The episode begins with Steven trying to find a place to put the portrait of Rose Quartz, testing multiple locations like the Crystal Temple's hand, the Warp Pad Dome, and his bathroom. He puts it up in the exact same place where it was before and sighs in relief, before realizing what he just did. Amethyst and Greg walk in to distract him from his frustration when the house immediately darkens. They go outside to see Pink Diamond's Zoo floating in the air. Using a communication panel in the Warp Pad Dome, Steven and Amethyst talk to Wy-Six and Jay-Ten, who reveal that the Zoo is now piloted by the Zoomans. Greg walks in and is immediately scolded by the two for his previous actions, and leaves soon after. Wy-Six offers Steven to come to join them up in the Zoo. He accepts and asks if Amethyst can join him so she can visit the Famethyst. Wy-Six informs him that as long as she is not Greg, she is allowed to come.
Steven and Amethyst board the Zoo to see that the human containment area is now a tropical paradise, akin to a summer resort. Wy-Six explains that the Zoomans are now in control of the zoo, while the Quartz guards do not contribute much, simply loafing around. Holly Blue Agate is also troubled, as the lack of authority within Era 3 displeases her. She complains that the Diamonds only want to talk about Steven, before getting startled when she realizes that he's standing right next to her. Steven says hello, and she responds by performing the Diamond salute and walking away nervously. Amethyst reunites with the Famethyst while Wy-Six takes Steven to the Rose Quartz Bubble Room, claiming there are some new friends who wished to see him.
Wy-Six opens the door to the room, and a dumbstruck Steven is greeted by three Rose Quartzes, among the other Rose Quartzes who are now unbubbled and free. Two of them, Superfan Rose Quartz, and Hippie Rose Quartz, quickly introduce themselves and talk to Steven, while the third, Shy Rose Quartz, who bears a striking resemblance to Steven's mother, remains quiet. They quickly make Steven uncomfortable, and in his panic, he invites the three of them to his house for dinner. Meanwhile, as the Famethyst are dancing in a conga line, Amethyst attempts to get Steven's attention and notices the Rose Quartzes, making her feel just as unsettled and uncomfortable as Steven is before leaving the room with her fellow quartzes.
Back home, Steven eats dinner while the Rose Quartzes, Garnet, and Pearl watch on. Greg enters the house briefly, asking how long the Zoomans will be around, but leaves quickly in immense discomfort after seeing the Rose Quartzes, especially Shy Rose Quartz. Pearl then leaves the table to go to Steven's bathroom, followed by Garnet and Steven himself. Once inside, the three of them discuss the discomfort they are feeling due to the similarities between the Rose Quartzes and the original Rose Quartz. Steven exits the bathroom to rejoin the Rose Quartzes when Shy Rose Quartz catches a glimpse of the painting of Rose Quartz and suggests they should leave. Panicking again, Steven reluctantly invites them to stay for a slumber party, which Superfan Rose Quartz excitedly accepts in an exaggerated manner.
At night, Steven and the Rose Quartzes watch movies together in his room. Superfan Rose Quartz accidentally plays the tape Rose Quartz gave to Steven, causing him to quickly shut off the TV and put them to bed. While conversing with them in bed, Steven inadvertently invites the Rose Quartzes to stay on Earth with him. Superfan Rose Quartz and Hippie Rose Quartz quickly accept the offer, but Shy Rose Quartz announces to them that Steven does not like them. Steven doesn't deny the statement and the three Rose Quartzes shortly leave, disappointed and heartbroken.
Steven quickly catches up to the Rose Quartzes just before they leave via the Warp Pad Dome. He confesses to them how much they reminded him of his mom and how he has been pretending to be comfortable around them when he actually isn't. The Rose Quartzes, in turn, confess that they are pretending to be fine too, after being punished for having the same cut as the Gem who supposedly shattered Pink Diamond. The group eventually comes to an understanding, after realizing that they aren't so different and are almost like siblings. The three Rose Quartzes warp away, contented, just when Amethyst warps back in from hanging out with the Famethyst and asks what she missed.
Back in his bed, Steven sleeps in peace, as the painting of Rose Quartz rests inside Lion's mane.
Tropes:
- Abilene Paradox: When Steven hesitantly says the Rose Quartzes could stay forever, they take him very seriously. After they realize how they're making everyone uncomfortable and settle things with Steven, they admit they really don't want to stay on Earth and warp away.
- All There in the Script: The trio of Rose Quartzes don't get individual names in dialogue, but the credits identify them as "Superfan Rose", "Shy Rose", and "Hippie Rose".
- Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption: When Holly Blue Agate is ranting about how her life is now:Holly Blue Agate: I'd give anything for an order from the Diamonds, but all they talk about is Steven, Steven, Steven, (sees Steven standing right next to her) Steven?!
- Bait-and-Switch: After Pearl and Garnet leave the awkward dinner party with the Roses, Steven meets them in the bathroom. Pearl apologizes to Steven but points out how weird it is to see three different Roses. Garnet then puts her hand on Pearl's shoulder in what looks like a gentle reprimand... before she switches gears and agrees with Pearl about how weird it is.
- Birds of a Feather: In the end, what alleviates the awkwardness between Steven and the Rose Quartzes is both parties realizing how similar they are in that they were made by Pink Diamond and have complicated feelings for her due to how her actions affected their lives. It concludes with Steven declaring that the Rose Quartzes are like his siblings rather then reflections of his mom.
- Bowled Over: Amethyst greets the Famethyst by spin-dashing into them like they were bowling pins. This is treated like friendly rough-housing.
- Brick Joke: Amethyst stays onboard the Zoo as Steven takes the Rose Quartzes to his house. After the Roses leave at the end, Amethyst warps into the house wearing sunglasses and holding two umbrella drinks to ask what she missed.
- Broken Pedestal:
- Part of the complexities that Steven and the Crystal Gems feel towards the Rose Quartzes come from their own broken pedestal of their "Rose Quartz".
- Superfan Rose sobs "Never meet your heroes!" when she thinks that Steven doesn't want the Rose Quartzes around.
- Buffy Speak: Superfan Rose refers to Steven's mouth as "face-hole" and the sleeping bag as "sleepy sack".
- Call-Back: When Superfan Rose picks a movie at random, it just so happens to be the videotape from "Lion 3: Straight to Video" that Rose Quartz left Steven.
- Continuity Nod: The chest in Lion's mane is still open. How Steven opened it and what he found in it remains unknown.
- Cringe Comedy: The episode wrings much comedy from Steven and the Crystal Gems' astounding discomfort from talking to Gems that look like their deceased loved one.
- Dance Line: Amethyst and the other Famethyst perform a conga line while in the zoo.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: In an effort to not make them feel unwelcome, Steven invites the Quartzes over to spend the night. When he offhandedly says that he wishes they could stay forever to keep this up, they think he means it.
- Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment: The Rose Quartzes both looking and acting like the original Rose Quartz off-puts everybody. Played more realistically as everyone is aware of this fact and knows it's not right, but as it comes from a place of emotion rather than logic can't really help it, something Garnet lampshades.
- Double-Meaning Title: The Rose Quartzes are "Rose Buds" in that they're Rose Quartzes that try to make friends with Steven, but he also realizes they're like children (i.e. buds) to the original Rose/Pink Diamond.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Superfan Rose is surprised to see Steven is smaller than she expected.
- Good Old Ways: With her authority non-existent at this point, Holly Blue pines for the way things were before the Empire was dismantled with the Zoomans in captivity, the Quartzes under her authority and the Diamonds giving her orders.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: Both Garnet and Pearl are so uncomfortable about being around the Rose Quartz Gems that they both excuse themselves to use the bathroom, even though they don't eat and thus have no need for bathrooms.
- Identical Stranger: All of the Rose Quartzes qualify, but one of them looks exactly like Pink Diamond did in her Rose Quartz persona.
- Innocently Insensitive:
- The Rose Quartzes push every Trauma Button with everyone they meet without even meaning to. Really illustrated in the excitable one saying that she's "dead, I am dead Rose Quartz" over how overjoyed she is.
- Going the other way, everyone treating the Rose Quartzes like Rose's ghost reminds them why they had been bubbled away in the first place.
- I Owe You My Life: Part of the reason why the Rose Quartzes idolize Steven is that his actions kept them from being bubbled for eternity and gave them their freedom back.
- Loony Fan: Superfan Rose behaves like this, asking Steven rapid-fire questions about himself, hanging onto his every word and action and referring to him as "the legend". The captions refer to her as "Superfan Rose".
- Mirror Character: The Rose Quartzes to Pink Diamond's alter ego. A good portion of them show wonder and joy at new things and the Earth, but unlike her, they have no desire to leave the Zoo permanently.
- Mood Whiplash: Steven's heartfelt farewell to the three Roses is immediately followed by a cheerful Amethyst arriving, shouting "FAMETHYST FOR LIFE!" and asking what she missed.
- "No. Just… No" Reaction: Greg rejects Steven's invitation to stay for dinner with a flatout "Nope", too freaked out by the Rose Quartzes.
- Noodle Incident: Greg gets cut off when he notices the Rose Quartzes at the house, but apparently the Zoomans showing up in Beach City isn't the first time he's had a lot of exes show up at once.
- Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: Garnet and Pearl say that they're going to the bathroom to get away from the uncomfortable situation with the Rose Quartzes at dinner. Greg just goes "Nope!" and runs off.
- Not Good with Rejection: Y-6 and J-10 are still sore about Greg not "choosening" them.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Once Steven and the Rose Quartzes actually open up to each other, they realize that they all have complicated feelings towards Pink.
- Only Sane Woman: The curly-haired Shy Rose (who looks exactly like the Crystal Gem Rose Quartz) is the only one who picks up the hints that Steven is too uncomfortable with the Rose Quartz trio to want them to stay. She is even saner than Steven, whose anxious attempts at politeness keep making the situation worse.
- Really Gets Around: Played for Laughs, Greg treats the Zoomans showing up in Beach City like a bunch of exes showing up at once, and mentions that it's not the first time something like that has happened, though seeing the Rose Quartzes causes him to stop before we learn what happened.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: At the end of the episode, the Rose Quartzes manage to stay on good terms with Steven after they express their complicated feelings towards Pink Diamond and how her actions affected them all, leaving both sides contented as the Rose Quartzes head back to the Human Zoo.
- Right Behind Me: It is right as Holly Blue is complaining about how all the Diamonds ever talk about is Steven does she realize that Steven was standing next to her.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Greg's reaction when he sees three Rose Quartzes (one of whom looks like Steven's mother) is to bolt out of the house, not even bothering to hide his discomfort like Steven, Pearl, and Garnet are trying to.
- Sequel Episode: This episode serves as a follow-up to the Out of This World arc, showing us what's become of the Zoo and its residents in Era 3, with the largest focus on the Rose Quartzes briefly shown in their bubbles.
- Stunned Silence: Steven's reaction to seeing the first Rose Quartz (who, coincidentally, had hair just like his mom's) is a brief one of this. Amethyst acquires the same reaction while in a conga line.
- The Three Faces of Eve: Each member of the Rose Quartz trio represents one of the many masks the Crystal Gem Rose has worn in her life.
- Superfan Rose is the Child, the immature, silly, and excitable one who is always in awe of the wonders of organic life (or at least Steven).
- Shy Rose is the Mother, the wise, dignified, and emotionally mature one who knows what's going on better than anyone.
- Hippie Rose is the Seductress, who at least takes an interest in Pearl, saying in a sensual tone that "if I could have had a Pearl, I would've wanted her to be just like you" and offers Garnet a shoulder-massage in a flirty manner.
- Valley Girl: Hippie Rose says "like" a lot.
- The Voiceless: Despite appearing prominently, Jay-Ten is completely silent. This is likely because Cristina Valenzuela was busy at the time.
- Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: Steven's reaction to seeing three duplicates of his dead mom is at the top of the page. Amethyst has a similar reaction when she sees Steven surrounded by three duplicates of his dead mom.
