Mini-Series Review: Adventure Time “Islands”

An adventure also brings a ton of revelations.

Some Spoilers Below

Adventure Time: Islands focuses on Finn, Jake, Susan, and BMO as they travel towards a mysterious island after an encounter with a strange flying vehicle entering the Candy Kingdom. 

The Island is an isolationist society that values order and the safety of its citizens over any sort of interaction with the outsiders. The leaders, having originally fled to the island to escape the Mushroom War, have created a long-standing doctrine that the outside world is bad, and the inside world is good. Safety and happiness are the top two priorities, and curiosity is firmly looked down upon. The government indoctrinates children from a young age to be enforcers and prevents anyone from the island from leaving. Those who try to leave are captured and detained for re-education. At least a decade has passed since Susan left, yet the new leader, Finn’s biological mother Minerva, continues to enforce the belief that the outside world is dangerous. The technological advancements of the Island society make life comfortable and structured: food is easily created, injuries can be quickly healed, and there are robot Helpers everywhere to prevent any sort of disturbances. When the citizens are confronted with the prospect of free will, and the ability to choose the direction of their own lives, they respond that it “sounds hard”. Finn’s knowledge of the outside world and the freedoms that it can offer clash directly with the Island’s ideal. 

Even so, curiosity is difficult to curtail. The islanders are so curious about the outside world that there is a constant stream of people attempting to escape, in spite of the consequences. Even people like Susan, who grew up under the government’s restrictions, will choose to defy it if one of her loved ones shows an interest in leaving. Finn’s charisma and speech that directly appeals to the people’s sense of adventure casually invites their curiosity. It is impossible to keep a large group of people perfectly contained forever. 

Overall, Islands adds a lot to the world of Adventure Time. Humans do exist, only outside of Ooo, and in colonies. The planet is a lot larger than we previously expected, and some places do not commonly have magic. In terms of characters, we finally meet Finn’s biological mother, Minerva Campbell, and see that Finn’s desire to help others seems to run in the family. Susan is proved to be a human, and why she is so muscular is explained. The reason for Martin leaving Finn behind is finally revealed. 

In the end, the miniseries concludes on an optimistic note. While the humans on the Island do not decide leave, they are left with the choice to do so if they please. Susan reunites with her long lost friend Frida, and they decide to go off and explore new lands beyond the Island and Ooo. Finn reunites with his mother and they reach a mutual understanding. Largely, the miniseries is about choice, and the ability to make decisions on one’s own, even when faced with an oppressive system. It is a good watch all around, both contributing to building the Adventure Time universe, and providing a subtle message to the audience, especially in these turbulent times.