So Many Birthdays

"Oh, never mind...you are too old."

"So Many Birthdays" is the 13th episode of the first season of Steven Universe and the 13th overall episode of the series.

Synopsis
Steven learns that the Gems are thousands of years old and decides to make up for all the thousands of birthdays they have missed.

Plot
The episode begins with the Crystal Gems searching through Amethyst's Room for a smell that is contaminating the Temple. Steven finds the object that is causing the stench: a tuna burrito Amethyst  saved from Aqua Mexican, a restaurant that closed five years ago. Amethyst eagerly takes a bite, with Steven grossed out and Pearl staring in horror. Steven then notices a photo of the Gems and Rose Quartz in pioneer clothes. Pearl states that was them many years ago. Pearl then tells Steven that they're immortal and don't age, but they can still get injured and die, which upsets Steven. Amethyst starts to get queasy after eating the burrito, which makes Pearl say that they can't die from food poisoning. Steven is amazed that they're over a hundred years old, in which he remarks how can they find a cake big enough for all the candles. Garnet then says that they don't celebrate birthdays, stating, "It's not our way." Steven is flabbergasted by this and decides to make up all the birthdays that they missed. Amethyst, still queasy, vomits when the screen cuts to black.

When Steven throws a party for Amethyst, Pearl and Garnet, Pearl felt that all the activities that Steven was planning for them were for children. This makes Steven think about the childish things he does, resulting in him aging into a teenager. He heads toward the Donut Shop and asks for the regular. Lars is confused because he doesn't recognize older Steven. Steven looks in the the glass of Donuts and sees his reflection. In shock of his older form he starts saying things that he has to start doing because he is old, eating sugarless cereal. He thinks if he gets into his Birthday Suit (a king's crown and cape) he will turn back to normal. He asks Lars and Sadie if they could help him into his Birthday Suit. Taking this the wrong way, Sadie chases Steven out with a chair. Steven starts running back home, aging rapidly as he runs. He trips and falls, and Lion comes and carries him to the Gems. Horrified, the Gems tried to host many birthday parties but instead of becoming younger Steven aged even more. Pearl who could not bear to look at Steven could not pick herself to help, Amethyst begs Pearl to help, Amethyst then picks up Pearl and puts her in front of Steven, wearing Steven's clown outfit from earlier. She tried to do the pie joke like Steven, but upset by Steven's worsening condition starts crying, runs over to Amethyst and hugs her.

Garnet picks up Steven and starts shaking him back and forth quickly. Pearl and Amethyst, in shock, run over to stop Garnet. She thought violence would be the "answer". They start fighting about what to do. Garnet starts crying while Steven stands up, says that the Gems have to control themselves, turning younger as he speaks.

The Gems then figured out that Steven is aging due to his Gem reacting to his state of mind. They managed to get him to feel like himself again and he manages to return back to normal, except that he still had adult legs. The episode then ends.

Songs

 * Birthday Song

Characters

 * Steven
 * Pearl
 * Garnet
 * Amethyst
 * Lion
 * Lars
 * Sadie
 * Onion
 * Greg Universe (mentioned)

Trivia

 * The original title for this episode was "10,000 Birthdays." It is also referred as such on the video page for the show on the Cartoon Network Asia website.
 * It is revealed by Pearl that while the gems are immortal, they can still get hurt and possibly die if they don't get treated. More on their healing processes is seen in (and possibly contradicted by) "Steven the Sword Fighter."
 * There are three other people in the photo besides Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet. It is unknown if they are humans or Crystal Gems.
 * RoseAndGems.png is the first episode in which Steven unintentionally used his gem powers in a non-defensive way.
 * This is the first time we see Pearl and Garnet cry.
 * Steven's middle name is revealed to be Quartz, which happens to be his mother's last name.
 * The Gems claim that their age is an illusion because of their immortal nature.
 * This is the first time Steven almost dies in the series.
 * It is revealed that, due to Steven's half-human/half Crystal Gem heritage, he ages differently than normal humans. His Gem ages him in response to his state of mind, literally making him as old or as young as he feels.
 * This may be due to the Gem segment of his physiology, with his age actually being just a form taken, and he can't control it because of his inability to properly shapeshift.
 * However, Pearl's nod to the possibility of Steven's death may also mean that, due to the human segment of his physiology, his age may have some effect in his body.
 * When Steven reverts back to his original age, his face looks babyish. This could mean that Steven would've originally aged younger at that point.
 * If you look closely at the piles in Amethyst's room, you'll see a Lion Lickers logo.

Cultural References

 * The photo itself seems to be a parody of a painting by John Singleton Copley titled Watson and the Shark.

Continuity

 * This episode shows how Onion got so many arcade tickets as seen in the episode "Arcade Mania" - by opening the ticket vaults in the arcade machines with a screwdriver.

Errors

 * When Steven shows the carts, the yellow cart is in the middle. However later, the position of the cart changes.
 * In Pearl's party Amethyst is seen using 2 party hats, when Steven puts the pie in his face Amethyst has three.
 * Amethyst picked up the balloons from the ground to clean the party Steven made for them, but when Amethyst was shocked at Steven's condition, the balloons floated instead of being dropped on the ground.
 * The crown moved farther from Steven right after Amethyst calls Pearl to come and help. The crown is completely gone when Garnet is shaking Steven, and for the rest of the episode.
 * Lion disappeared when Garnet said that they'll work on the rest about the young and normal Steven still having grown-up legs and feet.
 * In this episode, Pearl is stated to like pie. However in "Fusion Cuisine" she says she hates eating.
 * It has been noted, that Peal enjoys the act of making and baking the pie, but not eating it.
 * This is consistent with the episode "Together Breakfast" where she seems to enjoy preparing the breakfast together with Steven and the other Crystal Gems despite her reluctance to actually eat food.

Transcript
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