are going to analyze the robonoids, making sure that they cannot reactivate, fix the Gem Homeworld warp, and allow the Homeworld Gems to come back to Earth. Steven asks what the Homeworld Gems want to do to Earth. Pearl tells him that a long time ago, Gems tried to do something terrible that would have damaged the Earth. She says that some Gems, like herself, Rose Quartz, and Garnet, felt that this was unfair to the life that already lived on Earth, and so vowed to defend the planet, even if it meant that they could never return to Homeworld. Amethyst is conspicuously absent in the discussion, seemingly sulking in the corner and breaking another Flask Robonoid. Steven notes that, as they don't have a home, they are just like the characters in the book he is reading, The No Home Boys. Pearl refutes his comparison, stating that they are in his home right now.

On the Run 041

Steven and Amethyst then decide to go and live on the road just like the "No Home Boys". With bindle sacks on sticks in their hands, they set out. They catch a ride to the edge of town in Jenny's Car and then jump on a train. After Steven comes to realize the hardships of living on the road, he states he wants to go home. Amethyst says that she does not want to go back, but Steven says that the other Gems are probably worried sick. Amethyst retorts that Steven's home is not her home. Steven at first believes that Amethyst is referring to the Gem Homeworld, but Amethyst says that's not her home either. Steven asks her to explain where her home is, but she decides to show it to him.

On the Run 083

Amethyst then brings Steven to the Prime Kindergarten, an imposing canyon, covered with disused Gem machinery which Amethyst calls "old Gem junk". The walls of the canyon are covered with humanoid-shaped holes, and Amethyst shows Steven the hole she came from; she explains to Steven that while Garnet and Pearl are from space, she was created here. Steven grows nervous, musing over all the other holes in the cliff face.

On the Run 126

Pearl suddenly warps in. She tells the pair that Garnet told her they would be in the Kindergarten, but she did not want to believe it. Pearl is furious at Amethyst for showing Steven the Kindergarten, saying that he is "not ready" to know about it. When Steven asks Pearl if Amethyst was really made in the Kindergarten, Pearl demands Amethyst to tell her how much she told Steven. Amethyst angrily reveals to a confused Steven that the Kindergarten is a "bad place" where "bad Gems came to grow more bad Gems," and that Garnet and Pearl had saved the Earth from "parasites like [herself]". Pearl apologizes to Steven, saying that she never wanted him to know of the horrors of the Kindergarten, to which Amethyst responds by attacking Pearl in a rage.

On the Run 143

While they are fighting, Amethyst reveals that she feels that Pearl regards her as an embarrassment and that Pearl's words had reminded her of everything she hates about herself. She also exclaims that she "never asked to be made". Steven gets in between them and tells them to stop fighting when an injector, which had one of its legs damaged earlier during the fight, starts to fall in their direction. Steven summons his bubble to protect everyone, but not before Amethyst quickly moves away from him. The machine crashes, and Amethyst seems to be crushed.

On the Run 199

Emerging from the rubble, Steven finds Amethyst, unharmed, hiding in the hole she came from, crying. Amethyst claims that she is "bad" and Steven should not be around her. Steven admits that he still does not understand the meaning behind the Kindergarten, and Amethyst replies that if he did, he would not want to talk to her. Steven pleads Pearl to talk to Amethyst. Pearl confesses to Amethyst that she had no idea how upset she has been about the Kindergarten. Amethyst angrily responds that this place concerns the very nature of her existence, and as such believes that Pearl, by association, also views her as a mistake. Pearl reassures Amethyst that she does not think of her as a mistake, but as a "byproduct of a big mistake". Pearl quickly retracts the statement, telling Amethyst that the Kindergarten is not her fault. Pearl apologizes to Amethyst; she states that Amethyst is the only good thing to have come out of the whole mess, and she thought that Amethyst was proud of that fact. The group reconciles, with Amethyst hugging Pearl. The trio warps home holding hands as dark clouds circulate over the Kindergarten, and some banging noises are heard in the background.

Features[]

Characters[]

Objects[]

Locations[]

Music[]

Songs[]

Instrumental Songs[]

Trivia[]

  • This episode reveals that Homeworld Gems planned to do something that would have been detrimental to the Earth, but were stopped by the Crystal Gems. Homeworld's intentions are suggested during the scene within the Kindergarten.
    • It is revealed that Gems can be "manufactured" with drill-like rigs in the Kindergarten. These machines heavily resemble bacteriophages, a type of virus. This resemblance, along with the events of the episode, hints that Homeworld society had planned to deplete the Earth of its resources to produce more Gems, much like how viruses kill cells to replicate themselves.
      • This is implied to have been the motivation behind the Crystal Gems' rebellion against Homeworld: Pearl states that Gems such as herself, Rose, and Garnet believed that Homeworld's actions were unfair to the pre-existing life on Earth, and so had decided to protect the planet.
      • Ronaldo rattled off at the end of "Keep Beach City Weird" about his new conspiracy theory: "Polymorphic sentient rocks! They're here to hollow out the Earth! It's part of the great Diamond Authority! They'll take on any form!" This may have been a hint about Homeworld's intentions regarding Earth, as the other parts are true (the Gems are basically sentient rocks/crystals, they are led by the Diamonds, and they can shapeshift into any form).
  • Amethyst was not originally part of the Crystal Gems, having lived at the Kindergarten until she met Rose and the others.
    • This explains the joke Garnet made when she said "We kept Amethyst" in "Steven's Lion".
  • When Steven explains the plot of the book On the Run, he concludes with the observation that what was chasing the No Home Boys was only the fear resting within themselves. This could be considered a foreshadowing of Amethyst's motive for going “on the run”.

Cultural References[]

  • The book series that Steven likes, The No Home Boys, is based on the children's book series The Hardy Boys and The Boxcar Children.
  • The people-shaped holes lining the walls of the Kindergarten, Amethyst's comment that one of the holes is "hers", and the way she slides into it are references to the horror manga, "Enigma of Amigara Fault".

Continuity[]

  • The Kindergarten, which Peridot planned to reactivate in "Warp Tour", is visited.
  • Peridot's Flask Robonoids return in this episode. However, they seem to still be disabled.
  • In "Ocean Gem", Lapis Lazuli made a comment that hinted to the Crystal Gems' reason for rebelling against Homeworld: "Don't you know anything, Steven? Your friends, they don't really care about other Gems. All they care about is the Earth. But I never believed in this place..."

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[]

  • [01:48] When Steven finishes explaining about The No Home Boys book series, all the Robonoids the Gems were carrying disappear, including the one that Amethyst squashed and the distributed goo.
  • [02:51] After Amethyst throws Steven into the train cart, the bindles disappear and then reappear at the end of the song.
  • [07:47] At the beginning of the fight, Amethyst is holding her whip in her left hand. After performing her spin ball, she is holding her whip in her right hand.

Design[]

  • [01:17] After Garnet says, "We chose Earth," the left shoulder strap of Amethyst's tank top appears black instead of purple.
  • [09:36] When Pearl is sitting in Amethyst's hole, she blushes purple rather than blue.

Transcript

View the episode's transcript here.

Gallery

New Gallery

Click to view the gallery for On the Run.

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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