History Recap / StevenUniverseS1E13SoManyBirthdays

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

-->''The hard part was [[NoodleIncident getting the shark to pose]].''

* Foreshadowing: This episode, along with "[[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E6CatFingers Cat Fingers]]", shows exactly how dark this show will get in the future...

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Steven's [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar still dodgy]] line that he can't "spend the whole day whackering" was [[https://twitter.com/paulvilleco/status/1317233561024430081 initially pitched]] as "spend the whole day whacking it", which the outline supervisor immediately shot down.

* AccidentalPervert: An elderly Steven asks Sadie and Lars "[[ThatCameOutWrong Will you help me into my birthday suit?]]" he means his king costume that he wears each birthday. He gets chased out of the shop with a stool.

* 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.

* CompressedHair: Steven looks as if he made his hair rainbow-colored for his clown outfit, but was actually wearing a rainbow wig the same shape. He takes off the wig and his real hair comically decompresses a second after.

** Steven's thoughts and emotions affect his powers throughout the series, but them semi-permanently changing his age never happens or is mentioned again. When he temporarily turns into a baby [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E26StevensBirthday in a later episode]], it's due strain from overusing shapeshifting.

* GrossUpCloseUp: The camera focuses in on Steven's face as he become a teenager, causing it to grows hair and pimples.

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

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Steven's [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar still dodgy]] line that he can't "spend the whole day whackering" was [[https://twitter.com/paulvilleco/status/1317233561024430081 initially pitched]] as "spend the the whole day whacking it", which the outline supervisor immediately shot down.

-->'''Old!Steven''': ''(weak)'' Would you guys, just please...''(Gem activates, turning him back into an adult)'' '''''Control yourselves?!''''' ''(The Gems stop and pay attention)'' Ugh, oh no. ''(transforms into a teen)'' Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. ''([[LuminescentBlush blushes]])'' But I can't stand to see you ''(ages into adult again)'' freaking out like this!

* RunningGag: Amethyst accumulating more and more party hats with each birthday party.

* ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing: While Gem shape-shifting usually has MagicPants, just like with Steven's PowerIncontinence in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E6CatFingers "Cat Fingers"]], Steven's accidental age changing doesn't alter his clothing — his normal shirt is tiny on his adult body and his "Professional Beach Hunk" shirt is too large when he returns to normal.

* CompressedHair: Steven shoves his hair under a rainbow wig, and it comically decompresses a second after taking it off.

So why don't we have a party?

* BirthdayEpisode: The entire premise of the episode.

* GrossUpCloseUp: On an older teen Steven's face, when he grows hair and pimples.

** A rancid burrito makes Amethyst throw up, as this was before the writers came up with the idea of her being an ExtremeOmnivore who happily eats things like motor oil without consequence.
*** Although it wouldn't be out of character for Amethyst to ''let'' herself get sick, just to annoy Pearl.

* DescriptionCut: Steven walks by Onion, wistfully talking about how "innocent" he is right before Onion pries up an arcade machine with a screwdriver to steal the tickets.

* NotTheirBirthday: The Gems have never celebrated birthdays before, and have lived so long they don't really know when their birthdays are, so Steven decides to throw a party for all of them right then.

** It's true that Steven's powers are affected by his thoughts and emotions, but this is the only instance of his apparent ''age'' affected in such a way, regardless of all the CharacterDevelopment he receives, and maturity he gains, in later seasons (his apparent age differences in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS2E26StevensBirthday "Steven's Birthday"]] were due to his shapeshifting abilities, and strain from overusing them.)

* NotQuiteBackToNormal: 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.

-->'''Garnet:''' We'll work on the ''rest'' later.

!!Examples:

* ArtImitatesArt: The old painting is an alternate 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.

* BirthdayHater: [[PlayingWithATrope Rather than outright hating birthdays]], the Crystal Gems merely [[HumansThroughAlienEyes find all the associated traditions to be incomprehensibly bizarre]]--a rather reasonable reaction in context. Amethyst enjoys them anyway, but Garnet thinks they're too old for them and Pearl is confused and scared by Steven's attempts to be funny.

* BrickJoke: Onion showed in "Arcade Mania" that he was good at getting lots of tickets at the arcade. We see in this episode that he gets all those tickets by breaking into the machine.

* ContinuityNod: Sadie tried to use a footstool to break Steven's bubble in "Bubble Buddies". She threatens to use one again when she's chasing off the elderly Steven after a misunderstanding.

* DoubleMeaningTitle: "So Many Birthdays" can refer to either the series of birthdays Steven has for the other Gems or Steven triggering rapid aging on himself.

* HypocriticalHumor: Steven realizes he's too old for "kazoo racers" when he gets stuck inside a miniature car. He says it seems undignified now and solemnly walks off, the car is still stuck around his butt.

* NeverHadABirthdayParty: Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl never had a birthday party as it's not a gem custom (and they probably don't know what their birthdays would be, at least not on a modern human calendar), so Steven decides to hold one for them all at once.

* ShapeshiftingExcludesClothing: While Gem shape-shifting usually has MagicPants, even for Steven in "Cat Fingers", Steven's accidental age changing doesn't alter his clothing--his normal shirt is tiny on his adult body and his "Professional Beach Hunk" shirt is too large when he returns to normal.
* StylisticSelfParody: Amethyst wears a party hat over her noses then [[http://steven-universe.wikia.com/wiki/File:Nose.jpg pokes Pearl's nose with it]], calling attention to how large and pointy Pearl's nose is.

* 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.]]

** 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.

When a misunderstanding causes Sadie to chase him out of the store, Steven runs down the beach as the aging process speeds up, until he becomes an elderly man collapsed upon the sand. In this state Lion finds him and brings him back to the other Gems, who are cleaning up the party confections. Upon seeing Steven, they try desperately to revert his age with the birthday traditions he taught them earlier, since his half-human genetics would cause him to die of old age. Unfortunately, each attempt only increases the aging process. When Garnet has a NotSoStoic moment and tries violently shaking him, the Gems begin arguing, which causes Steven to tell them to stop. As he does so however, his age reverts back to a teenager state. Pearl realizes that his physical age is connected to his mental state of mind, so the Gems try to make him feel young again. They manage to succeed, and aside from having to sort out the length of his legs, Steven is once again restored to his original age.

Steven attempts to hold a birthday party for each of the Gems in order of Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet. Not understanding human customs, the standard birthday traditions soar over the Gems' heads, which causes Steven to wonder if he's being too immature. As he leaves and walks through town, he unknowingly begins to age rapidly, with every action causing him to grow older several years. By the end of the day, he's become a middle-aged man, and he finally realizes this when he walks into the Big Donut and realizes Lars and Sadie don't recognize him.

* EmphaticEnvironment: It's sunny at first when Steven has Amethyst's birthday party on the beach, but dark clouds start rolling in during Pearl's ill-fated party. Once Steven starts rapidly growing up, it's overcast and foggy.

* EmpahticEnvironment: It's sunny at first when Steven has Amethyst's birthday party on the beach, but dark clouds start rolling in during Pearl's ill-fated party. Once Steven starts rapidly growing up, it's overcast and foggy.