The Crystal Gems are back after Steven Universe’s latest major revelation — but this time, it looks like they’re falling apart instead of fusing together.
[Warning: Major spoilers for Season 5 of Steven Universe ahead.]
A recently released trailer for Steven Universe’s “Heart of the Crystal Gems” arc, due out early next month, details the aftermath of the series’ dark turn. After seasons of speculation and hinting at the dramatic twist, Steven discovered (via a trip through Pearl’s gem into her deepest memories) that his mother, Rose Quartz, didn’t shatter Pink Diamond — she was Pink Diamond.
This wasn’t only news to Steven. Pearl, ordered into silence by Rose before Pink Diamond’s supposed death, was the only one out of all the Crystal Gems who knew the truth. The upcoming trailer picks up right after the announcement, and focuses particularly on Garnet’s — and eventually, Ruby and Sapphire’s — reaction.
Being kept out of the loop of Rose’s plans seems to exacerbate insecurities in Ruby and Sapphire’s relationship. Sapphire responds to Ruby’s reassurances by exclaiming, “You couldn’t have known! You never know what’s going on!” before leaving the house suddenly via the warp pad.
We’ve seen our favorite perma-fusion split up before, most notably in Season 1’s “Jailbreak” and Season 2’s “Keystone Motel.” When Garnet splits, things generally aren’t good — whether the Crystal Gems are trying to escape capture by Homeworld gems or Garnet herself is angry enough to break the fusion, Ruby and Sapphire’s separation almost always disrupts the balance of the Crystal Gems. Luckily, they’re never apart for long — until, it seems, now.
It’s up to Steven to bring the Crystal Gems back together in the upcoming arc, which will air on Cartoon Network as a five-night event beginning on Monday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT with new episodes airing all week through Friday, July 6. The arc will feature two new singles which will air on Wednesday, July 4 and Friday, July 6. Both singles will be available on iTunes and other streaming platforms the day after their respective debuts.
We’re worrying along with Steven — what if Ruby and Sapphire never form Garnet again? However, all of us (including Garnet) would do well to remember a piece of Garnet’s sage advice: “Take a moment to think of just flexibility, love and trust.”