The 10th and final season of Adventure Time begins with Finn (Jeremy Shada) stuck in a funk since the apparent death of his grass double, Fern (Hayden Ezzy). This makes his latest quest from Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch) impossible: Every time he raises his sword to strike the monster he must slay, the face of Fern appears, begging for his life. BMO (Niki Yang) and Ice King (Tom Kenny) team up to start BMO’s career as a traveling salesman and run into some interesting characters.
Princess Bubblegum notices that a silver goblet BMO received as payment in one sale bears the profile of her Uncle Gumbald (Fred Melamed), one of her earliest candy person creations and oldest enemy. She suspects his return. Her fears are confirmed after Finn is challenged by The Green Knight (Brad Neely) on his 17th birthday. The Green Knight reveals himself as Fern after defeating Finn revealing Gumbald and his associates to PB. Gumbald has been conducting military surveillance of the Candy Kingdom while creating his own Candy Kingdom in hiding. Events snowball into a multi-part finale where the two Candy Kingdoms fight a war the likes of which the land of Ooo has never seen.
The final season of Adventure Time combines all the best elements and unresolved storylines of previous seasons. Fans of the series will want to see this season on your library shelves: Some of the best storytelling and fantasy elements lie in the 16 episodes of the 10th season. Both silly episodes and serious episodes intermingle freely. The high-level plots reveal much of Princess Bubblegum’s past while low-level plots explore the meaning of family and the many faces of and reasons behind the familial conflict.
In a dream during the finale, Gumbald and Bubblegum experience each other's fears, experiences, and failures. Several moments like this cement the idea that not all bad guys are simply evil: many conflicts arise from misunderstanding, stubbornness, and uncommunicated fears or expectations. Fans of Princess Bubblegum, fantasy antics, and the series as a whole will want to see Adventure Time’s tenth season. Highly recommended.
Where does this title belong on library shelves?
Adventure Time season 10 belongs on children’s show shelves. Consider prominent placement to show off the striking box art and allow adult patrons seeking the series for nostalgia to find it easily.