The finale toAdventure Time, a candy-colored 283 episodes Emmy-winning animated series that was never afraid of soul-searching, surprisingly dark moments, and offbeat philosophy, happened in September 2018. The show about the adventures of Finn, one of the last humans on the planet, and Jake the Dog, Finn’s best friend and adoptive brother, in the magical post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo ends on a bittersweet note.Adventure Time’screatorPendleton Wardand his colleagues made a great ending to a perfect Cartoon Network show that became one of the best shows of its time.
The series finale,Come Along With Me, tells about a future version of Ooo and reminds us that the adventures never really end. In 2020, HBO Max’s four-part specialAdventure Time: Distant Landspremiered, and it felt like it matched the idea ofAdventure Time’sending. Creators of the show reopened the book of the beloved Cartoon Network series and gave fans a glimpse at howAdventure Time’sworld has changed.
More Adventures for Fans of the Show
Adventure Time: Distant Landsconsists of four big standalone episodes, each about 45 minutes long, set in theAdventure Timeuniverse. The first episode is titled after BMO, exploring the Finn and Jake’s little lovable sidekick traveling to a far corner of the galaxy. It is a prequel toAdventure Time. At the end of the episode, BMO, a living video game console system, arrives in Ooo, lands next to the Tree House, and sees young Finn and Jake playing with wooden swords for the first time.
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The second episode,Obsidian, is set a few years after the events of the series finale. We get to see what life is like between fan-favorite characters Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum who rules the Candy Kingdom.Obsidiandelves into the backstory of Marceline, uses the plot to explore the development of Marceline and Bubblegum’s relationship, and gives them a well-earned happy ending. Like BMO who saves the alien world in his episode, girls have their time to shine and help defend the Glass Kingdom from the dragon.
Distant Lands’episode with Harry Potter-esque vibes,Wizard City, is focusing on Princess Bubblegum’s loyal candy footman and practitioner of the dark arts, Peppermint Butler, and his past as an inexperienced Wizard School student.
Great that BMO, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and Peppermint Butler get their moment in the spotlight inAdventure Time: Distant Lands. The HBO Max limited series give characters lovely postscript, and it is unbelievably Mathematical! But the biggest question is what became of Finn and Jake?
Adventure Time: Together Again
At the tail end ofObsidian, an adult Finn arrives alone. He’s got a sentimental chest tattoo of Jake, surrounded by forget-me-not flowers. It suggests that his best friend passed away at some point between the series finale,Come Along With Me, and theDistant Landsepisode. So, there was a possibility that the next part ofAdventure Time: Distant Landswould delve into Jake’s death – but thankfullyTogether Againturned out to be a beautiful episode that really captures the emotional depth of the show.
WhatIndieWirecalled the “lost” finale ofAdventure Time,Together Again, returns us to the relationship between the show’s protagonists Finn and Jake. Rather than giving us a sad story about Jake’s death,Together Againskips to the part where Finn is already dead too. Now he needs to find Jake in the afterlife and reconnect their friendship. It’s the duo’s most important adventure and what some fans call the real ending to theAdventure Timesaga. The episode is beautiful, soulful, and wonderfully complex. It has everything from the classicAdventureTimejokes to a mind-expanding conclusion.
It is arguably because ofTogether AgainthatAdventure Time: Distant Landsis a great addition to the series and one ofthe best spin-offsin the history of animation.Adventure Timewas always kind of Finn’s coming-of-age story. InTogether Again,he has come full circle and the adventures have started once again.
The Neverending Story of Adventure Time
On the idea of the potential return ofAdventure Time, Adam Muto, the show’s executive producer and showrunner,said, “It’s just whether somebody finds a different angle on a franchise with characters who feels like there’s never an ending, necessarily, which is heartening and kind of scary. But I do want to be careful not to step on the episodes that came before. There isn’t a desire to do something just to do it, but find a different form. That’s what these specials were,”
Related:Adventure Time: The Genius of Cartoon Network Storytelling
It really feels that there is no end.Adventure Timeis set in the world that grows after a nuclear apocalypse known as the Mushroom War. Inthe post-apocalyptic Earththat springs from the ruins, there is still time for adventures. In this future, heroes with big dreams and wooden swords are hopeful and important. And maybeAdventure Time’screators will give us a new chapter about these heroes as great asDistant Lands.
