Episode Analysis: Maximum Capacity
Anonymous said:
What do you think of the ep Maximum Capacity? I'm still not clear on what idea exactly was supposed to be conveyed, especially with the relationship between Greg and Amethyst. It could be that it's supposed to be vague and something that will be touched on later, but I feel like I'm missing something either way.
I think there are several themes and ideas that Maximum Capacity wanted to touch on. Indeed, most of them do point to Greg and Amethyst’s relationship and also their relationship with Rose. As you mentioned, there is an open-ended feel to the episode, which I think will be addressed in more Amethyst-centric episodes coming up in the series, as future episode titles suggest. But I think the main idea that the episode conveys is that of dealing with grief, loss, and the past. So I’ll talk about that first.
1. Greg has trouble moving on
The central premise of the episode is “Greg needs to clean out his storage unit.” It’s what causes all the events in the story. But there are a lot of details that point to this episode as one about letting go or at least coming to terms with the past. Aside from Greg’s deciding to clean his storage locker, it’s also New Year’s Eve, generally a time to not only let go of the past year, but also assess it and resolve to do better in the next year. This is something the characters realise after they decide to clean the storage unit, and it reinforces the theme.
The image of the storage locker is one of clutter. It’s filled with things that not only are old and from the past, but also things that are unused and unexamined. Greg doesn’t weigh out whether he should be keeping these things around. In fact, he just left them in his storage unit and for all intents and purposes, forgot about them. He’s surprised to see some of the items that are present there, but each time one is brought up, he remembers the circumstances during which the objects were acquired. This is indicative of someone who hasn’t come to terms with the past, and doesn't want to. Greg doesn't love the past a hundred percent, but he can't bring himself to sort through the memories and identify what needs to be left behind and what he can take with him to the future.
This is why Steven’s sorting system is significant. Because Greg won’t make those distinctions, Steven forces him to by an innocuous organising method.
Now Greg has to think about the past and asses that things that have happened. From this we can tell that introspection isn’t really his thing. He’s not very comfortable with it. And we know someone else who isn’t comfortable with self-reflection.
Even before Reformed, this is the episode where we get to see Amethyst’s desire to hold on to everything by examining nothing. Fast forwarding to the end of the story, we know that it’s not something fully addressed at this point, because she offers to keep everything in her room.
And Amethyst deflects the cleaning duties and the celebration of New Year’s throughout the episode. When they’re finally about to get cleaning, Amethyst brings out Lil’ Butler, and it distracts Greg from doing anything until midnight. When Greg wants to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, a new era, she stops him as well. I don't think these are explicit character decisions. They’re probably literary choices on the part of the creators that, coupled with her aversion to change, move the story along.
2. They're holding on to Rose
In the beginning of the episode, Greg isn’t even planning to clean out his storage unit. The opening scenes show him about to add something else to the large pile of objects.
Greg: I haven't really cleared this place out since your mom— *coughs* Maybe this is good timing! A new year coming up... I should just get rid of all this stuff.
And his initial approach isn’t very helpful either. He just wants to “get rid of all this stuff.” It again shies away from assessing and examining his possessions. Greg is very much defined by those possessions. Even his van is chock-full of objects, each one with a particular feeling and memory attached. This is why he has a hard time letting go. And his personality is tied to those objects. Assessing them would mean assessing himself, and it’s something he’s not too keen on doing.
But this scene introduces us to a pivotal point in both Greg’s and Amethyst’s characters. Rose helped them both do what they were afraid to do. Greg mentions that when Rose was around, he wold still clear the storage unit. In the same way, Amethyst reacts to Rose’s photo:
It’s shock and a little fear. Amethyst wasn’t expecting this. I think both of them are still holding on to a lot of hurt over Rose’s passing. We see Greg open up a little more about it because we see him talk to Steven, his son, Rose’s son. He loves Steven enough to tell him about his mother, someone they both love. In Laser Light Canon, Greg tears up at the sight of the Rose projection from the canon. He’s still hurting, and while that hurt will never go away, he’s not taking steps to try feeling better. In the same way, Amethyst’s seeing Rose’s photo clearly brought back a lot of memories. And suddenly she’s uncomfortable and wanting to change the subject again.
3. Lil’ Butler was their coping mechanism
One thing about their past that Greg and Amethyst seem not to mind is Lil’ Butler. Aside from the show itself being humorous, there seems to be something about watching it that united Greg and Amethyst.
Pearl: Un-be-lievable! They really are! They used to disappear for days, watching those obnoxious tapes over and over and over. Until...
Steven: Until what?
Pearl: I don't know. One day, they just... stopped.
Because the two are a lot closer than originally thought. They have similar mannerisms, and aesthetic markers.
Amethyst didn’t always have long wild hair. In her pre-Greg days, it was short and bob-like. And both their jeans are ripped at the knees. It’s a similarity that isn’t as obvious as those of other characters. Amethyst was very drawn to Greg in Story for Steven. She had the least contact with gems during her lifetime and we see that she’s struggling with her identity as a gem. But she has human friends like Vidalia and based on Vidalia’s anecdotes in Onion Friend, Greg was a big part of their lives too.
They were probably very comfortable with one another. And both of them loved Rose dearly. Garnet and Pearl are fully aware of, and annoyed with, the relationship they used to have. And given what we’ve seen of the two, pranksters, laid-back, it’s easy to see why.
4. The conflict manifests like fireworks
I think the conflict between Greg and Amethyst can best be summed up through the metaphor of fireworks. Throughout the episode, fireworks are repeatedly mentioned. First by Steven and Greg, who just like watching fireworks together as a tradition. Peedee, who usually is very sceptical and feels laden with adult responsibility, reverts back into childhood nostalgia at the mention of fireworks. The climax of the story occurs because Steven planned to meet Greg and Amethyst at the fireworks. Greg begins to argue with Amethyst because he hears the fireworks.
What is it about fireworks? They’re explosive, loud, and colourful. They come from a moment of anticipation as they rise through the sky until the eventual boom of complete combustion.
And that’s essentially what happened between Greg and Amethyst. To each other and with regards to their treatment of the past. Greg didn’t want to deal with his storage locker until everything spilled out in front of him.
And he hasn’t been comfortable with Amethyst for a while now. He balks at first at the idea that it would be Amethyst, not Pearl, helping them clean out the storage locker. More than once he’s said he was uncomfortable with her shape-shifting around him. Something has happened between them that ultimately put an end to their Lil’ Butler viewing parties.
I think the nature of their conflict was more or less about Rose. The exchange goes like this,
Greg: I know you like making me uncomfortable, but it's not funny. I can't stay here and humor you. I have to be there for my son.
Amethyst: Well, what about me, huh? I had someone who was always there for me until she started hanging out with YOU!
Greg: Don't do this, Amethyst. Seriously.
Amethyst: I bet you'd stay for her.
Greg didn't know specifically why Amethyst “liked making him uncomfortable.” But when Amethyst brings up Rose, the one “who was always there for her” he doesn't look surprised. His face is actually more annoyed or irritated, angry even. It’s as if they’d had this argument before.
Rose never left any of the gems behind when she and Greg started getting into a serious relationship. We see her playing an active role in their lives, integrating Greg as well. She volunteers them all for Greg’s music video in We Need to Talk, and seeing that Greg was an influence in Amethyst’s current style, their separation must have happened much later.
It happened when Amethyst found out Rose was going to give up her physical form for “Greg’s son.” From her perspective, she was abandoned by Homeworld. Amethyst had no one and she’s struggling with that feeling of abandonment. When Rose found her and took her in as one of her own, she not only felt belongingness on a gem level, but also on a quartz level. Rose may have understood Amethyst’s need for play-fighting, or being grabby and wanting to be held, more than anyone else did. And when Amethyst needed to confide in her about things, she probably felt she could talk to Rose.
I’m certain all the CGs are hurting over Rose’s passing, but it’s clear Amethyst assigns blame onto Greg for it. And it’s true. Close to the time Steven was going to be born, Greg and Rose made a lot of preparations. The video they made in Lion 3: Straight to Video was just one of them. They had to make a home for him, because gems don’t really need a “house.” They probably shopped for appliances and made a lot of plans. They studied the human body and how to raise a child. These are a lot of very personal things that perhaps the other gems didn't take part in. Partly because of privacy, and partly because they resented knowing that Rose wouldn’t be with them anymore.
Pearl was never particularly close to Greg, but Amethyst was. Enough that she would take some pointers from his sense of style. So his perceived betrayal hurt her a lot. They’d probably argued about this prior to Rose’s giving up her physical form, but also after. They would have long periods of mourning, probably watching Lil’ Butler, reminiscing about Rose, but it would culminate in these arguments. Explosive, abrupt, loud. Just like fireworks.
And it’s not the first time Amethyst has shifted into Rose to make her point either.
Greg: I know you're doing it! I want to be friends again. I really do. But I can't let you do this to me again!
He closed his eyes before Amethyst shape-shifted into Rose’s form. But he knew. He says “I can’t let you do this to me again.” And it shows there was a time Amethyst shape-shifted into Rose before. We know she felt replaced by Greg, and perhaps after Rose passed, she would mockingly “replace” her. Because she was angry with Greg, and though that anger dulled slightly, it’s still there, because they never dealt with it.
5. The problem is resolved by knowing what really matters
The other recurring image is that of the picture of Rose and Greg.
Amid the trappings of all the things Amethyst and Greg hold on to, they end up holding on to things that aren’t actually essential. That’s why it’s hard for them to throw things away, because they don’t discern the value of them.
When the photo is first shown, it sparks a lot of uncomfortable tension between Amethyst and Greg. Because they saw the photo and thought of Rose as the one they lost. But the sign of peace is exactly that photo, because they realise that they were dwelling on the wrong thing, holding on to something that hurt them instead of made them feel better. Because they absolutely spent a lot of time with Rose, and loved her as much as she loved them.
Both of them realised what mattered. They started to sort through their memories and emotions and that’s when things started to be okay. Because it’s really a process of being able to deal with trauma and hurt. Again, it’s never going away, in the same way I don’t think their conflict was fully resolved. But at least they’re making an active effort to know what to take with them to the future.
