“ |
I want what you want, what you want—want—want—want— |
” |
—Cloud Connie |
"Open Book" is the 46th episode of the first season of Steven Universe, and the 46th episode overall.
Official Synopsis[]
Steven and Connie want a new ending to a beloved book series, so Steven takes them into Rose's Room to re-enact it.[2]
Plot[]
After reading the last installment of The Spirit Morph Saga series, Steven closes the book and sighs. Connie asks for Steven's opinion of the ending. Steven doesn't know what to say in regards to what Connie may think, so he stalls by saying something else. Connie expresses her opinion of the ending, disliking everything about it. Steven says that he agrees, and wishes that they could change the ending. His gem responds to his wish and opens Rose's Room. This gives Steven an idea.
They enter the room and Steven explains its magic. Steven turns into a character in the book after explaining that the room can overload. Connie then exclaims her wish to be the character Lisa. The room doesn't obey her command, however, as the room only listens to what Steven wants. Steven asks for a suggestion and Connie requests a costume shop so she can dress up as the character she wishes to. After a few moments, Steven says that he wants to see her. Connie exits the shop in her costume.
Throughout their attempt at creating a new ending, Connie keeps asking for what Steven wants whenever Steven asks her what she wants, as he intended it to be all for her. After making some endings, Steven, once again, asks Connie what she thinks. She then asks again what Steven wants. Steven says that he's trying his hardest and asks Connie to not do what he wants. This causes Connie to break down, repeating the word "want". Steven soon realizes that this "Connie" is one he accidentally summoned (as the room listens to what Steven says he wants) and that the real Connie must still be in the costume shop.
He undoes the creations but is unable to un-summon the fake Connie, who says that he didn't want her to do what he wants. Steven attempts to fly away on a Wind Lizard, but the fake Cloud Connie grabs its tail and pushes Steven off. They land near the costume shop where Connie is calling out for Steven. Steven is trapped under the fake Connie in a wedding dress who says she knows what Steven "really wants".
Steven asks for help, and Connie has a short fight with her, but the fake Connie seems to ignore her presence, still wanting to trap Steven. Steven finally gives in and admits he likes the book's ending, and the fake Cloud Connie evaporates. Connie is shocked. Steven states that he didn't want Connie to think less of him. Connie says she doesn't think less of him, saying she cares more about Steven than a book. It ends with Connie and Steven exiting the temple discussing why Archimicarus "obviously" had feelings for Lisa. In the end, a drawing of Lisa and Archimicarus getting married is shown.
Features[]
Characters[]
- Steven
- Connie
- Cloud Connie (antagonist)
- Tiny Floating Whale
- Wind Lizard
- Garnet (pictured)
- Pearl (pictured)
- Amethyst (pictured)
Objects[]
Locations[]
Music[]
Instrumental Songs[]
Production Notes[]
- While the episode is originally the 46th episode of season 1, due to StevenBomb beginning season 2 prematurely, it was rescheduled into season 2 before its premiere had aired. This may have been why Ruby and Sapphire appeared in the promo art for the episode, despite not being revealed yet.
Trivia[]
- Zach Callison and Grace Rolek were the only two voices throughout the episode.
- Ruby and Sapphire appear in the promo art at a table in a library with Pearl.
- This is similar to the school theme of the promo art of "Political Power", "The Test", "Maximum Capacity", and "Too Far".
Cultural References[]
- Steven's Archimicarus costume looks similar to the ones worn by the main characters from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.
- The video games shown in Steven's room at the end of the episode appear to be "Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
- The paradox created by Steven ordering Cloud Connie to not follow orders anymore is very similar to the famous liar paradox.
- Connie's initial synopsis of The Witch's Familiar closely mirrors the plot of The Golden Compass (the first book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy) with some elements of Harry Potter thrown in.
- The numerous pages describing a wedding cake in Destiny's End are reminiscent of the original The Princess Bride novel; in The Princess Bride, the book Mr. Goldman is reading contains an entire chapter (which he skims over) describing wedding preparation in extreme detail.
Continuity []
- The Spirit Morph Saga book series from "Marble Madness" is played out in this episode.
- This shows that the episode occurs at some point between "Marble Madness" and "The Return" (due to the remains of the Gem Warship not being shown in the title card).
- This is the fourth time Rose's room appears, after "Together Breakfast", "Rose's Room", and "Steven and the Stevens".
- This is the second time the Tiny Floating Whale appears, which first appeared in "Rose's Room".
- Connie is wearing the same outfit she wore in "Lion 2: The Movie".
- Steven seems to have much more control over Rose's room compared to the first time he went in since he exited without any trouble.
Errors[]
- In the ending scene, three identical red crayons are sitting around Steven's drawing. Even though red was not used in the drawing.
Transcript
View the episode's transcript here.