A few months following the events of the previous episode, Steven is on the beach doing a workout when Connie comes in riding on Lion, asking Steven if he wants to do one last routine before he moves out. While planning Steven's schedule, Connie asks him how everyone took the news about Steven moving out. He basically told everyone in Beach City, and his dad, but he hasn't told the Gems yet. He doesn't have any idea how they are going to take it because the Gems have been so protective of him since his meltdown. He wonders if there's a way he could let them down easy.
Later that day, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl return from the Warp Pad and they see Steven waiting for them. He then shows the Gems his homemade Cookie Cats, and the Gems eat some, including Pearl. The Gems reprise the Cookie Cat song Steven sang to them years ago, singing the song themselves (but ending on "He left his family behind"). Steven compares his abandonment of everyone else to Cookie Cat, thinking the reason he left was to move forward in life, despite how difficult it was. He then quickly announces to the Gems, with hesitation, that he's decided to move out the next day, has a plan of how he's able to visit his friends before he can decide where he wants to go, reassures them that he arranged online video-chat therapy sessions with his therapist so he'll still be able to have therapy sessions, and urges the Gems not to talk him out of his decision. However, the Gems seem to take his decision very lightly and are proud of him showing a desire to be independent.
Steven goes to Little Homeworld, where Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot do not take the news of Steven's departure so lightly. Bismuth begs him not to leave them, and Lapis tries to assure him that running elsewhere will result in what she went through in her past. Peridot bursts out crying, showing how she doesn't want Steven to leave and that there won't be anyone else like him. To commemorate everything they've been through, Steven hands out gifts for everyone to remember him. He gives Peridot his old salmon-pink shirt from the original series, a drawing kit with watercolors for Lapis, and Bismuth gets Rose's Battle Flag since she was one of the very first Crystal Gems. They all hug him while crying, thanking him for all he's done for them, even Steven bursts into tears saying that he loves them, as they reply the same. Before heading back to pack his things, Steven encounters Jasper, who appears by punching a hole in the wall. She has heard about him leaving and insists that she's coming with him, but he says to her that he will move on alone, and can protect himself. Jasper punches another hole after saying to Steven "Farewell, my Diamond.", proving that even she is also upset about him leaving.
Steven heads back to the Temple and gives Amethyst his old video games. She is touched at first but appears to be excited to play his games, which isn't what Steven was expecting. He then goes outside to give Pearl his old ukulele, and she nonchalantly stores it in her gemstone. Steven says it's okay for Pearl to be sad, but she replies that him leaving is a positive thing as he's going to explore new places. Steven holds back his tears as he goes to visit Garnet, giving her the same wedding plan book he used to plan Ruby and Sapphire's wedding, in the hopes that Garnet can eventually help Steven plan his own wedding when the time should come. As she takes it, not showing a lot of emotion, Steven tries to reason with her about how she should feel about his leaving, but Garnet reassures him that he'll be fine. She says that even with her future vision, it's up to him to figure out what to do when he leaves. As she warps away, he weeps.
Steven has all of his things packed up, but he's a little upset over the fact that though the Gems know he's leaving, he didn't get the reaction he was expecting. Greg tells him that they still love him, and are probably trying to be supportive. Steven's gift to Greg is his old room and a wall poster of Kerry Moonbeam, stating that he is now able to move in with the Gems. Laying down on the bed, Greg appreciates this gift, stating how he finally getting some well-deserved rest, and Steven departing is similar to his own childhood.
Outside the Temple, Steven says his goodbyes to Connie and Greg (sharing a kiss with the former), with the intent of heading for a bed and breakfast, with Connie reminding him to give her a text once he arrives so he doesn't forget to have breakfast with her. Afterward, he says goodbye to the Gems, who are still smiling, and each of them gives Steven a goodbye hug. As Steven heads off in the Dondai, driving off to his next destination, he looks in his mirror, watching his family and Connie waving goodbye to him until he can't see them anymore. Suddenly, he halts the car and quickly drives it in reverse back to where the Gems are, and bursts into tears, asking why the Gems are taking the situation so lightly. However, the Gems reveal that they have been holding back their tears, and are extremely sad about Steven leaving.
They all come crying together for a group hug and the Gems explain that they didn't want their sad thoughts to interfere with Steven leaving, but whatever happens in his future, they'll make sure that they're a part of it too. Everyone expresses their love for each other, and after one last goodbye, Steven leaves his old home for a new path in his future. He passes by the Big Donut, where everyone waves goodbye to him as he leaves Beach City and begins his road trip, ending the episode, the series, and the Steven Universe franchise overall.
Man, six and a half years went by in a flash.
...
You're still here? It's over. Go home. Go.
Tropes:
- Aesop Amnesia: Justified after a fashion. After repeated lessons in "don't keep secrets to protect others," the Crystal Gems do just that and play off their grief with stoicism because Garnet foresaw a future in which their tears prevent Steven from departing.
- Always with You: Before Steven's departure, Garnet informs him that whatever paths he takes, she, Amethyst, and Pearl, will be a part of it.
- And the Adventure Continues: Steven leaves Beach City to continue his life while traveling across the country.
- Armor-Piercing Question: A variation occurs with Steven's goodbye. When the Crystal Gems are out of sight of Steven's rearview mirror, he suddenly goes back and asks them all why they didn't look sad at him leaving. The Gems all suddenly burst into tears, revealing they were Trying Not to Cry to be supportive and to keep Steven from changing his mind at the last minute, because Garnet saw a timeline where that did happen.
- Ascended Meme:
- Many fans have been saying that Steven needs therapy after all the trauma he has been through during the show, especially in Future. Steven mentions in this episode that he has a therapist now to help him deal with his trauma.
- Crystal Gems rapping, especially Pearl, in the "Cookie Cat" song is clearly inspired by MKatwood's Secret Rap Career Series
videos on YouTube.
- Big "WHAT?!": Bismuth bellows out a "You, WHAT?!" when Steven breaks the news of his trip to her.
- Bittersweet Ending: Steven is in a better state mentally now, but he's still leaving Beach City to travel the country — and unsure if he'll ever come back — with Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl barely keeping it together before he confronts them and they burst into tears at the thought of him leaving. Still, they promise to always be there for him and visit him no matter where he goes. He will also meet up with Connie at the bed-and-breakfast and they have plans to get married in the future.
- Bland-Name Product: Steven's road trip itinerary is on his Boogle Maps doc.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Discussed; Jasper tries to tag along with Steven under the pretense of protecting him. When Steven points out he can protect himself, Jasper admits that of course he can, and she gives up.
- Book Ends: The scene from "Gem Glow" surrounding the "Cookie Cat" song is re-enacted with a few changes, namely the Crystal Gems singing it instead of Steven. In fact, the original scene was the first look many got at the show.
- But Now I Must Go: Steven comes to decide it's best if he leaves Beach City and starts Walking the Earth.
- Call-Back:
- The promo card is a recreation of a scene from the show's intro.
- Steven decides to break the news of his impending departure by making Cookie Cat ice cream sandwiches, leading to an echo of the scene from "Gem Glow", including a jingle encore.
- The work out Steven starts the episode with is the same he did with Garnet in "Future Vision".
- Among the parting gifts Steven gives the Gems, Bismuth receives the Crystal Gem flag from "Rose's Scabbard" and Garnet receives the wedding planner Steven had been putting together prior to "Made of Honor".
- Lapis initially assumes Steven is running away from his problems like she once did and tries to remind him that he can't run away from himself, and that she would know.
- Through her Inelegant Blubbering, Peridot references her old habit of referring to Steven as "the Steven" by saying that she doesn't want to find another Steven; she likes this one too much.
- Steven's gift for Peridot is one of his old shirts, in reference to how she used to refer to any clothing as a "shirt" ever since "Catch and Release".
- As Steven leaves Beach City, Onion can be seen wearing the cheeseburger backpack that Steven mentioned no longer using in "Snow Day".
- Mr. Frowney is seen next to Mr. Smiley to wave Steven off as are Jane and Ronaldo.
- Couldn't Find a Tissue: When Peridot breaks down into tears over the news of Steven moving away, Steven offers her one of his old shirts as a parting gift. When he walks away, she begins bawling once again, and winds up blowing her nose right into said shirt.
- Crazy-Prepared: Garnet has over three-hundred and sixty-three versions of Steven's wedding planned!
- The Day the Music Lied: "Being Human" begins playing as Steven initially drives off, but is cut off abruptly as Steven brakes to turn around and ask why Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl aren't acting sad.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: When Jasper finds out that Steven was leaving, she tries to play it cool slouching against a nearby wall (despite having rammed a hole into it to get there) and offers to go with him as his bodyguard. When he declines the offer, she is visibly shaken before she turns around and makes another hole for an exit before she can make herself look vulnerable.
- Dénouement Episode: With everything resolved, Steven decides to travel around the country.
- Diegetic Switch: "Being Human" begins playing before Steven gets in the car, but just before the credits Steven turns up the speakers to increase its volume.
- Different States of America: Steven mentions in passing that there are 39 states, Providence is an island, and (as previously mentioned in Keep Beach City Weird) Baltimore is called "Charm City".
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Although there are shades of Bittersweet Ending in this episode, namely the reactions of the Gems to Steven leaving, and the uncertainty of if he'll ever come back to Beach City or not, the series ends with Steven in a better place mentally, him and Connie still together, and Garnet assures Steven that no matter the path he takes, she, Amethyst, and Pearl will be a part of it, and the Beach City residents cheer him as he leaves.
- Everybody Cries: Happens twice in this episode. First when Steven says goodbye to Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth, and then when Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl finally admit to Steven that they are sad that he's leaving.
- End of an Era: Steven leaves Beach City, the Crystal Gems, and his family behind in order to explore the rest of the world.
- Five Stages of Grief: When Steven tells the Crystal Temps that he's leaving, the three fall into different stages: Bismuth goes into Denial and Bargaining by suggesting that she build him a nice vacation house just outside of Little Homeworld, Peridot immediately lapses into Depression and sheds many tears before everyone else inevitably does, and Lapis' response is Anger even as she gives him a firm reminder that he can't run away from himself (because she'd tried that before).
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: If you look closely at the washing machine when Steven gives Garnet her farewell gift, there is a sign taped to it, which says "Peridot, please stop stealing parts from the washer and dryer. We are running out of replacements". It also has a picture of Peridot's face with a "no" sign over it.
- Grand Finale: The final episode of Future, and of Steven Universe as a whole.
- Higher Education Is for Women: Connie is planning to go to college, while Steven decides to travel around the country.
- I Lied: A non-malicious example. Steven asks Garnet if she used her future vision, saw everything would be alright, and told the Gems not to worry, wondering if that is why they apparently aren't upset about him leaving, but Garnet says she doesn't need future vision to know he's going to be fine. When the Crystal Gems finally break down crying, Garnet admits to Steven she peaked with her future vision and saw there was a possibility that their tears over him leaving would convince him to stay, so they bottled it up due to not wanting to hold him back.
- Impact Silhouette: Jasper leaves a person-shaped hole with horns in the wall of the building she bursts out when she confronts Steven about leaving. When Steven convinces her that he doesn't need her to come with him, she creates another (right next to the first one) by smashing through the wall again.
- Innocently Insensitive: The Crystal Gems act like they're okay with Steven leaving because Garnet had seen one future where their sadness kept him from leaving. Unfortunately, this leads to Steven thinking that they simply didn't care about him leaving at all, and they finally burst into tears when he confronts them on it.
- Leaving You to Find Myself: Steven leaves the Gems and moves out of Beach City to travel the country; he doesn't stop being Connie's boyfriend.
- Left Hanging: Despite being the Grand Finale, there are a number of small story threads still left up in the air:
- What became of "Mean Lapis" after she and "Nice Lapis" split up.
- Aquamarine and Eyeball are still out there, and still intent on revenge against Steven.
- In "Homeworld Bound", Yellow Diamond mentioned wanting to heal all the Gems that make up the Cluster. While such a task would take a long time, whether she's made any progress (or even started yet) is unmentioned.
- The status of Volleyball's eye. In "Everything's Fine", her eye was hidden behind a plant, leaving it ambiguous as to whether or not she had recovered.
- It is never revealed what was inside the mysterious chest seen inside Lion's mane, even though the chest itself was opened during the Time Skip.
- If White Diamond created the other diamonds and the diamonds created the gem-race, who created White Diamond?
- Long-Distance Relationship: Although Steven starts a life on the road while Connie has college, Lion's portals make it pretty trivial for them to meet up regularly. They are also engaged to be married sometime in the future.
- Meaningful Echo:
- The Cookie Cat song from the start of the series is sung again at the ending, with special emphasis on "he left his family behind" and Steven uses that line in particular to break the news to the Crystal Gems he is leaving Beach City.
- When Steven and Bismuth argued over the Breaking Point in "Bismuth", Bismuth told Steven that "nobody's more "Crystal Gem" than I am". Here, when Steven is giving goodbye gifts to Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth, he gives Bismuth the original Crystal Gem flag while telling her "I can't think of anyone who’s more of a Crystal Gem than you".
- Milholland Relationship Moment: Played with. Steven expected Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to be sad he's moving out, but they react so minimally that Steven is worried they don't care. Ultimately, they admit they're very sad, but were holding it in out of fear Steven would stay because of them.
- Moving-Away Ending: Steven decides to leave Beach City and travel the country. He is initially reluctant to tell this to the Gems, but they do accept his decision (although they admit that they are sad about it) and the series ends with him leaving.
- Mundane Luxury: Steven gives Greg his room since he'll be leaving Beach City. After years of sleeping on a mattress in the back of his van (long after he could afford otherwise), Greg finds Steven's bed extremely comfortable.Greg: Wow... Steven, I don't think I can get up.
- Noodle Incident: Garnet tells Steven to check his left rear tire before going through the desert, stating that it's not serious but could cause trouble if left unchecked. What exactly happens involving Steven's car is left to the imagination, and it could be anything from a mundane flat tire to something utterly ridiculous.
- Ocular Gushers: When the Crystal Temps say their goodbyes to Steven, and Crystal Gems finally cry. Garnet's tears, in particular, come spraying out at high pressure behind her glasses, while she retains her stoic demeanor.
- Official Couple: While it was implied earlier on, it's now spelled out that Steven and Connie are a thing, since they share a kiss before Steven starts Walking the Earth. It's going to be a Long-Distance Relationship, but with Lion's portals, it won't be much of a problem for them to meet up. Also, Steven's farewell gift to Garnet is the wedding design book that he used to plan Ruby's and Sapphire's wedding, and he asks Garnet to help plan his future wedding day when the time should come.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Throughout the episode, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst playoff Steven leaving like it's no big deal. While Steven doesn't like to upset them, he finds it weird (and gets kind of offended) that they aren't even a little upset. When he drives back and asks what's wrong with them, it turns out that they have been actively suppressing their grief over it because they were afraid that it would have made Steven stay and devolve into Inelegant Blubbering.
- A benign case. Despite hating the idea of eating, Pearl takes a bite of a Cookie Cat ice cream because Steven made them—albeit the smallest nibble possible. Similarly, this is also the first time Garnet is seen actually eating anything on-screen.
- "Pan Up to the Sky" Ending: The last shot as Steven leaves Beach City is a view of the night sky.
- The Shrink: Steven mentions he's been seeing a therapist after his previous ordeal and he reassures the Crystal Gems that he'll still have therapy sessions via video-chatting during his travels.
- Swapped Roles: After Steven gives Greg his old room, Greg points out that while he's settling down, Steven is going to travel the road like he used to do, saying that there's a sort of karmic logic to it.
- Therapy Is for the Weak: Averted. Steven was calmed down from his mental breakdown and returned to normal... but he has a therapist now who he has scheduled to regularly meet with. Severe mental trauma doesn't just disappear.
- There Are No Therapists: Finally defied, after being played straight for a long time. Steven mentions that he's now seeing a therapist and will be keeping in touch with them during his travels.
- There Was a Door: Jasper smashes through a wall to talk to Steven about him leaving. After they say goodbye she smashes through the same wall, leaving two identical silhouettes.
- Time Skip: Steven says it has been a few months since his meltdown last episode.
- Toon Physics: When Steven slams on the brakes, the car jerks forward so violently that it nearly flips onto its hood. Steven then drives very quickly in reverse and comes to a sudden stop in front of the Crystal Gems.
- Trying Not to Cry:
- If you pay close attention to Jasper as Steven tells her that he'll be leaving alone, her composure visibly breaks as if she's going to be on the verge of tears, but quickly leaves before that can happen.
- Steven is surprised that the Crystal Gems, unlike the Crystal Temps, did not seem upset that he's leaving and are taking it in stride. Just as he's leaving, he suddenly drives back and confronts them about it. It's then that they finally break down and cry, explaining that they didn't want their tears to be the reason he didn't leave.
- Walking the Earth: Steven is leaving Beach City to travel the country, and he's not even sure if he'll ever come back.
