11/9/2023 0 Comments Oops all hops![]() Just listen to this song from ‘Prisoners of Love’, for example, or this one from ‘Trouble in Lumpy Space’. Composed by Tim Kiefer (aka Staypuft) and Casey James Basichis, the background tracks often make use of a mixture of electronic and acoustic elements to create a quirky and unique atmosphere that is immediately recognizable. Previously we’ve discussed the show’s use of vocal songs, like ‘House Hunting’ from ‘Evicted’, but I don’t believe we’ve spent much time on the show’s background music. ![]() I would also like to use this review as a chance to talk about an element of the show that has always been very important to me. It shows that they are able to look at things not just in black and white, at least for a little while. They had some great moments of exasperation in response to Ice King’s antics, such as Jake breaking down when Ice King reacts to one of his platitudes about marriage with “Why?” I’m also fond of Finn and Jake’s willingness to help their nemesis celebrate, even if it was out of a sense of duty to ensure that he wouldn’t kidnap princesses again. Whereas I don’t think Ice King was utilized all that well in this episode, I did enjoy Finn and Jake’s role as the straight men to his weirdness. That said, as with most Adventure Time episodes there are still things here to like. There were some funny moments there, but with the episode only being eleven minutes long I really think it needed to be tighter – especially as it made the final confrontation at the wedding feel a tad bit rushed. Additionally, the sequence where he reconsiders his impending marriage and Finn and Jake have to talk him back into it feels like it drags on for too long. The ickiness of the situation shifts him right back into a cartoonishly evil villain for me, which is unfortunate. Beyond that, I feel like his use of brainwashing to completely remove his bride-to-be’s will somewhat undermines the writers’ attempts to turn him into a more complicated character, both in previous episodes and in this episode itself. Ice King’s obsession with kidnapping princesses had already been established in several previous episodes – ‘Prisoners of Love’, ‘Ricardio the Heart Guy’, and ‘What is Life’ – and this episode doesn’t really feel like it adds anything interesting to that equation. It’s hard to say what exactly it is about this episode that makes it so low in my estimation, but I think a lot of my issues come down to the way Ice King is used here. That’s not to say it is all bad – I will get into some of the things I actually like about it momentarily – but it really does not do much for me. ‘When Wedding Bells Thaw,’ however, has remained at the bottom of my list no matter how many times I’ve seen it. I have since come to re-evaluate much of the first two seasons through my various re-watches and have found a lot to love. It’s a strategy that ended up working for me, as Season 3 solidified my interest in the series in a way that might not have happened had I tried to watch every single Season 1 and 2 episode. At the time I was struggling to connect to the series and its seemingly random nature and wanted to push my way forward to the supposedly ‘better’ third and fourth seasons as quickly as possible. ![]() I actually skipped it my first time through the series, as I did many episodes that I had heard were ‘lesser’ from the first two seasons. My Thoughts – I’m going to be honest here – ‘When Wedding Bells Thaw’ has long been one of my least favorite episodes of Adventure Time. Finn and Jake return home to lounge around again, just as the Ice King shows up at their door asking them to help him celebrate the cancellation of his wedding. He feels someone touch his beard and he declares the ceremony over – only to discover that it was in fact Jake that touched it. Not realizing what has happened, Ice King holds out his beard to her and closes his eyes. Finn launches himself at Ice King, prompting a battle that allows Jake to remove the ring from Old Lady Princess’s finger and return her to her right mind. Her reflection explains that the engagement ring Ice King gave her has trapped her inside her own mind and forced her to do whatever he says. Finn becomes suspicious about Old Lady Princess’s unusually large eyes, and as he moves closer he sees a reflection of her in her own eyes. Ice King welcomes them and explains that Old Lady Princess will be hoisted from the ceiling and that, once she touches his beard, they will be married. Soon after, Finn and Jake head to the Ice Kingdom to attend the wedding.
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