History Recap / StevenUniverseS1E13SoManyBirthdays

* ObliviousTransformation: Steven doesn't notice his RapidAging until Lars and Sadie fail to recognize him. [[FailedASpotCheck Not even changing his own clothes makes him notice.]]
* PartialTransformation: By the episode's end, Steven only manages to turn his upper half to his actual age, with the legs still being hairy and adult.

* AnAesop: There's nothing stopping you from doing the "childish" things you love.

-->'''Garnet:''' (gets hit in the face, slightly annoyed) Higher.

** During Pearl's birthday, she says she likes pie. Later episodes establish Pearl dislikes eating food in general. WordOfGod is that she enjoys the process of making it.

* AdultFear: You unknowingly convince your child that the activities they like are too "immature" for them, to the point where they figuratively (and literally, in Steven's case) grow up too quickly.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: During Pearl's birthday, she says she likes pie. Later episodes establish Pearl dislikes eating food in general. WordOfGod is that she enjoys the process of making it.

* BeYourself: Pearl tells Steven to think like himself; Sweet, considerate, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick only occasionally obnoxious]]. It's what A saves him.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: During Pearl's birthday, she says she likes pie. Later episodes establish Pearl dislikes eating food in general.

* AgelessBirthdayEpisode: Kinda sorta this since the Gems have stated that they've lived for thousands of years. Birthdays were not their thing.

* DarkerAndEdgier: With Steven nearly dying, the Gems losing their cool in trying to save Steven's life, and [[FridgeHorror the revelation that Steven might NOT be immortal unlike the Gems and could eventually die of old age]], this episode is easily darker than any before it.

* LiteralMinded[=/=]NoSenseOfHumor: Steven makes a joke about Pearl throwing out a stick of butter to see a [[{{Pun}} butterfly]]. Pearl is hurt at the though that Steven is making up bad things about her.

* BeYourself: Pearl tells Steven to think like himself; Sweet, considerate, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick only occasionally obnoxious]]. It's what saves him.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Pearl enthusiastically saying she likes pie is pretty weird when she's later established to be very uncomfortable with eating and drinking, plus her being extremely LiteralMinded in the very same scene makes it unlikely she's just playing along with the joke. Some fans speculate she thought Steven was talking about the number pi.

The episode opens with the Gems investigating a terrible smell from Amethyst's room, which turns out to be a several-year old burrito. As Amethyst takes a bite of it, Steven finds an old framed picture with the older Gems plus his mother in a time period that looks to be several centuries ago. Pearl explains to him that they're much older than any human, but when Steven asks if they'll live forever, she reveals that they don't age but can die from injury. As Amethyst begins to feel the aftereffects of eating expired food, Pearl adds that they can't die from food poisoning either. This prompts Steven to ask them how they fit all their candles on their birthday cakes, only to discover that birthdays are a foreign concept to the Crystal Gems. Aghast, Steven resolves to properly celebrate every single one of their missed birthdays.

* ArtImitatesArt: The old painting is an alernate version of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watson_and_the_Shark Watson and the Shark]], [[HistoricalHilarity which depicts a historical shark attack in Havana]], [[BeenThereShapedHistory with the Crystal Gems included]]. Instead of someone preparing to spear the [[ThreateningShark shark]] Garnet is ''punching'' it.

* FanDisservice: Steven aging into an teenager, then an adult, is ''not'' made to look glamorous or handsome in any way; [[VocalDissonance he still retails his high voice]], and is intentionally made to look awkward, pimples and all as the former.

* MoodWhiplash: The first half of the episode consists of Steven innocently trying to help the Gems have fun and enjoy the Birthday(s) they have missed. The 2nd half involves Steven's character deconstructing into a dying, writhering old man with the Gems trying futilely to save his life while trying not to cross the DespairEventHorizon. Since most of their attempts center on trying to make Steven happy, they end up being [[BlackComedy disturbingly humorous]] at the same time.

* LiteralMinded: Steven makes a joke about Pearl throwing out a stick of butter to see a [[{{Pun}} butterfly]]. Pearl takes this literally and thinks he's making up bad things about her.

* IrisOut: Over Steven's face as he laughs about the fact that his legs are still adult legs.

* LiteralMinded: Steven makes a joke about Pearl throwing out a stick of butter to see a [[{{Pun}} butterfly]]. She's takes it literally and thinks he's making up bad things about her.

* ShamefulShrinking: This happens once, literally and age-wise, when Steven gets embarrassed.

* WayPastTheExpirationDate: A tuna burrito laying around Amethyst's room is unwrapped, spewing out a noxious green cloud. Amethyst explains it's from a restaurant that Steven says closed about half a decade ago. [[ExtremeOmnivore She eats it anyway.]] Within two minutes, Amethyst [[GreenAroundTheGills turns green]] all while Pearl is explaining that the Gems can never die of old age... or food poisoning. Then [[VomitDiscretionShot the camera blacks out as she retches]].

* NoSell: Amethyst hits Garnet several times with a bat while blindfolded and swinging at a pinata wildly, but Garnet doesn't flinch.
-->'''Garnet:''' (gets hit in the face, slightly annoyed) Higher.

* NotSoStoic: While the Gems are trying to get Steven to revert to his original age before he dies, [[TheStoic Garnet]] picks Steven up and begins shaking him out of desperation. When Amethyst and Pearl stop her, so he is seen walking away crying because she doesn't know what to do.

* NoSell: Amethyst hits Garnet several times with a bat while blindfolded and swinging at a pinata wildly, but Garnet doesn't flinch.
-->'''Garnet:''' (gets hit in the face, slightly annoyed) Higher.

* AccidentalPervert: An elderly Steven asks Sadie and Lars "[[ThatCameOutWrong Will you help me into my birthday suit?]]" Steven meant his king costume that he wears each birthday. He gets chased out of the shop with a stool.
* AgelessBirthdayEpisode: Kinda sorta this since the Gems have stated that they've lived for thousands of years. Birthdays were not their thing.

* MistakenAge: Until Steven asks the Gems about an old picture, he has assumed they were the age they looked rather than [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld hundreds or thousands of years old]].
* NoSell: Amethyst hits Garnet several times with a bat while blindfolded and swinging at a pinata wildly, but Garnet doesn't flinch.
-->'''Garnet:''' (gets hit in the face, slightly annoyed) Higher.

* WayPastTheExpirationDate: A tuna burrito laying around Amethyst's room is unwrapped, spewing out a noxious green cloud. Amethyst explains it's from a restaurant that Steven says closed about half a decade ago. Within two minutes, Amethyst [[GreenAroundTheGills turns green]] all while Pearl is explaining that the Gems can never die of old age... or food poisoning. Then [[VomitDiscretionShot the camera blacks out as she retches]].