Return to the Nightosphere | Aired: April 30, 2012 | Reviewed by Mrs Queequeg
I never saw The Hangover, but I remember what a smash hit it was. Everyone told me to see it, but no one would go with me because they’d all seen it 2 or 3 times already. My favorite Hangover-inspired media is the Psych episode, Last Night Gus. This is my second favorite.
The boys wake in a pile of bananas, which doesn’t worry them too much. They don’t know where they are, or what they did last night, but don’t you know that Jake has their new camera phone and vid-taped a buttload of stuff. They watch a video of a portal in the Treehouse and then the camera dies. A guard tells them they’re in the Nightosphere. Flames erupt in a wide shot.
The Nightosphere, you may remember, is the realm ruled by Marceline’s dad, the delightfully named Hunson Abadeer. The demon guard’s off duty, and no one came to replace him, so he lets all the prisoners go. It’s a small kindness, since there’s no way out of the Nightosphere without a direct audience with Hunson Abadeer and you have to make an appointment for that. Everyone knows hell is trying to make appointments.
Finn and Jake go to Hell was the original title, and holy shit does that 25 second panning shot make it clear. Just a beauty.1That was Jesse Moynihan’s doing, and his drawing was lost three times during production. I think the sentient building catching and eating the fireball is my favorite. Or the half creature
Finn and Jake catch a ride from the half demon to get to the teller, but they have to wait in Not the River Styx for 2 + 4 + 8 + 13 days + 18 hours.2which equals 666 hours Hell is waiting in a queue and losing personal space. They reach the front of the line and given the ticket for 42 million. Luckily, the current ticket is for 41,999,999 and they cheerfully run through the door…..right into another line.
Finn bottoms out, needing a pep talk from Jake. Jake does his job too well, because Finn is determined to ask a question from the blood mist cloud. Jake knocks them both out of line and behind a pillar. They watch as the cloud evaporates everyone in line and enters a cave high up on a mountain. With no one around to see Jake stretch, they enter what appears to be Hunson’s apartment. The cloud parts to reveal a new-look Hunson, who insists that no one leaves the Nightosphere! Finn fights Hunson while Jake finds a way out with the incredible two part plan: shrink through the keyhole of a door, then open the door to stun Hunson, save Finn, and retrieve phone, charger, and banyanle.
Slapstick greatness
Through the door they find the portal. Finn and Jake exit, pursued by Hunson aBeardeen.3 not sure if that works, but I tried Fantastically, they run down the sides of the portal, dodging blasts until Jake wraps Adabeer up. Hunson is able to redirect their connection and is about to suck Jake’s soul, when Finn slashes his head and out comes MARCELINE?!
She sends them home, closing the portal and forbidding them from returning. The boys, of course, decide to return after cleaning themselves up. And thus ends the first half of our double feature. Someone tagged this clip art with Return to the Nightosphere/Daddy’s Little Monster:
Notes
I’m a big fan of framing gags, and the jail guard was done perfectly
Jake looking for an outlet is a very 2012 bit. I remember several friends charging their phones at bars
As a non banana fan, I enjoyed the gross bnayanles runner
The music for the half monster is from Death in Bloom
The design of the Nightosphere evokes Hieronymus Bosch, especially the hell section of The Garden of Earthly Delights
Hunson’s portraits: with a skull, with a cat, with Lincoln (yes, he’s canon in AT), golfing with Peppermint Butler, holding baby Marcy, young Marcy (our first look at her), family portrait
Finn and Jake recreate the end of the title sequence when they’re spying on the blood mist cloud
Snail
With all the dummy demons
Daddy’s Little Monster | Aired: April 30, 2012 | Reviewed by Grumproro
I recently had to accept the fact that I just don’t really like bananas. I will eat one if it’s given to me, I don’t mind banana bread, and I have nothing personal against bananas…but every time I have thought “you know, I bet a banana would be a nice, healthy snack” I regret that thought. Because a few minutes later I’m reminded that bananas are a lot sweeter than I remembered and I’m left feeling kind of sick. This is just a long, weird way to say that I think the banana joke continued from the previous episode is hilarious. Maybe it’s hilarious to me because of my personal issues with bananas. Either way, I think this is a very funny episode. That’s the first thing that comes to mind as I try to write this review. I love the continued world building of the Nightosphere that started in the previous episode, I love Marceline trying to navigate the complicated relationship with her father, I love the music, and I of course love watching Finn jump into action to help Marceline. All of that is great, and it all contributes to making this an engaging and memorable episode. But it’s also very funny! It’s difficult to describe why I think something is funny (it’s so subjective, after all), so I’m not really going to try, but I wanted to start by noting the funniness of this episode because it’s something that I don’t often focus on when talking about Adventure Time. Which seems like a mistake on my part. Because the show is very often very funny. And that’s a big part of why it brings me joy to watch. Laughing feels good. Okay, let’s get into the actual review.
So, we have a genuine predicament at the start of the episode: Marceline is in trouble, and Finn and Jake need to sneak back into the Nightosphere to help her. They’ve already seen what a chaotic and dangerous place it can be, but they’re ready to jump back in (after a shower, of course) because their friend needs help. They quickly identify a problem with any rescue plan: Marceline told them to never return to the Nightosphere! So they’ll need disguises. It makes me laugh, and it’s cute. Jake can of course alter his body, so he’s good to go. The previous episode established that the Nightosphere is very bureaucratic in the most nauseating way, kind of like how I feel when I eat a banana. What I mean by this is that it’s an incredibly inefficient system disguised as a very efficient system that abides by rules that make no sense and seems designed to prevent any real progress from happening. We see this right away when Finn and Jake try to cut to the front of the line to meet Marceline. We’re taught not to cut in line. You should wait your turn. Of course! That’s how the system works. You’ll be rewarded when you get to the front of the line, but everybody must wait for their turn.
I adore characters like this demon. What’s his deal? Why does he have a coffee cup? It’s perfect. He’s very “matter-of-fact”. He reaffirms the rules of the place, and he does so with confidence. So much confidence that he convinces Finn and Jake to go to the back of the line. And Jake really seems to feel bad for trying to cut! Look at this face, serious regret there. I am also a rule follower by nature. It stresses me out to break even the tiniest, dumbest rules. I’ve gotten better about this with age, but the struggle is still there. So I kind of love this demon who reinforces the rules of the line. But wait…what if the line is absurd and “your turn” is meaningless? The “logic” of the line turns on this rule-abiding demon immediately. So what was the point? There was no point! It’s chaos in the Nightosphere, disguised as organization. So everyone waits in line, but nothing good is waiting for them when they get to the front, whether they cut or not. Their requests are turned against them, and the system is rigged. Maybe this is a reflection of how the chaotic energy powering the amulet sees the world. Maybe there’s a little of Marceline in there. There’s A LOT of Marceline’s dad in there. He isn’t concerned with what’s fair. He just wants Marceline to take over the family business. He hasn’t considered what she wants at all. He can’t even seem to imagine that Marceline wouldn’t want the same thing he wants. He wants it, so he makes it happen. Simple as that. She’s in the Nightosphere doing his work, he’s eating sandwiches in his underwear, everybody wins! Except Marceline, of course. But who can be bothered with details like that?
Thank you, Finn, for doing what I wanted to do.
Once Finn and Jake realize that following the rules won’t get them anywhere here, and that Hunson isn’t worth talking to, they decide to inspire some demon rebellion with a little music. And it works! Because it’s music, so of course it works! They use the distraction to free Marceline. But…they’re still in the Nightosphere, where chaos reigns supreme, and now they’re unable to control the demons. So Finn does what Finn does.
His face as he takes in the options and makes his decision, it always gets me. He’s not going to leave Marceline in the Nightosphere, forced to be its ruler. He knows that’s not what she wants. She sang a song about it and everything!
You didn’t think I’d get through this whole review without sharing a song, right?
So Finn uses the amulet to get her (and Jake) out of there. What’s his plan? I doubt he has one. He’s just going to make sure they get out. Chaos! So we’ve maybe learned a lesson in the Nightosphere? Maybe there are times when the system is broken and the rules created by that system shouldn’t always be followed because they do more harm than good and aren’t really fair at all? The world sure is a big, complicated place. But I think Finn needs a minute to recuperate before he can start processing.
