[S1E13] So Many Birthdays
Steven learns that the Gems are thousands of years old and decides to make up for all the thousands of birthdays they have missed. When the Gems don't take kindly to his childlike birthday parties, Steven sinks into a gradually worsening depression that makes him grow older the more he fears outgrowing things.[3]
[S1E13] So Many Birthdays
The episode begins with the Crystal Gems searching through Amethyst's Room for a stench that is contaminating the Temple. Steven finds the source: a tuna burrito Amethyst saved from Aqua-Mexican, a restaurant that closed five years ago. Amethyst eagerly takes a bite, disgusting Steven and Pearl. Steven then notices a photo of the Gems and Rose Quartz in pioneer clothes. Pearl states that the gems in the photo were them many years ago. Pearl tells Steven that they are immortal and do not age, although they can still get injured and die, which upsets Steven. Nevertheless, Steven is amazed at the Gems' age and wonders how they can find a birthday cake large enough for all those candles. Garnet then says that they do not celebrate birthdays. Steven is flabbergasted by this and decides to make up all the birthdays that they missed. Amethyst vomits from food poisoning as the screen cuts to black.
Steven first throws a party for Amethyst, which spirals into violence as she does not completely understand how to celebrate a birthday. Steven then throws a party for Pearl, who is unenthusiastic about the idea. Throughout the party, Steven acts like a clown and tells jokes, which Pearl does not find funny at all. Lastly, Steven throws a party for Garnet, featuring kazoo-racers. Before doing anything, Garnet and Pearl tell Steven that they are just "too big" for parties. This makes Steven deeply think about the childish things he does. Distraught, Steven wanders into town, contemplating the nature of birthdays and aging. His forlorn attitude inadvertently activates his gemstone, resulting in him aging into a teenager, making him hit puberty instantaneously. He continues to age as he begins to feel older and heads toward the Big Donut and asks for two of the "usual". Lars becomes confused as he does not recognize the older Steven. Steven looks in the glass case of donuts and spots his reflection. In shock of his older form, he becomes worried that he has to start doing older things now, such as eating sugarless cereal, aging him even more. He thinks that, if he has a reverse birthday, he will turn back to normal. He asks Lars and Sadie if they could help him into his "Birthday Suit" much to Sadie's shock and Lars' slight amusement. Taking this the wrong way, Sadie chases Steven out with a chair.
Gil is turning 50 and the kids want to surprise him with a huge party! Kelly Jo whisks Gil away for a romantic overnight stay while the kids get to work planning the festivities. When the big surprise is revealed, a teary-eyed Gil basks in the warm glow of being surrounded by so many family and friends.
Meanwhile, in the Soul Society proper, the battered Soul Reapers collectively make preparations for the Quincy attack that is guaranteed to come. After losing his Bankai, Toshiro Hitsugaya showns exceptional grace and humility by returning to the academy to practice the basics with the students there and strengthen his sword work. Shuhei Hisagi is brought to the forest by Captain Kensei Muguruma and trained by a fierce Mashiro Kuna in her Hollow form to master his own Bankai, since so many were stolen in the Quincy attack.
As Nimaiya works he asks Ichigo if he recognized the Asauchi as his own Hollow? The Hollow White was created by overlaying many Soul Reaper souls together, much like how Nimaiya creates his own Asauchi. As such, it has become his Zanpakuto. "Old Man Zangetsu" is not exactly White though. There is another who's been pretending to be his Zanpakuto within his own soul.
When a woman comes brings her daughter for Harley Care in the afternoon during Ethan's Star Tour hours, Harley realizes that all the woman needs is a babysitter. Realizing the demand for babysitting and Harley Care, Harley secretly takes over Ethan's Star Tour hours by booking kids to her business and lying to Ethan that they're there for his Star Tours. Through this secret takeover, Ethan is surprised to be getting so many bookings while Harley is making all the money. She decides not to fix the Slushinator.
It's only when things get personal that they get interesting, and that's for about five minutes of the episode. At their wonderful little smoking window (I love these scenes), Claire ponders the bigger picture. While Frank is middling and selfishly planning his own journey, Claire asks, "What do we leave behind?" Sure, she's talking about not having any children, but also about their legacy. How will the Underwoods be remembered? At this point, they're a couple of heartless, rich elitists who have thrown numerous people under the bus to get where they are. Hell, Frank even killed someone. And who knows what's going to happen to Gillian, her unborn baby, Zoe, Lucas, Janine, Rachel, or even Remy? How many of them will end up dead in Season 2? I won't even get into the environmental and political ramifications of Frank and Claire's actions, which are many.
As a solution to her emptiness (or perhaps as a way to defuse the lawsuit -- don't put it past her, this woman has had three abortions), Claire wants to have a baby, even though we saw her endure the first symptoms of menopause throughout the season. Surely this isn't the best move, but Claire reeks of desperation. She hasn't even told Frank about the seriousness of the lawsuit for fear of his reaction. If analyzed properly, it's all Frank's fault anyway. He's the one who pressured Claire with Remy in the first place. I'm starting to think that Claire will ultimately be Frank's downfall. She may have fixed the faucet, but how many times will she clean up his mess? Eventually it will all end. 041b061a72