Finn the Human | Aired: November 12, 2012 | Reviewed by Grumproro
This week we learn what the world would look like if “The Lich never even ever existed.”
Well…it could be worse. Could be the extinction of all life. So, as far as wishes go, it’s really not that bad. It’s a little wordy, though. Kind of feels like it could be misinterpreted. Or twisted. Real monkey’s paw bait. But we’ll get to that in the next episode. For now, let’s just focus on what’s in front of us. And Finn. The human. Who has just had an incredibly intense series of experiences. After a thrilling adventure with the greatest hero of Ooo, things turn…dark. Ganews covered this in their review, so I won’t repeat it all. But it’s important to remember where we are. Where Finn is. When he flies through the portal with Jake, kickstarting the episode, and the season. From his perspective, he’s really “donked” things up. How will his young heart handle this? There’s no time to think about what he donked up, or how, he just has to act. He needs to make things right.
Unfortunately for Finn, and his young, increasingly fragile, heart, he can only stand powerlessly as The Lich disappears, taking Billy’s body with him. Because it is, now, a body. Prismo confirms it with the devastating observation that what they just saw disappear was a “ghost wearing a dead guy.”
Oh, Finn. My heart breaks for him every time I watch this. But again, there’s no time to sit with this. Now he needs to make a wish to fix everything. To undo what has happened. Finn correctly understands that this wish needs to be carefully crafted, but he fails to come up with the correct wish. So what is this “farmworld” like? Seems a little bleak. But also familiar, in a way. I mean, we even have Simon and Marceline! They just look a little…different. Marceline plays a valuable role here in catching us up on the history of this time and place. Seems this is a world where the bomb didn’t go off because in this world Simon prevents it from happening. So, no bomb. And no Lich. Okay, great! So we have a Finn who grows up in a world without magic. I remember when I first watched this episode, there was a moment I thought…this is kind of nice, this world where Finn has parents. A pastoral farmland. How pleasant. Sadly, we quickly see it’s still not a stable, comfortable life. And everything is quickly thrown into chaos after the Destiny Gang steals the crown (and Bar Bar!).
It’s fascinating to me how things run their course here. How it all kind of ends up where it was before. Like it’s fated or something. You know? Finn can’t have a stable, carefree childhood. He wants to be a hero, to protect everyone, but no matter what choice he makes, he is outwitted, or overpowered. He’s up against seemingly impossible odds. And things keep getting worse. And the crown finds a wearer. As it was always meant to.
You might say…mistakes were made. But Finn is human, after all. We make mistakes. Finn tries to correct those mistakes, sometimes making even more mistakes in the process, but that just makes me love him even more. Because I also make mistakes, and I hope that I can correct them. But some mistakes can’t be fixed. Or they need someone else, maybe someone with a little more experience or power, to lend a helping hand….
Jake the Dog | Aired: November 12, 2012 | Reviewed by Grumproro
Jake is a dog. He barks, he scratches, he licks, he plays, he fights, he is loyal but easily distracted, he is protective, he gets jealous, he bites, he is food-motivated, etc. I’ll start this review by saying what I appreciate most about this episode: Jake is a dog. Just like the previous episode called attention to Finn’s humannes, this one hits you over the head with Jake’s dogness. Seeing the farmworld Jake does partially highlight the differences between a non-magical dog and Jake’s magical nature, but I think it also serves to put the magical Jake’s average dogness front and center. Or at least, that’s what I find myself thinking about as I write this review. 1Maybe I just miss my dog. What I’m trying to say is, I imagine this episode might be a little frustrating for some. Finn is in some serious trouble, and Jake can get him out of that trouble with just one wish. Easy! Right?
Oh, Jake. A sandwich? Not that a sandwich doesn’t sound great right now, and I do firmly believe that the sandwich is one of the best foods. And pickles are top-tier best foods, I bet those pickles are so good! But no, Jake, no. Focus. While Prismo might have seemed a little cold in the previous episode, in this one we see that he might not be so blind to the suffering of others because he gives Jake some time to think about a better wish. Which gives the episode time to breathe. Otherwise, it would be over right away, and where’s the fun in that? Thanks to Jake’s dogness we get to chill with The Cosmic Owl!
As much as I’m delighted by everything that happens in this hangout session, it’s difficult to watch Finn suffer. So let’s make the most of this bad situation and think about what we learn from this farmworld Finn. Jake seems to think Finn will be fine, so he can just chill. But why would he be fine? Why would anyone be fine in this situation, especially someone so young? Where do all of these high expectations come from? That must be so much to carry. I can understand why Finn embraces the power of the crown, desperately seeking some power, when he feels so powerless, to protect everyone and everything that matters to him. But even then, when he thinks he’s doing something good, he done donk something up again.
In that scene farmworld Finn’s mom is saying “No, that’s not possible! I raised you better than that!” in response to Finn’s admission that he caused the explosion. I kinda found this moment a little funny. But Ralph said something that made me sit with it and think on it more. Now I find it pretty upsetting. He wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became the thing to be feared. High expectations, devastating disappointment. The look on his mom’s face. How she reacts. Some mistakes can’t be fixed.
Heart. Breaking.
Seeing how quickly Finn loses control gives us some insight into Simon’s struggle as well. The Ice King we know isn’t like Finn here. We know from previous episodes that Simon fought against the crown. And we see in this world that Simon was apparently capable of keeping things together long enough to use the crown to stop the bomb from going off. Power sure is…powerful. But also terrifying. So now I’m wondering all these things about Simon and the Ice King and the crown and, and, and…So much! Oops, I’m getting distracted again. There are so many shiny, interesting questions to ponder. Like what kind of games do the Cosmic Owl and Prismo play when they hang out? That’s a lot more fun to think about than trying to come up with the one, perfect wish that may or may not destroy entire worlds!!!
Me too, me too. I mean, we just saw how Finn’s wish went. Sure, turns out that “never even ever existed” is pretty easy to twist. So Finn ends up in a world where The Lich doesn’t exist…YET. But I can’t pretend I would have done any better. Rewatching this time, I forgot what the wish was going to be. I was trying to think of it the entire time. I decided it was probably something along the lines of “go back to the moment before the Lich does…[something?]” But that wasn’t it at all! Lucky for all of us, Prismo provides the answer.
So, did Jake save the day, as he declares at the end of the episode? Yes…in that he was there, and could make a wish. And maybe he charms Prismo enough to make him bend the rules and help him out. Plus, free pickles! Okay. Maybe he didn’t maintain his focus, and he might have panicked a bit, and he almost threw his wish away on a sandwich, but I can’t be mad at a dog. And I’m just happy to see Finn and Jake reunited. I think they’re going to need each other this season, don’t you? Things seem like they’re really taking off, getting complicated, and the world (universe? multiverse?) is getting bigger and pretty scary. Deadly, even. But there’s also a bit of excitement. And wonder. There’s so much to learn more about. And I can’t wait to watch all the adventures they’ll go on, together.