My detailed timeline and take on the events of Marceline and PBâs relationship, guessing a little on specifics (some based on Obsidian so, spoilies)
1) The earliest interaction between them is at the end of Obsidian at Marcelineâs concert. Thereâs speculation that this is when they first met, which is possible, but I think they knew each other at this point, at least a little. Maybe theyâd just met and started hanging out and Marcy brought her to a concert. This is when Marceline gives PB the t-shirt. They both look younger here than the rest of the series/Obsidian.
2) In flashbacks during Obsidian, we see them hanging out in Bubblegumâs lab, definitely a little older than the shirt/concert scene. I loved these scenes because they act really immature together, like theyâre just teenagers hanging out and having fun and not taking anything too seriously. It was interesting to see their dynamic here compared to their current relationship being that it just basically just feels a lot younger.
3) We see their breakup in Obsidian when Marceline sings âWoke Upâ about not caring about PB and Peebs says that theyâre done. What I think happened is that PB started to talk to Marceline less and less as she focused on her kingdom more (in âVarmints,â Marcy asks Bubblegum if that was why she stopped talking to her). PB didnât ask Marceline to come to the glass kindgom, Marcy just tagged along which I think was Marcy trying to spend time with her while Bubblegum was pushing her away. In a flashback of Marceline in the bomb shelter, we see her kind of convincing herself that when people run away from her itâs because she scares them away on purpose. I think thatâs partly why she sings the angry song about Bubblegum that subdues the dragon- it became really clear to her that PB doesnât want to hang out anymore, so itâs essentially her breaking up with PB before PB breaks up with her.
4) This is when the events of the original series unfold. (Also, somewhere between flashbacks in Obsidian and these episodes, Marceline dates Ash). In Marcy and PBâs first two episodes together (âGo With Meâ and âWhat Was Missingâ), they have a similar energy to the breakup flashback in Obsidian- at each otherâs throats and general dislike towards each other. Marcelineâs song âIâm Just Your Problemâ seems to fit with their past pretty well. During their breakup in Obsidian, PB treats Marcy like sheâs unrefined and a nuisance, calling her âmonster trash.â Marcy still doesnât really know or understand why PB is angry with her when, from her point of view, PBâs the one who ended their relationship by pushing her away and acting like she didnât want Marcy around (âI forgot what landed me on your blacklistâ - âIâm Just Your Problemâ).
The tension starts to melt a little when Marcy sees that PB kept the shirt she gave her, showing that PB actually always did and still does care about her.
5) âSky Witchâ is the first episode we really see them have more mature and positive interactions. Marcy asks PB to hang out which seems to imply that somewhere between âWhat Was Missingâ and here, they slowly started to hang out again and are acting like friends. Itâs unclear when in the series their rekindling turns into a relationship again but I donât think itâs happened here yet. Time is unclear, but itâs probably been a few hundred years since they dated, so I think theyâre just getting to know each other again and rebuilding trust. Their energy is similar in âRed Starvedâ and âPrincess Dayâ as well. They definitely act like friends and I think thereâs flirting for sure, but there seems to be a slight amount of tension in these three episodes which I think comes from their not yet addressing their breakup and talking about what happened.
6) âVarmintsâ and the Stakes miniseries is around when I think they start dating again. They reconcile in âVarmintsâ with Marceline finally asking why PB stopped talking to her, and PB admitting that she pushed Marceline away in order to focus on the Candy Kingdom. This is really big for Marceline since she never knew why Bonnie left her hanging and probably blamed herself. Since Marcy spent all this time thinking her mom abandoned her because she was afraid of her (and remembering her dad was never around and that Simon left her), Bubblegumâs tossing her aside was probably really hard for Marcy. PBâs apology and accepting that a big part of their breakup was her fault is what I think allowed them to start a relationship again.
The Stakes miniseries confirms for both of them that they really care about each other. I think this is when they get back together, probably right after its conclusion. Thereâs flirting throughout (âyou think Iâm nice?â), and we see a lot of affection, especially from PB.
7) âBroke His Crownâ is the confirmation for me that theyâre in a relationship again. They go on a dinner date to see Simon. Itâs clear that itâs really important to Marceline for PB to have a relationship with him. This feels very much like a âmeeting the parentsâ kind of episode. Theyâre more comfortable with each other, talking about hanging out in the future and generally just acting like a couple.
Two more cute episodes that point to their being in a relationship are âKetchupâ and âMarcy and Hunson.â In âKetchup,â Marcy describes her trying to save PB while playing their personalities together in a complementary and sweet way (punk rocker Marcy and bookworm PB). In âMarcy and Hunson,â Marceline sings âSlow Dance With Youâ which is a really cute nod to the end of Obsidian when they dance together.
8) The series finale is where we get definitive confirmation of their relationship when they kiss. Their tense conversation beforehand about starting a war is interesting in hind sight. Itâs possible that Marcy is not just scared about the war, but a little worried that PB is getting too wrapped up in her work again. Later when PB almost dies, she reassures Marcy that sheâs not going anywhere. This, along with the kiss, seems to solidify the commitment they have to each other and show the seriousness of their relationship. You can really see how much both of them and their relationship have matured compared to all the flashbacks we see in Obsidian.
9) Eventually, sometime after the events of the finale, PB and Marceline move in together into Marcyâs house, go through the events of Obsidian (which is probably at least 10yrs after the finale), and are together for the rest of their lives as far as Iâm concerned. :)