Will Rose’s Past Ever Actually Be Behind Us, Steven?

***SPOILERS AHEAD FOR STEVEN UNIVERSE FUTURE***

This past Saturday, the beginning of the newest addition to the world of Steven Universe aired on Cartoon Network. The four new 12-minute episodes begin after a small time jump after the Steven Universe Movie which aired September 2, 2019. As usual, the show focuses on Steven’s adventures as he heals corrupted gems and introduces them to new gem society since the diamonds relaxed their dictatorship over gemkind. We get to see ‘little homeworld’ on earth and gems making new lives of their choosing. 

During these four short episodes, we get caught up on what has been happening with almost all of our beloved characters. However, the four episodes ignite the main question of whether or not Steven should forgive his mother. The Rose Quartz/ Pink Diamond discussion shatters the fandom. For a character who cannot speak for themselves, Rose/Pink’s intentions lie in utter mystery. We can only gain insight to her thinking through other’s memories and interpretations. Throughout these episodes, we discover that Pink Diamond’s powers have a destructive side to them. Pink was not a sole healer. In the first episode “Little Homeworld,” Jasper ignites that destructive force within Steven. Jasper (who needs sports to be her outlet not art Steven!) angers Steven into a fight. He realizes there is something else for him to learn and possibly from Jasper (the one gem he can’t seem to win over). We can only hope that Jasper becomes a sort of mentor to Steven. That would be an incredible development to the lacking story of Jasper.

The strangest episodes out of the four are “Rosebuds” and “Volleyball.” We meet Rose Quartz look-alikes. They are not just look-alikes. Well, one of them is. The other two embody different aspects of Rose. One has her smooth, almost-seductive atmosphere and the other is her perky, enthusiastic attitude. If you combine the three Rose Quartzs we meet, they equal exactly the image of the Rose we have discovered so far. This could lend to the idea that the entire persona of Rose is fake. Steven writes it off as they are like siblings to each other, but I think it can be interpreted differently. 

The eeriness continues when Steven tries to help Pink’s first Pearl (adorably nicknamed “Volleyball”) fix her eye. We discover that White Diamond was not responsible for Volleyball’s injury. Could White Diamond actually have been protecting this Pearl from Pink? It’s a weird thought to think since White Diamond is quite the villain herself. Unfortunately, through the first show and movie we have discovered that Pink could be just as much a villain. Pink’s issues have been written off because of the way the other diamonds treated her. These new episodes have shone a light that maybe the diamonds needs to put Pink somewhere because of her destructive temper. With all of these things accumulating, it is not far-fetched to say Steven may not be able to forgive his mother. It is okay to say that Rose/Pink should not be forgiven. It is difficult because she cannot take accountability and Steven takes it upon himself. However, I agree with Amethyst that Steven needs to stop trying to fix everybody. Somethings cannot not be necessarily ‘fixed.’ This is personified with Volleyball and her unfixable eye. The most amazing reveal was the fusion of both of Pink’s pearls! It lends to the idea that they need each other to heal as they were both essentially victims of Rose/Pink’s. Pearl still holds onto feelings of Rose as she helps Volleyball. She even says, “I’ve still been making excuses for her (Rose)”. Pearl admits that she has not stopped hurting from her relationship with Rose and Volleyball might not from Pink. It would not be wrong of them to decide to not lend forgiveness to the Pink/Rose for the way they were hurt by her. 

Unfortunately, the pattern of solutions within the world of Steven Universe is forgiveness is necessary. To speculate, Steven will need to forgive his mother and accept that he cannot fix everything to soothe the destructive side of his powers he is discovering. Steven will discover/remember his power to change and figure out that Pink realized she can change. Thus, the Rose persona was born. Changing yourself does not change your past if you have not faced it. I am curious to see where this new Rose/Pink path goes. We shall discover it in the next two episodes of Steven Universe Future that air this Saturday, December 14.