^ Thank you @fandomsandfeminism for articulating a lot of my own thoughts about how SU criticals are reacting to the current arc and how unpersuasive I find that approach.
The show isn’t over. There are four more confirmed seasons in which to explore Homeworld’s fucked up socio-political structures, how they impact the gems themselves, and what that’s meant in terms of colonizing other planets, etc. Peridot’s redemption arc spanned more than a season, and she was just one of the second generation gems.
With four more seasons to work with, a Homeword reform seems guaranteed. Four seasons is a lot of time to unpack, confront, and explore just how fucked up Homeworld is to it’s own citizens and the galaxy. Four seasons is a lot of time for the Diamonds to face their own violence, decide to do better, and make reparations. Can they ever undo what they did in the past? No, but they can unlearn their behavior, dismantle the system they created, make reparations for the damage they’ve done, and choose to be different.
That’s one way toxic systems get torn down, when the people in power realize the horrors they’ve inflicted, step down, and make what recompense they can while changing their behavior to be better. That, to my mind, is what SU wants to depict, and that’s a meaningful and valuable thing to do.
And doing so does not justify the things they did. In fact, just the opposite. Showing true acknowledgement of the extent of their actions, repentance, and changing for the better shows that what they did was, in fact, wrong. It doesn’t erase the past or somehow mean those things weren’t horrific. It just makes room for people who do fucked up things to see themselves for what they are and choose to be better and do better. If people don’t change, that’s their choice, too. But I think SU wants to make space for telling a story about how even terrible people can make steps to be healthier people if they make the choice to do so.
And one of the ways that can happen is when a compassionate person confronts them about how fucked up they are and urges them to change. It isn’t the only way this can happen, for sure, but it is a way and depicting that story doesn’t mean Sugar wants to gloss over or minimize fascism or imperialism or slavery. Rather, she seems to want to showcase that even people who do such terrible things aren’t beyond changing, repenting of their horrible behavior, and being better, again, if that’s their choice.
I think that for Sugar and the Crewniverse, no one is beyond redemption, but the person has to make that choice. For every character who decides to change, there’s almost always a similar character who makes the opposite choice:
Peridot chose to embrace Earth as her home instead of clinging to Homeworld; Eyeball Ruby did not (though she may get a chance to choose differently).
Lapis chose to leave a mutually abusive relationship to try to be healthy; Jasper did not (though I believe she will get a chance to heal).
Pink chose to defend the lives of other sentient beings; the other Diamonds did not (though I think they’re going to get a chance to change their minds).
Greg Universe was fully accepting of the Gem’s unique culture and behavior; Andy DeMayo initially resisted accepting the Gems because he considered them illegal immigrants and their behavior discomfitting, but was given a chance to change his mind and he did. He was at Ruby/Sapphire’s wedding.
Topaz was moved by Steven and Lars’ pleas to try to release them; Aquamarine was not.
In every instance, the characters make a choice to either accept others, acknowledge how their behavior is wrong, and make choices that are healthier for themselves and don’t harm others or to continue in their current path.
The point isn’t “some people are just bad and others are different because they’re good” (a very black and white approach) but rather “everyone makes choices about who they are going to be and everyone can make choices to be better, though they might not and if they don’t that’s their responsibility, not ours.” It’s a much more hopeful and optimistic message than we’re used to in the age of grimdark television and callout culture. It’s a message that resonates with me, though, and one that everyone should hear, not just children.
