Somehow this episode got released early, which I suppose helps ease the suspense while also whetting my appetite further. We FINALLY return to Homeworld to see what the Diamonds and Spinel have been up to all this time! It feels all the more egregious that it’s been so long considering that the handling of their redemption arcs was one of the biggest hangups of the previous series.

Before I press on, let it be known I never bought into the whole “tHe dIaMoNdS ARe NaZI’s!” spiel. The latter was a political party that used war fervor to demonize fellow humans when they should’ve known better. They were deliberately committing genocide while consciously suppressing the qualms any morally articulate being should have been exercising. The former are alien technology, created to fulfill a specific purpose without question or thought. Particularly for the Diamonds, the notion of feeling empathy for any gem, not to mention organic, outside their class was utterly foreign until Pink, and then Steven, arrived on the scene.

This distinction does not go to excuse their behavior, but I feel like it’s an important clarification for those experiencing emotional constipation over the show “promoting fascism!” or “condoning war-crimes!”. The creators of Steven Universe have obviously done no such thing. That said, they weren’t particularly deft at handling the Diamonds’ heel-face turn either. This may have been due, in part, for that direction constituting a shift in gears for their characterization.

From what I know of the show’s production history, it was originally intended for the Diamonds to be every bit the cold, callous tyrants they were shown to be by Yellow’s example in her debut. Rebecca Sugar, the show’s lead creator, decided instead on a “no true villains” philosophy that treated them as human, emotionally complex characters, which I was only all too eager to pursue. While redemption stories have been an increasing trend in western animation, there are, for every one example of that trope, two others of expressly villainous characters crossing the moral event horizon never to return.

The trouble is, these arcs must be handled carefully to be convincing, which wasn’t quite the case with the Diamonds. They had some genuinely stunning and touching scenes revealing their emotional depth, the only problem being that they were crammed into a small handful of episodes at the series finale. All the right notes were hit, but they direly needed to be spaced out more, given more room to feel like a natural progression of their characters. Their development to the contrary was disappointing, to say the least.

However, knowing that Steven Universe‘s conclusion was not the end for the Diamonds, I have since been craving to see them undergo a trial-by-fire to truly earn their atonement. I thought the show’s writers would do the smart thing and take advantage of the movie and alleged sixth season to smooth out the narrative wrinkles the fifth season of SU had accrued. My expectations have been fulfilled with…mixed results.

The movie time-skipped over most of the work they’d done in completely dismantling their empire to please Steven, while not completely changing their tune towards organic life…Give and take I suppose…

Sidenote: The creators have gone on record to say that the Diamonds have never commited genocide against sapient organic life before coming to Earth…which seems awfully convenient, both for the Diamonds and the writers. If that were really the case, why did Steven feel it was so important to COMPLETELY dismantle their empire? Surely he could have instead proposed they pass a gem bill of rights and avoid colonizing anything more than lifeless balls of rock? These should be in the majority of planets they encounter, and the gems only seem to covet mineral resources anyway. Either way, I don’t think it absolves the Diamonds of any meaningful amount of culpability. They were still clearly bent on wiping out a sapient species. This just sounds like a cheap handwave on the creators’ part.

But, surely, with an entire SEASON at their disposal, the story would be different, right? Well…seventeen out of twenty episodes in, let’s see!

Homeworld Bound begins with Steven once again pushing away the crystal gems, even Jasper who had so loyally pledged herself into his service the episode before. Her look of hurt and betrayal honestly seems like a landmark moment in her development that hopefully won’t go to waste. Steven, unable to avoid finally confronting the Diamonds, teleports himself to Homeworld and meets Spinel.

I don’t say this about quirky, oddball characters often, so it means something when I say I cherish every moment we get with her on-screen. She’s accompanied by a new punchy, but no less eccentric, circus-style electro-swing beat that really punctuates every scene she’s in. It’s such a shame we haven’t seen more of her up until now. She then takes Steven on a tour of the Palace to see each Diamond and address his qualms.

First, they visit Yellow, who is busying herself in a workshop, carefully reassembling the shards she used for her horrific experiments back into the gems they once were. Despite not always being able to find enough shards to complete a whole gem, she resolves to continue her meticulous task until having restored every one she’s shattered, the Cluster included. Well, she’s certainly got her work cut out for her. It’s good to see that she’s taking responsibility for her actions, but now it seems like the act of shattering a gem is less impactful given that even a lone Diamond can so easily reverse it.

Next, they visit Blue, who has adapted her powers towards spreading contentment and joy rather than misery. Her tears now evaporate into clouds (hmm, sound familiar? *cough*Rose’s room*cough*) that buoy people’s bodies along with their spirits. Her scene is accompanied by Blue’s first solo singing role, which many of her fans have looked forward to seeing. As for my impressions…well…I’m not really qualified to pass judgment here, but it seems Blue’s voice-actor has some trouble transitioning from throat-voice to chest-voice. Otherwise, regarding the song overall, I think it felt a bit tossed-in rather than really built up to naturally.

The songs in SU Future overall have felt a bit forced, included more because that’s what’s expected at this point. Earlier songs like “Stronger Than You”, “It’s Over, Isn’t It?” or “Here Comes a Thought” felt like grand set-pieces that took advantage of beautiful cinematic shots and spectacle to enhance the mood. With the newer songs, it seems like the characters just launch into them while we see others just putzing about in the background. “Looking forward” was just an on-the-nose reiteration of the episode’s moral. “Shining Through” was…I’m just going to say it, it sounded like elevator music…I could go on, but we’ve got more ground to cover.

Finally, we arrive in White’s chamber where she displays a rather disturbing slant on atonement. Her powers now work in reverse. Rather than exerting control over gems, she allows other gems to control her…I mean…props for the humility, but I think she’s missed the point in Steven teaching her to respect the autonomy of other beings. That has to come with respecting one’s own right to free-will. Although, she presumably uses this method as a form of Zen meditation, to help gems reconnect with their subconscious feelings and pent-up emotions. That makes it no less disturbing when Spinel takes her reins and makes White dance around like a marionette on strings.

When Steven tries this with White, he, or rather some part of him, takes it too far, trying to shatter her gem. Steven’s has yet another episode with his powers and takes flight in a scene that’s oddly reminiscent of Cinderella, not to mention the one where he leaves the Crystal Gems. He hops on the nearest warp-pad and teleports off to parts unknown. So, what did I think?

Well, once again, this should’ve been an arc rather than a single episode. Like I’ve said in previous reviews, this series could have used a few episodes of the Diamonds coming to Earth and perhaps having a few misadventures with the gems that would teach them the value of fusion, freedom and organic life. Thus far, planting numerous gardens across Homeworld seems to be their only token gesture on that front. Overall, I’d say I’m satisfied with how the Diamonds are owning up to their crimes, but with only one episode dedicated to it so far, it seems more like a gesture to hand-wave away the thorny implications of their misdeeds.

I just don’t know. This entire series has catered to Steven’s PTSD arc which has gotten more repetitive with each episode only to culminate in these last few. And then it’s just been Steven seeking out help only to slap away the hand that’s feeding him. At least now its all but confirmed that Pink Diamond is slowly making her return in what I hope will be a cathartic climax.

Overall: 7/10