25(ish) Adventure Time episodes to watch
By Drew Koenig
Photo Credit: Adventure Time/Cartoon Network, Acquired From Turner
The long-running Cartoon Network series Adventure Time is returning later this month with more of its final season, but what if you’ve never watched it before? Where should you even begin to watch it? We’ve got you covered.
All told, Adventure Time has aired roughly 250 episodes over its nine season run. Attempting to catch up on a goliath like that can feel daunting. This is by no means a comprehensive list of every episode of Adventure Time that you should watch, but this will get you in the right direction.
1. “Evicted!” – Season 1, Episode 12
This is the episode that introduced Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson), arguably Adventure Time‘s best and most interesting character. Finn and Jake get evicted from their treehouse by Marceline after she comes back from a long journey and reveals that it belongs to her. The beginning of a beautiful friendship and whatnot.
2. “It Came from the Nightosphere” – Season 2, Episode 1
Another great Marceline episode. Finn accidentally unleashes Marceline’s dad, the ruler of a nightmare dimension known as the Nightosphere, onto Ooo. It’s mildly creepy and weird, but ultimately revolves around Marceline upset that her dad stole her fries once.
3. “Mortal Folly, Mortal Recoil” – Season 2, Episodes 24 & 25
This is somewhat cheating, but it’s essentially a two-parter that deals with Finn and Jake trying to stop The Lich from destroying all life on Ooo after it escapes from Princess Bubblegum’s castle.
4. “Memory of a Memory” – Season 3, Episode 3
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This one is a fun romp through Marceline’s memories as Finn and Jake accidentally let her ex-boyfriend gaslight her and then see all three of them beat him senseless. It also graced us with the baby Finn bun-punching song.
5. “Fionna and Cake” – Season 3, Episode 9
This one’s really simple and you’re either on board with it or you’re not: A gender-swapped version of Adventure Time featuring a Neil Patrick Harris-voiced Prince Gumball.
6. “What was Missing” – Season 3, Episode 10
Finn, Jake, BMO, Marceline, and Princess Bubblegum team up and start a band to defeat a Door Lord that took their stuff. This has two notably solid songs, plus not-so-subtly introducing a Marceline/Bubblegum ship to the world.
7. “Thank You” – Season 3, Episode 17
Arguably the best episode of Adventure Time, “Thank You” features a snow golem that reluctantly adopts a fire wolf and is a tear-jerking look analogue at having a pet that you’re allergic to.
8. “Holly Jolly Secrets: Part 2” – Season 3, Episode 27
Finn and Jake discover tapes of the Ice King and are determined to find his secrets in it. This is the episode that really turned our understanding of the Ice King on its head as we discovered that the Ice King used to be a scientist named Simon and in the thousands of years past, the crown he wears has driven him insane.
9. “I Remember You” – Season 4, Episode 25
Speaking of the Ice King’s secret backstory, this is the one that finally paired him with Marceline for an episode and revealed that, when he was still Simon, he was Marceline’s friend when she was a little girl. It’s a heartbreaking look at someone trying to deal with a loved one that has Alzheimer’s.
10. “Finn the Human, Jake the Dog” – Season 5, Episodes 1 & 2
Again, I’m cheating on this one. My game, my rules. This is the episode that introduces Prismo (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani), the cosmic wish-granter, and Finn’s alternate reality where a mutagenic bomb never exploded. Plus, Jake gets to save the day basically because he’s likable.
11. “Bad Little Boy” – Season 5, Episode 11
Another Fionna and Cake episode, this time with Donald Glover as the gender-bent Marshall Lee.
12. “Simon and Marcy” – Season 5, Episode 14
This one pairs with “I Remember You” rather well with Marceline telling the story of how she knows Simon AKA The Ice King. You may never hear the Cheers theme song the same way again.
13. “Frost and Fire” – Season 5, Episode 30
There was a lot of work put into Finn’s relationship with Flame Princess, his first real love, and to watch it all come tumbling down because Finn likes seeing her fight off against The Ice King is one of the more painful things the show has forced us to endure.
14. “The Vault” – Season 5, Episode 34
Finn explores one of his past lives that has been haunting him. It’s a clever look at how you can’t simply repress things and have that simply be okay. Plus, we get to see the early stages of Princess Bubblegum’s Candy Kingdom and a cool one-armed woman on a tiger.
15. “Betty” – Season 5, Episode 48
The Ice King loses his powers, reverts back to Simon, and tries to say good-bye to his old love, Betty (voiced by Lena Dunham). This also sees the end of Marceline’s beloved stuffed bear, Hambo.
16. “Lemonhope: Part One and Two” – Season 5, Episodes 50 & 51
“Lemonhope” genuinely is one large episode broken up (not cheating at all). This is one of those episodes that really pushed what Adventure Time was capable of from a narrative perspective, i.e. more than just the Finn and Jake Show, but instead one where bold risks could be taken.
17. “Breezy” – Season 6, Episode 6
There were a few aftermath-esque episodes from Season 6, although this is something that Adventure Time has always been good at throughout its run, but this one stands out among the rest. Finn is recovering from losing his arm, it being replaced with a flower, and his break-up with Flame Princess, all of which has made him depressed. To cope, he befriends a bumblebee that is in love with his flower and becomes his wingman to get kisses from princesses.
18. “Little Brother” – Season 6, Episode 11
The worm Shelby, who lives in Jake’s viola, accidentally gets the lower chunk of his body cut off and it turns into his “little brother” that he sends on a heroic journey into the treehouse.
19. “Astral Plane” – Season 6, Episode 25
Finn, while sleeping, travels into the astral plane throughout, into space, and even to Mars, ruminating on the existential nature of the universe. RIP Glob.
20. “Jake the Brick” – Season 6, Episode 20
Jake decides to become a brick in a house that is about to fall over and passes the time by making Planet Earth-style commentary on the wildlife around him as Finn secretly broadcasts him on a radio show.
21. “Varmints” – Season 7, Episode 2
Where Adventure Time swerves into the Bubbline (the Marceline/Bubblegum ship name) of it all with Bubblegum still reeling from losing her kingdom in an election and finally coming to terms with ignoring Marceline for so long.
22. “Blank Eyed Girl” – Season 7, Episode 19
This is one of the creepiest episodes Adventure Time has ever done. Finn and Jake realize that they’re being haunted by a group of creatures known as the Blank Eyed Girls and keeps escalating to the point that you’re not even sure what’s happened.
23. “Crossover” – Season 7, Episode 23
Dealing with the fallout from “Finn the Human” and “Jake the Dog,” this episode is fully ridiculous in a fun parallel universe way.
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24. “Hall of Egress” – Season 7, Episode 24
This is the Twin Peaks of Adventure Time episodes because I’m still not 100% sure what it’s about or what exactly it’s trying to say. I know it’s profound and deep, but it’s really beyond me and that’s okay. That might be the point, actually.
25. “Islands: Part 6, 7, 8” – Season 8, Episodes 12,13 & 14
Okay, we’re really cheating for this last one. Truthfully, you can watch all eight parts of “Islands,” but it’s not strictly necessary. Honestly, you can just watch Part 8, if you feel so inclined, with Finn finally meeting his mom and finding out about the other humans on Ooo. Many tears are had.
Adventure Time returns on Dec. 17 on Cartoon Network.