LogFAQs > #970085353

#1: Alone Together
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Show: Steven Universe
Original airdate: January 15, 2015

"You are not two people. And you are not one person. You... are an experience! Make sure you're a good experience."

When a show, or a movie, or a game, or any work or art, for that matter, does something wholly unexpected, and in a good way, it has the chance to produce some of my best memories from engaging with that work. Steven fusing with Connie is something that should've been blindly obvious would happen... they were best friends, potentially romantic interests, the show had demonstrated the importance of fusion as an aspect of the show's lore and as a way to show the close relationship between two characters, but still... a gem fusing with a human being? Steven fusing with Connie, when they'd barely known each other? I thought Steven would fuse with one of the Gems first, Amethyst maybe, so when Steven and Connie started dancing on that beach, I began to have a feeling, but until it happened, I still didn't expect anything... and in the meantime, their dance was sweet, charming, just a tiny bit romantic with Steven falling into Connie's arms (already a subversion of the typical gender dynamic in these types of shows)... but when they woke up as Stevonnie, I was floored, and my reaction was pretty much the same as Garnet's when she first saw them: beaming, grinning from ear to ear. The Gems' reactions were precious enough, but then, that very first run... not just Steven, not just Connie, but Stevonnie, a brand new person with their own thoughts, feelings, emotions... an experience, alive for the very first time. The episode did a brilliant job conveying the dynamics of consent, with Steven and Connie's consciousnesses remaining independent within Stevonnie's mind, and Steven always making sure Connie wanted to keep going with the fusion. Simple, but incredibly sweet, showing just how mindful both of them are. There were times when Steven shined through, there were times when Connie shined through, and Stevonnie's personality, a perfect blend of both of them, contrasted so well with the other Beach City denizens, with Lars and Sadie both blushing, Sour Cream flustered, and of course... Kevin. Kevin, the jerk, the first person Steven ever hated, making Stevonnie uncomfortable (where's the news cameras from Homer Badman when you need them?) and adding to the episode's lessons about consent and personal space. Steven and Connie were together, but also alone... the nature of their fusion conveyed through Stevonnie's actions and internal monologue, and the episode ending as Stevonnie defused and the two kids returned to their normal selves, clearly freaked out and overstimulated by everything, but also just happy to be together again. Alone Together is a brilliant episode, doing so much with its short length, telling a complete story about a first date of sorts, a first experience with the strange Gem ritual known as fusion, about growing up too fast and about learning new things. It may not be the dramatic pinnacle of Steven Universe, but it may well be the show at its emotional height, and not only solidified Steven Universe as my favorite show at the time (where it would stay for two years until Tangled the Series came along), but also solidified my belief that Connverse might well be my favorite romantic pairing in all of fiction: Steven and Connie, two kind, intelligent, brave little nerds who deserve each other and who learn to love each other amidst magic and trauma, with Stevonnie being the living symbol of who they both want to be. I know I may be unique in putting this episode at the top of my list, but I doubt it falls from this position for a very long time.