Parents' Guide to Adventure Time: Distant Lands - Together Again

Nothing lasts forever, but that's okay, says this bittersweet but enjoyable finale to an animated relationship many viewers have grown up with, enclosed within a fun far-out 40-minute odyssey. When Cartoon Network fans first met Finn and Jake way back in 2010, after all, many of them were used to tuning into the network for shows like Ben 10 and Transformers: Animated; a loopy narrative about a boy and his faithful dog friends on surreal quests that were a Trojan horse for darker, more nuanced themes was something very different. And though we now live in a world replete with post-Adventure Time animated series, Together Again demonstrates the power of these particular characters to connect.

In some ways, Together Again may remind Seinfeld fans of that show's (polarizing) finale, which featured a parade of beloved past characters. In Together Again we run into many old friends: rival Tiffany, the Lumpy Space Princess, Finn and Jake's parents; some pass through the narrative without much impact, others are central to the story. But the real emotional moments are, of course, between Finn and Jake. As always, they share a strong, close bond, explicitly illustrated in dialogue and visuals ("I was hanging out in nirvana beyond all desire when I picked up your vibe," says Jake to Finn when they meet again), a bond that, the show tells us, will endure even when the friends have to make a hard decision. It's a fitting end to a long journey, and it feels right in a show that's matured along with its fans.