Adventure Time is a brilliant show filled with oddball lands and characters that are sure to leave you thinking “what the heck did I just watch?” What’s so wonderful is once you look beyond its wild and trippy storyline, a deeper meaning lies within each episode. Let me throw a few good ones your way.
20. Thank You (Season 3 Episode 17)
This episode is easily one of the lightest and sweetest of the series. It doesn’t star Finn and Jake, but they do still appear in it. Ice King steals the boys sandwiches and has trapped them in an ice sculpture. Meanwhile, the plushy Snow Golem finds that one of the Fire Pups has jumped into his basket.
It’s a heartwarming little episode as the snowman tries everything he can to help the little guy get comfortable. Due to him being ice and the dog being fire, they both continue unintentionally hurting each other. Your heart kind of melts while watching the two contrasting characters bond.
What’s great about it too is the fact that the camera flashes to Finn and Jake trying to escape Ice Kings trap. The Golem sneaks back and forth gathering resources while trying to avoid them at all costs. In the end, the Pup is returned to his lava skinned family and Finn and Jake finally break free.
The Snow Golem is saddened while Finn and Jake escape and eat their sammies on top of Ice King. From afar they notice a Fire Wolf and Snow Golem are hugging and playing. Even though the two are supposed to hate each other, they've found peace. Finn, Jake, and Ice King contemplate this friendship and reflect on their own relationship with one another.
19. Blank-Eyed Girl (Season 7 Episode 19)
They are downright freaky. Long black hair, white dresses, and vacant eyes begin caving in on Finn and Jake. If I were a kid I would for sure be having some major anxiety followed by nightmares. Everyone loves a good scare, and this episode is flooded with unsettling, creepy vibes.
Our heroes try to rid the girls with things like nice music, the gaze of a chicken, and even suggest they follow vampire rules and can not enter unless invited in. Each attempt proves wrong. BMO always seems to have reasonable solutions as he suggests the girls only exist because people think they do.
Finn is able to un-think of them, but Jake struggles. Watching the girls crowd all around Jake is seriously unnerving. You can quite literally feel his fear. Jake stops fighting and admits the blank-eyed ladies are freaky.
Now we get into the depth of the episode's weirdness. It's quite like something out of the exorcist as the girls eyeballs pop out and they rotate their heads until they too fall off. Their clothes fall off too to unveil a ghostly, lifeless entity with no face. It seems their haunt is over and they evaporate into the sky. This one is almost guaranteed to leave you speechless.
18. To Cut A Women’s Hair
The tree witch claims her butt will suck Jake up into it forever if Finn doesn’t acquire the locks of a Queen. Obviously Finn can’t lose Jake to a butt, so he sets off.
This episode is cool because we get to see numerous princesses and their kingdoms. Muscle Princess is Finn's first hope. She thinks he’s crushing on her when he asks for her hair and Finn quickly devised a plan that results in the veiny Princess punching him.
Lumpy Space Princess is his next hope, but also believes Finn is in love with her. She gets defensive, demanding he “puts a ring on it” before getting her lumps. In another failed attempt our hero ends up in a graveyard to find Princess Beautiful is merely a skeleton now with no hair.
Finally we visit Princess Bubblegum who ends up handing over a lock of her pink hair. The witch dismisses the offering stating it’s only bubblegum. Not all hope is lost as Finn reveals his luscious blonde hair from under his hat. Honestly this was exciting as we never get to see Finn without his hat.
This episode is quite a royal trip. It’s super fun to get a glance at some of the interesting Princesses that live in the kingdom. Not only that, but we get to see Finn in all his long-haired glory.
17. Ghost Princess (Season 3 Episode 24)
Adventure time does such a great job incorporating drab and gloomy settings. We get to spend a little while in a cemetery inhabited by skeletons, ghouls, and demons. As the trio search for clues of Ghost Princess’ death, they come across Clarence who the Princess finds familiar and attractive.
The audience gets to go along on the hunt and try to piece it altogether. It’s actually quite engaging as if you’re in the show helping Finn and Jake on the mission. Shockingly, Clarence turns out to be Ghost Princesses murderer and she recalls her death and disappears to the dead realm.
Now poor Clarence is doomed further into purgatory until he finds out his killer. By now we’re all angry at Clarence who claims his “life is like a fart.” The dude died by eating a whole batch of canned cheese. Now that’s a death I’m sure he doesn’t want to be remembered for.
16. Beyond this Earthly Realm (Season 4 Episode 11)
Disgusting, slimy, and stinky creatures inhabit the spirit realm. Finn is able to see Jake and BMO, but they can’t see him. BMO lets out a robotic fart because apparently Finn thinks it’s funny and so do the sick viewers watching.
Ice King is Finn's only hope to get out of the spirit realm. His “wizard eye” allows him to see the realm, but the critters can’t touch him. Ice King is known for tricking the boys and informs Finn the only way back is to rid all the creatures including a freaky rolling eyeball. Whose brilliant mind is able to conjure up such unnerving entities?
It’s easy to say most have a love/hate relationship with the king, so when he gets trapped in the spirit realm as well, fans jump for joy. Eventually the two break the lamb and they’re set free. There’s just something so disgustingly satisfying about watching sloppy beasts wreck chaos.
15. Her Parents (Season 2 Episode 12)
He could just be himself and hope for the best, but what fun would that be? Jake disguises himself as a rainicorn and Finn agrees to be his servant. The rainicorn race is such a delight to withhold. Any episode with her in it adds a lightness to your heart.
This episode has a little bit of everything. As Jake continues his lie, Finn is forced to help him enact rainicorn-like actions such as flying and engaging in odd games. Their friendship is put to the test, but their brotherly love always wins in the end.
Dinner time rolls around and Lady’s parents are excited, thinking they’re going to feast on Finn. I’d say he’s a bit too raw, but the two insist. Heroically, Jake reveals he is a dog and protects his man friend. Sounds like it’s the end for Lady and Jake-nope!
The two confess their love for dogs and apologize for wanting to munch on Finn. Instead, the gang happily chews and swallows some soy people. Relax, it’s vegan- not real human meat!
14. All the Little People (Season 5 Episode 5)
The thing about Adventure Time is it heavily messes with your mind. Though the episodes are full of mischief, color, and whim; they possess deep underlying messages. That’s exactly what “All the Little People” portrays.
Finn plays around with the tiny characters and essentially creates their reality. He purposefully makes mini-Jake and Lady Rainicorn breaks up, initiating a love spark between Finn and Lady. He creates weird scenarios between the mini people.
Mini-Marceline finds enjoyment in licking Peppermint Butler while mini-Turtle Princess spanks mini-Xergiox. Whoever scripts the show is a wizard of weirdness. Finn becomes obsessed with the minis and wastes weeks upon weeks essentially ruining their lives.
He gets lost in an imaginary world and forgets his duties as a human. It’s interesting to watch the minis engage with other minis they would never come across in real life. The whole episode is a time warp where Finn plays god.
Eventually Finn realizes he’s wasting his life and wrecking chaos for the poor miniature villagers. It kind of goes along with a spiritual meaning of our realities as humans and pondering on the thought of a higher being. It’s actually a lot more thought provoking than you think.
13. Incendium (Season 3 Episode 26)
Everyone likes a good love story. After all, Finn is a young teenage boy so he’s bound to dabble in the art of love. Jake is too good of a friend when he journeys to the fierce Fire Kingdom to try and win over Flame Princess.
Jake puts on a beautiful concoction of chaos for the King. He utilizes his stretching ability to form “Finn” who claims he likes Flame Princess. The King only accepts this Finn form when he kills Jake. Hate to break it to you- Flame Princess is supposedly evil.
Jake was supposed to find a nice girl, but instead releases a beautiful, destructive monster. The Princess chases after Jake and sets their house on fire. We all feel Finn's pain as he’s too heartbroken to notice the fire.
Lo and behold Flame Princess is hit by liquid and passes out in Finn's arm. When she awakes she slaps him leaving a mark while Finn claims he now has a crush. This episode really caters to the emotional rollercoaster we feel when we're in love. It’s a nice change from the absurdity of the show.
12. Guardians of Sunshine (Season 2 Episode 16)
Finn and Jake trick BMO into sending them inside an amazing 3D video game. The episode is just super fun to watch because the animation is designed to replicate a video game. Our heroes quickly realize the game holds much more of a threat in real life.
As they go about the game, they lose their lives easily by falling into lava pits and getting smashed by big bosses. Bouncy Bee, Hunny Bunny, and Sleepy Sam appear much bigger and more terrifying up close versus on a screen.
The boy and dog fail to perform their combo moves and trick shots, realizing without a controller it’s near impossible. It kind of puts you on edge as if you were inside the game being defeated as well. You know when you’re a kid playing a difficult game and all you want to do is smash the console?
Jake does exactly that. He rips a hole in BMO enabling the two to escape, but also releasing the monsters. Now the game has actually become real. The bosses admit all they wanted was to get to the sunlight in the real world.
After watching Jake almost being swallowed by Sleepy Sam in reality, I’m sure no one wishes to be transported into their favorite game. Finn slays the beasts and peace is restored. BMO rightfully performs the combo move on Finn relaying his anger for their carelessness. Even heroes admit to defeat sometimes.
11. The Limit (Season 2 Episode 22)
The heroes are put to the ultimate test where their abilities are quite literally stretched to the limit. The labyrinth makes it clear that there is “No Cheating Or You DIE.” Clever Jake proposes the idea of attaching his legs to a tree and stretching them through the maze.
Anxiety is at an all time high here as Jake’s body becomes thinner as they progress. The creators of the series honestly do so well in projecting the characters emotions onto the audience.
Watching Jake become weaker and weaker definitely sets you on edge. Finn recommends they turn back like a good friend, but the greedy hot dog warriors cheer Jake on to keep going. It’s filled with awesome traps and villains having fans question whether or not Jake will make it.
Knowing the two brave boys, they push on hoping to reach the end to have their wishes granted. At the beginning of the episode, they wish upon a star for an Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant. Now that’s something you only get to see once in a lifetime, so even fans are rooting for Jake to keep going at this point.
With no surprise the gang makes it to the end, but Jake is at death's door. A strange wizard Aquandrius greets them ready to grant their wishes. The Hot Dog Knights are so adorable, but highly idiotic. Two of them end up blowing up while one asks for a box. It appears there’s no way out of the horrific maze when Jake wishes for a sandwich.
You’ve got to love our heroes' stupidity sometimes. Here we get to experience the brilliant Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant, finally. The two mount the elephant and escape happily while leaving fans envious of their amazing new gift.
10. Simon and Marcy (Season 5 Episode 14)
There are numerous episodes that include Marceline and Ice Kings odd history. Marcy has always had a soft spot for Ice King, leaving Finn and Jake curious as to why. Marceline reluctantly recalls a specific memory of her and Ice King from 996 years ago.
It’s super weird to see Ice King as a human being and Marceline as a kid. The episode proves the depth and detail the producers put into creating the characters and story. Little Marcy and Simon (Ice King) seem to be the only survivors of the Great Mushroom War.
Watching Simon keep care and entertain young Marecline completely switches your perspective about him. Everyone wonders why he’s so evil and angry all the time. Well, the proof is in his crown.
As Marceline continues her recollection of the memory, we understand it’s Ice King's crown that has morphed him into a villain. The two encounter disgusting, slimy creatures and Simon's only way to protect Marcy is for him to use the crown's powers.
Whenever he places it on his head, he forgets who he and Marceline are and goes bonkers. It’s honestly quite touching for die hard fans. As much as the audience learns to dislike the Ice King, a whole new light is shed on him in Simon and Marcy.
9. Freak City (Season 1 Episode 20)
Early on we can already see Adventure Time is going to be one heck of a show. Magic Man appears here and there throughout episodes, whisking up strange pranks on the villagers. The boys help Magic Man only for him to trick them thus turning Finn into a giant foot.
Already, everyone is cracking up and excited to see what the heck is going to happen. Jake thinks Finn “footery” is amazing and insists he’ll be better at fighting crime. This theory proves wrong when the two try to save the Rump People, but Finn is rejected by them and thrown off a bridge.
Finn and Jake then meet an unlikely gang of disassembled body parts. It’s just so bizarre you can’t help but be delighted and freaked out. Finn and the severed body parts realize they can form a strong working human vessel. It’s a bit disturbing to watch the asymmetrical body come together, but they end up defeating the Magic Man.
Once they return to their normal human selves, they realize they liked it better as anatomical forms. It’s not all about weird and impractical story lines, the show always has some morals. This episode's lesson is to never help Magic Man because he is a jerk.
8. Rainy Day Daydream (Season 1 Episode 23)
Creativity and originality is one thing that Adventure Time does not fall short of. The very idea of there being a knife storm is completely out of this world. This is a fun episode that will put a whole new spin on building indoor forts and pretending the floor is lava. Jake begins imagining crazy things and they actually begin to happen in real life.
Jake’s imagination runs completely rampant as he imagines insane things that are invisible to the boy's eyes. Their mission is to reach the imagination machine to shut off Jake’s imagination and restore peace to their treehouse.
This is such a fun episode as it unlocks that childlike sense of fantasy for the audience. All sorts of obstacles stand in the way of the imagination machine. Finn must slay ghosts, poisonous fountains, trolls, and cute girls. He can’t see any of these things, but he can feel the pain that each barrier inflicts.
It will turn the gears inside your head and send you on an invisible mission of your own. Finn finally turns off the machine causing Jake to become horrible and dull without his imagination. Finn is forced to ignite his own imaginary powers to create a new machine and turn Jake’s personality back on.
Honestly this is such a wonderful episode about the power and importance of imagination. No matter how old you are, anything can be made possible if you believe in the power of it. Finn and Jake always know how to stir up excitement while creating fantastic new made up worlds.
7. The Hall of Egress (Season 7 Episode 24)
This episode is just altogether a nightmare. The cartoon's eerie visuals and scenery pulls viewers into the show making you feel as if you were adventuring along with Finn and Jake. It’s highly anxiety- provoking as Finn finds himself trapped in a cave with no way out.
He must navigate his way through paths and doors looking for a way out. Each time he thinks he’s escaped, when he opens his eyes he’s back at the entrance of the Hall of Egress. It really messes with your head and is frustrating to watch.
Finn continues this cycle of exiting the cave only to find himself back at the entrance everytime his eyes open. Upon exiting the cave, he refuses to open his eyes in fear of being transported back to the hall. It feels like some sort of dimensional purgatory.
One night he heads out (eyes closed) assured things will never change. He drags on through thick forests until yet again he reaches the entrance of the Hall. This time, the passage is open allowing him to escape back into reality. Finally, we can let out a sigh of relief and pray to God that something like this never happens to us.
6. It Came From the Nightosphere (Season 2 Episode 1)
Marcy has always looked out for herself due to the absence of her parents. Here we get a little background history about Mareclines stained relationship with her dad. Also, some sick beats and tunes are belted out by the vampire queen who is also a pretty radical musician.
Finn stupidly sets Hunson Abadeer free whose only objective is to suck the souls of the citizens of Ooo. It’s pretty gruesome to watch the vampire King go around the town sinking his teeth morbidly into the villagers. It’s dark, gross, and horrendously awesome.
If you want to be highly disturbed and entertained, this episode is the winner. Finn attempts to slay Abadeer, initiating him to morph into a grotesque creature. Finn plunges his sword into the king's head causing him to scream revealing his true form. Who knew vampires had butt shaped heads with elongated mouths lined with razor sharp teeth and tentacles?
Lovers of all things sick and twisted will get a major kick out of watching this horrible transformation. Never underestimate the power of music- apparently it soothes demon vampires.
Finn plays one of Marceline's songs which calms her dad down enabling Finn to banish him back to the Nightosphere. This episode takes daddy issues to a whole new level.
5. The Lich (Season 4 Episode 26)
Any episode where the Lich makes an appearance is bound to leave you feeling empty and hollow. Finn has a nightmare about his friend Billy and the evil Lich. He and Jake visit Billy to assure he’s alright.
This is one of the more complex episodes that involves space, time, and dimensional portals. It’s a real trip as we get to dive into the uncomprehending existence of alternate universes. Billy informs the two that they must acquire the gems from all the princesses to defeat the Lich.
They obey him and do so, but it’s quite clear Billy is acting strange. The Enchiridion is found in Billy’s bag revealing slots for the crystals to power the book and open up the Time Room ruled by Prismo.
It’s pretty neat we get to dive into a black hole and visit cool creatures such as the Cosmic Owl and Prismo. These characters play an important role in previous and upcoming episodes, so it’s pretty important to take note. Once at the Candy Kingdom, Princess Bubblegum tells the boys the Lich is Billy in disguise.
We’re sucked into a dark abyss with Finn where he comes face to face with the Lich who has ram-like horns and a skeletal face with black eyes. It’s just god awful and will leave a horrific sour feeling in your stomach.
The Lich makes for one heck of a villain and will have your heart beating with just one glance. His evil plot continues in the next episode forcing viewers to click the next button and encounter more darkness and evil.
4. Susan Strong (Season 2 Episode 18)
It’s exciting to finally get a glimpse of human life forms in the show. This is only the beginning of Finn's complex origin story. He and Jake stumble upon an underground cave filled with other humans who also have animal hats placed atop their heads, much like Finn.
Finn and Jake take the leader, Susan, to the surface world and teach her the ways of life. She’s like a big woman-child, afraid of everything she encounters. It’s nice to see Finn has finally found one of his own species and he excitedly takes her to the Candy Kingdom.
Adventure Time is known for its twisted plots and schemes. Susan begins feasting on Peppermint Butler, thinking it’s alright as he is delicious. Finn scolds her, but her small brain doesn’t comprehend the message and she recruits her underground people to join in on the yummy feast.
What human doesn’t go bonkers for candy? Well, it turns out Susan and her “humans” are really mutated fish people. Poor Finn is distraught by this discovery and when asked if she’s really human, Susan scurries away.
Not all hope is lost. Jake reassures him that “we’re all wild animals” allowing Finn to ponder the fact there might still be other humans out there. It makes us question our own human/animal nature.
3. No One Can Hear You (Season 3 Episode 5)
Who would’ve thought that a simple deer would be the downfall of our valiant champions. Finn awakes in the hospital confused with no sign of another life form. He finds Jake on the abandoned candy streets who is convinced the residents are planning a surprise party and are hiding.
Clearly Jake has lost his mind as he tells Finn he’s been waiting for six months. It’s super eerie and there’s this wave of impending doom that courses through you. This is no one's idea of a peaceful “alone day.”
The stag appears again and Finn follows him to a sewer where he hears the cries of the Candy folk. At this point we all want to slap the heck out of Jake. He’s got his mind set on the idea that at any moment the Candy people are going to jump out and start a party.
The empty streets are dirty and in ruins resembling something like an apocalypse. It kind of sets you on edge hoping the duo will figure out what happened. Finn flees into the sewer finding the Candy People stuck to the walls by a gooey orange substance. It’s sickening in all the best ways.
The magnificent deer is revealed as the culprit of the mysterious Candy Kingdom disappearance. An alarming look will most likely be plastered on your face when the critter stands up and removes his front hooves revealing hands. It turns out all the little guy wanted was some sweet sugar in exchange for a sour feeling in your stomach.
2. Sky Witch (Season 5 Episode 29)
Adventure Time keeps its episodes fresh and fun by having the audience follow different characters. Marcy and Bubblegums history is referenced in previous episodes, but the full depth of their relationship is never clearly exhibited.
Maja the Sky Witch has taken one of Marcelines most prized possessions- Hambo. Marcy proves not to be all too evil if she cares so deeply for a silly little doll. As the two embark on their journey to Majas house, they encounter numerous traps that test their friendship.
Bubblegum quite clearly cares for Marcy as the two travel through thick deadly forests and engage in battle with the Sky Witches sidekick. The two get separated when Marcy flies through an opening of trees leaving Bubblegum behind. The princess can easily retreat and forget the mission, but she knows how much Hambo means to Marceline.
Majas house is discovered by the princess and quickly she learns how the dolls sentimental meaning holds value to the witches dark magic. Bubblegum offers to trade her rock shirt that Marceline gifted her years ago. It’s an act of true love and friendship and goes to show how the girls' friendship is more powerful than they think.
Maja happily takes the shirt. Apparently it’s much fresher and more loved than the doll, making its power stronger. This episode speaks a little more on the two girls' history and friendship. Would you battle an evil witch and face perilous enemies to help a friend?
Helpers (Season 8 Episode 26)
Finn, Jake, BMO, and Kara land on Founders Island where human civilization prevails. Finn spots his mom, Minerva, and excitedly approaches her only to realize there are more than one “Minervas”. This episode takes a peek into a more political based world sort of mimicking today’s society.
Jake begins contorting his body which freaks the residents out and they are both tranquilized by a group of Minervas. The futuristic and stale depiction of this human society is a complete flip from the crazy Land of Ooo. They both awake in a cell where a blood sample is taken from Finn.
The Minerva bots are shocked to find he is indeed Minerva's real son, Finn Mertens.” At this point we’re hanging on our chairs to try and figure out what happened to his real mother. A giant screen activates revealing Finn's mom.
This is a bit trippy as to how much it syncs with our own human reality. She explains how the disappearance of Finn and his dad devastated her. With Minerva's assistance, Dr. Gross set Kara out to find them only to fail. Dr Gross accidentally released a nasty virus that wiped out 62% of the human population.
To save her people’s existence, she uploaded her brain making her an artificial intelligence. Minerva explains how she could control hundreds of helper robots to help her people revive from the virus. Looking at this episode in today’s world, this idea of AI control is heavily being pushed upon.
Minerva made a huge decision in favor of her people which speaks a lot to Finn's bravery and “helping” skills. At the end of the episode, his mom makes a remark about how she wants Finn to stay “for the rest of your life.” Though the Island bustles with busy streets and specifies of his own kind, you can tell he’s distressed and freaked out by the whole situation.
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