“Can’t Go Back” & “A Single Pale Rose” Recap – Steven Universe
By: Dylan Hysen
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dylan Hysen, Delaney Stovall, Sam Quattro, & Michelle Anderer recap the huge May 7th episodes of Steven Universe, “Can’t Go Back” & “A Single Pale Rose”!
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Dylan Hysen
Dylan is a software developer from the DC area who hosts the Overly Animated podcast discussing everything animation.
3 Comments
Re: Pearl: I’ve seen comments in fandom (and something similar is said in the podcast), that because Pearl was Pink Diamond/Rose’s servant, then Pearl’s love has been undermined, because it was a result of her nature, not freely engendered love. But I’d disagree – Yellow and Blue Pearls’ relationship with their diamonds is more one of servility, obedience and sychophancy – I can’t recall anything that could be identified as love (the closest is Yellow Pearl’s selfie).
This wasn’t what I thought was going to happen, but it isn’t completely unexpected. I know why I didn’t consider it the mostly likely outcome:
I would have expected Pink-as-Rose to have a better plan going in, but we’ve learned that she (especially early in her life) was pretty stupid.
In addition to her inexperience with plotting, she started acting before she started planning, so her plans had to account for earlier actions.
This is my shot at a timeline. These are not steps in a plan: they are consecutive plans, each devised after the failure of the last.
1. Advent of Rose
I think she invented Rose early on, as just a way to fuck around (sometimes literally) without being recognized. Being Rose was way more fun than being Pink, and her un-fun actions as Pink was making being Rose less fun.
2. Secret Rebellion of Pink
Pink tries to stall the colonization to keep having fun as Rose. Pink uses her Rose persona to sound out Gems about the viability of her ideal world. The Diamond Authority cracks down. Pink decides to use her Rose persona to manufacture delays.
3. Open Rebellion of Rose
Rose goes public, gathering allies and performing large-scale disruptions. Pink tries to pressure the Authority, but just ends up looking foolish. She’s stopped being Rose as a way to have fun, and begun being Rose because it’s the only way to accomplish anything. She plots her own death.
4. Victory of Rose over Pink.
Pink is “shattered,” and the Authority’s Earth holdings fall. But Authority reinforcements are still arriving. The “staged” battles between Pink and Rose give way to real war. Rose isn’t playing chess against herself anymore, but it was good practice (and the Presence and Power of a Diamond can’t be ignored).
End. Deployment of WMDs
Homeworld has the means to escalate faster and willingness to go further than the Rebellion. Almost everyone is dead, and Pink’s dream version of Earth is lost.
But Rose can still have fun, she supposes.
Kinda devolved into prose there….
Now, I do believe that Rose was truly empathic, and acted at many times to help people; but I’ve phrased things to show that the chain of logic doesn’t depend on altruism. (Further, try to divorce empathy and morality in your heads, especially as applied to a nonhuman intelligence.)
**Originally posted here:https://forums.spacebattles.com/posts/46844123/ by me.**
Well the one theory I want to make based on these episodes is about Lapis, and how she will bump into Lars and the Off Colors. I think Lars is talk some sense into her. Lapis is feeling guilty for hurting Peridot, well Lars can understand that, he too is afraid and he hurt Sadie when abandon her to save his own hide. But now he is a better person.