A Single Pale Rose

"A Single Pale Rose"
Steven Universe episode
Rose Quartz becomes Pink Diamond, revealing that they are the same Gem.
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 18
Directed by	Ki-Young Bae (animation) Jin-Hee Park (animation) Kat Morris (supervising) Liz Artinian (art)
Written by	Amber Cragg Hilary Florido
Story by	Matt Burnett Ben Levin Rebecca Sugar Kat Morris Joe Johnston
Original air date	May 7, 2018 (2018-05-07)
Running time	11 minutes

"A Single Pale Rose" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series Steven Universe. It first aired on May 7, 2018 on Cartoon Network. It was directed by Kat Morris and Liz Artinian and written and storyboarded by Amber Cragg and Hilary Florido from a story by Matt Burnett, Ben Levin, Kat Morris, Joe Johnston, and series creator Rebecca Sugar.

Sugar has described it and the preceding episode, "Can't Go Back", as "huge episodes that we’ve been building to for a very long time" that will have major implications for the rest of the series, and change viewers' interpretations of the events of previous episodes.

The episode focuses on Steven Universe confronting Pearl with questions about the supposed assassination of Pink Diamond millennia ago, and builds to a major plot twist for the series: the revelation that Steven's mother Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond herself, who faked her death with Pearl's assistance.

This episode received critical acclaim for Deedee Magno Hall's performance as Pearl, the quality of the artwork, and the structure of the episode's story, as well the significance of the plot twist for the broader narrative of the series.

Plot

Steven (Zach Callison) is contemplating the conflicting information he has received about the shattering of Pink Diamond and anxiously waits while Amethyst (Michaela Dietz) teaches Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall) how to use her new cell phone. After Amethyst leaves, Steven confronts Pearl and asks her if it was her that shattered Pink Diamond, but Pearl doesn't answer, seemingly shocked. When Amethyst returns, Pearl immediately changes the subject and stores her phone in her gem, leaving Steven confused.

Later, Steven receives a text message from Pearl: "I want to tell you, but I can't.🙊" Steven returns home and confronts her about it, but Pearl says she hasn't used her phone since that morning. She fails to retrieve her phone from inside her gem, and eventually tells Steven to enter her gem and get it himself.

Inside Pearl's gem, Steven meets a personification of Pearl's ability to compartmentalize. She can't find the phone stored with Pearl's other belongings and sends Steven deeper into Pearl's mind to look for it. He visits her traumatic memories of Rose Quartz's pregnancy and the aftermath of the Gem War; from each, Pearl sends Steven back deeper into her memories. He eventually arrives at the moment after the shattering of Pink Diamond. He sees the shards on the ground and Rose holding her sword, but when he steps closer, he realizes it is Pearl, shape-shifted into Rose's form. She reveals Pink Diamond's undamaged gemstone in her hand and sends Steven further back into her memories.

Steven ends up inside Pink Diamond's palanquin hearing a conversation between Rose (Susan Egan) and Pearl. While Pearl is hesitant to do what Rose is asking, Rose insists, and tells her that they'll be free afterward. Pearl finally agrees to Rose's plan and, to Steven's shock, "Rose" reverts into her natural form: Pink Diamond. She creates some fake diamond shards and swallows them, and gives one last command to Pearl as a Diamond: to never again speak of what really happened. As Pink Diamond leaves the palanquin, Pearl turns to Steven and gives him the missing cell phone. She assumes the form of Rose Quartz and heads out to fake the shattering, and Steven texts Pearl back in the real world and is pulled out of her mind.

Steven somberly states what he has learned: his mother was actually Pink Diamond. Behind him, Amethyst and Garnet gasp in shock.

Production

This episode was written and storyboarded by Amber Cragg and Hilary Florido. The episode was directed by Liz Artinian (art director) and Kat Morris (supervising director).

Broadcast and reception

The broadcast of both "Can't Go Back" and "A Single Pale Rose" was viewed by 0.74 million viewers.

The episode has received acclaim for its resolution of one of the show's biggest mysteries and its compelling narrative. Eric Thurm of The A.V. Club describes it as a "fundamental shift" in the show's narrative that created excitement about the unfolding plot. Vrai Kaiser of The Mary Sue calls it "one of the best episodes in a long, long time", praising Deedee Magno Hall's performance, and says that the episode leaves the show at a crossroads with regard to how it will deal with the aftermath of this revelation. Shamus Kelley at Den of Geek gave the episode five out of five stars, calling the episode "compelling" and saying that it "casts a whole new light on Rose and Pearl's relationship".