Although Adventure
Time’s current season stretches into 2012, I’m including it on this list anyways
not only because I’m a huge fan dying to sing its praises but
also because in its third season, Adventure
Time has shaped into one of the best fantasy shows on television.
Seriously.
On a post-apocalyptic earth that has been renamed the Land
of Ooo, nuclear fallout has created a world full of mutant hybrids, talking
objects, and evil monsters. The last living human (or so it seems) is a heroic
boy named Finn who lives in a tree house with his best pal Jake, a
shape-shifting bulldog. Their adventures reveal an enormous fantasy world that
encompasses a “lumpy space” dimension resembling a
lumpy, modern-day America; a Candyland-like Candy Kingdom ruled by Finn’s crush
Princess Bubblegum; a 1000-year-old
vampire named Marceline who plays the bass guitar; a crystalline fortress ruled
temporarily by a tiny, green elephant; an underworld filled with cannibalistic
skeletons; a cross between hell and Tartaros called the Nightosphere; a Cosmic
Owl who presides over the Land of Ooo like Aslan; and an entire parallel
universe containing everything just mentioned but with everyone's genders swapped.
Every episode of the show develops this universe a little more, either filling
in a previously hazy detail or introducing some new character or locale.
Adventure Time approaches its massive world with the same fun-loving attitude of its protagonists. In this show, epic battles with demon lords end in fart jokes and Finn’s abduction leads to goofy, childish singing. As juvenile as the show can be, it also
displays a broad tonal range, slipping easily from goofiness into poignancy or
romance or even genuine creepiness. The humor and fun are always there, but
they never prevent the show from exploring diverse emotional territory.
In “Dungeon,” an episode that
exemplifies the show’s range, Finn runs through an underground dungeon where he
is confronted by evil creatures, gold-barfing treasure chests, and a Venus fly
trap door. He’s not terrified but narrating gleefully and laughing. As Finn
busts out of a trap, two glowing eyes appear and put an end to his happy
monologue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9_iQ1FSnp8
 |
| Looks a little like MewThree |
A cute kitten's head is revealed to be the tongue of a more sinister beast, and out of the darkness slinks a demonic cat. With slices of its body
eerily missing and a long purple tail that looks more like a vein protruding
from its side, the cat is a little threatening and more than a little creepy. Although
its dialogue—revealing it to be, hilariously, only somewhat omniscient—and Finn’s
backtalk leaven the mood, the cat’s presence is legitimately menacing and pulls
Finn and the show into frightening territory. So frightening, in fact, that this “guardian
angel” shows up, scarring young viewers for life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgbrw8wbvWg
In its most recent season, Adventure Time has moved increasingly
toward stories like “Dungeon,” stories that push the show into new emotional
terrain. With an anything-goes approach and a huge world to play in, the show
often pulls us into moving scenes when we least expect it. In Adventure Time’s recent Christmas
special, an otherwise cheery holiday episode suddenly breaks into the Ice King’s
past, revealing his tragic, Lovecraftian origins. In one of my favorite
episodes, Finn awakens from a coma to find everyone is missing except
for Jake, who seems to have lost his mind. The whole episode is creepy from
start to finish, but no moment is creepier than the one in which Finn discovers
who’s behind everything. (Not so much for who it is, which is fairly obvious, but for a
surprising and ultra-creepy motion that being makes when discovered.)
 |
| Nope, not telling you who/what it is. Watch the episode for yourself. |
I know Adventure Time is not a show for everyone. Even for those who aren't immediately disinclined toward liking cartoons, the show’s fondness for puerile humor
may be a turnoff. But Adventure
Time is doing something truly unique on television right now. It’s telling emotionally
resonant stories in a huge fantasy world in a way that’s always fun and never
less than hilarious. As much great television as there is these days, no show brings
me greater joy than this cartoon about a boy, his dog, and their epic
adventures together.
 |
| I love Finn's pasta limbs |
I'm sold! I think a bunch of episodes
are on dvd, and if you’re clever with YouTube searching, you can find quite a
few there too. If you’re really sneaky/not afraid to watch illegally uploaded
videos, Google your way around and I’m sure you’ll find some. Also, there’s the
legitimate way to watch them, on TV every Monday at 8.
