I Am My Monster
After
so many hardships and difficulties unleashing less-than-admirable qualities
while he was trying to be his usual good self, something has snapped inside
Steven. Similar to how his physical age reflects how he feels, since he claims that he’s a monster, he turns into
one. Considering the challenges he’s
faced throughout this epilogue have caused violent tempers and at times
swelling, becoming a monster makes a lot of sense. Now that the stress of his experiences have
built up so much, his monstrous transformation is practically a major visual
metaphor for a meltdown.
Shots of the townspeople of Beach City staring dumbfounded at the creature unaware of its true identity showcase to tone of his presence. The only ones aware of the true situation are Steven’s close loved ones, the main Crystal Gems, Connie, Greg, and even the supporting Crystal Gems. Yes, it really does seem that Bismuth, Peridot, and Lapis are only designed to get together with the main Crystal Gems in times of crises, but that’s getting off topic. Facing this monstrous Steven makes for interesting challenges where they have to get him under control, but also don’t want to hurt him considering who he really is. After all, trying to vanquish him when they know he’s like this because he’s upset will only enhance his belief that he’s a monster.
On another note, this is a good showing of a community effort as we
near the end of the series with all of Steven’s closest companions together to
help him. This even extends to the
Diamonds and Spinel who show up to bring back the foot thong thingy
sandal he left behind. The
Diamonds try to use their newly altered powers to get through to him, but
Steven is powerful enough to resist them, and that’s not all. His threat to Earth is enough to call upon
the Cluster, a powerful collection of fallen Gems forced together, and even
they can’t get through to him, showing that his pain is really that major.
This
show of power is enough to put everyone in despair of how hurt Steven is, and
in some cases, brings long-awaited acknowledgement of faults. A few come from protagonists like Amethyst
wishing she was more vocal about seeing something wrong with Steven, and Greg
always staying out of major Gem events.
However, the best realization belongs to the Diamonds who finally
understand the extent of their past terror.
All their destruction to the universe is the source of the suffering
Steven’s dealt with for much of his life and they may never be able to do
enough to make up for it. The same is
true for Spinel and her attempts to make Steven perish alone on a withered away
world. However, with White, her hurting
Steven as well as the other Diamonds and everyone in the universe makes
everything all her fault, things are especially telling. It’s verbal acknowledgement that everything
bad that’s happened stems from her alone, and it makes sense if you look back
at the entire series. This is further
enhanced by Connie’s role in all this. At
White’s claim that this is all her fault, she steps in to agree with her, and
then picks everyone up with a strong pep talk done to the same extent as one from the original series. She speaks the
truth of how Steven has so much stress because he’s constantly putting others
first, and has hardly ever given care for himself. Now that he needs it, Connie’s words inspire
everyone to give him the care.
It’s
ultimately a unique way of taking down a monster, done not with force, but with
love. Everyone approaches Steven with a
tight embrace and appreciative reminders of what he’s done for them. All of it shows exactly how compelling Steven being a part of all these figures lives is, in case it wasn't clear already. You couldn't ask for a better tribute to the virtues of a main protagonist in my way of thinking. Then Connie appears, considerate of how
Steven was afraid to show off his less-than-ideal side to others, and offering
the perfect way to heal it. Just as he
once indirectly did for her, she gives him a direct kiss which, along with his
own tears, heals him by changing him back to his normal self. Even when Steven is changed back, the best
response he can give to all the stress and pressure is to just cry it out, surrounded by his loved ones.
Truthfully, this is a clear reminder that there are times when sadness
is the best healing process.
Some
might feel that the last big action set piece of the series could have been
bigger and more physical, but I feel that misses the point. This is a way to remind Steven of all the
good he’s done in the darkest times as a result of dealing with heavy issues
and problems of others for so long.
Also, it frankly is very big in scale thanks to the staging of the
visualizations of his turmoil, the drama felt while facing him, and the
character moments of reflection and affection.
That’s enough for me to call this the high point of the epilogue and a
satisfying resolution. Yet, there’s
still one more phase to Steven’s journey to a healthier life…
A+
The Ranking
1. I Am My Monster
2. Growing Pains
3. Volleyball
4. Fragments
5. Homeworld Bound
6. Bismuth Casual
7. Little Graduation
8. Mr. Universe
9. Little Homeschool
10. Prickly Pair
11. In Dreams
12. Together Forever
13. Bluebird
14. Why So Blue?
15. Snow Day
16. Everything’s Fine
17. Rose Buds
18. Guidance
19. A Very Special Episode
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the final episode of the Steven Universe franchise, and the best way for it to go out at that.
If you would like to check out other Steven Universe reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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