Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy”

Theme is usually pretty easy to figure out. Subtext and message, however, is a slippery slope. Neil Gaiman, the writer of the wildly popular comic, Sandman, once said that the universe rewards belief systems. So it is with subtext. Just invent a theory and whatever you’re reviewing seems to magically cough up evidence.

Too bad this episode of Adventure Time didn’t make it that easy on me.

Finn is feeling depressed, numb really, due to all the recent events of his life. His father abandoned him, again. He lost his right arm above the elbow and now there’s a freaky flower growing there. True to his heroic nature, Finn doesn’t even realize he’s down. He just wants to feel something again. The flower on his arm is beginning to droop. From his doctor he’s given a prescription to party.

If ever there has been a more perfect visual representation of depression then I’ve never seen it. Finn walks to the party with his head dragging on the ground. Man, I’ve been there. During his walk, a bee falls in love with the flower on his arm. She is overcome by Finn’s flower and wants to be with it before she consumes royal jelly, transforms into a queen, and rules a hive. She follows Finn to the party and attempts to do what bees do to flowers they find attractive, oblivious that the flower is attached to a human.

And this is where it all gets uncomfortable. The show doesn’t shy away from it so I won’t either.

The theme of this episode is about rape culture. It’s true. They weren’t very subtle about it either.

After trying to feel up Finn’s flower, the Bee introduces herself as Breezy and begins “helping” Finn find dates so that he doesn’t let his flower wilt away. Breezy eavesdrops on Crab Princess and discovers a way for Finn to impress her. Afterward, Finn asks Crab Princess for a kiss. The kiss is given and then a montage of princesses and kisses begin all while Breezy is hoping to make time with Finn’s flower.

It’s disturbing and rightly so. Breezy is that guy we all know who becomes best friends with a hot girl who has a boyfriend (or reverse the genders if you like). He listens to her problems, does her favors, is never judgmental and always provides a shoulder to cry on in the hopes, that one day, she’ll love him. Pretty messed up definition of love if you ask me, but I understand it. I’ve heard this referred to as a passive-aggressive form of rape and I can’t say I disagree. Although the term “rape” may be a little harsh, the idea of manipulating someone’s friendship to satisfy one’s physical or emotional needs is certainly not right. It’s a violation at best.

Breezy acts, innocently enough, like as child molester. “Hey, we’re buddies here, right? Let’s do this innocent thing so I can touch you.” (I’m paraphrasing) We can’t really blame her. She’s a bee. That’s what they do. The flower she is interested in is on an arm. She’s adapting.

But it’s still wrong. Adventure Time is teaching us a lesson about being suspect of the motivations of others. Strangers doing you favors out of nowhere will rarely end well.

Finn stays numb, no matter how many Princesses he kisses. He believes that he might just let the flower wilt and be done with it but Breezy convinces him to run and be free. Like a creep, she “accidentally” runs into Finn and they fall together as she uses the moment to feel up Finn’s flower. Like I said earlier, this episode wasn’t very subtle.

While floating down a river, Breezy and Finn run into a couple of racist bees. As they attack Finn, Breezy drinks their royal jelly and becomes their Queen, giving up her life as a carefree bee. She declares her love for Finn’s flower and asks Finn to become her drone. He says no and Breezy flies off, upset that her sacrifice still didn’t get her what she wanted.

Later, Finn is camping out with Lumpy Space Princess. She’s heard all about his kisses with other Princesses and wants some for herself. Finn kisses her and she demands more. The dialogue is mired in innuendo but it’s pretty clear what she’s talking about. Did I? Did… did Finn just get date-raped? Yeah, I think so.

I don’t use that word lightly in any context. Rape is serious and life altering. I know rape survivors and have seen the horror is wreaks in their lives. Does such a subject belong in a show aimed at kids? You’re damn right it does! Sex, power, depression. We try to hide the ugly parts of life from our kids to protect their “innocence”. I’m not sure I buy the innocence of children. I have some. They lie. They’re cruel. They’re human. They deserve to have the tools they need to recognize a potentially bad situation.

Remember at the beginning of this review when I mentioned subtext? Here’s where all of my theories went out the window.

As Lumpy lay sleeping in a bag, Finn asks his flower if it feels better and a petal falls off. Not looking good. Is this an outward manifestation of the trauma he’s faced? Is the flower Finn’s innocence? It doesn’t matter because Breezy the Bee Queen returns and sings to Finn’s flower. Finn sees her as a vision of Princess Bubblegum holding a sword and the flower on his arm begins to grow.

And grow!

Until the flower is a tree that finally shatters under its own weight leaving a brand-spanking new, sap-covered arm. Finn is whole again.

What does this mean?? Perhaps it’s a cycle of rebirth thing? Finn’s innocence had to die before he could be born anew? Maybe the event that traumatizes you becomes a pool of strength that you can draw on when you feel weakest? I’m not sure; the answers aren’t handed to us.

That’s part of the beauty of this show. It often deals with adult themes and presents them in a sparkling package of awesome. It gives us difficult things to think about. Adventure Time is as layered as a Dostoyevsky novel, the motivations and actions of its characters just as murky at times.

As I said, the theme of this episode was pretty easy to figure out but the subtext… I’ve watched this episode three times and I’m still not sure what it means.

Isn’t that wonderful?