This overview isn’t going to be as detailed as I would have liked it to be. I had a really hard time writing this thing, for a couple of reasons. The beginning of this week was filled with exams, which means my time was mostly occupied by studying, and then the day my exams ended was the same day Mortal Kombat X came out, and I bought it immediately after my exam and my time lately has been mostly occupied with playing it (it’s amazing, by the way). Writing the Season 5 overview hasn’t really been on my mind very much, and even when I tried to set aside time to sit down and write it, I had a really hard time coming up with much to say because honestly I don’t remember a whole lot from this season. So, sorry if this overview seems rushed and ends up not being very good.
Hey, so, wasn’t this season supposed to have a lot of dramatic episodes? Because I don’t remember there being that many. Yeah, there were some, but people always made it sound like the majority of Season 5 was dramatic and serious and it didn’t feel that way to me? Do I just have a different definition of “dramatic and serious” than most people? I’m not necessarily saying this as a criticism nor as a good point, it’s just something I noted.
I guess there were a lot of weird and experimental episodes in this season, though. This show is pretty weird and experimental to begin with, but it did seem like they were pushing what they could do a lot more this season. Not just when it comes to drama but with their comedy and story-telling and even their animation sometimes, like in A Glitch is a Glitch. Sometimes being more experimental paid off, sometimes it didn’t, but hey, at least they were trying. We also got to learn some more about the Mushroom War and the beginnings of Ooo, which was interesting.
So, Finn was a raging ball of hormones for most of this season. Realistic for his age? Yes. Fun to watch? Eh… depends on the episode and who you’re asking. People often like characters and stories that are more “realistic”, but only in certain ways or to a certain extent. Like, it would be more realistic if in a book taking place in medieval times there was more mention of how bad everyone smells and how disgusting their teeth are, but you wouldn’t actually want to read that, would you? It’s better that those details are left out. Just like, for most people, it’s better to not have to see a character’s hormonal teenager phase. Personally, I don’t mind seeing Finn go through it, but I do understand how it would irritate people.
Another thing I’ve noticed about Finn in this season is that he seems less heroic than he used to. Part of that may just be the surprising lack of adventure episodes this season, but it feels like Finn has been becoming more selfish lately, and more apathetic about being a hero. I guess this is sort of the point, though. Finn was distracted for a while by his relationship with Flame Princess, and he may also have been trying to distance himself from his heroic duties after Billy’s death (by the way, I thought Billy’s death was going to have a way bigger impact on this season). Toward the end of the season Finn and other characters actually start acknowledging that Finn hasn’t been doing much adventuring lately.
As for everyone else, I don’t have a lot to say about them individually. They’re all more or less the same as they were in other seasons, I don’t feel like they’ve really changed much. Jake became a dad this season, but it was one episode and then his kids are all grown up. As usual most of my favorite episodes in this season are the ones where Princess Bubblegum plays a big role and her presence makes everything better. Her “dark side” is starting to come through a little more, but that only makes me love her more. I enjoyed learning more about Ice King and Marceline’s past together, but neither character has changed much in general. Marceline doesn’t appear much in this season, just like she doesn’t appear much in other seasons, and that’s a shame because she’s a great character. I also liked that we got to know Flame Princess a little more in this season. I’m really starting to love her. I enjoyed the Lemongrab episodes, I liked the darker turn they took, and I wonder what’s going to happen with him next. Assuming he’ll be coming back, that is.
All right, wrapping this up because I’m out of stuff to say. Even though I haven’t actually said that much. I think I can kind of see why this season is so polarizing. It does have a lot of good episodes, but it doesn’t leave much of an impression overall. Or at least, it didn’t for me. The good episodes are really good, but there’s also a lot of mediocrity. Also, this season is way too long.
Again, sorry this is so short and kind of crappy, but I have surprisingly little to say about this season as a whole.
Season Rating: 7.1/10
Best Episode: Sky Witch and The Vault
Worst Episode: The Box Prince
Now, about what happens next. I won’t be reviewing Season 6 of Adventure Time right away. Even with the cliffhanger. Besides, all I said was I wouldn’t be reviewing it right away, not that I wouldn’t watch it right away. I have decided on what show I’m going to review next, though. I won’t tell you what it is right now, but I’m sure everyone can guess. You’ll find out which show I’m reviewing on April 27th, when I’ll make a quick introductory post, and then reviews will officially begin again on the first of May.