Steven Universe is a better Spike than Spike · 6:01am Nov 16th, 2015
TL;DR I watched all of Steven Universe and the main character reminds me of all the opportunities for growth that Spike has not had.
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Imagine, if you will, that My Little Pony was a show all about Spike. Everypony else stays awesome and we see their stories through Spike's viewpoint. The show would focus on Spike's growth as a character as he got to know himself, his abilities, and each of his moms/sisters. All the while, Spike is a child quickly growing and learning from his surroundings and becoming a great dragon.
Now, everyone would probably hate that show except for me. But that pitch feels so much like the opportunity Steven from Steven Universe gets in his show. He is the focus, but he is surrounded by so many fantastic characters and each of the Gems contribute to the man he is slowly becoming throughout the series.
But My Little Pony isn't about Spike growing to become the dragon he is meant to be. It's about the ponies. And Steven Universe is about Steven. It's right there in the titles! Spike was never meant to be the focus and his role has stayed stagnant for much of the series.
But I can't help but make the comparison between Spike and Steven. Steven is constantly learning from each of his mother/sister figures and becoming better over time. Spike doesn't get that kind of opportunity. He isn't the focus, and when he is the focus everything goes terribly wrong. Spike is my absolute favorite character in MLP, but even I know how awful Spike episodes usually are.
Steven has characters that support him in ways the Mane six never do for Spike. For starters, Steven has a wonderful, caring, loving father. It is so rare to see such a good father in any media and despite Greg Universe's flaws, I find myself wanting to cheer when he comes on screen and is so genuinely supportive. What I wouldn't give for a loving male dragon to fulfill that role for Spike (or any caring masculine presence for that matter).
Steven also has a fantastic best friend, Connie. They spend time together on their own adventures, dealing with "magic" and each other. There is absolutely no ambiguity that Connie is merely a friend of a friend like Spike's relationships with the rest of the Mane six.
Steven also has a faithful pet, Lion. Who... well... he's a cool pet with some fun powers. I know ethically Pee Wee the phoenix had to return to his own family, but can we please have an episode where he comes back?
The only deep interaction we see Spike having is with Twilight. And I love Spike and Twilight's relationship. But it's too vague! Is he a sister, a mother, a friend, a slaveholder? The Descendant once described their relationship as: "she’s his big one, and he’s her little one." And that's okay, I guess... but Twilight is all Spike has. Steven has three woman that fulfill the same role that Twilight does for Spike. AND a dad, a true friend, a bunch of acquaintances and a pet.
Spike feels like such a neglected, lonely character in comparison.
I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that I'm jealous for what Steven has that Spike will never even remotely get. Steven is a main character and Spike is a side character.
At the end of the day, all complaints I have stem from the show having plots and creative direction contrary to what I want them to be. I want MLP to show more of Spike growing over time. But that's not what it is. And I can accept that.
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And with the main post out of the way, here are some random thoughts I have about Steven Universe now that I've binge watched it.
Pearl is best gem.
Steven is also best gem.
Why did this take me song long to watch!? Everyone was saying how good it was. Why don't I trust people more? (I'm seeing stuff for Undertale everywhere, is the wisdom of the crowds saying I should do that next?)
Oh my gosh this show makes me so happy inside every time I watch it!
I still cannot get used to these character designs and animation style. I blame Cartoon Network. They just can't have a show without me wanting to cringe when I look at the characters.
There are some utterly bizarre episodes that make this hard to recommend to some people. As a series, it's good, but they'll have to plow through the weird stuff (I'm looking at you, Onion).
Every side character gets an episode (or more)? Well, okay!
There's SONGS!? No one told me there'd be songs! Okay, the songs are not as good as MLP or Phineas and Ferb... but still, SONGS!
I miss watching cartoons. I need to do this more often. In short doses it's a really good stress reliever.
Great comparison of those two characters. Ive been a fan of The Descendant's take on Spike for a long time too.
[cough]Cat Fingers[/cough]
Totally agreed on Greg. He's honestly a pretty bad father, but it's not for lack of trying. He just kind of sucks at everything, and I'm really into loser characters these days. It's just really heartwarming seeing him go from absentee to wanting to be there for Steven.
I agree with everything stated here.
3545266
Thanks GullibleCynic, I also really love The Descendant and how he interprets Spike. The first MLP fanfic I read was his and it was so good I just kept reading and writing.
3545405
Is he a loser though? I know owning a car wash isn't glamorous and he lives out of his van, but he spends time with his son. I feel like he's a really good father. He spends that quality time and has good conversations with him. And he never tells Steven outright to stop risking his life on Gem missions even though he obviously wants to. He's such a genuine person that I don't have the heart to call him a loser.
3545722
:)
3553402
It's not shown as being a very successful car wash, and I get the feeling he's just barely making ends meet. Possibly not even that, just getting by on hopes and promises.
But I also feel like Steven's a good influence on him, and the more time they spend together, the better a person Greg becomes. He's different now than he was the first time we met him, that's for sure.
3553835
I hadn't even noticed Greg change that much, you're probably right.
I may have to rewatch the series one of these days to pick up on stuff like that.