Everything I loved about the Adventure Time finale (spoilers obviously)
Naming your final episode after the end credits song from the entirety of the show’s 8 year run=guaranteed tear factory
2. Tieing up ALL the loose ends
And I mean ALL of them. Even for characters we would never think of seeing again. We got to see what everyone was up to by the end, I absolutely loved that kind of closure.
3. The “will they won’t they” I never thought would be a “they will”
All those years of the subtle clues to PB and Marceline’s relationship–from where they were in the past to their closeness in the present–left everything wide open to whether the AT team would have the guts and opportunity to see it through, and if they did whether CN would really let them. Years ago, they probably wouldn’t have. Adam Muto attributed this to the bravery of Rebecca Sugar and Steven Universe–if it weren’t for the walls torn down by the Crewniverse I doubt we would have seen the most deserved conclusion. I did not expect it at all and it came as a wonderful surprise
4. The “Goodbye to the Home Base” trope done right
Its not uncommon for a long running show with an iconic base–be it a castle, a spaceship, a temple or a treehouse, to be destroyed beyond repair in the finale. Most of the time this happens and the characters just don’t have time to mourn the loss of that iconic symbol–they’re too busy with the final conflict, and that grief is left for the audience. But Adventure Time did something different. They dropped everything to mourn the treehouse. Jake breaks down at the loss of their home. I found that moment to be so much more impactful in its role as the rock bottom of the episode. And the treehouse isn’t new and improved by the end–its gone forever, instead Fern’s tree in its place. Very well done.
5. A proper look at a future world without all the answers
While the show wrapped up all the major questions we had throughout the years, it didn’t break tradition of leaving us with just a few more questions. We had a few glimpses of the future world before, and this episodes opening alone contained enough material to keep fans speculating for years about the thousand year gap and what happens to Ooo. So while the show may be gone its incredibly unique story lives on. We just have to keep talking about it.
Rebecca Sugar’s song had me in tears at comic con, and hearing its role in the final episode didn’t change that one bit. Arguably one of the most beautiful songs in the whole show, simply for how well it suits the bittersweetness of the end.
7. It’s not an all happy ending
Betty’s fate is truly tragic, and there’s no reconciliation for it. That’s what happens to her, Simon is heartbroken, and it’s one thing we simply can’t fix. Fern dies and Finn finishes out the series without a single sword remaining–something that had been a key part of his character and character arcs through the series. While we can be happy all our protagonists survive to the end, and many get what they always wanted, most of the other ends are neither happy nor sad–they’re simply life going on. And its strongly hinted Ooo eventually comes to an end long after this, but that’s a story we’ll simply never see
It was quite the shock back in the day to slowly discover this quirky fantasy world came to be as the result of an apocalyptic nuclear war. For the series to end with a conflict even Marceline views as eerily similar to the Great Mushroom Wars is a nice way to ensure the final conflict has impact, even if it was introduced mostly within the last season. On a side note of that, it can also be appreciated how well they managed to introduce a villain as terrifying as the Lich, without having to bring back a villain whose story was done and over with. And Golb isn’t random either, hell we saw that creepy sucker all the way back in Puhoy with zero context for what he was at first. Bringing it in as the final conflict fit well.
9. The pacing was pretty much perfect
Don’t know what else to say on that. It did so much in 10 minute increments that every partial conflict led well to the end of the episode. Character arcs and their endings were believable even for such a short run time. They made good use of their format and run time, which isn’t always easy to predict with cartoons. In fact it was even more impressive how much time it had to slow down and make sure the emotional impact was felt when needed. *And the final black and white scene when Betty merges with Golb was an incredible work of art.
Of course the show should end with the end credits one last time. I think my favorite part is the way the Music Hole describes it as a song about a feeling thats hard to put into words. That sums up Adventure Time’s surrealist nature perfectly. It was a show that could put words, lyrics and images to feelings even adults can’t easily describe.
Adventure Time was my biggest inspiration growing up, I loved even the most surreal episodes, and the dynamic of Finn and Jake inspired my writing more than anything else since I was in middle school. I will forever hold this show in my heart. Im so glad it got the send off it truly deserved without ever falling from grace. Now is a time to be sad that it’s over, but a good kind of sad. The kind where you just remember fondly the times that we had. There is no void left by its absence because Adventure Time filled our hearts to the brim with its fun, creativity, and wonderful story telling.
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