I always saw the Little Butler thing as a parallel to Steven, who is functionally a baby to every other gem, who tries to help everyone and fix everything in gem society out of the goodness of his heart, essentially becoming their little butler. Tying into his larger arcs spanning the rest of the series and future, while also foreshadowing the fact that he has to spur his role models into improving themselves rather than the other way around.
One little detail that doesn’t really correlate to the episode that I noticed too is that other Cartoon Network shows reference Little Butler. In Craig of the Creek the episode Bring out your Beast has Craig sing parts of the intro and Little Butler’s quote “You people have too much money.”
I wish the show had tried to handle Amethysts' inner turmoils a little more considering she also has a long history just as long as Pearl and Garnet do with them. After a rewatch, as a kid I was so in love with Amethysts character and being apart of the Shorty Squad but looking back to see how much Amethyst lashed out to hurt others in an attempt for them to see her own struggles still really chokes me up even if it isnt outright stated its absolutely implied to the fullest given she is the most overlooked Crystal Gem. Even when Amethyst had her downs, and I mean her absolute horrible downs, she still was there for every CG, she still held a smile in the darkest fights. That is why I still adore Amethysts Character.
I believe the reason Amethyst is never fully went into is because the show is through Steven lens and quite frankly Amethyst is the only one who actually treats him as a child
This episode always gave me the vibe that Amethys had a crush on Greg at one point. Maybe to the point where she used shapeshifting and poor lighting to try snd convince Greg she WAS Rose and maybe he didn't catch on immediately. Which is why he has such a viscerally negative reaction to her doing so now. Or maybe she tried to turn into Rose to cuz she saw how sad Greg was after she died and it had the opposite effect, again resulting in this negative almost panicked reaction
I rewatched the show around feburary last year and this episode always raised itself high for being extremely uncharacteristic and somewhat subversive for the show at the 1st season being really silent, leaving me to stare at my life and feelings I'd rather not share in a youtube comment. Great episode great episode it's extremely underrated and so are you.
Hey man, just found your channel and am slowing going through your videos! This episode always striked me as a real stand-out since the tone and subtext was very heavy. It had a light touch and left some stuff up to the imagination, as to what Greg and Amethyst's relationship was like in the absence of Rose and so forth. My assumption is that Lil Butler was a show they would always watched together after Rose's "death" as a means of coping. Maybe there was even a time when Greg would pawn off a young Steven to Pearl and Garnet to hang out with Amethyst. A running fan-theory is perhaps they were more than just friends with certain "benefits". Though beside some offhanded joke there isn't much other evidence. I do think the episode was trying to at least highlight this relationship had some toxic elements and instead of talking through the pain of losing Rose, they did this. It's odd because Greg's dialogue implies this isn't the first time Amethyst changed into Rose, but for what purpose? I don't think Amethyst tortured Greg with this form prior, right? So what if Greg asked Amethyst to shapeshift to help him deal with some hang ups (how deep that went in romantically or otherwise is up to interpretation) and at the very least maybe some implied roleplaying was going on. Until Greg felt guilty, broke it off and then there was a dry-spell between the two before the events of the episode. Anyways, I'm curious if anyone else had thoughts on this - but yeah, it's a great episode and I wish we got just a tiny bit more expanding on these two. This is the only time they really ever interact like this from what I can recall and it's never brought up again. Perhaps some abadoned plot-line or something CN deemed too dark or adult for their target audience. idk.
Ya know...the way u intepret how relationships truly are like is really interesting. I have never noticed how Greg and Amethyst's relationship was cordial but not neccessarily close/forgiven. Same as how Steven still does not like the Diamonds at all, and by extension they were not redeemed. I really like your interpretation of these relationships, and it would be in character for Greg and Steven, both non confrontational characters, to just quietly distance themselves from relationships which do not serve them. Makes me kinda reflect on how adult relationships are often like, and the ways that I have probably been misinterpretating the relationships in my life as a socially anxious person.
Maybe I'm overreaching but uhh... After Amethyst's innuendo that she's "seen his junk before," and her tendency to enjoy the more tactile, biological functions of humans more than other gems, I feel like she and Greg had more than just a friendly connection after Rose passed. The way Greg is ready for it, and the words he uses while she's transformed into Rose makes me think she has done this with him before. I think Greg had Amethyst as a rebound, maybe to cope with the loss of Rose, to emulate what he used to have with her.
Ew, no that's just gross. I think they just hung out a lot as friends back then and Amethyst might had feelings for Greg and one day she did something that made Greg uncomfortable. Greg told Amethyst to leave or something. Amethyst got mad and turned into Rose to get under his skin and said terrible things to him like what she did in this episode. I think she was just lashing out at Greg.
This episode seriously recontextualizes the reactions Greg has with her shapeshifting in prior episodes. What seemed like Greg not fully comprehending Amethyst's abilities that well, was really a painful reminder for him of what she did when Rose was gone.
I sincerely hope you cover Fusion Cuisine (an aside I only internalized upon almost immediately rewatching this commentary). Excellent video & I think you could've gone even further. There's speculation that I've seen over time that Amethyst & Greg may have turned to one another in the aftermath of Rose's death. The realization I had today after being repulsed for some years is that even if we're bothered, or even shocked by a turn of events we wish weren't true... It wouldn't change the truth. And accepting that truth can help us accept the people we care about, especially in the aspects of relationship we prefer not to embrace, make room for, or perhaps worse, simply wish wasn't a fact of life. If Greg & Amethyst have a torrid albeit brief intimate history (that the other CGs ignored in their own turmoil & lack of emotional depth given the social mores of Homeworld--a society Amethyst knew only anecdotally until later in the series), I don't think it undoes or disrupts the flow of the show in the slightest though I definitely used to. Idealism has it's limits before it can stunt our maturity as viewers. Loving only the aspects of a character that we already approve of "but not like that" isn't really love. But that's a separate conversation. Love grows in the opportunity to confront & accept the unpleasantness too. I think Steven doesn't have to be bogged down with the history on either side to love both Amethyst & his dad enough to call them out of their spiral.
About the food, that passive aggressive dismissal of Steven I think is leftover from unresolved resentment about Steven's creation. Besides the fact that it was still Rose's decision to make about bringing Steven into existence, there's a not so subtle dig that Amethyst is experiencing clear jealousy & competition for Greg's attention. I don't think the timing is intentional, she's probably been carrying these emotions for years. And though she isn't very close to Greg now, they were at least jovial back in the day as band mates. Given Amethyst's significant conflict with Pearl at this point in the show, & Pearl's grief being rather huge, where else was Amethyst going to bury her own anger & sadness at the loss of leadership & friendship? She couldn't relate to Pearl & Garnet had herself to rely on. Steven "little Rose" wasn't a reality to her until the kidnapping forced them to confront the fact of Steven. Amethyst never actually apologizes for any of this season one messiness. I'd argue she's a pretty bad influence on Steven at that time due to resentment yet she's the first gem to mature & change her ways towards him. Even taking responsibility for her emotions completely after a Single Pale Rose & having enough grounding to double back for Steven & Ruby with flexible boundaries. She just chooses to do better consistently. That's significant & I don't think she gets enough credit. Greg hasn't even accomplished the ability to put Steven first emotionally by SUF (I haven't watched the whole series but I'm specifically thinking of the visit to the DeMayos). Greg pats himself on the back for raising Steven differently than his suffocating upbringing but he misses countless red flags throughout the years. I think Amethyst, through being more of a sibling than parent figure, gets to have more flexibility & less pressure despite major mistakes.
I definitely got the vibe that Amethyst had a crush on Greg at one point, but I don't think Greg ever reciprocated. At least, not willingly. I think maybe at some point Amethyst used shape shifting and poor lighting to convince Greg she was Rose, and Greg didn't catch on till things had escalated (to what degree idk) and now he just has a viscerally negative reaction to Amethyst turning into Rose. Or maybe after Rose passed Amethyst tried to shape shift into her as a way to help Greg in her own way, but instead just causing a whole world of hurt and pain all over again. It definitely felt like Amethyst had hurt Greg somehow like this before
I always saw the Little Butler thing as a parallel to Steven, who is functionally a baby to every other gem, who tries to help everyone and fix everything in gem society out of the goodness of his heart, essentially becoming their little butler. Tying into his larger arcs spanning the rest of the series and future, while also foreshadowing the fact that he has to spur his role models into improving themselves rather than the other way around.
yeah, this makes sense! definitely wish I had thought of this
One little detail that doesn’t really correlate to the episode that I noticed too is that other Cartoon Network shows reference Little Butler. In Craig of the Creek the episode Bring out your Beast has Craig sing parts of the intro and Little Butler’s quote “You people have too much money.”
I wish the show had tried to handle Amethysts' inner turmoils a little more considering she also has a long history just as long as Pearl and Garnet do with them. After a rewatch, as a kid I was so in love with Amethysts character and being apart of the Shorty Squad but looking back to see how much Amethyst lashed out to hurt others in an attempt for them to see her own struggles still really chokes me up even if it isnt outright stated its absolutely implied to the fullest given she is the most overlooked Crystal Gem.
Even when Amethyst had her downs, and I mean her absolute horrible downs, she still was there for every CG, she still held a smile in the darkest fights.
That is why I still adore Amethysts Character.
i appreciate Amethyst as a character way more after a rewatch.
arguably top 3 favorite
I believe the reason Amethyst is never fully went into is because the show is through Steven lens and quite frankly Amethyst is the only one who actually treats him as a child
*[Transforming into your dead leader as a "prank" is... definitly a way to start a new year]*
True
Also, you’re my favorite gem
I never clocked how the lighting in the dark storage unit is purple like Amethyst!!
The setup in "cat fingers" with how Greg feels about shapeshifting ESPECIALLY with amethyst is insane on rewatch
This episode always gave me the vibe that Amethys had a crush on Greg at one point. Maybe to the point where she used shapeshifting and poor lighting to try snd convince Greg she WAS Rose and maybe he didn't catch on immediately. Which is why he has such a viscerally negative reaction to her doing so now.
Or maybe she tried to turn into Rose to cuz she saw how sad Greg was after she died and it had the opposite effect, again resulting in this negative almost panicked reaction
i feel like seeing his dead wife alone would be enough to elicit that reaction out of him, but thats a pretty cool thought
I rewatched the show around feburary last year and this episode always raised itself high for being extremely uncharacteristic and somewhat subversive for the show at the 1st season being really silent, leaving me to stare at my life and feelings I'd rather not share in a youtube comment. Great episode great episode it's extremely underrated and so are you.
Ah yes, an episode where Steven has to help clean up the dirty junk left over from his mom. Good to see the show sticking to its themes ;-p
Hey man, just found your channel and am slowing going through your videos! This episode always striked me as a real stand-out since the tone and subtext was very heavy. It had a light touch and left some stuff up to the imagination, as to what Greg and Amethyst's relationship was like in the absence of Rose and so forth. My assumption is that Lil Butler was a show they would always watched together after Rose's "death" as a means of coping. Maybe there was even a time when Greg would pawn off a young Steven to Pearl and Garnet to hang out with Amethyst. A running fan-theory is perhaps they were more than just friends with certain "benefits". Though beside some offhanded joke there isn't much other evidence.
I do think the episode was trying to at least highlight this relationship had some toxic elements and instead of talking through the pain of losing Rose, they did this. It's odd because Greg's dialogue implies this isn't the first time Amethyst changed into Rose, but for what purpose? I don't think Amethyst tortured Greg with this form prior, right? So what if Greg asked Amethyst to shapeshift to help him deal with some hang ups (how deep that went in romantically or otherwise is up to interpretation) and at the very least maybe some implied roleplaying was going on. Until Greg felt guilty, broke it off and then there was a dry-spell between the two before the events of the episode.
Anyways, I'm curious if anyone else had thoughts on this - but yeah, it's a great episode and I wish we got just a tiny bit more expanding on these two. This is the only time they really ever interact like this from what I can recall and it's never brought up again. Perhaps some abadoned plot-line or something CN deemed too dark or adult for their target audience. idk.
Ya know...the way u intepret how relationships truly are like is really interesting. I have never noticed how Greg and Amethyst's relationship was cordial but not neccessarily close/forgiven. Same as how Steven still does not like the Diamonds at all, and by extension they were not redeemed.
I really like your interpretation of these relationships, and it would be in character for Greg and Steven, both non confrontational characters, to just quietly distance themselves from relationships which do not serve them. Makes me kinda reflect on how adult relationships are often like, and the ways that I have probably been misinterpretating the relationships in my life as a socially anxious person.
Maybe I'm overreaching but uhh... After Amethyst's innuendo that she's "seen his junk before," and her tendency to enjoy the more tactile, biological functions of humans more than other gems, I feel like she and Greg had more than just a friendly connection after Rose passed. The way Greg is ready for it, and the words he uses while she's transformed into Rose makes me think she has done this with him before.
I think Greg had Amethyst as a rebound, maybe to cope with the loss of Rose, to emulate what he used to have with her.
Ew, no that's just gross. I think they just hung out a lot as friends back then and Amethyst might had feelings for Greg and one day she did something that made Greg uncomfortable. Greg told Amethyst to leave or something. Amethyst got mad and turned into Rose to get under his skin and said terrible things to him like what she did in this episode. I think she was just lashing out at Greg.
Yes, i think you're overreaching lol I think Amethyst was being literal when she said "junk".
Greg did seem a bit uncomfortable around Amethyst in the first season for some reason.
Always had this thought too.
That's how I think about it except I don't think it went as far as you do
This episode seriously recontextualizes the reactions Greg has with her shapeshifting in prior episodes. What seemed like Greg not fully comprehending Amethyst's abilities that well, was really a painful reminder for him of what she did when Rose was gone.
Maximum Capacity (in the show) takes place from December 30th 2013 to January 1st 2014
I sincerely hope you cover Fusion Cuisine (an aside I only internalized upon almost immediately rewatching this commentary). Excellent video & I think you could've gone even further.
There's speculation that I've seen over time that Amethyst & Greg may have turned to one another in the aftermath of Rose's death.
The realization I had today after being repulsed for some years is that even if we're bothered, or even shocked by a turn of events we wish weren't true... It wouldn't change the truth.
And accepting that truth can help us accept the people we care about, especially in the aspects of relationship we prefer not to embrace, make room for, or perhaps worse, simply wish wasn't a fact of life.
If Greg & Amethyst have a torrid albeit brief intimate history (that the other CGs ignored in their own turmoil & lack of emotional depth given the social mores of Homeworld--a society Amethyst knew only anecdotally until later in the series), I don't think it undoes or disrupts the flow of the show in the slightest though I definitely used to.
Idealism has it's limits before it can stunt our maturity as viewers. Loving only the aspects of a character that we already approve of "but not like that" isn't really love. But that's a separate conversation. Love grows in the opportunity to confront & accept the unpleasantness too.
I think Steven doesn't have to be bogged down with the history on either side to love both Amethyst & his dad enough to call them out of their spiral.
About the food, that passive aggressive dismissal of Steven I think is leftover from unresolved resentment about Steven's creation. Besides the fact that it was still Rose's decision to make about bringing Steven into existence, there's a not so subtle dig that Amethyst is experiencing clear jealousy & competition for Greg's attention.
I don't think the timing is intentional, she's probably been carrying these emotions for years. And though she isn't very close to Greg now, they were at least jovial back in the day as band mates.
Given Amethyst's significant conflict with Pearl at this point in the show, & Pearl's grief being rather huge, where else was Amethyst going to bury her own anger & sadness at the loss of leadership & friendship? She couldn't relate to Pearl & Garnet had herself to rely on. Steven "little Rose" wasn't a reality to her until the kidnapping forced them to confront the fact of Steven.
Amethyst never actually apologizes for any of this season one messiness. I'd argue she's a pretty bad influence on Steven at that time due to resentment yet she's the first gem to mature & change her ways towards him. Even taking responsibility for her emotions completely after a Single Pale Rose & having enough grounding to double back for Steven & Ruby with flexible boundaries.
She just chooses to do better consistently. That's significant & I don't think she gets enough credit. Greg hasn't even accomplished the ability to put Steven first emotionally by SUF (I haven't watched the whole series but I'm specifically thinking of the visit to the DeMayos). Greg pats himself on the back for raising Steven differently than his suffocating upbringing but he misses countless red flags throughout the years.
I think Amethyst, through being more of a sibling than parent figure, gets to have more flexibility & less pressure despite major mistakes.
I definitely got the vibe that Amethyst had a crush on Greg at one point, but I don't think Greg ever reciprocated. At least, not willingly.
I think maybe at some point Amethyst used shape shifting and poor lighting to convince Greg she was Rose, and Greg didn't catch on till things had escalated (to what degree idk) and now he just has a viscerally negative reaction to Amethyst turning into Rose.
Or maybe after Rose passed Amethyst tried to shape shift into her as a way to help Greg in her own way, but instead just causing a whole world of hurt and pain all over again.
It definitely felt like Amethyst had hurt Greg somehow like this before
Amazing channel, youtube person! I hope you make it big one day!
Thank you! I kind of feel like I already have though :)
You could totally do some more Steven universe stuff I'd watch the crap out of it.
8:44 THANK you
as a kid watching the episode, I felt weird that I found strange comfort in it. Rewatching it now, I get it entirely.
I liked you u paused between past and items
Okay but did anyone else clock that the tune for little Butler and jam buds is the same?
Haha yeah I skip this episode because it makes me 👏 un 👏 comfortable!
Your thoughts on 🌹rose ???
you spelled junk wrong
“Gunk” is a different word than “junk” my guy
No, Amethyst and Greg rekindled their relationship and they seem pretty close after this. They are all family after all...
Personally I wouldn’t be able to do that
@@scarlessyt yea, I wouldn't be able to do that either but Greg is a very forgiving and understanding person so Amethyst is very lucky.