The End of Steven Universe, and Why it Was Important

It’s over, isn’t it?

Every generation has one kids’ show that changes everything for the medium going forward. Gen-X had Batman: The Animated Series, which proved cartoons could be serious and psychologically and narratively complex. We Millennials had Avatar: The Last Airbender, which demonstrated that cartoons could build an intricate mythos and that even child characters could undergo rich and compelling development. And Gen-Z had Steven Universe, which not only built on each of the aforementioned testaments, but did so in the service of themes and a level of emotional maturity rarely found in childrens’ entertainment. That it spoke explicitly to the marginalized and translated concepts and feelings never before seen in kids’ animation should not be discounted by any means either.

And so it’s a great shame that Steven Universe has ended, the beloved brainchild of animator-writer-producer extraordinaire Rebecca Sugar, who somehow has six seasons of a hit show under her belt (not to mention five seasons as the best storyboard artist on Adventure Time!) by just the age of thirty-two. Of course the final season was technically a separate spin-off-sequel-miniseries taking place after Steven Universe The Movie, with the primary focus on the title character dealing with the psychological fallout of everything from the main series, with an almost BoJack Horseman level of metatextual introspection.

That comparison is not accidental, as in its boldness to address certain kinds of subject matter and articulate feelings with depth and honesty, Steven Universe has been for kids’ animation almost what BoJack has for adults. It’s obviously not as grim, nor I would argue as profound, complex and thematically intrepid -one of the advantages of BoJack’s adult orientation. But both shows superbly elevated the craft of T.V. animation by proving the daring new things that could be done with it. Both began in 2014 and have concluded their runs in early 2020 -wrapping up before the world ends. And it’s not lost on me that like BoJack, Steven Universe’s last episodes brought its titular character to his lowest point before rescuing him and ending on a very subdued note.

Steven Universe was a show that could have kept going though. Certainly there was enough still to explore, plenty more to do its with its large cast of fascinating and lovable characters (we never did get to see a single Peridot fusion!). But then, I can see that this was also the right time to end. 180 episodes and a movie is a hell of a run! It doesn’t mean I can’t be sad about it though. One of the things Steven Universe always taught was that it’s okay to be sad, a show that ventured into that territory so much that characters crying became one of its clichés.

This is actually the major plot, and perhaps in-joke of the finale, simply titled “The Future”, where a point is made of the three main Crystal Gems being unusually calm and unperturbed concerning Stevens’ decision to leave Beach City. Rebecca Sugar clearly knew considering how often she and her staff had visited the well of maudlin story or character beats over the last six years, that it would be an amusing subversion to bypass all that for the duration of the episode. We’d all be expecting eleven minutes of waterworks, it would be jarring if that weren’t the case.

The whole of Steven Universe Future was really about that kind of subversion though. For what initially looked like a clever continuation of the series after the heavy conclusiveness of both “Change Your Mind”, the masterful fifth season finale, and Steven Universe: The Movie (in my review of which I predicted it indicated the series would go on, and though technically right, it was far less than I implied and I now feel like Boo-Boo the Fool), this sequel series actually had a very specific goal quite different to that of its predecessor. Its’ grand-scale expansive gaze turned inward, it was grounded and bereft of any of the kind of earth-shattering conflict that had characterized the series previously. For the first time since that first season almost all the action took place on Earth, there was very little major focus or drama given over to the supporting cast, and Steven himself had virtually no conflict with any of the Gems or other alien adversaries. He’d resolved all that. His conflict was now with himself, and for the first time, it was his own identity -nothing to do with Rose Quartz.

Obviously, character psychology and deep feelings, whether expressed openly or not, has been a part of the shows’ DNA from the start -Rebecca Sugar admitting it served as a kind of outlet for her emotional turbulence. But this was new. It wasn’t coupled with mammoth plot points or world-building, and it wasn’t disguised within metaphor -the artifice stripped away, leaving Steven to deal with very human problems. Perhaps it was an advantage of the limited run or the series skewing slightly older (Steven was now a teenager), but this was a frequent characteristic of Future. The show didn’t need to necessarily segment its representation through allegory anymore -a human character was introduced who was explicitly gender non-binary for example. And gem powers were either downplayed or in the case of Steven, bent around his distinctly human anxieties, and principally the psychological fallout of trauma. The back half of the season especially emphasized Stevens’ place of flux in the world. What’s his purpose now that he’s saved the galaxy?

And in that void of not knowing his role, the trauma he underwent through the course of the series bubbles up and manifests itself through physical reactions -minor inconveniences or disappointments cause his body to react as though the world were ending. It’s in fact based in a real kind of PTSD response that once again Sugar understood from personal experience. For Steven, it’s adverse effects are obviously a lot more tangible though. It doesn’t necessarily surprise me that Steven Universe would go there, into the territory of mental health issues and the importance of seeking out help rather than repressing or denying serious strains. But what is surprising is how this plot point reframes a lot of what came before in a negative light. We’re so used to these kind of adventure shows putting characters in peril on a regular basis, but rarely are the personal ramifications taken into account. There’s nothing wrong with not doing that of course, but it’s a mark of Steven Universe’s self-awareness that it can point to all these other episodes and show that, while fun, they don’t exist in a vacuum, and add up to some real scars for its title character.

When Dr. Maheswaran diagnoses all this in the episode “Growing Pains”, it’s a little like Frank Grimes commenting incredulously on The Simpsons’ bizarre universe. It’s that little bit of pulling you out of the show’s reality to say ‘this is not normal’. The fact that Steven never went to school, a light-hearted joke among fans akin to the Harry Potter kids never learning any real life skills at Hogwarts, also comes up in a more serious context -as something Steven was deprived of. And each of these little realizations is adding up, the longer Steven refuses to address them, the more self-destructive he becomes and inadvertently causes harm to others. It’s all a demonstration of the show interrogating itself, exploring the avenues of Steven’s mental state, and answering for the choices made in the previous five seasons -not taking away from those choices of course, but giving them nuance. Even Greg, the affable, supportive, and generally upstanding father is cast in a new unflattering light in the episode “Mr. Universe”.

And though it culminates in a neat kaiju homage with “I Am My Monster”, the shifted POV to the supporting characters and the onus on them to save Steven for the first time represents another major but necessary change to the series’ usual modus operandi, that communicates both bluntly and subtly the equally important messages of self-care and being there for struggling loved ones. The power of love and empathy is the ultimate saviour -and that sounds familiar…

Because at the end of the day, with all the evolving psychological examination, deeper themes and metaphors, and even structural and narrative changes, Steven Universe can’t help but stay in its natural habitat -presuming it ever had any inclination to leave. And it brings me back to “The Future”. The whole episode plays with your expectations of a tearjerker ending, and though we do get a very tender scene between Steven and Greg and a sincere yet comical emotional send-off for Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth, every weepy opportunity with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl is averted in favour of niceties and a cute callback to the series premiere, “Gem Glow”.

But at the home stretch, Sugar knows to give her audience what they want. As differently poignant and authentically coming-of-age as this may be, it’s still Steven Universe, and she allows the Gems to finally crack. We get the bittersweet parting that we want, tears and all (Garnet’s outburst is especially amusing) and it’s wonderful. The soft animation, the voice actors -impeccable as always, and the sentimental garnish that is “Being Human” the seasons’ end title track performed by Emily King, make it a warm and beautiful experience. And yes, even eliciting an emotional response out of me, having been watching the show for over four years and understanding I won’t see these characters again. So as a fan, those last couple minutes were a perfect goodbye.

That withholding but ultimate delivery on exactly what is expected is indicative of Steven Universe itself, a show which has always had a core identity and set of values, as much as its characters and even creators have struggled with such things. Steven Universe has been a show about love and relationships and empathy and articulating feelings ever since it was merely that pastel-coated cartoon about a super powered boy and his three alien mums. It’s what made the show, and has made it make a difference.

All of it’s other grand accomplishments stem from those essential tenets of its mission statement: the waves it’s made in LGBTQ representation (and not just in childrens’ media mind) and curbing notions of heteronormativity and toxic masculinity, the unique methods of its storytelling and creativity, the frequency of music -a seemingly endless list of terrific songs that have come out of this show, and its utmost dedication to using its platform and influence to emphasize the promotion of such vital virtues. It genuinely aimed to make the world a better place through drawing a fantasy where compassion and acceptance are as powerful as armies and weapons -and far more conducive to enacting good and change.

And it worked. The children who’ve been exposed to these lessons through a bright and vibrant cartoon full of colourful characters will carry its principles forward. The older viewers and adults who watched the show will likewise be reminded of their worth, and may be less prone to the cynicism that comes with their everyday existence in a world as relentlessly cruel and distressing as this one. It’s certainly done wonders for me in that department.

Like its’ aforementioned predecessors, Steven Universe transcended the childrens’ television form and broke the mold, changing the medium for good forever afterwards. No show is ever going to be quite like it again, though it has firmly created the circumstances for another to measure up. And for that I want to thank Rebecca Sugar deeply for the legacy she’s crafted, and will attentively anticipate whatever projects she commits herself to next. I want to thank her and Aivi & Surasshu for their beautiful music, all the producers, animators, and storyboard artists (many of whom have gone on to their own successes). And of course I want to thank the incredible cast of Zach Callison, Deedee Magno Hall, Estelle, Michaela Dietz, Grace Rolek, Tom Scharpling, Shelby Rabara, Jennifer Paz, Susan Egan, Charlyne Yi, Erica Luttrell, Matthew Moy, Kate Micucci, Patti LuPone, Lisa Hannigan, Kimberley Brooks, Uzo Aduba, AJ Michalka, Sarah Stiles, and Christine Ebersole.

Steven Universe was an amazing, audacious, breathtaking, and critical show, and the world is better for its’ having existed.