I Am A Sword | Written and Storyboarded by: Jesse Moynihan & Sam Alden | Aired:  April 23, 2016 | Reviewed by CedricTheOwl

Among my many, many observations upon rewatching Adventure Time for this series has been tracking when Finn loses his swords and when he gains new ones.  I’ve frequently wondered if you could delineate arcs of Finn’s character growth based on what sword he’s currently wielding.  I may or may not be kicking around this idea for something down the line.  Whether or not I ever do get around to that, this episode more than any other makes a convincing case for my argument.

Our episode opens with Finn and Jake crossing a rope bridge while on the trail of a bandit.  When Jake notes that they probably won’t have much luck tracking them down as it gets later, Finn does something he’s never really done before:  he consults the Finn Sword directly.  He’s always acknowledged that the sword is another version of him, but he’s never made a habit of directly talking to it.  Nor has it made a habit of responding, as we see a small version of Finn’s face in the crossguard, agreeing with Jake that they should call it a day.  

Unfortunately, Finn chooses this moment to ignore his inner monologue, and instead starts doing sword tricks with it.  It’s a very teen boy bit of hotdogging, and Jake is more than happy to egg him on.  Suddenly, completely predictable disaster strikes as Finn loses his footing and the Finn Sword plummets off the bridge into the gorge below.  Finn’s carelessness has resulted in him losing track of himself in an extremely literal sense.

Unable to find the sword now that night has fallen, Finn and Jake are forced to give up the search.  The scene transitions into an over the shoulder POV shot of a mysterious figure, busy playing Make Dolls Kiss with her money.  She soon spots a traveler loaded down with money bags and rushes in to relieve him of both his gold and his life.

Finn awakens screaming, having experienced the previous scene as a vivid dream.  This apparently isn’t an uncommon occurrence in the Treehouse, as Jake is more than happy to brush off the dream by gifting Finn a hastily made wooden replica of the Finn Sword.  It’s hardly a worthy replacement, as even Science Cat can tell during his daily dustup with Finn.  This prompts a bout of introspection in our hero, wondering whether he’s taking the people (and swords) in his life for granted.  This particular line of self-reflection is similar to the one he went through in “Don’t Look”, with Finn giving himself a frank and negative appraisal of how he views the people around him.

Our heroes try to pull an all-nighter so Finn can avoid having another POV dream.  Finn plays a modern video game laced with subtext and narrative complexity, while Jake resists the call of slumber exactly as long as you think he would.  This plan turns out to be for naught, as Finn experiences another vision from over the shoulder of the mysterious stranger, this time while she chops up a bank guard in the spiky kingdom.  Finn concludes that the Finn Sword is being used to commit these crimes, so they set off to the Spiky Kingdom in pursuit.

Over in Spiky Kingdom itself, the stranger’s rampage continues unabated into the next day.  The stranger in question is Bandit Princess, and she’s a real nasty piece of work.  She’s given plenty of silly lines (she was introduced making her ill-gotten gains make out, after all), and yet she can get pretty dark with her actions.  In short, she’s a classic Adventure Time villain.  Just from what we’ve seen so far, her crimes include murder, armed robbery, mass destruction, and beheading an elected official.  

Finn and Jake catch up to Bandit Princess as she torments Box Kingdom, and after learning that she’s deliberately been using the Finn Sword to prey on the innocent, Finn demands to fight her alone.  After the short-lived Golf Sword becomes even shorter, the Grass Sword manifests from Finn’s arm and he crosses blades with himself.  At long last, we’re at the thematic core of this episode!

Back when Finn first acquired the Finn Sword, I speculated that it represents Finn having to take responsibility for himself, to not rely on a sword from his father or an external power to protect himself.  By contrast, when the Grass Sword has manifested in the past, it’s often granted Finn superhuman sword skills and given him the ability to attain improbable victories against impossible odds.  It’s been used for good, but also results in a lot of self-aggrandizement.  And always, Finn is never sure whether he’s really in control of the sword.  This episode pits these two swords against one another; a literal metaphor for Finn’s responsible self against his tool for wish fulfillment.  

However, when you’re at war with yourself, only you can get hurt.  Finn accidentally pierces the crossguard gem of the Finn Sword, causing Finn Sword’s face to fade away.  Bandit Princess uses the resulting leverage to break off a piece of the Grass Sword, then escape while Finn collapses.  Our episode ends with Jake tucking a still-unconscious Finn into bed, then hanging the damaged Finn Sword on their mantle.  Villainy has won the day, and a moment of carelessness has resulted in a significant loss for Finn.  But Finn’s story doesn’t end here… and for that matter, neither does Finn Sword’s.

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Bun Bun | Written & Directed by: Somvilay Xayaphone & Seo Kim | Aired: May 5, 2016 | Reviewed by Mrs Queequeg

Sir Cinnamon Bun arrives in the Candy Kingdom for an official delivery. He jokes with the Banana Guards, who are happy to see him. He gives Princess Bubblegum a Get Well Card for Hot Dog Princess. Finn comes in and PB hands the card off to be given to Slime Princess. 

Bonnibel asks to catch up with Cinnamon Bun, who is a little awkward. He likes his new responsibilities and his wolf, but alludes to being uncomfortable as the sole Candy Person. It’s a nice moment from Bonnibel, she is looking to support the Fire Kingdom through Cinnamon Bun, at no point in these interactions is she suspicious of the Fire People, or worry about Phoebe. She’s committed to her new path. He takes leave and chats with candies in the hallway. This meeting has the air of a high school reunion. They ask about his life, especially if he’s as irresponsibly carefree as they remember him; he uncomfortably says no. PB watches from the hallway, wanting to do something for her former candizen. 

Later, she calls Finn in, who tracks slime all the way through the castle. She shows off her latest creation, made from Cinnamon Bun experiment discard. It’s Bun Bun! Call her CB’s third cousin. 

Finn is to take her to the Fire Kingdom so that CB won’t be alone. PB even created a new fire suit for Finn, so he won’t be in danger. Bun Bun is fireproof, so she will be safe. Bun Bun is the adorable child from every tv show. Finn’s charmed as they walk, even when she gets her trail mix burgled by chipmunks. Bun Bun feels good, and realizes she doesn’t know what the alternative to good would be.

Finn is all business upon reaching the Fire Kingdom, informing Cinnamon Bun that Bun Bun is intended to be his new squire, a gift from Princess Bubblegum. He turns to leave, but Phoebe invites him to hang out; she has a light day. They eat some coals, and Finn stirs his bowl, prompting Flame King to ask about his dish. He takes a deep breath and apologizes for their breakup. He apologized before, but it wasn’t worth much since he didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. But Finn knows now that he was manipulating Phoebe and for that he is sincerely sorry. Flame King is impressed with his maturity. 

Meanwhile, Cinnamon Bun is giving Bun Bun a tour, and she tests his patience and energy, being fascinated by all decor and having absolutely no idea what the proper behavior for a situation is.1This is the first time we’ve seen a brand new Candy Person – or at least one created from the original workings. If this is how PB created her people, no wonder she ended up as a dictator. She jumps on the state of the deposed Flame King, knocking it over, then punches a hole in a foolishly low hung portrait so she can play act. CB is stressed out by her behaviour, but the Flame People in the hallway laugh indulgently and encourage BB.

Further along in the tour is the door where they keep the former evil king. No one is supposed to go there, so of course, Bun Bun takes off running. By the time Cinnamon Bun catches up, she’s sitting at the base of the lantern, talking to the former Flame King. She charms him as a small child is wont to do, cheerfully asking him what he likes and overwhelming him with positivity. He recognizes that she doesn’t know that people can be bad and tells her to push the button that will set him free. Oh my glob.

In a different room, Finn and Phoebe are practicing their imitations. They’re having a nice, chill hang session without any of the drama of their prior relationship and break up. Phoebe says that she started freestyle rapping but she can’t trust her citizens’ flattery. Finn starts beatboxing and she starts to flow. 

Cutting back to CB and BB, they are hunting for Keith David’s Flame King and trying to be subtle. Which is difficult when Bun Bun does giant flips and falls down a hill. Cinnamon Bun follows her, also falling down the hill. He hears the deposed Flame King’s voice and Bun Bun runs away again. Flame King is explaining his plan to overthrow his daughter, complete with an army of chipmunks pretending to be Flame People, and Bun Bun tells him frankly that his plan will not work. He agrees, saying that he’s rusty at war stuff. 

Bun Bun suggests that he become the King of the Chipmunks. He’s resistant at first, but after the assurance that BB will be the Royal Dog Petter, he buys in.

Cinnamon Bun watches and realizes that Bun Bun’s eternal optimism is in the right place. He returns to the castle and joins in on the free style rap, recapping his adventure since they last saw him. They absorb the information and Phoebe muses that this might be restorative justice and locking the old Flame King in the lantern didn’t change or solve anything. Mail arrives for CB, it’s a mud covered paper that he translates.

Dear Cinnamon Bun,

I have a dog now.

His name is Cinnamon Bun.

Love, Bun Bun

Next week we have Normal Man and Elemental.