Pick your favorite TV show. Go ahead, think of one. Guess what? Next to Adventure Time, it stinks on ice.

Out of fairness to the rest of televisionland, I want to give an episode of Adventure Time a low rating but I… just… can’t! Every week this series serves up 11 minutes of pure joy sprinkled with heady human drama and insight.

“Something Big” is the name of the episode and Big Somethings are exactly what the episode was about! Finn and Jake play very small but pivotal roles this week giving center stage to Princess Bubblegum, Maja the Sky Witch, and the recently rediscovered Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant. It’s an attack on the Candy Kingdom with Destiny and Free Will hanging in the balance.

Way back in season five’s “Sky Witch,” Princess Bubblegum traded her favorite t-shirt to Maja in exchange for Marceline’s stuffed toy, Hambo. Maja the Sky Witch gains power from the sentimentality attached to people’s favorite objects. All the caring and love that breeds such sentimentality disgusts Maja and she wishes to destroy it by attacking the Candy Kingdom. She summons Darren, a gigantic, confused tree monster to help her destroy the happiest place in the Land of Ooo. There’s a big battle and Finn saves the day with the help of Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant.

How I would love to be a fly on the wall during the voice recording sessions. I wonder how much of the script is ad-libbed because the dialogue is so conversational and real. Colonel Candy Corn has some brilliant lines as he thanks Bubblegum for taking a chance on an old war-horse then proceeds to discuss his problems meeting women with the entire kingdom. Even his soldiers, when asked to load the cannons are all like, “I don’t know, just stick it in, man!” So inspired by the realness of the dialogue that I feel brave enough to use the phrase, “are all like…” in my description.

Darren the tree monster is a creature from an ancient time with no understanding of the world’s culture. All he knows is destruction. In fact, he’s a slave to his nature. When Finn destroys Darren’s brain-seed, he whispers, “Thank you.” Death was the only way for him to change. Haven’t we all felt like that? That we’re all running on the same treadmill, constantly moving yet getting nowhere.

Well, Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant is there to experience this existential crisis for us. After helping to defeat Darren (whom he knew in the past) he is directionless, and Finn won’t give him new orders, choosing instead to free him from responsibility. What does an elephant made for following orders and wreaking havok do when the war is over and freedom awaits? His choice is brave and transcendent. He chooses to be a caregiver by watching over the comatose Maja.

Perhaps Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant will find his truth in freedom. Perhaps Maja will learn that caring and love should be cherished and defended instead of despised.

Perhaps Adventure Time will, one day, make a terrible episode.

I highly doubt it.

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Adventure Time 6.10 “Something Big” 4.5 Overall Score

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