"Just look at this one,
You've striped her of everything!
Her limb enhancers,
Her status,
Her dignity."
"I still have one of those things."
*cricket noises*
Hello everyone!
After being able to cover the context
Which Peridot was socialized in,
as well as her own world view in previous topics.
We can begin to understand the significance of assistive technology
in her individual narrative, as well as Homeworlds narrative as a whole.
So today I'm going to talk about Peridot's limb enhancers and how that has affected her.
One issue people tend to bring up when Peridot's limb enhancers are mentioned
is Abelism.
It's a form of discrimination that favors the able-bodied
but recent definitions have come to encompass more than that.
Ableism is also the belief that the differently abled have to be fixed
or that they're "defective".
And this ability now no longer refers only to physical, but also mental disability. With that,
lets look at how Peridot's limb enhancers have been treated throughout her development as a character.
When the Crystal Gems first realize that the limb enhancers are assistive technology,
and not biological limbs, Amethyst casually tosses them into the ocean and we never hear of them again.
At this point in the story, Amethyst didnt know that the limb enhancers were needed
perhaps that they were just weapons,
as moments prior, Peridot was using them as a blaster.
But we do hear of them again,
their absence clearly makes a mark, and we do realize that more than being a weapon,
Peridot's limb enhancers did function as limbs.
The first instance we notice the limb enhancers are significant,
is in Too Far.
Steven and Amethyst make fun of Peridot
for her weird names for her own body parts.
Looking back, what did she call the conventional body part names?
Her foot, her arms, her limb enhancers.
This is significant information,
especially with the new information we got from this episode.
In fact, Peridot seemed way too surprised
at the sight of her limbs in Catch and Release.
And she's clearly physically unable to carry out the duties
she was designed for in episodes like When It Rains.
Peridot is a technician.
She works on sights like Kindergartens, but in When It Rains she was unable
to lift off one of the control panels.
What's more, she's surprised that she can't lift it.
She walked up to the panel fully expecting
to be able to lift it. Meaning she's done this before.
So it may be a positive thing that she lived in a society where she was given
assistive technology, so she could be productive, and feel accomplished in a work related sense.
In this manner, she feels that, at least in terms of her job,
she matches up with Era One Peridots and can take pride in that.
And she does! She proudly calls herself a certified kindergartener.
Now Peridot obviously has a need for her limb enhancers,
and more than that, she misses them.
In Log Date 7-15-2 we see her act confidently and simulate conversations with
the other Gems, using the can stilts that Steven gave her.
Even before this, we previously mentioned the importance of her tape recorder,
similar to her log recorder and her limb enhancers.
And in Too Short to Ride, we see the tablet holds some significance as well.
Because it has a similar function to her finger screens.
The thing about her limb enhancers, is that they do more for Peridot
than if she didn't have assistive technology.
For instance, we could go all about without the internet,
our phones, and our cars, but we don't want to.
Now, imagine if it were a real and physical need.
If the parallels aren't clear enough yet, gems can't gain more muscle mass, or mass for that matter.
No amount of exercise, physical training, or things of the sort
can make Peridot physically stronger.
It's a clear marker of someone disabled.
There are clear things they can't change about themselves,
but that doesn't stop them from being happy and doing the things they want to do.
That's why limb enhancers are important.
That's why assistive technologies, both in Steven Universe,
and in our world, are important.
And that's why it's significant that Amethyst is the one
confronting Peridot about the latter's assistive technology on the beach.
Because Amethyst threw away Peridot's limb enhancers,
Amethyst must realize by now the consequences
of her action that day.
And she's trying to remedy that by what she says next.
Amethyst makes a good point,
Peridot doesn't need to focus on what she can't do,
but rather what she can do.
It's the Big/Small, Bulky/Agile issue all over again.
Nonetheless, what she does afterwards is less than encouraging from Peridot's perspective.
Because when Amethyst tosses Peridot's tablet,
she knows fully well what that tablet means to her.
Peridot makes up for her lack of size with a really good strategy
and a lot of information.
The tablet, like her finger screens, helped out with that a lot.
Because they gave her access to a lot of information very quickly.
But even without that function, that tablet gave Peridot a lot of comfort.
This moment would be just like Lapis crushing her tape recorder,
the difference here is what Amethyst said.
"You don't need it."
This scene may be where a lot of people called her out for being an ableist.
To understand why this happened though,
it's significant we look into her thought process first.
At this moment she's annoyed with Peridot
because she's actually reaching out and Peridot appears to ignore her.
We know from episodes like Reformed, how difficult it is for Amethyst
to talk about personal issues with other people.
And this is an issue that hits her also as a defective Quartz gem.
But at the same time we know Peridot's not ignoring her,
and deep down she probably knows Peridot isn't ignoring her too.
Isn't it very like Amethyst to not listen when Pearl and Garnet are reprimanding her?
Only for those words to hit later when she's alone?
At that moment though, Amethyst is frustrated, and upset for her friend.
But she misunderstands the problem.
She doesn't think Peridot needs to be fixed, and shes not denying that Peridot is physically weaker.
The issue with Amethyst is that she takes away Peridot's assistive technology
on the basis that Peridot is fine without it.
Technically speaking, Peridot would be ok without that tablet,
but that doesn't mean that Peridot is great without it either.
She's surviving without assistive technology, because she's forced to.
She's had to be resourceful and make do with everything she's got ever since she got to Earth.
And how would Peridot feel knowing she can't keep up?
Not because the technology wasn't possible, but because she was being deprived from it?
At the end of episode, Peridot discovers that she has Metallokinesis.
And one way that's been interpreted, is that because of this ability
she doesn't need assistive technology anymore.
But in the end, Metallokinesis doesn't really solve the need for assistive technology.
Metallokinesis is inherent to her.
It's like having to use prosthetics, but being good at math.
It's great that she has this power, but it has nothing to do with assisting her condition.
She still is physically weaker, and that's an aspect in which Peridot feels vulnerable.
Besides, she would still like to do things that entail the average amount of physical strength.
Metallokinesis helps because Peridot always, always been resourceful.
But her life could be made easier when lifting metals isn't involved, right?
It's great that she's tapping into more of her potential.
What I find makes the ending not ableist, is that she has the tablet with her in the end.
We see that she does need her old setup which is still in some ways, assistive technology.
We don't hear from the others though, as to whether they feel the same way.
That's hopefully something for another episode.
Rebecca Sugar mentioned in an interview that
the Crewniverse's drawings for Catch and Release would be the last time they see her limb enhancers...
for a while.
That means there's a very strong possibility we do see them again.
Perhaps by that time, the others will accept they're indeed needed in Peridot's life.
Just to close off the discussion of the episode,
the very end of the episode has a scene to be appreciated.
After winning her alien plush toy, Peridot herself invokes a name, Shortie Squad.
This is a positive development,
she might be coming around in regards to associating 'short' with 'bad'.
That's a good thing, because in that regard she's not equating her worth to her size anymore.
And this is a vocal manifestation of it.
Additionally, it shows that there is a balance between Amethyst's advice and her need for assistive technology.
There are non-negotiable aspects of needing assistive technology.
Such as the need to lift heavy things she operates with every day.
But in terms of aspects she can't change (like height)
that don't affect her being able to do the things she wants to do (like have fun).
There is wisdom in putting those insecurities aside.
Only time will tell how Peridot develops.
Once she puts what she once saw as great behind her,
she'll become a much better gem.
The writer for this video is once again PoetofthePiano
Thank you Patreon supporters for all your contributions!
Thanks for watching!