― Bob Dylan
A couple of weeks ago I was standing in the lobby of my church, at the end of yet another three hour Sunday service-- floating around, looking for someone to talk to. As it happens, I ended up in a conversation with this younger fella who, like myself is an avid writer and film fan. We started out on the right foot, bonding over our similar taste in directors, actors, writers, etc.
But then we came to the subject of TV shows and Adventure Time and that's when things got interesting. Now let me put a disclaimer here saying that I'm fine with people telling me that they think Adventure Time is weird -- I'm used to it. I mean heaven knows I don't give the time of day to tons of shows, films, books, zoetropes, etc. Because there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to watch all 33 seasons of Doctor Who plus the TV film, plus the spin off series, plus the- (AGHH!!!!)
Point being, I totally understand not liking AT or any show for that matter, because really on a surface level it is a show about a boy wearing a strange hat who lives in a tree house with his magical dog and talking video game console (that sings about being pregnant)
I brought up how my two favorite series right now are Adventure Time and Regular Show, and before I could finish his eyes swiveled back into head as he made what I can only describe as an emo Peter Parker face, drew a heavy sigh and then said "those shows represent the downfall of human society on the whole" and how AT specifically is "nothing more than a string of fart jokes" and then told me I should go watch Fringe... for some reason.
The downfall of human society? That comment that left me a little hurt, because isn't that somewhat of an extremist position to take on a children's cartoon show? For now, let's just move past it because unfortunately I don't own a TARDIS so I can't exactly travel forward and prove or disprove that idea.
Let's assume this young man doesn't really think Adventure Time and it's insanely large fan base are going to bring about the destruction of civilization as we know it but is merely taking the piss out of the show in very exaggerated fashion.
Which begs the REAL question, is Adventure Time merely "a string of fart jokes" that's meant only to appeal to small children and maybe their parents if they'd had a few drinks in them, or is there more to it than meets the eye? So don't consider a counter argument against the haters, because frankly the show can defend it's self on it's own merits. No, this is more of a critical examination of why people watch AT, and the reason behind it's preternatural ability to amuse young, old and everyone in between... and I might as well add that this totally just my opinion and I did no research other than watching the show.
First and foremost, Adventure Time is original... Anyone who's ever seen it will concede that in spades. AT doesn't really bear a strong resemblance to any other show, movie, video game, Rembrant painting etc., Like a Beastie Boys album, it's more like a mash up of great things across all mediums, all rolled into one great big delicious everything burrito. The color palette and whimsy of it all is reminiscent of the Yellow Submarine film, the animation has kind of a Hayao Miyazaki feel to it, the humor is straight out of Dr. Strangelove; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb, and the world has this fanciful Tolkien vibe but all the back stories of the characters and the land are shrouded in dark undertones similar to Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I need to stop myself here because literally, this could go on for hours.
So at the end of the day, one point that remains inarguable is that Adventure Time for good or for fill, is a unique specimen with no real companion piece... Except for Bravest Warriors but one show at a time.
The second reason why I think people cling to Adventure Time is the unexpected drama that lies beneath the comedy. People take one look at the series and basically just write it off as a potty humor show for kids.. and to be honest that's what I thought too at first. But then you run into episodes like "I Remember You","Simon & Marcy", and "Betty" which explore themes like loss of loved ones, dementia, the end of human civilization, loneliness, and regret.
In fact, there aren't that many laughs to be had at all in these episodes but the way they just tug on your heartstrings is really rather amazing for any show -- let alone a children's cartoon. Eric Kohn of Indiewire has said of the series:
" [it's] willingness to contemplate while sticking to its unique combination of silliness and haunting beauty routinely transforms the show into a wondrous genre experiment."
You can read his article 'Why Adventure Time is the Best Sci-Fi Show on TV Right Now' here.
And that ladies & gentlemen, I think takes some serious balls. Even shows like Family Guy, American Dad!, and South Park which are very much cartoons for adults, rarely go for the jugular with material that's as gutwrenching as any AMC series... and I would also like to point out that there is not a single fart joke to be found in these episodes.
Third, Adventure Time is unlike a lot of animated shows: serialized. That's right, like The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Battlestar Gallatica, and all your other favorite shows, AT's events (aside from two non-cannon episodes) build upon each other, and are referenced, and re-referenced continually from Season 1 onward. That being said, there is usually some downtime in between the big set pieces and earth shaking events of Ooo, but hey there's an episode of Breaking Bad where Walt & Jesse chase a fly around their lab so who's saying that's a bad thing?
Fourth and finally, the show has a nostalgic factor to it. I'm not gonna dwell on this one too long because Idea Channel already has a fantastic video on Youtube about this that I will post here.
For me, probably one of the main draws for me is how the show almost magically transports me back to times in my grandma's basement playing Super Nintendo, or I find myself in my neighborhood cul-de-sac hiding behind a row of bushes, pretending me and my friends are adventures off on a great quest, ignoring our mother's frequent requests to return home for dinner.
At the end of the day, I won't convince anyone of anything just by talking about it. So if you're on the fence about the show and aren't too sure why so many people are fans, I'd say give it one more shot. Open your heart, to simpler times... Or you can watch Fringe I guess, if you want to slow mankind's inevitable march towards destruction. Can't go wrong either way.
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