“Fionna and Cake” makes for a refreshing return to the world of “Adventure Time,” following Fionna Campbell (Madeleine Martin), her cat Cake (Roz Ryan) and Simon Petrikov (Tom Kenny), formerly known as the Ice King, as they travel through the multiverse in search of magic and meaning. The first two episodes premiered on Aug. 31, and the show ended its 10-episode run on Sept. 28.
The show differs greatly from the previous “Adventure Time”’ spin-off “Distant Lands” in more than just runtime — “Fionna and Cake” follows a much darker tone than previously explored. Fionna comes from a world much like Earth and trudges through her dead-end job, living paycheck to paycheck while yearning for a deeper meaning. Simon, now fully human in the Land of Ooo, deals with the loss of his beloved fiance Betty, as well as coming to terms with his mundanity in a multiverse-hopping adventure.
The show does a great job of exploring the multiverse of potential within “Adventure Time.” The titular characters travel to other versions of Ooo that are drastically changed. Questions such as “What if Simon never met Marceline?”, “What if the Lich won?” or “What happened to Farmword Finn?” are all thoroughly explored, and rather than simply serving as one-off locations for wow factor, these locations offer a place for profound moments of reflection and character development.
The show doesn’t necessarily feel geared toward a younger audience, but rather, it seems directed toward the audience that grew up with “Adventure Time.” Simon consistently deals with depression and severe trauma from his time as the Ice King, which he prefers to ignore rather than address, while Fionna struggles with feeling like she doesn’t belong in her own world or any in the multiverse. These are the same types of questions viewers watch Finn struggle within the original series, but “Fionna and Cake” explores these ideas a little less whimsically and with a lot more danger. With Fionna’s home and Simon’s sanity at stake, the show elicits a feeling that anything could go wrong, which only serves to heighten the themes of struggle and acceptance that the show conveys.
“Fionna and Cake” stands as a brilliant exploration of characters that previously only served as fanfic within “Adventure Time.” By the end of the series, Fionna and Cake are well-rounded characters that distinctly set themselves apart from their original counterparts in Ooo, despite the show only airing 10 episodes. The characters of “Fionna and Cake” are nothing short of fantastic, and their stories prove an absolute treat to watch unfold.
5 Evil Choose Gooses out of 5
