Original Airdate: October 21, 2013
Written & Storyboarded by: Andy Ristaino & Cole Sanchez
An episode like We Fixed a Truck doesn’t reach the absolute hilariousness of its past comedic predecessors, but it’s overall just a really fun and enjoyable episode that focuses more on individual character moments and pure absurdity rather than a linear story, and even manages to be strangely beautiful in the process. It’s also a nice breakout moment for the returning character Banana Man, who previously appeared in The New Frontier, and has what is probably his best appearance in this episode.
The title card alone is enough to get me into this one. I know I don’t talk about this aspect of the show enough, but I don’t know a single show that has more beautifully crafted title cards than Adventure Time. I’m not gonna say that every single one hits a mark, but this episode’s card in particular poses a form of beauty in its simplicity. What could’ve been a simple painted image of the truck, or Hot Daniel as the boys call it, is instead an apparent discovery that Finn made while taking a walk one day. Of course, this show is already scattered with post-apocalyptic references in almost every episode, so I’m willing to bet this car stuck in a tree was up there for quite some time, and is only being rediscovered now. Add a beautiful sunrise filled with purple, yellow, and orange in the background and this single image actually becomes quite whimsical and even a little somber. It’s amazing what the series is able to do with these lovely paintings, and can really help set the mood for an episode as a whole.
Down to the actual episode itself, I actually kind of like how there’s no real conflict in this one. I previously mentioned that as an issue in Box Prince, though this one much more efficiently creates an atmosphere that simply involves these likable characters all in one area, so it’s much less noticeable. The main focus of this is that Finn and Jake just want to fix up a truck for shits and gigs. Though Ice King isn’t able to help them (is he wearing a dress shirt when he appears? Dunno, but he actually kind of looks handsome) the boys do have their friendly neighbor Banana Man to help them out!
Banana Man is a really enjoyable loser. AT has had plenty of these types of characters, but I personally think Banana Man is one that is written in a way that makes him both really amusing and quite charming. A lot of that derives from his voice actor Weird Al Yankovic, who gives him a bit of a quirky inflection, but doesn’t really overdo it either. He’s able to have his goofier moments, like the beginning where he demonstrates how the cylinder head works and demonstrates it through nonexistent visuals. I’m usually not a huge fan of AT’s self-aware jokes, though I think this one works because it can easily be applied to Banana Man’s own delusions. And it’s actually somewhat educational! I don’t know jackshit when it comes to cars, but I actually found this slightly informative in the best way possible. I also enjoy how Banana Man isn’t really deceptive or manipulative in his actions. There’s already one character in this show – Ice King – that is constantly trying to trick or trap the boys into becoming better friends with him, but Banana Man is very genuine and caring. Though he does hope for the end result to leave him better friends with Finn and Jake, he simply helps them because he’s a nice guy who enjoys hanging out with other people. And it’s cool to see a civilian of Ooo who doesn’t necessarily worship the boys as heroes, but just views them as potential buddies to hangout with.
And he portrays these feelings in “Hanging Out Forever,” a song that is mostly cheesy and not necessarily catchy, but one that is deeply hilarious at its core. I was disappointed that The New Frontier didn’t utilize Weird Al to his fullest potential by having him sing, so I’m glad this episode picked up on that opportunity. Banana Man fantasizes about having fantastic times with Finn, Jake, and BMO like “best friend pillow fights” or “board game Friday nights.” What a lovable dork.
This sequence leads to a bit of a diversion as BMO begins some late night work on the truck. This features one of my favorite visual gags ever, which is BMO brilliantly changing her batteries by taking the old ones out and landing on the new ones. We also get a listen into Starchy’s radio show “Graveyard Shift”, and I’m a sucker for wacky conspiracy theories, so I really got into this little bit. And it’s not entirely pointless either; it ingeniously ties into the climax, again, based on pure ludicrousy. Banana Man creepily enters back into the scene to offer some sincerity and exposition into his life. This bit is probably my favorite in the episode. I think BMO and Banana Man actually work off of each other well and make for some cute interactions, and I think this is where Banana Man becomes well-defined and humanized. His line of, “I don’t wanna be alone, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it,” is actually something I can relate to in some degree. For a long period of time I had been away from the dating scene, and had become so comfortable with getting invested in my own personal projects that it became out of the question to go beyond it. The writers often use Ice King as a way to capture their loneliness with honesty and use it as a means to cope, and Banana Man seems no different. This show is so good at humanizing “loser” characters and showing that they aren’t simply one-dimensional dorks that it really isn’t hard to empathize with anyone, no matter how wacky or unique.
Following the lovely bonding session between BMO and Banana Man, we get to see a glimpse of the gang finishing up the truck. Also an awesome montage sequence, that’s complete with the “Manlorette Party” music from When Wedding Bells Thaw. While not my favorite bit of score that Tim Kiefer has ever produced, it is likable enough to deserve a second inclusion. And it follows the montage quite nicely. The visuals that go along with it are great as well. I love how the gang quite aggressively breaks into the Breakfast Kingdom, as Finn assaults a French Toast Man instead of simply asking for syrup. It’s always nice of AT to include that bit of unexpected darkness in even its brightest of episodes.
And the rest of the episode is just focused on having as much fun as possible. The Treehouse boys try and set up Banana Man on a date with a nice female Banana Guard. Though I like this concept, I have a bit of a gripe with it, simply because where have all the female Banana Guards been up to this point? It becomes even more distracting as the later episode The Thin Yellow Line shows that there are dozens of female Banana Guards. But I’m willing to let this little detail slide, because it’s cute. And it leads up to the even more bizarre storyline where it’s revealed that Princess Bubblegum actually has been replaced by a giant lizard. The revelation is terrific; no build up, just a quick series of gags that eventually lead to the lizard imposter grabbing a bug with its tongue and transforming into a beast. The scenes that follow are awesome in the visual department. Some really solid animation all around that make for a terrifically fun action sequence. I might as well point out that Andy Ristaino’s drawings in this one are really great. Ristaino started out as the lead character designer for the series, and as of Love Games, became a recurring storyboard artist paired with Cole Sanchez. I really enjoy Ristaino’s drawings, that make for some really cute and stretchy expressions from each character. As the episode wraps up and Banana Man is sent to jail for public indecency (though he got the lady of his dreams! For now, at least…) Finn, Jake, and BMO mourn the loss of Hot Daniel. RIP, you beautiful hunk of junk.
This one is just great; all around fun with hints of beauty here and there. I love the character interactions, the animation, the drawings, the backgrounds, the atmosphere, and pretty much everything else it has to offer. This is often one I overlook for fluff episodes I consider to be “funnier” but it’s hard to deny that this episode practically does everything it wants to do just perfectly. The only other gripe I have with it is that Cinnamon Bun appears at the end, and though he appears in Apple Wedding later on, it’s at least explained in the promo art and made somewhat believable. This instance feels more like Tree Trunks appearance in Evicted! Though it’s a minor background detail and I think everything else this episode offers is more than enough to justify a simple mistake. Season 5.2 has been on a roll with funnier, more laidback episodes, and I think this episode works somewhat as a finale for the lighter and sillier episodes and enters into some of the darker and more story based episodes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as we’ve got some really enticing episodes to come.
Adventure Time Reviewed 