Anna Syvertsson – Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: December 18, 2025

Written & Storyboarded by: Anna Syvertsson, Maya Petersen, Rebecca Sugar & Charmaine Verhagen

Annnnd we’re finally winding down! Or revving up, in this case. Some housekeeping notes before we start, feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you want the meat: I’ll be reviewing the season finale on the day it comes out, take a loooong break from there, and then come back and review season two as a whole. For a couple of reasons – one, because my reviews this season have been about as messy as the season itself. I don’t think there’s really a concise throughline to most of them and they work more as a stream of consciousness. Not to say this format hasn’t worked for me. Honestly, if I wasn’t for the immediate momentum to get my thoughts out following each episode, I don’t know if I’d have a ton of motivation to revisit and review most of these in the future. But I’d like to have something meaningful to say about the season as a whole, and I think I’ll need a good amount of time to collect my thoughts and emotions and see where I ultimately land. Second, because this season has been kind of exhausting! There isn’t a ton of goodwill to be had at this point, even with people who ultimately like this season. I’ve seen plenty of people who like this season act with disdain towards anyone who does not and vice versa. And then there’s the whole subset of weird MAGA inspired discourse around the dynamics of the show that I don’t even wanna touch. It’s just a bummer to be around, so I think a good long break is warranted. I have no idea when Side Quests is coming out next year, but I’ll try to plan to have the season two review done before its release. As for Side Quests, I haven’t fully decided whether I’ll be doing episode-by-episode coverage, but given the nature of the series as a whole, it will probably be one review covering everything. But, for now, let’s get to the episode review.

After dealing with what was possibly the most frustrating episode of this entire spin-off series last week, it’s good to see the season redeem itself again with an episode that is pretty great. Honestly, I think this season has really benefited from the episodes that just have one solid setting throughout, intertwining each segment and character involved. This really worked for me in The Bird in the Clock, and also greatly benefits The Worm and the Orchard. Of course, these are two episodes that additionally really limit themselves on the inner workings of Fionna-World, so I think my biases are also clear. But is it any surprise to anyone that when this series focuses on fantastical elements, people are likely to be more engaged? Just a thought!

This one picks up where the last episode left off, with Huntress finally connecting to the Heart of the Forest through her own “inner mope.” HW’s been looking for answers outside of herself in order to return home when this episode makes it clear that the answers were within her the whole time. It’s cheesy, but also very Ozian, once again tying back into the fairytale woohoo of the season. And the episode doesn’t really hold on this fact too long for it to feel like some massive revelation, it’s quickly acknowledged and expanded upon further when Huntress ends up in the Undergrowth. Along with Fionna, who has fully entered sulk territory. Her absolute apathy towards everything is very funny and connects more to elements of her character that I actually enjoy. I like the Fionna that is just so consumed with her own self-worth that she drowns whenever she’s confronted with her own actions. I think you can’t really get there without having the events of last episode, which I still think were kind of ridiculously executed upon, but I’m a lot more positive about this portrayal than the previous. I don’t think Fionna’s actions ever really nuked her as a character in my eyes, it was more so just exceptionally frustrating to sit through in that singular instance.

Going deeper into the Undergrowth, Fionna is rescued by a mysterious stranger that turns out to be none other than Fern! It’s really neat to see how much the series has kept him in as a valuable player even after his passing in Come Along With Me. I get the feeling that the staff really likes this character, and I get it, I love Fern! I almost didn’t recognize Hayden Ezzy’s voice at first, who has clearly matured greatly since the series finale of Adventure Time. It’s really neat to see him work as a spirit guide to Fionna, seeing as how they’re both kind of cut from the same cloth. Both have had the experience of living in Finn’s shadow, trying desperately to be a beloved hero, but not knowing exactly how to get there and falling into their own sense of self-destructiveness. It was additionally cool to see the exploration of some of Finn’s repressed thoughts, including one that we’ve seen before in Escape From the Citadel, along with some new pain, like getting fully rejected by Huntress Wizard after asking her to move in with him. Ooof! I’m not gonna lie, I did tear up a bit when Fionna touches the massive pain ball that is presumably in reference to Jake’s death. I guess this confirms that Jake died on some kind of expedition and that it wasn’t due to old age. Additionally, it’s so utterly macabre that Finn is referred to as a “sad fruit medley” and that he has tons of repressed memories that he hasn’t yet dealt with. Of course, we know that this has always been apart of Finn’s conscious decision to “vault” thoughts that are just too painful or weird for him to fully acknowledge. It’s clear it’s only gotten worse with time, and I would once again love to see a future iteration of this franchise that has Finn start to deal with these painful experiences that he’s pushed down so far, eventually leading up to him acknowledging Jake’s death on a conscious level.

We get to finally see the Karmic Worm, who was introduced by voice in The Crocodile Who Bit a Log, and who we saw briefly as a background cameo in The Bird in the Clock, as we get to see what he was banished to do after breaking off from his brother. I really like the character, once again portrayed by Sean Rohani, who is just so sweet and likable. They give him a real weight in that he’s spent 1,000’s of years coming to terms with his previous failings and the grief that he’s brought his brother. The way this episode deals with karma as a concept is rather fascinating, having the Worm consume repressed trauma, process it, and then letting that trauma ripen until its ready to be processed on a conscious level. As the Worm indicates, those bits of trauma may cycle back into the Undergrowth time and time again, showing that the cycle of suffering throughout the multiverse is unlimited in its infinite approach to dealing with karmic truths time and time again. I’ve been super into the Buddhist perspective for a few years now, so having the series sort of play around with the concept of saṃsāra is really neat. As the Karmic Worm states:

Thoughts come here to transform. It’s amazing. And not just because of what changes; the changes reveal what stays the same… The truth. It might cycle through here a hundred times, take a hundred forms, but every one is another chance to know it, like you, and the forms you take.

It’s quite a beautiful sentiment that I don’t think has any real concrete answer. The concept of “truth” is so complex that I don’t think it’s exceptionally easy to come to conclusion of what one’s truth is. Obviously, Fionna has majorly struggled with finding this answer in herself after dealing with the often misleading sentiment of “following your heart.” I think the idea here is that, beyond just thoughts themselves, there is an inherent “youness” that always exists beyond thoughts, actions, and states of beings, and that every experience is just another way to find out what works for you and to connect it back to something that expands your worldview beyond making logical deductions. The song is additionally lovely, and had me shedding another tear. It’s another Rebecca Sugar song (more about her shortly) and I think it’s quite incredible how she can whip up these really meaningful songs that are simple, yet so incredibly complex. Like, it’s for sure super sappy, but at the same time I can’t help but watch my cynical heart melt when you have these lyrics that feel like life’s greatest truths are unraveling – the acknowledgement of the darkness and the light, the stagnant, yet always evolving nature of life, and the ability to accept and appreciate the beauty of it all. I really fell in love with this whole section.

Also, yeah, Rebecca Sugar is back on the storyboarding front! The relationship between Adventure Time, Rebecca Sugar, and her series Steven Universe is something that always fascinates me. So much so that I’m going to long ass detour in the middle of this episode review to talk about it. Adventure Time paved the way for the animation industry throughout the course of the 2010s in more ways than one, with Sugar playing a key part in what so many other animated shows have since tried to replicate. The exploration of emotions, intricate character dynamics, somewhat explicit LGBTQIA+ representation, and catchy songs to boot. Granted, Sugar can’t be credited solely for these contributions, but the episodes she’s worked on are so distinctively recognizable in both art and tone that her individual presence is irrefutable. Her own series, Steven Universe, very much followed in the footsteps of Adventure Time, starting out as a goofy, episodic cartoon that eventually evolved into a surprisingly intricate examination into a complex world and its characters. In a lot of ways, Adventure Time walked so Steven Universe could run. SU had all of the hallmarks that made people love AT in the first place, and exceeded upon them in many respects. While AT ended up being somewhat of a prisoner to the status quo in its middle seasons, SU was able to evolve its characters and story beats in a much more progressive way. Steven Universe quickly became more of the flagship show in the animation industry, both in art direction and focus. So heavily that it’s almost hard to ignore how Adventure Time was also influenced by it.

Adventure Time as a franchise has largely revolved around dedicated character arcs with a heavy emphasis on emotion in recent years. Because of the fluctuating nature of the original series, nobody really had a defined character arc outside of individual episodes or long running character themes, and emotion often took the backburner. Not to say that Adventure Time was devoid of emotional moments, but because of how bonkers the world is, the characters, in unison with ourselves, didn’t really know how to react to certain outcomes. You have an episode like BMO Noire where we explore BMO’s psyche, and you’re not really sure if what you’re watching is deeply evocative or entirely silly. You have You Forgot Your Floaties, which is less about the grief Magic Man feels for his lost wife and more about magic and its connection to madness. Even episodes that do inevitably expand upon the emotions of characters, like The Tower, are more of an exploration of how confusing it can be to try and rationalize what you feel in a meaningful way. This isn’t a diss at Steven Universe, by the way. I think it’s a pretty fantastic show that kind of paints an idealistic world where everyone does acknowledge their shortcomings and value truth and love above all. But the sensibilities of these franchises and how they deal with characters and emotions are often day-and-night: Adventure Time‘s characters are almost entirely repressed for a good amount of its run while Steven Universe‘s characters erupt with emotional introspection.

As much as I like ambiguity of how characters feel throughout most of the series, it was kind of cathartic to have something like Islands come around, where Finn finally deals with his curiosity about his heritage, or Elements, when Jake lets out his bottled up stress that comes with being a caregiver. That trend of having characters be more expressive regarding their baggage continued into the spin-off projects, with Distant Lands and Fionna and Cake mostly revolving around characters working through their emotions to the point where I’d argue there is very little ambiguity when it comes to how characters are feeling or what they’re experiencing at any given moment. Even stuff that I think is kind of nuanced in its approach, like Simon’s relationship with Betty, is basically all worked out via a therapeutic monologue he has with himself in GOLB’s realm. I say all of this not to deem one method of writing good or bad, but it is thoroughly interesting to me how much Rebecca’s presence and the impact of Steven Universe seem to have paved Adventure Time‘s future almost as much as its own past has. So it’s fitting that she returns here, to not only once again grace our ears with another banger song, but also to bring Cake’s ongoing internal struggles to a resolution. As much as I kind of dislike how this episode is solely going to be credited as a work of Sugar’s, since many talented artists worked on it and have not been recognized all season, I admit that I’m also kind of a hypocrite! I just spent the last three paragraphs talking about how much of an impact she’s had on this series, and really, it’s hard to ignore what a magical presence she brings to the table. I almost rolled my eyes at the idea of another Sugar song popping up about the beauty of all things – it’s just something that feels like it should be so hackneyed by now. But when it actually plays in the episode, I’m like putty in Rebecca’s hands. It’s hard to ignore what a visionary she is and how much she influenced, and is still influencing the series as a whole.

We also get a ton of Huntress Wizard on the side, which mostly accumulates into a battle sequence between her and Witch Wizard. I don’t know if I really like that Witch Wizard ended up being the big bad of this season, even though I don’t think it really comes out of nowhere, given her role in The Crocodile Who Bit a Log. I think I just did admire the season up to this point for not having any kind of direct antagonist, with time and internal struggles playing the forefront. I don’t think it’s really a huge detractor, and I do like the way their back-and-forth bleeds back into the episode. Witch Wizard struggles to actually transform in a meaningful way (literally) because of how much she’s taken, and her own karma will not allow her evolve as a result. Huntress Wizard is able to reform because she’s connected with her own truth, in a way that I additionally don’t think has been particularly explicit throughout the season’s run. I was bitchy last episode about how little HW has been at the forefront of this season, and I think that stills stands, but I wanna go back to what I said in The Wolves Who Wandered and commend this team for not going the obvious route with exploring Huntress Wizard’s character. I think from the first episode we sort of know what she has to learn already – that she’s mostly closed off and she needs to find a way to connect more with the world around her. The season has mostly steered away from reinstating this, outside of it being a bit overtly alluded to in The Bird in the Clock. I think this episode kind of solidifies the idea that Huntress herself is not necessarily someone that needs to be fixed, nor is Fionna, for that matter. She’s had the opportunity to look over her circumstances over the course of the season and realize that her own form is malleable, and that her role in this world doesn’t have to be so static. Granted, change is only ever so slight. She’s not necessarily a different person from what we see in this episode. She helps the little plant boy recover and then promptly shoos him off before he gets attached. I think a lesser version of this episode would’ve expanded upon the relationship between these two as a clear point of Huntress’s growth, but I think it’s a cool addition into the “everything stays, but it still changes” motif that AT has carried out since the very beginning. Huntress Wizard isn’t some radically different being who is now open to everything life has to offer, but she’s seen the truth of herself and is able to adjust accordingly, for the good of her and everyone in her life. This revelation is additionally referenced in her response to Witch Wizard later in the episode: “You’ll learn to be somebody again.” Even in nothingness, there’s an opening to pave your way into somethingness.

Talked about it more in relation to the Worm, but Cake also has her season long arc wrap up with this episode. It’s once again a nice little revelation for her to recognize that she was essentially transforming for the purpose of others accepting her, and not moving in the direction towards self-acceptance. It’s sweet that she inevitably chooses to stay in a world where she feels welcomed and celebrated, just for a bit to figure things out. It reminds me a lot of Dungeon Train, where Finn learns a lesson, but isn’t exactly ready to give up the comfort he feels in his surroundings. I think it is a lot more understandable here that Cake would want to live here long-term, as it treats her less like a circus attraction and more like her own, special being, but I also think there is a purpose for her in Fionna-World as well. Now that it’s integrated with magical beings, Cake can be a voice for those that are treated differently by society, but it’s nice that she has her own moment of reprieve where she’s allowed to explore what being magical means for her within a mystical landscape.

Fionna’s arc moves forward as well, in a way where it’s hard to necessarily make a judgment on what she needs to do from here. I personally think after the last episode it would kind of be interesting to see her friends not forgiving her and her being left with a way to find her own self-worth that doesn’t depend on the validation of those around her, but I’m open to multiple ways of exploring this. I do still like Fionna, and I think she’s still likable despite all of the baggage this season has churned out for her. I’m not really sure how exactly this team is gonna pull it off, so I am intrigued to see if this heads in the direction of redemption or possibly doubles down on the difficulties of change that this season inherited. We get limited exposure to the citizens of Fionna-World, but it did get a bit of a snide laugh out of me how Gary’s repressed memory revolves around him struggling to be responsible with his family when we just saw Finn watch his brother fucking die. Again, being smug, I don’t think suffering necessarily should be weighed against each other, I just couldn’t help but laugh at it. I really like Hunter’s scene, primarily because I don’t think this world has had dialogue all season that ever felt like it emulated a real human conversation. But Hunter very bluntly stating that Fionna needs to “get her shit together” did ultimately hit me in a very real way. Especially with Fionna’s heavy realization that she’s caused Hunter pain in a way that she didn’t even know could be expressed by them. We also get maybe the most explicit revelation of Fionna’s abandonment as a child, which is about as much as I needed to see. With how much this season has gone to great lengths to just reprise character moments that we’ve already seen examined in the original series, this is a nice, small moment that hits because of everything Fionna’s gone through. It’s not just simply connecting it back to her counterpart, it’s using her counterpart’s experience to accurately build into everything she’s feared and grasped onto for so much of this season. Had this been done earlier in the series or even expanded upon in great lengths, I don’t necessarily think it would work with the same emotional weight that its tackled with here. Ellis’s dream also finally plays out, where we get to hear the Venusian citizen’s words: “go beyond the end of the peach.” One idea about what this could mean – Finn’s referred to as a “sad fruit medley,” with the thoughts themselves growing and ripening like fruits. I think the idea here is to go beyond the fruits, or thoughts, themselves to discover the truth. I think Fionna herself has gotten so wrapped up in what she thinks is her intuition, but it’s just her latching onto thoughts that she’s mistaken as wisdom. Thoughts themselves are meaningless unless given meaning, so simply watching them play out as is and doing your best to use your better judgment is ultimately what leads to that truth. We’ll see if this has further implications in the following episode.

We also get to see the revival of the Cosmic Owl, leading to yet another AT character that beat death. I think many will complain about how short-lived this development was, and how the franchise as a whole seemingly fails to stick to killing off its characters, but I kind of love how finite death as a concept is in the AT world. As the Karmic Worm says, “our kind are like ideas, hard to kill outright.” It’s really neat lore that deities essentially exist based on the belief and thoughts of others, very much in a way that connects to our real world views of gods. And in this sense, we see the thought of Cosmic Owl evolving in real time – he’s gone beyond his role and having had the experience of reconciliation with his brother, he’s ready to move beyond his designated place in the world and become something greater. It’s a really nice way to progress his character in ways that tie back to the episode itself.

We get a brief tangent from Ooo, which made me laugh out loud when the shotgun cocking sound effect plays as PB turns to her last option: calling Minerva. This kinda bothered me at first, because I thought, “oh, NOW you’re calling his mom?” But of course, someone brought up the idea that this is obviously because Minerva will probably advocate for uploading her sons consciousness to the mainframe, which I imagine is something that Finn’s posse, especially PB, are largely against. I’ll be interested to see how much this debate is explored in the following episode, because I think there’s so much you can do with it. With the ever-prevalent concept of AI slowly creeping in to take over the world as we know it, I think there’s a lot you can tackle with this concept that ties back into how we experience this in the real world. Not really sure if they have time to even deal with that, but I’m eager to see it nonetheless.

I really love this one. I feel like there’s so much magic to be had, and aside from The Bird in the Clock, it’s really the first episode all season that made me feel like a kid again. And one of the few that really made me feel anything! Again, it’s not my intention to diminish any contributions of the talented artists that have no doubt worked tirelessly on the rest of this season. Some of which I haven’t even mentioned – the backgrounds in this episode look beautiful, working off of what clearly look like Jesse Balmer’s visual development. I haven’t even properly credited the directors for each episode, this one being Ryan Shannon, which I’m possibly planning to adjust moving forward. But yeah, I can’t deny the chops that Sugar brings to this one. She can’t be solely held responsible, but her segments (lasting from about the 15:10 mark to the 20:50 mark, and I think 7:30 through 8:34?) really reminded me about just how endearing and special this world is. Coupled with a great song, good action, lush landscapes, surprising character cameos, and thematic elements that are just so irresistibly beautiful, this may just be the best episode of this season.

Please, please, please everyone check out The Elephant tomorrow night on adult swim, or next day on HBO Max! It’s an anthology special with Pendleton Ward, Rebecca Sugar, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Pat McHale at the helm, each working on a unique section that none of the others have seen. It’s such a unique experiment and the creative process is so fascinating. You can read more about it here, where McHale is interviewed in length about his experience.

Favorite line: “He basically shits therapy.”

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“The Wolves Who Wandered” Review

December 4, 2025December 4, 2025 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: December 4, 2025

Written & Storyboarded by: Maya Petersen, Anna Syvertsson, Hanna Nyström & Charmaine Verhagen

The second I finished this episode, I knew people were gonna hate it. And lo and behold, scanning over all corners of the internet, I haven’t seen many positive things to say about it. But I dunno y’all, I actually kinda liked this one? Granted, I can see why people are becoming increasingly more frustrated. It’s episode seven and we’re taken on a huge detour that mostly centers around the aspects of this season that people, including myself, have not particularly liked. When I saw the preview images for this episode and saw that is was mostly just going to be about Fionna and Fennel, a character we barely know and one that I didn’t particularly care about, I was preparing myself to be in the same boat with everyone. Maybe episode five was the point where I just kind of surrendered projecting my expectations onto the season and just let me accept it for what it is, but I thought this one was pretty decent.

This one is mostly Fionna’s story, with a smidge of HW thrown in. Fionna tries to rescue her ex-man after he’s gone missing for several hours with the help of Fennel, who finally gets a dedicated role. I like that Fionna has evolved from “girl loser” to just straight up being an asshole for a good chunk of this one. It never feels like the character herself is malicious, she’s just kind of a dreamer that prioritizes her own needs and struggles to exit on her worldview when it comes to considering the perspective of others. A lot of the episode is challenging that perspective while showing that parts of her beliefs are yet to be shaken. She grows closer to Fennel here, realizing that she’s not the villain that Fionna painted her out to be, and becomes a bit more aware that the people around her are not exactly as put together as she initially thought. Granted, she still fails to really recognize Marshall’s wants and needs throughout the episode, putting them mostly aside because, in her mind, all of what she’s doing has been for him. Though, as it’s becoming increasingly apparent, that’s not really the case. Fionna has pretty much prioritized her own needs throughout the course of the season, chasing after Phelix and becoming buddy-buddy with Hana Abadeer because she doesn’t want to fail. Most of her actions are a result of her trying to act heroic, but it’s feeding into her own egoic desires instead of coming from a place of truly listening to what her friends want and need. As much as people have criticized the Fionna-World segments for feeling aimless and often tedious, I do think this character arc has been pretty solidly executed all season.

A lot of Fionna’s personal development in this episode is connected to her working with Fennel, who honestly has quickly become one of my favorite of the Fionna-World residents. Granted, the bar isn’t super high, and Fennel doesn’t have that much of a character to play around with, but she is quite endearing. I once again like the inverse of Finn and Fern’s dynamic, with Fionna being the one that envies and resents Fennel, while Fennel herself is mostly none-the-wiser to her turmoil. I like their little back-and-forth dealing with magic eyes, as they run rampant in the city in pretty unproductive ways. I usually don’t really like when TV shows tackle tripping on drugs, because I think they often greatly exaggerate and misinterpret what the experience of being on something like shrooms is actually like. It’s usually presented as lots of flashing colors and visual hallucinations, instead of the absolute childlike bliss of a good trip or the terrifying, dissonant experience of watching your ego dissolve in a bad trip. Here, they at least have the excuse of connecting it back to real magic in this world, so it doesn’t have to fully allude to our real world understanding of psychedelic substances. Even so, there are elements of the “trip” that feel true to life, like Fionna and Fennel’s sloppy crying and glowing admiration of one and other as they return to Earth, coupled with our first glimpse at what magic Fennel looks like! It’s really sweet to finally have actualization of these characters’ dynamic in some sense, after their resolution was cut short in Come Along With Me.

It’s nice to see wizard eyes utilized as a concept in the series once more, which goes a bit beyond the usual gaggle of demons and creatures that we’re used to accompanying this realm. We also get a bit more of an added cosmic perspective, with a trip to Venus that occurs quite similarly to Mars’ ventures in the former series. I kind of like that it’s up for debate how much of this has actually occurred, though I like to believe that Venus is a concrete destination that maybe exists beyond the multiverse? It’s kind of curious how planets really work within this series – are there multiple versions of Venus, or just one that can be potentially accessed through all corners of the multiverse? Part of me kind of wrestles on what I think works better. On the one hand, I think it makes the world a lot more massive if you have multiple versions of planets and deities and gods that exist in multiple different spectrums, but it kind of also detracts from the presence of the King of Mars and Glob is there are alternative copies of them across multiple galaxies. I guess the Lich technically does exist in several different universes, so it probably is likely that these gods have their own doppelgangers. It seems like the show has kind of ignored exploring that concept too deeply, which I don’t necessarily blame them for. It seems complicated!

Venus is a great time though. Love the designs, the color palette, and the city-like landscape that mirrors Fionna-World, equipped with several odd-looking landmarks. Also, a banger of a song! Rebecca Sugar was credited for the tune we heard previously in The Butterfly and the River, but nothing in the outro that I saw references who worked on this one. It sounds like a Sugar song at the very least, and it’s probably my favorite song from the season thus far, which isn’t saying much. Song sequences have been used pretty sparingly up to this point. Tuning into Roman mythology, the planet is based primarily on the goddess Venus, with her sensibilities being the basis for the entire ecosystem. It’s even run by Venus de Milo (referred to as Embolina in the credit), the statue, who is now equipped with mods. Granted, that part of me wondering if this is truly a real place is somewhat squandered by the fact that Phelix is apparently trapped here while actually playing a set down on Earth, but he seems like more of a manifested idea rather than an actual, living being here. I think it’s quite likely that Venus does work in mystics as well, with Phelix being a representation of love and lust instead of embodying his Fionna-Worldly counterpart. The battle sequence with the heart warrior is decent fun, once again with a pretty stellar Amanda Jones score complementing the scene. Tying back into Fionna and Fennel’s connection, I really love how much Fennel’s admiration of Fionna immediately kickstarts her transformation, while Fionna only provides half-hearted forms of praise until she digs deeper and recognizes the truth behind her resentment. Along with the funny gag of Fionna’s love for swords actually paying off, whereas Fennel’s did not.

HW’s segment is small but effective, having her search for Fionna, Fennel, and Phelix in an effort to continue to pinpoint the heart of this world, as she recruits Hunter. As much shit as this one is already getting for not progressing the plot, it is quietly moving things forward, just not in such a grand way. Huntress Wizard has been shown to reject opening up to others as a way to maintain her mystique, but we see her development in not only accepting help from others, but directly asking for it. I think a lot of this is in part due to the fact that HW is practically an alien in this world and is somewhat forced to develop these skills in order to survive, which is kind of a neat little tie-in to what makes this world human. Huntress Wizard comes from a mystical world where she can survive off of her own skills and magic as a means to get what she needs, but she’s completely out of practice here. Nothing that she has is helping her get any closer to what she needs, so she really has no choice but to depend on others to help see her plight through. It is somewhat of a fish out of water story in that regard, but I do once again appreciate all of the little bits of her character growth that are sprinkled in subtly. I do think she’s kind of gotten the short end of the stick compared to all we went through with Simon last season, but I will say there may be a bit more nuance to what we’re watching here? Simon’s story was great but it was admittedly heavy-handed. We had an episode like The Star that was pretty much devoted to reinstating in a million different ways how much Simon needed Marceline and vice versa. We really haven’t gotten a dedicated exploration of Huntress Wizard’s journey, which is kind of a qualm I have on some degree, but having HW intertwined with Fionna and Cake’s story this season, while last season had the duo more involved in Simon’s story is a nice reversal, albeit one that I’m not fully enamored by. I also actually have kind of grown on Hunter a bit! I’m probably not gonna go back and change all the times I referred to them as “him” throughout the past two seasons, so please accept my retroactive apology for misgendering you, Hunter. It’s cool once again to have a character backstory that actively distances itself from the original counterpart’s. HW can be seen as quite arrogant and untrusting, though I wouldn’t refer to her as particularly angry. So giving Hunter anger issues, alluding to a side we’ve really never seen from them, was a really nice character touch. It’s additionally cool to see expansion from a character that has kind of outgrown their counterpart? Like, we watch Gary and Marshall planting the seeds for their relationship last season, while we watch the inverse of Finn and Fern’s connection throughout this season. Hunter has had their own character journey and identified aspects of their life that they wanted to improve, while HW has really not been forced to have that level of introspection until now. It’s a neat touch that once again adds a little bit more depth to this world that can bounce back and forth between feeling expansive and completely hollow.

Other shtuff: Cake is, as usual, delightful and provides for some of the episode’s funniest moments. I especially like her one response to Fionna about dreams that is clearly just an outtake from Roz Ryan that they chose to use in the episode itself. Her obsession with M-Cron continues to be quite funny and sweet, and I especially got a kick out of his little horse-like leg shake after being envisioned as his magical counterpart. We do get to see more magical versions of these characters, as well as a return of the timeline expanding trees, which makes me ultimately wonder if we are going to see some kind of reverse in the matrix of this world, returning everyone into their magical counterparts. The return of “what the Björk” was a welcomed surprise. Ellis P’s little opening that appears to be a sign of more mystics to come was fun, with Pendleton Ward continuing to boast the most comedically obnoxious inflections for this character. We also get some moments with Gary and Marshall, which are fiiine. I like how this bakes into Fionna’s central story (no pun intended), but I still don’t really care about Marshall’s story or his connection to Simone. I’m being a bit snide here, but I think the connection they’ve built up with Simone is a little unbelievable. Aside from my feelings of this relationship already retreading the emotional beats from Marceline and Simon’s connection, I think it’s kind of laughable how it’s played up that Hana Abadeer is a villain for interfering with Marshall and Simone’s relationship when he is a child interacting with a adult. Like yeah, within the context of this story, Hana is horrible. But I dunno, I’d probably be fuckin’ pissed if I saw my child hugging a random stranger in the park too! This season has really tried to nail down the fundamental human nature of the world, but I think this is kind of an outlandish situation that they’re trying to convince us is endearing only because we know this relationship from the original series. I just don’t think it really works for several reasons, but I guess I’ll be prepared to eat my words when Rebecca Sugar eventually shows up and writes a song with them that will make everyone cry.

As is, this one is pretty alright! I understand everyone’s criticisms and complaints with it, but like last week, I had a decent bit of fun watching the otherworldly elements play out in relation to the Fionna-World dynamics, so I don’t think it was a complete loss. It was also refreshing to not have an obligated visit to Ooo in this episode and just let the main dynamics play out as is. It’s been brought up again and again, so I’ll once again reinstate that I don’t really think the pacing is that egregious in relation to the Fionna-World segments. I think development has been kind of carefully sprinkled across each episode in favor of exploring the characters in Fionna-World a bit more methodically and building on why we should care about these characters. Does it always work? Definitely not, but I think the people who claim that “nothing has happened” are being a bit hyperbolic. Do I wish that there was more action and comedy packed into each episode? For sure, but I do think there’s a bit more of a calculated approach to the Fionna-World segments than people give them credit for. I see the vision more and more with each episode, and even if it’s a direction I’m still a little wary on, I can at least start to say that I understand what this season is looking to accomplish and why it’s doing what it’s doing.

Not an artist shoutout this week, but if you guys are into the AT comics, you should definitely check out this video by NICKtendo. As someone who has selective experience with them, it was neat to get an all-encompassing look at the various series and arcs they tackled, so even if you haven’t read and you just like the series, I would definitely recommend checking this out!

Favorite line: “One thing that’s not open to interpretation is dreams.”

Adventure Time, Animation

“The Butterfly and the River” Review

November 20, 2025November 24, 2025 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: November 20, 2025

Written & Storyboarded by: Kris Mukai, Anna Syvertsson, Charmaine Verhagen & Maya Petersen

I think at this point in the season, I have little expectation that it’s going to drastically change from what we’ve gotten so far. It seems that this team is very invested in exploring Fionna-World, even more so than the magical elements surrounding it. I’ve seen plenty of people, including myself, kind of rag on the Fionna-World bits for feeling a bit tiresome, but one argument I don’t necessarily get behind is that it’s poorly paced. I think spending an extended period of time fleshing out these characters and letting them breathe in their own world is a methodical approach into helping them feel more real and making us care more for them as individual characters. Whether or not that’s actually interesting is another story, but I’d argue that the magical elements are the pieces that feel much more sloppily panned out. Marshall’s story takes up most of the episode while Huntress Wizard’s section feels tacked on.

Let’s jump into the Marshall and Gary stuff first, which I actually was somewhat fond of this time around. One thing I like about Fionna-World is whenever we’re given a curveball about how these characters operate differently from their Ooo counterparts. It gets a bit tiresome to see all of the parallels between worlds in a way that doesn’t really stray too far from what we’ve seen already. I’m a bit pessimistic when it comes to the development of Marshall and Simone’s (finally named in the credits!) relationship, as I really don’t want to retread the same emotional beats that Simon and Marceline had in the original series. Granted, it’s still early, and I could see them pulling some type of twist that makes this connection different (my money is currently on Hana Abadeer somehow sabotaging the relationship), but since we only barely know these characters, I just can’t see it hitting with the same amount of emotional resonance.

However, there are elements of expanding these characters beyond just initial base traits and dynamics that I can appreciate. For instance, I like all the scenes with Gary’s parents! It was kind of a surprise to me, because I was so sure Gumbald, Lolly, and Chicle would be tied back into it, but having them be these standalone entities that we’ve never seen before actually helps this world to feel less superficial (UPDATE: It was later confirmed by Tom Herpich that Gordie and Gertie were based primarily on Banana Guards). Gordie and Gertie are lovely, and it’s so cool to see my boy Joe Pera guest star in an episode. If y’all haven’t seen Joe Pera Talks With You, I recommend watching it immediately – you will not regret it. Pera’s voice lends itself so wonderfully to the world of the series, and it brings such a gentle warmness to the character himself. It kind of makes sense that Gary would be way more adjusted than PB. Gordie and Gertie clearly gave him a wonderful life, so aside from being a tad bit of a control freak, he isn’t so drastically domineering as his Ooo counterpart. I additionally love Gordie and Gertie’s squishy, nearly genetic designs, once again clearly designed by Tom Herpich. Contradicting my initial point about how I like seeing new characters, having Nelly play a part in the family dynamic was a treat. Her making Deviantart style drawings in her room got the biggest laugh for me – so sweet how she’s living up her little neurodivergent life.

Marshall and Gary’s dynamic this time around is pretty okay and I like how there is a bit more of a conflict for them to work through after being so mushy throughout the first chunk of episodes. Marshall having added character depth of feeling like he can’t express himself additionally fleshes him out beyond his counterpart, who struggles more with being expressive to a fault. Whereas Gary is pushy, but not so egotistical that he pushes aside the woes of his partner. It’s pretty sweet, even if I find Gary’s delivery increasingly grating. I really would’ve preferred if Rannells stayed in this role. I have very little to say when it comes to Marshall’s connection with his mother outside of it being a nice bit of lingering trauma for Marshall himself. Also found it very funny when she just straight up kicks her son out after being annoyed by him.

On Huntress Wizard and Cake’s side, I quite like their dynamic, even if I find their exploration to mostly be uninteresting. I think there’s a lot you can do with the mystical elements of the Fionna-World treehouse, but it’s mostly squandered to just show us glimpses of this world and its magical counterpart that don’t really add anything to the scope or characters themselves. At most, we get little quippy bits of Cake and Huntress Wizard working off of each other, which is relatively fun. Cake’s continued desire to be independent from her previously domesticated lifestyle continues to be engaging, and there’s several great reactionary moments from her. My favorite bit though was her reading Of Human Bondage and being disappointed with its contents. And poor M-Cron! That dude just wants to fuck a cat at all costs and he can’t even get his moment. I do like that these sections focus more on expanding upon the relationship between two characters, especially when it’s giving Cake more of a chance to interact with the third team member than she did last season, I just wish there was substance to the expedition itself. It’s not fully devoid of fun as I mentioned, and I do like the segment where it’s shown that baby Finn is an eternal baby that ends up being a savior of his surroundings. But I just don’t think there’s a ton of meat to the adventure itself, mostly being an aimless series of events that don’t even really seemingly add to HW’s individual journey, or even just be that engaging in the process. I did get a little too much into the fun fan theory that these characters all have false childhood memories because the GOLB switch happened when Fionna was 17, but nah, it seems like that’s pretty much debunked with Marshall’s childhood in this episode.

Probably the most frustrated I was this time around was with the Ooo segments, that once again end with a bait-and-switch. I really got into the theories that Simon chasing after magic again was somewhat of a relapse for his character – it would’ve been neat to see that he and Fionna’s arcs are very much still connected, with the two of them struggling to find change in their lives even after world altering events. Last episode even kind of suggests that he’s somewhat ashamed to have the Wishing Eye, concealing it in his jacket secretively. But that’s sorta thrown out in this episode, where he just uses it to no avail. Isn’t it supposed to take a piece of your soul when you use it? I guess you could concur that’s what is happening to Finn, who is becoming progressively more decrepit, but it felt very gimmicky to me. They keep introducing cool longtime artifacts into the series only to do absolutely nothing with them for the sake of progressing the story under false pretenses. It’s getting very annoying to watch.

We also have Fionna’s side quests, which are mostly light and fun, with the added drama that she’s seeking out help from Abadeer to pay off the park’s debt. I’m reaaally not interested in having this story arc that is probably just going to result in everyone being kind of rightfully pissed off with Fionna for several episodes. I doubt they’re going to commit to it fully and I imagine there’s going to be a resolution with Fionna and her friends, so it just seems like a bit of added drama that doesn’t sound particularly fun to tackle. I do like Queenie so blatantly being petty – she’s a fun character.

What else can I say about this one? It’s nice to have a Rebecca Sugar song back, even if it’s pretty underutilized in the episode itself. I like how the one marshmallow kid is depicted having vitiligo – I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a character with vitiligo depicted in an animated series. Also, there’s a really fucky looking version of Jay and Little Destiny walking around and I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be them or Fionna-World versions of them? I don’t know if this was just a really poor board translation or the intention of the episode, but the latter doesn’t really make sense considering that they would be Fionna’s children? I guess it’s a little late in the game now to be nitpicking the rules of this universe, but I’m just gonna assume it’s really them until I get information otherwise. Blah, I’m just getting tired. I wanna hold out hope that the second half of the season can turn things around for me, but I’m already so disenchanted. Part of me wonders if I’m really even adding anything new to the discussion – there’s plenty of people who really like this season and have been digging deeper into the characters and their nuances, and kudos to them! I feel like a cranky old miser trying to find an investment point each week and just being left with very little I actually want to say. I’m glad that this series has fans and it’s continuing to expand on characters that many want to see more of, but for me, it’s kind of becoming a weekly process longing for the spark that made this series so great to me in the first place. Maybe I’m just getting old!

No guest sequence this week sadly, but I loved the return of the wish world from Blenanas. Glad that they got Thurop Van Orman back to play him!

Favorite line: “We’re eating like royalty tonight! Because we’re the Princes.”

Uncategorized

“Cheers” Review

November 29, 2024November 29, 2024 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: September 28, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Anna Syvertsson, Hanna K. Nyström, Jim Campbell & Jackie Files

Finale time! Seeing the reaction to this finale was pretty intriguing to me – I don’t think I’ve ever seen the fandom react so negatively to an Adventure Time season finale to date. A lot of the criticism I witnessed was targeted at the Casper and Nova sections detracting from the actual story elements, Simon and Betty’s resolution feeling unsatisfactory, and the Fionna and Cake bits throwing some genuinely baffling curveballs. I have no idea if the contemporary consensus for Cheers is still this negative, but it was interesting to see such a drastic shift in goodwill after the first 8 episodes of the season were so beloved. While I agree with some of the critiques that people raised, I was left with mostly positive feelings post-finale. Granted, I’ve been doing AT finales for like, 14 years now. Expecting to be a little disappointed is part of the game!

Quite possibly my favorite shot in the entire season.

We’re immediately thrown back into the Casper and Nova world, with a firsthand perspective of how they perceive their artificial world. Looooove the backgrounds Louie Zong whipped up for these segements. Really highlights Zong’s talent and ability to capture multiple sensibilities; his previous efforts in Casper & Nova feel like low-poly Nintendo 64 gameplay, while the backgrounds here are much more reminiscent of the fully rendered artwork from that time period. Don’t exactly love the 2-D designs for Casper, Nova, and the foes they face. The harsh black shadows work with the 3-D elements, but it looks relatively dated in a less aesthetically pleasing way when it comes to the general AT style. If it wasn’t already obvious by the previous episode, the Casper and Nova bits increasingly become apparent as an allegorical comparison to Simon and Betty’s relationship. I’ll admit, I think some sections of it, especially in the 2-D sections, go on a bit longer than is necessary, but I do think it serves as a fine exploration of Simon’s desires to follow his own instincts instead of looking toward resources outside himself. The finale isn’t exactly gracious to Simon – it paints him in a bit of a selfish light, resorting back to childish black-and-white scenarios that require Beth, someone with significantly less life experience, to put him in his place. I think it’s really what paints Simon as innately human; he’s spent the entirety of the season chasing after the highs and lows of his experience while ignoring the nuance between those moments that make them less absolute. All Simon has been able to see when reflecting on his relationship with Betty is this perfect, glossy romance that even we, Adventure Time fans, have bought into for years. It’s a romantic tragedy that has really only been presented with those incredible peaks and valleys, and only up until recent have we been able to see the subtle imperfections in their dynamic.

I think this was definitely something they needed to tread lightly, because going too strong on this thematically could’ve devalued Simon and Betty’s connection a bit too significantly. But I think they strike a good balance of reiterating that Simon and Betty’s love WAS true, just not perfect. I don’t think this is a complete curveball either, as elements of this imbalance were touched on in Temple of Mars when Betty laments how her own choices played out in their relationship. In general, I think most relationships ultimately play out with one partner sacrificing more than the other. So while there is a level of guilt that plays out in Simon’s head, I think, more than anything, it’s an important lesson he learns about no longer chasing after his own fantasies. In fact, he even grapples with the idea that, had he decided to join Betty on her own excursion, it may have led to an entirely different outcome that would’ve benefited them both in the long-run. This sounds like something that would only lead to more self-loathing and pain for Simon, but it’s ultimately what sets him free. Seeing the truth of his situation means that he’s no longer stuck romanticizing the past or even further becoming enmeshed with his ego. The fantasy sequence at the bus stop does get me a bit misty eyed; I think it’s quite beautiful to watch both Simon and Betty accepting the mess of their own relationship while acknowledging their true, deep love for each other. It’s hard to say whether this is truly the real Betty, a vision aided by GOLB, a hallucination from Simon, or a little bit all of the above, but it effectively sends Simon into a healing mindset where he realizes his own self-worth. After a call to Fionna from the GOLB realm (that I GUESS has cell service??) Simon fumbles one final time with his addiction to the crown’s allure, before ultimately tossing it into GOLB’s void.

Meanwhile, in Fionna’s world, we’re treated to a big battle between Scarab and the townsfolk of Fionna world, which have fun moments mixed into a mostly underwhelming mess. I liked seeing all of the various cosmic criminals released from Scarab’s Tamagotchi eggs, especially the Brooklyn-coded dude who seems like his only crime was not saying hello to Scarab in passing. The overtly gruesome death of Perry, the living island of insight, is mildly amusing, though I feel it’s a bit of a retread of the little buddy gag from The Pit. Cake shouting “Terry!” did get a chuckle out of me. Marshall and Gary get their fair share of funny moments; I love Gary murmuring “he’s hot” when observing Scarab, and Marshall’s “power of love” song immediately failing was great, especially because it’s a direct subversion to the climax of Obsidian. Cake’s kaiju monster morph is additionally fun – this is another episode that Steve Wolfhard served as the supervising director for, and you can tell he chimed in with a lot of very comical drawings and poses (he even got to see his own creation, Pawn Swan, come to life!). Oh! And I’ve been having trouble all season denoting which segments Hanna K. boarded, but this was the first time it was apparent to me: believe she handled the entire second portion of the episode, from about the 6 minute mark to the 12 minute mark. I really only deciphered this because of how Beth is drawn – Hanna loved having Jake’s ears hang off of his head and swoop up a bit, which is the same way Beth is portrayed here. So as long as Hanna keeps drawing dogs, I’ll be able to point out her boards in a jiffy. (EDIT: I was wrong – Hanna boarded the latter half of the episode. Ugh.)

I do also like how Fionna’s arc is ultimately wrapped up, as well as how it parallels Simon’s. Fionna and Simon were both on complete opposite ends of the spectrum: Fionna was heavily involved with her own self-cherishment, while Simon was bludgeoned by self-loathing. Yet, both were overly invested in their own plights and unable to see the reality and worth of the world around them and the part they play in making it a better place. Given the option to design her world however she wants it, Fionna opts to selflessly contribute to the happiness of those around her, giving them what they want and in turn making herself feel more fulfilled. Again, very similar to how Simon pushes away from his own hyperfixation toward self-annihilation and chooses a path that is instead focused on bettering the world of everyone involved. It’s a decision that leads to potentially the most chaotic choice that GOLB has made since her inception: letting Simon survive instead of becoming wiped from all of existence. It’s a decision that’s so out of the blue that it transforms GOLB into something that we don’t ever get to see in detail. Is Betty back to her human self? I’d guess probably not, and it’d be even more bleak if human Betty was just chillin’ out there in an endless void. But I do believe these choices have led to an unprecedented change in how GOLB operates, which is eventually alluded to in the end credits’ sequence. Simon is set free and we get a few more fun glimpses into the multiverse as he returns to Ooo, including the Water Park Prank universe being canonized (I do seriously love how the guest animator episodes are now just confirmed to be different parts of the cosmos entirely) and a universe where Magwood still possesses her jewels, possibly hinting at a crownless universe. And that fuckin’ snail clearly can’t stay away, because even though we saw his lifeless shell in previous episodes, he’s back kickin’ it once more! Here’s to hundreds of more obligatory snail cameos as the franchise continues onward.

That’s about where the good stuff ends for this one, save for a few parts in the ending montage, but I’ll get into that in a bit. AT has kind of steered clear of big battle territory in the past, much to the dismay of a lot of fans who wanted to see more combat and high-stakes scenarios being thrown into the series, but aside from the thematic elements, the tension in Fionna World once again meanders. Most of the stuff with Scarab goes on way too long, to the point where they defeat him multiple times, only for him to get back up again. I think it’s pretty safe to say at this point that Scarab may be the weakest addition to this entire season, really only feeling like a foil and never proving himself to be funny, intimidating, or insightful enough to carry his own. I do like how, ultimately, Prismo’s Boss is left in secret, as I feel it would maybe be too much to try to tack on at this point in the game. Most of the battle between Scarab and the denizens of Fionna World are middling enough, but things get extra lame when we’re reintroduced to a lot of the supporting players of the season, recruited by Prismo. It’s a pretty weak way to shoehorn these characters in at the last minute, and unlike the inclusion of Shermy and Beth, I don’t think Jay, Little Destiny, Baby Finn, and the Marc Maron squirrel are fun enough to justify their roles. Genuinely, if it weren’t for the Marc Maron squirrel fulfilling Fionna’s giantess fantasy (and the fantasy of some of you FREAKS out there), the other ragtag players don’t really do much to help. Baby Finn was really only there because I guess it would’ve been too morbid to leave him to die in the vampire universe. I guess it is funny that Jay now takes care of an infantile version of his father. Speaking of which, following the defeat of Scarab, Jay and Little Destiny decide to stay in Fionna World permanently. Uhhhhh, sure??? A lot of people were kinda pissed off that Jay just ditches his family life back on Farmworld, which like, whatever, I guess you could argue they’re rebellious teenagers that aren’t fully grasping the severity of their choices? But I think it’s just an objectively dumb way to wrap up their arc. If the series wasn’t renewed, I think it would just leave somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth that there’s no level of acknowledgement about what these two left behind in their homeworld. But since the series has been renewed, I’m equally uninterested in seeing where this goes. I don’t really care about these characters enough to see their choices fleshed out for potentially an entire season, and it seems inevitable that they’ll now have to explore these decisions in some way. Unless they just Choose Goose it and unceremoniously say they moved back home or something. Either way, it’s an incredibly tone deaf conclusion to their journey.

No disrespect to the artist who performed the song in the ending montage, but man, I really do not like it. It feels very… non-Pixar animated film electro-poppy end credits esque? I don’t know if that’s actually a thing, but that’s what it registers in my soul. A little too cheesy for my liking, especially with how uncharacteristically neat everything is tied up for an AT outing. But I get it, they probably weren’t sure if they were gonna get renewed and wanted to mesh everything together in a nice way. They just didn’t consider that I am a cynical almost 30 something year old man and they should be making this show for ME. Can’t wait to rant and bitch about the BMO pre-school show when it doesn’t have any type of pathos I can connect to. There’s a few moments I dig: I like Prismo and Scarab paling around in the Timeroom together, with Scarab playing into his edgy teenage sensibilities by creating a gothic fanfic. It’s cool that Simon educating Astrid creates somewhat of a paradox, making her the true author of the Casper and Nova sequences – very cute! Loved seeing Minerva once more, along with the somewhat unsentimental cap to Simon’s journey. We see him having fun and exploring, but I think the advice Minerva gives is pretty sound and doesn’t just wipe away the turmoil he’s experienced up to this point. Also, wonder if him moving means he’s going to join Fionna World for future seasons. Would be pretty weird if he wasn’t apart of it at all now, so we’ll just have to see what that implies! The episode caps off shortly after, with Fionna nurturing her now slightly magic world, along with a post credits scene much different than the one we saw in Distant Lands. A yellow square and red pyramid merge together, possibly symbolizing Simon and Betty’s relationship, along with the order of Prismo’s Timeroom and the chaos of GOLB realm. The combination creates an apple with a bow tied around it, perhaps playing into GOLBetty’s transformation once yin and yang came together. Some other people have speculated that the apple is a dedication to Polly Lou Livingston’s passing, which, d’awww, I like that as well.

But yeah, for the most part, it’s a pretty middling finale. I do think I lean maybe a bit more positive than other people do? That is to say, I think the bad parts of this episode are probably worse than most of the season has been up to this point. But the good aspects, namely Simon and his interactions with GOLBetty, are really great. Simon’s arc has really carried most of the season in a very strong way, but I will give credit that Fionna’s role isn’t terrible. I think it capped off in a relatively satisfying way, and while I’m critical about a lot of what occurs in Fionna World, I do think Fionna and Cake’s inclusion was at least miles better than what I was expecting from the series during a first announcement, even if most of their journey boils down to being relatively generic. But I’ll get into that more in the season review, which I’m hoping to get out before the end of the year (hopefully!). I also wanna churn out at least one bonus post of an idea I’ve been kicking around for a while, but it took me a whole year to review just 10 episodes, so no promises! As always, thanks for reading up to this point, and stay tuned for more stuff down the line!

Favorite line: “Hey Beth, I was a prisoner in my own head!”

Adventure Time

“Jerry” Review

May 30, 2024November 18, 2025 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: September 21, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jim Campbell & Jackie Files

Whoever wrote the “Jerry from HR” line that was included in Fionna Campbell and Simon Petrikov made me feel like the biggest jackass for three weeks thinking I was onto some crazy crackpot theory about who Jerry was.

Jerry may be the most overtly bleak episode of the series to date. While Adventure Time primarily takes place within the aftermath of a ruined society, it’s contrasted with the colorful, manic beings that inhabit it. Jerry takes place in the aftermath of a ruined society and is complemented by barren, empty land that is devoid of all life. That being said, it still cuts down some of that bleakness by sliding in one of Adventure Time‘s schmaltziest love stories to date. And BMO. It’s always good to see BMO!

Betty and Simon’s history together is fleshed out in great detail throughout Jerry. The original series was always pretty vague about what brought them together in the first place outside of the general implication that they were in love. We were treated to tidbits here and there, mainly toward the end of the series; Simon mentions Betty’s library book note in Broke His Crown, Simon and Betty are both seen in a photograph with the Enchiridion (which we see in real time here!) in I Remember You, and Betty’s trip to study petroglyphs, as well as the said search for the Enchiridion, are explored through memories in Temple of Mars. Jerry pretty much works with all of those little pieces of the puzzle to build out larger picture of their relationship. It’s always kind of a gamble doing these backstory episodes, because there’s the chance that it’ll ruin some of the mystique of just offering hints and leaving the rest to context clues. But in the case of Simon and Betty, I think these two are LONG overdue for an episode focusing on their relationship. All we’ve pretty much ever gotten from the two of them are dramatic acts of clinging to a lost love, so actually getting to see and understand what went into that love is kind of important. Otherwise, it just sorta feels like a one-dimensional concept. The way it ends up being presented is still kind of a one-dimensional concept, but this where context starts to become important when looking at their relationship from a distance.

Their story starts in a campus lecture hall (following a spicy encounter at the library), where Simon is making a presentation about ancient artifacts, including the Armor of Zeldron (Blood Under the Skin), the Wand of Disbursement (Sons of Mars), and the porcelain lamb (Beyond this Earthly Realm). I really wonder what specific class this is, because why did they invite Simon just to fuckin’ rag on him? Even the instructor thinks he’s a basket case. I’m guessing it’s supposed to be some sort of ancient mythology class that Simon was invited to for the purpose of discussing fictitious artifacts, but went off the rails and just started preaching about his own fascination with Dungeons & Dragons esque fantasies. Betty seems to be the only one who is actually interested in his lectures, and this is really the first time we get to see her personality shine. She’s a lot more outgoing, adventurous, and seemingly more impulsive than Simon is. I wouldn’t say this is entirely new from what we’ve seen from her in the past – Magic Betty had a similar drive to latch onto seemingly outlandish ideas as well as engaging with Ice King head-on in a seemingly direct approach. It’s kind of cool, seeing as how they really just needed her to be crazy and desperate in the Magic Betty, but there’s definite aspects of her personality that connect through all explorations of her character. Kind of like how Magic Man is still somewhat of a douche as portrayed in Temple of Mars, showing that magic or not, these traits still exist in the user. I like how Simon kind of jokingly mentions going on the expedition and she immediately invites herself onto it within seconds.

I do enjoy how the expedition itself is left mostly in the dark – I think the concept of finding the Enchiridion is way too fantastical in theory to tack into a pretty tight story, and it’s not really the focus anyway. We get nice little moments of their dynamic playing out and I can only imagine whatever went into actually discovering the Enchiridion was consciousness expanding for them both. Board artist Nicole Rodriguez even drew up a few sketches implying that some expedition funny business went on between the two, though Simon mentions wanting to keep things professional later, so I have to imagine he never got TOO comfortable. It’s kind of sweet how hesitant Simon is to be transparent about his feelings, but it also makes sense given the fact that we later explore a bit of an unevenness in their relationship in terms of how much Betty sacrificed over Simon. Adding in a bit of a power dynamic where he’s pursuing a student might’ve overcomplicated the themes they were going for. But as I mentioned, regardless of thematic elements, watching their relationship unfold paints a very rich picture of how these characters operate. When Simon fails to communicate his own desires at the bus stop, you kind of get the idea that, while super bummed out, Betty’s self-sufficient enough that she would power through. She quickly dismisses the note when she thinks she’s in over her head, and is readily prepared to throw herself into uncertainty. Simon finally buckles up the courage in what is a very romantic gesture, but the sublimity of it all is put into question when he begins to grapple with Fionna’s misconception that he joined Betty on her journey. Betty was prepared to proceed confidently through her own life, but how much was Simon ready to navigate through his own?

I think it’s an idea that presents some level of cynicism – what appeared to be this flawless, glossy relationship in Simon’s eyes actually had elements of imperfection that he may not even been aware of. I think it’s helpful for his perspective, but their story doesn’t just dissolve there. The sequence with the lovely Half Shy song shows that there was genuine love exploding between the two of them. Their scenario doesn’t really lean into black-and-white viewpoints of any kind, it just begins to plant the seeds into challenging Simon’s perspective beyond what he is currently choosing to believe in. I really love how romantic the scene is between the two – I don’t really think we’ve ever seen this level of mushiness displayed between any couple in the show. Though again, it doesn’t really stop playing with those aforementioned ideas – the song itself was playing when Betty was about to leave on the bus. “Her” song quickly became “our song,” according to Simon.

I know I usually wait till the end of these write-ups to talk about anything related to Fionna and Cake themselves, but I actually really like Simon and Fionna’s relationship in this one! It’s nice that Fionna starts to gradually shift from being focused solely on herself and her own journey and gives her full attention to Simon’s story. Her willingness to listen to him as he describes the most magical time of his life is ultimately what leads to her increased empathy with Simon’s current dilemma. That, and a disregarded Ice King video tape, complete with a spoofed version of “Everything Stays.” It’s also really sweet to see Simon act as somewhat of a caretaker to Fionna, which is a role he obviously excels in. I really love when he uses his own romantic tale to cheer Fionna up when she’s upset – it very much reads as an old man method of “here’s a nice story to distract you from your difficult emotions.” And the bit of playfulness they share, like Fionna pretending to be disinterested in Simon talking, is also a nice touch.

My thoughts about Fionna and Cake’s dynamic in this one are less than positive. I feel like the entirety of their conflict is pretty unnecessary and bogs down any moments where it arises again. I get that Cake’s character journey is about her desire to become more independent, and I think you can still accomplish that just with her moment towards the end when she fights with Fionna over the crown. But having her be uncharacteristically joyless throughout most of this one (though some of her pouting makes for funny drawings) only for it to get resolved pretty unceremoniously takes me out of the experience. A loooong time ago I talked about the episode Video Makers and the philosophy that it’s not really entertaining to do entire episodes pitting best friends against each other unless it’s particularly funny or dramatic. While I think I was kind of being a persnickety internet critic back then (I probably still am one!) I do agree that you kind of have to tread careful waters with this type of dynamic, because what plays out here is just pretty tiresome. I think, at the very least, Cake’s admiration of BMO makes her portrayal in Jerry a bit less contentious. Oh, and while I’m being a snarky internet critic, that BRB note we see from Finn was created in Temple of Mars, years after the events of Finn the Human! Do better, AT crew!!!!!

BMO in general is great to have back. I was a little miffed when I saw BMO in the trailer for the first season of F&C, because it really seemed like they were going to overly rely on characters from the OG series instead of fleshing out the newer ones. But my cynicism dissolved quickly, because BMO is always delightful. I’m not sure what it is about her, but I kind of have yet to see a poor portrayal of her. Besides some inconsistencies of how she acted at the beginning of the series versus now, her presence always seems to get the right blend of character traits down. It’d be so easy to just make BMO overly cutesy and whimsical or something, but she’s always a little bit of an asshole too, and there’s usually this subtle (or, in this case, overt) level of sadness that she carries with her. It’s extremely sad to watch the little dude mosey around amidst the destruction of Ooo, and I wonder how much BMO is able to actually grapple with it on a conscious level. I imagine her behavior is somewhat of a trauma response, but also just goes to show how far BMO’s imagination can be stretched to the point where I’m not sure if she’s really able to tell the difference/deal with such horrendous destruction in a way that involves legitimate grief. BMO referring to Fionna as “Finn” further supports the idea that she may not be able to differentiate reality from fiction, which was possibly heightened by her current surroundings as well.

It also makes me wonder – if BMO survived because she’s not technically “alive,” who else can say the same? It’s interesting to see the Candy Kingdom is still intact as opposed to the plant life, considering that Princess Bubblegum and the rest of the Candy People are pretty much entirely made up of the stuff. And what’s the story for Marceline, who is not “alive” fundamentally? It’s probably not worth overanalyzing in too much detail, as it probably isn’t a world that will be expanded much more, but my single headcanon is that NEPTR also survived the extinction, but BMO just pretends he isn’t there like usual. Poor NEPTR, these spin-offs have not been kind to you. BMO’s sole friend that we hear her talk about is Jerry, a character I wasn’t really sure I knew what they were going to do with. Again, my working theory was that the Jerry from HR McGuffin back in the first two episodes was somehow going to tie into this twist, but eventually I just figured Jerry was going to be a figment of BMO’s imagination. That was maybe a bit too elementary of a guess, because I got slapped in the fuckin’ face over that Lich reveal!

Honestly, similar to BMO, I’m always surprised at how much I’m delighted by a Lich appearance. Like, by the time Whispers aired, I was pretty tired of his character because his appearances no longer felt very “weighty” to me. He started out being the most intimidating baddie in any animated series, but by the end of it, he was feeling more and more like a glorified villain of the week. This was the same with Together Again, where most of the horror was shed, but Ron Perlman’s delivery, the dialogue they gave him, and the way it worked as kind of a bookend for Finn and Jake’s journey as a whole roped me in. Now with Jerry and the way he actually somewhat develops in the next episode, I think I’m back on the Lich train fully. Granted, I still think he should probably be retired from this point onward, but this is the first time in years I actually feel like we’re learning something about the character. Whispers more so utilized his presence to build on Sweet P’s character, while Together Again simply features him as a final boss of the sorts. Jerry shows the Lich in a bit of a different light, as he has lost the drive in his goal to end all life, seemingly succeeding in his efforts for the most part. It’s pretty similar to the state we saw him in throughout Wake Up, where he operates with no purpose when he cannot carry out his primary function. Here, however, it seems like it’s more of an active choice on his part? It’s kind of easy to forget that the Lich’s autopilot isn’t just to destroy everything in his path – his titular episode back in season four had him scheming and manipulating to carry out his duties, which implies that there is some level of conscious decision making on his part. I didn’t really ever need the Lich to be fleshed out, because part of what makes him cool is that he’s shrouded in such quiet terror. But the added mysticism of his role in the universe does help to continue to expand the world of Adventure Time beyond its humble roots. And how cool is it that this is the wish world that was created in Finn the Human?? I love how nuanced that detail is, in a way that I didn’t even realize it on my first watch (though the whole “wearing Billy’s dead skin” thing should’ve been a dead giveaway). Also, I absolutely adore the fact that BMO has clearly been braiding Lich Billy’s beard, because it wasn’t like that the last time we saw him in this condition. So cute… I think?

In fact, we get A LOT of cosmic expansion in Jerry. A whole other chunk of the episode takes place in a dimension filled with other worldly beings, namely Orbo, who has put Scarab on trial. Orbo is voiced by David McCormack, most known for his role as Bandit on Bluey, a show I’ve watched way too much of for someone in their late 20’s with no children. McCormack does a great job of breathing life into the character, and he’s animated super well. I thought it had to have been Nick Cross that did the individual animation for facial expressions, and lo-and-behold, it was! It’s super cool that Cross is always around for whenever a visual bump is needed in the series. I do love the continued theme that most cosmic entities are just party dudes trying to have a good time and don’t really pay too much mind to being sticklers for the rules. Scarab is the exception of course, but I do think there is a bit of sympathy lent to him in this one. He’s of course a total buzzkill and seems hyper-focused on something that everyone agrees isn’t really a big deal, but he also seems like the only person in this realm who is attempting to do their job properly. I also love all the background deities we see in this one, most of which were designed by Steve Wolfhard. I love the one with two heads intersecting in Venn diagram fashion, but my favorite has to be the God lard. I need an entire season of F&C about his story.

This is probably the best looking episode of the season as well. I love the way color and light really erupt within the confines of the cosmic realm, carrying on a lot of the visual identity we’ve seen from both Prismo and Cosmic Owl’s domains. I’ve talked a bit about the backgrounds, but haven’t given proper due to those who have put the effort into breathing life into them. Jesse Balmer played a big role in the visual development of the season, having worked on the last chunk of AT and did a bunch of stuff for Distant Lands. A lot of the concepts for landscapes in this one came from Balmer (mainly the dilapidated grass lands) while a team of BG designers also chipped in. Jarrod Prince, Craig Bowers, Udo Jung, and Nicholas Maniquis are are credited for design work on this one, each having a unique portfolio within the industry, with Maniquis even dipping his toes in Natasha Allegri’s other project, Bee and Puppycat. I really love the eerie look of Ooo that contrasts the vibrant colors within the cosmic realm; I’m using the word “contrast” a lot in this write-up, but there’s so many craftily placed divergences in tone, color, and form in this one that it’s hard to ignore. The way the clouds wrap around like dead vines while the sun beats down in inconsistent rays makes for an ugly bit of solemnity that really carries out the bleak tones it’s going for. This is an episode that is pretty light on score during the actual scenes in Ooo, and I think it’s all the better for it. I don’t mean it as another diss towards the soundtrack, but the hollowness of it all is only benefited by how infrequently music cues support it.

And talk about hollow – BMO fucking dies in this one! If it was any other show, her sacrifice would’ve given the main characters the necessary tools to move forward in their journey, but no, she just straight up dies in a pretty gruesome way and the main crew is none the better for it. The funeral scene is genuinely impactful – even though the BMO we know is fine in the mainline universe, it doesn’t shy away from the fact that her demise DID make an impact on Fionna and Cake, and probably more so to Simon, who didn’t know if he’d ever see the “real” BMO again. It has one of my favorite Tom Kenny line readings from the series, when Simon defeatedly utters, “farewell, you little miracle…” That shit HURT. Of course, Simon’s own state of mind begins to unravel a bit more in this one. It’s clear to everyone around him (well, actually just Fionna) that turning back into the Ice King is something that would essentially destroy his mind, but Simon still doesn’t seem to care about that reality. Even though he’s been vindicated by the idea that there doesn’t appear to be a healthy way to interact with the crown and that his role in Marceline’s life undoubtedly paved a way for the common good, he’s still more concerned with erasing his current existence and escaping into a mind of incoherence. This fixation on self-destruction, coupled with his incantation spell, throw him right into the realm of GOLB, with the Lich and Scarab not far behind.

Jerry is another excellent episode from the season. I have my qualms with it, though most are on the smaller scale and don’t bog down the stuff that is really, really good. The super glossy, cheery bits intersect perfectly with the harsh realities that are dished out, without them ever feeling like they’re competing with each other. It also feels like a good penultimate culmination of a lot of what the season’s individual arcs having been building into, in some ways that kind of surprised me, with Simon forced to question his own stagnant views on his former love life. It’s another episode that moves the plot points forward successfully while never detracting from the unique individuality of the episode itself, immersing us in an alternate reality that is one of the most compelling we’ve seen from the series thus far.

I mentioned the Half Shy song earlier in the review, but a studio version was released that is much longer than what we hear in the episode itself. You can give it a listen here, it’s quite nice! Though, I’m still patiently awaiting the day “Greatly Appreciated” from Min and Marty gets released. Your move, Ashley Eriksson!

Favorite line: “And she could make the best soft-boiled egg! Not runny, but perfectly jammy.”

Adventure Time

“Destiny” Review

November 4, 2023 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: September 14, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Jacob Winkler, Sonja von Marensdorff, Hanna K. Nyström & Anna Syvertsson

One of the promises of Fionna and Cake that I was perhaps the most skeptical about was the incorporation of multiverse elements. The multiverse has become a staple of pop culture in recent years and it’s growing a bit tiresome seeing every genre of content trying to adopt it for storytelling opportunities. It’s easy to see the appeal of the concept, because it does allow for generally limitless storytelling that doesn’t have to be grounded in any sense of logic or reality. But in most examples, it’s utilized for gimmicks more than anything. Even in stuff I like, such as the Spider-Verse movies, it’s a concept that very easily defaults to cameo opportunities from other parts of the franchise or absurdist additions that don’t really add anything outside of being comical. I didn’t want Fionna and Cake to default to hopping from one world to next, visiting a Steven Universe world or meeting a Lego version of Finn. However, it isn’t entirely fair to harp on Adventure Time for necessarily jumping on the bandwagon when the multiverse was apart of its lore far before it became a hot topic – they even beat Rick & Morty to the punch! It’s additionally very reassuring that they incorporate it into Fionna and Cake in a way that feels very meaningful and is actually one of the stronger elements of the season as a whole.

The cold open for Destiny is pretty cool. I like how much Farmworld Finn’s presence is set up in this one. Farmworld prior to the ruling of “The Snowman” felt like an early modern countryside of simple folk that didn’t interact with supernatural elements at all. This beginning paints a similar reality, with the implication that the citizens remained skeptical and on the opposing side of magic, only now it’s evolved into a dystopian, anarchistic landscape. More on that in a bit.

Jumping right into where last episode left off, Simon reveals his plans to help make Fionna and Cake’s world magic again by finding the crown and performing the GOLB ritual once more. It’s clear to see that the events of last episode have put Simon in a state of rejection of his own self, as he seems no longer willing to accept his current place in life. Once again channeling into the themes of addiction, Simon craves his previous life being under the power of the crown, even if it means that he’ll be out of his mind. At least he’ll be numb to whatever pain he’s currently experiencing and won’t have to deal with his issues on a conscious level. Simon justifying using the crown to save Fionna and Cake also isn’t that different from how he used the crown to save Marceline. I have a feeling that, more than just Simon’s own nobility, the power of the crown is tempting enough for Simon that he’s able to make those justifications. Of course, he would never use it if it meant Marceline would be in any real danger, hence him leaving her at the beginning of Everything Stays, but he’s willing to take those chances most of the time because he’s allured to its magic abilities. The same can be said here – with how much he feels purposeless in his own skin, it’s not hard to reel him back in. Even though he knows it’s bad for him and that it will completely change him as a person, it’s a reality he’s willing to accept because at least it will benefit the lives of others. It’s a noble act in theory, but does have a layer of self-centeredness behind it. Simon’s not really thinking about the lives he may hurt if he does start using the crown again, including Marceline, who would end up being left in the dark to a decision being made behind the scenes. Nor is he really thinking about the other lives it would impact in Fionna and Cake’s world, something that Fionna herself is guilty of.

I like all the continued banter between Fionna, Cake and Simon. I mentioned before, but I’m a sucker for all of the cat gags this season has churned out, and Cake bringing Fionna the dead mouse thinking that she loves it is right up my alley. Fionna and Simon’s relationship becomes a lot more fun with Destiny as well. They didn’t really get a ton of time to work off of each other last episode because so much was being thrown at the viewer, so seeing them both work off of each other was nice. I like how she kinda treats Simon like a cringey stepdad that doesn’t understand social cues. Like when he won’t shut the fuck up about Greek mythology at a stranger’s dinner table and Fionna comes back at him with, “dude, what are you talking about?” Simon gets his own bit of sass in though, when Fionna mistakes him for a doctor. He’s an antiquarian, dammit! It’s all fun stuff, and appreciate any time the episode takes to slow it down a bit. There’s some nice moments where Fionna and Cake also banter around at the beginning while looking for loot to steal. The slow pacing of the season up to this point has kind of felt drawn out, but I like that we do get these small moments to breathe in the midst of the ball rolling. Helps it stay with that Adventure Time feel. Oh yeah, also, Scarab’s back again! He does some stuff in this one, but it’s mostly not noteworthy. A bunch of people online were all horned up over his human design, which was fine. He also tinkers around with Prismo’s Time Room and I like the oozing, pink plasma that seems to control synthetic channels to the multiverse. That’s pretty much all I have to say about Scarab in this episode.

The exploration of the Mad Max evolved Farmworld is a blast. I love the designs of the citizens, mostly based on concept art by Michael DeForge, Steve Wolfhard and Delfina Pérez Adán, who previously provided animation work for Distant Lands. I also like all the bits of absurdity sprinkled in; the longshot of the boy on stilts stealing the tire for the car that merges with a much larger vehicle was great, and I like how there’s bits like the chicken man that don’t even make sense in-universe. Like, what got him into this position? Also, this is the first time I’m realizing that the human who notices Cake’s powers is a Farmworld version of Chet! That’s gotta be the most casually sprinkled in cameo of the season. Though, with every episode, I feel like there’s another one that I missed, so we’ll see if I’m still saying that by the end of it. We’re soon reintroduced into The Destiny Gang, whom I was delighted to see again! They really don’t get too much to do that’s funny or interesting and mostly just drive forward the conflict of the episode, though they get a few funny lines in, namely, “he died doing what he loved – trying to ride alligator like horse!”

Most of the episode is more focused on Big Destiny’s kin, introducing us to Little Destiny, who probably has the only design I don’t like out of these gaggle of characters. I dunno, whenever Adventure Time constructs characters using more realistic anatomy and detailed facial features it doesn’t really work a whole lot for me. It kinda reminds me of that lamp from Friends Forever – I think it’s the pronounced lips more than anything. In general, I’m not too captivated by Little Destiny’s role in the episode and her connection to a certain blonde boy, who we’re introduced to shortly after this season’s umpteenth Choose Goose appearance thus far. We’re also treated to a weird little jab from Big Destiny’s other child about wanting to cut Fionna’s nose off, but somebody beating him to the punch. Is this factoring in that dumb theory Pen Ward himself had early on in the series about Ooo’s humans being mutated by having no nose and beaded eyes?? Adam was a pretty vocal critic of this theory back on the commentary of the early seasons, so it might have been a nod to that little debacle. Or even just implying that Farmworld citizens have big ass noses in general.

The aforementioned blonde boy leads our crew to what is believed to be Farmworld Simon, but we get something so much more beautiful: Repressed Adult Farmer Finn™!! This is where my inner fanboy is able to come out and thrive – I LOVE this version of Finn. Going back to my first statement about how the season utilizes the multiverse to the best of its abilities, I like how much ongoing commitment there is to showing that these versions of the main characters essentially are the main characters, just under a different set of circumstances. It’s kind of playing off of what the original series did with Fern, who was just a carbon copy of Finn that was launched in an entirely different direction because of situational experiences. Only this seems to play around with the idea that the nature of our characters is relatively the same throughout each universe, but the nurturing differs almost entirely. Farmworld Finn was given a second chance by Prismo at the end of Crossover, but it’s clear that this wasn’t necessarily a happy ending for him. The impact of the crown left him with psychological scars, as the Finn we see here is far from the almost cluelessly joyful Finn we saw only episodes earlier.

Even outside of a psychological perspective, Farmworld Finn has appears to have chosen (or fallen into) a more traditional path by having lots of children and playing the role of a strong, stoic provider. Lots of people have noted that the 12 or so year time skip would mean that Finn had to have gotten someone pregnant when he was 16 or 17. I don’t think this is that crazy for a world that seems riddled in early modern culture and on top of that, we already know Finn is a horny devil. This is true across every part of the multiverse, especially when he has a dose of trauma under his belt. But yeah, I love his design and all his dialogue is crafted so perfectly. He gets to throw out great antiquated lines like, “I don’t truck with magic,” and, “be gone at first light.” It also can’t be understated how great Jeremy Shada’s performance is – I almost didn’t recognize him at first! Having Shada deepen his voice to sound gruffer is something that could easily feel forced but I think he pulls it off tremendously. He’s old enough at this point that he can channel more baritone inflections without it feeling beyond his scope. When he snaps at Simon for wanting to seek out the crown, the anger in his voice is really felt. And even beyond a speaking role, FW Finn has some really great silent moments where you truly get to experience his life in a nutshell; I love the way he notices how concerned his children are after he lashes out and quickly collects himself to not upset them further, and later when he quietly stares into the fireplace, troubled by the insanity of his past. It’s both a great way to help explore his trauma while also tying back into the delusions that Simon is convincing himself of. Though Ice King probably never brought a level of damage akin to what “The Snowman” did, the impact of the crown and the general madness that it causes is played with a level of absoluteness here, in a way the season would continue to support.

Speaking of Finn’s kids, the names “Jay” and “Bonnie” return after being introduced in Puhoy! This was a nice little detail that may even build on the concept that the Pillow World was, indeed, part of the multiverse. It makes me wonder just how many instances there are in the series where the potential of a wormhole opening is implied – I think Puhoy is a key-in for the most notable example. Farmworld Bonnie is especially cute, which also makes me wonder if there is a Farmworld equivalent to Bubblegum. I like to think that there may not be, or if there is, Finn may have never even crossed paths with her. Finn just named his child that because somewhere in his being he knew he liked that name, which is a concept I think is neat. He also has a gaggle of additional unnamed children, some of which possess features similar to Huntress Wizard’s human forms seen throughout the season (green eyes, red hair). I don’t know how down I am with the continued exploration of Finn and HW’s relationship to the point where she is his soulmate across multiple universes. I liked how the show ended not really focusing on who Finn “ended up” with, because having him settle down at 17 always felt a lil weird. I guess if I really want to tie up the continuity I established with FW Finn getting a girl pregnant at an early age, maybe he met up with her in a similar way to their Ooo counterparts’ meeting in Flute Spell, only they actually consummated it. I guess her role as Finn’s wife is still up in the air because she seemingly passed away in Farmworld, but I think the hints speak for themselves. Even with how much Farmworld Finn has lost, it’s sweet that FW Jake is still kicking. I have no idea how this ancient pooch has lasted so long – it’s possible that Finn got him later on in his childhood as opposed to having him early on, so he’d be around 15 or so now. I think he probably just lives a chill ass countryside life and gets fed well with lots of pets, which is enough to make my god damn heart melt.

Jay is the most prominent of the Mertens family in this episode, and I’m mostly lukewarm on his presence. He’s involved in this star-crossed lovers’ romance with Little Destiny, which I guess adds a level of stakes for the episode? I dunno, I feel like they already had a decent amount of tension going with the fact that they have the Destiny Gang wanting to abolish magic and Scarab after them at the same time. I’m not really sure how their relationship adds to the episode or the season as a whole – I guess they claim their own destiny (no pun intended) in a way that supports what Fionna, Cake, and Simon are also striving for. Still, I don’t find them super engaging as characters and their bits are pretty standard Romeo & Juliet fodder. They even have Cake working off of them by kind of making fun of their whole shtick, but it’s played pretty straight otherwise. Still, it was all worth it to see Farmworld Finn break out a fuckin’ flamethrower arm and set Destiny Gang members on fire. Man does not fuck around! The breakneck pace of the last few minutes are solid: Cake trying to stretch out but still struggling to use her powers is fun; I love Big Destiny’s lashy, perfect eyes when he has his glasses broken; the final confrontation between Scarab and Farmworld Finn is greatly executed, with an impactful curb stomp that had plenty of people questioning whether FW Finn was killed. I don’t really think that’s what they’re going for, but who knows. I feel like the way the rest of the season pans out leaves me believing this probably isn’t the case and it’d be lame as hell if Finn in ANY universe was taken out in such an unceremonious way. This farm boy needs to go down in flames! Also, I didn’t know where else to add this in, but does anyone have any thoughts about Simon mentioning that the crown smells like freshly cut grass? I guess it could just be a throwaway line, but it felt too random to be that. Haven’t seen any theories otherwise, though.

That blabbering aside, I dig Destiny. It works with the multiverse concept to the best of its ability by helping expand the show’s characters beyond just the conditions of Ooo. A looong time ago in my review of Finn the Human, I criticized the episode for not really capturing the spirit of Finn to the best of its abilities, but Destiny makes it pretty clear that… that’s the point. Finn, and all of these characters, are subject to change based on their surrounding environments, leaving us with fragments of the same characters that have their own unique perspective on life. It’s still the soul-shape of Finn in his Farmworld counterpart’s body (that hilariously hushed “math” proves it), but with a lifetime full of different experiences that allowed him to grow in his own unique way. I also enjoy the idea of focusing on one universe per episode as opposed to having them hop from world to world – it allows for the art direction to really thrive when the environment is able to commit to one core theme. And sprinkled in are some solid bits from Simon, Fionna, and Cake, but did you really expect me not to make this entire review centered around Finn at this point? I never claimed to be nonpartisan.

Fionna and Cake brought back a lot of AT veterans for some freelance work, including Charmaine Verhagen! Verhagen co-boarded Wheels and worked on the series as a storyboard revisionist starting around season 8. Verhagen did some concept art for Destiny character designs, but they didn’t end up making it into the actual episode. A shame, because I really like the withered Jakes she whipped up! You can check out her concept art here.

Favorite line: “Now you two should kiss.”

Adventure Time

“Cake the Cat” Review

October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: September 7, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Haewon Lee & Nicole Rodriguez

Cake the Cat follows in the previous two episodes’ method of developing characters that, up to this point, we really didn’t know too too much about. I’d argue that, of the three main characters, the necessity to flesh out Cake beyond what we already know about her from the original F&C episodes feels a bit frivolous. Cake is probably my favorite of the Fionna & Cake bunch up to this point because she was really the only character who immediately set herself apart from her male counterpart; she was sassy, more no-nonsense, and Roz Ryan’s terrific voice presence gave her an immediate sense of charisma. Of course, she also shared some elements of Jake’s personality, mainly that she doesn’t take anything too seriously and is often there to lighten up the mood when things get too heavy. In that sense, she already kind of established herself early on where the rest of the F&C cast of characters were kind of left with fragments of personality and depth that were most left unchecked. So, with that being said, I don’t think spending extra time on giving Cake her own arc in this story is entirely necessary. Of course, she has some nice moments of development throughout the season, but I think what really made her work in these ten episodes is just whenever she just offered moments of comedic relief.

Before gettin’ into Cake stuff, there’s a brief little precursor to the episode I’ll tackle. We see Prismo once more, only this time he’s very clearly depressed. I really like all the small moments of Prismo mourning Jake’s loss – it’s all very understated moments of grief that really paint how much of an impact Jake had on Prismo’s life. And it’s even sadder to wonder just how long this has been going on, though it’s still unclear of when exactly Jake kicked the bucket. The clip of Finn and Jake at the Bird Temple has questionable implications, namely that Finn got the tattoo of his brother before he died. I think that idea is pretty dumb, so my current headcanon is that this must be an alternate universe where Jake survives, but Finn ends up getting the tattoo anyway. I’ve seen the idea thrown around that the tattoo could’ve been the result of Finn losing a bet to Jake, which I think is relatively unsentimental, but I could get behind it if only Finn was super happy about losing said bet. Like, he doesn’t even care, because he’s like, “hey, I get to have my favorite person on my chest forever!” I think that would be pretty sweet. The little sequence itself of their adventure feels similar to the pretty surface-level quest we see at the beginning of Together Again, though it has some neat little additions. I like how the temple itself seems to be partially based on Ghostshrimp’s design for a Bird Temple from the scrapped season one episode The Helmet of Thorogon and the cockatykes on copter-trikes does feel like a very AT-specific concept. Seeing Jakesuit again is also fun, though I feel like it’s reaching the point of oversaturation after appearing pretty recently in Together Again. You can’t just throw the Jakesuit around willy-nilly, it’s for special occasions!

As mentioned, the rest of the episode mainly focuses on Cake exploring Ooo and discovering her own self. It’s a lot of moments that, in my opinion, mostly feel unnecessary to explore. Like, was the exposition of Cake trying different size-altering fruits and acknowledging that she enjoys shapeshifting something that we needed to see happen? Or even her feeling at home with the magic surrounding her, only to be ganged up against by the very beings that made her feel inspired? I feel like most of what is established here can be cooked into Cake obtaining her magical abilities in the following episode without much having been lost. AT often got flack for jamming too much into the span of 11 minute episodes during its original run. While there are definitely instances where that is the case, and there are ways that the added runtime in Fionna and Cake helps stories to flourish, there are instances where these 25 minute episodes tend to overexplain and spend a little too much time trying to set things up. This is of course most noticeable at the beginning of the season, and I really feel like moments from this episode could’ve been baked into the first one, which also was paced a bit awkwardly. Again though, this is coming from someone who was less enthralled by the Fionna and Cake world in general and was more interested in Simon’s plight and the exploration of different Ooo-like worlds. There arguments for keeping this episode the way it is, with how it establishes Cake and Fionna’s relationship and Cake’s feelings of wanting independence from Fionna. Though, I’d argue that this only really leads to incidental drama down the line, so again, I don’t really feel like I personally got much from trying to expand Cake’s character in this great of detail.

The rest of the episode is also pretty middling. I never expected the Marc Maron squirrel to appear again (I kinda just figured he’d be riding that frisbee through the air for all of eternity) but it was nice to see him once more. I think F&C, like Distant Lands, is still kind of struggling to capture the weirdness of the original series, and it’s probably most apparent here. The additional return of the Jim Cummings woodland critters feels like it’d be a prime opportunity for classic AT silliness to shine, but they mostly just show up, get fucked up by Cake (in one of the only instances from the season where I felt the use of blood was a bit gratuitous), and don’t really do anything funny. I’m always down for recapturing the light oddness of Adventure Time, though I feel like this is something the new team is struggling with the most. It’s not without moments that do feel spirituality-aligned; the Squirrel going on about how he involuntarily became an apple salesman one day was great and his boss being irrationally angry with everything she expresses was also fun.

And because I’ve already harped on this in a previous Distant Lands review, I’ll get my whining out of the way now so I don’t harp on it in the future: it still impacts my immersion slightly not having Tim Kiefer composing. Amanda Jones joined the series starting with Obsidian and I just feel like a lot of what she offers up doesn’t always mesh with the series/what Kiefer brought to it. There are so many bits of score in Fionna and Cake that feel kind of generic; the scene where Cake is trying fruits at the market is supplemented by a flute tune that just kind of sounds like typical medieval fare, while Kiefer would always experiment with different sounding instruments, like the dulcimer score heard at the market in Blade of Grass, to support Adventure Time‘s unique and quirky tone. I don’t know if this is really a jab at Jones per se, I think Kiefer was just always so essential to the series in ways that I don’t really see discussed much. Again, I think Jones does an alright job from time to time at capturing the same energy that Kiefer did (I think the theme song for Fionna and Cake itself is particularly great) and I will commend her in the future for times that I think she did knock it out of the park, but I had to get it off my chest at least once so I don’t bitch every time I think the score is ill-fitting.

While on the subject of music, I actually do like Cake’s song in this one! I think it plays out a bit awkwardly in the episode itself, but it is a pretty catchy tune and is actually one of the tracks I find myself humming the most from this season. I quite like Roz Ryan’s singing voice and people may also forget that she was actually on Broadway before getting into film and television. It’s nice that she gets her own song outside of her part in Bad Little Boy, though she deserves just as much praise for that. Oh yeah, and Rainy’s back! She was one of the few recognizable characters from the batch of Ooo residents and apparently she hasn’t aged a day in 15 years or so. I did like how the civilians were all pretty much new designs based around commonplace species from Ooo. I really dig the one tree guy painting portraits that apparently got bored at one point and started painting a house instead. Or maybe that’s just what he sees, I guess.

On the other side of the episode, we see Fionna desperately searching for Cake while Simon continues to lose his mind and attempts once more to summon Betty. Again, it’s more so just moving things along before the ball gets dropped and everything starts moving, but there’s nothing going on that’s particularly of interest. Fionna drinking wine out of a paper bag with Marshall and Ellis P. was fun, but otherwise I didn’t find any of Fionna or Simon’s scenes particularly noteworthy up to her entering Ooo. And with how fast Fionna gets launched into a whole other world and quickly accepts it, I’m shocked that they decided to just kind of tack on this development on at the last minute! I don’t really mind it and I don’t think you have to spend an extended amount of time doing a fish out of water story with her, but with how much the episode takes its sweet time with other things, it’s kind of funny how much Fionna’s introduction is quickly glanced over. She gets some fun moments towards the end – I’ve never related to anything more than when she brushes off her clothes to provide a handful of Cake’s hair, and her just straight up murdering weird creatures around her sets up her longstanding arc of murdering other weird creatures around her throughout the season. It’s cut short when Fionna and Cake are beamed up to Prismo’s and Astrid is left without her hat. I was kind of convinced that Astrid would tag along in this journey and hold a role similar to the Distant Lands sidekick characters, but I’m kind of glad that didn’t end up happening. Astrid is cute, but I think it would probably just overcrowd an already jammed series.

Otherwise, this one is probably the most lukewarm I am for a Fionna and Cake episode. I’m usually fine with letting things breathe a bit, but with such a small amount of episodes for the season, I just feel like a lot of it is kind of padding out setup. Again, nothing against Cake as a character, but I think spending a decent amount of time developing her character in ways that could kind of just be implied feels like there could’ve been some tweaking in terms of how this episode slot is used. The stuff with the squirrel and gang is fine, but isn’t really fun enough either to justify its role in the episode. But generally speaking, it still isn’t bad, it’s just time I felt could’ve been used for something funnier, more insightful, or experiment a bit more with the themes they’re going for. As is, I still think Cake plays a great role in the season, just not from a stance of personal growth.

Also, Minerva gets a small cameo in the human city! There’s actually a full deleted scene from the episode where Minerva interacts a bit more with Cake, which you can see here. I think the additional scene is cute, but I think I’m more happy with the little glimpse/cameo that it was cut down to. The boards for this scene I believe were drawn by Hanna K. Nyström, though feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Favorite line: “Literally, some apple guy came up to me and said, ‘this will be your life now and it will be a life of loneliness.”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“BMO” Review

July 17, 2020March 26, 2025 Adventure Time Reviewed

BMO

Original Airdate: July 25, 2020

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Iggy Craig, Laura Knetzger, Anna Syvertsson & Adam Muto

Before we start, I wanted to plug a project from my friend, Paul Thomas. Paul has written a really neat account of Adventure Time‘s production history, storytelling mechanics, and its fandom. I also contributed a small portion to the book as an interview piece in the fandom section, under my full name, Eric Stone. Though I haven’t been able to read through it fully yet, it’s a really detailed and packed novel that I think any Adventure Time fan should surely check out. You can read this novel here!

Welp, here we are kiddos! Most fandoms have to wait like, 10 years for new content after an original IP ends, the AT crowd has been blessed with new stuff only two years down the road! The sweet part about this is it probably wasn’t too hard to wrangle up most of the original crew (as of this episode, we have Adam Muto, Hanna K. Nyström, Jack Pendarvis, Andy Ristaino, Benjamin Anders, Anna Syvertsson, Laura Knetzger Michael DeForge, Jesse Balmer, Amber Blade Jones, the Frederator crew, and Tim Kiefer as returning members; correct me if I missed anyone) and the style is able to remain pretty true to the original, with some added upgrades. And for the most part, BMO does manage to capture that AT feel more than I was originally expecting from it.

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As a precursor, I’ll mention that it’s good to be back in this role. I truly have missed talking about AT in any capacity, and honestly, it really took new content to get my motivation back again. It is definitely strange to be talking about it in this position – I had reviewed each episode long after their initial airdate. There’s a large community of cartoon reviewers that can probably get to this faster than I can and likely say everything that I would have already said otherwise. That being said, I hope that I continue to add a layer of freshness to these reviews and that there is still a desire for open discussion around this blog and its themes. That aside, let’s get down to the good stuff.

Distant Lands immediately sets itself apart by having a distinct opening that feels slightly alien in comparison to any AT content that we’ve seen prior. Despite its namesake, Distant Lands doesn’t borrow from Adventure Time‘s opening credits much at all. It appears each special will have its own unique opening, with the additional interstitial beginning that features a quick bombardment of past AT characters and moments. Lack of lyrical accompaniment aside, BMO‘s intro does follow the standard that most AT opening titles follow – it’s a sweeping journey, filled with familiar sounds, and an eventual climax to the central focus. This beautifully crafted CGI intro was animated by Encyclopedia Pictura, a film and animation studio that has worked on some really gnarly stuff, including music videos and bizarre, but beautiful, short films. Their attention to bright, vivid colors and smooth designs make me truly crave a fully guest animated 11 minutes from them, but I suppose we’re past that point… for now. The ending credits also feature a cameo of AstroBMO, which is a real life BMO that was sent into space!

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I was initially a bit cautious about BMO having his own 44 minute special. With some clear exceptions, BMO is very much a comic relief character. She certainly has her depth and isn’t only good for jokes, but BMO isn’t necessarily an “epic” character by any means. Not to mention that Adventure Time has really only dabbled with the 44 minute formula once before with Come Along With Me and… yeah, that was a bit messy. I will say that the two aspects of the special I was most concerned about were actually some of the strongest elements. BMO, per usual, is his usual lovable self. Even if his dialogue isn’t laugh-worthy, it is undeniably charming. BMO’s bizarre dialogue and tendency to not understand structural sentences really never tires itself out, which could be chalked up to solid writing, but it’s also just Niki Yang being the absolute best at what she does. I don’t think I praise her enough on this blog, but Yang’s dedication to really embodying the character and knowing just how to hit all of the right notes for a successful delivery always pay off so well. I think voice actors very much embody their character and cannot be replaced, but there are surely occasional issues with delivery that can sink certain impactful moments for individual characters. I feel like Yang almost never skips a beat – almost because BMO’s inflections are, by nature, slightly monotonous, but I mean that in the most loving way. Even when just speaking in her natural voice, Yang recognizes how to add an extra bit of gusto every single time she gets in that recording booth.

BMO’s silly opening monologue is lots of fun, and it’s a great way to showcase all of the visual elements that this special has to offer. BMO alone gets a pass for being absolutely gorgeous – Adventure Time has never looked so good! The lush colors and richer backgrounds (though somewhat of a departure from the original series) felt like breath of fresh air. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Adventure Time has never looked bad (okay yes Seventeen exists. I know, guys) but the increased budget that Max has allowed for is certainly noteworthy and quite frankly exciting. Imagine what a Finn and Jake adventure is gonna look like on a high budget! Impressive colors and animation aren’t the only new element in the visuals department that BMO brings to the table – or in this case, an old element – the return of the eye whites! Eye whites were retired from the series around season two because Pen felt that it took viewers out of the universe and made characters feel less “human.” BMO is drawn with them as he transcends into The Drift, and while I’m not the hugest fan of them myself, it is kind of nice to see them back in this fashion. It’s a visual element that does add to Distant Lands‘ clear interest in expanding on the design of the original series. ALSO, it’s around this point that we meet Olive, one of the cooler characters that BMO dishes out. In typical AT fashion, Olive’s simple design is her biggest strength, being both very charming and intriguing from a minimalist perspective. Olive also provides for some gnarly shapeshifting moments, easily filling in Jake’s shoes while he’s absent.

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After we get this establishing piece with BMO and Olive, we’re treated to another establishing piece within the Drift, where we meet the other featured characters and settings of this special, which are some of the weaker bits, in my eyes. Elaborating on what I said about the visuals above, the backgrounds within the Drift are gorgeous. They certainly are a bit of departure from what we’re used to seeing from the original series – Ghostshrimp’s backgrounds were filled to the brim with every possible apocalyptic Easter egg and neat hunk of junk that he could imagine, while the background artists clearly focused on more interesting textures and attention to color for BMO, and that works just as well. I was surprised to see just how thick some of the outlines were within several backdrops – really makes the whole thing feel like a comic in motion. Which… I suppose is exactly what animation is. Hmph.

It’s here that we’re introduced to Y-4 (later known as Y-5) who is… okay! I actually think her design is very cute and she’s competently portrayed by Glory Curda, but her character isn’t really super compelling in any way. That’s not to say that she’s bad! I didn’t actively dislike any aspect of her personality or arc, but it never really managed to grab me in one way or another. Her relationships with other characters end up putting her in pretty predictable spots, namely that her obedience to her parents would end up causing a tiff in her newly found friendship with BMO, and that her relationship with her parents would ultimately come to a resolve when they recognized the error of their ways. It’s all stories that we’ve seen in other movies and shows before, and while none of it is done badly, it’s not the type of story that I feel is captivating for me personally. I do have to give Adventure Time credit where its due because, while the parents that don’t trust their child is a trope that’s been tackled before, it’s a bit new to Adventure Time. Parental figures within the original series are usually just straightforward really shitty or astute moral guardians. Here, these parents act shitty, but it’s both resolved and tackled in somewhat interesting way regarding their unbridled faith towards governmental power.

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The aliens we see throughout this special, namely the Shells and the Elves, are decently fun. They have the same goofy disagreements that would be commonplace in Ooo, yet are unique in their foreign designs. I do think AT‘s character team is really smart with understanding what works for different settings; I don’t know what it is about the Elves and Shells, but they just feel like beings that wouldn’t really be fitting for Ooo, even if it is an open world for all kinds of weird inhabitants. These aliens feel akin to On the Lam, in the way that they aren’t a complete departure from AT‘s style, but feel off enough that they wouldn’t necessarily be roaming the Earth either. It’s also fun to see how, despite the fact that they’re portrayed as the antagonists, BMO’s kind of the asshole that gets in THEIR way, and the episode has a lot of fun with that. BMO is most fun when he’s only interested in satisfying his own needs and gives zero fucks about anything else. That’s not to say she isn’t still sweet and lovable, but anything that doesn’t directly inconvenience her isn’t really an issue. This also leads to one of the funniest moments in the episode, in which BMO is lauded for single-handedly saving everyone in The Drift… with the exception of the Elves’ leader. Let us also not forget the BMO is the one who caused this breach in the first place!

Y-5 and BMO’s relationship is pretty similar to the E.T. type kinship that has become commonplace in cinema and television, but it is, at the very least, delightful. They have some pretty humorous back-and-forths, with a highlight being BMO’s sass anytime Y-5 tries to question or contradict him. As they begin to explore The Drift further, we’re treated to a decent amount of world-building. I don’t think The Drift is especially mindblowing or distinctive from any other fictional space station, so it’s the AT charm that really helps set it apart from any other generic location. I love the parrot merchant shouting, “buy my eggs! Buy my eggs! Or I swear to Glob, I’ll eat them myself,” and the squidlike alien that wants to eat his space lards. Again, it’s cute how everyone treats BMO as this really noble and heroic icon when he clearly is just speaking from a child’s perspective. He likes the cute space lard, so he’s going to protect the cute space lard. That’s really all there is to do it. Long live BMO and her love for the name Ricky.

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Two characters I actually had completely forgotten about before rewatching are Sweetie and Darling, the heist bugs! I feel guilty even saying that because, while their designs are pretty unremarkable, they are plenty of fun. BMO’s second big task in the Drift is a rescue mission after a communications hub floods. This is one of my favorite bits of the special, namely because of how fluid the animation is throughout the entire sequence. There’s a ridiculous amount of motion during the scenes that feature Y-5 swimming, with so many little fun details that are easy to miss, such as BMO riding her head like a cowboy as she tries to communicate with her parents. It’s a scene that, again, would likely be an afterthought in terms of visual flair when Adventure Time was on a television budget, but now we’re on HBO, bitches! It really helps add to the general frantic nature of the sequence, and really pays off as a visual delight.

The main conflict really sets in when BMO is sent on a governmental mission by Hugo and Mr. M. Hugo is somewhat in the same realm of Y-5’s characters, though I’d say that Y-5 probably has more going for her. He’s mainly just there as plot device for villainy to take place – I’m not even entirely positive that I fully understand his story or his plan. So, he was a human who sought to survive the apocalypse of mankind by traveling out into space and he made a compromise with aliens to remove the humanity of himself and his crew. That succeeded… but also caused some sort of societal collapse? And then as they were drifting through space, Olive picked them up and warped them into the Drift, and then Hugo decided to proclaim himself as the leader? It’s an arc that, unless I’m missing something, feels like a haphazard attempt at world-building and doesn’t seem concise in its characterization or the timeline it wants to set up. Were Hugo and crew members just floating through space for hundreds of years? I dunno, I guess it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. It’s cool we get to learn more about the other options of humanity following the Great Mushroom War, and the best part of all? The entire backstory sequence is animated by David freakin’ Ferguson himself! It was really nice seeing his style back once again, especially with the manner in which it was utilized. I’m glad that, despite the overwhelmingly negative reception Water Park Prank got, Ferguson still got the chance to come back and share his unique artwork with a mainstream audience. You da man, Ferguson!

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Mr. M, on the other hand, is a really interesting side villain, mainly because of the fact that he quite obviously is none other than Martin Mertens! Well, maybe not entirely obvious, but enough information is presented to draw up a conclusion. I really like the fact that, despite the fact that Mr. M is very clearly supposed to be Martin, the episode never outright has him reveal himself. There’s the certain bit of anticipation throughout the special that he will be exposed, but you never truly get that full satisfaction, which in turn makes the payoff even more satisfying. It personally reminded me of the visual gag of Dr. Princess dressing up as Science Whyzard, only with much more purpose and attention this time around. There’s several different indicators that Mr. M is Martin Mertens, including quotes that he’s used before previously, the fact that his feet are very clearly human, and the namesake alone. There are some additions that I don’t really care for, like the fact that Mr. M jokes with Y-5’s parents about being called out for their deadbeat nature. It’s throwaway line that’s only used to further identify Martin, but since he didn’t have a tumultuous relationship with his son at this point in the timeline, it just doesn’t really make sense. Of course, I’ll discuss more about the fact that this special is a prequel later on, but might I just add that I’m glad it is, because if Martin’s cosmic destiny just meant he was a grifter in space elsewhere, that would be really fucking lame.

The eventual tiff between Y-5 and BMO is played out in a way that mirrors this type of trope in most buddy-buddy stories, so it doesn’t feel particularly enticing when you can kind of seeing it coming from their first interaction together. Thankfully, the drama isn’t played up too much, and BMO has lots of funny lines to make up for it, including “I have no feelings,” followed almost immediately by “you make my feelings happy!” It does help provide for a solo BMO journey into the Jungle Pod, which ends up making for the best parts of the episode. I standby the idea that all of BMO’s strongest moments are just when he’s alone and chatting to himself. Or, in this case Football, who increasingly becomes a coping mechanism to help BMO deal with the thoughts and fears inside of her head. This mechanism of placing her own fear onto her imaginary friend only gets BMO so far, as she finds herself in certain danger pretty quickly. The winged crabs were also a nice touch for this special, which I’m pretty sure was a reference to Abstract, was it not? When Jake’s alien form sprouts wings, BMO accuses Jake of being a “crab.” Maybe I’m digging too deep, but I thought of this almost immediately. It’s a shame Crusty died as quickly as he lived. R.I.P. my man.

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Things take a very dramatic turn when BMO is ripped apart after taking the Jungle Pod’s crystal, where we are treated to what feels like a classic AT bad trip. In a similar fashion to BMO Noire, Niki Yang delivers each line as she normally would for BMO, yet the framework of the scene helps it to come across in a much more unnerving fashion. Because of BMO’s role as a child, any mention of death or substantially dark topics come across in this really uncomfortable fashion, and I mean that in the best way. Like previous BMO entries such as BMO Noire, BMO Lost, and The More You Moe, The Moe You Know, BMO understands how to balance the humor of the character, as well as the very dark reality that he’s only a mere child in a very threatening world. BMO’s colorful subconscious returns during his “death” and reminds him of the inevitable: that he is just a lil kid in a big world that’s often times difficult to navigate. Again, I think it’s kind of a familiar path for this type of story to take – the hero discovers he/she is in over their head and temporarily admits defeat. But since it’s portrayed in such a dark, visually interesting matter that only AT could pull off so well, I really don’t mind it at all.

The climax of the episode, which involves Y-5 rebelling against her parents in order to save BMO. It’s where we meet CGO, who had appeared earlier in the episode for a brief moment, and heard singing the Frasier theme song. I do like how the major connections to the old world are mainly drawn through theme songs of classic sitcoms. CGO is a fun little bot herself, kind of reminding me of a toned down Carroll. Her introduction also provides for a genuinely emotional moment in the episode in which Y-5 breaks down into tears after learning the truth about Hugo. It’s a small, quiet moment, but it’s quite impactful. Y-5 is essentially learning that everything she has worked hard for to achieve, whether for herself or for her parents, has virtually been for nothing, and that the only one who could have saved her might be dead. AT‘s sadness is usually confined to these quiet, ambiguous moments, but Y-5’s sadness takes the Steven U route of being heavily tearful, which hits pretty hard. Of course, BMO ain’t dead though, you dumb babies!! He is revived in the midst of Y-5’s breakdown, and the two travel to save The Drift together.

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Hugo is outed, and though I don’t think his plan is entirely fleshed out, his argument against the citizens is pretty interesting. It’s not really a good argument; Hugo’s essentially just saying that the citizens of The Drift are just as selfish as him because they didn’t really care about what happened to it as long as they were able to leave. It does tie into the fact that civilization and humanity in of itself is predominantly selfish, and Hugo believes he’s truly just one of those citizens that happened to have made it out on top. The climax comes together in a pretty satisfying way, as the many minor characters that we’ve met throughout this special team up to stop Hugo from destroying The Drift. Y-5 also makes amends with her parents, which does feel earned in the sense that her parents feel like decently rational people by the end of it, despite their shitty ways. And best of all, Olive gets what she always wanted – and presumably Hugo as well – a friend!

The ending of BMO closes out with the biggest surprise and possibly the biggest delight of all: it was a prequel! For the first time ever in AT‘s history, we get to see a toddler version of Finn and a teenage version of Jake! It’s a really sweet twist that makes any qualms that I would have with the story, such as Martin being a space grifter, essentially moot. Though I’m not necessarily free of qualms with this twist. A lot of people have brought up that BMO’s characterization is way different in BMO than it was earlier in the series. I would somewhat agree with this, though not necessarily entirely. I don’t think BMO was ever really that uniquely different early on in the series, besides being a bit more robotic and snarky. He still had a sense of childlike wonder, it just wasn’t fully realized yet. Even then, he’s frequently referred to as a “sassy robot” in BMO, so the snarky aspects of his character really aren’t all missing entirely. I will say that one issue I do have with the continuity is that I think it kinda stinks that BMO was going on these massive adventures before he even met Finn and Jake. The early days of BMO’s journeys involved him mainly playing with himself (hardy har har) and making his own fun/drama. Hell, the events of The More You Moe, The Moe You Know are acknowledged as his “greatest adventure ever,” yet he was traveling through time and space since the beginning? A little hard to believe.

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Overall though, I quite enjoyed BMO, even more so on my second watch! It isn’t perfect – the story and characters feel a bit cookie cutter at times and there’s never really a point, aside from the ending, where you feel like you don’t know where the general structure is going, which isn’t usually that commonplace with Adventure Time. But it’s a thoroughly fun and endearing special that succeeded way beyond my expectations. I really didn’t think a silly BMO entry would be able to hold a 45 minute period, but it does so tremendously well, and BMO is actually the best part of it! Shouldn’t have doubted the lil guy. This definitely was a great start to reignite my interest and love for the series, and though it probably could have been stronger on certain levels, it was a fun, beautiful, and sweet journey that has me pumped for the future of Distant Lands.

Favorite line: “He died as he lived: sucking big time.”

Adventure Time, Animation, Lifestyles

“Diamonds and Lemons” Review

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Adventure Time Reviewed

Original Airdate: July 20, 2018

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström & Anna Syvertsson

Diamonds and Lemons is a very… different Adventure Time special, in more ways than one. While Adventure Time is no stranger to having shorts and specials outside of its production schedule (The Wand, Graybles Allsorts, and Frog Seasons) it has never had a fully realized 11 minute episode not assigned to any one season. It’s also the last Adventure Time episode ever produced, originally intended to be aired after the series finale. I’m kinda glad that didn’t happen, because I feel as though my sense of finality with the show, along with many other’s, would be harmed in the process. I feel as though it’s the primary reason Cartoon Network held off on Come Along With Me for so long – to get this considerably less conclusive episode out first.

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I’d also argue that this is Adventure Time‘s first, and only, real crossover episode. The world of Adventure Time has always felt very self-contained and devoid of the possibility of crossing realms with other pre-existing properties. Pendleton Ward himself stated that he had no intention of ever doing any crossovers, and the show remained that way for quite some time.¹ It is quite interesting that a world as limitless as Adventure Time would have such a restriction, but it does make sense from several viewpoints. While crossovers are fun, they can also be gimmicky. While they explore more possibilities within the property’s universe, they also can defy the laws of its world that make it so unique to begin with. For these reasons, I was pretty opposed to the idea of Adventure Time combining its style with other properties, and wasn’t especially happy when I heard about the concept of Diamonds and Lemons. Though not the traditional idea of a crossover episode, Adventure Time taking on the world of Minecraft felt like a pretty clear cash grab that didn’t initially seem to stem from a loving motivation by the production team. But, as more came out about it, I started to become pretty fascinated by Diamonds and Lemons. Not only did its general design fascinate me (I was really expecting Diamonds and Lemons to be a blatant exploration of the Adventure Time Minecraft map) but the passion and attention-to-detail really began to seem apparent. Adam Muto even sweetly stated that the episode was more of a selfish opportunity for him to work with the AT team one last time, which makes me appreciate it so much more. So, I’ve gone on long enough about the backstory of Diamonds and Lemons – what do I actually think about the episode? Well, it’s good! … I think.

The most difficult part about enjoying Diamonds and Lemons to the fullest is that I’ve never played Minecraft a day in my life, and I sort of feel as if the episode is a bit exclusive when dealing with inside jokes and elements from the game. I have no idea what “griefing” is or even the basis of Enderman; I feel as though the episode doesn’t really over-complicate these features, but it is probably more appreciated by people who are actually into Minecraft itself. I wouldn’t expect a Minecraft episode of anything to be entirely suitable for a general audience – even South Park‘s spoof from five years earlier, Informative Murder Porn, had me feeling slightly left out of the action. Some Minecraft elements do work, purely in the realm of absurdity. I’m assuming that pig-riding is a prominent element of Minecraft, and even without that prior knowledge, it is funny to see Mr. Pig being so submissive to the request.

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Speaking of Mr. Pig – he’s in this! I know that’s not an inherently shocking statement, but the sheer amount of tertiary characters that received special Minecraft style models is really impressive. So many of these characters aren’t even necessary for the story, yet it shows the surprising amount of effort and care that went into this bizarre crossover. Hell, the Life Giving Magus is in it! A character that practically nobody cares about, but one that they still worked in regardless. It’s really nice.

“Nice” and “effort” are words that sum up a good majority about Diamonds and Lemons. What makes this episode seem like less of a cash grab is the amount of care that went into its production. Diamonds and Lemons actually has a really nice atmosphere; many sequences within its run-time are focused on characters just going about their lives silently as beautiful skies change around them. Even though I mentioned that many of the characters included aren’t particularly necessary for the story, almost everyone has an individual arc that is concluded. Marcy and PB build a windmill, Lemongrab ends up actually creating something (even if it isn’t a lemon), Tree Trunks finally gets her apples, Ice King successfully “griefs” Finn, etc. A lot of these individual character moments are really fun and likable – I even think Marcy is a lot more lively here than she’s been in quite a while.

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In typical Adventure Time fashion, an episode as disposable as this one does present a story with a decent amount under the surface to chew on. The episode tackles the concept of money quite nicely, and the pressures that come with actually possessing it. There is, of course, the social pressure of wanting to have nice things like those around you as a sense of validation for your own being, but there’s also the conflict of having disposable income with no idea what to use it for. I think it’s kind of a common idea that people feel that they NEED to spend their money on nice things for it to actually have value. But shiny and valuable objects don’t actually fulfill any kind of human need, which leaves us with a “fleeting sensation of beauty and its false sense of purpose.” Hell, I believe this, and I still fall into the habit of collecting junk for the false sense of value. Just look at all of the nice looking Adventure Time crap that I’ve accumulated over the years! Jake’s careless disposal of diamonds seems illogical at first, but it quickly becomes clear that Finn’s purchases are essentially just a more glamorous version of wasting money. As Finn states:

“Beauty is in the hard work itself and the – oftentimes false – sense of purpose we feel when doing it. It’s a fleeting sensation that drives us to repeat our actions in order to capture it again.”

Essentially, the things we can do with money don’t really matter (given that we’re able to provide for ourselves and fulfill basic human needs), but the work we engage that actually does give us a sense of purpose, even if it isn’t matching our full potential. Again, I have no idea if this analysis actually applies itself to the nature of diamonds in the Minecraft universe, but it helps me to have a bit more fun with Diamonds and Lemons regardless.

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I never thought I’d say it, but Adventure Time‘s Minecraft episode is surprisingly enjoyable. It boasts charming character designs, lovely backgrounds and colors, fun character moments, and a nice central theme to tie it together. I don’t really think Diamonds and Lemons is great, by any means. While it makes for a pleasant and fun viewing, it isn’t exactly strong story-wise, and it’s hard to fully invest yourself unless you’re a fan of both franchises. But, for what it is, I’m amazed that it actually manages to be as decent as it is. For an idea that really came across as an apparent cash grab, it really shows that this was a project built on community, giving the AT crew one last hurrah before closing up shop.

Diamonds and Lemons also features a pretty awesome pixelated intro, animated by artists Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon. You can check it out on their YouTube channel here!

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¹ Pendleton Ward stated at some point during AT‘s SDCC panel in 2013 that he wasn’t interested in the possibility of crossovers. Though, this was specifically in response to a fan’s question about a My Little Pony–Adventure Time crossover.

Tag: Anna Syvertsson

“The Worm and his Orchard” Review

Original Airdate: December 18, 2025

Written & Storyboarded by: Anna Syvertsson, Maya Petersen, Rebecca Sugar & Charmaine Verhagen

Favorite line: “He basically shits therapy.”

“The Wolves Who Wandered” Review

Original Airdate: December 4, 2025

Written & Storyboarded by: Maya Petersen, Anna Syvertsson, Hanna Nyström & Charmaine Verhagen

Favorite line: “One thing that’s not open to interpretation is dreams.”

“The Butterfly and the River” Review

Original Airdate: November 20, 2025

Written & Storyboarded by: Kris Mukai, Anna Syvertsson, Charmaine Verhagen & Maya Petersen

Favorite line: “We’re eating like royalty tonight! Because we’re the Princes.”

“Cheers” Review

Original Airdate: September 28, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Anna Syvertsson, Hanna K. Nyström, Jim Campbell & Jackie Files

Favorite line: “Hey Beth, I was a prisoner in my own head!”

“Jerry” Review

Original Airdate: September 21, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jim Campbell & Jackie Files

Favorite line: “And she could make the best soft-boiled egg! Not runny, but perfectly jammy.”

“Destiny” Review

Original Airdate: September 14, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Jacob Winkler, Sonja von Marensdorff, Hanna K. Nyström & Anna Syvertsson

Favorite line: “Now you two should kiss.”

“Cake the Cat” Review

Original Airdate: September 7, 2023

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Jacob Winkler, Haewon Lee & Nicole Rodriguez

Favorite line: “Literally, some apple guy came up to me and said, ‘this will be your life now and it will be a life of loneliness.”

“BMO” Review

Original Airdate: July 25, 2020

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Iggy Craig, Laura Knetzger, Anna Syvertsson & Adam Muto

Favorite line: “He died as he lived: sucking big time.”

“Diamonds and Lemons” Review

Original Airdate: July 20, 2018

Written & Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström & Anna Syvertsson

¹ Pendleton Ward stated at some point during AT‘s SDCC panel in 2013 that he wasn’t interested in the possibility of crossovers. Though, this was specifically in response to a fan’s question about a My Little Pony–Adventure Time crossover.

Favorite line: “Does this guy even have toes? Are those his toes? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a toe, come to think of it.”