Dungeon Delving with Adventure Time
Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time has had a sort of odd success for a cartoon television show. Adventure Time is a show about the best friends Finn “the Human” and Jake “the Dog” and their adventures in the Land of Ooo (post-magic-apocalypse Earth), including, but not limited to, rescuing princesses, slaying monsters, and generally being heroes. Along the way they are assisted/hindered by an array of strange and wonderful friends/frenemies, the most notable being Princess Bubblegum[1], the Ice King[2], and Marceline “the Vampire Queen”[3]. With its bizarre animation and silly plotlines, one might expect Adventure Time to be written off as the typical modern cartoon TV show. But it also contains a staggering emotional complexity, with episode themes including the loss of loved ones, impossible love, breakups, a character having a condition similar to Alzheimer’s, and even transgender issues. This (along with a large amount of dark humor) has ensured that Adventure Time has attracted a far more mature audience than was initially anticipated, with the majority of the audience being above the age of eighteen.
Currently, Adventure Time has six seasons, one hundred and seventy two episodes, multiple videogames, and a massive line of merchandise. Along with millions of fans, entering into the series could be a daunting task for anyone interested in the show itself. While one might be inclined to start at the beginning of Season 1 (which has recently been uploaded to Netflix), I would recommend a different approach. Start with "Dungeon."
The eighteenth episode of the first season, “Dungeon” serves as a perfect introduction to Adventure Time. The focus remains on Finn and Jake for most of the episode and the two are at their best, and before the personalities of the two change due to the larger plot of the show. Additionally, “Dungeon” is an entirely self-contained episode, with no references to previous events taking place. These facts should allow a newcomer to the show a look at its basic components, and judge if they want to continue watching or not.
The episode opens on Finn and Jake being instructed by Princess Bubblegum to put up warning signs around the entrance to the “Dungeon of the Crystal Eye.” After doing as she requested, Finn and Jake sit down for lunch, and Finn considers going down into the dungeon to find the treasure. After heated words with Jake (who thinks Finn couldn’t manage an adventure without him), Finn dives into the dungeons claiming he’ll get the treasure “in eleven minutes”[4]. After fighting his way through a hazardous gauntlet of traps and monsters including an acidic cube of goo, a “Bucket Knight,” and a massive cat that “knows approximately everything”, Finn is eventually captured by a downright disturbing angelic being which plans to cook him into “little kid soup”. At this point, Finn realizes that most of his successes in the dungeon have either been due to Jake’s lingering influence or sheer luck. In fact, all the threats Finn has encountered thus far could have been easily been defeating by Jake. Momentarily disheartened, Finn suddenly finds Jake sitting in the soup with him.
Apparently, almost immediately after Finn jumped into the hole in the ground, Jake followed in after him but took a different path. He admits all the traps and enemies he came across Finn would have had no problem overcoming. The two admit they were wrong to compete and are better off as a team, and work together to escape the angel’s clutches. They then set off after the Crystal Eye, with Jake willingly helping Finn to fulfill the initial bet. Upon attempting to take the treasure the two are assaulted by enemies neither of them can fight against. Suddenly, Princess Bubblegum comes to their rescue and easily dispatches the enemies.
Along with not-so-subtle references to Dungeons & Dragons, videogames, and film, “Dungeon” also contains some truly creative scenery and characters, my personal favorite being the “Cat That Knows Approximately Everything”. Along with rapid-fire jokes and an uplifting moral, “Dungeon” serves as the perfect introduction to the truly weird and heartwarming world of Adventure Time.
[1] The scientifically inclined ruler of a powerful kingdom populated by people made entirely of candy.
[2] An old wizard renowned for kidnapping princesses for poorly defined reasons and being an all-around awkward person.
[3] The mischievous punk-rock vampire who changes appearance in every episode she appears.
[4] Which is coincidently the run-time of the rest of the episode from that point on. It’s a nice little fourth wall prodding.
Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time has had a sort of odd success for a cartoon television show. Adventure Time is a show about the best friends Finn “the Human” and Jake “the Dog” and their adventures in the Land of Ooo (post-magic-apocalypse Earth), including, but not limited to, rescuing princesses, slaying monsters, and generally being heroes. Along the way they are assisted/hindered by an array of strange and wonderful friends/frenemies, the most notable being Princess Bubblegum[1], the Ice King[2], and Marceline “the Vampire Queen”[3]. With its bizarre animation and silly plotlines, one might expect Adventure Time to be written off as the typical modern cartoon TV show. But it also contains a staggering emotional complexity, with episode themes including the loss of loved ones, impossible love, breakups, a character having a condition similar to Alzheimer’s, and even transgender issues. This (along with a large amount of dark humor) has ensured that Adventure Time has attracted a far more mature audience than was initially anticipated, with the majority of the audience being above the age of eighteen.
Currently, Adventure Time has six seasons, one hundred and seventy two episodes, multiple videogames, and a massive line of merchandise. Along with millions of fans, entering into the series could be a daunting task for anyone interested in the show itself. While one might be inclined to start at the beginning of Season 1 (which has recently been uploaded to Netflix), I would recommend a different approach. Start with "Dungeon."
The eighteenth episode of the first season, “Dungeon” serves as a perfect introduction to Adventure Time. The focus remains on Finn and Jake for most of the episode and the two are at their best, and before the personalities of the two change due to the larger plot of the show. Additionally, “Dungeon” is an entirely self-contained episode, with no references to previous events taking place. These facts should allow a newcomer to the show a look at its basic components, and judge if they want to continue watching or not.
The episode opens on Finn and Jake being instructed by Princess Bubblegum to put up warning signs around the entrance to the “Dungeon of the Crystal Eye.” After doing as she requested, Finn and Jake sit down for lunch, and Finn considers going down into the dungeon to find the treasure. After heated words with Jake (who thinks Finn couldn’t manage an adventure without him), Finn dives into the dungeons claiming he’ll get the treasure “in eleven minutes”[4]. After fighting his way through a hazardous gauntlet of traps and monsters including an acidic cube of goo, a “Bucket Knight,” and a massive cat that “knows approximately everything”, Finn is eventually captured by a downright disturbing angelic being which plans to cook him into “little kid soup”. At this point, Finn realizes that most of his successes in the dungeon have either been due to Jake’s lingering influence or sheer luck. In fact, all the threats Finn has encountered thus far could have been easily been defeating by Jake. Momentarily disheartened, Finn suddenly finds Jake sitting in the soup with him.
Apparently, almost immediately after Finn jumped into the hole in the ground, Jake followed in after him but took a different path. He admits all the traps and enemies he came across Finn would have had no problem overcoming. The two admit they were wrong to compete and are better off as a team, and work together to escape the angel’s clutches. They then set off after the Crystal Eye, with Jake willingly helping Finn to fulfill the initial bet. Upon attempting to take the treasure the two are assaulted by enemies neither of them can fight against. Suddenly, Princess Bubblegum comes to their rescue and easily dispatches the enemies.
Along with not-so-subtle references to Dungeons & Dragons, videogames, and film, “Dungeon” also contains some truly creative scenery and characters, my personal favorite being the “Cat That Knows Approximately Everything”. Along with rapid-fire jokes and an uplifting moral, “Dungeon” serves as the perfect introduction to the truly weird and heartwarming world of Adventure Time.
[1] The scientifically inclined ruler of a powerful kingdom populated by people made entirely of candy.
[2] An old wizard renowned for kidnapping princesses for poorly defined reasons and being an all-around awkward person.
[3] The mischievous punk-rock vampire who changes appearance in every episode she appears.
[4] Which is coincidently the run-time of the rest of the episode from that point on. It’s a nice little fourth wall prodding.