Review: Steven Universe “What’s Your Problem?”

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Overview (Possible Spoilers Below)

Sapphire reads a letter left behind by Ruby that she’s going away to figure herself out with the only clue to where she could be is a future-vision of Ruby dressed as a “Cowboy” with Amethyst eventually tagging along and helps Steven begin a small search-party while Pearl emotionally comforts Sapphire.

When the two take a break, Amethyst expresses concern for Steven’s mental well being, and despite being confused about Rose/Pink’s motivations over what she did thousands of years ago, it’s clear that in a subtle way, Amethyst seems just as internally bothered by it. While the two get Pizza in a mildly comedic scene, it’s here when the episode begins to pick up when they overhear a conversation between the Twin-Sisters of “Fish-Pizza” briefly mention Ruby hanging around Steven’s Father Greg within the outskirts of Beach City which motivates them to investigate this possible lead.

Of course, Amethyst at first tries to dodge the question when Steven struggles to find understanding, but it isn’t until Amethyst shapeshifts into a Helicopter where Steven stops her in a well-paced action scene but when we finally figure out what’s bothering her. It turns out that this big revelation about Rose has caused Amethyst to not feel a strong sense of obligation to her duties as a gem since the “Gem War” happened long before she and Steven even Existed. But is putting her problems aside in favor of making sure Steven is ok which is a level of maturity we have rarely seen in her. The Episode ends when the two get to Greg & Ruby’s destination within the mountains of Beach City.

Our Take

In terms of how the plot is structured, it feels kinda forced that Garnet had to be separated just for this 5-episode journey to happen. But I guess it was also done for the sake of giving each character a moment of shine, as we’re now seeing an outside perspective of how the big reveal of Rose being Pink Diamond has affected everyone in different ways.

It’s clear that for Steven, this is still a lot for a teen his age to comprehend. And while it makes sense for Amethyst not to feel any sense of obligations/duties to being a Crystal Gem since such a revelation could force anyone to question & re-think everything. We can at least see her attempting a level of parental maturity by prioritizing his mental and emotional wellbeing, possibly at the expense of her own.

Now I’m even more curious if Greg even knows about this big-reveal, or how he’ll react to it if he hasn’t found out already.