Unlike other seasons, Season 4 of Adventure Time begins with Jake the Dog (John DiMaggio) heading out on a solo adventure to help his depressed teenage step-brother and roommate Finn (Jeremy Shada) find a love interest his own age to ease the pain of his one-sided love affair with Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch). After encountering his friend Scorcho (Tom Kenney), Jake travels to the Fire Kingdom and seeks an audience with the Flame King (Keith David), using his magical abilities to impersonate Finn in an ill-conceived bid to woo the Flame Princess (Jessica DiCicco).
Mid-season, we see the return of the Earl of Lemongrab (Justin Roliand) who, in his lonesomeness, stands in the bedrooms of the candy kingdom and watches the candy people sleep. Rightly creeped out, Princess Bubblegum asks for volunteers to go and live with the Earl. The plan goes awry and the solution is more than bizarre (and quite funny). The end-season cliffhanger brings Finn and Jake head to head with the infamous Litch (Ron Pearlman) yet again as the fiend steals the visage of someone Finn admires and attempts to use the magic hidden within the Enchiridion for his evil plots.
This season of Adventure Time was nominated for a good handful of awards (and won a couple for episodes like Princess Cookie) making it an excellent season to recommend to parents of teenagers looking for a show that will hold their attention. There are several plot lines in full swing including Ice King (Tom Kenney) revealing a past he can’t remember, Magic Man (Tom Kenney) stealing Jake’s appearance to evade Martian justice, and the dimension-bending season cliffhanger involving the Litch.
That being said, there are many one-off episodes to enjoy with tween-level dark humor and childish surrealism abound. If someone has never seen Adventure Time, this would be the best season to recommend as it has a taste of everything the series has to offer. Season four of Adventure Time is an excellent addition to any children's library collection. Highly Recommended.
What type of library programming could use this title?
Events exploring the hero’s journey and other similar literary theories would benefit from Finn the Human’s story.
What public library shelves does this title belong on?
Adventure Time belongs on children’s television shelves.