In the second season of the Steven Universe Podcast launched January 25, 2018, episode 3, released February 8, 2018, is about Peridot! The official description:
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Why does Peridot call everyone a “clod?” Find out on this episode of the Steven Universe Podcast as creator Rebecca Sugar and former Executive Producer Ian Jones-Quartey return to discuss Peridot! Discover what inspired her design and personality traits, and how Rebecca’s real life experiences shaped Peridot’s development and storyline. Plus, Shelby Rabara, the voice of Peridot, and storyboard artist Amber Cragg to share their favorite Peridot moments and episodes, and speculate on how Peridot is spending her free time away from the Gems! And Peridot herself answers some fan questions about best pets, earth fashion, and the Crystal Temps!
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This is very long because the podcasts are getting long, and I don’t want to skimp on the detail but I also don’t want to overwhelm anyone with too much text. Therefore, I will open with bulleted highlights and include a more detailed narrative underneath that.
Highlights:
• Shelby Rabara thinks Peridot letting Steven and Amethyst help her in the episode “Back to the Kindergarten” was a real turning point for her as an expression of trust.
• Amber Cragg thinks Peridot is a fantastic “icebreaker” character who is functioning these days as a Crystal Gems mascot.
• Peridot’s free time on the weekends, according to Amber, would probably be occupied playing video games like Farmville and trying to make vlogs but failing to edit properly. Shelby thinks she does random art installations.
• Peridot’s “clod” catch phrases originated with Ian Jones-Quartey doing an alien impression in the writers’ room, combined with an interpretation of science bros being condescending about concepts like evolution when they could have easily been more gentle and welcoming.
• “Marble Madness” combined story elements of discovering the Gems’ pasts with the Gems themselves learning something new about the present.
• Rebecca feels that Peridot’s evolution from being a Homeworld flunky to discovering what happens when the system does NOT work for someone is a very important aspect of her character.
• Peridot truly believed Homeworld’s philosophy was good for everyone and was not shy about being cruel to those who defied it; Rebecca related this to her experience being a Jewish kid getting shamed for her assumed beliefs by people who honestly thought they were doing her a favor.
• Do Gems emerge from the ground with their indoctrination to Homeworld already embedded, or is it taught to them through propaganda? Some of both.
• Shelby Rabara, in character as Peridot, suggests the Crystal Temps’ next adventure should involve baking an ube roll with Lars; that she’d like to learn eating so she can make noises; that she’d like to make vinyl pants that can have music embedded in them; and that dogs are the Best Earth Animal.
The detailed summary, including Shelby and Amber discussing Peridot’s evolution, Rebecca and Ian discussing Peridot’s origin, and fan questions answered in character. . . .
Read it all below!
McKenzie opens by asking storyboard artist Amber Cragg and Peridot’s voice actor Shelby Rabara to discuss the episodes “Raising the Barn” and “Back to the Kindergarten.” Shelby feels very in suspense when she watches new episodes because it’s been so long between when she recorded and when she gets to see it. She loves when Peridot is so depressed lying in the bathroom, with that awful face Paul Villeco drew on her, and how she wants to bring her music to the kindergarten.
Shelby points out that Peridot lets her friends Amethyst and Steven cheer her up, and says it’s an act of trust, which is a bit of a turning point for her. Even though Peridot ends up having an outburst and unloading, it’s important to know that hope can sometimes come in the form of other people inspiring it in you.
Amber thinks an important aspect is Peridot’s energy; she has a ton of it, and she can end up investing it in the wrong place. She was so careful with Lapis that she never wanted to say anything to rock the boat, and Lapis didn’t talk back much, so neither really communicated, and it became a disaster of misunderstanding. But sometimes even if you invest energy into what ends up being a wasted effort, it’s okay. You have to know when to move on. Amber mentions loving the scene that Katie drew looking at the sunflowers and riding in the train.
McKenzie clarifies that sometimes the issue is it being the wrong person you invest your time and effort into, and sometimes it’s the wrong time. You can’t fixate too much on ONE thing that has to be perfect or it’s all over, or you could end up with nothing. She brings up Peridot’s changing love for the Earth and its inhabitants, and asks what they think about that. Shelby thinks Peridot’s love has developed partly because of how others there have treated her. Peridot’s no longer just a “space Dorito”; she has empathy now. Amber says the Crystal Gems helped her find her roots, and now whether she likes it or not, Earth is home.
McKenzie leads into discussing Peridot’s relationships and sense of self. Does Peridot put Amethyst down as defective as a way of increasing her own sense of self-worth? Amber says Peridot first noticed how all the Gems on Earth ignore the rules she’s lived her life by forever, and how she’s incensed by this at first, only to find she can develop her own personality through ignoring what she was told to be as well. Shelby runs through some interpretations of Peridot’s perceptions of the other Gems, seeing Pearl as beneath her, Amethyst as cool despite her flaws, and Garnet as requiring compartmentalization. Shelby brings up Peridot’s willingness to let the others show her who they are, and highlights the scene with Peridot being willing to try dancing with Garnet. (Her interpretation is that Peridot’s response is to feel dirty and resolve never to try again.)
Still, the Crystal Gems being full of surprises parallels her experience with Earth itself. Peridot herself got to be a complete ham, take herself in whatever direction she wanted and be encouraged by the others. No one will ever stifle her attempts to grow. We can take the message home that we can change even if we’re past childhood or adolescence; we can reinvent ourselves and still access .
McKenzie asks what the other Gems may have learned from Peridot, and Amber says they may have been inspired to see someone new coming into the fold as someone who needed their guidance and help. Amber thinks Peridot almost functions as a mascot–as a source of energy and morale. Everyone loves her, and she’s a great “icebreaker” character, inspiring the others to be less blocked in and cautious.
And for her last question to them, McKenzie brings up how Lamar and Rebecca suggested Garnet and Greg play tennis on the weekends; in that light, what do Amber and Shelby think Peridot does? Amber thinks she argues with people on the Internet and is a pro gamer on Farmville (handle: ClodFarmer3000). She probably also tries to make vlogs but can’t edit. Maybe she’s taking a class in Adobe After Effects. Shelby thinks she does random art installations. Maybe blending in with a tree, not blinking. Or trying to be a mannequin in a clothing store. Or eating french fries and messing with people using her metal powers. She wouldn’t let anyone in during her art creation process.
Ian and Rebecca talk origins and concepts:
Peridot was conceived pretty early on. Ian used to bust out with an alien impression in the writers’ room, with generic not-understanding-humans statements, and he really wanted to put a similar alien in the show.
The origin of Peridot’s favorite word “clod” began with Rebecca and Ian watching the Cosmos remake, which sort of makes you fall in love with science–but then there’s another side of it, with people who get mad at religion and are angry with those who don’t understand evolution. Ian would do a voice of a “frustrated liberal”: “But the Earth was created in seven days!” “No it wasn’t, you CLOD.” “Evolution is real, CLOD!” They point out that evolution is such a beautiful concept, but some of its proponents want to win you to their side by being mean about it. They believe more in being gentle.
They connected this with Peridot eventually, first starting with Elle Michalka wanting to include a Gem named Peridot combined with Rebecca’s inkling that she wanted to handle Steven getting cyberbullied on the show. That didn’t exactly come to fruition, but the idea of the person doing it–harassing someone and threatening someone from far away–became Peridot. This worked well with their desire to include discovery of the Gems’ pasts and mix that with them learning something new about the present. Rebecca loved the episode “Marble Madness” because they’d written everything referenced in that episode to all be tied in together, dependent on information that had been revealed carefully in previous episodes.
Rebecca enjoyed bringing Peridot in as an example of a Gem who really toes the line and buys Homeworld propaganda; she relates it to her experience growing up Jewish and having other kids tell her they know she’s categorically wrong about all of reality based on what box they believed she belonged in. The kids were never shy about telling her what punishment awaited people who don’t pick the right religion, and honestly believed they’re helping her out by saying these things; Peridot is similar, having never met a Gem for whom the order of the Diamonds was not beneficial, and she is not worried about whether the Crystal Gems’ feelings will be hurt if she says so.
Rebecca says Peridot may seem conceited, but she isn’t; she knows she’s a grunt, a maintenance worker, and is only proud because she knows her place. She believes the others she’s meeting are just as not-special as she is, but then she comes to find out there are Gems who were failed by the system, and that changes her outlook. Always before, she thought the Homeworld philosophy really was the best for everyone, but when she finds out it isn’t, she also realizes she herself is outside the system. You have to change your thinking when you learn the way things are is bad for some people.
McKenzie then asks about Gem indoctrination; do they pop out of the ground with these beliefs intact, or is it drilled into them? Ian acknowledges this is a big question about the nature of Gems, and they agree it’s some of both. Peridot, as a maintenance worker, didn’t think about questioning the system because she was just too busy working within it, going to a bunch of different places and learning about them, and also unknowingly absorbing revised history created to edit out what made Homeworld look unsuccessful or imperfect.
Peridot answers questions:
Peridot perks up at the mention of questions sent through Twitter and demonstrates recognition of the medium, and claims she has only taken over the CN Twitter when she’s had PERMISSION.
McKenzie: I’ve heard rumors that you forcibly took over Cartoon Network’s social media channels?
Peridot: I wouldn’t call it forcibly. I basically did it because I felt like it, but who needs permission these days? I’m Peridot, hello.
McKenzie: That’s fair. You are the #1 cartoon character according to that post.
Peridot: Did you see Shelby Rabara congratulated me? I got to talk to SHELBY RABARA. Oh my god. I don’t think she knew that I self-proclaimed that I was the #1 cartoon character.
McKenzie: Would you ever consider leading another adventure as the Crystal Temps?
Peridot: I love being the Crystal Temps. I mean, everybody knows that I am The Garnet, the best one. I’m not as good as THE Garnet, but I think Lapis and Connie and myself, I think we would be really really great at baking cakes, specifically ube cakes with Lars.
McKenzie: Interesting! So would Pumpkin accompany you on that one, or would Lars take the place of Pearl?
Peridot: Oh no, Pumpkin definitely would be by my side, who’s gonna lick up the extra ube cake when it–I don’t wash floors, that’s what Pearls do.
McKenzie: Speaking of food, if you could eat anything, what would you want to try first? Cookie Cats, Fry Bits, or something else?
Peridot: I would definitely try fry bits, because there’s something about the oil bubbling really violently that makes it really really neat to watch. And apparently when I watch Steven eat the fry bits, he makes this loud noise, so I’m interested in how many loud noises I can make all at the same time.
McKenzie: What is objectively the best Earth pet? There’s dogs, cats, hamsters, are you familiar with those?
Peridot: What is the difference between a hamster and–cats?
McKenzie: Cats are larger and they would probably eat a hamster.
Peridot: Oh my god, they eat a hamster? Cats eat hamsters?
McKenzie: They eat mice, which are related to hamsters I’m pretty sure.
Peridot: I ate a Cookie Cat. Was I eating a real cat?
McKenzie: That is a separate thing.
Peridot: Are dogs loyal?
McKenzie: They are. That is their main feature.
Peridot: Okay. Well, Pumpkin is super loyal to me, so if Pumpkin’s anything like an Earth dog, I would have to say my final answer would be the best Earth pet is a dog, if it’s remotely anywhere near Pumpkin.
McKenzie: What is a piece of Earth fashion that you’ve always wanted to try on?
Peridot: Is there something called vinyl on Earth? I would like to try on some vinyl pants. Very shiny. I don’t know if they’re easy to walk in, but something about the vinyl, the scratchy sound it makes. Don’t Earth people put music on vinyl? Or am I getting that mixed up with the round thing?
McKenzie: Yeah, they’re both called vinyl. They’re not on the pants. There’s no music in the pants.
Peridot: There should be music in the pants.
McKenzie: Maybe that should be the next step.
Peridot: Is that something that I can contribute to Earth? Making vinyl music pants that can play music while you walk?
McKenzie: I think that that’s definitely something you should look into.
Peridot: Peridot, Peridot, Peridot, Peridot is going to own vinyl music pants!
McKenzie: I look forward to getting a pair.
Peridot: Me too. Me too. Me too McKenzie.
McKenzie: What is your favorite part about being a farmer?
Peridot: It is just so amazing to have my hands in the dirt. I love the smell of dirt, I love those white little rock thingies that supposedly help with water drainage. I really enjoy that something like soil has striations in it, just like rock. You have to put the bottom layer with rocks and you have to put some mulch on top, and then on top of that more dirt, and more rocks on top. So there is definitely a way to create soil that has good drainage, has all the yummy stuff for all these flowers and fruits and vegetables to grow in. So I really do believe being a farmer is something that is just ingrained in me.
McKenzie: You take it seriously.
Peridot: I take it very seriously. I am mulching every other day McKenzie. I am getting bags of mulch. Pumpkin likes to eat the mulch, and that’s a problem.
McKenzie: If you had a podcast, what would you make yours about?
Peridot: This is a great question. I’m gonna need a moment. Now, what we’re doing right now, a podcast, where people listen to us in our podcast, would I be able to have guests come on my podcast?
McKenzie: You can have guests on the podcast.
Peridot: I watched an episode of Mr. Rogers one time. Steven was watching it, so I got to watch it as well. And other than Camp Pining Hearts, that’s still my number one show. Mr. Rogers has all these people come on the show and talk about how they make things, like mozzarella cheese. One time this man came on the show and showed how they made mozzarella cheese, and stretched it with their hands and put it in the water after molding it into little balls. I would really like to have maybe the inventor of yellow Post-It sticky pads. I would just wanna know people’s thought processes? Like, what makes that glue on the top of the Post-It note? How does a microphone work? Who invented the button? I don’t have any buttons on my clothes, obviously, but Steven one time wore a polo shirt with a button. And I was fixated with this little tiny round thing with four holes. I would like to know who made that button. Who are the great minds behind Earthling things?
McKenzie: Buttons have probably been around for a while. I don’t know that the person who made buttons is still with us, if you know what I’m getting at.
Peridot: Oh that’s a shame.
McKenzie: But I think that the mozzarella cheese thing sounds great!
Peridot: Where do people go?
McKenzie: Um….
Peridot: Is that for the next podcast?
McKenzie: Yeah we’ll talk about that next time.
Peridot: Okay.
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