Why Cheers? Fionna and Cake Breakdown

[@awwastor]

Fionna saying "I've played a lot of post apocalyptic RPGs" to a man who *lived through the actual apocalypse* is so funny to me

[@sierraa.bryant9322]

This is what children sound like to their parents.

[@lavender_coast]

I know right!

[@StevenJones851]

basically New Generation talking to old Generation

[@Xio189]

I hate how everyone says winter king was bad. He was mentally I’ll for hundreds of years and finally found a way to off put that Illness it would be him or someone else at the end of the day. We have not explored winter king enough, because he seems like he could be way more resourceful than PB. PB is no nice queen exactly.

[@TamNguyen-hm2lj]

​@@Xio189 what? No one is talking about him? Also passing your curse to someone else IS a dick move. His life isn't any more important than PB

[@pharoahcaraboo9610]

Tom Kenny getting to voice a character with actual pathos is nice. He’s honestly so good at voice acting yet he’s really just the Spongebob guy.

[@sierraa.bryant9322]

THIS!!!

[@slomnim]

Holy what, it's... the SpongeBob guy? Wow that just clicked and yet... what a wonderful evolution

[@garrettviewegh9028]

I'd love to see him voice more characters as human, serious, yet gentle and compassionate as Simon Petrakov. Not to say SpongeBob and other characters aren't any of those things. But there's a certain, nuance, and respect that Simon brings, you feel it whenever Simon is on screen. Despite all the emotional and psychological trauma, he'd suffered for over 1,000 years, and his depression, Fiona and Cake revitalized his selfless, compassionate spirit. By the beginning, we see the sad man that's suffered over 1,000 years of more trauma and displacement that the human mind can comprehend. But, after Fiona and Cake reminded him of the good, he is capable of, after closing one book to open another, we see the same kind soul that gave Marcy hope and joy when she'd been at her lowest.

[@psyguyyggdrasil9071]

He's also the Dr twobrains guy

[@258thHiGuy]

I saw somewhere that he said his performance on this show was the most emotionally charged voice acting he'd ever done That may sound fine until you find out that he's been acting for a little over 30 years.

[@Glace_cakes]

The most tragic thing about Simon and Betty is that it’s STILL the happiest ending for them

[@ihavenonamestilldonthaveon8970]

It's the happiest ending of the choices they made. They got the best of their horrible choices. If they did their lives better, the happiest ending for them would be happier

[@lunacy5772]

@@ihavenonamestilldonthaveon8970 I'd agree, except we literally saw a world where simon didn't find the crown. By a series of events we can assume that if simon was more thoughtful and followed betty on what she wanted too, correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure the crown wouldn't have been found in time for the war. War still waged and vampires roamed free. In a world like that the best ending would be they die together... which tbh I can see that as a happier ending. so scratch all that, you may be right if that's what you meant

[@ampersan3]

@@lunacy5772 Yeah agreed. We don't even know if they would survive the Mushroom War if ever they made different choices but it's most definitely aligning towards no. Although I'd still maintain that the current ending Simon and Betty got is still the best ending since in the process, they saved the world anyways (at the very least until pre-Shermy and Beth). We saw how Simon greatly impacted the future of Ooo, mostly through taking care of Marceline. Even if they ever did die together in the war, would they even get the chance to either "live" in the deadworld or reincarnate with the fact that Vampire World is basically Jerry world with extra steps? I can go on and on with the implications and the what ifs, but I guess not dwelling on it further's the point of Fionna and Cake. Like with Casper and Nova, they can't go backsies with their decisions; it's already set in stone. It's making the best out of our worst decisions and learning from them is what Simon definitely got in the end. He accepted how she was always going for Simon's choices and now Simon has the opportunity to make it up to her and respect her choices.

[@Schnoz42069]

*addition

[@leoultimaupgraded9914]

I’m still gonna cope that Simon and Betty end up together in the afterlife personally

[@Parzivle]

I figure Garry and Bonnie are close enough but I hope the writers realize that since Bonnie is short for Bonnibel it stands to reason that Garry is short for Gargamel

[@rosykindbunny1313]

If this doesn't become canon I'll cry

[@burnsideex5949]

It's more of an alliteration thing. Bonnie and Bubblegum start with B, so Gumball needs a G name. Thus, gary

[@anamariefalk3796]

Or it could be Garrison, either one isn’t terrible- Garrison Gumball/Gargamel Gumball/Bonnibel Bubblegum??

[@jacobpartin4553]

I second this, or call him gargoyle

[@Quackervoltz]

No

[@daelen.cclark]

I’m very glad the message isn’t “never wish or dream” like lousier media would’ve done. “Open yourself up & dream in moderation” is a much better message.

[@sofialaya596]

yeah i was impressed by that! I think it shows on how the world of fiona ended up at the end: not completly ordinary, not completly magic, just enough.

[@xXx-...--Vex--...-xXx]

to me it didn't feel like a commentary on "being a dreamer" like you would see in a disney film it felt like the entire through line concept that the entire mini series revolved around was how we consomme media and in what ways that is and isnt healthy- and how media literacy helps keep it healthy. the line cake says when she is over exerting herself to force the power fantasy not understanding anything about the film past that - she says "dont worry ive watched movies" just like how fiona first says "ive played alot of rpgs" but then that concept is directly paralleled with the only way betty is able to communicate directly with simon- through a extremely specifically curated book that ment something to the idea that she needed to have a conversation with him about but literally COULDNT without the book- thats what adulthood is all about to find the deeper themes and appreciate the world past the surface level of it so you can help make the world a better place because otherwise you cant handle the responsibilitys that come in growing up.

[@ariannasilva4462]

For me, it was "Don't change other people's dreams while reaching yours." Fiona had to learn that even if her dreams are to live in a more magical world, that isn't everyone else's choice. In the end, she gets what she wants while not changing what other people want.

[@joadarium9605]

Absolutely agreed

[@demonicthan742]

What media has EVER given the message 'Don't ever wish or dream'?

[@spooderman6312]

i love that they also show the themes of escapism with prismo and the lich of all people, prismo has been escaping by reminiscing on happier times but neglecting his responsibility, letting scarab almost delete an entire reality he created. it's only when he actually has to face the consequences of his actions that he gets out of his drunken stupor to help F and C and Simon The Lich on the other hand is kind of an example of how fantasies and dream goals are worse than they sound. we already saw that with fionna's arc but with the lich we see it in a perspective of someone who won and now literally has no purpose, just sitting in a basement all day doing nothing.

[@kennethsatria6607]

Yknow I never considered how fitting Lich's depression is to everyone else's its kind of genius, I never considered him being there any more than just tying up a loose end. But despite being machinelike in being unrelenting and ruthless, he's not a fully primordial entity, least not anymore in his undead life after being born of the comet and given sentience, and with that obviously comes the capacity of great obsession and then great depression with its loss, double that for however long he lived in the dead world (not very comparable to the time he was immobile in Prismo's Time Room).

[@lornbaker1083]

The lich winning reminds me of the concept of people who peaked too early in life. They accomplished the very thing they set out to do. But once they accomplished it, they realize there's nothing else left to do. They've done it they've won what else's Left to be done? Nothin . Once they accomplished that goal their life has no more meaning. And so they sit and Just exist in a state of stasis. Until something comes along that actually inspires them to continue to try to live. Or in the case of jerry unlive. We saw this when the Lich got to Prismos box in the first place and figured out that there was no way to really win until a certain reveal happened. Until that was revealed, the lich was more than content to just sit and essentially be nothing more than a ugly looking statue collecting dust in a corner of the room. To the point where didn't even care that people were sitting on him and taking selfies Like he was some cheap tourist attraction. I think it's comparable in the sense that they both experience the same stasis moment. Of I can't actually Do anything Right now so I will just bite my time. But the difference In my mind is the lich that destroyed his world He expected something else to happen. But it never did. So he just sat in lamentation A person who brought his own personal hell upon his own Head Simply because he was doing the very thing that He was created to do. To be perfectly honest, I can't think of a worse and yet more appropriate kind of hell. He ended up literally being the reason for his own failure. And that has a very poetic ring to it.

[@UnorthodoxIndividual]

Fionna and Cake is yet another fantastic edition to Adventure Time's canon. Honestly I wouldn't mind continuing this franchise forever if everything we get is this good. The fun will never end!

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

Adam Muto (the main dude behind the franchise now) has said theyve got a lot of ideas lined up (in fact im almost certain they pitched a Peppermint Butler spinoff before F&C), but none of the characters are as popular as our genderswapped duo so its a significantly harder sell to execs.

[@KaminoKatie]

No one's ever really gone

[@Inactivechannel-r6]

@@EnigmaticGentlemanit’s adventure time, one of CN’s most popular series ever. Anything they make is gonna sell like hotcakes. Idk why CN doesnt realize that

[@BlinksAwakening]

I'd absolutely welcome more seasons of Fionna and Cake. But I'd really love a season of Shermy and Beth as well. More Distant Lands wouldn't be bad either. I've also thought of maybe a mini-series of 'Lost Adventures' exploring stuff from within the run that we never saw like what exactly Magic Man, Betty, and Maja did to find Golb and how they accidentally brought him into Ooo; or showing us what happened to Martin after making the deal with the catalyst comet. I guess the point is, there are essentially endless ways that they could continue to keep Adventure Time going, and based on what we've already got beyond the original series, I don't think its unreasonable to believe that more will continue to come in one form or another..

[@egg_234]

​@@BlinksAwakeningHell dude, I want a whole spinoff of Shermy and Beth. I want to see MORE of future ooo 😭

[@IDK-oh3kb]

Another thing I loved about Gary and Marshall is that in episode 8 Gary saw what Simon couldn't see Gary saw that Marshall was giving up his own happiness for Gary while Simon couldn't see that the same thing was happening to Betty before he turned into Ice King. It's very neat parallels that I enjoyed seeing

[@tossoutacc9241]

I feel like Gary and Marshall are a really good example of what Simon and Betty could have been

[@comicdans7732]

God damn I didn't even pick up on that. So clever

[@JimIBobIJones]

"Cheers" isn't just about escapism, its also about belonging. The ending being called "cheers" reflects this aspect of the ending. The characters all find places that they belong, even if isn't what they want it to be or where they thought they belonged. Adventure time is all about exploring multiple perspectives on themes, and its fitting that they use the theme of "Cheers" to explore multiple concepts that tie into the sitcom.

[@B-MC]

The secret to life: comfortable shoes.

[@DanGamingFan2406]

All the trauma Simon has been through is just tragic. Man spent the past 1000 years having been turned into a mad princess kidnapping ice wizard, AND lost his fiancée because of it. And now he decideshe has to turn back too restore magic to an entire universe? That is messed up. I'm glad he was finally able to let go of his past and idealized life, find peace, and is ready to just live life. Because he knows now that it's worth living.

[@watershipup7101]

Agreed. Such a great arc.

[@phlpcockrell]

He wasn't told he has to put on the crown, he decided to do it since he'd rather have purpose as ice king and be blissfully unaware of his suffering than actually continue to suffer in lucidity.

[@scatman786]

⁠@@phlpcockrellI honestly really hated how people treated the Simon/Ice King dynamic in the earlier episodes with how they kinda kept shitting on Simon for not embracing the success of Fiona & Cake and being all happy despite everything that’s happened to him. It pushes Simon to accept Ice King more than himself because of the happiness it brings to other and how he’ll disassociate, losing the memories that haunt him & which ultimately make him up.

[@nightmarearcade2663]

To be fair though Simon never really talked to anyone about his trauma at all he straight up tells Finn he never talked to marceline about it cause he didn't want to bother her. So I can get why everyone around him acted like everything news fine cause Simon just wouldn't talk to anyone about it.

[@b1merio]

I loved the resolution for Simon and Betty with Betty basically slapping down Simon and telling him that they both made their choices and they now have to live with them. She does not need rescuing; she needs her choices to be acknowledged and respected. And he needs to move on with his life.

[@patrickripleyiii134]

It's also poignant that they both deeply loved each other , but some things aren't meant to be, that time of their lives are over. I'm just glad Betty isn't suffering

[@viridianacortes9642]

@@patrickripleyiii134in a way, I feel like maybe she likes her new purpose. She loved studying ancient religion and artifacts. Now she’s a primordial being that gets to explore and sometimes destroy the worlds and beings that inspired those artifacts.

[@taylorgabbey2371]

Not to mention that he tried to RETURN TO BEING ICE KING IN FRONT OF HER. Like, she literally devoted her life, sacrificed her sanity, and then gave up her entire existence, in order to return him to his former self, and then he was going to throw that sacrifice away because he was depressed! I do think she had reached peace with her choice to be Golb, but that's a hell of a lot of pain and suffering that he was willing to just undo right in front of her

[@unityedits3722]

@@taylorgabbey2371man when Golb started shaking behind him, I really thought we were gonna hear straight up Betty say “are you fucking serious???”

[@littlemoth4956]

@@taylorgabbey2371Think of that though, that’s completely fucked logic when you apply that dynamic to the real world. People that you help by sacrificing parts of yourself don’t owe you anything. The idea that Simon has to respect Betty’s choices about *his life* and that means not being able to make choices about *his life* is incredibly fucked up.

[@jinchuriki7022]

Its a hard message to accept. Accepting the past, living in the present, having realistic expectations of the future. Turning your reality into your idealized world is almost impossible to give up on.

[@HeavyMetalMouse]

"Realistic, but hopeful" expectations - I definitely feel like the 'hopeful' part is important. You can't expect things to be your ideal world, but you can be hopeful that your efforts today will make tomorrow better than yesterday. Such a good show

[@ThePonderer]

My only complaint about the finale is that we don’t get any “full circle” moment back in Ooo with Simon and Finn and/or Marcy.

[@misterzygarde6431]

It would’ve been fun to see Finn and Marcy react to the fact that Fionna and Cake were made by Prismo.

[@gameb9oy]

Well there is a chance they’ll get picked for more seasons, so maybe they intentionally left some threads to build off of next season

[@kennethsatria6607]

Maybe cause neither of their personal issues have been tackled yet. I mean Finn at this point was in denial over Jake, its only when he died in Together again when he could finally move on (though I reckon that was more the final temptation for him) but he has so damn long to live Im very sure he wasn't in a rush to die either. And I would like closure in seeing him live on and find other means of happiness even without Jake, either through spending time with his pups, his mom, PB, Marcy, Simon or Huntress Wizard alongside regular adventuring and helping people. There's also an elephant in the room that 1000 years into the future the Candy Kingdom's an abandoned city and neither Marceline or PB is in sight. Whatever that entails it looks like PB has fallen back into her old ways of being paranoid and obsessed with the safety and preservation of her people either out of new traumatic experience or necessity in such a barren future. Judging from the Come Along With Me intro they might still be alive and caring about one another though.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@gameb9oy Speaking of threads I wonder if the green masked bear is of any significance, like I wonder if that forest Huntress wizard showed Finn might be a no hunt zone or something, its generally a very strange looking forest and im afraid that might hurt their relationship in the way of Artemis and Orion in Greek myth.

[@ariannasilva4462]

I agree completely! I wish SOOOOO bad that we could've seen another Simon and Marcy scene.

[@GreayWorks]

I love Cheers and I’m delighted to see it get a mainstream focus more and more. It always had a underlying sadness to the show and many stories were about failed dreams or relationships that didn’t work out but also focused on small victories and compromises

[@kat6061]

That last sentence. I feel like that is the same kind of story adventure time follows. There’s so many failed relationship arcs and every episode is shit going sideways but they just take it as it comes and focus on the compromises and small victories.

[@labr4t505]

Fun Fact! the last episode of Fionna and Cake came out two days before the premiere anniversary of cheers! and personally i do NOT think that was a coincidence

[@jeremy1860]

Adventure Time was one of Cartoon Network's best creations, and this show, a spin-off made over a decade after AT's start, actually succeeding, shows just how wonderful a thing it was 😊

[@slomnim]

I hate to be that guy babbling on semantics... BUT, Cartoon Network didn't make Adventure Time. They sought to profit off of what they saw as advertising revenue from a creative product. The group itself did this, the screenwriters, directors, animators, all of them. The true heros believing in their own creative vision. That being said, yes CN put it on their air time, and we can be grateful for that. Idk, I felt like I had to shout this out because the artists themselves had a shared vision the had to. And hey, maybe CN did too hence willing to fund it. But these guys DID IT, and they did this Which is honestly legendary

[@NattyNuke]

Growing up watching adventure time, piecing together Simon’s story. That changed me, Simon never left my mind as I got older, even as the show ended, he remained my favorite character in media. When I watched the first two episodes of Fionna and Cake, I can’t say I didn’t cry. He’s such a tragic, beautiful character.

[@nandotnt5678]

Simon was such a great addition, I'm so glad they included him I was worried since he didn't get a special for distant lands since most of the important cast was present finn, Jake, bmo, marcy, pb, and Peppermint, so glad my favorite character character

[@lunacy5772]

I'm not sure what the difference in audience perception for specials and miniseries. The fact that Simon was the only one that got the miniseries in contrast to the other characters makes me think that they wanted to give him this special attention as his story still has so much to be told. Which makes me beyond happy, I love that guy, one of the few cartoon characters who I know is fiction but still feel I should say "I hope his life only gets better, he deservest it".

[@nandotnt5678]

@lunacy5772 granted no one knew at the time that fionna and cake would be a thing. But it makes me wonder can they do more with him? He got closure but how would simon live on, and did something happen cause he wasn't seen in the death worlds

[@aperson1]

@@nandotnt5678 They might not have been sure, during the production of "together again", what exactly they were going to do with his character. Fionna and Cake wasn't in production yet, and although I'm sure they had already started thinking about that sort of thing, I doubt anything was set in stone at that point. So leaving Simon out there gave them options on how to take the story.

[@SmartAfrican_]

​@@aperson1What about the King of Mars? Is he gone forever?

[@pedanticat9479]

I went into this show with pretty low expectations. Like I didn't expect this show to be bad, but I was never all that interested in the genderbent universe since genderbent AUs tend to be pretty boring. Yet not only did this show succeed my expectations, it resparked my love for Adventure Time! It also made me realize how Sonic Prime really sucks at being a show that utilizes the multiverse.

[@eatatjoes6751]

It also made me realize how the MCU wore me out on the concept.

[@cheezocheddarman7163]

I had the exact same mindset going into F&C, but watching the trailer made me more interested, and then I watched the show and...well, y'know. Also, yeah, I do like Sonic Prime, but the multiverse aspect does feel rather played out.

[@riymeep6708]

Yeah, even as a Sonic Prime fan, I never really did enjoy the way they utilized the multiverse too much. I still like the world they created, but I never really cared about them as much as the show wanted me to or felt like they were fleshed out enough. It worked in Fionna and Cake because we had familiarity with the characters and situations, but Sonic Prime sort of lacks that. Although, I do still enjoy characters from it, most obviously Nine.

[@cheezocheddarman7163]

@@riymeep6708 My thoughts exactly

[@plasma8602]

My favorite episodes were the last 3, I love the dialog in "Jerry" and the cliff hanger it left on, and then Simon slowly realizing his relationship with Betty was flawed but still a love story made the entire series bittersweet and made me love it even more!!

[@Starwarsfanboy0928]

For me, my favorite episode is either Winter King, Jerry, or the final two.

[@christinefarrell6438]

I absolutely loved the reveal that "Jerry" was the Lich! Simon freaking out meanwhile Fionna and Cake are just like "Oh he is real"

[@rchiggins2930]

I think Gary Prince was named "Gary" because his magical version was called "Prince Gumball" so since "Prince" worked as a last name, the creators then looked for a first name that started with the letter G to keep both letters of his initials.

[@christabelle__]

His first name was still Gary, there! Gary Gumball.

[@HimitsuHunter]

One thing people should remember is that in the end for all that Fiona protested against magic... her world became more magical, just in different ways than she'd ever expected. Cake became and stayed magic.

[@zevfeinstein2051]

3:16 "Tell me that Ice Powers and wanting to be happy and mindless isn't a drug" --- there you go, the whole premise for Winter King. Ice King wanted to be happy so he turned into an always-cheerful but total psychopath.

[@ninonook677]

I honestly thought cheers was going to be used as a negative aspect… but it wasn’t entirely, it was as a representation for their characters… and that teared me up

[@meta4knight]

I’d love to see adult Finn’s emotional state explored alongside the story of Finn and jakes future incarnations

[@3XC4L1B3R]

Something I picked up on after finishing the series: Every episode is some allegory for a different type of toxic trait in relationships (or, at least E2-E9). Seriously. Think about it. For a couple examples: In E2 Finn tries to help Simon, but doesn't know how and ends up obliviously causing more harm that help E5 shows toxic family. The title "Destiny" is not referring just to Little Destiny; it's their family name! All of them have this theme going, and it becomes more obvious in the last 2 episodes. I think it bears analysis by more qualified minds than my own.

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

This series (or hopefully season) has made me so happy. It's new and unique compared to the original AT and Distant Lands, but it still hits all the right AT notes (although, ironically, I would have liked an extra song or 2). It was funny and dark in all the right places, with some beautiful closure, which doesn't always happen in animated TV shows. And it still leaves the door open for more stories and adventures (I'm hoping Scarab's "dark medieval mystery" is a bit of a clue)

[@Scarshadow666]

I absolutely love how this show tackles Simon and Betty's relationship, and how they both came to terms with the decisions they've made (both of them knowing they could have made better ones), and moving on while having found renewed value within their lives. This show may only have a few miniscule swear words here and there (imo they barely count since most other kids shows have characters saying "damn" or something like that sometimes), but that plot point in Simon's character arc probably helps make this show (arguably) more mature than most adult animated shows usually are. Other adult animated shows usually use shock value (swearing, gore, political/religious commentary, etc) to just appear "adult", but Simon's character goes through mature situations and makes decisions that would have been hard for even IRL adults and I'm not just talking about the fantasy/sci-fi parts.

[@squidpizza6320]

My friend has a concept she calls the "Penelope instinct" where you trap yourself in the cycle of making art, tearing it apart, and remaking it, never finishing it, and I saw that so very clearly with Gary and the cookie recipe.

[@boshwa20]

I would've loved to see Marceline have a sit down with Simon about the crown. That would've made this show go from perfect to Even MORE PERFECT

[@Crazygamergal]

Gary is named that because in the original series the genderswapped version of bubblegum was named gumball. But they thought gumball wouldn’t make sense as a human name and felt Gary was the best alternative 😅

[@zame-osomething5096]

Technically, Gary still could be named Gumball. PB’s full name is Bonnibel Bubblegum, meaning that Gary’s last name could still be Gumball. His name being Gary could also contribute to the fact that Gary Gumball has alliteration just like Bonnibel Bubblegum too.

[@christabelle__]

His name was (Prince) Gary Gumball, so he became Gary Prince as a normal guy!

[@zame-osomething5096]

Oh, his last name is Prince? Dang@@christabelle__

[@pajamapantsjack5874]

Fionna became one me of my favorite adventure time characters ever after this. Extremely relatable for me.

[@scootie_scoot]

winter king def felt like a return to classic Fionna and cake. Cute gay moments, Fionna kicking ass and saving a hot prince, but then also the twists and nightmare fuel of the original series

[@krdt1111]

Fionna and cake was so fun and I’m glad it exists because I was really hurting for good tv shows to watch

[@BlinksAwakening]

It's also worth noting that in the Distant Lands special BMO, there is a MO that is singing the theme to Fraiser. And of course, Fraiser is a spinoff of Cheers. I'm not entirely sure if there is much more to be said about a connection there, but it is interesting that the only 2 theme songs you ever hear within Adventure Time are directly related.

[@yotsubafanfan]

Marceline once sang the theme to Mr. Belvedere, so that's in the Adventure time canon too.

[@BrandonJames2016]

This was such a great show and season. It had tiny flaws but it’s mainly positive. I had sm fun watching it and seeing it made for more mature audiences made it great. I hope we get another season cause it was really impactful from teasing the future of ooo to seeing the characters again how they are doing after distant land specials. Once again adventure time always knows how to bring up things from the past like the red light flashing into ice kings head to be revealed it was prismo doing that and the universe where everyone died being the wish the Lich made during the season 5 premiere to show it did actually happen and not undone like we thought it did.

[@0852657luis]

Im glad this spin off didn't come out during their debut. It would have been so much worse.

[@ammonite0257]

What?

[@slashermaster28]

Seriously, it would have just been Simon’s fanfic and nothing else if that happened.

[@cliffturbo2146]

​@@ammonite0257I think he means the Fionna and Cake episode in the main series.

[@B-MC]

As someone who grew up in the 90's and watched Cheers with my dad (who is gone now), and has adhd so binge-rewatches it frequently, this hits hard.

[@savlassa7752]

Fionna and Cake was an absolutely brilliant show, and came out at a very important time in my life. I'm happy to have been able to see this show.

[@Dabathhouse]

Thank you for making an analysis on the iconic sitcom theme song that introduced me all the way back from the episode "Simon and Marcy" that ended being part of not only Adventure Time lore with thematically of escapism and symbolically with Simon's arc and this sequel narratively after the finale. After watching Simon and Marcy, my friend told me about how Fraiser is a spin off sequel to Cheers, which blew my mind. That end song was referenced in Distant Lands with BMO. I'm glad it came full circle with Fionna and Cake.

[@bigred6884]

After watching 4 seasons of cheers it’s so odd but fitting as all the characters were losers and sad sacks who’s lives never really went anywhere but still found ppl in common. Cheers wasn’t afraid to smack these characters in face with a healthy dose of reality

[@daelen.cclark]

After looking up more about Garry Marshall; Garry’s show, Happy Days, also has nostalgia of the 50’s as a method of escapism from the 70’s. It connects on so many levels, even if by accident.

[@Kisai_Yuki]

There is a suggestion it will be multiple seasons simply because it's labeled as "Season 1" on Spotify and iTunes, and stuff. Fionna and Cake, admittedly is the "adventure time" I wanted to see since AT S3, where the first episode happened. Not simply "Rule 63" AT, but a fully fleshed out serial story. Because it exists within the lore of the original AT universe that gives it a pre-established audience and lore that doesn't need to be re-explained, or re-tread. Now, as for where a S2 could go, I want to see some of what we saw in musical montage of the first episode. I want to see why and the consequences of the magical "depowering" of things Fionna and Cake have touched, and I want to see some aspects of AT that could never be explored in the AT prime universe because Finn just was too gung-ho to finish an adventure in 11 minutes.

[@UmQasaann]

I'll always be an Adventure Time, I remember seeing the first Adventure Time promo back in early 2010 when that little boy cosplaying Finn yelling "What time is it? What time is it? What time is it?" I thought the show was going to suck really hard but holy shit Adventure Time is one of my favorite shows of all time in Cartoon Network!

[@geardog24]

While I’m glad Simon finally learned to move on, but it would be nice to see another version of Simon and Betty who are happy together.

[@TheWaverunners]

I mean, we kind of did, he gets that last fantasy moment with Betty for closure of him getting on the bus with Betty.

[@BobbinRobbin777]

Well... Since the only thing keeping such a wish from ending up true, and the sign on the bus implies that Betty might've abandoned godhood as GOLB to become another catalyst... Maybe we can start seeing some alternate Bettys show up here and there? _maybe?_ **huffs copium**

[@strategist9]

My respect for Adventure Time continues to grow. Seeing so many other shows start to fizzle out with time, it's really inspiring to see Adventure Time continue to grow. It isn't afraid to change things up and grow up with its audience, but it still keeps a lot of the original charm. That dig at Futurama in here feels pretty poignant. Every time Futurama comes back, it feels largely like diminishing returns, but Adventure Time keeps finding interesting stories to tell and characters to explore. Nothing lasts forever of course (especially with how things are going at Warner Bros/Discovery) but I could almost see Adventure Time going for quite a while more.

[@UlyssesPSC]

when I say Jerry actually sent a chill down my spine when I finally realized what was coming next and then heard Ron Pearlman mutter ***"Cease."*** I SCREAMED

[@zaniq23]

I don't know how intentional it was but the fact that the portal to F&C is through the back of Simon's head seemed a reference to the revelation in Cheers that Sam/Ted Danson had been wearing a toupee the entire time.

[@2011supergamer]

Cheers works incredibly well, as the one specific real world connection Adventure Time has. I kinda thought it was weird in Simon and Marcy but now that it's come full circle, it makes it a lot more impactful in retrospect. Simon wants to maintain a small, nostalgic connection to something he associates with normalcy as his life is thrown out of balance. Not to mention, as someone who wasn't sure what it was when it first aired when I was 12, it feels very much like an "Ask your parents" thing, something they would probably comment on if they heard it in the episode. I think a lot of kids around my age probably had a similar experience when that episode aired. I remember vividly my mom commented on it and started describing what Cheers was to me when she heard it in that episode. Which, intentional or not, really aided the themes of growing up and accepting responsibility AT has explored for a while, but are further emphasized here in Simon's almost parental role over Fionna's world as a whole, nearly sacrificing his own humanity to save it, before being told by Golbetty that it's okay to simply move on and let something not be your responsibility anymore, and focus on yourself for a while. Thats something that I, personally, have a had a lot of discussions with my mom about heading into adulthood and this message couldn't have come at a better time for me. Surely not coincidental, Betty is named after Penn Ward's mom. This might kind of conflict with your reading of it in a few ways, but that's exactly what I love about art like this.

[@SuperVideowatcher01]

If they make a season 2 I’d love to see Fionna helping the rest of her town dealing with the weirdness that came into existence but having trouble, cause I can assume not everyone is going to like a talking stretchy cat or a giants fire ball serving drinks, and needs Simon’s help in trying to figure out a way for people to be happy

[@КатяКалинина-х6м]

Yeah. Monkey Paw effect. Or, in my case, "The Law of the Boomerang". It's means "The good or evil you have done will come back to you".

[@belltowersubductions5104]

Fionna and Cake is, in my opinion, a perfectly tied up knot of a story. The main characters had their arcs and had satisfying conclusions. I wouldn't complain if there was more, but only as long as their character arcs remain intact.

[@Isabella-xe1bh]

This essay made me realize that the themes of Fionna and cake went over my head, great work!

[@imberribored]

Simon and Betty having closure really made me cry. It was bittersweet. :')

[@mesousagaby740]

PB's rule 63 self is named "Gary" because calling him "Prince" as an actual name would have been awkward, really.

[@christabelle__]

No, it's because his full name when we meet him in AT as an actual Prince, is Gary Gumball. As a human, gumball doesn't fit though, as you said!

[@Malevolence460]

Probably get sued too lmao

[@cheezocheddarman7163]

As I watched Fionna & Cake for myself, I was amazed by how layered it is overall, how polished it felt with its character development with otherwise already developed characters, *the lineless artstyle number in The Winter King*, etc. So much to appreciate about this show, and although I think it's best to have watched Adventure Time before hand (I was lucky enough to have watched it all earlier this year besides Distant Lands, lol), it's great to see people who HAVEN'T check out this show and appreciate it nonetheless because despite what I just said, Fionna & Cake, like you said in the video, stands on its own. On that same note, I do hope we get more from this show, but if we don't, it does wrap things up quite nicely and I'm okay with that.

[@Xylophytae]

Its always more fun to hang out at a friends place but home is still home

[@joeyburkhart6602]

Gary name theory: Gary’s name in og Fionna and Cake is Prince Gumball. It’s also worthy to note that Princess Bubblegum’s real name is Bonnie. Bubblegum = Bonnie Gumball = Gary

[@tiablue9106]

I heard that prince gumball's real name was either bubba or barnabas but idk if it was confirmed anywhere... I guess they just wanted to give him a name starting w/ a hard "g"

[@daelen.cclark]

This show had a great love for Cheers (and Frasier in the DL BMO special). Maybe the nostalgia for those shows helps the writers understand/write the subtext better.

[@bor_daruniversal]

I think Jerry has to be my favorite episode. It just had all those emotional and call back hits.

[@JesseBakerH]

God this video really highlights how good Fionna and Cake is. Even though it was a short series it gave us so much to sink our teeth into.

[@DaFazGuy]

I’m so happy to see that more people are gonna be introduced to Cheers thanks to this show

[@171QA]

I love the subplot with Marshall Lee and Gary.

[@flawedandnotperfect]

All I know is Fionna and Cake was CANON and I loved it 🗣️

[@stilljamming]

This was amazing. Adventure Time had ended right around when I was becoming a teenager, had some specials while I was in high school and now that I'm starting university it came back for one more spin I could easily call my favorite project from the series.

[@Soynereh]

Loved following week to week rather than the whole thing at once.

[@werst9]

I thought Fionna and cake was just going to be ok alt universe Adventure Time and I was fine with that concept alone, but what we got was something way beyond that. If they ever bring back any of the other big animated series I hope that they get this more mature growing with the fans treatment. This and Spiderverse broke through my multiverse fatigue(seriously though after Spiderverse 3 can we stop for like 10 years on multiverse stuff)

[@BonusDuckie]

I'm super late to the party but I adore how Simon is 'suicidal' in a less self harm kind of way and more in a 'just waiting to die' sense. I feel like so many people nowadays just survive and Betty giving him a second chance, while Simon just let it slip slowly was an amazing way to show how depression SOMETIMES is not only thinking ahout how to take your own life, but rather, neglecting on living it. When Fionna leaves, she doesn't care about anyone else, she just complains about her own life and her friends, because they care about her, support her, but the moment she comes back, she has learnt how supporting others is what a true hero does. Kinda makes me realize how selfish Finn is. I love him but he's not a hero, he's an adventurer which is good for him!

[@Sparkbomber]

It's a fantastic series with severe mature themes decorated with the sheer joy of animated potential.

[@averagejackssimshack241]

I watched the entirety of Cheers couple years before getting into Adventure Time. Brought to absolute tears in the first showing of references to the show.

[@bowenorcutt78]

Here's a bit of a philosophical... dilemma? I came up with after the part where Fionna talks about "At least we'll die as ourselves." What does themselves even mean, for her, and her world? I mean, the world they were originally created into has been completely erased and replaced with the one we see in the start of the series, all their experiences and lives forgotten just like the current iteration's would have been. Which is more "real?" Is this version more valid just because it's the current one?

[@dr.blockcraft6633]

Imo, They are Both equally Real. however, Everyone in The more Magic version, Is effectively Already dead. She would Have to Make the Active choice To, in Effect, murder Every person In that World, to Bring back Every person Who previously Died. And there Was no Guarantee that Just restoring Simon's magic Would "restore" Everyone. It could Of corrupted Everyone, ala Fionna's nightmare. The devil You know, Is better Than the Devil you Don't. It would Be one Thing if Everyone agreed To "change Back," but It's not Fionnas choice To make. In addition, While simon May be Miserable as Simon, he Can still Get help. As ice King, he Really can't. Thus, "restoring Everyone" would Requiring sacrificing N+1 people where N is The lives She has To kill. Thus, in A utilitarian Sense, morally, It's better If she Doesn't "restore Everyone"

[@bowenorcutt78]

@@dr.blockcraft6633 I agree, that is all an excellent way of putting it.

[@fukurinn2272]

When we get another AT project I hope Simon is just part of the gang now, as the only thing I felt was missing here was more interaction with the cast which I get was neccessary for the story, but I still want to see him and Marcy share an aventure again with no big stakes, just daddy daugther fun

[@LuigiXHero]

I was hoping we'd see the gang freaking out when Simon came back after being missing for a while.

[@КатяКалинина-х6м]

Why we missed this??!!

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Fionna and Cake is the best Animated things of 2023. Makes me excited for more Adventure Time Spin-Offs and a F&C S2?

[@sadgirlhrz]

plssssss i'm so in love with simon he's the love of my lifeeeee ugh

[@jorgecamacho1386]

wonder if Fionna and Cake is a therapy session for all to see looking back on their life and moving on 🤔

[@sargentuniverse2254]

Guess all the theme based on "escapism" its pretty neat tbh, hope Fionna now that she understood the value of her world she could hang out in other universes sometimes 🤧💚

[@RyZGuy53]

I haven’t seen this show, and when I saw this thumbnail I was flabbergasted

[@AllFiery]

I just remembered that Simon's heart right now is literally made out of maracas and toffee.

[@RemillaScarlet]

The way you explained everything makes me so happy! finally someone said it. I've seen so many complain that the fantasy didn't come true. Like I get it, I wanted to get the happy ending with simon and betty more than anything, but the way this show explored the concept of letting go wakes something up in me that I cannot bring into words. As someone who has problems of letting go this show showed, that even if I'm now stuck and it feels like I should just keep my mind in the fantasy there is was to get over your trauma. And the loved ones that cannot be get back no matter how much I would want them back. I like the fanfics and the art where I can get the escape fantasy but this show handled this topic 9/10 and I can't wait to get this as physical copy. And the creators left few bred crums to add if they wanted to continue the story. Maybe it'll have amazing story and is as touching as this one or maybe it'll be just fan-servise but I want it either way.

[@RedUmbre]

The fact that fionna cake and simon are all technically the same characters from the at pilot is funny to me. How it started vs how its going meme

[@dommydom8673]

loved everything about this series. Just want more of this stuff from the adventure time crew. I wish we got to see Simon talk to Marcy about his adventure with Fionna and Cake, and a little more appearances from the OG cast, but that kinda stuff I could take or leave. Im still very happy this even happened.

[@scraub8913]

"I really love how we finally got a season with just Simon being Simon" It really was everything I was wanting, and more to be honest.

[@jackofclubs6229]

Wait, did people not get the reference that Marceline is nicknamed “The Star” because of the Tarot naming scheme that the Vampire King and his crew used? The Fool, the Moon, The Heirophant, the Empress? The Star is just an addition to that naming scheme.

[@Sub_Giga_Chad]

I couldn't ask for more ahahah my genuine reaction to the fionna and cake series

[@justingillespie8417]

just saw this for the first time. you're a gem! i rather needed this explained

[@SangritaBlastme]

brilliant breakdown. brought up a bunch of points and connections i never thought of!

[@ssjseifer]

"But I do feel vindicated" is possibly my favourite line of the entire spinoff.

[@10Bendog]

I have so many feelings about Fionna and Cake, and just the franchise as a whole, but I can summarize them all in one sentence: Man, I'm so glad I grew up with Adventure Time!

[@kenjiveolante8534]

Honestly didnt think id like the series but it has given me so much appreciation for Simon as a character and in my opinion, the most human. Such a tragic and well developed character.

[@keyofdawson]

I think one of the reasons the winter king episode was so good is that it perfectly encapsulated the dangers of escapism. This world seemed so perfect for everyone, including the audience. Ice king was both magical and happy. Fionna got to be a badass, insane bubblegum was so interesting and fun. If we could just pretend that bubblegum and her creations deserved what they got, all of "our" characters could be happy. It was familiar yet new and of course, to good to be true.

[@hroland]

this was so well written

[@Nerd704]

I think he's named Gary because he was named "Gumball" but that's not a 20th century name. And well they wanted something that started with G. He kept the Prince title by making it his last name. Although maybe Prince Gumball's name was always Gary Gumball like PB's name is Bonnibel Bubblgum.

[@jonaspaliskis294]

The music you picked fits so much

[@maneoj46]

Also an answer: Tom Kenny (Ice King/Simon's VA) loved the show when he was younger, so at some point i guess they decided to put in a in joke to that

[@goober3889]

It’s crazy that Simon Petrikov and SpongeBob are voiced by the same person

[@BugsyFoga]

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.

[@TRIassicFORCE151]

why did i become so emotional listening to a 15 min essay

[@taxman3749]

It's nice to see a character actually struggle, lose, fail, but get back up. I'm going to try and watch the show.

[@nicoleflores2054]

This frabchise itself is perfect, the moment i started watching this show when it came out, my love for AT has never died and the franghise itself will either as well

[@RedBloodPivot]

My fav episode was Jerry, just cus I'm a sucker for the Simon and Betty flashbacks, and the song was so beautiful

[@lumenlkpo1808]

At the beginning, I didnt like the finale pretty much, but after watching this and getting a bit of eye-opening realization with the connections to cheers, I will give it another chance and rewatch the show with a new perspective, great video!

[@wallywallace2184]

Simon and marcy was actually my introduction to the cheers theme song and I didn't know it was the theme song to a different show. In fact, I didn't know cheers was a show at the time.