Review: Steven Universe “Back To The Moon”

What do you do with a squad of bubbled Rubies? Well, first you have to find out why they are back on Earth.

Spoilers Below

One by one, Steven has Lapis remove the bubbles from the Rubies so he can ask them why they came back. Most of them either don’t know or refuse to answer. Finally, one of them demands to see Jasper. Knowing that Jasper, herself, is bubbled, Amethyst quickly transforms into a purple version of Jasper. Despite everyone else thinking Amethyst’s ruse won’t work, the Rubies actually think they are talking to the real Jasper. Apparently, all of the Rubies idolize Jasper but don’t really know anything about her.

Eventually, it turns out that Yellow Diamond is waiting for Jasper to return to Home-world. Amethyst tells the Rubies that she can’t go back to Home-world because she has to keep the Crystal Gems prisoner. The Rubies accept this reason and insist on filing a report at the nearest Diamond base. Of course, the nearest base is the moon. Everyone, except Peridot and Lapis, pile into the Rubies’s surprisingly large ship and head for the moon.

During the short trip to the moon, Jasper bosses around the Crystal Gems a bit. And the Rubies all fan-girl over Amethyst-Jasper.

Finally, the group reaches the moon. On the way to the communicator, the Rubies tell the story of Pink Quartz. One of her quartz soldiers started the Rebellion and, according to the Rubies, Ruby Quartz shattered Pink Diamond. Steven refuses to believe that his mother would do that but one of the Rubies claimed to see it with her own eye. Just then, they reach the communication room. The communicator has been destroyed. They won’t be able to file a report after all. Amethyst-Jasper sends the Rubies back to Home-world to report to Yellow Diamond for her.

Once the Rubies pile into their ship, Amethyst reverts back to her original form. But then the Rubies come back to see if they need a ride home. Realizing that they have been tricked, the Rubies attack the Gems. The Rubies fuse and Pearl and Garnet fuse, resulting in the Rubies and Steven being expelled into space.

So many new questions! Did Rose Quartz really shatter Pink Diamond? Perhaps she just bubbled the diamond. Was Rose the soldier that started the Rebellion? What does Pearl know? She gasped and looked away when she heard about Pink Diamond. I think she might know the truth but is unwilling to reveal it. What will Steven do if he finds out that his mother really did shatter a gem? And what will happen to him now that he’s been shot into space? Tomorrow is the season finale and it better have a whole lot of answers.