the parallels of both pb & marcy and gary & marshal was so so incredible. maybe the best work of the show so far!!!
the underlying theme of parents this ep was so well layed-out too martin saying he likes baby finn made me cry but it's so fine (it isnt at all)
Damn, they went all-out with the references! Martin, Billy, Marceline's mom we saw like 3 times - even Ricardio! (and it seems like the King of Ooo is the investor guy Gary meets?)
It was also really weird but kinda cool to see a pure evil Marceline. I also think the opening has some good foreshadowing - with this universe's Marceline finding Simon's corpse then getting abducted (presumably by the Vampire King).
And Gary being able to talk about his candy kingdom (ha) was good too.
I really like how they've done the multiverse so far. Gets tiring to see stuff use it for a handful of scenes and maybe 1 or 2 jokes/references without really expanding upon it or doing anything with it, ya know?
Overall, this was another great episode.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2023-09-26T03:07:56Z
The throughline of Marceline and Bubblegum paralleled against Gary and Marshall was so good. No matter the world, these two can’t stay away from each other. When the world’s burning and doomed, they’ll be all they have. Even as hated enemies, they can’t exist without the other. Everyone else are tools or playthings but they’re the only things that matter. They can’t die unless they both die. Neither of them truly happy.
And Gary and Marshall showing them at their best. When so many people have these expectations on them, have them on a pedestal, they see each other to the core. And they’ll toss those shackles aside and be truly happy for each other. Through the pain of life, of immortality, they’ll find each other in the end, whether it’s in a house together or in an elevator, and finally let themselves be who they are. The show is so keyed into what the pair means, in animation history and in the consciousness of fans and queer rep, and even when they aren’t the main characters it works so hard to give them their due.
I also dig Fionna’s arc- kind of a bite sized speedrun version of Finn’s. Actions have consequences, being a hero is so much more than just fighting, you can hurt people who don’t deserve it, and even doing the right thing can get someone good hurt. And Finn’s terror of- and eventual grief over- losing Jake is echoed here with her and Cake. It results in a very strong and tight episode all around.