Tag: Finn the Human

Adventure Time, Animation

“Gut Grinder” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: September 27, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Ako Castuera & Bert Youn

Adventure Time season finales typically leave us off in some sort of cliffhanger. Season two’s finale involved Princess Bubblegum’s biological age changing and the Lich’s entrance into Ooo. Season three’s had Finn finding a brand new love interest, as well as the introduction of a new main character. Season four’s was a high stakes journey to another dimension. Season five’s led to Finn discovering that his human father is alive. Season six’s, while more satisfying than others, also involved PB being dethroned and the King of Ooo stepping into power. Finally, season seven’s was a segue into the Island miniseries. Therefore, season one is really the only season that doesn’t leave the show on some sort of cliffhanger (besides the fate of beloved secondary character, Sharon), but no matter, as long as it’s a well-written episode, you don’t need that sense of unsatisfactory and wanting more. Unfortunately, Gut Grinder is probably season one’s most lackluster episode, regardless of being a season finale or not.

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It’s not necessarily an awful episode, per se, but it’s one of the few AT episodes in general that goes in a very predictable and generic direction. We know exactly what type of story this is going to be the first time it’s mentioned that the Gut Grinder looks like Jake, and the rest of the episode throws little surprises to counter our general expectations. Of course Jake isn’t the Gut Grinder! I got exactly what I thought I was going to get, and that’s pretty sad to say for an AT episode. Part of what’s so great about this show is that I literally never have any idea what’s going to happen, and when I believe that I do, the writers throw some sort of curveball or twist that completely catches me off guard. I’m not really sure how you could change this episode to make it less foreseeable. It’d actually be sorta cool if the Gut Grinder was a shapeshifter, which would also tie into Jake’s backstory. But alas, only so many seeds can be planted in one season.

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Aside from the main plot, the humor is pretty so-so in this episode as well. Besides Finn’s hilarious “justice never sleeps”, I can’t really think of anything in this episode that got a laugh out of me. I’m usually in tune with the show’s random humor, but the ending with Sharon posing as Jake because she “thinks he’s hot” just didn’t do it for me. Why would she dress up like a grotesque version of Jake to steal gold if she’s attracted to him?? Bitches be trippin’.

It’d be unfair not to judge this as a season finale though, and as a season finale, it’s pretty poor. Yes, I know the season two premiere aired only two weeks later, but in context, this really just is not a satisfying way to cap off the first season of one of the most groundbreaking cartoons in recent history. I don’t really blame this on the staff though; I’m not even really sure if it was meant to be intended as the season finale, what with the unreliable aspect of production codes and all that nonsense, but this was when the show was just getting off on its feet anyway. Besides, like I mentioned, it’s not like anyone had to wait months to see the next episode anyway, as It Came From the Nightosphere aired literally two weeks later. I just would’ve been a bit more satisfied with His Hero as the season finale instead, as we end a pretty impressive first season on a pretty “meh” note.

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And that’s the end of season one! Thanks to everyone who has been reading this blog the past couple months, and thank you to everyone who has been patient with its unreliable schedule (it’s bound to stay a bit uncoordinated throughout the next two months, but I’ll try my best to remain consistent). Before I get started with season two, I’ll be doing a full review of season one, along with a small bonus review on top of that. In the meantime, stay tuned, and stay mathematical!

Adventure Time, Animation

“His Hero” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: September 20, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne, Niki Yang & Adam Muto

Billy is one of the more ambivalent characters in the series. He’s no where near being a major character, but most of the secondary (Magic Man, Martin, Susan Strong) and even some of the tertiary characters (James Baxter, Gunther) have had their backstory revealed, and Billy seems to hold with him a deep amount of baggage throughout his epic journey. The only thing we really learn about him through this episode is that he once defeated the Lich King (first appearance, by the way) and that he completed a bunch of other heroic tasks, only to have lost his heroic nature down the line, and that’s about it. Luckily enough, that’s all we really need to know about him for this delightfully hilarious introduction episode.

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Lou Ferrigno’s distinct voice really does a terrific job of giving life to Billy’s character, and I really like the direction they took his character in for this specific episode. They could’ve made him a flawless, egocentric hero who looked down upon Finn, but instead they made him a hardened has-been who has become cold towards the world around him. Finn’s impressionable and easily influenced youth is a good contrast for this, and it makes sense that’d he try his hardest to be the best hero he can be, even though he makes everyone’s lives worse in doing so.

I haven’t said this a lot for any of the past 24 episode I’ve reviewed, but this episodes is really, really funny. There’s a lot of really great dark humor with just how far Finn and Jake go to accidentally fuck up the citizens of Ooo’s lives. I especially feel bad for that Cobbler, he literally hasn’t done anything wrong but F&J keep putting him through hell. On the other hand though, he’s a spazzy little twerp, so it diverts itself from complete tragedy. Also, this is Finn’s first time taking on the role as doctor Finn! It’s less than a minute, but it’s cool that he’s taking on his mom’s footsteps before he was even interested in his mom’s footsteps.

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Of course, this episode gives us the first big boost of wisdom from the series:

“Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”

It’s certainly not among some of the most philosophical and thought-provoking exchanges in the series, but it’s one of those basic life lessons that only Jake could carry out so eloquently and smoothly. Anything you want to be good at will start out with a bit of sucking, but if you keep pushing forward, that sucking can manifest into talent. While the boys don’t succeed in being able to help others without violence, they do succeed in sticking to their own guns and being able to change Billy’s perspective on helping others once again.

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The Three Wise Men from Finn’s belly button were correct in claiming that Finn is the greatest hero in all of Ooo. Despite his young age and lack of life experience, Finn stays pure and true to what works for him, as well as what works best for other people. Billy, on the other hand, gave up on his ways through social experiences and gave into the world’s many hardships. Billy may be a renowned hero who defeated the Lich and slayed a bear, but Finn’s youthful purity and instinct to fight against anything is evil are exactly what the people of Ooo need.

Adventure Time, Animation

“What Have You Done?” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: September 13, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Elizabeth Ito & Adam Muto

I mentioned in my review of When Wedding Bells Thaw that I believed that episode felt a bit scattershot when tackling the Ice King’s sociopathic nature. What Have You Done?, in my eyes, was a much better look at both the sympathetic and sociopathic sides of Ice King’s character.

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This episode continues where The Duke of Nuts left off with transforming Princess Bubblegum into a cute and pretty damsel in distress to a somewhat tyrannical ruler whose best interest is always in the Candy Kingdom. We don’t really get to see the full effects of this transformation till later in season five, but it’s nice that this side of her character was introduced in the first season, rather than coming completely unexpected later on. Speaking of things introduced and developed more later on, we’re also introduced to a potential origin of the crown, as Ice King claimed to have made the crown with the magic that he stole. This seemed as though it was a continuity error up until the backstory of the crown unraveled in Evergreen. I really love how this show can build on non-sequiturs or one-off jokes four or five seasons after they are introduced and create them into a coherent plot thread.

What really works in this episode is continuing the Ice King’s development from an insane, pathetic jerk to insane, pathetic, and a jerk with a heart of gold. The episode acknowledges that, while he is crazy, he typically means well in his actions, and even when he means well, he can still be stubborn and obnoxious. He’s a perfectly fleshed out and yet convoluted character that constantly leaves you on the edge of your seat on what he’s going to do next.

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The scenery in this one transitions from dark and chilling to dark and illuminating, and the background music complements both tones. I’m pretty sure that’s a hammered dulcimer conducting most of the score in this one (correct me if I’m wrong) and it really does a standout job at capturing some of the grittier moments, such as IK in jail, as well as some of the lighter moments toward the end of the episode. This episode has some great Simpsons-type humor in the background as well; one of the codes on PB’s book reads 5318008, which of course is the universal code for boobies, and Ice King has “I.L.P.B.” carved in his castle (I love Princess Bubblegum). Also, this episode introduced Bubblegum’s interesting bilingual ability to speak German. Maybe the mother gum formed in Germany? Theories!

And of course, any episode that ends with Jake happily carrying Finn through the Candy Kingdom gets a thumbs up from me. Also, fun fact: when this episode first aired, there was a random commercial break after Ice King flies off when Finn and Jake let him out. It was totally and completely absurd and made me think I was getting a two-parter. But sadly, I wasn’t. Boo.

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Adventure Time, Animation

“Rainy Day Daydream” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: September 6, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Pendleton Ward

People often turn to Rainy Day Daydream when considering good starter episodes for those looking to begin watching AT. I concur with this notion and believe that this episode, along with The Enchiridion, really define and introduce the overall goofy and adventurous aspects of the series. Rainy Day Daydream, written and storyboarded by creator Pendleton Ward, may be the Pen Ward-iest episode of them all. It’s reeking with his creativity and silliness, it’s an overall charming depiction of the characters he created and holds so dear to him.

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There are loads of creative concepts in this one. From knife storms to Conversation Parade video games, the episode is oozing with creativity in its very first minute. Throughout the years watching it, I’ve always had mixed emotions about the imagination aspect in this episode. On one hand, it’s an impressive feat that the episode manages to throw so many creative monsters and obstacles in without ever actually showing them, but on the other hand, it would’ve been cool to see the actual designs of some of these creatures and traps. It’d be a bit more interesting if the episode was half nothing happening, half Finn and Jake’s point of view.RDD 3.png

But what we got was still tons of fun, and I really love Pen Ward’s influence on his characters. This is the only episode to be solo written and boarded by Pendleton Ward, so it’s interesting to get to see his vision of an AT episode completely on his own. The way he writes Finn and Jake is so likable and charming, and why shouldn’t it be? These are his characters, and Ward knows them better than anyone. I also really like how he allows F&J to have moments to just shoot the shit for a bit and hang out; there’s a scene where the boys flee to the attic and Jake finds some banana candy and juice and shares it with his brother. It takes up a good thirty seconds and is completely unrelated to the rest of the episode, but it’s just so enjoyably random and laid back that I really don’t mind. I like that Finn and Jake are two characters that can just sit back and enjoy life, yet still be entertaining to watch.

And this episode does its damnedest to highlight all the likability of each character: Finn’s enthusiasm and love for anything thrilling and adventurous, and Jake’s “bombastic personality” and love for thinking outside the box. Most importantly though, it highlights Finn and Jake’s terrifically crafted relationship, and the heartwarming and fun aspects of it. The more I think about it really, the more I realize how the show managed to make an amusing and exciting adventurous episode without even leaving the tree fort. It takes two strong main characters to carry that out, and I’m glad this show has Finn and Jake to turn their boredom into something very enjoyable for us.

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“Good dog.”

Adventure Time, Animation

“Henchman” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: August 23, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Luther McLaurin & Cole Sanchez

Aside from Heat Signature, another Marceline-centric episode, Henchman is an episode of Adventure Time I’ve most likely viewed the least amount of times. That’s not to say it’s bad either (nor is Heat Signature, for that matter) I’ve just happen to revisit it much less frequently than other episodes. However, upon watching it again, I’ve realized how important it is as a developmental episode for Marceline. Marceline’s relationship with Finn and Jake was left off ambiguously in Evicted!, and it was clear that more had to evolve before the three of them can be considered friends. Here, Jake doesn’t budge, but Finn and Marceline begin to develop a true friendship.

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I really miss episodes like this especially. Sometime after season three, Finn and Marceline’s friendship just sorta dies out. Of course, they still hang out from time to time, but really, the show has done its best to shift its focus off of their friendship and more so onto Marceline and Bubblegum’s relationship. Don’t get me wrong, PB and Marcy’s relationship has developed beautifully throughout the series, but I really miss Finn and Marceline just being able to hangout. They’re just two cool people having fun. Watching them onscreen together is always a delightfully good time, and that’s exactly what this episode does best.

One of the true highlights is that this is the first continuity heavy and developmental episode; Marceline’s return, Jake’s fear of vampires, Finn and Marceline bonding, Marceline drinking the color red, and the return of the Duke of Nuts and family. When I first saw it, it was nice for me to see that Adventure Time was a show that didn’t ditch its secondary characters. Of course, this is the last time we ever get to see the Duke of Nuts, and I do hope that he was able to get his life together through therapy and rehabilitation. That dude deserves it.

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Of course, the backgrounds and scenery are beautiful as always. There are some really rich nighttime colors (outside the Duke of Nuts castle) and some very colorful and bright contrasts (the strawberry patch). I really like how predictable and unpredictable the trials that Marceline put Finn through could be at times as well. You always know there’s a twist, but you’re never certain on how they’re going to be a twist. You’re half expecting Marceline to go through with her demented plans at times, but simultaneously reminded that somehow something is going to subvert it. Really good way of keeping things creative and investing in a somewhat predictable premise.

I’m not a big shipper, but I gotta say guys, I really love when Marceline and Finn hangout. Of course, I know it would never work because of the thousand year age difference, but their interactions between each other are just so cute and fun. They really bring out the most exciting and amusing sides of both characters, and watching them feed off of each other in this episode is just so delightful and charming. I really love the way this episode ends with both of them finding a newfound respect for each other. And of course, I feel as though Finn’s influence on Marceline helps her to become a better person. Or vampire. Or half-demon. Whatever. Also, I’ve always a big fan of Marceline’s wardrobe changes, and her outfit in this episode is one of my favorites. In most of my crude notebook doodles, you’ll usually find Marceline sporting this outfit.

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So while I’ve viewed this episode sparingly, it’s proved to be one of the most entertaining, as well as the most developmental episode of season one.

Adventure Time, Animation

“Donny” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: August 9, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne, Adam Muto & Niki Yang

Sort of interesting how this episode and the last one have both dealt with our protagonists coming to term with the fact that some jerks are just bound the be jerks (or in this case, have to be). Donny certainly isn’t nearly as interesting as Magic Man; MM is so apathetic and sadistic that it makes him stand out from almost every other character in the series, while Donny is borderline just your stereotypical jerk/bully character with not much that makes him standout. I feel like it could’ve been a good “you can’t force people to change who they are” episode, but what we got was just fine.

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I actually really do like the connection between Finn and Donny. Instead of simply chastising Donny for his behavior, Finn does his best to be positive and try to help correct Donny’s wrongdoings, even after Donny fucks up BMO. Also, this is BMO’s first speaking appearance in the series! After a couple episodes of being nothing but a lifeless game console with arms and legs, he finally speaks up. It’s probably worth noting that after this episode I never questioned the fact that Jake was naked after this episode. I always just generally thought every episode after this “he has pants woven from spider webs”.

As usual, the backgrounds in this one are beautiful. This show never does a nighttime shade wrong; the nice darker blue palette is really illuminating and blends extremely well with the characters. The concept of the why-wolves is also a delightfully bizarre and clever idea. The idea of “obnoxegen” was a bit worthy of an eye roll, though.

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In the end, despite the episode being fairly light and humorous throughout, things turn out a bit tragically for our anti-hero Donny. Although he happily returns to his life as a jerk in the end, it’s clear that he greatly appreciated and benefited from Finn’s company. Finn was the first person to believe that he could be more than just a bully, and if the end shows anything, it’s that Donny has learned something from spending time with Finn and has learned to care and empathize for others, even if the world calls for him to be a jerk. That’s true heroism right there. It’s a shame we never get to see Donny again. He really should’ve been the special guest host of Ooo’s battle of the bands.

Adventure Time, Animation

“Freak City” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: July 26, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Pendleton Ward & Tom Herpich

Magic Man is surely one of my favorite recurring characters, and one of my favorite villains in the series. There’s something about his apathetic nature and general disregard for anything and anyone that just gives him such a strong presence among mostly non-sadistic or cynical characters. I’m also a sucker for jerks with tragic backstories, and Magic Man fits the mold perfectly. Has anyone ever noted the similarities between MM and Ice King? They’re both Tom Kenny voiced wizards who tragically lost the ones they loved which drove them to near insanity and sadness. Parallels!

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It still surprises me just how delightfully vicious MM’s actions in the episode are. My blood still runs cold from the sight of that bird’s skin turn inside out, and turning Finn into a giant foot was hilariously wicked. Still, it’s a bit upsetting to me that he ends up disappearing for the majority of the episode. A good chunk of the remainder of the episode is mostly just Finn adjusting to living life as a foot, and a couple of the other poor souls who were transformed into limbs. I would’ve preferred bit more of Finn and Magic Man working off each other, but what we got with the multiple discarded body parts was perfectly passable. Anytime we get to hear Finn’s auto-tuned voice with trippy backgrounds is certainly a highlight. I also find it odd that these limb people never returned later in the show. They’re all pretty funny in their own right and have their own definitive characteristics. Also, their designs! They’re so unique looking and so well detailed that I can’t believe that were never featured in the show again. I really hope they all come back together for the show’s endgame.

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The most noteworthy thing about this episode, however, is that Jake totally has a foot fetish, you guys. He has some odd obsession with wanting to be a foot that he notes that Finn won’t understand till he’s older. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it just kinda seems like something they stuck with overtime. He likes getting his feet kissed by clowns, and I remember him continuously talking to his foot in Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage? (pretty solid game, by the way). Maybe Tier 15 involves turning into a giant foot or something? I dunno.

I continuously mention that season one is riddled with great life lessons for Finn, and this one is subtle, yet important. Some people are just giant dicks in life for no reason, and there’s not really anything you can do about it besides accept it. You can try your best to change them, but it usually won’t work to your avail. I’m not sure if that’s what Finn gets out of it in the end, but I’m pretty positive that’s what Magic was trying to teach. And it’s taught in a humorous Magic Man-y way, considering that’s mostly how MM attempts to hammer in life lessons.

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This is also the first episode storyboarded by Tom Herpich, who is honestly one of my favorite storyboard artists on Adventure Time. He’s written for such classics as Lemonhope, Escape From the Citadel, Evergreen, and The Hall of Egress. This episode isn’t necessarily up to his best work, and I can’t even really figure out which part of the episode he worked on (the storyboard oddly claims that Luther McLaurin and Armen Mirzaian worked on this epsiode) but it’s a decent introduction to a character he was surely much fond of, Magic Man. And of course, Pen Ward’s quirkiness and charming influence on his characters helps boost this to be a genuinely very likable episode.

Adventure Time, Animation

“Dungeon” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: July 12, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Elizabeth Ito & Adam Muto

One of Adventure Time‘s strongest influences, as well as creator Pendleton Ward’s greatest inspiration, are the Dungeons and Dragons video game series. While I was never a D&D junkie, or even a big roleplaying game fan myself, there’s no denying the impact it has had on society. From numerous pop cultural references to even immensely popular actors such as Robin Williams (God rest his soul) have admitted that its one of their favorite games of all time. It really seems like all of that passion towards one of the most popular roleplaying games of all time went specifically into this incredibly fun episode.

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One of the first things I noticed while rewatching this episode is that this is the first episode where Finn’s voice is noticeably changing. It’s only a slight change, but the reason I mentioned this was to make an observation on how Jeremy Shada’s voice work as Finn has developed so naturally throughout the years that it’s barely even noticeable when it begins to change. For example, though I think Zach Callison’s voice work as Steven on Steven Universe, while his inflections are terrific, his transition through puberty has been a bit less gradual. It’s understandable; he’s 19-year-old trying to force a 14-year-old’s voice, so it’s bound to be less natural sounding. Finn’s voice has always replicated a gradual journey from adolescence into adulthood.

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In addition, this is the first episode to really stress the differences between Finn and Jake. Finn is, of course, the energetic and pure hearted hero, while Jake can be a giant lazy fuck at times. It brings out the strongest parts of each character, but also makes an effort to still make Jake likable and fun to be around. In addition, we’re showcased to some creative and fun video game esque villains. Demon Cat, voiced by Clancy Brown, is an incredibly designed and amusingly creepy character. I love how his approximate knowledge of everything coincides with his limbs not fully connecting to his body. Nice little touch!

There’s also a Bucket Knight who grows when adding water and an evil Guardian Angel. All of these foes are so interesting that they could easily have entire episode devoted to them, especially that evil Guardian Angel. I wanna know what her deal is. The real draw of this episode, however, is the relationship between Finn and Jake. Jake is written terrifically in this episode; once it’s revealed that both Finn and Jake couldn’t make it through the dungeon, Jake doesn’t gloat or rub it in Finn’s face, but instead goes so far as to help Finn win a bet against. That’s true friendship right there.

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This is a delightful fun romp. AT has done several terrific dungeon episodes following this one (Dad’s Dungeon, Mystery Dungeon, Dungeon Train, Hall of Egress, etc.) and Dungeon is no exception. It highlights everything that makes the first season so great: lots of poppy animation, high energy, a lot of random humor, very creative locations and characters, and two likable heroes in the spotlight. What more do you need?

Adventure Time, Animation

“When Wedding Bells Thaw” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: June 28, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: Kent Osborne & Niki Yang

The Ice King’s depiction in season one varies greatly. Just two episodes ago, the more sympathetic side of his character was brought out, and he was hinted at being genuinely caring and fatherly deep down inside. Prior to that, the IK was depicted more as a Saturday Morning cartoon villain that barely posed a threat to our heroes. Other times, he’s depicted as completely insane and sociopathic. This episode features more of the latter, though the entire episode ends up seeming almost as scattershot as Ice King’s brain.

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Ice King’s getting married! He informs Finn and Jake after trying to kill both of them. One thing this episode harps on quite a bit is the Ice King’s always growing one-sided friendship between he, Finn and Jake. Before this episode, the three of them were painted as rivals in almost every scenario, but this is the one that changes it up quite a bit for the remainder of the series. I wish there could’ve been a small segue to hint at this unexpected attachment Ice King obtains for Finn and Jake, but hey, it’s already established that Ice King is nuts. I’m ready to accept that he randomly awoke one day and decided that he wanted F&J as his best friends.

The one issue that this episode poses is that it’s pretty predictable. We know from the second Ice King mentions that he’s getting married that it ain’t gonna happen. We all know there’s no way in hell Ice King’s just gonna have a wife from now on, so it hurts the episode a bit that the twist ending isn’t really a twist ending. Also, I sorta feel like this episode would’ve been slightly more interesting if Ice King had brainwashed Princess Bubblegum instead of the newly introduced Old Lady Princess. Sure, that would’ve been an even more predictable plot, but I feel as though there would’ve been more comedic possibilities if they had used a recurring character over a character the audience isn’t familiar with.

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The episode isn’t devoid of entertainment, though. The Manlorette Party is a very enjoyable sequence, including what is arguably the greatest background score in AT history. There’s also a nice cameo of the bears who later appear in “Belly of the Beast.” Okay, here’s where things sorta lose touch with the rest of the episode. There’s a solid 2-3 minutes of Ice King debating on whether he should actually marry his wife because if he does, she may try to steal his demonic wishing eye. He also begins to realize he won’t be able to steal princesses anymore, so F&J end up trying to convince him to marry Old Lady Princess, to which he agrees to. Of course, later on, Finn and Jake find out that Old Lady Princess was hypnotized the entire time and realize that Ice King’s conflict with marriage was pointless, to which the IK responds that he’s “complicated.” Sure, the show is self aware of the previous scene being pointless, and it’s admittedly pretty funny that Ice King is convoluted enough to conspire with his own scheme, but it just sorta seems like those entire exchanges with Finn and Jake seemed pointless, since I couldn’t call them particularly funny. Thus, it results in a somewhat rushed (albeit entertaining) climax. But hey, Jake and the Ice King are officially married as of this episode!

So even though it’s purposely disjointed, this episode still seems a bit messy nonetheless. Besides the brief development between Ice King’s growing affection for Finn and Jake, it’s just sort of a lackluster episode with nothing particularly funny or groundbreaking to discuss. However, this episode would spiral into a series of future episodes that would further delve into F, J, & IK’s complicated relationship.

Adventure Time, Animation

“Ocean of Fear” Review

Adventure Time Reviewed

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Original Airdate: June 21, 2010

Written & Storyboarded by: J.G. Quintel & Cole Sanchez

“In the dark recesses of the mind, a disease known as FEAR feasts upon the souls of those who cannot overcome its power…”

– Pat McHale

This quote, delivered by Clancy Brown, sets the mood for this slightly off-tone and delightfully character building episode. I mentioned in my review of “Memories of Boom Boom Mountain” that this episode did an especially good job of teaching Finn an important life lesson. That being that fears are an essential part of life and not something with expectations to be conquered or eliminated at any point in time.

Finn’s fear of the ocean is one of the most intriguing elements of his character. There’s a lot we don’t yet know about Finn, between the history of his past, the identity of his mother, his origin or where the hell he got that hat from. Most of these are likely to be answered in the upcoming miniseries, but Finn’s fear of the ocean raises much speculation. Could it be from the time Finn’s neglectful father brought him out to sea on a banana boat? Could it be a more deeply rooted reason that we haven’t yet been informed of? Whatever the reason, the show does a terrific job of making it seem convoluted yet entirely realistic at the same time. Finn acknowledges that his fear of the ocean doesn’t make a lick of sense since he isn’t afraid of lakes or ponds or anything even remotely related to the ocean, but aren’t most fears, by nature, irrational?

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We’re also introduced to one of the first recurring villains in the show: the Fear Feaster. Mark Hamill had previously voiced the Dark Magician back in “The Enchiridion”, and while he uses similar inflections for the voice of the Fear Feaster, he does a terrific job of giving the character a menacing demeanor as well as a humorous one. In fact, this entire episode has somewhat of a menacing demeanor. The atmosphere is really creepy, including some underwater shots that give us some more brief glimpses of the effects of the apocalypse, with scatters of cars and trucks everywhere. It even goes into some really fucked up territory by showing the bodies of a dead family sitting on a couch. Yeesh.

It’s noteworthy that this episode was co-storyboarded by J.G. Quintel, the creator of “Regular Show”. You can really tell by the grotesque expressions of the characters that this episode wasn’t storyboarded by one of the show’s regulars, but they really help add to the unnerving presence. Some of the facial expressions even remind me of “The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack”, another series J.G. Quintel worked on.

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Jake tries to be a supportive brother in order to help Finn conquer his fear, but exposing Finn to his fear doesn’t help at all and just leads to Jake getting his bread and butter all donked up. It’s somewhat of good commentary to also show that exposure to a fear doesn’t always cure the fear. In fact, it can often times exacerbate it, which is exactly what happens when Jake leads Finn to the bottom of the ocean and Finn freaks out, leaving Jake stranded below. This leads to one of the heavier moments of the episode, featuring a long, drawn-out scene of Finn unconsciously floating to the bottom of the ocean as it fades to black between each take. I don’t know what it is about “Adventure Time” and their common use of fading to black, but everytime its utilized, it really helps add a heavy atmosphere to the episode. It’s mostly used during quiet moments, which only increase their impact.

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The Fear Feaster declares that Finn will never be a hero if he doesn’t conquer his fear of the ocean, but Three Wise Men arrive and declare that all heroes have flaws and that Finn is truly the greatest hero in all of Ooo. As I mentioned, this is a terrific lesson for Finn, not only as a hero, but also as a human being. There are so many kids’ shows I’ve seen that have done these types of episodes and almost always end with the character having faced their fear in some creative or elaborate way. I’m glad AT doesn’t go out of its way to eliminate Finn’s fear completely, but instead embrace it as a part of his character and a flaw within himself.

This is one of my favorite episodes of the first season, mostly because of the approach that the show took to flesh out Finn’s phobia, as well as focusing less on random humor and more on environment and atmosphere. I’m not sure if we’re ever going to get a direct answer to Finn’s fear of the ocean, but either way, this episode did a delightful job of proving that fears are a part of the human condition and not something to be repressed or vanquished.

“And so fear is forced deep within the soul of a hero. Conquered… at least, for now…”