‘Adventure Time: Fionna And Cake’ Series Review – Being Ok With Letting Go (I Don’t Want to Let Go Yet)

The following contains light spoilers for the finale of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. 

The final two episodes of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake have finally arrived on Max! Fionna, Cake, and Simon have been on an intense ride across the multiverse. On their journey, they faced bounty hunters, vampires, and literal embodiments of death and chaos. Despite all of the craziness the trio have endured, they emerge out of it better than they were at the start of the show. Specifically, Simon Petrikov, formerly known as The Ice King.

Redemption From Tragedy

Fans of the original Adventure Time series are familiar with the incredibly tragic and heartbreaking story of Ice King. The original show gave us an interesting dive into the past of The Ice King and surprised us when the final episode of the series revealed that the heart of the show’s story was really about Simon and his princess, Betty. After the series ended, fans of the show desperately needed to know if Simon ever succeeded in his quest to save Betty. When Adventure Time: Distant Lands was released, we were denied any kind of closure on the whereabouts of Simon or Betty.

Thankfully, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake has come to our aid and given us the much-needed ending to Simon’s story. After watching the show, it feels like Adam Muto had this ending in mind for the story of Simon and Betty but knew it shouldn’t be condensed to fit into one hour-long episode of Distant Lands. Either way, I’m glad we were given 10 whole episodes to finally learn what became of the former Ice King and the now God of Chaos.

Maturity and Humor Blend

Fionna and Cake benefit from the streaming service treatment. Since the show isn’t airing on TV, the creative teams were free to go a bit more mature than the original series was able to do on Cartoon Network. That’s not to say Adventure Time never got serious. One of the main reasons the original series is so loved is because of the wonderful way the show blends silly premises with heavy and daunting real-life feelings and scenarios. With the advantage of being a made-for-streaming project, Fionna and Cake takes the show to another level by really digging into some deeply human traits.

What this show aims to convey is that sometimes, you have to be okay with the path you’re on and let go. Every decision you’ve ever made has led you to this exact moment, for better or for worse. Simon’s selfishness ultimately leads Betty to go mad with magical power in an attempt to save Simon’s mind. This in turn sends Simon on a mad quest to save Betty from her prison as the new God of Chaos. Simon realizes that there is nothing he can do to save GolBetty and must find a new purpose.

Meanwhile, Fionna is also coming to a similar realization. Fionna and Cake must give up their dream of having a world full of magic to save their friends who have made the best of their new lives in the average sitcom-inspired universe. Fionna and Simon parallel each other perfectly, showing the audience that it’s okay to let go in favor of the love and well-being of others.

Come Along And Check Out This Show

In addition to the beautifully bittersweet ending to Simon and Fionna’s journeys, the show also features stunning visuals and even more amazing music. WB needs to release the soundtrack for this show onto streaming platforms. Songs like Not Myself and Everything In You are just so special. Adventure Time has been known for its moving and fun songs, so it’s not a surprise that the trend continues with the Fionna and Cake spin-off.

While the show may not be super great for those who haven’t seen any Adventure Time episodes before Fionna and Cake, it still offers some great visuals, music, and character moments for everyone to enjoy. And for those who are diehard fans of the original series, they will be dying for more adventures in the land of Ooo. This is kind of ironic since the show delivers a message of being okay with letting go, but this reviewer certainly isn’t ready to let go of these characters. Whether or not these adventures are with Fionna and Cake, Finn and Simon, or maybe even Shermy and Beth, is yet to be seen. For now, we can only hope.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is available to stream exclusively on Max.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94gpIscW0Mc]