{"id":5986,"date":"2016-11-24T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2016-11-24T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=5986"},"modified":"2016-11-03T14:55:44","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T21:55:44","slug":"mark-watches-steven-universe-s01e39-future-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2016\/11\/mark-watches-steven-universe-s01e39-future-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Steven Universe’: S01E39 – Future Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the thirty-ninth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>, Steven learns one of Garnet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s secrets, but discovers a negative side effect of it. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For extensive discussion of anxiety and anxiety disorders<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Here it is, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all: one of the most accurate depictions of how anxiety works, at least for me. (And I should note that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want this to come off as any sort of universal statement. Anxiety manifests in so many varied ways that it would just be downright untrue to state that this is how anxiety works for everyone.) In my head, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve basically got Garnet, analyzing every scenario and moment, and spitting out each and every negative outcome so that I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever forget that failure is just a second away. It is totally irrational and I absolutely know that. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the tricky thing with anxiety; while sometimes I get lost in it, most of the time, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m aware that my brain has turned against me.<\/p>\n

Now, I could go into detail about why I think that is. (I know that PTSD\/trauma has a lot to do with it.) But I wanted to open this review with a personal admission so that I had a basis to elaborate on what Steven goes through. I know this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a phenomenon specific to\u00c2\u00a0Steven Universe<\/i>, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thrilled that there are so many moments on this show that make me feel like someone else out there understands what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been through. Indeed, all of the fiction that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve grown attached to over the years has made me feel like more of a whole person because of it. Why? Because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a power in reflection, to see one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s self in something another person has created. For years, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know that anxiety had a name or that there were disorders with names as well that could describe me. In \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Future Vision,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that kind of specificity, but there is a\u00c2\u00a0visual<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0representation of how anxiety unfolds in Steven.<\/p>\n

And this certainly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t start off that way. In the beginning, all Garnet wanted to do was grow closer with Steven. In her future vision, there was a path where Steven would accept and understand how her power worked, and the two would bond over it. Unfortunately, her gamble ends up exacerbating Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s already anxious mind, though not initially. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mostly just impressed with her analytical skills and her occasional ability to be in the right place at the right time, such as when she saves him tripping down the stairs or steps in the path of burning coffee to block it.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when he asked about bodily harm and death that Garnet\u00c2\u00a0seriously<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0miscalculated what she should have told Steven. But I understood her desire to use this bond with Steven. As she pointed out before, time is like a river, and there are many possible forks. Unfortunately, she keep steering the ship that was Steven towards that confrontation on the roof, despite that she knew there was a chance he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d end up there.<\/p>\n

Poor, poor Steven. He became so anxious and terrified that he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even pick up a knife because he might die. He couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t eat a sandwich because he might choke on a pickle\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or something\u00c2\u00a0worse<\/i>. Steven views his entire future through this lens, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s understandable, given what Garnet told him. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad that she apologized for letting\u00c2\u00a0herself<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0be the thing to hurt him the most. Just because she intended to grow close to Steven doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what happened. In the end, she imparts an important lesson: he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to choose his own future and watch out for himself.<\/p>\n

I LOVE GARNET AND STEVEN, FOR THE RECORD. Oh my god, I am\u00c2\u00a0obsessed<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0with their relationship.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Future Vision\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.
\nMark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– I am now on Patreon<\/a>! There are various levels of support, from $1 up to whatever you want! You’ll get to read a private blog, extra reviews, and other such rewards. I POST A LOT OF CUTE PHOTOS, OKAY. Think of it like a private Tumblr blog that only SPECIAL PEOPLE get to read.<\/b>
\n– I have updated my list of conventions and events for the remainder of the year and much of next year.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches have been announced here.<\/a>
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0 Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"