A gender-swapped version of the heroic duo—Fionna and Cake—was introduced in the ninth episode of the third season and subsequently appeared in a handful of episodes, to the delight of fans each time. Now they have their own show, “Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake,” adding to the lore and intrigue of the show’s sprawling universe.
The first episode opens with Fionna and Cake working together like a well-oiled machine, chasing a villainous rat that is also a bus, a nightmarish thing akin to the Catbus from “My Neighbor Totoro.” The opening sequence is like a classic episode of the original show until Fionna jolts awake. It’s then revealed that she and Cake were dreaming; they live in a world similar to ours.
Devoid of magic and intrigue, Fionna works as a tour guide to pay for a messy apartment, coasting along in a life vividly unlike the one viewers have previously seen her lead. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when Cake exhibits strange behavior after their crime-fighting dream. She starts coughing up ice cubes and becomes fixated on anything cold, drawn to the mysteries of what these temperatures mean to her. Fionna finds herself chasing after Cake, who ultimately jumps into a portal that appears in an ice cream trolley. We then get a re-introduction to the land of Ooo, and a reunion with characters fans have loved for years.
Different iterations of Finn and Jake appear throughout the show, some resembling older versions of the beloved characters, while others are hardened and bitter. Despite not being the exact versions viewers are familiar with, these characters are a joy to watch, delightfully bobbing in and out of the narrative. “Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” lets us fall in love with different versions of characters that viewers initially fell in love with 13 years ago. In turn, when these characters meet, they are allowed to love each other.