This episode begins with Peppermint Butler performing dark magic on Cinnamon Bun, to use him as a vessel for the demon he’s summoning. I’m… not surprised by this at all, actually. A Gumball Guardian shows up and tells Peppermint Butler that he needs to get Bubblegum to pick a suitor. She’s been spending way too much time in her lab lately and she needs to socialize. Bubblegum’s suitors are all lined up in her castle and apparently they’ve been waiting a long time, because they’re all, as Peppermint Butler so nicely put it, old bags. He sends them all away, except for one young-looking suitor named Braco. He decides to let Braco take a shot at courting Bubblegum.
They enter her lab and, as expected, the princess is not at all interested in being courted.
- Peppermint Butler: This is Braco.
- Braco: [Sweating] Son of Loghan, who was begat by Hobus.
- Princess Bubblegum: [Writing notes] Okay, yeah?
- Braco: I want to take you… on a date.
- Princess Bubblegum: [Shocked] Thank you, Braco. That’s very sweet, but no.
- Peppermint Butler: Princess this lab reeks like brown mist; it’s unhealthy. You’ve got to get outside and do some research on boys [Points to Braco].
- Princess Bubblegum: That is way out of line, Peps, and you guys are donking up my research! [Begins knocking stuff off her table] Hello! Donk, donk!
I like that Bubblegum says straight-up that this is out of line. I mean, yeah, Bubblegum probably is over-working herself and she probably should give herself a break. However, whether or not taking a break should involve “research on boys” is entirely up to her. Bubblegum doesn’t want to date, research or no research, and that’s her choice. I’m glad that she stands up for herself here.
Then this happens:
- Braco: Princess, I love you! I-I love you so much it hurts. [PB stands and goes near him] The pain it—Huh?.
- Princess Bubblegum: [Points some kind of laser pointer on Braco’s eye] Hmmm, what you’re feeling is called “infatuation.” The pain is the product of you overvaluing a projected, imaginary relationship with me.
That sounds like what Bo Burnham once said about his fans that think they’re in love with him, as if making that intelligent observation was supposed to make us not think we’re in love with him. Seriously, though, this exchange is something I’m going to come back to later.
Anyway, Braco insists that his feelings for Bubblegum are totally real and she agrees to go on a date with him, but only for research purposes. While on their date, Bubblegum is scanning Braco with some sort of device. He gives her a rose and the device responds. Bubblegum tells Braco she has what she needs “for now” and then goes back to her lab, to Braco’s disappointment. He does take some comfort in the fact that she said “for now”, however, as he thinks that means she’ll go out with him again another day. The next day, he tries his grandfather’s art of “peacocking”, appearing before Bubblegum in an obnoxious suit and hat. Of course, it doesn’t work.
Later, we see Bubblegum in her lab again, as Peppermint Butler lets Finn and Jake in. Bubblegum had wanted to see them because she wants them to get her a Soul Stone, which she needs for something she’s working on. Finn and Jake agree to go but on their way out they’re intercepted by Braco (Finn reacts strangely to Braco being a suitor of Bubblegum’s… is he jealous?). Braco wants them to let him get the Soul Stone, because he thinks Bubblegum will love him if he brings it to her. Finn tells him, “That road you’re on leads to nowhere,” but he also doesn’t stop Braco from going.
Braco does manage to get the Soul Stone, but during the quest he gets badly burned and barely escapes from some monsters. Still, he’s pleased with himself for getting it, and when he goes to see Bubblegum…
- Braco: [Covers PB’s eyes] Guess who.
- Princess Bubblegum: [sighs] Braco. Ehhh, what happened to you?
- Braco: Oh, look, can it be? [Pretends to grab the soul stone from PB’s hair] It’s a Soul Stone!
- Princess Bubblegum: Oh, yeah, sorry, but I don’t need that anymore. I just finished programming a proper simulation of a soul. In fact, this is much easier to manipulate than a real one.
Ouch! Don’t get me wrong, I’m on Bubblegum’s side for this episode and most episodes and Braco really shouldn’t have gotten the Soul Stone himself. Finn and Jake are more suited to the task and Braco shouldn’t have assumed that this would win Bubblegum over. Still, this is pretty cold.
So now Braco is getting hysterical, and he’s brought back to Peppermint Butler by a Gumball Guardian. Braco desperately wants Bubblegum to love him, so Peppermint Butler offers to help with Shadow Demon magic. To be set free, the demon must turn Braco into a “love magnet”, but it instead turns him into a hideous monster (apparently Peppermint Butler is into it, though). Braco once again goes to see Bubblegum in her lab, where she is activating her latest invention: P-Bot, a robot that looks exactly like her but actually has interest in dating. When Braco shows up and asks Bubblegum if she loves him now, she says that she does, but not in the way he wants. She loves Braco the same way she loves all of her Candy citizens, and not in a way that’s romantic. However, she knows how much Braco has been suffering over his infatuation with her, so she built P-Bot for him. Braco is satisfied and leaves with P-Bot. Peppermint Butler shows up and asks where Braco went, so Bubblegum explains that she made Braco a robot wife. Peppermint Butler slaps her and says she should have given Braco to him. New OTP: Braco/Peppermint Butler.
The theme of this episode is pretty much laid out when Bubblegum tells Braco that what he’s feeling is infatuation, not love.
Infatuation can be a really powerful thing, but it’s important to remember that it’s not exactly real. It’s usually not about who that person actually is, but rather about what we think that person is. We build up an idea of this person in our mind and of what we think a relationship with that person would be like, and then we project it onto the person, but the truth is we don’t know them. Think about celebrity crushes you’ve had, or crushes on fictional characters, or even crushes on people you’ve met but never really spoke to. Often what we feel for them will seem a lot bigger than it actually is, but when we think about it, what do we really know about them?
Braco is a perfect example of what happens when someone can’t tell the difference between infatuation and love. He acts like a donkus. He insists that he’s in love with Bubblegum but he doesn’t know anything about her. He tries again and again to impress her despite the fact that she shows absolutely no interest and is in fact clearly exasperated with him. And everything he does try is stupid.
Like when he goes to get the Soul Stone? That was stupid. There’s a reason Bubblegum asked Finn and Jake to go. It’s because they’re bad ass adventurers who do dangerous shit like this all the time. They’re good at it. Getting the Soul Stone would have been nothing for them. Not the case with Braco. He has no idea what he’s doing and he could have been killed, it’s a miracle that he wasn’t. I mean, yeah, I guess it was brave of him to go in the first place, but there’s a very fine line between bravery and foolishness. Even Finn knew that what Braco was trying to do wouldn’t work.
Most importantly, though, is that Braco’s affections are not returned. Bubblegum doesn’t feel the same way. There seems to be this belief that if someone doesn’t like you back, all you need to do is try harder, and eventually they’ll change their mind. This is a pretty dangerous belief to perpetuate, because really, if someone doesn’t like you back, there’s nothing to be done about it. It sucks, but chasing them isn’t going to help, if anything it will just scare them away or lead to resentment. If they’re not interested, well, end of story.
Braco isn’t a malicious character, he’s just clueless. He doesn’t know any better. That can still be just as dangerous, both to himself and to the person he’s chasing, though. He’s giving himself false hope and tearing himself apart over Bubblegum, and he’s also not being fair to her. He’s not thinking about what she wants and respecting her wishes, he’s treating her like a prize to be won. Again, there’s no malice in the character like with Ricardio in Lady & Peebles, nor is he as creepy as Ice King, but Braco’s motivations are not really any different from either of them. He’s treating Bubblegum more like a trophy than a person.
And in the end, Braco gets what he wants. He gets a version of Bubblegum that doesn’t really exist, one that’s happy to be what’s essentially a doll. Braco gets to have his idealized relationship with Bubblegum, and Bubblegum doesn’t have to be in a relationship that she didn’t want. It’s a bit of a creepy conclusion, but I kind of get what Bubblegum was trying to do. She couldn’t and wouldn’t be what Braco wanted, but he wasn’t going to be happy without it. At least this way she can end his suffering.
Infatuation is not inherently a bad thing, but it can become dangerous if someone doesn’t know how to tell the difference between it and an actual crush. Falling for an idea isn’t the same thing as falling for a person, but as long as you can differentiate between the two, it should be harmless.
Rating: 8.5/10
This one begins in Princess Bubblegum’s bedroom, as Ice King comes out from his hiding place and who knows how long he’s been there. I’m going to go through this opening scene slowly because wow.
- Ice King: Oh, boy [struggles a bit, stands up and stares at the still sleeping princess.] Oh, you’re so pretty when you sleep, let’s go back to Ice King’s house, [rips duck tape piece and places it over her mouth, but she awakes.] Hi, baby….
… I really think this fandom underestimates what a creep Ice King is.
- Princess Bubblegum: [Muffled scream as she hits him with a pillow and rips the tape from her mouth.] Ice King, what are you doing in my bedroom?!
- Ice King: Baby, I was trying to surprise you by moving you to my place while you sleep, then have you wake up to breakfast in bed, but now you’ve ruined the surprise, way to go.
what
- Princess Bubblegum: Do you think I like being kidnapped?! Is that what you think I want?!
Four for you, Bubblegum! You go, Bubblegum!
- Ice King: Okay, here we go, you’re the victim right? You know what, since day one I’ve been doing everything to make this relationship work and for what?!
Yes, Ice King, she is the victim. You were going to kidnap her. She is absolutely the victim here. And what relationship? You two don’t have a relationship. She has never wanted one with you.
- Princess Bubblegum: Banana Guards! [Two of them enter the room]
- Ice King: Babe, come on, we promised we wouldn’t make our problems public [The guard approach the Ice King.]
No you didn’t.
- Princess Bubblegum: [Exasperated] Take him out. [They drag him away, as Ice King protests.]
- Ice King: No, baby! What are you doing?! [Still being dragged, he whines] Baby bear! [Pulling loose from the guards, he runs back to the princess’ side on bended knee.] This is just so crazy, if you can honestly look into your heart and tell me you want me to leave, I’ll go!
- Princess Bubblegum: [Serious] Okay, leave.
Okay I laughed at this.
- Ice King: [Taken aback] Uh-what? D-did you look in your heart, like all around it?
- Princess Bubblegum: [Sternly] Yes.
- Ice King: I see. Then obviously you have got some heavy emotions stirring in you and you have said some very rash things. [Standing up he walks backwards towards the awaiting guards.] Guards! Take me away! [Lifting up both arms he falls sideways in the arms of the guards and do as requested.]
Can we just all agree that Ice King is creepy as hell? I know he’s really interesting and tragic and a lot of people like him for that, and I like him for that too, he’s one of my favorite characters on this show. But even so, I stand by my conviction that Ice King is a total fucking creep. It’s not just that he has no understanding of boundaries or consent, it’s that he can not see himself as in the wrong for any of these things. He’s either unable or unwilling, and I don’t know which is worse. He believes that he has a relationship with Bubblegum, he believes that she wants everything he does to her, he believes that when she reacts negatively it’s a problem with her and not with him, he believes that he’s the one who’s being treated unfairly, he believes that he’s the victim. Like Ice King as much as you want but can we also acknowledge how creepy and terrible this behavior is? (By the way, none of this is a criticism toward the writing or the writers, as this seems to be intentional on their part.)
I did laugh at that exchange between Finn and Ice King when they run into each other as Ice King’s leaving, though. I like how Finn is immediately ready to warn him away but Ice King interrupts him with, “I’m leaving!”
Ice King returns to his castle and wonders if he said the right thing with Bubblegum, he says he “can never tell with that girl”. That’s… I don’t… whatever. He decides that he needs to get away for a while, so he flies away from the Ice Kingdom and ends up on an island. He soon discovers that the island itself is alive. And it’s a woman.
Ice King and Isla de Señorita, as I suppose we’ll be calling her, start spending time with each other and they hit it off. Mostly, they bond by talking about their crappy relationships. Isla de Señorita is dating Party God, and he’s not a very good boyfriend. He spends most of his time partying (as his name suggests) and neglects his girlfriend, and he gets jealous and possessive if she spends time with other guys. Ice King tells Isla de Señorita about his imagined relationship with Bubblegum and how emotionally repressed she is. The part about Bubblegum being emotionally repressed? That’s true. But, you know, she’s not Ice King’s girlfriend. Anyway, Ice King convinces her to break up with Party God because he’s no good for her, and he’s actually completely right. Isla de Señorita agrees that she should break up with him but falters when it’s time to do so. Ice King then decides that he’s going to break up with Party God for her, and he flies after him.
When he catches up to Party God and tells him about how he’s been spending a lot of time with Isla de Señorita. Before he can continue, Party God becomes furious with the fact that Ice King has been with his girlfriend, despite Ice King explaining that it was all platonic. Party God attacks Ice King and the two fight for a while. Party God is much more powerful, since he’s a god and all, but Ice King eventually manages to outsmart him and… does he kill him? I mean at first I figured Ice King just knocked him out but considering how the rest of the episode goes I’m pretty sure Party God is actually dead. R.I.P?
Ice King, when he realizes Party God is dead “unconscious”, uses his body as a puppet to encourage Isla de Señorita to break up with her boyfriend. She does, and says that she wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of her friend Ice King. He doesn’t seem to like being called her friend, and he mentions that he plans on breaking up with his girlfriend as well, but Isla de Señorita doesn’t really react. So, Ice King leaves and throws Party God’s body into space (lol), and then he “breaks up” with Bubblegum.
- [Back at the Candy Kingdom, Princess Bubblegum is in her science room. The Ice King burst through the window shattering the glass.]
- Princess Bubblegum: Fun cakes! [She stands up]
- Ice King: I’ve come to a decision, you ready to hear it? I’m breaking up with ya! You party too much, you never want to spend time with me and you only care about having fun and other people’s stereos! I’m just a big island you can come and go from as you please!
… Wrong relationship, Ice King. At least this was a relationship that actually existed, even if he got the people involved wrong, so… it’s a start?
- Princess Bubblegum: BANANA GUARDS!!
- Ice King: Banana Guard yourself, Princess!! [Flies away.] Ah, we’ll work it out.
Probably not.
What’s interesting to me about this episode is that the relationship advice that Ice King give Isla de Señorita is actually good advice. She’s in a bad relationship and she needs to get out of it, she can’t let Party God intimidate her and she needs to stop making excuses for him. Ice King understands that, but he’s so awful when it comes to his own relationships… or lack there of… you know what I mean.
Part of it may have been that Ice King wasn’t actually wearing his crown for most of the episode. At this point Ice King’s mind has been way too warped and will never go back to what it once was completely, but maybe removing the crown can still clear his head a little. Or maybe he’s just better at helping people with their problems than he is at dealing with his own. Self-awareness isn’t Ice King’s strong suit, so if the problem actually involves him in any way he’s no good. But if it’s something where he’s a complete outsider? Then he can be of use.
What I also like is that I don’t think Ice King’s advice to Isla de Señorita was just a way of getting her for himself. At least, I don’t think that’s what it was at first. I think he genuinely wanted to help her in the beginning, because he knew she was unhappy and in a bad place, but then he actually ended up falling for her (as he does with almost every woman). I think he still helped her mainly for selfless reasons, even though it was clear that in the end he was disappointed that he wasn’t getting more out of it.
Rating: 6.5/10