I was so sad when all the "Jasper is peacocking for Rose's attention" stuff just sorta petered out. I'm glad it's getting a resurgence. I like my villians with petty streaks.
I want to say though if she does get a redemption arc, I kind of want her to be the opposite of Pearl. Where Pearl was made to be dainty and elegant and pretty and became a skilled warrior, Jasper was built for kicking ass but she is kind of a diva and if she was a human she'd probably spend 3 hours in the morning to make sure her hair and make up is flawless. Except she's a gem, so she can change her appearance instantly. Evidence: -All of her entrances on this show are ~dramatic~ -Took the time to dress up in a cape just to look "intimidatingly fabulous" -Probably just inconsistent due to whoever boards the episodes, but I'd like to think she put on that perfect winged eyeliner just because she was going to fight "Rose" and her army. -She's the only gem that got the full ensemble in the Tuxedo Crystal Gems pic, including a hibiscus which is a super feminine flower
Spoiler: crack the whip i worry about that big fluctuation in amethyst's image right before she finished forming. the theme recently has been corrupted gems and learning how they get that way, it looked for a second how it does when gem monsters reform after being bubbled, the wild whipping around of form. what if corrupted gems come from a gem who loses their sense of identity?
Spoiler i think that might have just been how they tend to shift through various forms they've had? and the one episode where she kept reforming so frequently and so fast that her limbs got all distorted.
Spoiler: jasper talk She's the fucking Tolstoy of punching. Also I hope all the beasts in the Jasper Army have names and rankings. And she tries to enforce military discipline. ALSO: my big theory is that she respects anyone who can kick her ass - which at this point is Lapis, Garnet, Original Flavor Rose, and (maybe) Stevonnie. She's shown that she's willing to take strategies (as well as straight up leadership) from people on that list - which means that if one of them beats some not-being-a-dick advice into her, she might actually listen. Lapis is out of the question, but my theory is that at some point, after getting her ass kicked a few more times, she's gonna ask either Garnet or Stevonnie how to get ~strong in the real way~. And then she'll probably scoff and roll her eyes/run off, but it won't entirely go unheard. Repeat a few times, and hey presto! A Jasper who can at least go five seconds without wrestling someone/saying something awful. (Even if it's just so she can get STRONK by mastering the mysterious art of ~interpersonal relationships~)
Spoiler that just gave me the mental image of Steven and the gems acting really coy like this is some ultra huge secret and Jasper is privileged just to be able to hear it. "I shouldn't be telling you this... if Homeworld ever found out the secret to our power... who knows what could happen. but... I trust you." Steven's eyes dart around the room, making sure that no one else is listening in. he leans in and whispers: "It's time I told you about .......... The Golden Rule"
Spoiler EXACTLY. Dress up "saying nice, constructive things" and "owning up to your mistakes" like they're some ancient secret martial technique, and you can't tell me she wouldn't be all over that shit.
Spoiler: steven vs amethyst well that went.. better than i thought it would. i'm glad amethyst got to explain that she isn't mad at steven.. just down on herself. while this is her arc and i don't think this is it for it, you can see how much she's grown from past arcs. but yeah. her hang ups definitely aren't Cured. i think she at least feels a little better, though.
Spoiler Pearl was in top form, as usual. Poor Amethyst, though. And at the end - 'you can be aaaaaanything you want, no I can't' that. definitely hit a note.
Spoiler: steven vs. amethyst i love how steven and amethyst had this fight over which one of them's the worst, each one hoping to prove that they're the worst one and their opponent is the best. :D:D:D and how they eventually realized how silly it was and talked about their issues. and pearl, at the end, "you've ruined the ruins!"
My little video game pirate heart is endlessly amused that the obviously-Gamecube-controllers are labeled "Dolphin." After the Gamecube emulator.
yeah, it was way more... 3d than usual? like the curly bits were unstuck from her head maybe she's kind of frazzled from the jasper thing
Spoiler: steven vs. amethyst That was a nice surprise! I was expecting Amethyst to be mad at Steven, but the revelation that she was mad at herself and wanted validation...well, it hit hard. (also damn she looks really cute with her hair up) And aww, poor Steven..."I'm not Rose Quartz." I can definitely get why he feels that way. Poor kid. And Amethyst's feelings of inadequacy. God, I love her and I'm glad she's making some improvement there. Not much yet, but it takes a lot to get through shit like that, so any progress is good progress, IMO. And realistic progress, at that. Also holy shit Pearl stop being so adorable.
Spoiler: Steven Vs. Amethyst, with added personal asides AMETHYST IS SO RELATABLE OH MY GOD "'You can be anything you want to be...' no, I can't! I can't even be the one thing I'm supposed to be, you know?" Just. Holy shit. I'm someone who failed to be what they were Supposed To Be and got jaded by the 'you can do anything!!' messages out there and this line just lanced RIGHT through my heart. Her feeling so inadequate and useless, like she was dragging the team down because she was The Worst now is just... holy shit so relatable. I think the conversation at the end helped her a little, too. She and Steven have an Understanding now. (And wow, poor Steven. We get to see more if his inadequacy issues here too and honestly that kid needs a hug.) Pearl's stepping on Amethyst's inadequacy triggers again though, and that worries me, because I thought they'd made good progress about that stuff last time Amethyst's arc came up. Please don't hurt each other you two you are both Good. :( And Amethyst realising she was stepping on Steven's issues too at the end was just so perfect. My poor borderline baby is not very good at seeing other people's hurts when she's distracted with her own but by gods she figured it out eventually. Spoiler: personal aside time But like... I also have a lot of trouble with Steven being treated as this mini-adult who can solve his mumx3's issues because it echoes Trauma Stuff, and that came out a lot here, with Steven having to manage Amethyst even though he had troubles of his own and didn't know how to help. So as much as Amethyst is Relatable it also reminds me why I'm not really comfortable interacting with kids a lot because I don't want to put Adult Issues on their tiny shoulders??? I know this is A Cartoon and it is not as big of a deal because Steven is exactly as mature as he needs to be for the plot but it still kinda bugs me. I wish he had mums who were capable of not making their kid solve their personal issues.
