Summary
- Adventure Time
tackles heavy themes with pacing, appealing to its growing audience organically. - The
Fionna and Cake
series explores adult realities in a magic-less universe, pushing characters beyond grief. - Simon’s growth journey in
Fionna and Cake
Season 1 hints at further character development in Season 2.
As a seasoned film enthusiast who grew up with the magical world of Ooo, I must say that the spinoff series “Fionna and Cake” has truly captured my heart. Having watched “Adventure Time” since its inception, it’s been fascinating to witness the organic growth of its characters and themes over the years.
The cartoon show “Adventure Time” has never been afraid to tackle more serious subjects. Although it’s aimed at children between 6 and 12, it delved into themes like missing parents, disabilities, and heartache. A key reason for its success in handling these topics skillfully is the pacing – it grew alongside its viewers. This rings particularly true when considering the spin-off series “Fionna and Cake.”
Fionna and Cake features a roster of beloved characters, but it also explores uncharted territories. It focuses on Simon Petrikov without his crown, along with the titular duo Fionna and Cake. Throughout ten episodes, these characters find themselves navigating an adult life that appears ordinary. For Simon, this journey is further complicated by healing and dealing with grief.
At the Beginning of the Show, Where Are Simon, Fionna, and Cake At?
In the original Adventure Time series, Fionna and Cake were playful, gender-swapped versions of Finn and Jake, often appearing in filler episodes. They originated from Ice King’s fan fiction and weren’t meant to be official characters… however, in this new series, the popular 2D wish grantor, Prismo, gives a more detailed account. As per Prismo, he illegitimately created Fionna, Cake, and their entire universe. Since it was against cosmic rules, he concealed the universe within Ice King’s mind. Therefore, Ice King believed that Fionna and Cake were simply his own creations.
In a world more akin to ours than the enchanting Land of Ooo, the authentic duo, Fionna and Cake, reside. Fionna leads an apparently ordinary life as a tour guide, yearning for something greater. Unlike her animated counterpart in Adventure Time, Cake is now mute but remarkably adept at guiding both herself and Fionna towards a portal that bridges their world with Simon’s. This portal was inadvertently opened by Simon while attempting to perform a different spell, specifically one designed to restore his lost love, Betty.
It’s evident that Simon isn’t thriving, as he feels lost without being the Ice King now. To add to this, he’s been severely traumatized due to years of having his mind disrupted. His closest companions are either gone or have ventured out on their own, like Marceline. In the Land of Ooo, Simon works a job that barely sustains him. When conversing with Prismo later, he admits, “‘Just keep going, Simon.’ But I don’t want to advance; I simply wish to remain here.” This statement encapsulates his current state perfectly.
Simon’s Journey Gets Dark(er) in Fionna and Cake
In this video, YouTuber “YINSED” expresses an insight: many creators of adult animation lean towards excessive edginess to counteract the common assumption that animation is only for children. However, the team behind “Fionna and Cake” showed more faith in their audience, given that they had already matured the content naturally throughout Adventure Time. Adventure Time aired from 2010 to 2018, and instead of maintaining an episodic structure and ignoring Jeremy Shada’s voice maturing, they opted for a serialized format. Finn aged along with the show, and it evolved accordingly. The tone shifted from purely silly, week-to-week adventures to something more substantial. This change was successful as our audience was also growing up, so by the time Fionna and Cake were introduced, the mature feel seemed organic.
We learn throughout Season 1 that Simon calls all the shots in his relationship with Betty. As if his backstory wasn’t tragic enough, we learn (and he learns) that his decision-making led them down the path that ultimately ended in her demise. This is markedly different from, say, the first episode, where he still very much saw himself as a victim (which he was in many ways, but he also played a role). There’s a phenomenal moment towards the end of the season where Simon and Beth are reading a choose-your-own-adventure story representative of his life, and she points out to him that he opted to go with the Simon character’s decision every single time. He never once chose the decisions proposed by the Betty character. This revelation blows his mind and is clearly a major growth moment.
It’s intriguing to contemplate the direction (and whether it will even be present) for this character in ‘Fionna and Cake’ Season 2. Given his significant growth during the first season, it seems likely that the upcoming one might spotlight Fionna, Cake, and their companions from their world instead. With an ‘Adventure Time’ movie on the horizon, as well as two additional spinoff series in development, it’s challenging to guess where the writers will concentrate their efforts. For now, you can catch up with Season 1 of ‘Fionna and Cake’ on Max.
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2024-08-18 00:01