Original airdate: January 8th, 2015
Production code: 1026-037
Steven thinks he sees something creepy traversing the warp streams and the Gems try to ease his paranoia.
Tropes:
- Apologetic Attacker: The Robonoid that Steven tries to keep from the Temple's Warp Pad ends up damaged from being thrown into the Pad, which Steven immediately apologizes for.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: The idea of the Warp Pads being used by something from off Earth is dismissed off hand by Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, even though they'd recently fended off a giant mechanical eye that came out of the sky.
- Blah, Blah, Blah: When Steven and Pearl's argument fades into the background while Garnet and Amethyst look at each other; you can hear Steven saying it.
- Brick Joke: During the first night, Amethyst eats a package of instant macaroni cheese powder. The next night, Steven eats a bowl which he says contains "macaroni and nothing."
- Can't Take Criticism: Pearl doesn't react well to Steven's suggestion that she may be wrong.
- Cassandra Truth: Steven was right when he says he saw something use the Warp Network, but the other Gems think he's imagining things.
- Condescending Compassion: The other gems, especially Pearl, are thoroughly dismissive about Steven's concerns over what he saw.Garnet: It was important to make Steven feel secure.
Pearl: Yes, Steven feels much better now.
Steven: I'm a little tired... of you guys telling me how I feel! - Continuity Cavalcade: The Gems takes a trip to check the warp pads they've visited in previous episodes:
- The Geode from "House Guest" still has the duct tape Greg applied.
- The mountain from "Giant Woman". Steven Jr. returns with children.
- Last is Galaxy Warp from "Space Race" . The inactive pads are still marked with Steven's "Crying Breakfast Friends" stickers.
- Cute Machines: The Robonoids are very small, round, and waddle around oddly.
- Establishing Character Moment: Peridot is introduced recounting her mission robotically, then steps on a malfunctioning Robonoid that was rubbing up against her leg, slowly, until it pops like a grape.
- Exact Words: Pearl tells Steven that nothing on Earth could use the warp pads apart from them. Steven asks if it could be something not from Earth, and Pearl finds herself unable to argue.
- Exhausted Eyebags: Steven's paranoia keeps him from sleeping properly, giving him red bags and blood-shot eyes.
- Extra-Dimensional Shortcut: The Warp Pads are shown to work by sending people into a shared Pocket Dimension, then transporting them to another pad with a tube of light.
- Healing Potion: The Robonoids spray a crystalline substance from a nozzle on their heads to repair the warp pads.
- His Name Is...: The mission Peridot came for is almost audibly explained while the Crystal Gems eavesdrop, but she notices the sticker on the Warp Pad and evacuates for fear the site was compromised.Peridot: Warp repair a success. All 79 flask robonoids deployed and accounted for. Preparing to locate and manually reactivate Kindergar—
- I Resemble That Remark!:Steven: [I saw] something warping!
Pearl: Steven, that's not possible. Is your vision blurry from the pollen?
Steven: I can see perfectly... (Steven squints) Pearl. - Insomnia Episode: Steven is so freaked out over the thing he saw outside the warp stream he's unable to sleep.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: The damaged Robonoid clings to Peridot's leg, which makes Steven think they're "like her babies" until Peridot crushes it.
- Laughing Mad: Steven has a brief bout of insane laughter when the Robonoid crashes into the house.
- Luminescent Blush: Amethyst and Pearl both blush when they compliment each other at the start.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: Garnet is able to enlarge her fists for a more powerful strike on a stationary target. She actually did this in "Garnet's Universe", too, but that was Steven's story and a parody. Apparently he wasn't totally off the mark, or he'd seen her do it before and based it off of that.
- No-Flow Portal: The Warp Pads go through a void with cold, thin air. Even though solid objects pass easily through the light tubes that connects the Warp Pads, more air doesn't flow into it.
- Not So Stoic: Steven comes very close to dying, and when Garnet saves him, she has to wipe away tears.
- Oh, Crap!:
- When Peridot finds a sticker on the homeworld warp pad, signifying that someone else has recently been to the Warp Network hub, she declares the site compromised and warps out, leaving a bomb which disables her Robonoids.
- Likewise, the Gems are terrified of her appearance, expressing fear that some unspecified threat may return. Garnet destroys the warp pad to prevent Peridot from coming back.
- Plot Allergy: Steven gets allergies from flowers. He sneezes so hard that his face ends outside the portal stream, allowing him to see the Robonoid's sillouette travelling in another stream. When he says he saw something, the Crystal Gems believe his sight is blurry because of the pollen.
- Portal Network: The Homeworld pad at the Galaxy Warp is repaired by Peridot's robots, though she cancels her work on the rest of them when it seems like the site has been compromised. Garnet smashes the homeworld warp after she leaves to prevent more from following.
- Sequel Hook: Some sort of rift took place between the Crystal Gems and the rest of the Gems. We don't know what exactly but it was something bad enough that they see Peridot, Amethyst believes they're all going to die and Pearl remarks "I can't do this, not again!".
- Smash to Black: Dramatically contrasting with the star Iris Out most episodes use, this episode ends suddenly just after Garnet destroys the homeworld warp pad.
- Space Is Cold: Jumping out the warp stream leads to a cold, wide open space where Steven almost freezes to death. Garnet said there is some air though, even if it's not enough to breathe, suggesting it's not exactly in outer space.
- Stealth Pun: Peridot has green skin, is a villain, and Steven comments that the Robonoids are like her babies, which would make her their "mom". In other words, she's a mean green mother from outer space.
- Tempting Fate: When Steven finally gives up on catching the thing he saw in the warp, he declares to the absent Gems that they were right. It's at this moment the Robonoid crashes in and proves his theory.
- Trampled Underfoot: Used with a Discretion Shot to show that Peridot has no patience or time for broken Robonoids.
- Troll: Amethyst freaks Steven out by making him think what he saw in the warp pad will come back and attack him in his sleep.
- Wham Episode: A new gem, Peridot, appears and is traveling around space repairing the warp pads. When she finds evidence that others have been at the Galaxy Warp, she disables her Robonoids and leaves, leaving the Gems worried that a major threat will return.
- You Have to Believe Me!: No one believes Steven when he says he saw something warping in another stream.
