Steven Universe has come to an end. The main thrust of the story was to uncover the secrets of the gem empire and what it had done, which had viewers hanging on to every clue. There are many YouTube videos that show each and every bit of foreshadowing that the time has done, which is impressive. Now that most of the secrets and reveals had been uncovered, it was obvious that the story was close to being concluded. I had previously blogged about the wonders that Steven Universe does for representation, but this time, I was floored. Steven Universe, throughout the last 3 seasons, has been about so much more.
Warning: Spoilers below.
To recap, the gem homeworld was responsible for colonising other planets and that Earth was one of them. Rose Quartz, (who was revealed to be Pink Diamond) Steven’s mother, had a change of heart colonising Earth when she saw its beauty and managed to forge healthy relationships with its people and of course, Greg, Steven’s father. The crystal gems who followed her also saw that Earth was a better place because they were allowed to be free.
Each of the crystal gems have their own arcs in learning to free themselves from the shackles of oppression–Garnet, an obvious allegory for the LGBTQIA community, is actually Ruby and Sapphire. Both gems are allowed to love each other, something that was previously disallowed on homeworld. Amethyst struggles with being good enough as she was born in a gem kindergarten and was therefore different from the rest. Lastly, Pearl realises that she is so much more than someone’s servant and has to heal from her trauma. As the finale aired, we are treated to the reason why homeworld was trying to conquer the galaxy to viciously–it is headed by White Diamond, the leader of all the gems–or rather, a dictator.
And abusive maternal figure as well. This point is something that Steven Universe elucidates very clearly–nearly every dictatorship is headed by a bully, and naturally, bullies are abusive. All throughout history, millions of people have suffered under dictatorships and some citizens are even forced to leave with their countries. The psychological damage from the trauma is devastating and generations suffer because of it. Because one’s ancestors have suffered in the war, these people are unable to process what they have been through and lash out at their family members. The cycle of abuse continues and no one is the wiser until they seek help.
In Steven Universe, Pink Diamond and by extension, Steven, breaks the cycle. Raised by Greg and the crystal gems, Steven is emotionally healthy and is all too aware of the horror and suffering that his adopted aunts suffer from, especially Pearl. He grows up cognizant of the abuse and its devastating effect on his aunts. In one episode, he goes through Pearl’s flashbacks, which are memories embedded in other memories. It is clear that Pearl hides her trauma this way and Steven is the only one who can overcome it because he’s not tainted by the misery and suffering of the war. In fact, Steven’s very presence heals Pearl, not literally with his tears (as he has done with other cast members in previous), but metaphorically.
All of this prepares him for the moment when he encounters White Diamond, the very definition of a narcissist. Every gem serves her and her will; anything that she deems imperfect is shattered and anyone who disagrees with her is subject to her mind control. In the finale, Steven goes to the source of all the oppression, hate and suffering that White Diamond has put everyone through and finally defeats her–not by force, but rather, embarrassing her. In fact, any sort of violence is useless against White’s mind control. She uses it to manipulate Blue and Yellow Diamond. In the finale, their life (and colour) is drained out of them and the move like soulless pawns, defeating all of the weapons that the crystal gems throw at her.
However, Steven shows that might is not the way to defeat someone who is a narcissist; it is embarrassing them and showing them that they are flawed. So many leaders, narcissistic or not, thrive on a polished self-image. When Steven points out that White Diamond is acting like a child, she herself is beat. She is embarrassed, she loses control, and all of the gems she controls return to their original state. In the last few moments of the episode, it appears that Steven is showing and convincing White Diamond how wonderful it is on Earth, and the error of her ways, creating this hopeful ending.
While many of us know that abusers do not change, (or that it takes a long time for abusers to change) stories like these are important because they are allegories for what is going on in the world. SU shows the destructive effects of trauma and how its effects are far-reaching. It is the kind of story that we tell ourselves in the hope of a better world when war, misery and suffering are rampant.
SU takes what people don’t talk about and lets this issue have light. If only we had more TV shows that are like that.