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Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Ep 9 and 10 Review

Once again, we bid goodbye to Adventure Time. After over a month, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake wrapped up its story. This series has seen Simon, Fionna, and Cake travel the Adventure Time multiverse. They did it for the adventure and to find meaning in lives that none considered meaningful. In doing so, they learned more about themselves and realized that what they wanted might not be worth it. As Fionna and Cake return to their world and Simon confronts his past, the Scarab catches up to them, forcing them to make the most significant choice: do they want to return to their old lives?

Buckle up because this is going to be an extra-long review.

One minor detail is that unlike the previous episodes, the final two have actual title cards. It doesn’t affect the plot, but it’s a great callback to the original series, showing how it’s come full circle.

What do Fionna and Cake Want Now?

After a nightmare in which magic has donked up their world, Fionna and Cake wake up in their world, which is still normal. While waiting for the magic to kick in, they catch up with Gary and Marshall Lee and explain everything. The issue is that neither of them is excited by this prospect, which could mean losing their memories. Thanks to their relationship, they’ve found meaning in their lives and don’t want to lose that. Given how long it took Bubbiline to work out, neither do I, especially after seeing what happened to them in the Vampire World.

This moment helps emphasize one of the overarching themes of the miniseries: finding meaning in one’s life. Fionna and Cake learned that their lives were once more magical and adventurous but also dangerous and likely full of drama. Even if they had a problem with how mundane their lives were, does that give them the right to change the lives of everyone around them? However, the issue becomes a moot point as the Scarab gets into their world and starts erasing it. He’s willing to commit genocide and mass murder just to prove that he’s in the right about following the rules. 

Simon Stands on the Brink…

In another part of the multiverse, Simon awakens in a black void, home to the chaotic entity known as GOLB. Or rather, GOLBetty, as they fused with Betty years ago. After watching the Lich vent at his god for not giving his life new meaning, Simon watches as Golbetty transforms him into one of the cubes floating around them. At least his reality’s people were avenged. After that, Simon laments how he squandered the second chance Betty gave him and is prepared to use the Ice King’s Crown to give their world magic again.

For a series filled with dark moments in a franchise with dark moments, this is a very dark moment. The show pulls no punches here: what Simon’s about to do is the equivalent of committing suicide. It is a frighteningly realistic portrayal of how depression can consume a person. They get to the point where they feel like nothing they do matters and that the world would be better off without them. 

Thankfully for everyone watching, GOLBetty steps in and teaches him a lesson. One involves sending his mind a thousand years into the future into the mind of Shermy, who may or may not be Finn’s future reincarnation. There, Simon reads a “choose your own adventure” book about two friends named Casper and Nva that plays out like an RPG, with the end goal being the Crown. However, Simon proceeds to ignore all the choices that Nova offers in favor of Casper’s choices, which ends in a no-win scenario where he’ll either get the Crown or lose Nova.

The Ice King is Gone and Never Coming Back

This moment serves as a callback to a realization Betty herself had shortly before the series finale. She devoted so much of herself to doing what Simon wanted that she neglected her own needs. As Simon comes to realize for himself, while he did love Betty, it wasn’t the healthiest of relationships. It’s a bittersweet moment that shows that had Simon made another choice, he could’ve avoided becoming the Ice King. In addition, it also leads to Simon having one final conversation with Betty inside his mind.

While it plays out like an illusion, it’s heavily implied that this is GOLBetty’s doing. Her way of giving Simon the closure he needs. More importantly, though, knowing that despite everything, Betty still loves him makes him realize something: his life has value. He matters to people like Fionna and Cake as Simon, not the Ice King. Thus, he finally rejects his past as the Ice King, choosing to be himself. 

This was a moment that had been a decade in the making. From the moment we learned about his past, Simon Petrikov has been one of the most tragic figures in animation history. He never asked to become the Ice King, and while the Ice King was a fun guy, he was also a lonely and miserable man. I cheered when Simon was finally freed of the Crown without dying, and I hated the idea of him becoming the Ice King again. He can still fit into his new world as Simon, and even though he finally accepts that Betty’s now gone, it doesn’t mean their love doesn’t mean anything. It had value, he has value, and this inspires him to return to Ooo, though not before doing something extraordinary. 

They Canonized Themselves

It’s unclear how it happens, but I think it was because of GOLBetty’s powers. Fionna and Cake’s world leaves Simon’s head and transforms into a dandelion. This is a powerfully symbolic moment and a callback to the show’s first episode, where Hunter (Huntress Wizard’s counterpart) told Fionna that, despite being called a weed, every plant can be called such. In other words, a dandelion can still be beautiful and have value despite being looked down on by others, like how the Scarab looks down on Fionna and Cake’s world for existing when it shouldn’t. But it still matters, and the powers that be seem to agree.

After giving Fionna and Cake the dandelion, representing their reality, Fionna makes a wish on it. And somehow, that wish connects their world to the rest of the multiverse. In other words, the powers that be have decided to make them legit.

Scarab is a Hater, and Hater’s Gonna Hate

This is an important moment in both the story and in a meta-sense. Fionna and Cake started out as fanfiction, considered non-canon. Yet despite this, they persevered, won people over, and got the support that they needed. And if enough people come to appreciate a fan-made story, it can end up being canonized. Score one for fanfic writers everywhere.

Piggybacking off of that logic would make Scarab an avatar for a specific kind of fan. He’s the guy who looks down on and hates fanfiction for existing when he thinks it shouldn’t. I used to be like him and didn’t see the value in fanfics, either. But then I realized that they can be a great outlet for the creativity of budding writers and can keep a story going even after it’s officially come to an end. That, and if you’ve read my reviews of Star vs. fanfics, then you know that they’re good for coping when a show you love ends. The point is they have value, and that’s Scarab’s being a toxic hater.

The hater aspect comes full circle when Scarab, enraged that Prismo’s creation is canonized and thus letting him off the hook, decides to work Fionna and Cake’s world anyway. Thankfully, Prismo summons people they’ve met across the multiverse, and together, they give the wad the beating he deserves.

After that, life continues for Fionna and Cake in their now-canon universe. The city’s rebuilt, and things return to normal for everyone, but with a few twists.

Magic From the Mundane

Firstly, Cake retains her sentience and stretchy powers, which is awesome. Secondly, the people Prismo summoned, like Jay Mertens, Little Destiny, Baby Finn, the Pep-But tank, and the Squirrel, all decide to stay in this reality. In addition, all of Scarab’s prisoners decide to stick around as well. The result is that Fionna and Cake’s world becomes more magical than they wanted.

More importantly, though, Fionna and Cake have changed people thanks to their trek across the multiverse. Before they set out, they saw their world as dull. However, their grand adventure taught them that there’s magic and beauty to be found anywhere they go, no matter how mundane. They just have to know where to look. In this case, Fionna appreciates how things are with her life and understands that she doesn’t need the life of a grand adventurer to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

The Secret to Being Happy

Here in lies one of the two messages behind Fionna and Cake. Those who watched Adventure Time are now all grown up and facing adult problems they likely hate. They may think their world should be more like what they remember when they were kids. However, just because their lives may seem mundane as adults doesn’t mean it’s not magical and wondrous. Everyone has it in them to find reasons to keep on living and things that make life worth living. That can be their job, their loved ones, the places they go; the sky’s the limit! So, they shouldn’t dismiss their lives as meaningless. They’re only meaningless if we decide they are for ourselves.

Continuing this, Simon also learned his lesson: he’s made peace with the fact that he’s no longer the Ice King and has to move on from Betty. He misses her, but the memories he had with her still hold value, even if they’re bittersweet now. While he does fear backsliding into his depression one day, he’s reassured by Dr. Minerva Finn’s mom) that he has it in him to overcome that. 

As for Scarab, he gets punished by becoming Prismo’s assistant, which is fitting. However, Prismo opens up the idea of letting him create his world one day so that he can see the joy of doing so. That’s basically like converting the anti-fanfic guy over to your side, and I love it.

An Amazing Return for Adventure Time

So, what is the final verdict on Fionna and Cake? I loved it. I wish I could’ve been longer, but questions remain unanswered. Like, is Farmworld Finn still alive? Are the PB and Marceline of the Vampire World still alive? And will they ever return Baby Finn to Baby World? These are all loose ends that a sequel series or spin-off could resolve, though, and if not them, then a fanfic writer will do so. 

Beyond that, though, I think Fionna and Cake was an amazing show. It helped me fall in love with Adventure Time again, reminding me why it was such a huge hit. Without Adventure Time, I might have walked away from cartoons once I became an adult. Now I know better: cartoons are for everyone and can grow as their fans grow older. So, if this is the final chapter in Adventure Time, then cheers. Thanks for the memories, you guys!

I Give “Casper and Nova” and “Cheers” a 4.5/5 Each

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Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Eps 7 & 8 Review

If anyone was expecting a simple, straightforward adventure for Fionna and Cake, then last week dispelled any notions of that. Fionna finally realized how over her head she and Cake might be and that nothing was as simple as she thought. She’s traumatized by the realization that the Winter King was a selfish wad who cursed his world’s Bubblegum and Candy People, whom she helped slaughter and then killed the Winter King. Now, she’s realizing that she might not want this magical, adventurous life anymore. Things got dark, and that gets cranked up to eleven here. From a world filled with Vampires to an image of what would happen if the Lich won, the multiverse is terrifying for Fionna now.

Man, I had no idea how much I missed this show. 

A Marcilene Without Simon is Terrifying.

After escaping once more from Scarab, Fionna, Cake, and Simon end up in a babyworld version of Ooo before coming across one that is, simply put, a nightmare. In this world, Simon died before he ever had a chance to meet Marcilene. As a result, she wound up being raised by the VAMPIRE KING. Now, vampires run free with humanity almost extinct, with the only ones left being Bubblegum and a resistance movement consisting of Huntress and Martin Mertens.

Also, Baby Finn now, since he snuck into Fionna’s backpack. While that gives this world’s Martin a chance to be a decent father figure to Finn, it doesn’t last. In this world, anyone can die.

Fionna, Cake, and Simon agree to collaborate with Bubblegum to defeat Marcilene and the Vampire King and retrieve the Ice King’s Crown. However, everything that can go wrong does, and Bonnie and the trio are the last ones left standing against the King and a psychotic Marcilene.

If the last world showed Simon what he could’ve been if he could control the Crown (even if it was a lie), then this world shows how bad things would’ve been if he hadn’t been Marcy’s father figure. This world’s Marcilene is terrifying: her mischievous nature is twisted into a sadistic predator that lives to see Bubblegum suffer. The famed love between Marcy and Bonnie is twisted into a toxic, Batman-Joker-esque relationship. To put it bluntly, this world’s Marcy and Bonnie are the worst versions of themselves.

Fionna Donks Up Again

Meanwhile, Fionna grapples with the trauma of the Winter King’s death and the fact that she killed all those Candy People, even if she didn’t realize they were victims. That experience broke her desire to be an adventuring hero and filled her with self-doubt. When her actions in the Vampire world only lead to more loss, that doubt grows even further. So much so that when Cake thinks she’s got the chance to steal the Crown from the Vampire King, Fionna holds her back, too afraid to lose her best friend. 

Things only get worse from there. Before that, though, there’s unfinished business in Fionna and Cake’s reality.

Marshall Lee+Gary=Win for Shippers

In their world, Marshall Lee feels bad for blowing Gumball’s best chance at building his bakery. Thus, he takes him to a charity event run by his wealthy mother, Hana Abadeer, and makes a deal with his Mom. By giving Gary a chance to pitch his ideas to the upper crust, Marshall Lee has to return to living under his abusive Mother’s thumb.

A recurring theme throughout Adventure Time is that many of the main character’s parents were deadbeats. FP’s dad locked her up, Finn’s dad abandoned him several times, and Marcilene’s dad was a soul-sucking Demon. They’re everything one shouldn’t want in a parental figure, and they inspire their kids to be better. Seeing how miserable Marshall Lee will be under his Mom, Gary throws his chance away to stand up to her, and the two run off together, kissing. Another big win for the shippers, it seems!

None of that will matter, though, if their world gets destroyed.

The Darkest World Yet

The next world that the group ends up in makes the Vampire world look like a paradise. In the Season Five two-part Premiere, Finn and Jake thought they stopped the Lich from wishing for the end to all life. As it turns out, though, the Lich’s original wish to Prismo still created an alternate reality where he got what he wanted. In other words, save for BMO and the Lich, a world devoid of life. The latter is too depressed to even care about them showing up.

Of all the worlds we’ve seen thus far in this romp across the multiverse, this one is the most existentially terrifying. There’s no life anywhere; not even the grass is alive. And with Prismo’s remote broken beyond repair, this is the world that the trio gets stranded in. From here, everything starts to fall apart. Cake gets furious at Fionna for holding her back and stranding them in this dead universe, and it only grows when Fionna reveals she found the Crown of this world and doesn’t say anything. 

Fionna Ready to Call it Quits

For her part, though, Fionna is officially ready to give up on her dreams of a magical life. She’s seen the damage that she’s caused, and it’s made her already low self-esteem take an even bigger hit. She’s starting to realize that, while her life wasn’t magical like Finn’s is, it still had things worth living for. In addition to all this, though, Fionna found the Ice King’s old tapes and watched them on BMO (who doesn’t survive the episode. Sorry, fans). She sees how insane and miserable the Ice King is and can’t bring herself to subject Simon to that fate again. It’s a stark contrast to the immature girl that she was at the beginning of the miniseries, caring more about her problems than those around her. 

However, things are soon out of her and Cake’s hands, thanks to the arrival of the Scarab and Simon’s actions.

Simon Really Did Love Betty 

The second episode was also a major milestone for Simon fans as it revealed the origin of his and Betty’s relationship, and what is shown is heartwarming. As a scholar of ancient, mystical artifacts, Simon was mocked and ridiculed by almost everyone he met. Betty was the first person to believe in him, even when he started to doubt himself. Without her, he never would’ve found the Enchiridion, the quest that led the two to fall in love with each other.

Seeing these flashbacks, it’s apparent why Simon’s so obsessed with getting Betty back. She was the biggest pillar of support in his life, helping him feel confident in his abilities. He needs her in his life to feel whole again.

And, despite many people thinking that Betty was a lost cause, that might not be the case. As Simon sends Fionna and Cake back home, his memory of Betty provides the connection he needs to open a portal to her. As a result, the episode ends with Simon and the Scarab falling into a portal, presumably to where Betty-GOLB is. 

This is Why we Love Adventure Time.

What. An. Ending. This takes everything good about Adventure Time and cranks it up to eleven. It gets darker than the show ever could in its heyday, and I love it for that. The toxic love of Bubblegum and evil Marcilene; the tender love of Gary and Marshall. The frayed relationship of Fionna and Cake. Everything is just so amazing!

I have no idea how the series will end next week. Will Fionna and Cake be able to save their world? Will they find a way to restore magic without sacrificing Simon? Will Simon overcome his inner demons? These are the kinds of questions I remember asking myself in the show’s initial run, and it shows just how amazing Fionna and Cake are. I want to know what happens next, but at the same time, I’m scared to see how it might end. That’s how you know a story is good. You don’t want it to end, but you also want to see everyone get the ending they deserve.

Whatever happens next week, though, I want to be ready for it. 

I Give “The Star” and “Jerry” a 5/5 Each

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Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Eps 5 & 6 Review

If the last four episodes of the Fionna and Cake miniseries have been the prologue, then the rest are the story proper. And just like the original show, the story is phenomenal. At the surface level, this trip across the multiverse seems like a fun, Isekai-style adventure. However, underneath the fantastical world lies boatloads of trauma and issues needing to be worked out. By the end of this week, Fionna’s gone through levels of trauma that took Finn several seasons to experience. It’s painful to watch, but also entertaining.

Farmworld Fallout

Having decided to find another version of the Ice King’s Crown, the trio of interdimensional fugitives set out into this new universe. What they don’t know is that they’ve landed in the Farmworld Universe, something that fans of the show should remember. Created by Prismo when Finn wished for the Lich to have never existed, this world’s Finn wielded the Crown for a long time. However, viewers will also remember that, out of pity, Prismo destroyed the Crown in that universe to free Finn. This basically makes their mission a dud from the start.

The quest for the Crown isn’t the big draw of the episode, though, but the Farmworld itself. It’s gone full-blown Mad Max meets Fallout by this point, ruled by gangs and warlords. What’s more, Farmworld Finn is a guarded hermit, living alone with Jake and his three kids and wanting nothing to do with magic. Too bad for him, his oldest son, Jay, is dating the son of his old enemy Big Destiny, Little Destiny.

Getting to see how this world has progressed in the years since it’s creation is a delight. One of Adventure Time’s greatest strengths is the depth and complexity it gives its world, and the Farmworld is one of the most interesting versions. It’s also nice to see that, despite his trauma as the Snowman(that’s what they call him), Finn remains a good person, standing up for Fionna and Cake against Scarab. Too bad it’s all for naught, as they have to run again.

The Winter King is Bunk!

If the Farmworld wasn’t interesting enough, it’s the next destination that takes everyone’s breath away. Fionna, Cake, and Simon end up in a universe where Simon and Bubblegum’s roles are swapped. This world’s Simon is the Winter King and managed to find a way to use the Crown without the madness, while Bonnie is the crazy one kidnapping him. 

Role-swapping is a common concept in fan fiction, but to see it on this level is mind-blowing. The level of love and detail put into this world is inspiring. And the Winter King and Candy Queen both get entertaining musical numbers. 

On the surface, this seems like Fionna and Cake’s dream world, with Fionna even experiencing chemistry with the Winter King. However, cracks start appearing when Simon notices a few things off with his counterpart. The indifference to Betty should’ve been a major red flag, but it’s not until this happens that the full extent of the Winter King’s crimes is revealed.

This world’s Simon transferred his madness onto this world’s Bubblegum against her will. As a result, she and her beloved citizens went crazy. What a wad!

Fionna Gets a Major Wake-up Call

As disturbing as this was for viewers, though, it’s nothing compared to what Fionna experiences. She thought she’d be getting the adventure she wanted, but all she did was maim innocent candy people that weren’t in their right mind. This revelation shakes Fionna to her core. 

Beyond that, though, these two episodes highlight another big difference between Fionna and Cake and Finn and Jake. Finn and Jake had years of experience being heroes, whereas Fionna and Cake and wannabes who don’t know what they’re doing. At this point, Fionna even questions if this is what she wants with her life.

Marshal Lee + Gary Gumball Forever

As all this is happening, the show picks back up in Fionna and Cake’s world with Gary Gumball and Marshall Lee. When Gumball shows up at Fionna’s apartment looking for her, he meets Marshall Lee for the first time. Shippers go wild as the two go on a mission to help Gumball perfect his baking craft. 

Besides serving as several more nods to how their world once was, and giving shippers plenty of fuel (and the genderbent Lemongrabs:)), there’s a good reason for this side plot. Even though their world’s no longer magical, it’s not boring. Gumball and Marshall Lee manage to bond over their shared love of his baking, and even have fun out and about. The point is, there’s still things that make their lives worth living. Things that Fionna never noticed for herself. Sooner or later, she’s going to have to figure that out.

I stand by what I said last week, guys. Fionna, Cake, and Simon all have a choice to make soon. Do they want to go back to the magical world they once knew, or are they willing to try something new? Something that, while not as overtly magical, still has value. 

Either way, I’m looking forward to next week.

I Give “Destiny” and “The Winter King” a 4/5 and a 5/5 Each

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Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Eps. 3 & 4 Review

When first introduced, Adventure Time made it seem like Fionna and Cake were just a story-within-a-story. Figments of the Ice King’s imagination that he turned into fanfiction. However, given the existence of a multiverse in Adventure Time, it only seemed reasonable that there would be a universe where they were real. However, it turns out there’s more to Fionna and Cake than meets the eye. As it turns out, the Fionna and Cake this show’s following are the same ones Ice King wrote fanfiction about. They’re real, and the reason why answers a plot thread Adventure Time never addressed.

The Multiverse Hopping Begins

Rather than picking up right where the previous one left off, the first episode starts off with a look at Prismo the Wishmaster. The cosmic entity has seen better days, though. He’s unshaven, there’s trash on the floor, and he’s binge-watching old adventures of Finn and Jake. Much like Fionna and Simon, he’s stuck in a rut with his life. More on that later, though.

Meanwhile, having made her way to Ooo through a portal in Simon’s head, Cake runs off after getting a collar that lets her talk like the dogs from Up. Stuck in an unfamiliar land with unfamiliar beings, Cake’s first instinct is to head in the direction of the Ice Kingdom and the Ice King. After some initial confusion, though, Cake takes to Ooo like a duck to water. When Fionna inevitably finds her way to Ooo, she fits like a glove.

This entire episode only reinforces a few things. First and foremost, though, is that Fionna and Cake are more than just coincidental counterparts to Finn and Jake. While something like the Multiverse means the likelihood of them actually existing was high, it’s too much of a coincidence. They act just like Finn and Jake and Fionna and Cake from Ice King’s stories. And as it turns out, there’s a very good reason.

Prismo Took Fanfiction to a New Level

Returning to Prismo for the second episode as he sends Tree Trunks ex-husband to a silent cartoon world (LOL), the truth of Fionna and Cake’s world soon comes out. After teleporting Simon to his Time Room, Prismo reveals to all of them that Fionna and Cake weren’t just figments of Ice King’s imagination; they’re real.

Having spent eons creating different realities based on people’s wishes, Prismo longed to create one himself. Going against cosmic rules, he did so, but wound up copying Finn and Jake’s world by accident. He rolled with it, and hit this world in a pocket dimension inside the Ice King’s mind. When the Ice King reverted back into Simon, though, their world lost all its magic and wonder, its inhabitants losing all memories of who they once were. Ice King kept dreaming about their adventures and wound up writing their stories.

This is a big deal. Not only does it mean Fionna and Cake are real, but there were potentially negative consequences to Simon being freed from the power of the Ice King’s crown. Without his magic, their world became boring, which is something Fionna and Cake hate. Seeing their previous life and how happy they were only makes them more determined not to go back to their world. However, since Prismo broke the rules creating the land of Aaa, if they get caught, their entire universe could get destroyed. And, by the end of the episode, that very thing comes to pass. Fionna, Cake, and Simon are forced to go on the run across the Multiverse as they’re hunted by this cosmic entity named Scarab. 

There are Three Ways this Could All End

Now that the introductions are out of the way, the real story can begin in earnest. However, it should be noted that the second episode ends with Simon coming to a major decision: he needs to become the Ice King again. 

It’s a case of horrible irony: for so long, Simon wanted to be free of being the Ice King and his madness, only to realize he no longer had a place in this new world. As fun as it would be to see the Ice King come back, Simon is only doing this because he’s refusing to move on from his old life. He’s stuck, and would rather run from his issues than face them head on. So while becoming the Ice King again would restore Fionna and Cake’s world, it wouldn’t solve anything. It would also deprive Fionna and Cake of the chance to have their own character growth, which Fionna seems to need.

While it’s early, I’m already coming up with ideas on how the series might end. On the one hand, Simon could become Ice King again and give Fionna, Cake, and the residents of her world the lives they think they want. On the other hand, Fionna and Cake’s journey could help them accept their new reality without letting its normality get to them, and Simon could move on from his problems. Everyone would get the closure they needed. Or, and this is an idea, Prismo could transfer Fionna and Cake’s world into the mind of the Ice Crown’s current wielder, the Ice Thing, AKA Gunter. It is the simplest solution.

Regardless, Fionna and Cake is starting to get interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all ends. That, and I loved the fact that Flapjack is officially a part of the Adventure Time multiverse.

I Give “Cake the Cat” and “Prismo the Wishmaster” a 4.5/5 Each

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Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake Eps. 1 & 2 Review

Adventure Time is one of the single-greatest cartoons of all time. It brought about the Renaissance that Cartoon Network underwent in the 2010s. People who worked on it have gone on to find success, with several creating or producing their own shows. The sheer amount of lore and depth it gives its world and characters sets a gold standard for world-building. But one of the most impressive aspects has to be its willingness to grow and mature alongside, growing darker and dealing with serious subjects as time went on. So, despite the stellar finale, many fans hoped the series would continue in some fashion. The Distant Lands specials helped tie up several character arcs, but they weren’t a full series. Now, five years after the finale, Adventure Time returns with a new series, Fionna and Cake.

The wait for Fionna and Cake is now over. Adventure Time has returned, and much like its audience, it’s gotten more mature. There’s blood, adult problems, and lingering trauma!

Fionna Campbell is Every Millenial Problem Rolled into One

In keeping with the theme of maturing with its audience, the problems the characters face mature as well. Instead of simple issues one can punch their way out of, the show now deals with abstract problems, like adulting and finding one’s place in the world. There’s this idea in pop culture that many in the Millenial generation are aimless and struggling to find their place in life and a lot of those worries and anxieties are wrapped up in the character that is Fionna Campbell, Finn’s alternate universe counterpart.

Fionna embodies all the problems that Millenials seem to face. She’s struggling to find a job that she likes, her love life stinks (she got dumped by FP’s counterpart), and she’s happier goofing off and spending time with her friends. She wants her life to be more exciting and meaningful but doesn’t know how. That, and she’s also having strange dreams of herself and Cake as magical warriors and there being an Ice Prince.

From the start, Fionna and Cake don’t shy away from the fact that this is an alternate world filled with gender-swapped versions of the people of Ooo. It’s enjoyable trying to look for everyone’s counterpart, and it pays off well. Even finding minor characters like the Lemongrab’s and Queen of Ooo is fun. At the same time, it’s made apparent that something’s off, as they all talk about dreams of their alternate reality selves. None of that matters to Fionna, though, as she’s dealing with Cake being sick.

Except it’s not a normal sickness. Cake somehow sense the presence of magic. Things come to a head when she runs off from a back-alley vet appointment and jumps into a magical portal, with the episode ending there.

It’s only then that things start to pick up.

Simon Petrikov’s Missing Being Ice King

In the series finale of Adventure Time, Simon Petrikov was finally freed from the crown that turned him into the Ice King. He regained his sanity after a thousand years of madness and sadness. Most fans hoped that this would finally give him the happy ending he wanted. However, as the second episode of this series proves, he’s sadder than ever.

Firstly, his beloved Betty’s now fused with GOLB, something that seems impossible to undo. Secondly, despite being a normal human again, that proves a detriment in a place like Ooo, as unlike Finn, he doesn’t have years of fighting experience to back him up. Lastly, even though he’s now only one of several humans living in Ooo, he doesn’t fit in. His day job consists of serving as an exhibit on 20th century life for the modern-day Humans.

As Simon confides to an adult Finn (whose now super-jacked), he even starts to miss being the Ice King. Yes, he was insane as the Ice King, but the world seemed simpler. It’s a nice reflection of the idea that as people grow older, things become more complicated. Finn, being, Finn, tries to solve this by having Simon fight something in the hopes of feeling alive. However, it’s obvious it doesn’t work. Some problems can’t be solved by punching things, and while Finn means well, it doesn’t work. As a result, Simon resorts to trying to summon GOLB to bring Betty back, only for it to fail. However, it does lead to Cake coming in through a portal in the back of his head. 

A New Adventure Awaits

Given how it’s Adventure Time, it’s obvious that this series is teeing up for something big. Fionna and Cake will end up travelling across the multiverse alongside Simon, but the opening episodes don’t explain how they’ll do that. This is perfectly in line with the series, though. Adventure Time worked best as a slow-burn.

I have no idea what’s going to happen over the course of this series. However, I’m more than eager to wait to see what happens. Adventure Time didn’t steer me wrong, and I have no doubt that Fionna and Cake will live up to its legacy.

I Give “Fionna Campbell” and “Simon Petrikov” a 4/5 Each

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