Endings are hard to write sometimes. Some writers know how to nail it, and others don’t. Conclusions especially can be the most controversial for fan-groups since what the creators envision for a character’s end may conflict with how fans imagined their endings to be. In some ways, a conclusion is a thesis on a character or property; the writer’s or creator’s final statement of a story's overall qualities or moral measures. 2019 was the year where a lot of franchises “ended”( I put ended in quotes because, let’s be honest; these are franchises and years from now, I’m sure someone will find a way to bring All of these franchises back) and retired the story of some central characters. Marvel had Avengers: Endgame, Game of Thrones ended on HBO, and even Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ended the 9-part Skywalker saga.
For me, the most satisfying ending of all these franchises was Steven Universe. To not say it was a perfect ending, but of all endings to franchises that I was following at the time, Steven Universe’s finale hit an emotional and satisfying chord that the others missed.
I’ve gone on record to some of my friends and Partner that Steven Universe is one of my favorite shows of all time. While that is certainly subject to change, it would be too dismissive of me to downplay how much I’ve enjoyed the show. I didn’t catch on to how special it was until possibly the second season. Garnet was revealed to be a fusion of two female-presenting gems, thus making Garnet the first real representation of LGBTQ themes/characters in Steven Universe. Through Garnet, I began seriously following the exploits of a half-human and half-alien boy going on adventures with his three adoptive alien mothers. I had watched the show tackle topics of depression, abusive relationships, fear, anxiety, and colonialism in the guise of a sci-fi cartoon show, but what kept me coming back were the characters. Steven Universe is a romantic science fiction story about a boy who discovers he plays a larger role in the universe while learning to have healthy and meaningful relationships with the people around him amongst the negative things that are also bound to happen in life. Not to mention what this cartoon has done for LGBTQ representation in kids’ animation is nothing more than a monumental achievement in entertainment.
While Steven Universe overall has a generally positive reaction from most critics and viewers, a lot of the fanbase is divided on how well the ending to Steven Universe holds up. To some degree, I think a lot of those criticisms are a bit unfair. As always, art is objective and makes everyone feel differently, but I’ve found myself disagreeing with many of the complaints lauded at Steven Universe's ending. Keep in mind, I don’t think the end is flawlessly written or that’s there’s nothing wrong with it at all, but I do believe most of the good makes the ending all the more worth the watch. With all that in mind, I want to breakdown the three conclusions to Steven Universe and share my overall thoughts on how it succeeded for my tastes personally. Spoilers for the overall show, so if you’re unfamiliar with Steven Universe or haven’t seen the endings, I would avoid this. There’s also not going to be a lot of summarization here; this is for people who've seen the whole show and are familiar with the lore.
The Series Finale:
For me, the series finale was undoubtedly abrupt. It’s hard to exactly tell what Rebecca Sugar and her writer’s team had in mind as far as how long the show was intended to go, but something about the last season felt as if they were leading to larger events than what had happened. In retrospect, it’s easy to see the show winding down to some conclusion by the time the diamonds showed up on earth. In my head, I was imagining a large gem battle or another gem war going on for about a season or two where Steven finally grows into the warrior or defender he was being trained to be by the Crystal Gems. However, I now realize that the great battle I had envisioned happened in the episode where Ruby and Sapphire had their wedding. With sci-fi/fantasy shows like this, I was conditioned to expect larger battles, life and death stakes, and final killing blows, but in retrospect, I realize that Steven Universe isn’t about that.
It seemed as if I was waiting for the show to become violent and bleaker than it was; I’m thinking of a tone more in line with something like Avatar: The Last Airbender, but that’s not what it is about. Steven Universe uses the power of love and kindness to resolve deeply seated issues instead of using violence. I know that sounds silly, but this is a big deal for a kid’s cartoon, especially for young boys watching the show. Little boys can now see a male role-model that often uses defense instead of offense as a weapon (hence always using a shield) and using love and kindness to reach his enemies. My point being, while the ending seemed rushed on initial viewing but in retrospect, of the show as a whole, it does seem as if This was the ending they had initially in mind, although just rushed out. It could be attributed to the strength of the Steven Universe writers. Still, the Steven Universe series' conclusion seems to wrap up many of the primary character arcs throughout the long-running narrative.
While I believe the overall conclusion to the series is mostly well written, there are parts of it that I wished had gotten more fleshed out. Steven and the gems seem to rush through at least four different gem combinations or fusions that consist of Rainbow 2.0, Sunstone, and Obsidian. I would argue Obsidian is a fusion that deserves to be in the finale, but Rainbow 2.0 and Sunstone need a lot more development as characters; both fusions are based on the intricate differences between Steven’s two mother figures. Peral especially has a complicated relationship with Steven. While Pearl loves Steven, the writers have certainly made it clear that some part of her resents Steven for being the thing that replaced Rose. While she’s gotten over her lost love for Rose by this point, Peral would still have some baggage, and her instantly fusing with Steven after only a season ago getting over her obsession over Rose does seem rushed. Rainbow 2.0 needed a whole episode to explore what that means for Peral as fusing was a form of intimacy to her, and Steven is essentially her son. Steven views Garnet as the ultimate role-model and wants to live up to be her. Sunstone would be the last fusion to come about because this signifies that Steven has fully mastered his abilities and how his emotions affect them. These fusions are essentially more extensive statements for Steven’s relationship with his segregate mothers. For a show that is often about the complexities of relationships, it's sad that they skipped out on developing Sunstone and Rainbow 2.0.
The things I do like, however, I think make Steven Universe’s ending a compelling finale. I like that White Diamond encompasses everything that Steven doesn’t believe, which is that everyone needs to be the same to be acceptable. White Diamond uses mind-control to turn everyone into her with the same white face and smiling expressions; for her, it’s the ultimate form of control and power. Steven Universe as a character, and through extension the overall show celebrates people who are different and promotes a culture of acceptance. I know some people find this to be a bit pandering and maybe too on the nose, but again I will point out that this is a children’s cartoon show; simplistic messages about love and acceptance can go a long way for a younger audience. Maybe it could have done it better, but at that point, we’re merely talking about objective opinions, and in my opinion, they do it well.
The big climactic scene that ends the conflict is not Steven punching White Diamond in the face and throwing her in jail like most sci-fi and superhero shows, but it ends with Steven loving and accepting his pure diamond form. Throughout the last arc with the diamonds, Yellow and Blue Diamond repeatedly call Steven “Pink Diamond” because they possess the same pink gem. You see, Pink Diamond gave up her form and essentially turned into Steven. The details to Steven's birth are ultimately not explained so the specific mechanics of his birth remain a mystery. As an audience, we know that Steven used to be Pink Diamond but has nonlinear memories of his former life. I like this notion because it turns the Steven Universe narrative into a Trans male metaphor, which is a perspective that many people share.
On the one hand, I can understand why some would be offended by this; if trans people are going to have any narrative on a cartoon show, Steven should’ve been directly trans instead of “metaphorically” trans. On the other hand, while Steven's story remains a metaphor, many different interpretations could be attached to it. Steven Universe could easily be seen as a gay narrative in which a little boy accepts his feminine nature despite others telling him he needs to be more ruthless. Regardless of how one views this narrative, I don’t think Rebecca Sugar or any creatives working on the show had any bad intentions when constructing Steven’s overall arc. In the last scene of the series, Steven sings along that goes like this:
“I don’t need you to respect me, I respect me
I don’t need you to love me, I love me
But I ask that you get to know me
If you change your mind.”
In my view, it’s Steven’s ultimate message of acceptance and identity. Whether they’re a queer child or simply just a child that’s different from others, anyone should be free to love themselves; the real conflict is whether the people around will love and accept them. I find that sentiment beautiful.
Overall while it’s not the best ending to a show, I think Steven Universe ends on an appropriate note and, at the very least, wraps up Steven’s character arc effectively. As for the other lingering plot threads in the show that never get picked back up again, I’ll discuss them in the epilogue.
Steven Universe: The Movie:
I suppose this will essentially be a mini-review of Steven Universe: The movie, and I’ll display some of my overall thoughts on the film and how it works as an End-song to Steven Universe.
The movie, in my opinion, is a beautiful love-letter to the show. Although one could skip this in the grand narrative that is Steven Universe, it’s a story that works on its own and doesn’t have the baggage of feeling too connected to any lingering plot threads from the show epilogue series. It does require one to have seen the ending to the Steven Universe show, so it doesn’t stand entirely on its own.
The movie takes place two years after the ending of the series; Steven and the Gems have set up an earth colony for gems on earth, and Steven is working with the gems to dismantle their fascist empire. Now 16 or 17 years, Steven is fully happy with his life as he doesn’t have to deal with so many alien conflicts anymore. That is until, of course, Spinal comes in; Spinal is an old playmate of Steven’s mom who wants to exact her revenge because Rose left her all alone. Steven’s first encounter is somewhat successful, but it ends with Steven and the gems being hit by a synth that makes the gems poof and weakens Steven’s powers. As the gems start to reform, Steven notices that they have been re-set to their societal functions and roles before rebelling against the gem empire. Pearl is a servant that only listens to Greg (Steven’s dad), Garnet has split as Ruby and Sapphire with no memories of their relationship, and Amethyst is a baby. Essentially all of the crystal gems are factory reset, and it’s up to Steven to restore their memories so that they can be their true selves. Meanwhile, Spinel has also been factory reset to the person she was before Rose left her, which is Rose’s best friend.
I won’t waste too much time recapping what all happened in the movie. If you’re interested in this blog at all, you’ve probably already seen it (Hulu, please go ahead and release the rest of Steven Universe on your platform) and heard some of the wonderful songs that Rebecca Sugar, Chance the Rapper, Estelle, and co helped produce for the movie. Sugar made sure to structure the film like an actual musical; she even had the movie open with White Diamond reading from a picture book that told the overarching story of Steven’s life. The best part of the movie for me personally is Spinel. In my opinion, Spinel is the villain that Steven Universe needed as a show; she has direct ties to Rose in her previous life as a royal diamond, she is threatening and intimidating, and she can be funny at the same time. She could’ve been like Steven Universe’s joker, a reoccurring villain that was entertaining to watch and see our heroes go against her. Spinel’s overall arc in the movie is sad and makes a compelling argument as to why she would be so upset.
As for the rest of the movie, it’s pretty good. As I said, the movie works as a great love-letter to the show in that it encompasses many of the things Steven Universe as a show is unique for: compelling and sympathetic antagonist going through mental illnesses, fears of self-doubt, power and acceptance through self-discovery, and ultimately fighting one's enemies with love and understanding instead of hate. Spinel was originally going to be shattered (killed) at the end. Wisely, they decided to keep her alive for redemption, something that’s within the Steven Universe story's tradition. Overall I’d say if you’ve never seen Steven Universe and wanted to watch this movie, this is an excellent representation of the Steven Universe show.
Steven Universe: Future:
Steven Universe: Future is where my opinion will differ from most people who feel strongly about this show. In the epilogue show, Steven Universe deals with the mental ramifications of all the trauma he went through in the original show. Many people have come out to say that Steven Universe’s portrayal of anxiety and mental illness is “unrealistic” and unnecessary. I think that Steven Universe’s depiction of mental illness is valid and appropriate for the show's tone. I know I keep going back to this a lot, but ultimately Steven Universe is a show aimed at young children. Any simplification of a complicated issue, such as mental illness or anxiety, is their way of showing a younger audience what mental illness is and how effective it is. I believe Steven’s anxiety symptoms are sound; as someone who is always supposed to be the level-headed and peaceful one, only to find that his efforts are less effective now and that he can’t fix everything is quite daunting on him.
Throughout the show, Steven is learning the hard lesson that love and kindness aren’t going to win everyone over. Throughout most of his adolescent years, Steven was told that he needed to get ready for a big gem battle and restore peace in the gem empire for his mother’s sake. Now that the hard work is done and the war is over, it leaves Steven with not much to look forward to as far as a future goes. Once he sees that everyone else is evolving and moving on to new stages in their life, Steven is still protecting the gems and doing everything to help the gem colony on beach city. Once the waters are all settled, Steven is left with nothing else but to deal with his trauma, making every failed situation "feel like its the end of the world," as Steven would put it.
Another point to bring up is that mental illness affects everyone differently. While there are textbook symptoms and behaviors that most people fall prey to, there’s still not exactly a one-size-fits-all for those affected by mental health. The criticism always came off as if there’s only one real way to depict mental health, and I think that’s creatively limiting. In the end, Steven Universe is still a show made for entertainment, and I don’t think having Steven cry in a corner for an entire series is entertaining. The show already uses many metaphors for Steven’s gem powers; coming out, puberty, new-found responsibility, and even to some extent, Godhood. It only makes sense that Sugar and Co would also use Steven’s powers to communicate the metaphor of anxiety and trauma. Just so I’m clear, I’m not invalidating anyone else’s experiences with trauma just because it conflicts with my views on a cartoon show. Suppose you feel as if Steve Universe’s depiction of anxiety and trauma is genuinely problematic. In that case, you’re free to challenge me on that, but at least based on the quality and standards of the show so far, I believe the show’s portrayal of these mental illnesses is valid for the message they want to communicate.
With all of that out of the way, I’ll start by saying that if Steven Universe: the movie was a love-letter to the original show, then Steven Universe: Future is a criticism of the show. Steven Universe: Future is, in many ways, the “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” of the Steven Universe franchise. Many of the tropes and expectations you would come to appreciate in Steven Universe are subverted and challenged. Steven Universe: Future doesn’t have a new threat or intergalactic enemy the team has to face but is simply about all the aftermath of the ending conflict from the last Steven Universe show. Gems from the earth-based Gem Colony occupy beach City, and Steven with the crystal gems are working to maintain that society. Steven works as a teacher, tutor, and guide. As stated earlier, there are no significant threats, but Steven's situation causes a reaction that makes his powers flair up and changes his shape and speed. These flare up in his abilities also cause Steven to be irritable and angrier than usual.
I’ll go ahead and admit now that there were some episodes I didn’t see as I primarily had to keep up with most of the shows through YouTube videos that later got taken down through copyright claims. However, I was able to see enough episodes that were centered around Steven’s struggle with his mental health and change. I love that Rebecca Sugar’s willingness to take her main character, who i typically fun and light-hearted, into a dark place. There are points where Steven comes off as violent, dismissive, and downright murderous. Especially during the last four episodes, Steven slips more and more into his dark-side and does some things you’d never think a character like him would do. While it’s not exactly the most shocking, it is apparent that Rebecca Sugar and Co wanted to shift our view of Steven. Steven goes through unhealthy coping mechanisms to ignore his trauma and anger for all the things changing around him. Steven even yells at his dad for not putting him in school and giving him an everyday life, and now he doesn’t have many options for what he could do in life. Steven has been so wrapped up in preventing gem wars that no one sat him down to decide what he wanted to do or be once he became an adult. Steven wants to move on, he is ready to move on, but there was so much baggage and un-dealt with anger.
All of Steven's struggles culminate in a conclusion that, in all honesty, was theorized to have happened by everyone making fan-art on Instagram in which Steven is corrupted and turns into a giant pink gem monster. Even though many had speculated it to happen, it was still an exciting way to end Steven’s arc of anxiety. Not only is "I am a monster"(episode title) a symbol for how Steven feels at the moment, but it’s also another allusion or a throwback to anime tropes such as Goku turning into a giant monkey in Dragon Ball. More interestingly, in the tradition of the show’s message of peace and love, the problem is solved not by the Crystal gems fusing as a giant gem to fight Steven but instead all of supporting cast joining along with his crush Connie in hugging him. I know many people find this conclusion corny, silly, lame, and that it would never be that simple, but I like it. Again, as someone who has grown up watching tons of genre-fiction and reading comics where everything ends with a big climactic battle, it’s refreshing to see a show like this take the peaceful route. The ending keeps in Steven Universe’s tradition of solving issues not with fighting threats, and force but with love, compassion, and understanding: it’s those things that Steven needs most when he sees himself as a monster. In my opinion, the ending where Steven goes back to normal and sees all of his friends around him while wrapped in a blanket and crying as his pet lion licks him is one of the most beautiful and cathartic moments in the show.
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t get much into Steven Universe until possibly the tail-end of the first season, but ever since, it has been a massive inspiration for me as a consumer and as a storyteller. It mixed manga and anime tropes in a way that was original, intimate, and romantic. I’m just now learning that many of the show’s weaker efforts, such as the seasonal “Towny” episodes, and some of the condensed storytelling, was all a matter of compromise due to Rebecca Sugar’s contract with Cartoon Network. The Cartoon Network channel wanted Steven Universe to be funny and light-hearted and often told Sugar to drawback on many LGBTQ elements to appeal to an international market. Knowing that Cartoon Network squandered some of Steven Universe’s storytelling, the endings to the show come off as Rebecca Sugar trying her best to tell the full story while also not compromising what Steven Universe is at its core. Had Rebecca Sugar had free-reign, we probably would have gotten a more developed and less rushed and sudden ending.
I suppose that’s why I don’t hate any of these endings, and maybe it’s for the best. I hate shows that go on and on just for the sake of making money. There’s nothing wrong with episodic television; many shows make it work like Bob’s Burgers or Letterkenny, but something like Steven Universe was always working towards an ending in mind. Any more material from the show would have been well-written and well-animated light fun, instead of the family drama of love and acceptance that Steven Universe is known best for being. Steven Universe's endings aren’t perfect, but I can tell that Rebecca Sugar was merely trying to wrap things up before the show got canceled. She wouldn’t have been able to complete Steven’s story, and for that, I see these endings as an excellent achievement for an artist.
For more context and information on what all Rebecca Sugar had to say about the endings of Steven Universe, please check out this video from fan and Steven Universe expert from The RoundTable YouTube channel: