WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the Steven Universe Future episode "Growing Pains."
Six episodes before the series finale, Steven Universe Future is already flipping viewers' understanding of everything we thought we knew about Steven. Certain parts of the episode "Growing Pains" were predictable and inevitable. It's been clear all season that Steven has been struggling with anxiety about his changing life and uncertain plans for the future. We knew things would get dark before they got better, and that Steven's breakdown would have something to do with his relationship with Connie.
But did anyone expect that the first time a medical professional tried to psychoanalyze Steven, the show would go all the way back to "Bubble Buddies" and "Cat Fingers"?
The first half of the first season of Steven Universe is generally considered a sillier show than the epic intergalactic drama it became. Before "Growing Pains," fans going back to revisit those earlier episodes might have been surprised by the depth of their foreshadowing; but no one would think those earlier adventures were traumatizing Steven.
So when Steven describes several of the events of Season 1 to Dr. Maheswaran, the first doctor he's ever seen, after she suspects the root cause of his uncontrollable transformations in size and shape might be psychological, her reaction is, "Steven, this is serious!" Steven's response: "But that was just the early stuff!"
You never really think about the fact that, in real life, standard superhero adventures would be traumatizing to a child. We already knew Steven had PTSD due to events like his fight with Bismuth and all of the revelations about his mother's dark past, but what Steven Universe Future is now begging viewers to consider is that all of it, even the stories that seemed silly and cartoony, have left a heavy impact on Steven.
In a way, the fact that Steven was constantly under attack from the monsters of the week in the early seasons protected him at the time. A stress response to trauma is not only natural, but useful when you're actually under stress. However, this causes more problems for Steven now because he's living in peacetime. He's no longer fighting to stop the actual end of the world, but he's fought so much that he's become conditioned to treat minor problems as if they are the end of the world.
As Dr. Maheswaran points out, having friends and family to support you can make a huge difference in dealing with mental-health issues. Steven's anxiety throughout Steven Universe Future has worsened as others have grown more distant from him. His transformation in "Growing Pains" was directly triggered by the events of the previous episode, "Together Forever," where, in an act of desperation, he proposed to Connie, who turned him down.
The Steven-Connie relationship is particularly relevant to the issue of Steven's PTSD because the last time he actively worked to address it, he was fused with Connie as Stevonnie. The episode, "Mindful Education," was all about Stevonnie learning to deal with both Steven's recent particularly traumatic memories and Connie's feelings of guilt. They learned how to face their problems together as a fusion. Unfused from her, Steven doesn't know how to cope.
"Growing Pains" provides the strongest explanation of the value of therapy for PTSD and anxiety that a kids' show could possibly provide. As with the earlier Future episode "Volleyball," it uses a clear visual metaphor for mental-health problems while also talking about those problems head-on. Steven is going to need regular therapy if he's going to grow into a functional healthy adult. What Steven Universe is able to teach its young viewers, and even its older ones, is that this is perfectly okay and not something to shy away from.
New episodes of Steven Universe Future air Fridays at 7 PM EST on Cartoon Network. The hour-long series finale will air on March 27.