Courtesy of Den of Geek
Since its premiere in 2013, “Steven Universe” has drawn in many viewers with its dynamic characters, fleshed-out worldbuilding and fascinating story. Seven years later, the unique cartoon has officially come to an end, and as someone who endlessly consumed and produced “Steven Universe” fan art, fan fiction and fan theories, the ending couldn’t be more satisfying.
The show’s four-part finale comes at the end of “Steven Universe: Future,” an epilogue season that jumped forward two years after the end of the main series. The season heavily focused on the titular Steven Quartz Universe (Zach Callison) as he struggled to find his purpose in life after years of helping his friends with their problems. As a result, his own mental issues began to surface, manifesting in the form of strange, powerful abilities.
These issues came to a head in the previous episode, “Fragments,” in which Steven trained with the eternally grumpy former villain Jasper (Kimberly Brooks). However, this fueled Steven’s anger instead of taming it. Steven then shattered Jasper’s gemstone, which was the equivalent of killing her. Although Jasper was quickly resurrected, Steven still felt immensely guilty.
The first part of the finale, “Homeworld Bound,” begins with Jasper expressing respect for Steven, calling him “My Diamond,” a title of prominence for Gems. Steven, who has mixed feelings toward his mother, Pink Diamond, does not like this and flees to the Gem Homeworld. Steven needs to find answers about his powers from the only people who can understand: the Diamond Authority, former tyrannical rulers of Gemkind and current doting grandmas to Steven.
Upon his arrival, viewers are reunited with fan-favorite Spinel (Sarah Stiles), the breakout character of last September’s “Steven Universe: The Movie.” Spinel, just as adorable as ever, takes Steven to see White Diamond (Christine Ebersole), who he had previously confronted in the season five finale, “Change Your Mind.” White Diamond has changed drastically, becoming nicer and gaining the ability to let others possess her, in direct contrast to her possession power in “Change Your Mind.”
Steven takes control of White Diamond and is overwhelmed by trauma, stemming from when White Diamond brutally removed his Gem in “Change Your Mind.” Steven nearly shatters White Diamond’s gem against a pillar before fleeing from Homeworld and returning to Earth.
In “Everything is Fine,” Steven, in denial of his deteriorating mental state, tries to act like it is business as usual as he causes nothing but humorous destruction. Steven’s actions result in a confrontation led by concerned friends and family, where Steven proceeds to go on a long, heart-wrenching rant about his horrible deeds. Lamenting how long he was able to get away with his bad behavior, Steven concludes, “I’m a fraud … I’m a monster.”
The next episode, “I Am My Monster,” confirms a popular fan theory that the monster in the intro sequence was in fact Steven. Steven transforms into said monster, alluding to classic “Kaiju” movies and even including a Godzilla-inspired music cue as he approaches a city. The Diamonds and Spinel soon arrive to help in a hilariously timed moment where they ask if they’re interrupting anything, but they and Steven’s family collapse into crying as they realize that Steven’s transformation is their fault. Connie (Grace Rolek), Steven’s best friend and girlfriend, snaps everyone out of it with an amazing speech, and everyone gives Steven a large, tear-inducing hug. The episode ends with Steven transforming out of his monster state and breaking down in tears.
The final part of the finale, “The Future,” jumps forward a few months, as Steven plans on moving away from home and travelling the country. He says his goodbyes to Bismuth (Miriam Hyman, formerly Uzo Aduba), Peridot (Shelby Rabara), Lapis (Jennifer Paz) and his father, Greg (Tom Scharpling) but finds it difficult to say goodbye to the original three Crystal Gems: Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz) and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall).
In a throwback to the first episode of the series, “Gem Glow,” Steven gives the gems his favorite ice cream snack, Cookie Cats, leading them to reprise the song of the same name. At the end of the episode, Steven drives off on his own, though not before bursting into tears again, with the denizens of Beach City waving goodbye and his car disappearing over the horizon.
As the credits rolled on the final episode, the song “Being Human” played, reminding fans how meaningful these characters have been to them over the last seven years.
Thank you, “Steven Universe,” for everything.
