"Steven Universe Future" Says Goodbye

After the "Steven Universe" movie aired last year, I thought that there would be a long break before we would see any kind of follow-up. I didn't realize that a sequel series, "Steven Universe Future," was already airing until the final episodes hit Cartoon Network in March. Comprised of twenty ten-minute episodes, "Future" follows the further adventures of Steven Universe, now a sixteen year-old with a driver's license. There's a new theme song, updated graphics, and a boost in animation quality. How is Steven coping with his new powers and life in the wake of saving the universe? Spoiler: he's kinda not.

Everything starts out just peachy with Steven helping to run a school at Little Homeworld, dedicated to restoring shattered Gems and getting them situated with life on Earth. However, the lives of everyone around him are changing rapidly and Steven now has to face a lot of emotional issues that he's been trying to ignore or suppress for too long. Gradually, the stress and anxiety build until Steven is a nervous wreck - a nervous wreck with a lot of power that he's not great at controlling. This comes on very gradually with Steven spending several episodes catching up with his friends first - individual adventures are devoted to Pearl, Garnet, Lapis, Peridot, Jasper, and others. However, once the heavy emotional episodes hit, like Steven discovering several of his friends have made big life changes, or realizing some hard truths about his parents, those hits tend to compound.

Because of its limited scope and the way it's been set up to deliver payoff after payoff to so many of the franchise's story arcs, "Future" really is a must for any fan of "Steven Universe." There's very little filler to speak of, a terrific ongoing set of dilemmas, and plenty of new monsters, fusions, and songs to enjoy. There are a few new characters, and a stealth cameo by Jemaine Clement too. I'm glad that I wrote up my Top Ten list of favorite episodes for "Steven Universe" before watching "Future," because I could have made an entire Top Ten list for "Future" by itself. There's another fabulously traumatic Pearl episode, and a very insightful Greg episode, and one with several members of the Beach City crowd that's awfully bittersweet.

What I've always appreciated most about "Steven Universe" is that it's willing to tackle feelings and emotions so directly, and does a great job of finding fantasy metaphors for difficult situations and growing pains. "Future" finally addresses a lot of the big issues related to Steven's mental and emotional health that have been stewing since the very beginning. He's got a lot of trauma and baggage to work through, and his self-sacrificing nature can actually be harmful - especially when he's run out of enemies to fight and problems to fix. The Big Bad of "Future" is Steven, or rather the unhealthy habits that he's fallen into trying to cope with his extraordinary life as a superpowered half-gem, half-human revolutionary.

Even more importantly, "Future" doesn't solve all of Steven's problems after the big climax and final episode. There's a very distinct end point and resolution, but it's clearly just a first step in Steven's journey to wherever he's going next. The same is true for all of the characters, and if I have any bone to pick with the show, it's that we didn't get more time with my favorites, like Peridot. (Still no fusion, after all this?) And that's perfectly okay because "Future" isn't about redeeming another gem or fighting another outside threat. We get visits and updates on what all the show's regulars are doing, but in the end "Steven Universe Future" is all about Steven.

I'm really going to miss the show. It broke a lot of boundaries and achieved a lot of firsts, but what I love about "Steven Universe" is that it made a case for empathy and understanding over cynicism and aggression whenever it could. There's still a lot of places where the characters could go, but I'm happy with the show ending here. Honestly, it's twenty episodes more than I expected we were going to get, and I'm grateful that everybody got a chance to say goodbye.
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