Keystone
Motel
After a major shakeup from Pearl’s major betrayal in “Cry for Help,” the following cartoons show its effects on each Crystal Gem. This one features how Garnet deals with the
matter as if snapping viciously at Pearl wasn’t enough, and does so the most
interestingly if only for her status as a fusion thrown in.
She volunteers to join Steven and Greg on a
road trip that requires them to stay at a motel. You can tell from her attitude that something unnerving is clearly up as if Garnet is having an
internal conflict akin to a married couple's argument going on inside. Since Garnet
is a fusion, this statement is literal, and the internal conflict makes her fall apart into the Gems who form her, Ruby and Sapphire. If fusion experiments didn’t break her, these
Gems arguing about whether or not they should forgive Pearl does. It goes to show that people's greatest enemy
really is themselves.
These Gems are two different
parts of a whole, and they have their own emotions and ideas as
personified sides of an internal conflict.
Ruby is extremely hotheaded and wants to stay mad at Pearl. Sapphire is the exact
opposite. She’s unemotional all
throughout as she pushes towards forgiving Pearl right
away. They both represent the appropriate feelings for when you don’t know how to approach a situation,
especially one as big as forgiving someone for something really bad. With two colorful and creatively
designed characters to represent these feelings, this alone is a great example
of how to properly utilize the animation medium. Ruby and Sapphire are also creative
representations of individual coping methods taken to the extreme. Ruby is very loud and open about how she
feels right down to getting so hot with anger she evaporates water out of an entire pool.
Sapphire claims she’s fine and that the conflict will be resolved in the
future, but her freezing the entire room shows otherwise.
In addition, the cartoon portrays exactly how
much of an issue being too open or too closed with a problem can be. It’s sad to watch Steven have to put up with Ruby and Sapphire’s turmoil ruining
the fun time he’s trying to have. Greg
does offer meaningful advice on how conflicts can be resolved if both sides
have some space and lightens the mood with reminders of other fun things to look forward to. When Ruby and Sapphire's argument ruins those things too the following day, the tensions thankfully come to a noteworthy end.
Steven finally has enough and lashes out at Ruby and
Sapphire about how bad everything has been for him lately. This makes Ruby and Sapphire realize that
their conflicted feelings are making others miserable. The emotional weight is even more apparent
when Ruby and Sapphire admit to each other how wrong they were and get a proper
understanding of the other’s feelings.
They fuse back into Garnet and reach a healthy conclusion of
agreeing to forgive Pearl, but only when they're ready which isn’t
now.
This ending makes everything in the
cartoon work with the best way conflicts can resolve. After being tolerated for a while,
something’s done to stop it when it goes too far, and a mature, heartwarming
compromise bringing out the best of the lovers results. This and the inventive way
of portraying one of the most relatable occurrences in life make this a standout entry for this season and the series. 10/10
The Ranking
- Sworn to the Sword
- Keystone Motel
- Chille Tid
- Cry for Help
- Keeping it Together
- Full Disclosure
- We Need to Talk
- Reformed
- Joy Ride
- Say Uncle
- Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
- Love Letters
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode which covers how Amethyst deals with the aftermath of the Sardonyx episode while also standing as the most tolerable Onion episode of the series.
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