The Real You | Aired: February 14, 2011 | Reviewed by Grumproro & Ralph
Grump: Apparently this was the first time they showed the world.
Ralph: Oh….What.
[They take a break because COVID brain is too much.]
Ralph: And we’re back. Grump meant that this was the first time we saw an image of Ooo from space.
Grump: And there’s a part missing from it.
R: Like a bite out of an apple.
G: Should we explain that we have COVID, so I’m very tired and fog-brained, and that’s why we’re doing the review this way?
R: Yeah.
G: Ralph got COVID and I somehow got COVID.
R: I heard the best cure for COVID was lots of kisses and snuggling. My doctor is an idiot. What did you think of this episode?
G: I remembered it being more about science when I signed up for it.
R: I sorta remembered it.
G: I liked the part where Finn says we are all born to die. That was the main thing I remembered and I thought it was surprising they let them keep that in. The episode was originally called “Born to Die.”
R: Whoa.
G: I also . . . I . . . always like episodes where someone gets really smart and makes a plan where part of the plan is the plan falling apart like in that Futurama episode.
R: Which one?
G: Where Bender . . . That’s all I can remember.
R: Oh! The one where he over-clocks or whatever. Yeah. A character gets so smart they see outside the whole sequence of events and kind of dictate how it goes. I liked that about this episode too. I also liked how Finn becoming super smart was just a matter of realizing that everything big is a smaller version of something bigger (or something like that). That’s a pretty funny epiphany to me.
G: And then he forgets it.
R: Yeah, the zoom-out of the whole universe eventually comes out of his butt. I giggled.
G: Just like a James Joyce epiphany.
R: Getting very literary now.
G: I never understood why PB thought Finn should present at the bbq? Did you get it? Like, what did she think he was going to talk about? I feel like he was being set up to fail.
R: I thought he had some kind of adventurer’s intelligence that she was interested in.
G: Yeah. She said, “because he’s heroic.” But what would he talk about? Finn’s whole thing, at this point, is that he’s about action. Not talkin’.
R: Yeah. But he’s got a real inarticulate wisdom that shines through. I love to hear him express his complex thoughts with his less-than-complex verbiage. So I don’t know what he was supposed to talk about. But I think PB wanted him to try to discuss what it’s like to think like a hero. I thought it was going to be a lesson about why Finn needs to be himself.
G: It is.
R: Really?
G: Yeah. She says, “I need the real you,” and then takes off the glasses.
R: Right, but “smart Finn” knew that it would eventually require the “heroic/not-smart Finn” to destroy the black hole that “smart Finn” created. So “smart Finn” was working together with “not-smart Finn” in a way.
G: Huh? Aren’t we agreeing?
R: No. I’m right.
G: OK. But I want to say that I think that I agree that I think Finn is very smart, and I like the way he expresses himself. But that doesn’t fit the academic environment of the barbecue, so I worried he’d get laughed off the stage. So I just didn’t get what PB wanted. I’m probably thinking about this too much.
R: No, I think you’re onto something. At this point in the show, I feel like PB is sort of a technocrat, and she’s blind to some of the ways she plays with people in the name of science and governance. She’s not totally blind to it, but she’s unaware in some ways.
G: I think you’re right.
R: So I don’t think you’re overthinking it.
G: I think that might be all I have to say. I like it.
R: I like it too. Let’s take a nap.
G: Wait. I might have one more thing to say.
R: Hnng?
G: Yeah, OK. I think season 2 takes a turn for the better at this point. That’s all.
R: I don’t remember. Like anything.
G: Ok bye.
R: Ok bye.
| Reviewed by (Stars) they come & go
Well… err… shit. My fellow reviewers are sick too (get well soon Grumps & Ralph)! I only had a bad cold though. Probably. I tested negative for Covid two weeks back, so… I dunno. It was a really bad cough y’all!
Tis the season and all that! Seriously though, I declare my fervent desire for a speedy recovery to Ralph & Grumproro!
Me on the other hand, eh. I’m mostly fine now. I finally got my voice back, so I’m over the worst of it & can finally write this review 1. Which wasn’t written late last night and this morning. No siree… I’m not a dawdler. Honest.
Anyways… as some of you may know, I’m a first time watcher of Adventure Time. I had never seen this show before, outside the occasional memes, gifs & even games.2
I wasn’t sure what this episode was about going in, but the intro as seen above in the title card was certainly different, including the following exec producer & writer, director cards:
Even the opening video game sequence was pretty unusual for Adventure Time. As a casual gamer whose played a fair amount of video games, I liked what this episode did and it was only the beginning for this topsy-turvy episode and it’s art styles.
G’awww, the plot begins essentially with Jake snuggled up and playing video games with his bestest friend forever Jake!
Oh… Wait! Could it be!? B.M.O!!!!!
WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULAR SCHEDULED ADVENTURE TIME REVIEW, WITH THIS URGENT UPDATE!
BMO IS CUTE!
THIS IS NOW A REVIEW OF ALL BMO CONTENT CONTAINED WITHIN THE EPISODE “Guardians of Sunshine!”
(I must say, Niki Yang provides a brilliant voice to the character. I wanted to do a bit more research around the character, etc, but I got scared off by what looked like potential spoilers.)
“of course Jake. If I push this button, you will both be dangerously transported into my main brain game brain, where it’s very dangerous!”
Oh dear, Finn gets a bit too excited at the possible dangerous adventure ahead. Better let him down BMO…
Oh BMO! Maybe you’re just too trusting. You should have left out the “incredible” bit.
Lookit their noses BMO! Don’t trust’em!
Whatchu dreaming of BMO
Welp! Into the brainz the boys go
And so, adventures are had, but then the worst happens & Jake breaks the game, by forcing an error trying to get the bomba!
What kind of hellish nightmare is this episode! Jesus H Christ! Please for the love of god!
I’ve opted not to include the rest of the BMO-bursting scene 3 due to it’s ugliness and mistreatment of our cute saviour BMO!
Oh, the video game characters also escape & seem dangerous, but I maybe biased against them for causing pain to BMO during that demented birthing scene.
Sleepy Sam & Bouncy Bee sure are cute:
Sam looks like a monster from a horror film in that final slide. I really dug the Alien vibes throughout the episode.
If anything this shows that BMO is right to jail these monsters… No. I’m not rationalizing BMO’s behaviour… Look, BMO is cute! Okay!
Well, at least Finn was able to do what BMO told him to do (FINALLY) & “use the combo move” to save the day (after starting the whole mess… *grumble, grumble… almost got BMO killed… grumble*)
BMO activate “Combo move” & dispose of the useless riff raff Finn & Jake:
Stray Thoughts/Rest of the episode:
- Oh, yeah! Other stuff happened in the episode too:
- I don’t think I stressed this enough, but what a departure from the usual 2D animation:
- Guardians of Sunshine song:
- Awww, lookit: another high five!
- Finn’s Face popping out as Jake Dies (the first time)!
- Of course Jake throws his life away. Straight away. Twice! :’D
- Huh, Jake’s powers still work inside of BMO &/or the game world?
- I enjoyed the game dynamics and extrapolations such as the lives lost bar, losing coins (sonic style), trying to call for Bomba but not knowing (the controls) or having the controller! Regret fulfilled.
- I loved the horror vibe & music to Sleepy Sam’s introduction.
- Bouncy Bee’s lapping tongue
- Why couldn’t the “monsters” just leave BMO alone. Is this all an allegory for revenge and retribution? What of justice? It’s interesting to consider BMO’s jailer mentality from the adult perspective of the Prison Industrial Complex. Who are the real villains here? Jake & Finn causing all sorts of (borderline painful) chaos? The game monsters, let loose? Or BMO the jailer? Heady themes?
- There’s a mother & child-bearing theme here, right? Mama bear BMO, hapless father Finn & the chaos monsters/children: Sam, Bee & Bunny. The birthing scene. The chaos children.
- Or maybe it’s just a video game & a fun adventure, gone wild.
Snail
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