{"id":7777,"date":"2021-03-10T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=7777"},"modified":"2021-03-01T10:08:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T18:08:50","slug":"mark-watches-steven-universe-future-episode-16-fragments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2021\/03\/mark-watches-steven-universe-future-episode-16-fragments\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Steven Universe Future’: Episode 16 – Fragments"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixteenth episode of Steven Universe Future<\/i>, THIS ONE ALSO HURT. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Steven Universe<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of trauma, PTSD<\/b><\/p>\n

I know that I always have therapy on the brain, but I feel like interpreting this show through that lens isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all that flawed of an approach, since this story seems very much to be about mental health. So, by the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fragments,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I had an idea about what the purpose of this episode was:
\nJasper was still hurt and had not healed from it, and she could never give Steven the healing he needs either.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to discount what Jasper says to him in this episode, because I think there are<\/i> things she says that will be important for Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s understanding of himself. Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back up, though, because I want to address how the Crystal Gems unknowingly pushed Steven to the point where he had to flee his home. In a way, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s related to Greg\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s response to Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crisis. All three of them meant well and clearly care about him, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not actually<\/i> listening to Steven. Instead, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re centering other people or themselves in their responses to him, which is what Jasper later points out.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at that scene again. Pearl insists that Steven HAS to deal with this; Amethyst also pressures Steven to address things immediately; Garnet at one point says that Steven is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153better than this,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which makes it seem like what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going through isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even a part of them. Each of them have an intent that is caring, but they all land in painful, exacerbating ways, so much so that Steven nearly freaks out again. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfair to him to have all that pressure placed upon him, especially when his family frames it in a way that causes him additional harm.<\/p>\n

So I love that this loops back around to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little Homeschool,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the episode that not only started this journey, but showed us that Steven was dealing with something new. From a structure standpoint, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brilliant! I remember thinking that maybe Jasper was going to guide Steven on this journey, but now I can see how the writers made it so that Steven would seek out solutions elsewhere before coming back to Jasper. At this<\/i> point in his journey, he was much more amenable to Jasper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153lessons\u00e2\u20ac\u009d than he would have been if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d tried this in that first episode.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Jasper says quite literally later in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fragments,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no coddling here. On some level, I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what Steven wanted, especially after \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Universe.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He wanted the brutal truth, because maybe that brutal truth would give him some direction. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what I saw here! I saw an extremely well-defined structure give to Steven. Jasper believed in channeling anger, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not actually a bad idea! What was so compelling about this episode to me was that out of context, much of what Jasper said to Steven felt true! Steven was afraid of his power; his friends<\/i> were afraid of his power; why hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anyone encouraged him to use<\/i> it rather than suppress or get rid of it? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an interesting theory! Even I had approached this problem as something Steven needed to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153solve\u00e2\u20ac\u009d rather than adapt to. I mean, I get why<\/i>, especially after Dr. Maheswaran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s theory about Steven and PTSD.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if the solution is to lean into his powers?<\/p>\n

So Steven tries to. He tries to go against his natural instincts of conflict resolution, peace, and healing, and he engages Jasper directly, physically, and destructively. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not easy for him to do that! It takes her being INCREDIBLY violent with Steven for him to finally show off a shred of the power he demonstrated in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Little Homeschool.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (I also admit I started cringing a lot because Steven might be durable, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still human. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop thinking of the x-rays he saw. HIS POOR SKELETON.) From there, the drills only got more intense as Steven also began to transform physically. But what did that transformation mean? He got bigger. He looked older. But did his power change?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d argue that it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. Rather, I saw Steven letting go of his inhibitions. I saw him refusing to hold back. As he did so, his hex shields got stronger. His speed increased. His destructive capacity increased by untold numbers. All of this is what Jasper understands, though. She knows how to channel rage. She knows how to destroy things. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s never known anything else! She grew up under that violent hierarchy on Homeworld, and she can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even imagine another solution to her problems. Well, does she even see them as problems? Maybe in the sense that she no longer has someone to serve, WHICH IS WHERE THIS EPISODE ENDS UP EVENTUALLY ANYWAY.<\/p>\n

So yes, I see the structure of this episode in the episode run AND the script itself as being very, very intentional. Jasper understands power and how it is used to administer violence. Thus, when she goads on Steven to a point where he ACTUALLY shatters her gem, this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the horrifying thing it is for Steven. No, it suddenly gives her life the direction and purpose she<\/i> was looking for. Not for Steven, though, and now he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even further away from what he needs. Oh my god, that scene in the bathroom\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M LOSING IT. After everything, Steven goes right back to who he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been: someone who heals. Granted, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an emotional scene for other reasons, but I also can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignore that this essentially confirms that the Diamonds could have healed all the shattered gems??? Oh my god???? Yes, they may have looked different afterward (I think I saw little subtle changes in Jasper\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s color scheme), but they could be healed<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t this whole epilogue show about healing? THIS ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T LOST ON ME. But the tragic irony is that in healing Jasper, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now ready to serve Steven as his Diamond.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

YEAH, NO. THIS IS THE LAST THING HE WANTS??? Oh my god, what the FUCK is going to happen now??? There are only four episodes left? I hurt?!?!?!?!?!<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Fragments\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– My third novel (and middle grade debut) THE INSIDERS has been announced! Check out the cover reveal and pre-order links here.<\/a>
\n<\/strong>– If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"