Original Airdate: November 15, 2010
Written & Storyboarded by: Cole Sanchez & Benton Conner
One of Adventure Time’s trademarks is introducing a character and making that entire episode their day in the limelight. To name a few are Me-Mow, Banana Man, Rattleballs, Root Beer Guy, James, Kent, and so on. For the most part, the characters carry the episode by being very fun, likable, and interesting. On the other hand, they can be obnoxious, loud, and pull the episode down with them. Snorlock the slug falls more into the latter category. It’s not necessarily that he’s an awful character, but he’s certainly a character that doesn’t warrant having an entire episode dedicated to him.
In addition, the plot in this one’s a bit thin. Finn and Jake trying to help a faux-snail find a girlfriend is definitely a funny premise, but again, it’s a bit squandered by the idea that Snorlock is unlikable. He’s a bit selfish in his actions, and it’s hard to sympathize with him when he isn’t concerned with the well-being of our main protagonists at all. He just wants to find a girlfriend and that’s about it for his character motivations.
Benton Connor co-storyboarded this episode, and if you didn’t already know, Connor was a storyboard artist on Regular Show for all eight seasons. Connor actually only storyboarded two episodes of AT including this one, and the tone in this one is actually more reminiscent to that of Regular Show. I feel like it’s more like Mordecai and Rigby to help someone find a girlfriend and act cool than Finn and Jake. The drawings and use of slow motion help to strengthen this belief.
One thing that stands out in this episode is John DiMaggio’s voice work. He’s really grown into Jake at this point, and does a superb job of giving life to his character as well as using his range of voices to add flair and humor. This is also when BMO starts to feel like a crucial part of the treehouse. She doesn’t do much, but the sheer fact that Jake acknowledges, “BMO, you live here too!” is really endearing.
Other than that, it’s a bit of a forgettable ride.
Adventure Time Reviewed 