The Question

"The Question" is one of the LGBT-themed episodes of the American animated television series Steven Universe. It first aired on July 4, 2018 on Cartoon Network. It was directed by Joe Johnston and Liz Artinian and written and storyboarded by Miki Brewster and Jeff Liu. The episode attracted media attention after it aired because it featured the first same-sex marriage proposal in Western children's animation.

The episode aired as the third episode of a "Stevenbomb", a sequence of five episodes that aired one each day from July 2 to July 6, 2018. In the first episode of the week, "Now We're Only Falling Apart", Ruby and Sapphire's relationship is strained by the revelation that Steven's mother, Rose Quartz, was originally the despot Pink Diamond. In this episode, the two reconcile as Ruby proposes marriage to Sapphire. The wedding itself takes place in the week's fifth episode, "Reunited".

Plot
Steven (Zach Callison) and Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), searching for Ruby (Charlyne Yi), find her eating pizza and reading comic books with Steven's father, Greg (Tom Scharpling). Ruby tells Steven that her current separation from Sapphire is the first time she's really been on her own, free to choose her own path. Steven is distressed that this means Ruby and Sapphire may never fuse to form Garnet again, but Greg reminds him that Ruby must make her own decisions about her relationships.

Inspired by one of the comic books, Ruby decides to live the life of a lonesome cowboy, "one with the wilderness... not needing nothing from nobody". Amethyst obligingly shapeshifts into the form of a horse to help Ruby play the part. Ruby explores the open plain with Steven, Amethyst and Greg, relishing the ability to make her own choices—falling into ravines, roping steer, facing off against rattlesnakes, and singing around the campfire. She sings "Ruby Rider", a country song celebrating life on her own.

That night, Steven apologizes to Ruby for pressuring her to return to Sapphire; however, Ruby confesses that, as much as she is enjoying the cowboy adventure, she deeply misses Sapphire and is frustrated by her loneliness. Steven tells her there's nothing shameful about loving someone, and Ruby realizes that making her own choices doesn't mean she must be separate from Sapphire. She wants to be with Sapphire again, as long as they can find a way to be together by their own choice, rather than for Rose Quartz's sake. Getting an idea, Steven shows Ruby a page from the cowboy comic, to which she reacts enthusiastically.

The next morning, Ruby, Steven, and Amethyst return to Steven's house. As Ruby rides up, Steven sends Sapphire (Erica Luttrell) out to meet her. Sapphire runs down to the beach and apologizes to Ruby for doubting their relationship. However, Ruby tells her, "Someone else told us we were the answer, but I don't believe that anymore.... At least not until I hear it from you." Kneeling before her, Ruby asks Sapphire to marry her, explaining, "This time, being Garnet will be our decision." Sapphire happily accepts, and she and Ruby embrace and dance on the beach. The episode ends with a shot of the last page of the cowboy comic, depicting the cowboy marrying his ladylove, with the caption "to be continued..."

Production and music
The episode was written and storyboarded by Miki Brewster and Jeff Liu. Liz Artinian was the art director, with Joe Johnston as supervising director.

Series creator Rebecca Sugar described the plotline involving Ruby and Sapphire's engagement as "years in the making"; she told Entertainment Weekly that "years of tireless work... [led] up to this moment," stressing the importance of "tell[ing] LGBTQ+ children that they belong in this world and they deserve to be loved."

This episode features the song "Ruby Rider", sung by Charlyne Yi as Ruby. The song was composed by Jeff Liu and Stemage, with lyrics by Liu, and was released digitally as a single alongside the episode's broadcast.

Viewership
"The Question" premiered July 4, 2018 on Cartoon Network. Its initial broadcast received a Nielsen household rating of 0.15, meaning that it was seen by 0.15% of all households.

Critical reception
The episode was favorably reviewed by critics. Eric Thurm, writing for The A.V. Club, gave the episode a rating of B+. He especially praised Yi's performance of "Ruby Rider", and wrote that the episode does a good job of exploring the previously underdeveloped character of Ruby, justifying why she might need some time apart from Sapphire, and handling the "nuanced and emotional" character arc. He said that the resolution of Ruby deciding to return to Sapphire after all felt like "a bit of a cop-out" in not exploring the longer-term effects of a breakup, but Ruby's proposal to Sapphire was "sweet and thrilling".

Vrai Kaiser, writing for The Mary Sue, also praised Yi's singing, and her performance of "new and subtler shades of Ruby’s character". Kaiser also noted parallels between "The Question" and the earlier episode "The Answer", which depicted the beginning of Ruby and Sapphire's relationship; and praised the episode's artwork and its normalization of queer relationships.

According to Teen Vogue, Ruby's proposal was enthusiastically received by fans, with many sharing their excitement on social media.

The episode attracted media attention for purportedly featuring the first same-sex marriage proposal in Western animation. Petrana Radulovic, writing for Polygon, described it as "a pivotal moment in... inclusive messaging in pop entertainment." Entertainment Weekly noted that the episode was one of many instances of Steven Universe "supporting more inclusive storytelling", including featuring queer relationships at a time when they are still rare in animated series.