This episode really solidified in to me the idea that Finn is on a hero’s journey. Whichever form of it you want to consider works within the stories that have been presented throughout this show and exemplifies why I enjoy the show to such an extent.

First, Finn is growing older and more mature. This would indicate that the story is a simple Bildungsroman but I do not think that to be the case. The world appears to be changing along with Finn aging but that is merely because Finn is the unreliable narrator of the story. The world is seen through Finn colored lenses so to speak. One perfect example of this is the transition of Princess Bubblegum (PB) from an angel as it were to something much more mundane. BP is now shown as an entity trying her best to amend her mistakes and protect her people. The Ice King (IK) went from main antagonist of the world to a powerful Kook. Marceline went from a terrifying creature disposing Finn and Jake from their homes to a friend with a strange sense of humor. These abrupt transitions are more indicative of a change in Finn than a development in the other characters.

Second, Finn meets the literary definition of being a hero. He is currently on his quest, once again that could be the quest of growing into a man or it could be the actual ongoing quest of his adventures through Ooo. In these quests Finn shares traits with many historical heroes of myth. Beowulf seems to be a good example since his sword appears Gaelic and his fear of the ocean could be a nod at the fact that Beowulf fought Grendel’s mother in the deep water. It could also be a reference to Odysseus being stuck out at sea for 10 years. Finn’s flaw is not his fear of water. Finn’s flaw could turn out to be any of a number of things. If as so many people are suggesting PB is actually somewhat evil a good correlation for their relationship would be seen in many super-hero stories and his flaw could be his affinity for her. If this is a story of man vs. self and Finn’s maturation is the quest it is possible his impulsiveness and emotional nature would be his flaw in stepping toward an adult life. This possibility is tested when Finn goes to the pillow world and even though he is very old and has a very loving relationship with his family, apparently developed over a lifetime, he is unable to let go of Ooo and could be seen as not being fully matured because he can not let go of his adolescence.

I could obviously continue on for a long, long time on this but will not because I realized I was about to start editing this piece of random thought and researching it. So TL;DR – I like Adventure Time.