Off Colors

"Off Colors"
Steven Universe episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 3
Directed by	Sang Un Jeong (animation) Seung Wook Shin (animation) Joe Johnston (supervising) Liz Artinian (art)
Written by	Lamar Abrams Jeff Liu
Original air date	May 29, 2017 (2017-05-29)
Running time	11 minutes

"Off Colors" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series Steven Universe, which premiered on May 29, 2017 on Cartoon Network. It was written and storyboarded by Lamar Abrams and Jeff Liu. The episode was viewed by 1.524 million viewers. The episode focuses on the new Gems that Steven and Lars encounter on the Gem Homeworld.

Plot

Continuing immediately after the end of "The Trial", Steven Universe (Zach Callison) and Lars Barriga (Matthew Moy) escape the Diamonds via the abandoned lower area of Homeworld. They are spotted by Shattering Robonoids, Gem-hunting robots that, after spotting Steven's gemstone, attack them. As they are escaping, Lars expresses his contempt for his own cowardice, calling himself "a big, cowardly loser". As the Robonoids discover their hiding place, they then hear a voice, calling them to enter a hole in the ground. Underground, they see the Gem that helped their escape, later identified as the Rutile Twins (Ashly Burch), two Rutile Gems who conjoined while forming and subsequently share one body. The Twins lead Steven and Lars to a place described as a place "where those who don't belong... belong". They are led to an enormous abandoned Kindergarten (one that no longer produces Gems), where the Rutile Twins call out the other Gems in hiding.

They are then met with another Gem (a fusion), who is very fearful that they had been followed and is skeptical of Steven and Lars. The Twins identify this nervous Gem as Rhodonite (Enuka Okuma). Then, another Gem (an orange Sapphire) makes an appearance, excitedly exclaiming that she has had a vision that the Twins would bring two new strangers into their location. Rhodonite fondly tells the Sapphire, now identified as Padparadscha (Erica Luttrell), that they are aware, as the events of her prediction have already occurred. The Rutile Twins explain why they brought Steven and Lars into their hiding place, as a third Gem (a very large fusion) comes out from behind a pillar. This large fusion is later identified as Fluorite (Kathleen Fisher).

It is explained that the group of Gems, dubbed the "Off Colors", all have been outcasted from Homeworld's society for being "off-color" (a Homeworld term referring to being defective). Fluorite states that Gems like them aren't needed and explains what makes them off-color. Padparadscha, instead of predicting future events like a normal Sapphire, can only make obliviously late predictions of events that have just happened; Rhodonite is a forbidden permanent fusion of a Pearl and a Ruby; Fluorite is a perma-fusion consisting of six Gems; the Rutile Twins are a deformity of two conjoined Gems.

Steven introduces himself and Lars to these Gems, saying that he is half-Gem and that Lars is human. Rhodonite interjects, claiming that Steven and Lars can't be out and on the surface because they would also be considered "off-color like the rest of [them]". When Lars inquires what will happen to the Off Colors if they are discovered, they state that they will be shattered (referring to their physical gemstones being destroyed).

Just then, the Robonoids happen upon their sanctuary, as everyone scrambles to hide. As the Shattering Robonoids' scanners are about to detect the Rutile Twins' gemstone, Lars throws a rock at them, distracting the Robonoids and turning their attention toward him. However, after scanning him, the Robonoids immediately go back to searching, as Lars does not have a gemstone and is "invisible" to their Gem-seeking scanners. Padparadscha approaches Lars excitedly telling him her prediction that he "will be" safe from the Robonoids because he is human. However, as she is speaking, she is scanned and detected by the Robonoids. Oblivious to the fact that she is about to be shattered, Padparadscha is saved by Lars kicking the Robonoid (and its gemstone-shattering blast) off-target.

Steven comes to help fight, but he and Padparadscha are picked up by the three scanners. Lars uses a stalactite to knock away two Robonoids, as Steven uses his shield to deflect an attack from the third back onto the previous two. Rhodonite yells for Padparadscha, which ends up bringing the attention of the last Robonoid onto her, but Lars uses his body to prevent the scanners from detecting her gemstone. He jumps onto the Robonoid, continuing to use the stalactite to try and destroy it, as it fires wildly around the Kindergarten, trying to remove him. Lars then thrusts the stalactite into the Robonoid, causing it to explode. The explosion results in Lars' body being flung against a rock column, as he falls hard to the ground, fatally injuring him.

Steven rushes over to help (as the Gems talk excitedly in the background), before realizing that Lars is severely injured. Everyone quiets as Steven discovers that Lars doesn't have a heartbeat, and has been killed from the fall. Devastated, Steven tearfully cradles Lars' body to his chest, his tears falling onto Lars' face. As Steven's tears absorb into his skin, Lars' face then starts to glow bright pink from the spot of the tears' contact, then spreading throughout his body. As the glowing fades, Lars comes back to life, now with pink skin, light pink hair, and a vertical scar going through his right eye. As everyone is in awe and shock of what has just occurred, the episode ends on Padparadscha exclaiming a late prediction that "something incredible is going to happen to Lars!".

Production

This episode was written and storyboarded by Lamar Abrams and Jeff Liu. The episode was directed by Sang-Un Jeon and Seung Wook Shin (animation directors), Liz Artinian (art director), Joe Johnston (supervising director), and Nick DeMayo (animation director).

Broadcast and reception

"Off Colors" premiered on May 29, 2017 on Cartoon Network. Its initial American broadcast was viewed by 1.532 million viewers and received a .40 on the Nielsen household rating. A.V. Club writer Eric Thurm argued it was one of the slower episodes of the "Wanted" special, but praised the handling of Lars' death. Lauding its graphic portrayal and emotional weight, he wrote that "It’s stunning that the Steven Universe team got away with depicting this in so much detail — what’s the last death you can remember in a kids’ show or movie that was this explicit?" In the same review, he praised the episode's unexpected revelation of Rose Quartz's resurrection abilities and the show's unpredictability, stating that "for the first time in a while, there’s no way to know what’s going to happen on Steven Universe — and it’s thrilling."