Steven Universe Future | Episode 1 & 2
Added 2024-08-08 13:00:08 +0000 UTCAnd so begins the final journey of Steven Universe! I've already watched through the whole series - so don't worry too much about spoiling something accidently if you'd like to discuss! These videos will come out weekly until we're all out!
The first episode really does a great job of showcasing how Steven isn't ok in general, and the second one really shows how he's just confused on what he should do next...
I hope y'all enjoy! 💜
Comments
Guidance: If the first episode was partially a Jasper send-off (to be paired with Fragments in the back half of the show), then this episode absolutely functions as our Amethyst send-off. It's so wonderful to see how far she's come since episode one. I love that she's found a genuine passion in aiding other Gems in finding their own path and their own confidence in this new Era, when this is always what she struggled with in the past. I'm also honestly so glad that you also immediately leapt to wanting to agree with Steven with your limited information on this Gem-human mentorship, because I was right there with you on my first watch. Like yeah, Steven has a valid point... there's a strong value in introducing these Gems to new experiences and opportunities beyond their old castes- but so does Amethyst, because these are individuals who are taking their first steps into a brave new world where everything's different. I can understand why many of them would crave familiar consistency, in their shoes. The bottom line is, she actually TALKED to these Gems to understand their needs and preferences... whereas in his attempt to "fix" Amethyst's program, Steven did not. I enjoy that this episode plays in the grey area with both viewpoints. Neither is totally wrong, but ultimately... communication and collaboration is key. Gosh, Little Larimar... So, this crazy Gem who loves the sound of human screams is absolutely my favorite background character in this epilogue. She's so amusing to me in every scene she shows up in. I can understand why Bismuth is a fan. (This is one of the Gems Bismuth namedrops as a friend back in season 5 of the original show.) "Give me the screams!!" is a phrase that lives rent-free in my brain now. The fake out star zoom "ending" is never not funny to me. It's both a punchline, and also this show's way of quickly telling the audience that solutions to problems won't always be as clear cut as they sometimes were in the original show. Steven thinks he's cleared up a mess just like the old days, but instead he's just made things messier- because this is a new era, and people have changed. But has HE changed? Amethyst: "But you came in and told everyone what they CAN and CAN'T do, even me!" I think there's a lot of parallels that can be made between Steven and White Diamond with his behavior in this episode. Even if he doesn't want to admit it, they've got a LOT in common. They both have a strong idea of Who they think others around them should be and What they should be doing, and a very fragile sense of self. A gaping lack of purpose beyond being "the fixer" or "the one who makes Gems better." Seeing Smoky again is always fun! I'm pretty dang sure that Smoky's VA is the same here, though. It's just not that often that they get this many lines. "So what IS activating this, then?" (Re: pink mode.) I had my own theories for a while while watching through the show on first airing (for a while I thought it was triggered by anger specifically), but I think this episode's use of Steven's boosted state is a great example of why the show's later diagnosis of it as a stress triggered state is right on the money. Because Smoky isn't angry here so much as they're like... pushed to complete panic. "All the Gems are gonna be fine, it's just Steven-" Yep yep bingo. There were many fans who questioned for a while whether this epilogue would have any true "antagonist" that the Crystal Gems would have to team up and fight, but I myself was confident from the moment the show's synopsis was released that this would not be the case, and was later proven right. Said synopsis was simply this: "After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people's problems to solve, he'll finally have to face his own." But yeah, I also feel like this is made fairly clear by the general vibes of the first few episodes as well, since you are able to pick up on this without any knowledge of the promotional blurbs or the fan theories. What IS Steven's purpose? What DOES he want for his future? Who IS he, beyond the role as protector and healer he played for his entire childhood? At the end of the day, I am so intensely glad this show exists to ask these questions, because the aftermath of the "hero's journey" is not explored often enough in stories like these. Once again, lovely reaction! Thank you so much for sharing these! It's always so fun to get to watch people experience a story for the first time, and I've been eagerly looking forward to this part in particular for many months now.
Novantinuum
2024-08-09 07:58:14 +0000 UTCOkay, rambles time! So first off, just as a complete story- I find this epilogue very fascinating, structure wise. And the reason why is that quite frankly, with the way they slowly establish and then later develop Steven's whole "pink mode" thing side by side to giving other characters and plot elements their send-off episodes, most of the series kind of feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion that you can't stop. And I get the sense this is intentional? Because Rebecca Sugar definitely isn't trying to be sneaky here, in the way she teases the endgame. Because like, the endgame is RIGHT there in the intro. Even before we knew to pay attention to it, Steven's corrupted monster form is right there. If one looks close enough, it has HIS nose. It has HIS face shape. Its eyes glow pink. And the longer the epilogue went on without showing this mysterious creature, whilst Steven simultaneously experienced more and more mental state slippage, the more genuine dread the fandom felt as they waited for the shoe to drop. The more they actually paid ATTENTION to Steven's mental state. (Which, frankly, not enough people took seriously in the original series.) I honestly think it's genius. But yeah, as a whole Steven Universe Future is, due to its status as a very thematically focused limited series, chock full of parallels and foreshadowing. Many people I talk to say they can never watch this epilogue series again, which- given its VERY hard-hitting depiction of mental distress- I don't blame them for... but for me, it's the most re-watchable part of the show. I find something new to chew on almost every single time I go back through it, and to me that's the mark of a tightly written lil' piece of fiction. __ Little Homeschool: Lol name drop jumpscare- glad you like the fanon term "gem essence," ahahah. I think it's super fitting that this series starts out with a reminder on how damaged Gems (be that corrupted or otherwise) are cured- via water that's spiked with Diamond essence. Insert the "It's a surprise tool that will help us later" Mickey Mouse meme here- twice over. (Because both Jasper AND Steven later get healed in water that's been anointed with Diamond essence.) I find Garnet's quote during rooftop yoga very fitting to the dilemma Steven faces in this series as a whole, and hints towards why he starts losing control of his form to begin with... "Remember- your body isn't just a projection of light, but also a reflection of your inner soul." Re: your question on how long this is set after the movie, well... the timeline this series forces is a bit silly in my opinion (it's rather... compressed), but given Steven still says he is 16 every time age is brought up in this show, I feel like the first episode takes place like, maybe a month after the movie at most. Steven: "Are you just gonna sit here for centuries waiting for someone to give you a purpose? Because I'm TRYING to give you one!" Wow, if that ain't projection, I don't know what is. "This is like the angriest we've ever seen Steven!" Laughs in foreknowledge. Ahahah... so about that... XD What I do think is interesting about this is that he's had quite a few moments of explosive anger before in the original series, but... I think they didn't FEEL as angry to the audience because it was visually "little kid" anger, even if he was far older than he seems the whole time. Whereas now, it's visibly TEENAGE RAGE. It just... sorta hits different. "I don't think you need to learn anything from [Jasper], I really don't." Also laughs in foreknowledge. Yeah, no, I... certainly think Steven could've done without her next Lesson.
Novantinuum
2024-08-09 07:23:34 +0000 UTCYeah, since this one is going up on YouTube, I try to record at least a whole season before the first episode goes out. It just helps I don't quit a series before it has a chance with popularity, and also helps me maintain a schedule 😅 Excited for your thoughts!
So Everdream
2024-08-08 14:40:54 +0000 UTCOhohohohoh boy, here we go. Buckle UP, folks. I have watched this and took notes for a later reply- great reaction! I think you hit the nail on the head in just this first outro alone on the spirit of what this epilogue seeks to explore. I’m quite glad to hear that you’ve already watched through the full thing though, because my goodness does that give me a lot more to discuss, especially when it comes to little comments you made during these eps that are very ironic or prophetic in hindsight.
Novantinuum
2024-08-08 13:46:07 +0000 UTC
