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neoyi · 8 months

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I had to think about this for a while, partially because I've only ever seen the entirety of Adventure Time once, so the minuscule details of its tangled lore is lost on me.

I remember waiting with bated breath for Simon and Betty's reunion come AT's series finale, and feeling cheated that it did not end that way. Season after season of frustration as Betty slipped into madness the more she tried to cure Simon, before ultimately ending up so far off that she and Simon couldn't possibly reconnect the way they had hoped, left something of a bitter taste in my mouth.

I guess there was something full circle that Betty ended up obsessed and lost in her mind as much as her significant other did when he wore the crown: two nerdy peas in a pod who were so consumed by their goals that it tragically overtook them. Simon's the one who made it out, because we've been with him the longest, it would have be upsetting if he never reverted back, but it meant he'd have to go on without Betty. And I was thinking back then, "Why? Why did that have to happen?" They were two folks in love who genuinely cared and missed each other, why weren't they allowed their happy ending? I guess it just felt like needless suffering.

I had hoped Fionna and Cake would have provided closure, and it did, and it wasn't what I wanted or expected, and at first, I grimaced, but after much thought, I ultimately came out of it perfectly content with its decision.

At first, I did think it felt flimsy Fionna and Cake established Simon's relationship with Betty as less than rose-tinted than we originally thought. After all, his romance was suppose to be a contrast to what we originally perceived the Ice King to be: a creepy dude who kidnapped princesses to marry when, contrarily, he was, instead, a mellow nerd who loved one woman.

Then I noticed that Fionna and Cake wasn't altering what AT established about their relationship, but re-contextualizing it based on little cues the show had always left behind. Of course it sucked the crown corrupted Simon beyond the point of no return, but flashback showed he had an obsession to it, and relied on it so heavily that he ignored the warnings of his adopted daughter. Marceline begged him not to put it on because he would never come out of it. He used it to survive back then, but it now firmly establishes that he wants it back because it was the only solution that would have easily resolved everything.

Fionna and Cake gets to live if he puts on the crown, his excuse to resume the role of a wintry weirdo, instead of his actual reason why (because he's sad, lonely, and feels his life has no purpose or meaning, so why bother?) To which, showing that Simon is so caught up in his own thing, that Betty wrapped her life around him (unintentionally so, I like that it's presented as a genuine mistake and not deliberately malicious), and how he's still so hung up on everything meant that, yeah, they weren't ever going to work long-term. Also Simon needed therapy and change in his life (which he accomplished by the end.)

I also liked this approach because it explains WHY Betty was so hellbent on freeing Simon from the crown. Her entire character in AT revolved around Simon, and Fionna and Cake dared to ask why it is and how unhealthy it was. Being GOLB likely meant Betty finally had the means to break from Simon and think about their relationship; she finally gained agency and can exist outside of him. What she plans to do next? Hey, man, she's literally Satan or some manner of devilish Chaos God, she can do anything the fuck she wants. Good for her.

It is tough to take a plot or character motive and rework it from its original intention; if you're not good at it, then it comes off inconsistent and a disservice to its narrative/character arc. I was ready to frown if Simon and Betty hadn't gotten back together by the end of this show, but instead, I was blown away by its thoughtfulness to explore and validate why Simon and Betty had to be apart. Only when they break their obsessiveness can they both move on and change.

Also, on another note, leave it to Fionna and Cake to make a multiverse show that I really and thoroughly enjoyed, mostly because so many of these worlds had previously been established. It's LORE! How cool is that?

I've never had a strong desire to own Adventure Time (or Distant Lands) on physical media. I liked the shows, but wasn't really in love with it. Fionna and Cake though? Give it to me. Give me the bluray. I want it. I love this show. It's so damn good. Shut up and take my money!

#adventure time #fionna and cake #neoyi talks #fionna and cake spoilers

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