Steven Universe (TV Series) Rose's Scabbard (2015) User Reviews

The most heart-wrenching episode of the entire series

[aaaronhamilton · 10/10 · 23 January 2018]

My god, this episode is indescribable. Everything is top-notch - The writing, the animation, the humor, the music, in every way this episode is just, perfect. Let's talk about the second half of this episode, shall we? It was already a very heartfelt and cute episode up until this point. Pearl is obsessing over Rose, and Steven is being adorable. Pearl (and the rest of the Crystal Gems, for that matter) then find out about lion's pocket dimension. Pearl gets upset when she realizes that lion had something to do with Rose, and that Rose never told her. She lashes out at the Crystal Gems for "not understanding her", and when Steven tries to comfort her, she says "How do YOU know! You never even met her!" Geez, Pearl! That is almost an "Amethyst in Maximum Capacity" level of bad! Steven is just a kid! You shouldn't be lashing out at him like that, especially not saying something like THAT! Anyways, Pearl then runs away in tears, and warps out. Steven tries to follow her, but she keeps running, and the path that he is following her on gets more dangerous as it goes on. Steven finally cries out "Pearl! Did I- Did I do something wrong! You have to tell me!" This is definitely relatable to people who had parents that always fought, and I am amazed by the realism in that one statement. Steven then tries to jump over a large gap to try to reach Pearl, and while he is airborne, Pearl gives him this stare that, okay you know what, that stare was somehow 10 times WORSE than what Amethyst did in Maximum Capacity. I can only describe it as the look someone would give to someone who they truly wish was dead, and I can see why. Pearl blames Steven for Rose being gone, and it has all been building up until this very moment. Steven is shocked, looses concentration, and starts to fall to his death. Pearl looks over the edge in worry, signifying that she regrets any thoughts she may have had, and Steven barely catches on to the edge. Pearl is still a traumatized mess, and does nothing to help Steven, who is dangling off the side of a cliff. Now, this part until the end of the episode is what I consider one of the best scenes not just in this series, but in all of animation. Steven climbs up and says "Pearl, you have to tell me what's wrong." to which Pearl replies "Sometimes, you even sound like her." She then summons a hologram of Rose, and reenacts the moment she decided to stay with Rose and fight in the war. You truly see Pearls admiration for Rose in this scene. Despite Rose saying "If we loose, we'll be killed. But if we win, we can never go home." Pearl still insists "Why would I want to go home, if you're here?" They then interlock hands, and the hologram disappears. Wow, Pearl's admiration for Rose seemed more close to, romantic, than anything else in this scene. It was confirmed later that it's true, but still! Pearl then says "Everything I ever did, I did for her, and now she's gone. But I'm still here." My god, my heart is aching. I truly feel for Pearl right now, especially after she states "Sometimes, I wonder if she can see me through your eyes. (sigh) What would she think of me now?" Even Steven doesn't even seem to know how to react. It is completely silent for a few seconds. You can feel Pearl's emptiness and grief, and it is heartbreaking. Steven then embraces Pearl and says the absolute perfect thing to say in this situation. "Well, I think your pretty great." OH COME ON! THAT'S NOT FAIR! This show has gotten me close to crying on multiple occasions up to this point. I did indeed shed some tears during Lion 3. I shed just as many during On the Run. This episode, on the other hand, was the first piece of media to make me lie on the floor and ugly cry since the first time I listened to Hamilton. Well, until some later episodes in this show made me do the same, but STILL! Pearl starts crying, I start crying, absolutely gorgeous music starts playing, and there is a scene that despite having no dialogue, has more character than a few entire series that I have watched. Everything down to the way the character's eyes move in this scene screams character, and it only added more to my uncontrollable sobbing. Even though Pearl still isn't quite over Rose, she feels more accepted and loved than before, and, I swear I don't think I can say anything else about this episode that would do it justice. Is it my favorite episode in the series? Probably not, I loved Mindful Education a ton, and it actually ended up helping me with anxiety issues, so that's probably my number one episode. The most likely place for this episode is number two, though I could argue that it could be as low as number four or even tied for first. Overall, saying this episode is a masterpiece is a major understatement. I haven't been this invested in a show's characters and their emotions in a very long time, and this episode is a prime example of why.

One of the best episodes of a great cartoon

[Reckno64 · 10/10 · 9 April 2020]

Even before starting this show, I knew of this episode. It was spoken and praised highly by the cartoon community, and ultimately was what got me to start watching the show in 2016 just so I could get to this episode. And what a ride of an episode it was......emotionally!

The music in this episode is particularly incredible, and is one major highlight of this episode in my opinion. The whole show does great music, but the tracks in this episode are just.....out of this world. Some of the best OST I've EVER heard if you ask me.

On the other hand this episode is terribly heartbreaking. Once we get to the last few minutes it actually became almost unbearable to watch cause of how much my heart was aching (But all this in a good way of course). Bring some tissues for this episode of Steven Universe. If there's any episode that has a chance of making you cry, this is it.

Absolutely beautiful episode though. I can't express just how amazing this show can be. I dare say it's some of the finest scenes in all of animation. :)