Steven Universe returns in 2017 with a gem-packed 5 episode bomb.
1. Steven's Dream
2. Adventures in Light Distortion
3. Gem Heist
4. The Zoo
5. That will be All
The very first shot of this episode (and in the entire 5 part arc) is a pink Hibiscus flower that’s swaying in the wind in front of a cloudy mountain scape. Greg’s voice is heard in the distance calling for Steven as he wakes up from his dream with giant streams of tears flowing from his eyes. Greg takes him back to the barn and as they walk up the stairs Steven asks if Rose ever told him about Pink Diamond. Greg explains that they both made mistakes in their youth, he thought disco was coming back and she started a war. While Rose wanted to tell him everything, to him what mattered most is that she was an incredible and loving woman. Nothing gets to me more than Greg talking about Rose.
The recurring dream returns and this time Steven can look around. He explores his surroundings and stumbles upon a familiar structure: a palanquin. Not unlike the one belonging to Blue Diamond seen in “The answer” but this one is Pink and has a flower pattern. With the help of his trusted companion, Connie, they find the palanquin drawn in Buddy’s book (a brilliant callback to Chekov’s gun) and ask the gems if they know where it came from. Pearl deflects the question the way she always does but Garnet frantically yells that he can’t go there. “Oh Steven…” Pearl sighs as he starts yelling back. After learning the truth about Pink Diamond he demands that the gems tell him everything and if they're not willing to do so, he’s determined to find out for himself. Despite Garnet’s pleads, Steven and Greg fly to Korea with the help of uncle Andy.
The two have a little fun in the city and hilariously walk into an animation studio that's storyboarding and designing SU characters. (Fourth wall was SHATTERED) They eventually end up in the field of the pink flowers and as they get closer, the tears start flowing again. Instead of the broken down ruins they find a shiny BLUE one instead. BLUE DIAMOND IS HERE. The Diamond score plays over a voice emanating from behind them. A giant woman is kneeling, covered with a blue cloak. “Oh Pink, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry”. Her Blue Pearl hears the commotion and walks over to check if they’re not alone. Greg presents himself, pretending to be a wandering native. “Bring it here” the Diamond commands. She expresses how impressed she is with humanity’s ability to survive in the wild. She tells him this is where she was “broken”. Greg offers his condolences, telling her he’s felt a similar loss. This surprises Blue Diamond who turns around to reveal her big beautiful sad eyes and Diamond pupils.
She’s taken aback, underestimating the human ability to empathise with her grief and thinks it’s a pity the Geo-weapon incubating in Earth will destroy them soon. She reveals she’s glad she came back one last time because she can save a final piece of Pink Diamond’s legacy. She immediately grabs him and raises her palm, conjuring a GIANT SPACE SHIP ARM behind her. That thing is as wide as the mountain itself. She boards the palanquin with her pearl and flies to the ship but Steven doesn’t make it in time. As he falls Garnet catches him in the air and she assures him they’re going to space to get Greg back, setting up the premise of the rest of this wonderful and lore heavy arc. If you have also caught the rest of the episodes before they aired, you know they only gets better and better.
Notes:
- Some A+ foreshadowing happens in the first few minutes of the episode as a UFO saucer with diamond shapes abducts a bunch of cows
- After so many seasons of wondering and waiting for the gems to give him the answers he seeks, Steven has taken it upon himself to uncover more of Rose’s past. This marks a pivotal departure from the usual dynamic which is very fitting now that Steven is maturing and is coming to terms with both the good and bad sides that come with people like Rose, Bismuth and even the Diamonds themselves.
- More than a year after the airing of “The Answer” which was the first episode to depict a diamond, we have now both seen and heard Blue Diamond in the flesh. Voiced by Irish songwriter and musician Lisa Hannigan, Blue has a wonderfully mellow and sorrowful tone.
- For the first time, Garnet and Pearl are not forbidding him to go because it’s too dangerous, they do because it’s too painful for them to see.
- It was cool seeing Uncle Andy again, first introduced in Gem Harvest.
Quotes:
"Oh gee! Look at the time… AND my classy new watch."
"Rose and I talked about tons of important stuff: music, comic books, getting sand between your toes."
[Cony tosses everything that’s on the coffee table said with excitement]" Sorry! I’ll clean that up later."
"Rose wanted? What about what I want?"
- No time for fun at all.
- Well… isn’t there time for a little fun? [Cue montage of Steven and Greg touring around Korea]
"I lost someone very important to me too. I miss her every single day and I think about her all the time. But she’s never coming back. That feeling can be so hard to be okay with."
"What a strange planet. Where else would a being as fragile as a human live? And a being as powerful as a diamond perish?"
Grade: 5/5
A great episode with enough comedic relief, emotions, revelations, suspense AND BLUE DIAMOND IN ALL HER SAD GLORY!!!!
Thank so much for reading, let us know what you thought in the comments below or on social media. This is going to be an amazing arc.
