Cactus Steven begins growing in size and gains the ability to speak, repeating all of the negative things Steven has said about his friends and family. Instead of expressing that he feels like his support system is leaving him behind, he buries his feelings, and they essentially manifest in the form of Cactus Steven. MW: After spending so much time continuously saving others and putting out fires, his life doesn’t have a clear path, and he feels a sense of betrayal and resentment toward his loved ones who are seemingly moving on with their lives and finding their callings. In “Prickly Pair,” Cactus Steven finally voices all of that trauma.
And he’s a kid! Steven is still learning, growing, and figuring out who he is (sometimes literally), but he’s doing all of that under an impossible amount of pressure. We’ve watched him break and come together time and time again with the fate of an entire universe (and, sometimes, multiple) relying completely on him. We’ve watched the people around him die, even if they’re resurrected later. We’ve watched him almost die several times. Rachel Charlene Lewis, senior editor: Steven has faced so much trauma without ever really voicing or naming it. Steven struggles to express negative emotions, including fear, anger, and disappointment. Now that he’s a teenager, the audience learns this natural disposition hasn’t always manifested in healthy ways. Throughout the original series, we see young Steven constantly attempting to see the good in others and having a positive outlook during crisis. There’s no life or death threat or potential world-ending crisis instead, “Prickly Pair” focuses solely on Steven’s ability to express emotion, and the shame that accompanies it. Marina Watanabe, senior social media editor: I was a little surprised when the show’s writers chose to end Season 1 of Steven Universe Future on such a seemingly uneventful note. What did you think about “Prickly Pair,” the episode where Steven’s stress and anxiety is embodied in a cactus a.k.a.
Some of the Bitch team came together to discuss the way Steven Universe and its subsequent spinoffs have handled mental health, and why it’s so revolutionary for an animated series delve into such serious topics. And, in “Dreams,” Steven is scolded by his house in a dream: “Steven, no one needs your help,” his house says, “so why are you still here?” These moments culminate into “Growing Pains,” the first episode where Steven’s pain is verbalized, and he’s diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In “Snow Day,” the Crystal Gems try to intervene and help Steven when they realize he’s about to boil over. In the second episode, “Guidance,” Steven tries to tell everyone what to do based on what he thinks is best, which causes the city he lives in to go awry. The problem is that he’s not in a life-threatening situation, but his body has learned to react that way.” It’s making him whatever he needs to be to get out of a life-threatening situation. “At this point, Steven’s been in so many life-threatening situations that his gem is responding as if his life is in danger,” Sugar recently told io9. In Steven Universe Future’s first episode, Steven becomes so frustrated that someone won’t allow him to help them that he begins to glow pink, a new sign of his internalized pain.
But now, he’s forced to face the most difficult thing of all: his own pain and trauma. Throughout all of the obstacles he’s encountered, Steven has been smiling, laughing, and making sure others are okay. Steven’s spent a great deal of time questioning his own role in the universe and orienting himself around his ability to help others, which comes to a head during Steven Universe: The Movie: Steven becomes responsible for saving the world again when the people he loves and cares about develop an amnesia that makes them lose their personalities. He’s been traumatized by fighting an interstellar war, narrowly escaping death dozens of times, and bearing witness to a lot of death and loss. While Steven Universe has always dealt with mental health and trauma, Steven Universe Future is shining a brighter light specifically on Steven’s mental health.
Over the last seven years, the show’s creator Rebecca Sugar has expanded Steven Universe to include the 2019 film Steven Universe: The Movie and Steven Universe Future, a spinoff in which Steven (Zach Callison) is all grown up and he and the Crystal Gems are living a new, harmonious life together. Steven Universe has been a feminist fan favorite since it debuted in 2013 because it’s fun, worthwhile, and offers revolutionary queer representation as well as critiques of colonization. Steven Universe (voiced by Zachary Callison) in Steven Universe Future (Photo credit: Cartoon Network)