Adventure Time: Distant Lands
HBO Max
Season 1, Episode 1 ‘BMO’
It is so good to see Adventure Time again. I was – and still am – obsessed with the program, as well as the subsequent comics (which I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing for this site in the past). Now, HBO Max has a new series, continuing where the show left off, telling the tales of what our beloved characters have gotten themselves into since we last left them. Here we see BMO, on their way to Mars with a small supply of potatoes… only to meet a creature who quickly takes BMO off course to a new destination, The Drift, a place in desperate need of help. There we meet our second protagonist, Y4, a young rabbit-humanoid who takes quickly to BMO, and risks disownment by following BMO in their tracks.
If you’re looking for the same quality as the show… you’ve found it! While it’s done on a grander scale (a whopping 45 minutes – give or take a handful of seconds), this special hadn’t lost what made the show so endearing. The oddity of BMO’s linguistic style, as well as the overall mix of light-hearted nature and very dark undertones made for a very entertaining special. I just wish it was longer. With the way it ended, I felt I should have had tears in my eyes with how everything turned out for the better, and Y4 was finally accepted by her parents (so much so her mother called her by her preferred name… Y5). It was a gorgeous conclusion, but I felt I didn’t have enough time to form the emotional bond with the characters I should have.
The show truly ends with BMO returning to Earth, back to the old treehouse, only to see a different version of Finn and Jake. A sweet looking toddler version of Finn, and Jake appeared to be going through his punk phase. At first, I thought BMO went to a parallel universe, but now… I think this is when BMO meets Finn and Jake for the first time, as BMO didn’t recognize them at all. This special took place before, and BMO must have been put into space to help colonize Mars before/after the great Mushroom War.
This, of course, is just my speculation, but if this is correct… then this is awesome!
Honestly, it lived up to all expectations. It was a great side story showing the full character of BMO, as well as exploring, well, distant lands in the Adventure Time Universe. I cannot wait to see who the next special will focus on.