TALKBACK - Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake - "The Cat Who Tipped the Box" [11/13 (HBO Max)]

[CNFan1995]

Episode 14

Online November 13

The Cat Who Tipped the Box
Premieres
THURSDAY 11/13 (Online)

This week...
A heartbroken Fionna takes a walk down memory lane, while Cake explores a career in television. Later, Huntress Wizard searches for a way home.​

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

originally posted by Daikun
So, where did they get another Enchiridion? Wasn't it destroyed in the original series?

The original was destroyed in "The Lich" aka the season 4 finale. However we did find out that sometime in "Crossover" that Finn took the Enchidridion from the Farmworld Universe which was used in the Islands Miniseries and that wasn't actually ever destroyed thus why it could be used again here.

You know you can really tell the difference in structure between something like this and something like say current South Park. As yeah both have most recent seasons instead of going for mostly episodic shennigans with the occassional arc or multi parter put in are trying to craft more longer form narratives telling a bigger story throughout the entire season. However it's clear this team though knew what the overall story was going to be and mapped it out accordingly thus the installments even if they aren't like answering all the questions or fully advancing the story you do feel an overall sense of more accomplishment watching it throughout. I mean not totally hating on the newest SP season it has it's merits but this just feels better to watch. I mean yeah we still don't know exactly the deal that's going on with the Green and Finn is still in critical condition and seems like we got even more stories going on with Marshall's mom trying to get more in contact with him and Marshall meeting up with I guess Ashley (who I thought was a guy at first but if this is supposed to be gender flipped Ash must be Ashley right?) while Cake is asked to be on "Cheers" which makes her act further cat like but again feels more like these are pieces building to something and doing it in a different way then last season. Yeah season 4 of last season fully put the team on a quest throughout the multiverse at this point while here though we do have Fionna and Huntress Wizard finally meeting properly still aren't on the same page but these bits all work rather well so allow me to break down some of the stuff I really thought stuck out about this one.

- You know I kind of thought episode 2 was HW's backstory episode but turns out she has even MORE story before that one. I do like the Hunters that raised her and showing more how she became a Hunter. It was pretty obvious something was going to happen to them but I do like actually showing the fire and the guy saving HW before trying to go back for his wife and them both dying. And I'm pretty sure that is where HW's resolve on not wanting to be weak comes from as seeing those connections resulted in her surrogate parents death probably would still eat at her on not wanting to make more personal connections so that stuff plays out well.

- There were funny bits at the store like Ellis thinking he was a smooth thief taking all the food when it was just free samples but also just some cute fluff between Gary and Marshall with Marshall admitting to trying to think of new songs and calling Gary his Muse. I am glad they are doing stuff to show them as a couple though yeah things are probably going to go bad with Ice Queen popping into Marshall's life again. You do have to wonder exactly what that relationship is like in this more realistic kind of world and yeah took me a bit to realize "oh right I guess even here Marshall and Ice Queen would of had some sort of past relationship." Hopefully it's not an awkward a triangle as the Simon living with PB and Marcaline.

- Speaking of how awkward ships in the old show translate to this one, I'm sure even more people are annoyed about how not over Felix that Fionna clearly is and how that keeps messing her up but again Finn did NOT take his breakup with Phoebe/Flame Princess very well and I feel went in an even worse spiral. I think it is more clear though that Felix at least from how I'm reading it isn't trying to be an intentional jerk to Fionna at least now anyway even if he is in a romantic relationship but honestly I think seeing their previous dates and how Felix left such an imprint on Fionna and then seeing how even Hunter is starting to get disappointed and annoyed at Fionna for seemingly flaking so much really paints the picture how this is more of her life and issues crumbling around her that she isn't taking the time to take care of due to her interest being pulled in so many other directions.


- I am really glad this show is actually addressing there probably are a lot grander ways that Finn could be cured and why we're not just going with them. Like I love the idea of Bubblegum, Marcaline and Simon using the Enchidrion gems to get to Prismo's world to just wish for Finn to be cured. Like that's one of those "huh I know Prismo can't solve everything and can dink around with someone's wish if he doesn't like them but kind of forgot that was even an option but it obviously should be one since the other princesses would be fine helping out with that" but yeah thanks to something going on with Prismo's powers (which was actually even hinted at in the previous season so glad it's going to likely be more addressed here) he can't just help them but now Simon is going to use the evil Demon wishing eye which... yeah also forgot that was a thing as well. Do love him revisiting the Ice Kingdom to find it and meeting back up with Ice Thing and calling back to Ice King's debut in the original show seeing him having his own band on the drums.

- Speaking of call backs to the original show, love that this one had the snail in it. Like yeah there was a snail mostly in an easter egg in every original AT but most episodes you don't really notice it and it doesn't have any sort of big role. Here we see it actually trying to attack HW (love the "it took like 3 minutes for it to crawl over enough to attack her) before being drained and yeah seeing her draining rats and then meat like that before growing giant when shopping with Fionna was a great gag. Same with "I wasn't naked in the grocery store this time it was my naked friend."

- I feel like in most shows I would be annoyed about HW being so secretive about the green even with saving Finn but we've seen enough of her here especially with the backstory to get how touchy she is about that part of her past she doesn't share easily with so I don't mind she is being really quiet about it. Another great joke of Fionna's phone breaking and her lamenting "there goes all my contacts again.'

- Also dig the use of Cake in cheers and yeah her acting annoyed just being used for lame stretching or transformation gimmicks and acting out. But the bits there mostly with Fraiser and the purposely lame puns were fun enough and again will attach to other things later I was fine with it here.

- Think the funniest bit of the episode was the two Lemoncarbs being upset at Fionna stopping their dog from tearing at HW and saying "actions have consequences" and kicking her in the cooch. Like they're probably also behind her getting evicted later but I don't know I would be fine with them just being that petty and that being the extent of their appearances in this series.

So yeah another solid episode again a lot of building and though having some parts finally merge like Huntress around interacting a bit with Fionna still not too much movement fully on the story but the pieces we got and the fun and charm of this show is still going strongly I don't mind we're not at the multiverse hopping stuff yet that can wait.

 

[Magmaster12]

I am legit confused by Cheers taking place in a tiny cardboard box, it feels way too weird even for this universe.

Also, Cake seriously tried to kill Norm less than a year after his actor passed away.

 

[Daikun]

Also, Cake seriously tried to kill Norm less than a year after his actor passed away.

Can you really "kill" someone who's already dead?

In all seriousness, though: He only died a few mere months before season 2 even premiered. No one could have seen that coming.

 

[Corwin Haught]

I am legit confused by Cheers taking place in a tiny cardboard box, it feels way too weird even for this universe.

Also, Cake seriously tried to kill Norm less than a year after his actor passed away.

Fionna's line at the end of the episode was all TV actors are 3 inches tall, so...

In other news, tiny Kelsey Grammer still has his hair. "That's how you know it's a fantasy," my father wisecracked when told.