I am going to level with all of you…I have been a BIG Steven Universe fan since day one. The moment I heard Cookie Cat I was hooked. That space cat who left his family behind drew me in like no other cartoon on television at the time. For someone with training in animation…that’s saying A LOT. While the styling was unusual I saw so much potential in the story, its characters and the growth of the artists that I stuck with it. I stuck with it until its end. As bittersweet as this ending is it makes SO MUCH SENSE and I give MAD PROPS to Rebecca Sugar for actually ENDING a series during an age of endless television shows.
Season 1 – Surprises, Songs and Story
Season 1 had A LOT of highs and lows. Steven turns his fingers into cats, a giant eyeball tries to wreck beach city, we meet Lion…and SO MUCH MORE. Here are some highlights from this season…
- Onion…just that. Onion.
- Steven recruits himself…through time travel.
- We discover the mirror Steven uses is ACTUALLY a gem: Lapis Lazuli!
- Steven turns a watermelon into a fruit Steven…MANY MANY TIMES.
- We discover Garnet is a FUSION!
- We get Stevonnie!
Seasons 2-5: Mysteries, A Cluster, Diamonds and Lore
Following the escape from Peridot’s cruiser, the Crystal Gems are reminded of the fact that they are NOT alone in this universe. Greg must confront his old love and his new fears. Sapphire and Ruby have their relationship tested. Pearl must accept that Rose Quartz, Steven’s Mother, no longer exists in Steven’s gem. Amethyst learns to overcome her insecurities and face the world as she is. Peridot and Lapis form a bond over their outcast status while Jasper fumes in secret, plotting the demise of the person she blames for the loss of Pink Diamond. Speaking of Pink…she’s Steven. Erm..ok, well, not really but Steven’s gem WAS Pink Diamond’s which makes him a diamond and causes quite the mess on Homeworld. Oh…and on Homeworld this happens…
- Steven discovers he’s a Diamond and meets the Pebbles.
- Lars dies…but Steven’s tears resurrect him (now we know why Lion is Pink).
- There are a group of gems living underground called the “Off Colors”.
- The diamonds are world conquerors who did not think Pink could handle her own colony.
- Blue Diamond has a space museum for Pink’s gems and a human zoo.
- Yellow Diamond is a renowned shatterer.
- Steven is in a MUCH MORE COMPLICATED Family tree than he initially knew.
In the midst of this chaos are new gems like Bismuth and new events like the marriage of Ruby and Sapphire. It all culminates in a Finale with White Diamond having to admit that Steven IS NOT Pink; in fact, he is NOT all together human either. Steven reconciles in himself that he is not his mother and, after years of turmoil, the wars raging across the cosmos end with the Diamond coming to earth to heal those that they shattered during Rose Quartz’s battles.
The Movie
If you haven’t seen the movie…PLEASE WATCH IT! The music is EPIC, the story is AMAZING and watching Steven work out how to restore his friends from “Factory Default” is heart wrenching in the best of ways. The movie focuses on Spinel: A heart shaped gem who was abandoned by Pink Diamond and spent SIX THOUSANDS YEARS alone in a space garden. She pins all the blame on Steven and is determined to destroy the only TRUE home he has ever had: Earth. Gems get reset, Steven learns more about his AWFUL mother, Earth gets wrecked but everything ends in a symphony of song and forgiveness.
The Future
The final season was renamed “Steven Universe Future” and rightfully so. It takes place years after the first Season and shows how many gems hurt from the events of previous seasons are now living harmoniously in Beach City. Most learn about Earth in Little Homeschool located in Little Homeworld. While everyone is growing one person seems stuck in the past: Steven himself. Steven realizes he’s never lived a normal life; he doesn’t know how to be just HIM. Through rage, turmoil, angst, fear and love he discovers a part of himself never before explored: he discovers STEVEN.
This series will be one that I re-watch for years to come. It’s safe for ALL ages and warms my heart so much. To learn more about Steven Universe visit: https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe-future/index.html
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Rebecca Sugar for taking us on this magical journey; Steven will be missed.
