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Revision as of 09:02, 23 July 2016
This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the blog. |
“ |
Don't get hung up on these minor facts. Truth is about more than that, truth is a feeling in your gut that you know is true! Truth is searching for anything that proves you're right no matter how small, and holding on to that, no matter what. |
” |
—Ronaldo |
"Keep Beach City Weird" is the 31st episode of the first season of Steven Universe and the 31st episode overall.
Official Synopsis
Steven gets caught up in Ronaldo's paranormal theories about the strange occurrences in Beach City.[3]
Plot
Pearl rushes out of the beach house one morning in response to Steven's cries, only to find out that Steven was playing Steven Tag with Garnet and Amethyst. Garnet wins the round by hurling Amethyst up in the air and knocking her down to the sand meteorically.
Steven, while walking along the beach, is stopped by Ronaldo investigating "paranormal" activity (which is really just the holes from the drill parasites from Arcade Mania). Steven, intrigued by Ronaldo's activities, joins him on his quest. When they find rocks from the red eye and flowers from Rose's moss, Ronaldo points to paranormal explanations. Ronaldo reveals that Peedee isn't into paranormal events, which is why Ronaldo puts his trust in Steven, taking him at the top of the lighthouse and telling him his theories are about snake people (or "Sneople") taking over the world.
Steven rushes back home to tell the Gems about Ronaldo's theories. Pearl and Amethyst point out that all of the strange occurrences are the fault of the Crystal Gems. Steven, cognizant of the real origins of the "paranormal" events, tells Ronaldo the truth: Steven and the Gems are the source of all of Ronaldo's theories. Ronaldo stubbornly rejects Steven's explanation, saying one should not let any "minor facts" get in the way of what they want to be true. However, when Ronaldo finishes making a cast from the crater on the beach, only to find it was Steven (again), his heart is crushed. He dejectedly shuffles off, consumed with existential gloom. Upon searching Ronaldo's blog Steven, finds that he has completely given up on it and is shutting it down permanently. Steven seeks Pearl's counsel, who bluntly tells Steven that humans create conspiracy theories because they live boring, insignificant lives and want to blame their lack of control on something they can fight.
Steven attempts to revitalize Ronaldo by pretending to be a snake person to scare Peedee and Ronaldo, but Ronaldo knocks Steven out with a potato. Steven wakes up in the lighthouse tied up by a maniacal Ronaldo with an unnerved Peedee at his side. When the incensed Gems come to rescue Steven, Ronaldo accuses them all of being snake people, attacks them in a golden suit of armor, and is promptly crushed effortlessly by the Gem Warriors. Steven frees himself from the rope and stops the fight admitting to Ronaldo that the "snake person" he captured was him in a costume. He tells the Gems that he was trying to inspire Ronaldo. Ronaldo begins having a nervous breakdown until Peedee offers him a new theory where Steven is just a "small piece of the puzzle" in an attempt to mollify his brother. Ronaldo takes the bait and begins brainstorming excitedly, finally deciding the true faces of the conspiracy are "polymorphic sentient rocks" (interestingly enough, this is a pretty accurate description of what the Gems really are). Steven and Peedee are hesitant to "fix" Ronaldo just by giving him a new delusion, but ultimately decide maybe it is for the best if it makes him happy. The two kids and the Crystal Gems leave the lighthouse together while Ronaldo can be seen from the balcony gleefully shouting about how they are "...here to hollow out the Earth! It's part of the Great Diamond Authority! They’ll take on any form! You can read all about it... ON MY BLOG!"
Features
Characters
- Steven
- Ronaldo (antagonist in the fight until the end)
- Peedee Fryman
- Garnet
- Amethyst
- Pearl
- Jenny Pizza (non-Speaking Cameo)
- Mr. Fryman (mentioned)
- Drill Parasites (mentioned)
- Red Eye (mentioned)
- Magic Moss (mentioned)
Objects
- Ronaldo's Phone
- Dollar Bill
- Steven's Phone
- Magic Moss's Flowers
- Red Eye Remnants
- Newspapers regarding events that happened in "Ocean Gem", "So Many Birthdays", "Arcade Mania", etc.
Locations
Music
Songs
- "Steven Tag Song"
Instrumental Songs
Trivia
- This episode along with the New Thursdays on Cartoon Network aired one day before Halloween.
- When Ronaldo punches the palm of Pearl's hand he hurts it which could mean Gems have tough skin or at least on their hands.
- It may also be since the Gems are capable of shape-shifting, and that the power can extend to density changes, making her hand harder than stone when he punched it.
Cultural References
- Garnet saying "Garnet wins" is most likely a reference to numerous fighting games such as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, where the winner of the match is stated in such a fashion.
- "Sneople" is a play on the term "sheeple", a term used by conspiracy theorists when regarding the public whom they view as ignorant and sheep-like in obedience to higher powers.
- Ronaldo's sneople are derived from an actual snake people conspiracy theory. In 2013, the Public Policy Polling conducted a survey on 1,247 registered Americans to see what conspiracy theories they believed in. Four percent of them believed shape-shifting reptilian people ran the Earth.[4]
- When Ronaldo tells Steven about the Sneople controlling the people through elections, wars, and anime message boards, he says we need to stop worrying about "dubs and subs." In real life, dubs are foreign shows or series (most notably Japanese anime) that have their dialogue translated into English while subs keep the original audio and have only been subtitled in English. There are many discussions about which one is better.
- The dollar sneople theory is a reference to the conspiracy theories of the eye in the pyramid (known as the Eye of Providence) on the dollar bill being a hint to a secret society (the Illuminati) manipulating the government, or being its basis.
- It may also be a reference to V, a sci-fi series from the 1980s.
- Posters scattered throughout the interior of the lighthouse are referencing various paranormal sightings and creatures.
- Photos of:
- Bigfoot (the famous frame from the Patterson–Gimlin film)
- A Mermaid
- Crop circles
- The Loch Ness Monster
- Stonehenge
- The Kraken
- An alien
- A psychic duck (a reference to the Pokémon Psyduck)
- Spock (Leonard Nimoy) of Star Trek
- A photo of Steven from "Cat Fingers"
- An X-Files Poster.
- Various newspaper articles.
- Photos of:
Continuity
- Ronaldo's new conspiracy theory regarding the "Diamond Authority" is foreshadowing and is later proven to be true. He was correct in that Gems are essentially "polymorphic sentient rocks". As seen in "Jail Break", a gem named Yellow Diamond seemed to be a very high ranking Homeworld Gem. In "On the Run", it was revealed that Homeworld Gems planned to use Earth for something sinister, which could comply with his conjecture of the Diamond Authority being "here to hollow out the Earth," this was later confirmed in "It Could've Been Great".
- In the events of the episode "When it Rains" it is revealed that The Cluster is a massive artificial gem-fusion, which confirms Ronaldo's theory about the Gems hollowing the earth. - "They're here to hollow out the Earth! It's part of the great Diamond Authority! They’ll take on any form!"
- There are also photos that reference various Gem Battles in Beach City from various episodes:
- "So Many Birthdays" (Unknown man impersonates local boy)
- "Ocean Gem" (Baffling Ocean drain)
- "Lion 2: The Movie" (Strange creature near movie theater)
- Remnants of past gem battles are seen strewn across Beach City. This includes:
- Holes made by the Drill Parasites ("Arcade Mania").
- Fragments of the Red Eye ("Laser Light Cannon").
- Flowers from Rose's Moss ("Lars and the Cool Kids").
- Inside the lighthouse is a photo of Steven's cat fingers that Ronaldo took in the episode "Cat Fingers".
- Ronaldo later attempts a similar paranormal investigation, planning to film a Watermelon Steven dissection.[5]
- The Cheese Balls Steven used in "Lion 2: The Movie" reappears as Peedee is seen sitting on it.
Errors
- When Amethyst and Garnet (both shape-shifted as Steven) were circling Pearl during the game of Steven Tag, Ruby and Sapphire's gemstones were in reverse position.
- One of the newspaper clippings reads 'Unkown' instead of "unknown."
- When Ronaldo was making a cast of the crater where Amethyst crashed earlier in the episode, the cast shows that her right hand is by her side even though it was shown that she crashed with both hands above her head.
- Before Amethyst and Garnet (both shape-shifted as Steven) were circling Pearl during the game of Steven tag, Garnet had no eyebrows. They are back to normal when Amethyst (as Steven) is talking to Pearl.
- While Amethyst was lying on the couch when Steven entered the house to ask to snake-proof the house, the table only had 3 coins, but when Amethyst stood next to Pearl, the table has 3 coins, a mug, and some magazines.
- When Peedee blushes, one of his tank top straps is down, but on the next scene, both are in place.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.
Gallery
Videos
References
- ↑ http://www.toonzone.net/forums/cartoon-network-cartoon-forum/380841-cartoon-network-october-2014-premiere-info.html
- ↑ http://www.tvmediainsights.com/thursday-final-nationals-cbs-abc-share-leadership/
- ↑ http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe/snake-people-clip.html
- ↑ http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/04/democrats-and-republicans-differ-on-conspiracy-theory-beliefs.html
- ↑ Watermelon Steven