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Tear Jerker / Steven Universe: Future

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Steven Universe has always been adept at tugging at the audience's heartstrings, and in a short period, Future has proven to be no slouch in that department. With the series focusing on Steven's attempts to adapt to many of the changes in his life, there'll be plenty of moments that'll have you reaching for the tissues.

All spoilers are unmarked. You have been warned.


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    General 
  • Everything Steven goes through in this series. Just when it seems like Steven can finally catch a break, problems just keep popping up that he either has to or feels like he needs to deal with. In the first ten episodes alone, he's had to deal with Jasper still being against him (at first), continuing to have his mother's past and mistakes smack him in the face, Eyeball and Aquamarine seeking Revenge against him and attempting to use his own father against him, and everybody moving on and changing without him. Besides, his going through the typical trials of growing into an adult and dealing with change are complicated by his powers overreacting to the wild emotional rollercoaster that comes with being a teenager, making his very feelings dangerous and making him even more unwilling to try and handle them. And it only gets worse from there.
    • Also, because his friends and family are all off living their own lives, Steven now has to face his new challenges mostly on his own, without other people to help defuse tensions, think through problems, give him emotional support, or just plain tell him to back off. And it quickly becomes clear that without his usual support systems, combined with the confidence that comes with being a galaxy-saver and a teenager, Steven is becoming quicker to anger when things don't go his way, and a little bit more than arrogant when dealing with people. Unfortunately, this is quite a bit of Truth in Television, as young adults becoming independent and cut off from their support structures for the first time in their lives can often overreact when confused or frustrated at obstacles in their way.
      • Turns out his recent behavior may not be a result of becoming a teenager and being angry at things not going his way, but rather a result of his severe childhood traumas catching up to him and developing into PTSD. Steven has exhibited a lot of PTSD symptoms throughout the series, and in "Growing Pains", it's confirmed that his pink powers are a stress response caused by his body no longer knowing how to properly handle stress after being in so many life-or-death situations.

    Little Homeschool 
  • Jasper, still bitter about everything that happened, is living in a cave outside of Little Homeworld, preparing for a war that will never come.

    Guidance 
  • Steven soberly expressing his concerns to Amethyst that he's "losing his touch" in terms of helping people. Even now, he's still suffering bouts of self-doubt.

    Rose Buds 
  • While the Zoomans still holding a grudge against Greg for not choosening any of them is Played for Laughs, it's actually somewhat depressing that a relatively mild negative experience causes them to act so bitter against someone they used to treat as one of their own. Even worse is that the reason for Greg not choosening in the first place is perfectly valid; it's not something he was used to at all (and he even tried to explain what he was used to instead) and he simply acted how he knew (out of free will), and they're mad at him for it. Just goes to show that, while they have matured greatly, they are still not quite there yet.
  • Greg's reaction to the Rose Quartzes is pretty sad. He just takes one look at them and immediately high-tails it out of there.
  • The Rose Quartz soldiers sounded very disappointed when they think that Steven didn't like them. One of them was outright heartbroken.
  • Where does Steven ultimately put the painting of Rose? In Lion's mane, where she's not "looming over him" all the time. Even though Steven was able to make a connection with the other Rose Quartzes by being honest about his feelings of awkwardness, it's still clear that he's not quite ready to fully face his mixed feelings about his mom.
  • One of the Roses says she'd want a Pearl like the Crystal Gem one, blissfully unaware what a loaded subject that is for her. She quickly flees the conversation.
    • If that's not the reason why, then Pearl looking at a Rose lookalike is. She looks at her at just moment, and she leaves the conversation.
  • The entire tragedy of it is pointed out by Garnet: the Crystal Gems know treating the Rose Quartzes like this is wrong, but they can't help it: they have so many emotions directed towards Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz that like or not, this will be insanely unpleasant and uncomfortable.

    Volleyball 

    Bluebird 
  • Amethyst being saddened after Steven unintentionally insulted her drawing skills, thinking that the drawings were unflattering caricatures Bluebird made. This did happen to a lot of viewers in real life and is sure to bring those bad memories back.
  • Greg doing a Close-Call Haircut after Aquamarine and Eyeball take him hostage, his long mane, one of his most defining features he had since before the beginning of the series, is now ruined. He's able to deal with it, but he's still reduced to sobbing tears after the fact. It might seem silly for some, but anyone who understands just how devastating hair loss can be will likely sympathize a lot with him.
    • There's also the fact that Greg's flowing hair was pretty much the last part of his appearance from his days as a rockstar and when he knew Rose - he still has tons of stuff to remember the past by, but it's still a major loss and something that was understandably very important to him. Greg letting it flow into the ocean at the end really is him letting go of part of what'd been part of his identity for most of his life by that point.
      Greg: Goodbye, old friend. You're finally free.
  • That Eyeball, like Jasper, has been unable to adjust to the Diamonds making peace with the Crystal Gems. Aquamarine is nasty enough of a character that the audience feels little sympathy for her but Eyeball, like Jasper, genuinely loved and was loyal to Pink Diamond, was deeply affected by the war and wished for closure rather than vengeance concerning the circumstances of her Diamond's death. And now that the truth has come out, it has only left her with even more resentment towards Steven.
    • Even more upsetting is that initially Eyeball had no grudge at all against Steven or even the Crystal Gems. Her issues were all with Rose Quartz. It's sad to realise that Eyeball once had the same potential to become Steven's ally as Peridot and Lapis. Yet through a series of well-intentioned mistakes, he became her enemy.

    A Very Special Episode 
  • As absurd as this may sound, Ronaldo having to watch his pizza get trampled by Ocean Jasper is rather upsetting to watch, mostly since he hasn't done anything to deserve it in this episode.
  • It's minor, but it's uncomfortable to see the Heaven and Earth Beetles so traumatized by Garnet telling them of a future where they fall into a garbage disposal and get shattered because no one realizes what happened to them.
  • Hilarious as Steven's desperation to show up and get things on his schedule done while solving the problems of people around him, such as Onion, might be, it can be hard to rewatch knowing what comes next for Steven when his bottled-up negativity and trauma finally manifests in several of the worst ways possible.

    Snow Day 
  • Steven telling the Gems that he is no longer the same Steven from the first show. It is truly heartbreaking if you put that in perspective while watching the episode.
    • In a way, keen viewers may interpret that this can be seen as exactly what his mom did to Spinel, trying to leave childish things behind to focus on bigger responsibilities. It's at least softened by the fact that, unlike Pink towards Spinel, Steven never stopped caring about the Crystal Gems or chose to abandon them. However, he still doesn't feel the same way with Cheeseburger Backpack, Dogcopter, and Cookie Cat anymore.
    • The episode as a whole has a major Growing Up Sucks vibe going on. Steven's come so far and become everything Rose/Pink probably hoped he would... but he’s lost interest in a lot of the things that defined him as a kid, just like everybody does when they grow up. A particular gut punch comes when Garnet tries to give him the Cheeseburger Backpack, and Steven points out that he hasn't worn it in years; contrast that to when we first saw it, where Steven couldn't shut up about how awesome and handy he thought it was.
    • Another really depressing thing about this episode is that, if you’ve been watching since season 1, you can see that Steven is acting how the Gems did (not joining the Gems in Together Breakfast due to him being busy, not wanting to play Steven Tag like how Pearl didn’t want to). The Gems definitely improved from their Season One selves since they’re the ones who suggested these activities which Older Steven turns down from being too busy. All in all? The Gems learned to be more interactive with Steven when it was too late, when Steven lost interest in those things.
    • Steven's absolute discomfort at the idea of shapeshifting back into his older self and the Gems pressuring him to do so is also deeply uncomfortable. They're smothering him in their own way, much like the Diamonds tried to, and, given all the trauma that he went through in the course of the series, it's not hard to imagine that there's a lot of associated trauma with being "younger Steven" that he's trying desperately to avoid - while the Gems want him to be that version of himself again (albeit for much more positive associations for them).
    • There's also Steven's perspective - he loves the Gems, absolutely. But for him, it's smothering to feel like the Gems are always and only going to see him as the little kid he was at the start. Particularly in light of the song from the movie, "Change", where he brings up all the things that have happened to him that have shaped him... He still can't escape being that little kid, even as he's trying to figure out who he is going to be next. And it's the Gems, who've been there for that journey, who are trying to drag him back to that point in his past.

    Why So Blue? 
  • Lapis having a brief existential crisis when she realizes that she might have killed a good number of creatures back in her terraforming days.
  • When the rogue Lazulis start mocking and bullying Steven and Lapis for their dancing, singing, and art, Lapis almost looks like she's trembling with anger and embarrassment. It took months, years for Lapis to open up enough to be comfortable sharing her artistic side with others (she didn't even have a proper song until season five); getting taunted for it probably stings like hell.
    • Lapis' art was one of her first acts of creation after years of imprisonment and destructive behavior. Even if she doesn't look like she cares much for it, even if it's insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it's one of the few good things she can actually say she added to the world. And for someone to mock them like that, especially someone who still only knows destruction, it doesn't just sting, it's outright offensive.
  • When Lapis is attacking the Lazulis in her Water Titan form, she looks at Steven for approval, only for her confident smile to quickly turn around when she sees Steven looking at her in disappointment.
    • After she stops attacking, Lapis almost immediately starts verbally lashing herself for losing control. We've seen how bad Lapis' temper can be; she almost drowned Steven and Connie, broke Greg's leg, trapped herself and Jasper at the bottom of the ocean, and said downright cruel things to Peridot in the past, all as a direct result of losing it in the clutch. She's clearly been working hard over the Time Skip to get it under control, but here she loses her cool over something as petty as the Lazulis being jerks and is clearly ashamed. Lapis has grown a lot since we first saw her, but she'll probably be struggling with her emotions like this for the rest of her long life.
  • Meanwhile, the Lazulis are clearly terrified of nearly being impaled, with the Nice Lapis hugging her "sister".
  • While the Nice Lapis does end up coming to Little Homeworld at the end, Mean Lapis is nowhere to be seen, heavily implying a Redemption Rejection.
  • In general, this episode continues where Guidance left off showing how badly some Gems are handling freedom from the Diamonds. The Lazulis could be doing anything else with their time, but they continue destroying because it's what they were programmed for and all they've ever known. Even our Lapis looks almost Drunk on the Dark Side when she starts pummeling the Lazulis and smashing things with her hydrokinesis; she probably did stuff like that all the time before she ended up in the mirror, and enjoyed every minute of it. Steven and the Crystal Gems are trying to help other Gems embrace their freedom, but living under Homeworld's caste system has clearly left permanent marks on many.
  • It's a small moment, but the Lapises mocking our-Lapis for singing and dancing "like a Pearl" isn't just sad for Lapis being bullied, but also reminds you just how awfully Homeworld society looks down on Pearls, that being compared to one is such an insult.

    Little Graduation 
  • The episode solidifies that the Lars x Sadie ship is officially sunk—not just because she's dating Shep now. The two tried several times to reconnect after Lars returned home from space, but they'd simply grown apart and decided they weren't good together, especially since Lars was never fully able to get his head back down from space even when back on Earth. They both handle the situation very maturely, and are still good friends, but it's implied that Lars isn't 100% happy with this.
  • The Suspects quietly disbanding and going their own ways. It's nice to see how successful everyone is, but it's still sad to see the band break up.
  • Steven's heartbreak that everything is changing around him before he can even process. Sadie and Shep are together, the Suspects are disbanding (its members finding their own career paths), the first graduates of the school have come, and Lars and the Off-Colors are leaving to venture into space once again. It's obvious that Steven is so relieved to finally have a normal life, but it becomes clear that in the process of trying to reach that "happily ever after", it has become far different than what he (and the audience) pictured. While he accepts that his friends will still be around, the episode's end isn't a happy one: with more students of Little Home-School on their way, Steven is clearly ruminating on how he isn't really moving on, and looks up at the moon sadly.
    • The Book Ends of the episode. In the beginning, it's sunny and Steven is happily singing along to the radio. In the end, it's nighttime and Steven is trying, but just can't get into the music.
    • There's also him beginning to say "If there's nothing to work out..." and it's pretty clear he was going to say something along the lines of "then what am I for?"
  • Just think about Lars's parents in this (Even though they don't appear): they get their son back after he died and became a space pirate and he's finally shown much more confidence and embracing his passion by running a bakery. But then he decides that he can't stay on Earth and leaves for another adventure into space. Who knows how long it'll be when they'll see their baby boy again, given that he'll essentially outlive them?
  • A possible case of Fridge Sadness: one of the reasons he broke up with Sadie and wants to go back to space may well be because Lars is going to outlive everyone in his entourage. Why would anyone want to live to see your loved ones aging faster than you and eventually passing away long before you do ?

    Prickly Pair 
  • Steven naming his plants after his friends and that comment he makes about them being stuck in the ground and not leaving makes it pretty clear that Jasper may be right about him being the one who really needs help. The fact that he seems to be suffering from Sanity Slippage because of it makes it even harder to watch.
  • Steven venting to Cactus Steven, especially him saying "Why do I need to be needed?" is pretty sad. He doesn't really know who he is if he isn't helping someone.
    Steven: This beach- it never changes. I mean, a lot has changed. I'm trying to be cool about it, but it feels weird. Everyone's moving on, a-and I should be too, I gave up running a school but- now I don't know what comes next. Y'know? [silence] It's probably better that I'm not running the school anymore. But who am I to decide what's best for all those Gem students? [gets up and takes some steps away] They're better off learning from Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. I used to be helpful, but the Gems don't need me anymore. Agh! Why do I need to be needed? Steeeven, pull it together!
  • Steven's rants about the Gems can make some people heavily relate to it; someone who had to solve the problems of adults and its really taking its toll on them, causing them to bear grudges against them.
    Steven: What was that? Why'd you say that stuff, huh?
    Cactus Steven: Why'd you say that stuff, huuh?!
    Steven: Because! I thought I could talk to you. I can't tell Pearl how I feel, 'cause she'll blame herself, and spiral outta control, and I'll have to pick up the pieces. And- I don't want any more 'high and mighty' advice from Garnet. I just want to know better for once. A-and I'm so sick of Amethyst acting like she's sooo mature now.
    Cactus Steven: She's sooo mature now!
    Steven: Pff, I know, it's like, 'get over yourself'. [gasps] Please don't repeat any of that.
    Cactus Steven: I thought I could talk to you!
  • The way Steven's relationship with Cactus Steven turns sour is upsetting in a surprisingly realistic way. He begins venting to them apologetically, which turns to annoyingly ranting about the Gems, to yelling at and even trying to shut out the plant when it starts to echo him and get on his nerves, all the while the overexposure to his negative emotions slowly causes the cute little cactus to become increasingly upset and deformed, culminating in the hulking form it attacks Steven with. It's a depressingly real representation of how easily people can grow accustomed to dumping their problems off onto others and become a toxic influence without even realizing what they're doing or how it might hurt them.
    • The fact that at the end of the episode, Cactus Steven peacefully refuses to stay and gives Steven a flower as a memento before walking into the ocean. While Steven realized his mistake and they were able to forgive him, the damage has still been done, and Cactus Steven still doesn't feel okay being around him after what's happened and how he's influenced them. It's rather symbolic of how even if people are forgiven, some relationships really can't be repaired after they've become toxic, and in those cases all people can do is try to move on and grow elsewhere.
  • The conflicts in the last two episodes revolved around Steven bottling up his feelings, causing him to unintentionally hurt others by dumping his issues onto them. What did he learn from this? That he shouldn't talk about his problems at all.
    Pearl: Do you have anything you need to talk about?
    Steven: (hopelessly) I think I've said enough.
    • What's more, Steven feels like, by telling the Gems about his problems, he'll just be a burden by dumping his problems onto them and forcing them to deal with it.
    • Considering how the Gems have reacted to their own problems in the past (especially Garnet and Pearl), they've pretty much conditioned Steven to not only constantly deal with other people's problems, but to hide his own problems to the point of not dealing with them at all.

    In Dreams 
  • In Steven's nightmare, Cookie Cat tells Steven "Nobody needs you anymore. So why are you still here?" The fact that Steven is having these dark thoughts is a jarring reveal of just how tortured Steven is on the inside.
    • What's worse is, how long has Steven been feeling this way without anyone knowing? Steven's friends and family are starting to figure out that something is wrong with his mental health, but not even the audience knew that it was this bad until Steven's deepest, darkest thoughts projected externally.
    • It all boils down to the fact that Steven sees himself as nothing more than a fixer. If no one needs his help, then... he's worthless.
    • The party with Steven outside also showcases how alone he feels; while they were celebrating with one another, he's outside, and he's not celebrating with him. It feels as if they're moving on without him.
    • Steven's recurring nightmare of everyone having a huge party to celebrate the war being over, but Steven being physically unable to join it really highlights that he doesn't know how to fit in outside of the context of battle.
    • The place Steven is trying to get into in his dreams is his own house, with the doors and windows turning into walls the moment he tries to enter, meaning he can't even see into his own house anymore. Steven doesn't just think his friends are leaving him behind, he thinks he doesn't belong in his own home.
  • Steven is so afraid of Peridot leaving him that he keeps trying to reenact her script in his dreams despite the clear cost it's having on him, because he's scared she'll leave him if he doesn't. When she seems like she's going to leave after a disagreement on a plot point, he starts to panic and quickly agrees to do it.

    Bismuth Casual 
  • At the roller skating ring, Steven wants to spend time with Connie, but his lack of skill in roller skating and Connie being distracted by her new friends makes him anxious. He shares his thoughts with Bismuth, who has the same problem of simply going to the ring to spend time with Pearl but her also spending time making new connections.
  • Connie actually realizes that something is wrong with Steven and offers to spend some time alone with him, which is obviously what he wants and needs. However, Steven by this point is so accustomed to bottling up his emotions that he refuses, telling her he's fine and that he'll be okay if she has fun without him. If Steven can't even open up to his best friend in the world then who can he talk to?

    Together Forever 
  • The lyrics in Steven's song seem heartfelt and sweet, but then you take a closer look and realize this song is also about Steven hating how he is and wishing he could stay as Stevonnie.
  • After Connie leaves the picnic on the beach, Steven lies down and turns pink, smashing a crater in the beach. This destroys the picnic he meticulously prepared earlier, and smashes the guitar that he used to express his feelings to her. He stays in his hole for hours, wallowing in misery. As Garnet later reveals, this sad outcome was inevitable.

    Growing Pains 

    Mr. Universe 
  • Steven finding out that Greg basically ran away from his overbearing parents in order to follow his dreams of being a musician, very similar to how Pink Diamond ran away from the other Diamonds to become Rose Quartz. This does a lot more harm than Greg probably intended. Steven has villainized his mother so much that the thought that his dad is similar in some way to her is awful.
    Steven: Dad, this isn't helping! I don't need this song, I need- I need what you had!
    Greg: What?
    Steven: I wish I would've grown up in a house like that.
    Greg: No, you don't!
    Steven: Maybe your parents weren't so bad! Maybe they gave you curfews and chaperones and meatloaf for a reason.
    Greg: Steven, you don't know what they were like!
    Steven: They can't be worse than Mom's family! I went halfway across the galaxy for them, and this was right here?!
    Greg: Steven, I couldn't do anything growing up! Everything I liked or wore or wanted was always wrong! Trust me, you're better off than I was.
    Steven: I can't believe I never realized that you're- you're just like Mom!
    Greg: You grew up with actual freedom!
    Steven: I grew up in a van! I never went to school! I never went to the doctor until two days ago!
    Greg: Steven, you're a Gem! You're not like other kids!
    Steven: I could've done all that stuff! My problem isn't that I'm a Gem, my problem is that I'M A UNIVERSE!
    • It's also a low point for Steven and Greg's relationship. As much as Greg wanted to give Steven a lot of freedom growing up (the kind he never had), it also stopped Steven from having a normal childhood (school, a house, etc.) like Greg had. In other words, Steven has become disillusioned with his father and their bond has been broken, possibly in a way that could never be fully repaired. Him deleting Greg's yearbook photo from his phone cements it. And the whole time, he's completely tuned out Greg and has a look of contempt.
    • The reason Steven deleted the photo? Greg tells him that he's proud of him for calling him out, and that he wishes he could have done the same to his parents. The statement itself isn't all that bad, and in any other circumstance, it would come across as heartwarming. However, Steven has just crashed the van as a result of his argument with his dad. To Steven, this is merely confirmation that Greg isn't taking his issues seriously. Just one more person that he feels he can't depend on. All because Greg said the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.
    • The worst part is that Steven is starting to have No Sympathy for what his parents went through growing up, ignoring the fact that they tried their best not to turn out like theirs, even if they still went the wrong way about it. And really, that's what makes this whole thing tragic. Knowing just how kind and understanding Steven usually is, and how much Greg loves his son. But after everything that's happened, Steven no longer has the patience or emotional capacity to empathize with his father, or understand his point of view, instead making excuses for his grandparents' actions.
  • Greg's parents never opened or responded to his letters. There were a bunch too, suggesting he tried to contact them for quite sometime before finally giving up. It's sad enough to know they never responded to him, but what if he had tried contacting them after Rose had died and left him with a newborn?
  • In all of the photos in his childhood home, Greg is visibly miserable. Whatever his parents' intentions were, it's clear he didn't even feel comfortable being around them. The fact that this never comes to Steven's attention just makes it worse.
    • In his picture with his parents, he looks uncomfortable, with a forced smile on. By the time of his graduation photo, he can't even muster up a fake smile or look directly into the camera.
    • Some fans have pointed out that this meant when Greg essentially went from one abusive, controlling authority figure(s) to another when he left to pursue his music career - from his parents to ''Marty'', who from what we had seen simply used Greg for his own ends. Also some Fridge Heartwarming, as it adds another layer of triumph to Greg ditching his horrible manager for Rose and Beach City, but it's still horrible that even after breaking free from his parents, Greg unknowingly transferred from one sucky situation to another, only one that at least allowed him to be a rock musician.

    Fragments 
  • Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl are trying so hard to get Steven to open up, only for him to repeatedly lash out at them and avoid them. These are the only mother-figures he's ever had in his life, and he just can't open up to them as he used to.
  • Steven having shattered Jasper in a fight and being completely broken into tears as he tries to restore her. Thankfully, he manages to bring her back, but he is horrified when she bows to him on one knee and addresses him as her Diamond in respect. And in a rather cruel sense of irony, the scene is a shot-for-shot recreation of the very first scene in "Little Homeschool", where Steven is healing Cherry Quartz. Only this time he's restoring a Gem he shattered.
  • Steven seems to be devolving into the highly authoritarian ideas celebrated in pre-Era 3 Gem Society from Jasper's influence as well as his anger with his father's parental methods. To think that the person who managed to stop the dictatorship the Diamonds created seems to be investing into those ideas is tragically ironic.
  • Jasper's tragic ideology is further exposed by Steven's shattering of her. She rejected Steven as her master previously because of his perceived softness and weakness, but she's now starting to admire him when he's starting to indulge in the cruel traits that the Diamonds did for centuries, and when she's temporarily killed by him, she's ecstatic, to the point she immediately bows down and accepts him as "My Diamond". Jasper cares so little about her own well-being that she's happy to have been brutally shattered - this is the same Gem who took pleasure with the abuse Lapis put her through when they were Malachite, and even now she receives validation exclusively from domination and destruction, all as a result of being raised as a top soldier of a fascistic space dictatorship. It's a horribly jarring and messed-up reminder that while almost every other character has improved their life and become happier for it since their first appearances in the show, Jasper is still nose-deep in the unhealthy and self-loathing mentality that she was back then.

    Homeworld Bound 
  • Steven leaves the Gems by the transportation altar, telling them "You guys, I love you, but you can't help me anymore."
    • In the same scene, he tells Jasper, who has barely just pledged allegiance to him, to stay and to find something better to do with her life. Her saddened expression is heart-wrenching.
  • The reveal that Yellow can fix shattered Gems gives us the harsh realization that Steven didn't even need to use up all the Diamond essence to save Jasper—if he had only known, he could've asked Yellow for help. This might be why he seems more disturbed than happy to see what Yellow's doing.
  • White sums up Steven's situation: "Half a Diamond and half a creature of Earth, in all the universe there is no one else who can know what you're going through." She means it well, simply segueing towards a suggestion that Steven "talk to himself", but it's a bleak summation of the source of Steven's struggles.
  • Steven, in a therapy session with White Diamond, consciously attempts to shatter White in vengeance for all the pain she's put him through once he's reminded. White Diamond is left utterly terrified of what happened.
    • While Steven is controlling White's body, the cut to a giant version of him puppeteering her has her body pleading him to stop in his voice. It's unclear whether this is White somehow speaking through to him despite not being in control of herself or if it's Steven's own conscience begging him to stop, but either way it's rather difficult to watch. Even after everything White Diamond did, it's clear she is genuinely making an effort to atone for what she's done and improve, and her immediate reaction when Steven runs off afterwards is concern for his safety - seeing her beg him not to kill her and him doing it anyway is immensely hard to watch.
    • Steven shattered Jasper before, but there, he was at least seemingly Drunk with Power and it came after several days of not being himself. Steven's attempt at shattering White is done in his regular form and with little preceding it, and seeing the poor boy driven this far to consciously kill a living being, especially knowing everything she has put him through directly or indirectly, is both terrifying and absolutely tragic.
    • Steven's vengeful anger with White is a very painful instance of Truth in Television - it isn't entirely uncommon for victims of abuse to snap back at the people who've hurt them and become cold and bitter out of vengeance, but Steven, not long after crying out that a Diamond is the last thing he needs to see himself as, uses mind-control to willingly shatter someone who's no longer trying to do anything to harm him or any others. It isn't just that Steven is vengeful, he's behaving terrifyingly similar to the very people he wants so badly to be better than, and somewhere inside of him, he's probably already aware of this and hating himself even more for it. The cycle of abuse has been portrayed before in the show with Pink, but now Steven's trauma and pain has began undeniably morphing him into something he absolutely doesn't want to be, and he has no idea what to do or where to go about it.
    • Though it initially seemed like Steven tried to hurt Diamond in this scene, in "Everything's Fine" Steven himself specifies that he thought about hurting White but never went through with it, indicating that it was more of an intrusive thought than an actual attempt to hurt her. This makes more sense based on the fact that White never actually moved from the center of the room, and Steven himself hit his own head even though he should have had complete control of her body.
      • Some commentators even noted that the whole scene is reminiscent of experiencing not just intrusive thoughts, but also thinking and/ or acting on thoughts of suicide. Considering Steven's low opinion of and his repressed negative feelings towards the Diamonds, and of being related to them, it's no less terrifying or saddening of a possibility that he turned his vengeful anger on himself as much as White Diamond to the point of nearly killing them both.
  • After Steven runs out, Blue and Yellow decided to wait and ask if White was able to help him. They're completely unaware of what's actually going on.
  • When Spinel tried to cheer Steven up, he refused to let her help, as well as refusing to listen to what she's saying, telling her that she shouldn't "Give me my own advice."
    • To make things worse, as multiple commentators have observed, "giving Steven his own advice" is exactly what he needs at the moment, considering he doesn't have a "Steven" of his own to help him through his problems.
  • The last said to Steven before he leaves Earth is a reminder that the Crystal Gems are his family. The Diamonds give Steven a similar reminder in regards to themselves when he flees Homeworld. Both times Steven's only response is a tear filled "don't follow me." If he's so used to hiding his own problems with even the Diamonds, then who can he get advice from?
  • While it's pretty minor compared to everything else in this episode, when White tells Spinel to leave her and Steven alone for a while, Spinel responds with "Okay, don't take too long" and takes a small peak at them before the door closes. Sure, Spinel is much happier and healthier now, but this scene is still a pretty haunting reminder of her backstory and abandonment issues.

    Everything's Fine 
  • Steven's small breakdown after seeing his Diamond eyes, in which he fully retreats into the last coping mechanism he has left, pretending nothing happened and it's all fine.
    Steven: No, no, no, no th-thi-this isn't happening...I-I didn't think about shattering White, I-I didn't shatter Jasper, I didn't fight with dad, I-...I'm Steven Universe! ...I'm fine...I'm (voice cracks) FINE!! (window next to him cracks)
  • Bismuth having her anvil broken by Steven losing control of his strength for a second. She collapses onto her knees and Pearl has to console her.
  • Steven successfully manages to catch a ball before it hits the window of the Heaven and Earth Beetles... then his excitement at doing so without issue causes him to utterly level the building, as well as the surrounding area of Little Homeworld.
  • Steven's repressing his issues so much that his subconscious basically calls Connie's phone for help, in a similar manner to Pearl texting him way back in "A Single Pale Rose".
    Connie's Phone: (cheerfully) Steven's here to help! Steven help! Steven help! Help Steven! Steven, Help!!
  • When Greg, Connie, and the Gems try to get Steven to open up about what's been going on, he starts to get stressed, which results in more uncontrollable swelling. Connie suggests bringing him back to the hospital, which horrifies Pearl and Amethyst, because they didn't know. Imagine how it must feel when you find out someone you basically considered your child or sibling had a medical emergency, but they refused to tell you anything about it during or afterwards because they feared they were burdening you.
    Connie: Steven, we should get you back to the hospital.
    Pearl and Amethyst: HOSPITAL?!
    Pearl: (horrified) When were you in the hospital?!
    Connie: You didn't tell them?!
  • This episode brings the moment that fans have been fearing for ever since the show started: Steven’s corruption.
    • The process begins with Steven finally snapping, at first downplaying his issues throughout Future, then revealing that he shattered Jasper and thought about smashing White Diamond's head into a pillar in front of Greg, Connie, and the Crystal Gems. This then descends into self-loathing and he collapses to the floor, decrying himself a fraud and a monster just like his mother before pink spikes burst out of his back. The deeply disturbing music that becomes more disconcerting the further his Sanity Slippage goes during this final breakdown only makes it worse.
      Steven: You're making a big deal out of nothing! Have I done some things wrong? Sure! I trashed the house today! I broke an anvil, what teenager hasn't?! Dad and I had a little disagreement, but that's practically a rite of passage! I mean, it would be weird if we didn't right?! And maaaybe had a not so nice thought or two about, like, you know, slamming White Diamond's head through a pillar. But it's not like I actually went through with it!! I only ACTUALLY shattered Jasper!!
      Everyone: (gasp)
      Amethyst: WHAT?!
      Connie: You...you're joking, right?
      Steven: Ohhhh don't worry! I fixed that too! I can fix ANYTHING!! I can just keep messing up and fixing things forever!! And you'll never have to know or worry about any of it!!
      Garnet:(horrified) Steven...
      Steven: (Realizing what he just said) … How messed up is that? That I've gotten away with this for so long. You have no idea how bad I am! Y-You think I'm so great and so mature and I always know what to do- but that's not true! I haven't learned a thing from my problems! They've all just made me worse! You think of me as some angel, but I'm not that kid anymore...!I'm a fraud...(Breaks down to the floor, sobbing)...I'm a fraud. I'M A MONSTER!
    • This episode plays out disturbingly like a real-life mental breakdown from PTSD, depression, or worse, suicidal ideation. It's important to note Steven didn't spend the episode holding himself together. He had already lost control, and his only coping mechanism left was to pretend that everything was fine and try to be a version of himself that wasn't even real.
    • And what makes this truly tragic is that everyone, his friends, his family, even near strangers like the New Homeworld Gems could tell something was horribly wrong with Steven. But they left him alone because that's what he asked for, when what he actually, desperately needed was help and intervention- and by the time he got just that, it was too little, too late.
  • Steven's final tangent is especially tragic, because it's one last parallel between himself and his mother.
    • In the previous series, Rose Quartz was consistently characterized as a fairly compassionate person who struggled a lot with genuinely empathizing with people. She rarely ever put herself in someone else's shoes and thought about how her actions could hurt other people (which she always puts herself down for), and when she actually was confronted with the pain she caused, she never owned up to it - she hid it and ran from it for years, to the point where Rose literally took all her worst secrets to the grave with her out of genuine belief that she couldn't fix her mistakes and would only make things worse. She gave off the impression of being a very wise, empathetic woman who had all the answers because she basically faked it til she made it for years, all while marveling at people who could be the genuine article.
    • Steven himself was furious at how fake the saintlike persona Rose built up around herself was, and over the course of the franchise, becoming more like his mother has become his greatest fear. But during his meltdown in "Everything's Fine", when he comes clean to his friends and family about everything he's done lately, it becomes apparent that not only has Steven been mirroring Rose's behavior throughout Future, he's becoming even worse than her. He's lashed out towards people like Cactus Steven, Jasper, and White Diamond and come dangerously close to ending the latter two's lives, and he desperately covered it up. He kept it a secret from his friends for as long as he could, so he could pretend everything was still fine and that he was still the unflappable, dependable, wise, saintlike teenager everyone thought he was, when he was really falling apart. His self-hatred over becoming what he thinks is a "fraud" and a "monster" is the final thing that sends him over the edge.
  • In a similar vein, the following episode devoted to Steven’s corruption is titled "I Am My Monster", a callback to the season 4 episode titled "I Am My Mom". Considering the very low opinion Steven has of Rose by SUF, the implications of that callback are very harsh.

    I Am My Monster 
  • Just the fact that Steven's issues have gotten so bad that he corrupts and turns into a full-fledged Kaiju.
    • Steven's monstrous form is, for all intents and purposes, Godzilla, the ultimate unstoppable, unkillable, world-destroying King of All Monsters that is feared and hated by everyone. It's bad enough if the Crewniverse used this as a metaphor, but the real nightmare scenario is Steven unconsciously selecting this form because this is how he has always seen himself.
    • A subtle visual detail about Monster Steven, look at his face: he's never shown to be angry or wrathful, just sad, confused, and scared. Likewise, despite his monstrous state, Steven never attacks or tries to hurt anyone, only doing so if he's being attacked. A reminder that, although he looks like a monster, that's still just Steven in there.
    • And then you remember this was what it was like for all the other corrupted Gems.
    • One of the first things that Monster Steven does when he transforms is bash his own head into the hillside. He realizes what he's become, and he hates himself.
  • Everyone blaming themselves for things getting so bad with Steven's issues. Connie has to be the one to snap them out of it.
    White Diamond: Everyone knows that all of this is because of me!
    Spinel: No, it's me! I tried to wipe his friend's memories so he would die alone on a barren world!
    White Diamond: That was because you were angry with Pink! And if Pink hurt you it was because I hurt her, like I hurt Yellow and Blue and Steven and everyone in the entire universe! This is all my fault!
    Connie: It is!! Yes, you hurt him, but this isn't the time to make this all about you! That is not helping! Maybe Steven would care about how sad you are, because he always puts everyone else's feelings first! But he can't do that for you right now, because he needs us this time! We all had Steven when we needed him, but the only person who's never had Steven is Steven. He's always been there for us, so... how can we be there for him now?
    • When everyone initially starts blaming themselves, Amethyst says she knew something was wrong and asks why she hadn't done anything to help. The thing is, from the beginning of Future, Amethyst actually has been trying to help Steven. Going way back to the original series when she swore she wasn't going to keep dumping her problems on Steven after they learned the truth about Rose Quartz, Amethyst has worked harder at understanding Steven's problems and offer him support. Amethyst saw he was unhappy about Jasper, she realized he was trying too hard to help the Gems of Little Homeworld, and saw he was getting stressed out from the monotony of planning stuff for the Gem classes. Unfortunately, he just wasn't capable of recognizing she was reaching out to him.
    • When told to head for safety, Greg refuses because that's what he always does when Gem problems occur. While it seemed like how "Mr. Universe" ended with him oblivious to Steven's unhappiness, Greg admits Steven's absolutely right to be angry at him for all the ways Greg failed to protect him from the traumatic events in Steven's childhood. This time, he's staying to help his son.
    • When the Diamonds start owning up to how they hurt Steven in the past, Blue is the first to admit guilt by proclaiming they were the ones he needed protection from, with Yellow adding they were the source of Steven's suffering from the beginning before White takes the blame for everything. Blue being first goes back to how she was the first of the Diamonds that Steven was able to get through in regards to their abuse of Pink. The Diamonds were forced to acknowledge how badly they hurt Pink and how it led to her fake death and then actual death. Now they have to admit they hurt Steven, Pink's son, as well.
  • Steven's friends and family getting through to him by giving him a Group Hug.
    Garnet: Steven, when I fell apart, you were there for me. I want to be there for you now. I'm here, Steven. I'm here.
    Lapis: This is working? You hear us? Steven!
    Spinel: (wraps her arms around the entire group)
    Greg: I'm here, Schtu-Ball! Whatever you need, I'll make it happen! You hear me?!
    Peridot: Steven! You never gave up on me for reasons I don't understand! I'll do the same for you!
    Amethyst: I know you feel bad! Believe me, I get it! Sometimes it feels like you're never gonna like yourself but... (sniffs) It's possible, man!
    Pearl: Steven, I know how awful it feels to keep a part of yourself secret! You shouldn't have to hide anything from me!
    The Cluster: (emerges from the water to hold Steven's hand)
    Connie: (sighs) Steven... you must have been so afraid to show us this side of yourself. But we're not going anywhere. We're all gonna take care of you the same way you take care of us. You know what? I don't have your powers, but... (kisses him)
  • When Connie is the last to talk to Stevenzilla, you can see his eyes visibly wavering in fear. Even in his current state of mind he still was deeply afraid of Connie seeing him as a monster.
  • When Steven shrinks back down to normal size, he wakes up laying on the Cluster's hand, surrounded by the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, Spinel, Greg and Connie. He's confused, exhausted and barely able to form sentences. Then Lion jumps out from behind everyone else and licks his face, causing him to giggle. Then, finally, he starts crying harder than we've ever seen him cry before, and we instantly know he's letting out years of pent-up emotion.
    • Zach Callison admitted that he really cried during this scene.

    The Future 
  • Just the fact that this is the Grand Finale, the very final episode of the seven-year long franchise.
  • The Book Ends to "Gem Glow" with the reintroduction of Cookie Cat, only this time with the Gems eating and singing the Cookie Cat song, and its lyrics now much, much sadder under the new context.
    Pearl: Ohhhhh...! He's a frozen treat with an all-new taste!
    Amethyst: 'Cuz he came to this planet from outer space!
    Garnet: A refugee of an interstellar war!
    Pearl: But now he's at your local grocery store!
    Amethyst: Cookie Cat!
    Pearl: He's a pet for your tummy!
    Amethyst: Cookie Cat!
    Pearl: He's super-duper yummy!
    Amethyst: Cookie Cat!
  • Steven is leaving Beach City, and while the Gems put on a brave face, when Steven confronts them on it they burst into tears. While Amethyst and Garnet mostly compose themselves in the end, Pearl stays a blubbering mess.
    • It's understandable for Pearl. The person she loves the most is leaving her again, and like the last time, there is nothing she can do to stop or talk him out of it.
  • After airing the finale, Cartoon Network showed the small tribute that was made by Rebecca and the Crewniverse to celebrate the series, complete with video clips of fans coming together, behind-the-scenes shots with the cast, and much more. It's essentially a "thank you" to everyone involved in the series' creation, including the fans. Doubles as Heartwarming.


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