Original airdate: December 15th, 2017
Production code: 1053-137
Greg and the Gems take Steven on a vacation to help him relax.
Tropes:
- Call-Back: Pearl covered her mouth when Eyeball revealed in "Back to the Moon" that Rose shattered Pink Diamond, and in "Steven's Dream" when Steven asked her for information about the war. In this episode, Pearl has trouble revealing some truths about the war and the Diamonds because she compulsively covers her mouth before she can confess.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Pearl reads the "remove all shoes before entering" rule, she looks down at the pair of shoes next to the doorway and throws them out into the yard.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: Greg and the Gems think Steven is being distant because of trauma from his capture and subsequent escape from Homeworld, but his primary concern is his relationship with Connie. It's only when Steven finally admits what's bothering him that Greg is able to help.
- Flat "What": Pearl's initial reaction when Steven screams "Connie hates me!"
- Foreshadowing: Ronaldo was in the middle of a long series of texts to Steven about Koala Princess, which suddenly stop when Steven gets to the vacation home. Turns out Steven's phone doesn't get any service there.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Ronaldo sends a series of on-screen texts to Steven, part of which get voice overs, but others you'd need to pause to read. In the last one, Ronaldo mentions assuming something went wrong until he went to Steven's house and found a "gone vacationing" sign—after breaking in through a window and taking his Koala Princess boxset back.
- Gagging on Your Words:
- Pearl keeps abruptly covering her mouth when she tries to talk about what she did during the war and about the Diamonds.
- The first time Steven tries to explain why he didn't bring up Connie, he muffles his voice and wanders off while saying he was "embarrassed".Greg: You were... embroidered? Embroiled? Emboldened to talk to your old man about your problems?
- Heroic BSoD: Steven fells very sad and upset over Connie not texting him back.
- Hope Spot: Greg tells Steven that there's no phone service at the ranch, leading Steven to realize that maybe Connie has been texting him back, he just hasn't received them. Cue a mad dash for a spot where he gets service, almost falling off a cliff doing so... and no, turns out she really hasn't been texting him back.
- Implausible Deniability: After Steven finally admits his problems with Connie to Pearl, the others burst out onto the porch with this dialogue:
- Mundane Luxury: Greg talks up the rented vacation home by saying it has a refrigerator with a water dispenser, an analog wall clock, and four windows. Subverted in that the conditions say they're not allowed to use any of those.
- Non-Nude Bathing: When Greg and Garnet are enjoying the hot tub, Greg is dressed in a swimsuit (which he probably should, as it's an outdoor tub) while Garnet is in her usual outfit (which is part of her body). Steven gets in still wearing his clothes with his phone in a plastic bag, apparently because he was to distracted by his phone to change.
- Offscreen Crash: While Pearl is fighting "Party Guy", we hear a lot of crashing from inside the cabin.
- On Second Thought: Steven initially turns down the offer to go on vacation as he's busy waiting for Connie's reply, but changes his mind when he sees he's only getting texts from Ronaldo (and a lot of them).
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Garnet tells Steven she knows what's troubling him, which he takes to mean is about Connie and his sacrifice, but she starts talking about Rose shattering Pink Diamond. Steven quickly ends the conversation, believing he knows where it's going.
- Phoneaholic Teenager: Steven obsessively watches his phone in case Connie responds to him. Since he was so reluctant to explain his situation to the others, he comes off to them as obsessed with the phone itself.Amethyst: So, you're really into phones now?
- Poor Communication Kills: Steven isn't willing to tell his guardians about the fight he and Connie had, because he thinks they're also angry at him for his sacrifice and will instantly take Connie's side of the argument. Unfortunately, he isn't able to hide his downcast attitude from Greg or the Gems, so they think he's upset about the stuff that happened while he was on Homeworld. They're only able to help once Steven finally admits the problem.
- Portmanteau: One of Ronaldo's texts about Koala Princess mentions the show has "koalore", though the voice over reads it as "koala lore".
- Punny Name: The vacation house Greg rents is called "Cool Ranch".
- Reading the Stage Directions Out Loud: Garnet demonstrates that the proposal for the trip was rehearsed as she speaks the physical directions out loud when helping Greg convince Steven to go on vacation. And that Greg told her to say it with more enthusiasm.Amethyst: Yeah. And you'll be with your favorite Gems, and your favorite dad.
Garnet: Agree with Amethyst. Turn to Steven. Steven, you should go. No, with more enthusiasm. Steven, it's a vacation! [thumbs-up] - Running Gag: Ronaldo texting Steven about Koala Princess.
- Smash to Black: The episode ends without an Iris Out as everyone admires the night sky.
- Snakes Are Sinister: A snake was apparently taking up residence in the house Greg rented. Amethyst and Pearl name it "Party Guy" and it attacks Pearl offscreen.
- Space "X": Steven brushes off his dispirited attitude as "space lag".
- Take That!: The online vacation home rental service Greg uses recommends a house that has lots of ridiculous rules (no using the fridge water filter, windows, or the analog clocks), but nonetheless has a snake crawling around inside.
- Tongue-Tied: It seems that Pearl has some kind of reflex preventing her from talking about the Gem War.
- Unfortunate Item Swap: A scene begins on Steven so distracted that he doesn't realized he's washing a dish with dishsoap still in the bottle.
- Vacation Episode: The Crystal Gems and Greg take Steven to a vacation house to take his mind off his excursion to Homeworld. It's not clear where they went, but it seems nearby.
- The Un-Reveal:
- Garnet offers to explain the Gem War to Steven again but with more detail, but Steven turns it down, believing he already knows what he needs to know and is more concerned about Connie. Notably Bismuth's silhouette is there, Rose's isn't, two previously unseen Crystal Gems are seen with the group, and they're all surrounding someone who bears a distinct resemblance to Pink Diamond as seen on her moonbase mural.
- Pearl once again hints at knowing more about Homeworld than she's let on, but can't manage to spit it out before Steven reveals he's upset about Connie, not his Homeworld adventure.
- Unusual Euphemism: A snake that made its way into the vacation home is dubbed a "party guy" by Amethyst, which Pearl repeats.
- Verbal Backspace: After Steven confesses that he didn't tell Greg or the Gems about what happened with Connie because he thought they'd be mad too and take her side:Greg: Oh Steven, of course we're not mad. I'm sure Connie's not mad, either. Well, at least I'm sure she doesn't hate you.
