Pearl and Rose Quartz's Lie
Since the beginning of the animated series Steven Universe (Cartoon Network, 2013) we can appreciate that Pearl is a self-sacrificing gem and loyal to Rose Quartz. As the episodes progress, we see that there is something else: love. Pearl's love for Rose was cut short when Greg Universe appeared in her life, when Rose decided to have a baby and finally took the form of Steven, thus disappearing from Pearl's life (though not completely).
Steven and Pearl's relationship develops over the years. Pearl (like the other Crystal Gems) doesn't understand what is Steven. A gem had never taken a human form or had a child; a human had never had a gem or powers. So, what was Steven? The same Rose in another form? A completely different being? Would he have the same memories and powers as Rose? The answer has been a strange mix: Steven is not Rose Quartz, but he has her gem and her powers (which manifest themselves in particular ways).
However, we emphasize: Steven is not Rose. He's a human child with his own criteria and emotions. While he sees kindness in others and wants to protect others as her mother did, the relationship between Steven and the gems is very different from the one Rose had with them.
The Crystal Gems are maternal figures to Steven, each one different: Garnet is loving, Amethyst is playful and Pearl is careful. Although Pearl considered Rose her purpose in life (to serve her, to be with her) and doesn't know what to do without her, Pearl has learned that Steven is not her beloved Rose Quartz, but she still has a great love for him.
In episode 18 of the fifth season, "A Single Pale Rose," we can understand much better where Pearl's enormous devotion comes from, and why she kept the greatest of Rose Quartz's secrets...
Steven's looking for answers from Pearl, wants to know how his mother shattered Pink Diamond. However, Pearl can't speak; something very powerful prevents her from doing so. Pearl hides her cell phone in her gem and, without realizing it, it's hidden in a very deep place where she can't get it out, and starts texting Steven (her subconscious, you might say).
Pearl asks Steven to look for her cell phone inside her gem, and Steven sets out on a journey inside Pearl. He finds not just one, but several versions of the same Pearl, one hidden inside the gem of the other. Each one represents a stage in her life, repressed emotions (mostly traumatic) that are appeased by a perfectionist personality.
Steven finally discovers the truth: his mother, Rose Quartz, was really Pink Diamond. She made Pearl promise to take the form of Rose, to pretend to attack Pink Diamond, so they could live together on Earth with the Crystal Gems and the humans.
Finally, Pink Diamond gives Pearl a "last order": never to talk about what happened. For this reason, Pearl cannot tell the truth; she cannot reveal that Rose was always a diamond, although she claims she always wanted to tell Steven... because she was not free to do so.
In fact, Pearl was never really free... until now.
If we analyze it, Pearl always served her diamond. Even if it was voluntary, outside of Homeworld. In the end, she always served her purpose: to obey her diamond, to be faithful to her and to protect her from any danger.
Many in the Steven Universe fandom now perceive Rose's actions as selfish and manipulative, especially toward Pearl. After all, she unleashed a war between both sides (in which there were gems that loved her) to get what she wanted. Did she save the Earth? Yes, but her actions would have consequences, and later on the diamonds would attack the planet again. Often, the intentions may be good, but the results are what matter.
Rebecca Sugar herself (the creator of the series) admitted in a podcast that "Rose Quartz is a really awful person."
Pearl is really starting to become free now; now that she has finally been able to tell Steven her big secret. Now that she's beginning to understand her emotions and work them out. Now that she knows Rose Quartz isn't coming back and she can't be the only purpose of her life. Alongside Steven, Pearl has become more independent and the owner of her actions.
The song "It's over, isn't it?" (from the eighth episode of season three, "Mr. Greg") was a great first step in accepting those emotions. "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"
Genial!!!
¡Gracias! @yenibe