Recap / Steven Universe S3E5 "Hit the Diamond"

Original airdate: June 2nd, 2016

Production code: 1031-084

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Five Rubies emerge from the Roaming Eye. Their mission is to find the Gem that their vessel's scanners spotted.

Back in the barn, Peridot thinks that Homeworld must want her shattered, since she disobeyed and insulted Yellow Diamond. The other Gems (save for Lapis) are ready to protect her.

Garnet: Don't worry Peridot, it's our sworn duty to protect anything that calls this planet home, and that includes clods like you.

Garnet has a plan, and she unfuses into Ruby and Sapphire to carry it out. Ruby infiltrates the group of Rubies to find their purpose. They do not notice their extra member and even behave like she was always there. They finally spot the barn and decide to search it, with Crystal Gem Ruby quickly volunteering.

The Crystal Gems consider their options and settle on nonviolent means. Ruby and Steven come out and tell the other Rubies that there's nothing but humans in the barn, but the Rubies are still skeptical and want to double-check. Steven, looking at the baseball bat he's holding, challenges them to a baseball game. If the Rubies win, they can search the barn, and if the "humans" win, the Rubies have to leave forever. The Rubies accept.

All: Baseball?!
Sapphire: I... saw that this was a possibility, though I am surprised that this is the path we’re taking.

Steven and the disguised Crystal Gems play baseball with the six Rubies, using the half-buried Roaming Eye as the pitcher's mound. Both teams do a decent job, except Ruby and Sapphire, who are too busy flirting with each other to concentrate. Luckily, none of the Homeworld Rubies take notice.

In the final inning, Steven explains to his team that the batter, Sapphire, must get a home run in order for them to win. With a brief pep talk from Ruby, Sapphire is able to concentrate on the ball and sends it flying for a home run. In celebration, Sapphire jumps into Ruby's arms, and they accidentally fuse, blowing the Crystal Gems' disguise.

Garnet: Hahaha... ha... Whoops.
Ruby (Doc): They're GEMS!

The Rubies fuse to become a much larger Ruby, and Peridot runs out of the barn to defend her friends and turn herself in. The Crystal Gems learn that Homeworld isn't interested in Peridot at all, only Jasper. The Ruby fusion demands Jasper's whereabouts, and Steven hastily claims that she's on Neptune.

After a tense silence, the fusion buys the lie without question, and the Rubies unfuse. The leader fails to notice they're a five-Gem team again, and they all leave for Neptune.

Amethyst: Man, Rubies are dumb.
Garnet: Not all of them.

Iris Out on a smiling Garnet.

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Tropes:

• Absurdly High-Stakes Game: The Rubies agree to a bet over a baseball game where the stakes are very lopsided against them: Winning lets them search a random barn that, as far they knew, didn't even have anything in it. Losing would force them to leave Earth forever, which would make their mission completely impossible.
• Accidental Pun: After Steven orders Sapphire to keep her eye on the ball, Ruby asks if the pun was intended.
• Acting Unnatural: Garnet splits so Ruby can join the other Rubies, but her acting leaves everything to be desired. Fortunately, the Rubies are Super Gullible.
• Alcubierre Drive: When the Rubies leave for Neptune, their ship generates a black hole above itself and spaghettifies upon departure.
• All There in the Script: The Homeworld Rubies are given nicknames in the credits, based on the position of their gem on their bodies: Eyeball (the gruff, quiet Ruby with her gem in her eye socket), Navy (the cheerful Ruby with her gem on her stomach), Leggy (the nervous, spacey Ruby with her gem on her thigh), and Army (the aggressive, boisterous Ruby with her gem on her shoulder), with Doc (the lead Ruby with her gem on her chest) being the Odd Name Out. Steven later gives them these nicknames in "Back to the Moon".
• Aside Glance: As our Ruby is showing Sapphire on how to swing her bat, Eyeball watches them before looking into the camera.
• Bad Liar:
  • Ruby and Steven. Fortunately, the Rubies they're lying to are dim-witted and very gullible.
    Ruby: [perspiring and grinning nervously] I checked the barn, and I just found a bunch of humans! Hah!
    Steven: Yep! Nothin' in there but us humans!
  • Later, Steven rather transparently tells the Ruby fusion that Jasper is on Neptune.
• Baseball Episode: Steven challenges the Rubies to a game of baseball. If the Rubies win, they get to search the barn. If they lose, they leave Earth forever. They play on the diamond-shaped impact left by the Roving Eye, using the hull as a mound.
• The Big Guy: Army the Ruby. Hot-Blooded and aggressive, constantly trying to pick a fight.
• Book Ends: The episode begins and ends with a shot of Eyeball Ruby peering out of the Roving Eye ship suspiciously before disembarking and leaving respectively.
• Breather Episode: There's certainly a lot more comedy than in "Barn Mates". It's also the first episode of the season without any kind of Cliffhanger to lead into the next one, although it does leave the dangling plot thread of why the Rubies were sent to find Jasper.
• The Comically Serious: Lapis spends the entire baseball game looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. She does give some small smiles as the game goes on, though.
• Continuity Nod:
  • The Roaming Eye makes a diamond pattern upon crashing into the ground, just like Peridot's escape pod in "Joy Ride".
  • Lapis calls herself "Bob", which is what Steven called her way back in "Ocean Gem".
  • Just like in "Jail Break", Ruby and Sapphire are laughing as they fuse, which leads to Garnet laughing.
  • The Ruby Squad fuses by doing a cheerleader routine, like the Rubies in "The Answer".
• Cool Shades: Doc, the Ruby leader, wears a set of clear yellow shades similar to both Garnet and Peridot's. They're like the latter in that they're fully transparent and colored, and the former in that they're separate from her body.
• "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: The Rubies weren't even looking for Peridot, and state they would have left as soon as they were told where Jasper was (even if the location given is obviously made up).
• Cover-Blowing Superpower: Double Subverted. Amethyst uses her Rolling Attack to quickly round the bases, but the Rubies just write it off as being a human thing. Sapphire and Ruby fusing back into Garnet, however, is something the Gems can't explain away.
• Declaration of Protection:
  Steven: Peridot! We won't let them get you.
  Peridot: Haven't I caused you enough trouble?
  Garnet: Don't worry, Peridot. It's our sworn duty to protect anything that calls this planet home. And that includes clods like you.
  Peridot: That's my word...
• Demon Head: Parodied when the five Rubies form into one giant Ruby and demand the Crystal Gems to tell them where Jasper is.
• Didn't See That Coming: Played with; while Sapphire did see the possibility of the confrontation with the Homeworld Rubies becoming a baseball game, she's surprised it played out as such.
• Didn't Think This Through: Sapphire and Ruby are so eager to re-fuse that they forget the other Rubies are still there.
• Distracted by the Sexy: Ruby and Sapphire are surprisingly ineffective together when unfused, as they find each other very distracting and devolve into acting like stupid teenage lovers. Steven tries to remind them to focus, which works long enough for Sapphire to make a game-winning play, but not long enough to keep the two of them from immediately afterward having an unthinking celebratory Glomp that results in them accidentally re-fusing in front of the Homeworld Rubies, blowing their cover and making the win completely moot.
• The Ditz:
  • The Rubies are incredibly dense, failing to properly count how many of them are in their squad and buying Ruby and Steven's lies even though they're pretty obvious. Leggy in particular is lacking, even compared to the others, forgetting what the mission they were supposed to be doing even was.
  • "Our" Ruby is little better, unsubtly trying to convince the others not to search the barn with a Suspiciously Specific Denial. She has no subtlety whatsoever in her methods to try to infiltrate the other Rubies and only succeeds because they're Super Gullible.
• Down to the Last Play: The game comes down to "Humans" down by one with Sapphire at bat and one runner on base.
• Evil Is Petty: Subverted twice.
  • Pearl doesn't see the problem with Peridot insulting Yellow Diamond and had to be reminded that it was an insult directed to someone with authority over all of Homeworld's military resources that practices evil pettiness. It's just a stroke of luck that Peridot wasn't the one being searched for.
  • Peridot believes the Rubies have come after her because she insulted Yellow Diamond; in fact, they haven't heard of her and don't care. However, ​even Yellow Diamond isn't that petty, and isn't about to waste military resources over one insult from an unimportant Peridot.
• Facepalm:
  • Crystal Gem Ruby does this after Steven proposes to play baseball.
  • Steven himself does this when he sees Ruby and Sapphire flirting with each other.
• Failed a Spot Check: Doc didn't even notice the barn until Ruby mentioned it. Despite the fact that it was in clear view from her vantage point.
• Fish out of Water: The Rubies are totally clueless about Earth and humans, seeing nothing odd about "Amy" being purple or "Sophie" and "Bob" being blue. They assume Amethyst's rolling around the bases is a human thing.
• Five-Man Band: The Rubies form one of these.
• Flat "What": Peridot declares herself the leader of the Crystal Gems, prompting a very confused "What?" from Pearl.
• Flirting Under Fire: Ruby and Sapphire spend the majority of the baseball game flirting with each other, despite being on different teams in a high-stakes game.
• Foreshadowing: When Ruby infiltrates the Ruby Squad, Doc explains that they're looking for the leader of the Earth expedition. Since Peridot wasn't in charge back when she arrived on Earth, it becomes apparent that it isn't her they're looking for.
• Fusion Dance:
  • Ruby and Sapphire re-fuse near the end of the episode in a tumble, having split from being Garnet to infiltrate the Rubies.
  • The five Rubies fuse into a single giant Ruby, this time ending up as tall as a house; however, they only form a cheerleader squad pose to achieve their fusion.
• Go-Karting with Bowser: The episode ends up as a baseball game instead of a regular conflict; the Homeworld Rubies in general play by the rules and, aside from a few snarls, are downright friendly with the heroes. They even thank Steven for telling them where Jasper supposedly is before leaving, without causing any further trouble in spite of the earlier deception.
• The Heart: Navy, the most serene and peaceful Ruby in the squad.
• Hey, That's My Line!: Garnet reassures Peridot that the Crystal Gems won't let the Rubies take her back to Homeworld because they've sworn to protect everyone on the Earth, including "clods like you". Peridot responds with "That's my word" in an awestruck tone.
• Hugh Mann: The Gems try to hide themselves as humans, which consists of human-like names derived from their gem type and baseball outfits covering up their gems. Given how dense the Rubies are and that they don't really know what humans look like, it works without a hitch... at least until Ruby and Sapphire fuse into Garnet.
• Hypocritical Humor: The members of the Ruby Squad all laugh at Ruby's question about "last time", with Navy chiding her for her forgetfulness in a tone that suggests that she and the others have already convinced themselves that this person they've just met is a longtime companion.
• Identical Twin ID Tag: In addition to the placement of their gems, the Rubies all have different outfits and mannerisms to make them easier to tell apart. Eyeball has a lighter complexion than the others, and Navy's is closer to magenta.
• Immediate Sequel: Much like the last few episodes, this episode follows immediately after "Barn Mates".
• Insult Friendly Fire: Amethyst bemusedly comments that "Rubies are dumb" while standing next to Garnet ― and by extension Ruby. She is not offended, and she doesn't even fully disagree, just saying that not ALL of them are stupid.
• Ironic Echo: Garnet uses "clods" as an affectionate jab at Peridot.
• Irony: Garnet comes up with a plan to protect everyone and deal with the Rubies. Garnet herself — or more accurately her components — then go on to be the biggest liability towards that plan's success, ultimately causing it to fall apart.
• Lampshade Hanging: Once the Rubies leave, Amethyst says what the viewers are thinking.
  Amethyst: Man, Rubies are dumb.
  Garnet: Not all of them.
• The Lancer: Eyeball. She is much more gruff and serious than Doc, the leader of the group.
• The Leader: Doc. Gives all of the orders and tries to look after her squad.
• Lying to Protect Your Feelings: Played for Laughs
  Steven: Well, heh, we're doing just fine! Everything's gonna be a-okay!
  Peridot: YOU'RE LYING TO ME!
  Steven: To make you feel better!
  Peridot: THANK YOU!
• Meadow Run: Sapphire runs into Ruby's arms on the home run before they fuse again, complete with Love Bubbles.
• Minion with an F in Evil: The Homeworld Rubies believe nearly everything Steven tells them, play baseball fairly, and they can't even count themselves properly. About the only thing they do right is fuse to become a threat... and even that they don't do entirely right, since they happily and politely leave as soon as Steven tells them Jasper is on Neptune, completely ignoring the lies told to them beforehand and forgetting what they believed to be one of their own fusing with one of the Earth Gems.
• The Mole: Played for Laughs. Ruby makes a really poor job at infiltrating, but she succeeds because the Homeworld Rubies are unbelievably dense.
• Muggle Sports, Super Athletes: The Crystal Gems and a team of Rubies play each other in baseball. Amethyst uses her Rolling Attack to round the bases (though Steven keeps her from doing it a second time to avoid a Cover-Blowing Superpower), Doc lights a pitch on fire, and both Army and Sapphire use Super-Strength to send home runs incredible distances.
• Naïve Newcomer: Leggy is called a newbie by their leader, and she is awkward and oblivious.
• Non-Uniform Uniform: Homeworld's military doesn't seem to have much of a dress code, though three of them have what seems to be the standard outfit with a v-shape with a yellow Diamond at the bottom, Doc has, in addition to her Cool Shades, only pants and a pair of suspenders on, and Navy has a shawl-like outfit. It seems that, as long as it has the Diamond symbol, they don't really care, though it seems like it's at least partially to keep the gemstones exposed.
• Noodle Incident: The Ruby leader insists on double-checking the barn, telling the disguised Crystal Gem Ruby that they all know what happened "last time", sending the other Rubies into a fit of laughs.
• Not So Above It All: Lapis spends much of the baseball game with a bored, detached look except when she gives a little smile after catching the ball on the ground, and she high-fives Ruby when Sapphire makes the winning home run.
• Oh, Crap!: Garnet has an understated look of panic when she realizes that fusing in front of the Rubies just blew their cover.
• One Size Fits All: The baseball uniforms Steven finds in the barn fit the Crystal Gems, despite their wildly disparate body types. Considering gems can shapeshift their clothing, one wonders why they bothered.
• Paper-Thin Disguise:
  • Ruby's infiltration of the Homeworld Rubies simply consists of her joining up beside them... and that's about it, with the other Rubies simply mistaking her as being part of their original five (mostly from the Ruby Leader forgetting to count herself). They also never seem to notice that she's wearing a headband and a totally different uniform.
  • The Gems disguise themselves as humans by covering up their Gems, wearing baseball outfits, and going by human names. Luckily, the Rubies did not do their research very well (or at all) and were not too thrown off by blue and purple humans.
• Planet of Steves: There are five other Rubies in addition to the Crystal Gem Ruby, all of them called Ruby.
• Poor Communication Kills: If the Rubies had just mentioned that they were looking for Jasper and not Peridot, the entire mess could have been avoided.
• Punny Name: Army and Navy aren't named for the armed forces, but because their gems are located on their arm and navel, respectively.
• Red Herring: Peridot's suspicions that Homeworld is after her are proven wrong: the Rubies weren't after her and don't even care when she mentions insulting Yellow Diamond.
• Refuge in Audacity: The Gems have to convince the Homeworld Rubies to leave the barn without discovering Peridot and do so by betting on a baseball game. Sapphire doesn't have any objections despite how incredulous she finds the turn of events. Lapis says flat-out that Steven's plan sucks, but goes along with it anyway.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers!: Surprisingly averted; there's no hint of Sapphire using her future vision in order to know where to be to win the baseball game, and the Rubies don't seem to use any advantage to cheat aside from their natural strength. Amethyst does use her Rolling Attack to make a very quick home run, but Steven makes sure it doesn't happen again lest it blows their cover.
• Sickeningly Sweethearts: During the baseball game, Ruby and Sapphire spend more time flirting with each other instead of actually following through with Steven's plan.
• Silent Bob: Eyeball mostly speaks with grunts and growls, only speaking twice: first on the baseball roll call, and again to say "Thank you" to Steven for telling them where Jasper is.
• Silent Snarker: Lapis spends most of the episode with a deadpan expression.
• Sixth Ranger: Our Ruby, the team's mole.
• Stealth Pun: Throughout the episode. Ruby, masquerading as a Homeworld Gem, is playing for the other team.
• Super Gullible: The Rubies accept near everything they're told by Steven, even when he claims that Jasper is on Neptune when the Rubies demand her location. They even agree to play a game of baseball simply to access a single barn, with the stakes for losing being forced off Earth.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Ruby tries to play it cool with the other Rubies, she tells the Ruby Leader that there is no one hiding in the barn behind them. The Ruby Leader didn't even notice the barn until Ruby literally pointed it out.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Lapis laughs and says that Steven's plan to play baseball sucks before joining in.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Navy and Leggy are the most girly of the five invading Rubies.
• Troubled Fetal Position: After Peridot crawls under a cardboard box, Steven lifts the box up to find Peridot curled up in a ball again.
• Twist Ending: Turns out the Rubies only came to find Peridot so they can find out where Jasper is.
• Violence Really Is the Answer: Subverted. Amethyst wants to deal with the Rubies by beating them, but Sapphire suggests a non-violent alternative.
• Wham Episode: This episode is mostly a Breather Episode, but it does have the shock that Jasper is the one being searched for and was the one in charge of the Earth mission when earlier episodes made it seem like she was just along because Peridot was worried about the Crystal Gems.
• Wham Line:
  Ruby Fusion: WHERE IS JASPER?
• You Know the One: The Ruby Squad repeatedly says they're looking for "the leader of the Earth mission" to conceal that they're looking for Jasper, not Peridot.

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