History Recap / StevenUniverseS4E20Lion4AlternateEnding

* CoolKey: Lion coughing up one, seemingly in response to Steven's desires, leads the kid on a chase to figure out what it's supposed to unlock and how it relates to him. Turns out it's the key to a new, previously unseen Gem ruin... [[ShaggyDogStory that's missing three out of four walls (making the key pointless) and which Rose was using as a garbage dump]]. Though it ''did'' lead him to the Nora video.

* DoubleMeaningTitle: The episode's title continues the movie ThemeNaming of Lion episodes that began with "Lion 2: The Movie". In this case, the title refers to an alternate ending, and indeed the Nora tape Steven finds is an alternate ending of the Steven tape from "Lion 3: Straight to Video" in case Steven was born a girl. There is also a triple meaning: the Nora tape would have also been an alternate ending to ''Rose's life''.

* DoubleMeaningTitle: The Nora tape has as alternate ending in case Steven was born a girl, which would have been also been an alternate ending to ''Rose's life''.

Wondering if he has a long-lost sister he never knew about, Steven asks Lion to take him to where he can get answers about the tape. Lion takes him to a hill outside Beach City that Greg uses as his "jamming hill" to compose new music. Greg is surprised to see the tape, never having expected to ever see it again, and puts it on for Steven to watch. It's almost the same as Steven's tape, and he pauses it to demand answers. Greg explains that he and Rose didn't know what sex their child was going to be, so they picked out two names, and "Nora" was what they were going to call their kid if it was a girl. Steven is immensely relieved when his father explains that Rose just wanted him to live his own life, and she didn't have any sort of magical Gem destiny planned out for him at all.

Steven travels with Lion.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The episode reveals that Steven was ''not'' born with any particular destiny or purpose, Rose and Greg had him merely because they wanted to. Thus making this an {{Subverted Trope}}, because even though Steven has powers, lives with Alien Gems and has a mysterious pet Lion, in the eyes of destiny or fate or whatever you wanna call it, ''he's just another kid''.
* CallBack:

** Steven refers to his "magical Gem destiny", the same phrase Connie used to describe Steven's life back in "Lion 2: The Movie".

'''Steven:''' I'm my mom and my sister?! What kind of destiny is this?!

** Steven describes Rose’s theoretical plans for his life as a "magical destiny", which is a line Connie used to describe his life (in contrast with hers) in "Lion 2: The Movie" that's been referenced several times before.
** Lion coughs up a lizard covered in crystal, which was something he was shown eating in "Lion 2". He later finds and chases another after arriving at the ruined temple.
** Steven revisits the arsenal from "Lion 2", Rose's fountain from "An Indirect Kiss", and Rose's room while trying to find where the key fits.
** Greg mentions that he changed his last name, which "Gem Harvest" revealed.
* CoolKey: Lion coughing up one, seemingly in response to Steven's desires, leads the kid on a chase to figure out what it's supposed to unlock and how it relates to him. Turns out it's the key to a new, previously unseen Gem ruin... [[ShaggyDogStory that's missing three out of four walls (making the key pointless) and which Rose was using as a garbage dump.]] Though it ''did'' lead him to the Nora video.

* CrossReferencedTitles: To [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E10StevensLion "Steven's Lion"]], [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E17Lion2TheMovie "Lion 2: The Movie"]], and [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E35Lion3StraightToVideo "Lion 3: Straight To Video"]].

* DeliberateVHSQuality: The "For Nora" has even more fade and tracking lines than the "For Steven" version of the video because it was sitting in a pile outdoors.

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The episode reveals that Steven was ''not'' born with any particular destiny or purpose, Rose and Greg had him merely because they wanted to. Thus making this an {{Averted Trope}}, because even though Steven has powers, lives with Alien Gems and has a mysterious pet Lion, in the eyes of destiny or fate or whatever you wanna call it, ''he's just another kid''.

* TheChosenOne: Averted. Steven spends the episode trying to find out what his role as this is, but at the end, it's revealed he's just another being in the universe.

[[caption-width-right:350:Steven discovers another tape in Rose's landfill.]]

** Steven rewatches the video from [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E35Lion3StraightToVideo "Lion 3: Straight To Video"]].

* BecauseDestinySaysSo: The episode reveals that Steven was ''not'' born with any particular destiny or purpose, Rose and Greg had him merely because they wanted to. Thus making this an {{Averted Trope}}, because even though Steven has powers, lives with Alien Gems [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and has a mysterious pet Lion]], in the eyes of destiny or fate or whatever you wanna call it, ''he's just another kid''.

* MeaningfulName: The titular alternate ending refers to Nora, being an alternate ending to Rose's life had Steven been born a girl.

** Steven refers to his "Magical Gem destiny", the same phrase Connie used to describe Steven's life back in "Lion 2: The Movie".

** When Steven briefly thinks Rose left a hidden message about Asia, he wonders if that means he should go ''back'' to Asia, referencing his trip to Korea in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS4E10StevensDream “Steven’s Dream”]].
** Steven describes Rose’s theoretical plans for his life as a "magical destiny", which is a line Connie used to describe his life (in contrast with hers) in "Lion 2: The Movie" that’s been referenced several times before.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: What Rose loved most about humans was their ability to choose their own lives, instead of being made for a specific task like gems. Steven spends the episode desperately trying to find out what his mother wanted him to do.

* VicariouslyAmbitious: [[ZigZaggedTrope Rose’s thoughts for Steven can be seen as vicarious or very much the opposite.]] She didn’t have some plan for him to fulfill or even want him to [[FollowInMyFootsteps take her place]], Rose just wanted Steven to be born and live his own life. However, choosing one’s own life was something ''Rose'' wanted, and thought HumansAreSpecial for being able to do so.

** Spend four hours in a hot desert with no shade or water, you’re going to get extremely parched.

* AudienceSurrogate: Steven spends the whole episode acting like a lot of the show's fans, obsessively poring over every last detail in the absolute certainty that there's some deep meaning behind every bit of it.

** Lion coughs up a lizard covered in crystal, which was something he was shown eating in "Lion 2".

** As with most parents, Rose and Greg didn't plan out what Steven would become in the future, they only wanted him to be happy as he was.
** The Nora tape has spent Steven's entire life plus some months in the middle of the desert, exposed to the elements. While still watchable, the film is noticeably more grainy and discolored than the Steven one.

** The Nora tape has spent Steven's entire life plus some months, in the middle of the desert, exposed to the elements. While still watchable, the film is noticeably more grainy and discolored than the Steven one.

** The Nora tape has spent Steven's entire life, possibly longer, in the middle of the desert, exposed to the elements. While still watchable, the film is noticeably more grainy and discolored than the Steven one.