Let’s Talk About White Diamond in Steven Universe
"Did you have fun? Did you get everything out of your system?"
During SDCC, audiences were able to get a sneak peek at the upcoming season of Steven Universe with an episode that not only showed us Blue and Yellow Diamond being nice-ish, but also revealed the Queen D: White Diamond, looking like a sparkly Cruella de Vil.
Yeah, White Diamond is scary.
For those of us not lucky enough to have seen the episode live, it has been available online. The episode takes place after the events of the season finale, with Yellow and Blue realizing that Steven (and by extension Rose Quartz) is really Pink Diamond, their long-lost sibling whom they thought was dead all this time. Steven attempts to have Blue and Yellow heal the corrupted gems, but it won’t work without the help of White Diamond, which means returning to Homeworld.
Using Pink’s leg ship (lol) the Crystal Gems take off, and Yellow Diamond, who has long been the stoic badass Diamond, reveals that Pink’s return means that for the past 6,000 years, the Diamonds have been the laughingstocks of the galaxy for not knowing that Pink was really Rose Quartz and never really shattered. When they arrive on Homeworld, they’re greeted by White Diamond’s Pearl, which is already a bad sign.
The Pearl takes Steven, only Steven, to meet White Diamond, who lives in a greyscale filter while they shine, well … bright like a diamond. They speak over Steven, dripping with passive aggression as they ask him, addressing him as Pink, “Did you have fun? Did you get everything out of your system?” and treats the original Pink’s fake death as a childish temper tantrum done to cause drama, rather than the political statement OG Pink meant it to be. White says, “Welcome home, Pink,” before transporting Steven back into what we can assume to be Pink’s old room.
This was quite an impressive introduction to White Diamond as a future antagonist. Not only is their design both alien and unsettling, but paired with their stature and opened-toed heels (and perfectly polished nails), you know this ain’t the diamond to mess with. One of the things I’ve always loved about Steven Universe is that it tends to solve conflicts using empathy and communication, rather than violence. When it came to the cluster, dealing with Blue and Yellow and other issues, Steven has really worked to try to solve things by talking.
However, it seems like White has no interest in talking at all. If Yellow is correct, then they are hella pissed for the trick that they feel has been played against her and the other Diamonds. While I feel like the show won’t make Steven compromise his compassion, I can tell he’s going to have a hard time with White. Just looking at the crack on her Pearl (a crack they no doubt have the power to heal), it tells us all we need to know about the cruelty that White Diamond possesses.
What do you guys think? Does White Diamond creep you out and what do you think the future looks like for Steven and the Crystal Gems?
(image: Screengrab)
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