Watch Adventure Time for your inner child
Even though it is the witching season, as of late, I have been gravitating towards a show that is best described as the personification of silliness: Adventure Time, created by Pendleton Ward. Now, offhand, I know that may come as a surprise, but for a children’s show, this series offers a quality episodic story structure that cannot be found anywhere else! Maybe its 10-season run on Cartoon Network isn’t doing it any justice, making one believe that this can be nothing more than a stereotypical kids show, something reinforced every time the channel’s logo is on screen; I promise you, this stigma is unfounded. Nevertheless, though that may be accurate off of memory alone, this is a genuinely heartfelt show with enough stupid and silly elements to cheer anyone up on even the worst of days, acting as a good distraction for at least a little while.
If you are unfamiliar, let me give you a quick rundown of this show: We follow two brothers, Finn the human and Jake the shapeshifting dog, as they go on adventures throughout the Land of Ooo to rid it of evil or wrongdoing. This can take the form of Finn and Jake saving a princess from the Ice King, an insane character with full control over ice, or have them transported into the landscape of an 8-bit video game. This show has no rules, and that’s the beauty of it! Even with all that goofiness explained, this show can also deliver genuinely impactful messages about growing up, staying true to yourself, and so many more in a way that feels anything but generic.
Before I gush more about this show, its cast is another impressive feat that should be commented on. There are over 150 actors who give life to at least one character, making the Land of Ooo feel diverse. The three most notable characters in this show have to be Finn, voiced by Jeremy Shada, Jake, voiced by John DiMaggio and Ice King, voiced by Tom Kenny, who you may know as the voice of Spongebob. Outside of these three heavy hitters, the cast has stars like Mark Hamil, Ron Perlman, Donald Glover, and Hynden Walch: truly a star-studded lineup in all regards.
Now, the plot of this show can only be described as an “adventure of the week” setup. This show does not rely on multiple episode storylines or beats from past episodes returning, excluding some slight references or pivotal revelations. For example, Jake discovers he will be a father at the start of season four, only to have this storyline untouched until midway through season five. Storytelling like this, alongside the episodes’ already short runtime—10 minutes at most per episode—allows for maximum viewer retention; making these stand-alone episodes allows the writers and animators to take full creative liberty for the story and how it would be structured, offering so many unique and exciting ideas, making it so no episode is alike!
Even if this doesn’t incentivize you to try this show, I promise you that something innate within you will be happy with the decision to revisit this modern classic. Before revisiting this show, I did not give it a second thought, viewing it as another brainless cartoon, and though some episodes may feel as such, the show’s narrative matures as the seasons progress: a sign the writers grew alongside their viewer base. It truly is an experience that throws all preconceived presumptions of animation out the window.
Everything about this show is superb, encapsulating the true essence of what it means to grow up and reassuring you that all your unfounded fears and anxieties are naturally occurring experiences. This show is shrouded in a deep sense of comfort and silliness, making it the ultimate comfort show. No, this will not be a revolutionary watch, but it will be one you will find genuinely memorable and worthwhile—bringing some much-needed silliness to the everyday college experience!
Give Adventure Time a chance and watch all ten seasons of this unbridled modern classic, which you can do now on Max, alongside its sequel series Adventure Time: Fiona and Cake, which is bound to be covered soon, so stay tuned for that!