Steven Universe Thoughts - Blog Posts
Pink as a Tragedy
SPOILERS!
I just saw the latest Steven Universe special (so many awesome moments) but by far the best one was finally getting to see Pink Diamond!
I’m sure everyone caught on to how much of a brat the little diamond was (though given her privileged status as diamond, it’s not that surprising). I’d venture to say that she was pretty young (by gem standards) and thus fairly immature.
Which is probably one of the reasons her death was such an incredible tragedy and blow to the other diamonds.
She was young.
Probably still a child in their eyes. And it would seem that even for gems, the idea of a child being killed, and in this case, brutally murdered (as far as we know), is an incredibly horrific act. It’s no wonder why Blue and Yellow are still deeply affected by Pink’s death; she was just a kid. She hadn’t even begun to live out her destiny.
Given Yellow’s exchange with Pink in this episode and previous reactions to mentions of the incident, I’d like to think that Yellow blames herself (in part) for Pink’s demise. Pink was too young, inexperienced, and not mature enough to handle a colony. She was given too much power too soon; she wasn’t ready for such an incredible responsibility and probably wasn’t able to run the colonization as efficiently as her fellow diamonds could have. No doubt if Yellow had been in charge of invading Earth, none of the things in the series would have happened.
But they did.
Pink was killed, the colony failed, and it’s been haunting the diamonds ever since. All because they indulged a spoiled child and failed to protect her when it mattered most.
I’ve been re-watching Steven Universe (from start to finish) the past couple of days, and all the new little nuances of the foreshadowing, references, and Gem culture are starting to stand out more the second time around. And it’s really sparked some ideas and theories that I hadn’t considered before the most recent seasons came out.
One of the more significant ones is the “My Diamond” phrase, or rather, Rose’s “My Pearl” line that she says in episode 45: Rose’s Scabbard.
Before the introduction of the Diamonds, that line didn’t really have any deeper meaning than the usual term of endearment. But with the Homeworld Gems referring to the significant leaders as ‘Their Diamonds’ (and when they don’t: such as Jasper referring to Yellow Diamond by her name, which we find out why later - because her TRUE Diamond is Pink Diamond), the phrasing Rose uses in that instance could have a far deeper meaning.
To call Pearl “My Pearl”, could not only be a term of endearment, but also that of high respect and loyalty. For Rose to say that to Pearl, who basically was made to be a pretty walking/talking purse, I think it was incredible and overwhelming. It’s no wonder that Pearl was so dedicated to Rose.
I think this is further proved in the episode ‘Sworn to the Sword’. When Connie asks Pearl “Did Rose make you feel like you were nothing?” and when Pearl answers: “Rose made me feel like I was everything.”
That statement makes so much more sense to me if my theory about the “My (Gem)” phrase is correct. When a Gem says “My Diamond”, I think it’s like they are reaffirming their devotion to the Diamond. They are saying “I am loyal to you. I live to serve you. You are the source of my existence.” (or something like that).
So when Rose goes and falls in love with Greg, I can see how terribly hurt Pearl would be by it. The Gem she thought was loyal to her - valued her more than anyone, decides to suddenly chose someone else, after all Pearl has done for Rose, and after thinking that she had Rose’s highest esteem…
It must have been truly devastating.
Now I wonder if Sapphire and Ruby go around saying that to each other ;)