In the forty-fifth episode of the first season of Steven Universe, Pearl reminisces about Rose with Steven. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe.Â
Good lord, this was A LOT. This show continues to juggle silliness with heaviness, and it’s an incredible thing to watch unfold. There are some delightful gags in the midst of “Rose’s Scabbard,†but it doesn’t detract from how meaningful this exploration of Pearl and Rose’s relationship was. I felt like this was a version of “Maximum Capacity,†but for Pearl. Yet even saying that feels like a betrayal of the story. It’s not repetitious, even if we’ve gotten insight into how Rose (and her disappearance) affected another one of the Crystal Gems.
If Amethyst saw her as a mother figure, then she was the fearless leader to Pearl, the person she could look up to and emulate. But throughout “Rose’s Scabbard,†Pearl shows us a side of her that we’d not really seen before. She idolized Rose, and as far as I can tell, she had every reason to. (Though now I completely understand why she’s always reluctant to tell Steven the truth. She learned that from Rose, didn’t she???) When the Crystal Gems fought the other Gems five thousand years ago to protect Earth – and won! – it was Rose’s leadership that helped them all achieve victory. So, watching Pearl speak of this part of their history was mesmerizing for me because she was so intense about it.
Unfortunately, Pearl convinced herself that she was a confidant of sorts for Rose, that out of everyone ever, she alone knew everything. It is, in hindsight, an irrational thing to believe. I believe it’s rare, if not downright impossible, to know everything about a person. We all keep secrets from people, even our best friends! But Pearl’s relationship with Rose seemed to have been rather intense, and she enjoyed the idea that she had something the others did not. And maybe she did. Again, all we have to go on are what these Gems tell us. It’s not like we’re privy to what actually happened all those years ago.
However, once Pearl learns that Lion – Rose’s connection to her son – has been helping Steven get close to her, she loses it. Her breakdown reminded me of Amethyst’s a couple episodes ago, but even then, Pearl was SO MUCH MORE MESSED UP. Why, though? Well, I think the scene in that battle ground place is key to understanding this all. After Pearl spent years believing that her loyalty to Rose meant she was the most important friend to her, I’m guessing that she initially felt betrayed by her. Why wouldn’t she have told her about Lion? Why would she have kept secrets from her? Was she just another Gem to protect?
Of course, none of this is Steven’s fault, and he shouldn’t be blamed for wanting to be close to his mother. Pearl is really mean here, both when she tells Steven he never knew Rose and when she lets Steven fall without trying to save him. Like… COME ON, PEARL, HE’S JUST A KID. Steven, in his eternal goodness and kindness, realizes that Pearl needed to be reminded of all the good times she had with Rose, to realize how dedicated she was and how much she appreciated Pearl. It’s hard to lose someone you love, and it’s even harder to realize after the fact that they may not have been the person you know them to be. But Steven shows Pearl that this new “secret†she had didn’t change who she fundamentally was. She cared a lot for her friends, and Pearl shouldn’t forget that.
I would also like to make this a call-out post for whomever on the Steven Universe team decided that the end sequence should unfold with only images and music, because you are an evil person, and I know this will not be the only time this fucking show makes me cry.
Goddamn it.
The video for “Rose’s Scabbard†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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