A Jasper Case Study (Part 4)

Not as She Seems: Relationship with Peridot

I’ve actually wanted to write this post for a long time, because I really liked the dynamic between Peridot and Jasper. I found it very interesting and dissectible precisely because they appear to fulfil the dynamic duo trope of “brains and brawn.” What interested me, though, was that from the get-go they didn’t conform to the trope at all. Rather, there is a depth and complexity to their relationship that lends itself more closely to what I’d find believable in real life.

Jasper and Peridot have had relatively fewer moments on-screen together than most other characters, but each time their relationship surfaces, it always gives us more insight into the characters; they’re always just a little more candid in that particular context.

So another thing that I want to point out before anything is that in the moments we have seen Jasper and Peridot are usually tense and stressful moments for one or both of them. That definitely affects the way they interact with one another.

With that said, let’s get to it!

1. Peridot’s not afraid

When Peridot first started appearing more regularly, one thing that people really commented on was her flinching whenever something was approaching her quickly. It led to a lot of speculation on whether she may have had a history of abuse. While that’s something for another post, the flinching is something that is real.

Even when the Crystal Gems are more comfortable around Peridot and don’t perceive her as a threat anymore, she’s still jumpy whenever, say, Garnet pats her on the back. For one, she can’t see what’s happening, and another, Garnet crushed her from behind in Catch and Release. This is something she reflexively does from loud noises and sudden movements charging at her.

The other thing is that Peridot is smart. When she’s been hurt, she knows how to learn from that and avoid getting hurt the same way in the future. I’d like to talk about Back to the Barn as an example here. Peridot spends the episode talking down to Pearl based on what she’s been taught her whole life what Pearls are supposed to be. It’s definitely offensive to Pearl, who fought precisely to get away from being treated in that manner.

Then the two have a robot competition, which, based on the rules of the competition, Peridot should have won. So in Peridot’s mind, she had proven herself superior. Suddenly, she’s blindsided because Pearl punches her in the face and then the next thing she realises, Pearl won.

And what was the answer she was given when asked why? “Welcome to Earth,” which while witty and a good reference to The Answer, offers her no explanation as to why she shouldn’t be treating Pearl like a Pearl. Make no mistake, the lesson here was that Pearl could do anything she set her mind to, gem-type or not. But that’s not the story that Peridot received. Regardless, we don’t hear a peep from her about the issue after that.

I’d say it’d take several more interactions that she really begin to respect Pearl as not only an equal, but an individual gem capable of making choices and decisions.

But there’s that learning curve, which covers just about everything, including what to do not to get your face punched in.

Notice though, that doesn’t apply to Jasper. In Jail Break, Jasper was clearly worked up about seeing Rose’s gem. Peridot has seen how Jasper dragged Lapis around and threatened the latter, if not on the way to Earth, then upon their arrival when they faced off against the CGs. She knows that Jasper interacts with others very physically, with a lot of grabbing and shoving. And she knows she herself is uncomfortable with that behaviour.

But what do we see?

Peridot complaining and arguing with Jasper about the mission.

Peridot: We can’t leave yet! The whole point of coming here was to check on the Cluster! Jasper *to Sapphire*: Stop singing! Jasper *to Peridot*: Rose Quartz takes priority. Get back to the bridge and set a course for Homeworld.

Source: SU Wiki

For singing a wordless melody, Sapphire gets a face-ful of angry Jasper and a loud punch in her direction. For openly arguing with Jasper and whining about leaving, Peridot gets off incredibly easy. Recall that Jasper ranks rung upon rungs higher than Peridot and then it will sink in how astounding that scene is.

Back on Homeworld, Peridot couldn’t even dream of owning a Pearl. She’s a technician with such a minor role on Homeworld that after directly insulting Yellow Diamond to her face, the empire does absolutely nothing.

And here she is, giving Japser the stink-eye to her face, while being given orders.

Peridot doesn’t even flinch when Jasper’s raising her voice at her. She grimaces when Jasper punches the wall, but that’s not necessarily a flinch. This contrasts sharply with her conversation with Yellow Diamond. In Message Received, it was as if every other sentence was punctuated with a flinch on her part.

And after it all, Peridot turns around heading to the control room complaining.

Peridot: “Go to earth,” they said. “It’ll be easy,” they said.

Source: SU Wiki

This is Jasper. She could hear Amethyst sneaking up on her when corrupted gems were snarling in the background. In the tense and silent corridor of the ship, there’s almost no doubt that Jasper heard that.

Peridot isn’t afraid of Jasper and she’s never expressed any sort of fear towards her. Again, Peridot is smart. If she had any history with Jasper that involved being physically hurt after stepping out of line in any way, she definitely wouldn’t be doing it again.

This leads to the next point.

2. How Jasper treats Peridot

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