History Recap / StevenUniverseS1E22StevenAndTheStevens

* MythologyGag: The episode was intended to be a re-work of the pilot and thus contains elements from it. The small hourglass returns and is still a time-traveling device, and Steven uses it to go back in time multiple times (though going back in time creates time clones unlike the pilot, which was MentalTimeTravel). The device itself is repeatedly referred to as a "time thing", and the pilot's [[TitlePlease unshown title]] was "The Time Thing". Just like in the pilot, Steven smashes it by the end of the episode.

* UnevilLaugh: Steven 1's wild laughter after taking the furthest-back Steven's hourglass is unhinged, but isn't exactly intimidating.

* ContinuityCavalcade: During the time chase, the Stevens interrupt the ending of [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E1GemGlow "Gem Glow"]], briefly show up in [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E19RosesRoom "Rose's Room"]], and even appear in an area during the future events of [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E25OceanGem "Ocean Gem"]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Steven can be heard humming the melody of "Steven and the Stevens" on his way to his dad's carwash.

Steven needs a musical partner for an upcoming show, and uses a time travel device to recruit the perfect bandmate...HIMSELF!

* BreadEggsMilkSquick: The version of Steven's song he plays at the end readily switches between a happy self-description of the band that fits the tune and [[LyricalDissonance detailing how the alternate universe Stevens met their end.]]

* ButterflyOfDoom: Steven tries to stop Yellowtail's boat from getting stuck in his dad's car wash using the magic hourglass. Instead, Yellowtail's truck crashes into a utility pole, which falls onto the car wash and starts a huge fire. This immediately puts Steven off of using the hourglass to change the past.

* ContinuityCavalcade: During the time chase the Stevens interrupted the ending of "Gem Glow", briefly showed up in "Rose's Room", and even appeared in an area during the future events of "Ocean Gem".

* DownerEnding: It's mostly played for BlackComedy, but dozens of Steven's {{Alternate Sel|f}}ves die in front of him and the Crystal Gems--each of which may have taken an ''[[ExpendableAlternateUniverse entire timeline]]'' with them.

* TheEnd: Instead of an IrisOut, the episode ends with a The End card instead.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Steven can be heard humming the melody of "Steven and the Stevens" on his way to his dad's car wash.
* FutureMeScaresMe: Both versions of Steven 1 that show up scare Steven. The second one realizes this, leading to his HeelRealization.
* GratuitousItalian: Says the first time-traveling Steven to the one who never timed traveled: "Arrivederci!"
* HeelRealization: Steven 1 regrets his actions when he sees how frightened his past self is of him and how all out war's broken out between the Stevens.

* LaughingMad: Steven 1, after aforementioned realizing he can erase the other time duplicates, starts guffawing evilly. It's actually pretty sinister, coming from (a) Steven.
* LeeroyJenkins: The Gems have to choose the right hourglass, or the sea shrine will flood, and remain flooded for a hundred years. Amethyst, true to form, just grabs one that she likes the look of, causing the place to flood.

* MesACrowd: There ends up being a room full of fighting Steven via time cloning.

* MoodWhiplash: Dozens of Stevens are being paradoxed out of existence. They are in obvious distress. The ''original Steven'' knows he is going to die and bids farewell to his younger self just before vanishing away. Younger Steven watches in shock. Cut to the only surviving Steven (and the Gems) singing a cute and upbeat WesternAnimation/{{Josie and the Pussycats}} style song about accidentally creating alternate timelines and watching yourself die. The song itself is the DarkReprise of a song originally composed and performed by the (now dead) Stevens, keeping the original upbeat tune for extra LyricalDissonance. Funny how "we're goin' to make you smile" scans with "by watching myself die".
* MundaneUtility: Steven gets a time-travel device. He uses it to make a band composed entirely of himself.

* MythologyGag: The episode was intended to be a re-work of the pilot and thus contains elements from it. The small hourglass returns and still is a time-traveling device, and Steven uses it to go back in time multiple times (though going back in time creates time clones unlike the pilot, which was MentalTimeTravel). The device itself is repeatedly referred to as a "time thing", and the pilot's [[TitlePlease unshown title]] was "The Time Thing". Just like in the pilot, Steven smashes it by the end of the episode.

* PlotHole: The gems besides Steven don't have to breath (and Garnet can swim in ''lava''). There's no reason the Sea Shrine flooding should have kept them from searching it for the time hourglass (either this time or last century).

* RunningGag: Yellowtail boat being too big to fit in the carwash is repeatedly described as "the boat's fat", usually completely out of context.

* TheStoryThatNeverWas: Steven's attempts at TimeTravel eventually cause a huge number of Steven's fighting each across time. The original Steven decides to stop it all by destroying the time travel device before Steven first used it, which destroys the Stevens from all other timelines (including the one who broke the orb). As a result, all events in the episode but the first and last scene, and anyone who could remember them happening, are erased.
* SuddenAnatomy: Steven 1's has visible canines for a few of his more conniving expressions.

'''Greg:''' ''([[YouAreFat look at his own stomach]])'' Rude.\\

--> ''I'm down for whatever.''

* AsideGlance: In the final scene, Pearl momentarily glances askance at Steven when he mentions what he did with the time hourglass.

* ButterflyOfDoom: Steven tries to stop Mr. Yellowtail's boat from getting stuck in his dad's car wash using the magic hourglass. Instead, Yellowtail's truck crashes into a utility pole, which falls onto the car wash and starts a huge fire. This immediately puts Steven off of using the hourglass to change the past.

* DifferentlyDressedDuplicates: To distinguish each other, the first Steven puts his hair up in a pompadour and writes the numbers 2 through 4 [[FaceDoodling on the faces]] of the others.

* KillingYourAlternateSelf: Steven 1 destroys the hourglass before the Steven furthest in the past can get it, destroying all the Stevens from farther along the timeline, ''himself included''.

* LaughingMad: Steven 1, after aforementioned EurekaMoment, starts guffawing evilly. It's actually pretty sinister, coming from (a) Steven.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: What kicks of the plot. The Gems have to choose the right hourglass, or the sea shrine will flood, and remain flooded for a hundred years. Amethyst, true to form, just grabs one that she likes the look of, causing the place to flood.

--> "I'm down for whatever."

* MythologyGag: The episode was intended to be a re-work of the pilot and thus contains elements from it. The small hourglass returns and still is a time-traveling device, and Steven uses it to go back in time multiple times (though going back in time creates time clones unlike the pilot, which was MentalTimeTravel). Also, just like in the pilot, Steven smashes it by the end of the episode.

* SpoofAesop: Steven claims in the ending song that he "learned to [[BeYourself stay true to myself]] by watching myself die", but there's reason that brief and confusing experience ([[TheStoryThatNeverWas from his limited temporal perspective]]) taught him anything of the sort.

* BrokenAesop: Steven claims in the ending song that he "learned to [[BeYourself stay true to myself]] by watching myself die"... but it's not at all clear how that brief and confusing experience ([[TheStoryThatNeverWas from his limited temporal perspective]]) taught him anything of the sort, and seems like a tacked-on {{Stock Aesop|s}}.

* IrisOut: {{Averted}}, the episode ends with a The End card instead.

* AllThatGlitters: Steven's suggestion that the small hourglass in a sphere might be what they are looking for is scoffed by Pearl who insists it has to be the largest and most ornate hour glass in the area.

* StockAesops: Steven claims in the ending song that he "learned to [[BeYourself stay true to myself]] by watching myself die"... but it's not at all clear how the experience taught him anything of the sort.

* ForeignFarewell: Says the first time-traveling Steven to the one who never timed traveled: "Arrivederci!"
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Steven can be heard humming the melody of "Steven and the Stevens" on his way to his dad's car wash.
** Some of the lyrics of Steven's song at the end of the episode could be seen as very forward-foreshadowing of [[spoiler:the truth behind Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond many seasons later]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Steven can be heard humming the melody of "Steven and the Stevens" on his way to his dad's car wash.

* MoodWhiplash: Dozens of Stevens are being paradoxed out of existence. They are in obvious distress. The ''original Steven'' knows he is going to die and bids farewell to his younger self just before vanishing away. Younger Steven watches in shock. Cut to the only surviving Steven (and the Gems) singing a cute and upbeat {{Josie and the Pussycats}} style song about accidentally creating alternate timelines and watching yourself die. The song itself is the DarkReprise of a song originally composed and performed by the (now dead) Stevens, keeping the original upbeat tune for extra LyricalDissonance. Funny how "we're goin' to make you smile" scans with "by watching myself die".

* TheStoryThatNeverWas: Steven's attempts at TimeTravel eventually cause a huge number of Steven's fighting each across time. The original Steven decides to stop it all by destroying the time travel device before Steven first used it. As a result, all events in the episode but the first and last scene are erased.

* TheHeroDies: The Steven that we follow for most of the episode ends up being erased from history. The one remaining after the episode ends thus [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold has no memory of any of the events that occurred]] except for all of the other ones attacking each other before disappearing.

* IdenticalTwinIDTag: To distinguish each other, the first Steven puts his hair up in a pompadour and writes the numbers 2 through 4 [[FaceDoodling on the faces]] of the others.

-->'''Steven:''' I can't believe it... I'm so... ''annoying!''

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The demise of the alternate Stevens: dissolving into sand as they're erased from history.
* FantasticAesop: "By the way, don't go back in time / Or you'll destroy yourself!"

* HeelRealization: Steven 1 has one after he sees how frightened his past self is of him and how all out war's broken out between the Stevens.

* IHatePastMe: Steven (One) finds that the past versions of himself to be quite annoying.

* FridgeHorror: The Steven that we've followed for all of the series up until this point is dead and is being erased from history.
** FridgeBrilliance: This also may explain why Steven after this episode gets a lot less childish.

* HeelRealization: Steven 1 has one after he see's how frightened his past self is of him and how all out war's broken out between the Stevens.

* KillingYourAlternateSelf: Steven 1 destroys the hourglass before the Steven furthest in the past can get it, destroying all the Steven's from farther along the timeline, ''himself included''.

* AdultsAreUseless: The other Gems just stand there dumbfounded as dozens of Steven's {{Alternate Sel|f}}ves have a massive melee and paradox themselves out of existence. The Stevens are in obvious distress but the Gems made no attempt to break the fight. In fairness, their HeroicBSOD is rather understandable.

* TheHeroDies: The Steven most of the episode follows ends up being erased from history. The one remaining after the episode ends thus [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold has no memory of any of the events that occurred]] except for all of the other ones attacking each other before disappearing. In fact, this technically means the Steven we've followed for ''the entire series up to this point'' died.

* MoodWhiplash: Dozens of Stevens are being paradoxed out of existence. They are in obvious distress. The ''original Steven'' knows he is going to die and bids farewell to his younger self just before vanishing away. Younger Steve watches in shock. Cut to the only surviving Steven (and the Gems) singing a cute and upbeat {{Josie and the Pussycats}} style song about accidentally creating alternate timelines and watching yourself die. The song itself is the DarkReprise of a song originally composed and performed by the (now dead) Stevens, keeping the original upbeat tune for extra LyricalDissonance. Funny how "we're goin' to make you smile" scans with "by watching myself die".

* TitleDrop: [[MyFutureSelfAndMe Steven, Steven, Steven, and Steven]] form the band "Steven and the Stevens" and work their name into the chours of their first song. That's TWO title drops in one.

* MythologyGag: The episode was intended to be a re-work of the pilot and thus contains elements from it. The small hourglass returns and still is a time-traveling device, and Steven uses it to go back in time multiple times (though going back in time creates time clones unlike the pilot). Also, just like in the pilot, Steven smashes it by the end of the episode.