Steven Universe is praised for it’s great use of characters and the relationship dynamics
that surround them. However, not every couple shown in this series is perfect. Many of the
dynamics come with their own issues, both big and small. Today we decided it was time to break
down which of these romantic relationships was the best and which one had the most problems.
I’m Brad with WickedBinge and this is Steven Universe and
Steven Universe Future Romantic Relationships: Healthy to Toxic.
We’ll be starting off with the most healthy relationship and slowly
working our way down to the most toxic. These relationships are The Healthy.
Taking the gold medal for most healthy relationship we have Priyanka and Doug.
Connie's parents. These two weren't given a lot of time on screen together, but what we did see
painted a pretty decent picture. Priyanka and Doug complimented each other well,
and had clear agreements when it came to how Connie was raised. The only time they
were really shown to have any form of a disagreement was when they were
first introduced, and Priyanka told Doug not to be rude to Alexandrite.
The silver medal for Healthy goes to two couples:
Lars’ parents Dante and Martha and the parents of Sour Cream and Onion, Vadalia
and Yellowtail. There is some division from fans on Dante and Martha… With some viewers claiming
that they were too accommodating and led to Lars having the entitlement he does when around people
like Steven and Sadie towards the beginning of the series. After the whole body switching fiasco,
Martha was seen apologizing on Lars' behalf for his outburst towards Steven,
not fully understanding what was occurring but having a feeling it likely didn't justify Lars
having a meltdown. Clearly Dante and Martha loved Lars and wanted to encourage him in their own way,
even getting heart-shaped gages and trying to address him strictly as Lars rather than Laramie.
With Vadalia and Yellowtail, there were some differences in how they parented. Vadalia was seen
as much more laid back, and generally just let things play out. Yellowtail, while a friendly and
agreeable guy, had certain expectations for his oldest son that Sour Cream was obviously against.
By the end of the series, it's clear that Yellowtail decided to
follow his wife's lead and let Sour Cream follow his passion for music,
resulting in the tension that had been present in the home to finally lift away.
They compliment each other in an odd fashion, with Vadalia teaching Yellowtail how to relax
and Yellowtail providing stability behind the scenes through his work ethic.
Our bronze ranking is another tied spot with Fluorite and Rhodonite. These two were both
members of the Off-Color Gems, and mainly hid because they knew their love wouldn't be
accepted in the strict culture that the Diamonds had created. Fluorite was a poly-relationship,
stating that they were always open to merge with more Gems so long as they were the right Gem.
Rhodonite was seen with their Pearl limbs holding their Ruby limbs in comfort while talking about
why they wanted to remain out of sight. Both of these Gems painted a clear picture in just
a few short moments that they truly valued the safety and well-being of their fusions.
We also want to take a moment to mention the Gem called Lemon Jade,
who was seen revealing themselves after seeing Opal and Garnet face Yellow and
Blue. They also clearly adored the other part of their fusion in this brief moment,
relieved and delighted at the idea of being able to love freely.
Next on our list is Shep and Sadie. Shep was introduced as Sadie's partner towards
the very end of the series, but from what we learned about Sadie during the run of
the show and how Shep is presented, it's easy to see how these two connected. Unlike
Lars back when Sadie was infatuated with him, Shep was not emotionally closed off.
They were the ones that helped Steven to realized just what he was so afraid of so that he could
release the dome he created. Even though this was a scary scene for the characters involved,
Shep had been calm rather than having a meltdown like a certain someone would have. With Sadie
growing into a more confident and certain version of herself after years of holding themselves back,
Shep would be the perfect partner to help Sadie grow into a better person.
Likewise, Sadie is an attentive and caring partner with endless patience.
The two may not have been together long, but they already complimented each other well.
Taking our next spot is Topaz. When Steven and Lars had their emotional exchange
about how much they were elated not to be stranded alone due to their fear,
Topaz started blubbering. They began talking about how they also understood
not wanting to be alone. Without the other half of themselves, they would be lost. On the one hand,
it's a very sweet and genuine sentiment. On the other, it also means these two Gems struggled
with codependent behavior, which could have taken them down a very rocky road.
We’ve now reached the middle ground. These couples aren’t horrible but they
definitely have their own issues for one reason or another. This is The Grey Area.
Speaking of codependent behavior, our next couple us Ruby and Sapphire. Commonly known as their
fusion Garnet, these two had developed a deep connection during a time when they weren't certain
they would survive the war on Earth. These two are a favorite pairing not only among fans, but among
other characters in the show. It was shown through characters such as Pearl and Bismuth that the idea
of these two not being together was heartbreaking. Over the course of the series, they had plenty of
disagreements, but were always able to compromise in some fashion. These methods weren't always the
healthiest, but they always came from a place of good intentions, such as when Ruby decided to
propose. Marriage isn't a bandaid for a couple in crisis, but Ruby had fair reasoning as to what it
meant to her to ask Sapphire to marry her, wanting their fusion to be their choice, not Rose's or
Pearl's or anyone else. Like any good couple, they brought out another side of one another,
with Ruby being spontaneous and Sapphire always being certain and calm. However this is also
where a lot of the conflict came up. When they were separated, Sapphire knew for the most part
how things would play out, and so didn't try to process her emotions in other situations such as
when faced with Pearl's betrayal or Ruby leaving. Ruby felt so much she lashed put at everyone,
including Sapphire, and it led to a lot of tension around innocent people like Steven and Amethyst.
Next up we have the two gems Lapis and Peridot. These two began on very bad terms, with Lapis
a prisoner and Peridot the one who was behind Lapis' imprisonment. When these two next met,
Lapis understandably held resentment. Peridot had risen to the challenge, doing her best to
show how she was growing on Earth, using what Steven and the Crystal Gems taught her. Really,
that was the best thing about Peridot. She didn't just use empty words to try and get Lapis
to believe her. She conveyed this new period of growth through trying to do nice things for Lapis
such as getting her gifts and trying to help Lapis enjoy things. As they began to grow close,
Peridot was shown checking in on Lapis when she was worried for the other Gem. Lapis returned this
by learning to relax and enjoy things on Earth, bonding with Peridot more than the other Gems.
Following on our list is Steven and Connie. Obviously these two were very young and had very
little life experience. They were unable to really have a steady relationship due to still needing
to grow as people. Thankfully that was how they parted ways, with Connie going to school rather
than fusing as Stevonnie as Steven suggested. Given their experience together deal with the
Diamonds and possible war, these two had a level of understanding that many kids their age don't.
However, this didn't mean they were great for one another. There were a lot of instances in which
these two struggled to really communicate with one another. When Connie became afraid of how
her training was effecting her, she didn't tell Steven what happened, messing with their fusion.
Once she had peace of mind, Steven still refused to tell Connie all that was happening to him,
with Connie being confused at the sight of Bismuth in their meltdown. When Steven turned himself in
to Aquamarine and then returned to Earth, Connie didn't want to hear about what happened. She
simply stated she didn't want to be around Steven for a while, being hurt by the choice
he made. She was valid in feeling upset, but the fact that she didn't really explain herself
sent Steven spiraling at the idea that she would hate him forever. There was also the fact that
even though Steven was open about his life with the Gems, Connie decided to initially lie about
his life to her parents. She had even gone as far as to tell her parents Steven had a mom and dad,
rather than telling the truth. This was an ongoing theme, even in Future, with Connie having moments
where she acted almost ashamed of Steven and his lack of a normal life. It's easy to see why some
fans think this shame was the real motivation for Connie to turn down Steven's proposal.
Our next section goes to Lars and Sadie. Yes, this couple didn’t offcially hook up,
but considering the tension and the near hook-ups, we still had to add them to this list. On the
surface, these two appeared to be the center of a bitter-sweet “will they, won’t they” storyline.
Sadie had played the role of the pining love interest that was always overlooked
and Lars was stuck as the oblivious center of her attention. Due to a combination of factors,
this relationship ultimately failed. Lars lacked self-esteem and so was always shoving others to
the side if it meant he could gain some face time with the more social people in town.
Usually, that meant Sadie was the one being put out and used, as Lars relied on her to
cover his shifts or play video games when he wasn’t able to socialize with anyone else.
Sadie also suffered from some blows to her own self-esteem, and that resulted in her
allowing herself to be mistreated and set on the backburner more than a person deserved to be.
Thankfully these two parted ways without any resentment towards one another, with Lars wishing
Sadie well with her new realtionship with Shep and Sadie supporting Lars’ choice to go back to space.
Our next ranking goes to Rose and Greg. The couple that started it all,
these two were not the picture perfect couple that many assumed them to be.
As Greg was telling Steven the story about how he tried to fuse with Rose,
we see that Rose saw Greg as more of an amusing human than a serious partner. She liked him,
but she didn’t really consider him to be more than a passing amusement at first, just like Pearl had
revealed to Greg in a previous scene. It wasn’t until Greg insisted they talk and take things
slow, telling each other about their previous relationships, that Rose began to see him as more.
It was no secret that Rose, for all of her experience as a Diamond and fighting in the
Gem War, didn’t really understand humans. She desperately wanted to be a part of their world,
but was an outside due to her age and strength.
In other flashbacks, it was shown that Rose slowly began to gain more respect for Greg,
but by default she would normally treat him as a child, such as when Greg was
beginning to realize he wasn’t acting very mature when caring for Sour Cream.
These two enabled each other more than a healthy couple would. One could argue that
the two bettered themselves in the end, but we found there was more harm than help between them.
Even long after Rose’s passing, Greg was making excuses for her, writing off her
covering up her past or neglecting learning things about humans due to her alien heritage.
Finally we’ve reached the bottom of our list. This section covers the most Toxic Couples in the show.
Our first ranking in this section goes to Rose and Pearl. Speaking of someone
lying to cover Rose’s mistakes, no one did this as well as Pearl had.
Greg had been infatuated with Rose, but Pearl took it to another level. To a certain extent,
this is understandable. After all, it was clearly stated in the show that Gems were
created and came into consciousness knowing what they were meant to do. Pearl was designated with
the job of serving Pink Diamond, and so it makes sense that Pearl would do everything in her power
to make Pink happy. She had been the one to give Pink the idea to disguise herself as a
Quartz soldier and had been the only one to know about Pink’s desperation to try and save Earth.
However, Pink’s devotion backfired horribly.
Not only because when everything was revealed it nearly tore the team apart,
but because this secret held between Pearl and Pink fed into this obsession.
Many have come to Pink’s defense, claiming that she didn’t have any understanding of how
a healthy relationship works due to how she was treated by the other Diamonds. That’s fair enough,
but we still have to point out a few things that are hard to forgive.
Pink had the capability to learn and adjust her behavior. This was evident when we saw
how she reacted to the realization that the Earth didn’t deserve to be destroyed for the
sake of expanding Homeworld’s power. Once she was Rose, she was shown to express to
Greg and Pearl that she saw how humans were able to grown and learn, and how they came into their
lives not knowing for certain what would happen to them. Though this was so different from how
she was used to, Rose made an effort to learn and adjust because it was important to her.
However, what didn’t seem to be important for Rose to learn was how to actually have
honest relationships. Despite believing they were now safe from the Diamonds and Homeworld
to the point that Rose felt content losing her form for Steven to be born,
she never came out and allowed Pearl to tell Garnet and Amethyst about their past.
Even if Rose didn’t want to be associated as a Diamond, she could have said something about
being aristocracy among those on Homeworld like how Sapphire had been. Or if Rose hadn’t
wanted to do that, she could have at least freed Pearl from keeping her secret once she was gone.
Even if one were to brush away that concern,
there’s the fact that Rose had completely blown off Pearl. In spite of their past together,
their Fusion, or the fact that Pearl wasn’t shy about how she felt about Rose,
Rose didn’t seem to care the same way. Without much explanation, Rose just left Pearl behind
in order to pursue her connection with Greg. And to make it worse, Pearl revealed to Greg
that others came before him, meaning that Rose frequently blew Pearl off because she would become
fixated on some human. There’s nothing wrong with deciding a relationship isn’t working,
but at the very least Rose could have been honest with Pearl about how she viewed their dynamic.
Following with the bronze medal of most toxic couple is the short lived relationship
between Vadalia and Marty. Marty wasn’t shown for long, but from the few scenes
where he was seen interacting with others, it’s easy to see what kind of guy he was.
In Greg’s story of how he ditched Marty to be with Rose, he mentioned how Marty
couldn’t understand why Greg would settle for one woman when he could have tons of
them. Greg stated women are people, but Marty clearly disagreed with the concept.
In a later episode, Greg was shown speaking to Vadalia,
who at this point had a young Sour Cream to take care of. It’s here
that her past relationship with Marty is mentioned. When Marty returned to town,
he intended to use Sour Cream to make some quick money, exposing to the viewers that he
hadn’t bothered to see Vadalia or Sour Cream since he had left all those years beforehand.
Our silver medal for the most toxic couple is Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond. The
dynamic between Yellow and Blue is an interesting one, with the two of them
clearly dependant on one another, especially after the loss of Pink.
Why is that we placed them as one of the most toxic couples on this list? After all,
Yellow was seen comforting Blue during the Trial.
The two of them clearly shared power on Homeworld and communicated frequently.
Well, the reason we have to rank them as one of the worse couples is due to how they easily turned
on one another once conflict arose. Blue had little hesitation turning against Yellow,
and Yellow’s anger at the betrayal was justified. However, attacking Blue with electric bolts
to the point where Blue was likely close to discorporating was hard to watch. Even Yellow
knew that she was going to far, as we see her face contort in grief and anger during this scene.
Yellow was seen scolding Blue about her grief. Yes, it had been a few thousand years,
but considering that Pink was shown to be their child in many ways, Blue’s grief made
sense. There aren’t many parents or caregivers that ever truly get over the loss of a child.
On top of all of that, there are various moments that it’s shown that even though the two were
close, they had issues. Yellow was driven to make White happy and create the perfect empire,
and so she tended to take out her frustration on those around her,
including Blue. Because of this, Blue would often hide things from Yellow,
knowing it would upset the other Diamond. She hid the fact that she went to Earth and
grabbed more humans, and only came clean with Sapphire had to quickly lie about a vision.
Yellow, rather than giving any real healing or comfort in that moment, just said there was
time to grab more humans for the zoo, thinking it would pacify Blue. It was a bitter moment
of Yellow just doing what she thought would solve the issue rather than allowing Blue to just feel.
Finally, taking their rank with the gold medal for most toxic couple we have Lapis and Jasper.
Many viewers have labeled these two as perfectly displaying the Fusion equivalent of a domestic
abuse situation. Jasper gave some very cliche responds to Lapis’ reluctance, stating that
“Lapis changed her” and “it would be different this time” as she begged Lapis to fuse again.
Even after Lapis and Jasper first fused, and Lapis drug Jasper into the ocean with her,
Garnet was heard making the comment they were not good together. We already mentioned how
Peridot and Lapis are well suited, and much of that comes from the fact that Lapis was patient
with Lapis and made and effort to understand her trauma and anger. That was something Jasper
would never have attempted, only wanting to use Lapis to overpower the Crystal Gems.
But let us know in the comment section if you agree with our
ranking. And tell us what we should cover next. Remember to hit that notification
bell and binge more of our videos. But most importantly, stay wicked.