In the seventh episode of the fifth season of Steven Universe, Lapis makes an upsetting decision. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
THIS SHOW IS SO HEAVY LATELY, WHAT IS HAPPENING. This whole arc since Steven has gotten home is all about ramifications, and Steven’s decision to fight Homeworld and the Diamonds hasn’t ended in joy and happiness for everyone. I’m still pleased that the writers are having Steven accept that Connie is going to reach out to him when she’s ready. That’s a very mature thing for Steven to do, and it is a great lesson for kids to learn.
So it’s within that headspace that Steven confronts the next complication of what happened at the opening of the season: Lapis and Peridot discover that Steven went on trial before the Blue and Yellow Diamond and escaped. Lapis’s reaction to this is completely understandable, too. She knows exactly to what lengths the Diamonds will go to get what they want, so she panics. She believes—and probably not wrongly!—that the Diamonds are inevitably going to send someone to get Steven, or they’ll come themselves. Of course, there’s a deeply personal angel to Lapis’s desire to flee Earth: she doesn’t want to become a pawn in a war again. That’s how she ended up in that horrible predicament last time. Whose to say she want get caught up in another nightmare this time around?
Yet again, the main conflict in an episode of Steven Universe is “resolved†through conversation and an attempt to understand the other person. I put that in quotes because HELP ME MY HEART, but hold on, friends, I’ll get there. At the start, though, Peridot doesn’t communicate how she feels. How can she? How can she tell her best friend that she can’t leave Earth? You can tell that Peridot wants to stay with Lapis, but at what cost? Is that decision necessary or is there another option?
Look, I really do understand both of the reactions we get from these characters. Lapis deserves to feel like she isn’t going to be pulled into a conflict she wants no part of. She should be able to pursue a future that gives her the safety and consistency that she craves. Peridot, however, fought for life on Earth. Her transition to being a member of this family and this community was hard and challenging. Why would she want to give it up just because there might be a fight in the future? If anything, I would argue that Peridot has learned that perseverance is part of what makes life so fulfilling for her. It’s the effort that’s helped to validate who she is. She worked so hard to be a part of this world!
Unfortunately, though, both Peridot and Lapis have valid reasons for their reactions, and both those reactions are opposed to one another. It was heartbreaking watching Lapis’s eyes go dark and then seeing the barn disappear from view. Y’all, it’s just gone. Lapis is gone. And who knows if she’s actually going to return??? JESUS CHRIST, COULD THIS SHOW STOP RIPPING MY HEART OUT OF MY CHEST??? I just feel so much for all of these characters. I want Lapis to come back, but I totally get why she left. And that final image of Steven and Peridot, hanging out in the bathroom where Peridot used to live (!!!!!!!!) is just so gutting. How have things gotten so messed up so fast?
The video for “Raising the Barn†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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