Original Airdate: April 24, 2017
Written & Storyboarded by: Steve Wolfhard
Something that sets Skyhooks II apart from its predecessors The Dark Cloud and The Light Cloud (aside from a pretty lazy name) is that this miniseries finale focuses less on the idea of absolute closure and instead, in typical AT fashion, opens the floor up for even more questions. It only makes sense that such a huge and drastic change to the Land of Ooo is not met with an immediate resolution on all levels. Skyhooks II directly affects the remainder of the series in several different ways, making it feel perhaps the most important and crucial miniseries storywise. It also helps that the finale itself is thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking.
The episode starts off right where the previous episode left off, as an endangered Finn is saved by the newly heroic LSP. It’s actually news to me that the “Bon Bon Ballad” that PB sings is NOT a pre-existing licensed song. I always thought that it, along with the other songs featured in Elements, were ripped directly from outside sources. But it’s not, and hey, it’s pretty catchy! I also love how PB’s horrifyingly strong powers are combatted by just how sweet and pleasant she is. For all of AT‘s straight-up villainous characters like Oragalorg, Hunson, and the Lich, it’s profound to me that one of the toughest baddies that the boys, and all of Ooo, have been up against is menacing in her own sweetness.
Even more fittingly contradictory is that one of Ooo’s most powerful heroes is the disinterested and self-absorbed LSP. Per usual, her behavior throughout this miniseries continues to amuse me. I love that the power within her to potentially save the world could have stopped things a lot sooner if she had just listened to her parents for once. Kinda reminds me of Lemonhope, in a way – you have these two prophetic beings who just want absolutely nothing to do with what they were prophesied to be. Aside from verbal humor, this is also a pretty decent visual episode as well. Steve Wolfhard boarded this one entirely on his own, being the second he’s done solo since Graybles 1000+, and it looks pretty great. Love LSP’s hand sinking into her cheek as she gushes over Michael by the fire.
On the other side of things, Betty has lost her fucking marbles. After building her up as semi-competent throughout the run of Elements, Skyhooks II throws that all out the door in order to show off her true nature: a hopeless romantic who is destined on preventing any tragedies in her life and others, even if it means preventing the Mushroom War as a whole (even Prismo and Cosmic Owl are shocked!) Betty’s plight is hugely similar to Magic Man’s that we saw in You Forgot Your Floaties, as we watch her go to extreme lengths in order to be reunited with the one she loved, even if that means altering the world as we know it. While MM’s role in that episode was certainly sympathetic, Betty’s role in Skyhooks II is definitely more tragic, or it at least feels that way. Betty’s obviously insane, but you can’t really blame her for being insane either. The man she once loved has turned into a decrepit, goofy, old man, with absolutely no logical solutions in sight. That’s enough to turn anybody insane, and Felicia Day does an absolutely stupendous job at capturing both the madness and sadness that lives inside Betty.
But, something amazing happens during the run of this episode that has changed my perspective on Ice King as a whole. While Betty has a great sympathetic role, Ice King has an even greater one. Up to this point, I’ve been pretty supportive for Ice King’s “cure” that would ultimately revert him back to his former self because I always saw Ice King as an alternate version of Simon. But then, we get this brilliant line that really picked at my brain:
“Lady, this Simon sounds cool, but I’m Ice King! I guess I’m a special person, and I am worthy of respect.”
Ice King’s charm and charisma has always come from this fact that he’s a lovable, creepy goof, but this line alone humanizes him more than the series ever has. Ice King is an individual, he is his own person, and he is not Simon. So, with that in mind, is it really ethical on any level to “save” Simon if it means erasing Ice King? The IK, while occasionally harmful, is still very much a socially conscious person who is susceptible to all of the privileges that any other living being has, such as personal growth and self-actualization. Since Holly Jolly Secrets, the mindset I have always had is “it’s so sad what happened to Simon,” but now, if Simon were to be restored to his former self, my thought process would change entirely to “it’s so sad what happened to Ice King.” The show has really done it’s damnedest to add as much empathy to not only Simon’s character, but also Ice King’s, throughout the past few seasons. Even with an episode like I Remember You, which I LOVE, Ice King is kind of viewed more as a plague than someone to be celebrated. Skyhooks II acknowledges that, yes, the loss of Simon is sad, but at least we got Ice King out of it, and despite his shortcomings, he deserves respect like anyone else. Not only is this terrifically represented through IK’s line alone, but also the explosion that destroys his bespoked suit, exposing his classic blue moomoo and the return of his crown. It feels like a final, definitive statement that Simon is gone (for now) and that Ice King is here to stay, and that’s okay too! Elements has been a truly profound experience for the ice man.
As we return to PB’s sweet-pocalypse, it’s especially fitting that Patience St. Pim once again chooses to freeze herself instead of dealing with the consequences and her mortality at hand. Similar to Betty, Patience is still unable to deal with the changes and transitions in the world around her, and this time it was her own doing. As AT has shown time and time again, history repeats itself, and Patience may never learn to accept her own fate. History repeating itself is also humorously shown in Ice King’s behavior; even after all of the growth and development he’s experienced, he still can’t seem to remember who in God’s name Betty is. Betty will never forget her Simon, but Ice King can’t seem to remember a woman of whom he interacted with minutes earlier.
LSP’s “bullish” nature proves to be the most effective it’s ever been by changing the DNA of elementified Ooo citizens back to their natural states of being. Elements has already been jam-packed with characters prior, but Skyhooks II welcomes back a number of secondary characters, some of which we haven’t even seen before during this miniseries! Namely Bronwyn, James Baxter, Toronto, and Huntress Wizard. The real icing on the cake is watching BMO hold Fern’s hand, though. That shit melted my heart. It’s a pretty triumphant moment for LSP’s character, and even kind of wraps up her arc as a whole. The most cynical Adventure Time character is finally shown to be worthy for the exact reason that she was excluded for prior. There’s no LSP-centric episodes following Skyhooks II, probably just for time constraints, but it’s a decision I felt was most appropriate and satisfying.
As I mentioned, Skyhooks II has several lasting cliffhangers: Sweet P.’s regrown horn, Ice King’s loose jewel, Jake’s… haircut, and Betty’s judgment from Normal Man. I always wondered how/why Betty ended up at Mars… was she transported there from the Enchiridion explosion, or did Normal Man transport her there personally? Either way, it’s clear that her tampering in chaotic magic has put her on trial for the same reasons MM was put on trial prior. The episode, and miniseries, closes with the revelation that Jake has reverted to his shapeshifter form (which again, is slightly gimmicky… why didn’t Fern revert to both the Finn Sword and Grass Sword? Why didn’t Gunther revert to Orgalorg?), but at least he’s reunited with his brother. Probably the most important thing that Elements has sought to accomplish, beyond its story, is the reinforcement of Finn and Jake’s strong bond with each other, and it pays off beautifully. Jake’s simple “I love you,” is irresistibly sweet, with clear compassion and sincere love in John DiMaggio’s voice.
So, that was Elements, and it was better than I remember! I always dug it, but its strong-points really do stand out as some of the best entries AT has ever put out. Next week, I’ll be taking a look at the miniseries as a whole. Islands and Elements took a lot out of me; two miniseries that I was hoping to get done by February ended up taking three months to complete. But, regardless, I’m eager to continue on as we enter in to the last leg of Adventure Time as a whole!
Adventure Time Reviewed 