Adventure Time 6.11 “Little Brother”

Adventure Time, you’re killing me! Every week this show is tops blooby. Every stinkin’ week!

“Little Brother” featured a third-tier character, Shelby the earthworm. Scratch that, it actually featured Shelby’s butt bisected from his body. Butty Butterson, Ken for short, goes on an epic hero’s journey worthy of Joseph Campbell himself.

The language of the show continues to amaze me. It’s just the right blend of cool and funny. The dialogue keeps the action light and crisp, making the element of danger a bit less serious. In another show, that might be a problem, but Adventure Time creates such a perfect mix between silly and serious that it just plain works. Instead of dragging the movement down, it lifts itself up and knows that it doesn’t have to be too serious to be “serious.”

This show has been on for six seasons and they can get away with featuring a minor character for an episode or two. Part of the brilliance of the show is these minor characters are always treated with such respect and love. Even characters that appear for a few moments usually have something memorable to say or do. Time is precious in an eleven minute program. Every moment has meaning.

Just like the popular misconception about earthworms says, if you spilt one in half you get two worms. Not so much in reality, but it works for this episode. Jake even acknowledges the myth, before giving the best advice I’ve ever heard about raising children: “Give them something sharp and tell them to fight bad guys.”

Shelby absolutely follows Jakes advice and sends Ken into the willow tree. What follows is an amazing fantasy tale. It has all the elements; an oppressed people, an unbeatable foe, a quest for mystical items, temptation, and sacrifice.

Ken meets Leafbeard, the leader of the people who live in the roots of the willow tree. They’re being terrorized by the Rat King. Ken vows to help them but his sword is shattered. The blacksmith sends Ken on a journey to find three mystical items with which to forge a new sword. Much like Finn, Ken jumps feet first into the quest without any fear for himself. Each item is guarded by a rat who tempts Ken with riches, true love or eternal life. In true hero fashion, Ken refuses temptation, gains his mystical artifact and continues on his quest.

After the sword is forged, Ken gives it a name: “Punch Party”

I love this show.

Then there is the final confrontation with the Rat King. He’s a gigantic creature made whose head rests on a body of intertwined rats. The enemy is never explained but his visual presence leads me to believe that the rat themselves are enslaved by the Rat King. They are as much victims as Leafbeard’s people. Again, Ken is tempted to abandon his quest but responds with the best line of the episode, “I’m making this up as I go!”

The battle must have been song worthy but instead of giving us the money shot, Adventure Time cuts back to Shelby who sings his own song about missing his new brother. The song becomes a duet as Ken reappears and the brothers reunite. Earlier in the episode, Ken consumes a dewdrop, given to him by Leafbeard, to heal his wounds, and it turns out that consuming their food now means that Ken must always return to the land under the tree. So the brothers must live apart but we’ll have a reminder of Ken’s sacrifice every Spring when the willow tree blooms.

Fantastic episode and one of the best of the season.

I’m going to go watch it again.