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Garnet and Peridot, Fittingly Strange Tango Partners?

“Log Date 7 15 2″ is the Garnet and Peridot episode fans have been eagerly anticipating since “Back to the Barn” and “Too Far.” Lo and behold, Garnet and Peri coming to an understanding happened during downtime; mostly in the background of bigger, more focused on plot points. Every one of their highlighted interactions happened in a fairly low-key, low-stress environment, too. In short, Garnet was standing back and biding her time, keeping tabs on Peridot. She’s been taking mental notes since Peridot’s all-out brawl with Pearl and her misunderstanding with Amethyst, watching how she followed up with both respectively. She apologized to both Pearl and Amethyst and has since started building up a friendly rapport with them.

Of the Crystal Gems, though, Steven left the biggest impression. There’s a key scene in “Message Received” where Garnet comments, “It’s good that you believe in everyone, Steven. Like your mother, you’re a little more patient than the rest of us.” She says this with a happy, appreciative smile. Where the other Gems were wary and cautious of Peridot, insofar as to consider her as a black and white brand evil, Steven has been wondering about her well-being, her side of the story, and if there’s more to her than what he’s seen objectively. Especially after the Gems catch her, Steven is the most proactive in reaching out to and leveling with her. To an extent, Steven’s efforts with Peri echoes what effect Rose Quartz had on Garnet in “The Answer.”

How “The Answer” Provides More Insight on Garnet

Sapphire was an aristocrat prepared for death; every moment of her life is a carefully calculated and manicured effort. There’s no room for chance or risk, only definite outcomes and results. In essence, Sapphire has trained herself to be cold, logical, and efficient in how she uses her future sight powers. At Blue Diamond’s request, she presents the most likely, and pragmatic, result of a given situation. There’s no consideration for the emotions taxed, the consequences involved, or other overly “frivolous” minutiae. If the end result is exactly what Blue Diamond wants, nothing else matters. As a result, Sapphire bottles up her emotions and comes across as polite, reserved, and stoic. She has to be in check at all times.

Garnet And Peridot, Fittingly Strange Tango Partners?

Look at how she conducts herself in “Keystone Motel.” Given how extreme the circumstances and stressors are, she reverts to her Homeworld default. She’s a kind, compassionate, and patient soul at her best. But it took Ruby’s influence and strategic “de-programming” to be empathetic and slow down to the point where she isn’t ten steps ahead of everyone else in regards to expectations and results. Even Garnet can unintentionally get caught up in this mindset. Taking future vision’s endless possibilities with a grain of salt comes easily to Garnet, but not to Steven. It took Garnet backpedaling and analyzing the situation in “Future Vision” for her to realize how daunting and unwieldy the game of future prediction can be a newbie.

This cold, hard logic and stoppered emotions come across as the result of being a member of Blue Diamond’s court. Another Steven Universe fan pointed out how miserable and defeated Blue Diamond’s pearl looked. She observes everyone and everything with a quiet, reserved air. She folds her hands in an attempt at looking composed, but her body language gives her away. This echoes how Sapphire holds herself.

In Ruby’s case, she sees herself as an easily disposable resource; a dust mote in the grander scheme of the universe. There are so many Rubies, their sheer number make them ideal as front line soldiers, bodyguards, and sentient shields. They’re rash and aggressive, ready to dive right in at a moment’s notice. Even after Ruby and Sapphire fall to Earth, Ruby protests that Sapphire is more important than her, begging her to return to Blue Diamond’s court because of how rare and essential a part she is.

In some respects, though, Ruby and Sapphire share this sense of being “easily disposable resources.” Sapphire may be more rare, but Blue Diamond didn’t bat an eyelash at her inevitable death. Enter Garnet, an unexpected, but beautiful, life-changing miracle. When Garnet first started experiencing fusion, she felt lost and confused, but exhilarated. Fusing with another Gem type is an insane taboo. It’s supposed to be wrong, unnatural, yet Garnet feels naturally comfortable and powerful in her new identity.

The fairytale feel and aesthetic of the episode overall captures how magical and liberating this approach to fusion felt for Garnet. Unlike before, Garnet has a future filled with limitless possibilities. She can think and decide for herself, taste a kind of independence she never dreamed possible. But, should she? She still feels an air of uncertainty and shame. Enter Rose Quartz’ encouraging smile and open mind. Here, Garnet had a new friend and confidant that wouldn’t judge her, but support her in her new journey of self-discovery. And, possibly, a huge reason for why Garnet reached the point where she carries herself with such strong self-assurance and confidence.

Joining the Crystal Gems is Peridot’s Fairy Tale

Compare this with Peridot’s flurry of emotions while she’s playing with her tape recorder at the beginning of “Log Date 7 15 2.” She’s torn; one part is absolutely horrified at what atrocity she’s committed, if not confused and scared as to what her fate as a traitor entails. She used to look at the Gems with such scorn and contempt, questioning why they’d even try to defy the Diamond Authority. She questioned Pearl’s independence, Amethyst’s team player rather than leader role, and Garnet’s taboo nature as a perma-fusion. Yet, even after she spouted her angry, self-righteous dialogue with energetic gusto, she followed up with an uncertain or remorseful frown. Even adding guilt-ridden comments like “I am, too,” while furrowing her brows, blushing, and looking down at the ground.

The other part of her is giddy and thrilled. She can finally be her true self: a curious and adventurous spirit that looks at the world with wide, awe-filled eyes. Her research and efforts aren’t strictly confined to what best serves Yellow Diamond’s goals. No, she can look at over-analyze whatever she wants to her heart’s content; even if that something happens to be how compatible two characters in a TV show are in regards to fusion. Being stubborn and hopelessly worshipping the might of the Diamonds already greatly restricts Peridot’s hunt for knowledge. She respects Pearl’s engineering prowess and Amethyst’s penchant for jokes and humor.

Without letting her guard down or being open to their different personalities and perspectives, Peridot loses a chance to see and experience something new. A chance to gain knowledge or perspective she couldn’t have otherwise. Not only that, but open dialogue gives her a voice. Originally, she was repeating views that she’s, possibly, heard from her superiors. So, really, was she expressing her mind truthfully?

Her log dates used to be fairly stilted and straightforward; strictly facts and observations with few peanut gallery brand comments. As her stay on Earth grew longer, though, her log became less of an objective report and more of a personal, emotionally fueled diary. Peridot used to tout cold logic as king for problem solving, so much so she used to act and conduct herself like a monotone, no-nonsense robot. But her resolve broke: She’s temperamental and emotional. Push her far enough and she fights back with growls, snarky one-liners, and lewd gestures. She’ll be irrational and rush straight into the heat of the moment, consequences be damned: for example, her fight with Pearl or how she insulted Yellow Diamond.

As she’s relaxed and felt more open, “Log Date 7 15 2″ shows that she has a soft side and a vested interest in Earth’s organic life, culture, and even fusion. She’s biased and prejudiced, but her sense of curiosity and her secret desire for friends overpowers both. At her core, and as she said herself in “Too Far,” Peri wants to be more open-minded, to listen, and to understand. What Earth has to offer for a Gem is far more appealing than what Homeworld has to offer.

Rose Quartz proved to be an understanding confidant in a strange new world for Garnet. Steven offered the same open hand and understanding for Peridot, leading to her ultimate epiphany about how much more she could be as a Crystal Gem.

Garnet and Peridot

Garnet and Peridot had a pretty, forgive the pun, rocky start. Though, as Garnet has gotten to know Peridot better, she’s been growing to like the spunky, eccentric green bean. Hence the silent, approving thumbs-up. Slowly but surely, Garnet seems less intimidating and more approachable, almost enticingly approachable because she’s such an enigma. And, where Garnet fascinates Peridot, Peridot fascinates Garnet. Despite how different they seem, they actually have a key desire in common: the desire to be understood by others.

Garnet realizes that Peridot has had a rough time acclimating to how much different Earth is from Homeworld. Note how she stands up for Peridot after she pushes Greg off of the roof, then gently chastises her that she has a lot to learn about Earth. There was a time when Earth was a terrifying, but wondrous new adventure for Garnet herself. Garnet can also relate to how challenging adopting a new perspective and the journey towards an entirely new self-identity can be. While she was thrilled by becoming Garnet, it probably took awhile to fully adjust to being Garnet.

Peridot faces the same challenge in becoming a Crystal Gem. Since she’s been under Yellow Diamond for so long, her newfound freedom and sense of self is going to take awhile to adjust to. Garnet also understands the pressure placed on a Gem to conduct herself in such a way because of her allegiance to a Diamond; and just how negatively that can impact her, from chipping away at her self-esteem, to her damaged pride, and even disconnect from her emotions and empathy. Peridot felt inferior and was constantly on the defensive. When Peridot screamed at Yellow Diamond, Garnet may have felt a vicarious thrill. I can imagine that she’d entertain fantasies about sharing similar reservations about Blue Diamond.

That’s exactly why the scene where Peri tries to fuse with Garnet holds so much weight. Garnet brings her A-game here: She approaches Peridot as her true self, a calm, compassionate, and friendly figure. Someone to listen to, confide in, and share ideas with. When Garnet offers to fuse with Peridot, it’s from the position of a wise and practiced philosopher taking on an apprentice. She’s ready to present her most treasured ideology and hear someone else’s different and unique perspective. Not only would this help Garnet develop more approaches and means to present her ideology, but it helps Peridot get one step closer to becoming truly open-minded. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: Garnet gaining a fresh perspective and Peridot learning from someone blunt, but understanding. While Garnet and Peridot don’t fuse, they’ve stepped into a mentor/student kind of relationship. Note how “Log Date 7 15 2″ ends with a shot of Garnet and Peridot sitting outside having a candid discussion.

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