Monster Reunion (Steven Universe) – Overly Animated Podcast #217
By: Dylan Hysen
Dylan Hysen, Sam Quattro, and Justin Cummings discuss the July 26 episode of Steven Universe, “Monster Reunion”.
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Dylan Hysen
Dylan is a software developer from the DC area who hosts the Overly Animated podcast discussing everything animation.
9 Comments
I’ve been in on the PD theory for a while but I scaled it back a bit when we saw the other diamonds. Not because of their size, but because her gem doesn’t make sense compared to them. Their gems are clearly diamonds. I guess you could say her gem would look like the top of a pink diamond if the theory is confirmed? I’ll have more to say on that once we get real White Diamond visuals that isnt a mural. If her gem is very distinctly a diamond too then maybe Rose was just a really powerful Quartz who got elevated to the position of a diamond or something. I’m in the theory that she was in a position of power and is the “pink diamond” represented on the old authority symbol. Or part of it at least. That’s for sure. But I’m not sure if she’s an actual diamond gem or not, and if she’s not, how does that play into why she rebelled? If at all.
Also I’m very out on the ‘Rose used the bio weapon’ theory. Mostly because it doesn’t add up to me. From what the CG’s have said most of the corrupted gems they’re capturing are from their own forces. Why would she fire a weapon that seemed to corrupt more gems on her side than the other without alerting some of her own troops? I don’t see the advantage in that. We also have no evidence that the CG’s were losing and they needed to turn the tides immediately and swiftly. So why not warn her own troops? What’s the tactical advantage of basically wiping out almost all of her own army, her backup, while many of the enemy’s gems escape? I know some people are out on it because it seems too cruel, and they don’t want to believe Rose would do that. I don’t see any reason to think she’s not capable of this, we really know very little about her morality. All I know is that I like for the actions we ascribe to Rose to make sense. And from what Jasper has said, she had a capable and strong military mind. This theory just doesn’t match up to that in my head. All this to say: we need more information about this damn war. Maybe more info would change my mind.
Now if this theory is right maybe that’s where Bismuth comes in and being close to Rose she knows things, and knows about Rose firing the diamond weapon, what it is exactly, and why she did it the way she did. I still don’t buy it, but for those of you in on her firing the song bioweapon, the Bismuth episodes are the biggest in to this being proven in show right now.
I really think even gem shape disparities can be explained with Rose purposely changing her appearance and name to disassociate from who she was before. If diamonds are as all-powerful as they’re being presented, I don’t see why she couldn’t change the shape of her gem.
Good points on the why would Rose corrupt so many on her side, but I think this just goes into the morally grey area and them being collateral damage. The timeline of events doesn’t make much sense from how we’ve been presented it, retreat then diamond light, but we’ve only gotten the most general account. I agree these upcoming Bismuth episodes are going to be really big for all of this.
One of the biggest holes in the Rose is Pink Diamond theory is that, in “It Could’ve Been Great,” Steven sees Pink Diamond, even if we don’t. Previously, we could have defended this with shapeshifting, but “Steven’s Birthday” establishes long-term shapeshifting is extremely dangerous. Rose is known to have used long-term shapeshifting to bear Steven, but we can’t use this situation to declare long-term fusion survivable, as Rose did not survive the experience. Moreover, there’s no reason for PD!Rose to have changed her appearance to fight Homeworld, much less to have maintained the disguise thousands of years after last contact with Homeworld and the destruction of her army.
Smaller hole, no pun intended: Rose Quartz is significantly smaller than the Diamonds we’ve seen, while exactly the right size for a Quartz.
The last issue is not a hole. The Pink Diamond theory doesn’t distinguish its evidence from other theories. Specifically, no bit of evidence (in the show, not webbed theories) pointing toward Rose as Pink Diamond would contradict Rose as a Pink Noble (an important member of Pink Diamond’s court, but not PD herself). In specific support of Rose as a Noble, that theory gives Diamonds a level of power much more in line with creator quotes and character reactions, than if Rose’s martial prowess (considerable for a single gem, but believably beatable with the loss of 8 soldiers [Saphire’s vision in “The Answer”]) is the pinnacle of gemkind.
I think all these holes can be explained with Rose wanting to establish a new identity as Rose Quartz after renouncing herself being a diamond. She changes her name, changes her appearance slightly, (smaller, looks different) to mentally seperate herself from who she was before.
I agree a lot can also be used for her being high in the Pink Diamond chain of command, but I do think some new stuff I presented this episode only works if she’s PD herself, specifically the Diamond light beam or whatever if that came from the Crystal Gem’s side.
I think we are making the transition from viewing Homeworld as an enemy and hating Homeworld to just stictly viewing the Diamond Authority just like in Avatar: The Last Airbender it translated from Fire Nation bad to Fire Lord bad, that is where I think we are going.
After this episode, I don’t hate Homeworld, I actually sympathies with them, I hate the Diamond Authority, they are the real jerks, at least for now. You never know more might be revealed.
I want to know who is Centipeedle’s commander, was it talking about a Diamond, or some go between like a general, maybe it was Jasper, and that might be the way we get her real name.
Yeah this is a good comparison, Fire nation = home world. I hope they go this route more although they definitely already have with centipeedle and peridot.
The largest hole in The Rose is PD theory is the fact Rose is a Quartz. Prior to Message Received I thought it was possible that Diamond was just a title like General. What we saw of YD though did at least made it look like she was literally a diamond.
Another possibility is that Rose simply lied about her name. Although I’m not sure how Garnet & Pearl wouldn’t recognize her for what she was. Unless of course they were coconspirators.
The last possibility I can think of is that the Diamonds are secretly permafusions. Yhen the whole mixed fusion taboo is really about the Diamonds safeguarding the force of their power. Then PD had some sort crisis of conscious, defused and Rose struck out in her rebellion. It would beg the the question about what happened to PD’s other half.
One last possibility PeeDee=PD. Wake up people is been staring us in the face the whole time.
I think she just changed her name, but yes PD = PD wake up sheeple
No, dude. >:x
No.
She can be a great character without having to be the Macguffin.