In the real world, though, things don’t tend to work that way. In the way “Bismuth” is presented, from the titular Crystal Gem’s Jasper-esque relish for violence, to Steven’s terror at using offensive weaponry, the Crewniverse seems to implore us to side with Rose Quartz, Steven, and their universal respect for life.
#STEVEN UNIVERSE SEASON 1 EPISODE 54 CODE#
Rather than murder Homeworld Gems and sink to their level in the process, she chose to command her army under a strict moral code that drastically increased the Crystal Gems’ casualties.
Rose Quartz held this view of the Crystal Gem Rebellion, which considered all life forms’ freedom of being to be paramount. It’s alright for freedom fighters to sacrifice their lives, we envision, but if they sacrifice their morality or betray any aspect of their values, then their triumph is tainted. We like to imagine victories for righteous causes that maintain the victors’ righteousness intact. This mentality is the Platonic form of heroism. Love trumps hate for these young protagonists, and just as that love fuels their fighting spirit, it also prevents them from killing at all. Neither Avatar Aang nor Harry Potter, both of whom closely parallel Steven in terms of core values, ever killed anyone in fact, both flat-out refused to end their chief enemies’ lives (Voldemort was killed by his own rebounding Avada Kedavra). It seemed inevitable that Steven would fall into this camp-not just because of his preternatural empathy, his mostly defensive set of powers or his mother’s legacy, but also because it’s a common trait of the archetypal reluctant hero, especially in all-ages entertainment. On one hand, we have the mythos of the pure-souled rebel, the freedom fighter whose refusal to kill helps them maintain moral high ground over their enemies. And so, for the sake of conducting the rebellion in what she was sure was the right way, Rose Quartz had to poof her own loyal lieutenant, then hide their disagreement for the sake of team unity.īut was Rose’s way really correct, or did Bismuth have a point? With each one’s hot-blooded passion and immovable sense of righteousness, their conflict could only end in one’s demise. Rose refused to her, no Gem deserved that fate. Bismuth built the Breaking Point to shatter Homeworld Gems and desperately wanted to use it. Such is the blessing and curse of becoming death, the destroyer of worlds. If, in the midst of a bloody war for your freedom, your world and your ideology, your side developed a superweapon that would kill innumerable enemy combatants, but bring about a swift and decisive victory… would you use it? And if so, how far would you go? BISMUTH, THE CHE GUEVARA OF THE CRYSTAL GEMS But there can be no more ignorant, childlike bliss for our protagonist, not after his most intimate encounter yet with the idea of killing. The show is still going to be funny, and Steven and his friends are still going to enjoy life the best they can. A day of fun with Amethyst did turn into a disaster when the two kids had to witness her brutal defeat. Connie’s exciting first mission nearly turned into a disaster, while simultaneously miring Steven in an introspective funk. This week’s episodes dropped all remaining pretense of innocence and naïve fun. “Restaurant Wars” and “Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service” were fun, but watching them, you had to feel like the show was trying to make an impossible return to the past.
Remember when Steven Universe was a light-hearted cartoon about a cheerful young boy, his three alien guardians and the shenanigans they cook up in their oceanside hamlet? Last week gave us two episodes that tried to remind us of that halcyon era.
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