History Recap / StevenUniverseS2E28MessageReceived

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: PlayedWith, as Peridot tries desperately to find a way to save the Crystal Gems and Earth ''without'' betraying Homeworld. After it becomes clear the only thing Yellow Diamond cares about is the Cluster hatching and destroying Earth, Peridot finally snaps and calls her a clod. Despite Peridot regretting it within seconds, [[DisproportionateRetribution Yellow Diamond finds this to be a betrayal worthy of immediate execution]], essentially ''forcing'' Peridot to betray Homeworld for real.

* BlahBlahBlah: Yellow Diamond demonstrates zero patience for Peridot's lecture on Earth's ecosystem.

*** Later on, we learn that anything concerning the Earth [[spoiler: and what transpired there]] isn't so much a Berserk Button as it is [[UpToEleven an atom bomb of blind fury]] for Yellow AND Blue Diamond.

-->'''Yellow Diamond:''' I don't care about potential and resources. I ''want'' my Cluster, and I ''want'' that planet to ''die''. Just make that happen.

Peridot does not take this well. Her pedestal for Yellow Diamond has been [[BrokenPedestal broken]], as she now sees that Yellow Diamond is ''not'' an ultimate logical being- she's making the decision about Earth's fate based solely on her pride, which was hurt by Rose's rebellion. Peridot gets angry, and she tells Yellow Diamond no, much to the horror of Yellow Pearl. Yellow Diamond asks Peridot if she is questioning Yellow Diamond's authority. Peridot replies that she's questioning Yellow Diamond's objectivity.

Yellow Diamond warns Peridot that she's going out of line. She is a lowly Peridot, and she really shouldn't be wasting Yellow Diamond's time with her opinions. She's failed at every stage of the mission, and can only redeem herself by obeying Yellow Diamond and leaving the Cluster to grow. Peridot refuses, and tells Yellow Diamond that there ''are'' things on Earth worth protecting. Yellow Diamond asks her: "What do ''you'' know about the Earth?"

Being insulted infuriates Yellow Diamond, but before she can say any more, Peridot ends the communication. She's utterly stunned at what she did, and collapses into a fetal ball. The Crystal Gems are [[SoProudOfYou very impressed]], especially Steven. She hands off the communicator to Pearl, because it can be remotely detonated. The Crystal Gems play GrenadeHotPotato with the communicator for a bit before Steven bubbles it and Garnet punches it into the sky, where it blows up.

Peridot does not take this well. Her pedestal for Yellow Diamond has been [[BrokenPedestal broken]], as she now sees that Yellow Diamond is ''not'' an ultimate logical being- she's making the decision about Earth's fate based solely on her pride, which was hurt by Rose's rebellion. Peridot gets angry, and she tells Yellow Diamond no, much to the horror of Yellow Pearl. Yellow Diamond asks Peridot if she is questioning Yellow Diamond's authority. Peridot says that she's questioning Yellow Diamond's objectivity.

Peridot does not take this well. Her pedestal for Yellow Diamond has been [[BrokenPedestal broken]], as she now sees that Yellow Diamond is ''not'' an ultimate logical being- she's making the decision about Earth's fate based solely on pride, which was hurt by Rose's rebellion. Peridot gets angry, and she tells Yellow Diamond no, much to the horror of Yellow Pearl. Yellow Diamond asks Peridot if she is questioning Yellow Diamond's authority. Peridot says that she's questioning Yellow Diamond's objectivity.

* ExactWords: When Steven asks Pearl if she knows Yellow Pearl, she answers "Not all Pearls know each other, Steven!" She never said she ''didn't'' know Yellow Pearl.

* RewatchBonus:
** Rewatching this episode after the next one makes Peridot's HeelFaceTurn have much more weight.
** Even without the following episode, watching the episode a second time, after realizing Peridot's plan was to try to convince Yellow Diamond to cancel the plans to destroy the Earth rather than to betray the Crystal Gems to her, you interpret most of Peridot's dialogue throughout the episode differently.

* ExactWords: When Steven asks Pearl if she knows Yellow Pearl, she answers "Not all Pearls know each other, Steven!" She never said she ''didn't'' know Yellow Pearl, and after certain revelations in ''A Single Pale Rose,'' it's safe to say that Crystal Gem Pearl and Yellow Pearl ''were'' once acquainted.

* ExactWords: When Steven asks Pearl if she knows Yellow Pearl, she answers "Not all Pearls know each other, Steven!" She never said she ''didn't'' know Yellow Pearl, and after certain revelations in ''A Single Pale Rose," it's safe to say that Crystal Gem Pearl and Yellow Pearl ''were'' once acquainted.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Yellow Diamond gets one towards Peridot, telling her that she's been wasting Yellow Diamond's time with her opinions, she's completely failed her mission, and the only way she can redeem herself is by leaving the Cluster to grow.

-->'''Yellow Diamond:''' Are you questioning my authority?\\
'''Peridot:''' I'm questioning your objectivity! ...My Diamond. ''(salutes)''

* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: Yellow Diamond doesn't care if the Cluster destroys Earth, even as Peridot argues for Earth being spared. In fact, Yellow Diamond is keen on seeing it destroyed,
presumably as vengeance for Rose Quartz's rebellion.

** Peridot then gets her own.
--->'''Peridot''': I won't do it! I can tell you with certainty that there are things on this planet worth protecting!\\
'''Yellow Diamond''': What do you know about the Earth?\\
'''Peridot''': Apparently more than ''you'', you... ''clod''!

* InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: Yellow Diamond doesn't care if the Cluster destroys Earth, even as Peridot argues for Earth being spared. In fact, Yellow Diamond is keen on seeing it destroyed, presumably as vengeance for Rose Quartz's rebellion.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Played for laughs with Peridot's reaction to Steven stealing the communicator from her and locking her in the truck.
--> '''Peridot:''' No! How could you do this to me, the great and lovable Peridot!?

-->'''Steven''': Then why don't I just smash it?

-->'''Peridot''': Yes, of course! I figured it out. You simple clods keep trying to protect the Earth, but you can't do anything right. I let myself get carried away too, laughing, singing, building our little machine. But don't you see? None of that matters! All that matters is that I'm of use to Yellow Diamond. This planet can be of use to Yellow Diamond! I must contact her to reveal what I've discovered!

-->'''Amethyst-copter''': ''Get in.''

-->'''Amethyst''': What's up, Peri-''snot''?

-->'''Yellow Diamond''': I don't care about potential and resources. I ''want'' my Cluster, and I ''want'' that planet to ''die''. Just make that happen.

-->'''Peridot''': Apparently more than ''you'', you...'' '''CLOD'''''!

-->'''Amethyst-copter''': "''Get in.''"

-->'''Amethyst''': "What's up, Peri-''snot''?"

Peridot, however, has other things in mind. She reveals the real reason she contacted Yellow Diamond: She wants Yellow Diamond to stop the Cluster. Why? Earth is special. It has an organic ecosystem, which creates resources that are entirely unique to the planet. [[PragmaticVillainy it would be stupid to let that go to waste for just a geoweapon]]. Peridot even has plans for using these resources without disrupting the ecosystem. But Yellow Diamond doesn't agree- or rather, she thinks that there's something in this situation more important than the resources.

-->'''Yellow Diamond''': "I don't care about potential and resources. I ''want'' my Cluster, and I ''want'' that planet to ''die''. Just make that happen."

-->'''Peridot''': Apparently more than ''you'', you...'' '''CLOD'''''!"

And now, for our feature presentation: today, we meet one of the Diamonds ''up close and personal!''

-->'''Peridot''': "Yes, of course! I figured it out. You simple clods keep trying to protect the Earth, but you can't do anything right. I let myself get carried away too, laughing, singing, building our little machine. But don't you see? None of that matters! All that matters is that I'm of use to Yellow Diamond. This planet can be of use to Yellow Diamond! I must contact her to reveal what I've discovered!"

-->'''Steven''': "Then why don't I just smash it?"