This article is about the episode. You may be looking for the song. |
“ |
♫ You might not believe it, but you got a lot in common, you really do. ♫ |
” |
—Steven |
"Mr. Greg" is the 8th episode of the third season of Steven Universe and the 86th episode overall.
Official Synopsis[]
Steven, Greg, and Pearl take a trip to Empire City to live the good life.[3]
Plot[]
Steven, Greg and Pearl are on the beach watching a commercial for Pepe's Burgers being sung by Marty to the tune of "Comet". Greg explains that Marty had sold his song as a jingle, generating $10,000,000 in royalties Marty was obligated to give Greg. Greg and Steven discuss with some difficulty what to do with the money, as the things they enjoy are largely free until Steven suggests taking a vacation. Liking the idea, Greg sells Steven on a trip to the bustling metropolis of Empire City. Steven suggests that Pearl come along. Pearl and Greg express their concerns about the idea, as the two harbor tension over their relationships with Rose Quartz, but Steven insists. Steven states it will be just the three of them and awkwardly adds in, "And don't forget Mom!" as he pulls up his shirt revealing his gem.
Steven is amazed at the sights and sounds of Empire City as they arrive at Le Hotel. Greg smugly appears at the counter and hands the front desk clerk, Ricky, his business card reading, "Mr. Greg: Bazzzillionaire". Steven hands him a wad of cash with a similar attitude. The employees fall into line to serve their every whim, escorting the three to the penthouse suite. After being fitted with a tuxedo, Pearl joins in the excitement and tap dances with Steven. When Greg invites her to dance, however, she yells, "No!", abruptly halting the song. Embarrassed, she leaves.
Sometime later, Pearl wanders into the bedroom where Greg and Steven are fast asleep. She takes a rose from the nightstand to the balcony in memory of Rose Quartz. Pearl addresses the sleeping Greg, asking why she cannot move on from the memory of Rose Quartz after Rose fell in love with Greg and gave up her form to create Steven, leaving Pearl alone. Both Steven and Greg wake up during the song unbeknownst to Pearl, hearing her anguished soliloquy. Greg despairs of ever repairing their relationship and leaves. Pearl regrets coming on the trip, but Steven explains that this was exactly why he brought her.
Greg is sitting downstairs at the hotel bar, eating cherries from a glass. Steven brings Pearl and gives them an opportunity to speak, but neither knows what to say. Steven takes up the hotel piano and sings himself, urging Pearl and Greg to talk openly. Greg and Pearl are gradually able to clear the air between them, and finally dance together. The waiters cheer and Ricky gives Greg a large bill. Pearl, Steven, and Greg board the van and head back to Beach City through Jersey; Pearl and Greg happily converse on the way while Steven contentedly falls asleep in the back. The episode closes out with a star over the van as it passes the Leaving Empire City sign.
Features[]
Characters[]
- Steven Universe
- Greg Universe
- Pearl
- Marty (mentioned, video)
- Rose Quartz (mentioned, pictured)
- Ricky
- Le Hotel employees
- Rainbow Quartz (indirectly mentioned)
- Sugilite (indirectly mentioned)
- Sardonyx (indirectly mentioned)
Objects[]
- Greg's Van
- Greg's Check
- Greg's Guitar
- Chaaaaps Bag
- Hot Dog Duffel Bag
- Golf Quest Mini (cameo)
Locations[]
- Beach City
- Empire State
- Empire City
- Le Hotel (debut)
- Brooklyn (mentioned)
- Bowery (mentioned)
- Empire City
- The Barn (mentioned)
- Jersey (mentioned)
Music[]
Songs[]
- "Like a Burger"
- "Don't Cost Nothing"
- "Empire City (song)"
- "Mr. Greg (song)"
- "It's Over Isn't It"
- "Both of You"
- "Don't Cost Nothing (Reprise)"
Instrumental Song[]
- Empire City Theme
Trivia[]
- This is Steven Universe's first musical episode.
- This ties in with the main location of the episode: Empire City is an amalgam of Las Vegas and New York City (New York City is well known for its Broadway musicals, including adaptations of films).
- As the only musical of the series, "Mr. Greg" features more songs than any other episode. That being 7 songs.
- This was a test episode to see how many songs they could fit in one episode, in preparation for Steven Universe: The Movie.
- This is the final episode where Joe Johnston worked as a regular storyboard artist.
- This episode marks Pearl's first solo song.
- This episode's name was first revealed in the episode listing on the Cartoon Network website.[4]
- Shelby Rabara, Peridot's voice actress, is also a dancer who provided the audio of Pearl and Steven tap dancing in the song, "Mr. Greg".
- The original draft of Pearl's ballad had a significant difference from the final version.[5]
- There are some lines in "Both of You" that may sound like Rose's voice, but it is actually Steven.[6] Songs are often cobbled together from multiple takes, and the best runs are edited together.
- This episode was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program in 2017. Other nominated shows were Adventure Time, Rocket & Groot, Mickey Mouse, and Teen Titans Go!.
- Rebecca Sugar and Tom Scharpling revealed at NYCC 2016, that "Mr. Greg" was their favorite episode.[7]
- Rebecca also added that the reason was she had always dreamed about working on a musical.
- Harry Shum Jr., an actor from Glee and Shadowhunters, provided a dance sequence with Shelby Rabara (his wife) as a reference for Greg and Pearl dancing.
Cultural References[]
- Empire City's name is likely derived from New York's nickname of "The Empire State".
- Pearl's 360° solo scene is a reference to a similar scene in the 1982 movie Victor/Victoria starring Julie Andrews. Andrews also appears in a tuxedo in that scene.[8]
- The song "Mr. Greg" was inspired by the song "Oh, Mr. Kane" from the classic 1941 movie Citizen Kane, as well as the Muppets.[9]
Continuity[]
- Greg mentions the events of "Story for Steven", referencing his first encounter with Rose and the song he was singing.
- The reason for Marty giving Greg a check-in "Drop Beat Dad" is explained.
- Pearl's line "Past experiences have taught me that three's a crowd." might be a reference to past events such as Sugilite's overzealousness in "Coach Steven" and Sardonyx's fiasco during the "Week of Sardonyx" arc.
- The toy that resembles Sonic the Hedgehog makes its second appearance in this episode.
- Pearl uses her nephelokinesis once again while she is on the balcony, first seen in "Sworn to the Sword" in the Ancient Sky Arena.
- While Greg is eating cherries, he mumbles: "Cherry man...", a callback to "Winter Forecast", where he used the same expression to describe himself while wearing a cherry sweater.
- The episode addresses the tensions between Pearl and Greg first seen in "We Need to Talk".
- When Pearl enters the room again during night time, the game Golf Quest Mini, first seen in "Rose's Room", can be seen on the flat-screen TV.
- Before playing the piano, Steven makes his knuckles crack even though he was not able to do so in the episode "Love Letters", where he stated that "[his] hands are polite.".
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[]
- [02:57] When Steven shows his gem, Greg's tan line on his right arm is drawn in black.
- [03:31] [03:53] During the song "Mr. Greg", when Greg, Steven, and Pearl are being held above the employees and moved to the dining table, and again when the elevator door opens, Greg's tan on his legs and feet are reversed.
- [05:28] In one scene, when Pearl was singing "It's Over Isn't It", Greg's hair is the same color as his beard.
- [08:17] At the beginning of "Both of You", Greg's beard is colored darker than his hair.
Animation[]
- [00:55] In one frame before Steven asks "What are you gonna do with all the money?", his right eyebrow disappears.
- [03:26] When the song "Mr. Greg" starts, Greg's eyebrows are the same color as his beard for a brief moment.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.
Gallery
Videos[]
References
- ↑ http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/steven-universe-mr-greg/EP016164320412?aid=zap2it
- ↑ http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-tuesday-cable-originals-network-finals-7-19-2016.html
- ↑ http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe/dont-cost-nothing-song-clip.html
- ↑ http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe/episodes/season-2.html
- ↑ http://joethejohnston.tumblr.com/post/147725066143/building-a-scene-its-over-isnt-it#notes
- ↑ http://joethejohnston.tumblr.com/post/147705024808/in-the-song-both-of-you-or-whatever-it-is#notes
- ↑ http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/nycc-steven-universe-gem-harvest
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPaRbgDcmYc&ab_channel=LASILVANADORS
- ↑ [http://ben-levin.tumblr.com/post/159220109795/was-the-mr-greg-song-inspired-or-influenced-by Q: Was the Mr. Greg song inspired or influenced by the Charlie Kane song in Citizen Kane?
A:Hah, yeah, that and the Muppets. I totally forgot I had been rewatching Citizen Kane around that time.] - Ben Levin on Tumblr