Change Your Mind

Since its premiere in 2013, “Steven Universe” has been a raging success on Cartoon Network. It is about Steven Universe, a boy who is half-human and half-Gem (a race of gemstone-based aliens) and the Crystal Gems; Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl; as they protect the earth from evil. With its positive messages and deep subject matter, it has been able to appeal to children and adults alike. The latter half of its most recent season, season 5, has taken big strides in the show’s story line, and it all culminates in the hour-long season finale, “Change Your Mind.” It is for this reason that I begin with a spoiler warning.

The episode starts with Steven waking up in a prison on the Gem Homeworld. Then everything you can imagine happening happens as he and the Crystal Gems try to get to the elusive White Diamond to convince her to help him and the other Diamonds to heal the corrupted Gems on Earth. All of the Crystal Gems get new designs. Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot show up for backup, and Peridot is floating on a trash can lid. All of the Diamonds’ ships join together to make a diamond Voltron, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

One scene alone answers the fans’ questions of what Steven looks like fused with each of the Crystal Gems. First, Smoky Quartz makes a brief appearance. Then Steven fuses with Pearl to form Rainbow Quartz 2.0, who won fans over with their vivid personality, British accent and colorful, androgynous design. Sunstone (Steven and Garnet’s fusion) looks, acts and sounds like a slap in the face from the 90s, right down to the part where they turn to the camera “Remember, kids, if you ever have to deal with a bully, be sure to tell an adult.” Last, in order to climb into Diamond Voltron’s head, all four Crystal Gems fuse into Obsidian, who looks like the lava lady from Moana but with a few extra arms.

A word about White Diamond: she is bat-bleep crazy. She mind-controls people and makes them do T-poses. She outright refuses to listen to anything Steven says, still convinced that he is Pink Diamond. It gets to the point where she removes Steven’s gem. Then begins one of the best-animated scenes in the series where a dying Steven and his gem, which has reformed into a pink version of himself, thus confirming that he isn’t Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond, just Steven.

In the end, White Diamond goes to Earth with Steven and the other Diamonds to heal the corrupted gems. The last scene has a really finale-y feel as all the loose ends are tied up. Nothing has been confirmed about the future of the show, but there are rumors that a sixth season is in the works. It would be cool if they kept making new episodes because it is an amazing and charming show, but at the same time, it would be cool if it ended here because there’s not much else to do after this firecracker of a finale.