Steven Universe's latest episode “ When It Rains” continues to follow Peridot’s adventures from “Catch and Release,” which ended with her living in Steven’s bathroom. While the first Steven Universe episodes to greet us post-hiatus were “ Nightmare Hospital ” and “ Sadie’s Song ,” two episodes about the stumbling blocks between mother and daughter, Steven Universe appears to have left that subject matter aside for now as it pursues the Homeworld side of the story.
The new episode of Steven Universe , “When It Rains,” is summarized by Zap2It as follows:
“Steven helps a friend who is afraid of thunderstorms.”
Watch some preview trailers for Steven Universe episode “When It Rains” below:
“When It Rains” starts with Garnet and the other Gems trying to interrogate an uncooperative Peridot through the bathroom door. After threats, cajoling, and trade offers all fall flat, the Gems decide to investigate the “Cluster” on their own. They leave Steven in charge of Peridot, whom they consider harmless without her limb enhancements (to her largely impotent outrage).
After the Gems leave, Steven encourages Peridot to leave the bathroom, but she only emerges at the sound of the brewing thunderstorm outside. In a panic, Peridot wails about her immediate impending death and cowers behind Steven. Steven responds gently, explaining thunder and rain to a skeptical Peridot who miserably admits that she knows nothing without her screen.
Steven provides a reasonably scientifically accurate explanation of the water cycle using the pot of soup he has boiling on the stove. Peridot doesn’t quite understand it, so Steven runs outside to demonstrate to her that the rain is harmless.
As he cavorts and gambols in the rain, Peridot watches him with heartbreaking wariness. She carefully puts out her tiny baby hand to feel the rain, and her soft and gentle new theme song plays, indicating how significant this moment is for her.
Later, Steven is toweling off his hair indoors as Peridot paces back and forth thoughtfully. Eventually, Peridot thanks Steven for explaining rain and explains that her opinion of his intelligence and usefulness has increased. She has made up her mind to share information with Steven and only Steven about the Cluster.
Steven immediately pleads with her to tell the Gems instead, but Peridot refuses. She explains that she’s missing her most recent logs, but all of her logs up to “date 652” (Homeworld time reckoning…) exist in Facet Five of the Prime Kindergarten.
After Peridot begs, Steven takes her to the Kindergarten under one condition: she must hold his hand. Truly, Steven is a terrifying prison guard.
Much like Jasper, who fundamentally failed to understand what Steven is, Peridot has no idea that Steven isn’t made like other Gems are. She thinks moms and dads are types of rocks, possibly from another planet, and though she uses the term “hybrid” it’s clear that the thought of Steven as a human-Gem cross has not crossed her mind. Steven is eager to tell Peridot about “the Ballad of Rose and Greg,” but Peridot stops him flat: “I don’t care.” Pfft. Instead, they journey to the control center for the Cluster.
As Peridot leads Steven along, she explains that Homeworld decided to use Earth for experiments since using it as a colony world was no longer a viable path. The experiment in question involves a Gem geo-weapon, a single artificial fusion comprised of millions of gem shards.
(The Homeworld invasion really messed the Earth up...)
Anyway, the giant mutant gem will dwarf Earth when it emerges, but it currently lies dormant, incubating in the Earth’s core. Peridot states that with the prototypes emerging, the Cluster will be next, and if they can’t get off planet, they will have to destroy the Cluster. She believes that she and Steven alone will suffice to destroy it.
Whaaat. But it turns out that by explaining the water cycle to Peridot, Steven has gained Peridot’s total faith in his vast and encyclopedic knowledge of Earth. Steven says he only knows anything about Earth due to his dad, who explained things like rain and thunder to him when he was little and scared. He tries to convince Peridot one more time that the Crystal Gems need to know about the Cluster, but Peridot shrugs that they aren’t necessary -- if anything, Peridot and Steven can go to this “dad” for help. (PLEASE.)
Before Peridot and Steven return to the temple, they’re attacked by a pack of Gem mutants. The only thing Steven can do to is encase them in a protective rose bubble. One particularly intense mutant is on the verge of breaching the bubble when the Crystal Gems arrive and handily dispose of all the mutants. They start to scold Steven, but Peridot steps in front of him.
“He did what he was told!” she says, and then with an unhappy sigh, she states that she has made up her mind. She has something to tell them about the Cluster.
My favorite part of this episode is probably the magical moment where Peridot puts out her small hand to feel the raindrops patter on it. While Peridot is clearly a very long way from loving or caring about Earth, Steven appears to have gained her trust simply through his gentle persistence. (His manner of freely sharing information without asking for anything in return must also help.) Peridot appears to be a very mission-focused character, whose instances of glee usually derive from others’ misfortunes. She may not have had Steven’s joy as he rolled around in the rain, but her quiet “Cool” indicates that she may one day evolve the capacity for enjoyment not centered on others’ mistakes.
Other favorites include Peridot’s dramatic wails: “Nyo!” “This is it. This is the end of the woooooorld!” [ Intense grunting indicating heavy mental effort. ] “No! A catch! Fine. What are your demands ?”
I’d be remiss not to mention Garnet’s super cute farewell as she warps to investigate the Cluster: “Wait! There’s one more thing I have to mention! I love you. Bye.” And when Peridot and Steven both fall flat on their face after warping to the Kindergarten, only for Steven, after a moment’s pause, to place his hand on Peridot’s with a tiny “pat” sound? Adorable. ("Let's run into this corner!" "Oh no, we're cornered!" Priceless.)
Like “ Catch and Release,” this episode did a tremendous amount to move the plot forward. It also, just as importantly, continued to make Peridot a more sympathetic figure without doing it all too fast and too soon. She’s adorable and doesn’t know too much about Earth, but she’s not exactly crying at the idea of all the precious baby lambs and flowers dying when the Cluster emerges; she wants to ensure her own survival.
We may see Steven inspire Peridot to care more about others yet, but until then, we now have an idea of the stakes the Crystal Gems will face in their self-imposed quest to protect the Earth, especially from Homeworld threats. Facing the Cluster on the home front, while dealing with Malachite still deep in the ocean and Yellow Diamond arriving in force from Homeworld? The plot indeed thickens.
To check out past recaps, just click here for all of our previous Steven Universe coverage. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for more Steven Universe recaps and other news.
Barring any scheduling changes, “ Back to the Barn ” should air on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 5:30 PM EST. Its summary is, “Steven and the Gem work on building robots in the family barn.” (Presumably that’s the same barn from “ Space Race .” I guess Peridot and Steven ask this “dad” for help after all.) Don’t miss it!
