I’m sorry but I have to shout this: What the actual what!?
I blame Tracy and Courtney for hooking me on this show. But Steven Universe is really one of the more brilliantly crafted shows out there. This is not to say it’s perfect, but it’s definitely one of our favourite shows for a reason. It’s good.
And with the last two episodes that aired in the beginning of May, all I can say without spoilers is WHAT THE ACTUAL WHAT!?
Seriously, spoilers ahoy.
Bury Your Queers and Love
The beginning of the show, we have a dead mom character. Rose Quartz gave up her ‘life’ to make Steven, and he now has her gem. As the series continues, we learn that Rose was a part of the rebellion, destroyed their leader (Pink Diamond) who wanted to make Earth a slave planet, and dedicated her life to protecting the humans on Earth. She did this with her friends, which include Garnet (a fusion of two different types of Gems) and Pearl, whom we discover was more than just ‘a friend’ and was in an open relationship with Rose.
Naturally Pearl takes it badly when Rose dies to give birth to a son (Steven) she had with a human (Greg Universe), and while she loves Steven, she hates Greg. I think that’s something we can all understand and empathize with. Over time, Pearl comes to terms with this, and grudgingly befriends Greg, but there remains an underlying sadness to her. She lost the love of her life.
Pearl gave up everything, helped Rose defeat Pink Diamond, thought they’d get to live together forever, and then Rose died and left her behind.
The Twist
Except, as we found out on May 7th, Rose didn’t destroy Pink Diamond.
Rose was Pink Diamond.
Pearl was Pink Diamond’s pearl, assumed the form of Rose and pretended to kill Pink Diamond. They faked Pink’s death, allowing Rose to become Rose. Rose’s last order to Pearl was to never speak about it. That order literally meant Pearl was unable to tell anyone, ever, that Pink Diamond was not killed by Rose. Ever.
But wait…
This Was Planned Since Day One
New Steven Universe today! I'm so pumped! Reveals for the next layer of Rose's backstory… one of the first things @rebeccasugar @ben_levin @Matt___Burnett and I wrote way back, even before the show started production. it's been a long road here, please watch!
— ian jq (@ianjq) May 8, 2018
The moment I read this, I was shocked. I have massive respect for any show that plans their twist from day one, but extra massive props to this on a kids show. And I am even more impressed about the hints that have been layered in the show, like this recent one:
All along, we should have known Rose wasn’t real, that she was actually Pink Diamond.
What Does This Mean For the Gems?
Pearl was totally manipulated by Rose. Literally Rose told her they couldn’t be together unless they faked Pink’s death. Yes, Rose wants to make Earth safe for humans, but she also is the one who has the human zoo. She plays on Pearl’s emotions and her tie of being Rose’s Pearl to get this accomplished. Moreover, it changes the dynamic with Garnet! She too was manipulated into joining the cause, being promised a safe place to be her criminal fusion.
And what does it mean that Rose told Garnet “No more questions” in the same way she told Pearl “Let’s never speak of this again.”
Does this mean Garnet literally has been unable to ask questions about the war and the Crystal Gems’ goals?
Where Do We Go From Here?
So far, all we know for the next episodes is that Garnet splits up:
Which, again, I can’t really blame. They were all lied to by Rose all the time, and that just hurts.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the actual what has happened on Steven Universe this summer!
