Adventure Time, TV Shows

What the Glob was Going on in the Adventure Time Water Park Prank episode? Surprising Answers Here

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So, I normally LOVE Adventure Time. But this week, while watching the Adventure Time Water Park Prank episode, I was … confused…

(Read through to the end, as there is super important info about the finale at the very end of the blog!)

Adventure Time Water Park
Tweeted by @swatpatz
#AdventureTime was weird and ... boring ... this week. Let's go back to Cosmic Owl's story! Share on X

Some other folks on Twitter summed up my feelings nicely:

And…

And this, which accurately depicts my reaction:

Sooo, maybe other people felt differently about Adventure Time Water Park Prank? I found a few folks on Twitter who liked it. The entire episode was written, directed, and storyboarded by David Ferguson. Maybe for a different comic, but for Adventure Time, I agree with this Tweeter:

Dialogue & Character Problems

And I’m gonna be honest here… The story was pretty boring too. Like really, really juvenile boring to the point that I even fell asleep for a minute. Not only was the animation a disappointment, but the writing and the plot seemed … off. Finn and Jake were jerks for no reason. Rather than being heroes, they were bullies. And Finn was stupid. I’m not saying his character or storyline were stupid. I’m saying he was written as someone who was NOT smart at all and did really, really dumb things. This is NOT the Finn we’ve come to love.

For example, at the end (SPOILERS but do you really care for this episode?), Finn stupidly jumps back into the exact same pond where he got contaminated 5 minutes earlier. Really? Our Finn would do that? I feel like the tone and style and dialogue of a different cartoon slipped into my beloved Adventure Time and took over. Could this be an alternate universe?

Insider View: What Happened?

As I said earlier, @swatpaz from Twitter (David Ferguson) storyboarded, wrote and directed the entire show. That is A LOT of creative independence given to one person.

And please, I would LOVE to have a shot at that! I have a story already written that would be perfect and HILARIOUS for Adventure Time. 🙂 I also have a talented relative who could storyboard it, and another writer with Hollywood writing creds who could help. So give me a chance, Adventure Time execs? Please?

I vote for @PostApocalypt as the next guest writer for #AdventureTime! @MrMuto Share on X

So back to David Ferguson… His Twitter reveals  … not much. Just prior to the episode, he posted about toilets and toilet paper… oh, and rancid meat. No real commentary on the episode. Hey, I have toilet paper sitting next to me because I can’t afford Kleenex. So see? I’d make a good Adventure Time writer. 😉

So I did a little more sleuthing. I went to @MrMuto, who is the co-executive producer of Adventure Time. He retweeted friends’ favorite @swatpaz cartoons, including Toffee Apple House on YouTube. Annnd that’s about it too.

So I still think I have a chance. 😉

I went and looked back on some of David Ferguson’s other works. He was featured on Cartoon Brew  here back in 2009. Interestingly, this story talks about Pendleton Ward sharing how much he loves Ferguson’s work and doesn’t understand why he’s not more wildly popular. So Ward’s been a fan since 2009, at least. Ferguson features some of his work on his own website here, and his YouTube channel. 

I think this may be a simple matter of Ward LOVING Ferguson’s work, without quite realizing that he wasn’t the greatest fit creatively for the show. And then Ferguson maybe not putting in enough time to understand the characters he was writing about, because he was very focused on showcasing his own style.

What do you think?

Ward has loved Ferguson's work since 2009. #AdventureTime #WaterPark Share on X Maybe Ferguson didn't take enough time to really get to know the characters. Finn was dumbed down. #AdventureTime #WaterPark Share on X

So, with so many unanswered questions, I went to Reddit for help. They know everything.

Reddit’s Explanation of this Head Scratcher of an Episode

Annnd… They don’t know everything. Read the thread here. Mostly confusion and angst. Comments like “Maybe we all just pretend it was a fever dream” and “I don’t even have the heart to go back through and look for the snail…”

Another redditor looked at Ferguson’s website (which I listed above), and thought his other works weren’t any good. So that pretty much sums it up. For whatever reason, Ward liked his work and decided to give him a shot. Hey, I can’t look down on Ward for giving someone a chance.

And this still means I have a chance. 😉

Finale for the Season is Coming… 6 episodes in one week! 

It appears we may be nearing the end of Season 6. A few tweets out there are stating Season 6 will end with 6 new episodes airing in 1 week, at 6 pm each night. According to Wikipedia, it’s true. We’re on break and then June 1-June 5 is a show every night, culminating in 2 episodes to end the season on June 5. And their names, “The Comet” and “Hot Diggity Doom” make me nervous… and excited. June 1-5 will have an #AdventureTime every night, plus a 22-min season finale on June 5! Share on X And if you’re still wondering what happened in this episode, well… there’s always this explanation:

The Comet is the penultimate epi. So excited! #AdventureTime Share on X

 

So… Are you as ready as I am for the last 6 episodes? Are you as terrified as I am (and excited) about what’s going to happen in the episode called “The Comet”? Eeekkk! We’ve had so many cosmically important characters lately (cosmic owl, I’m looking at YOU) and some even dying (Glob!!!), while others do life-altering things (Gunther!), that I have no clue what’s going to happen. But it’s going to be BIG. And world altering.

Get ready for SIX new #AdventureTime episodes June 1-5, up to the finale! Share on X

And by the way, if you want to Tweet for me to get a chance to write Adventure Time (a girl can dream can’t she?), just click on the tweet below and share it. 🙂

I vote for @PostApocalypt as the next guest writer for #AdventureTime! @MrMuto Share on X

UPDATE: Do You Think “Thomas & Friends” Inspired the Animation?

My husband felt the faces of Finn & Jake looked vaguely familiar, so he did some searching and thinks they may be inspired by the faces of Thomas & Friends. What do you think? I can definitely see a resemblance with the creepy eyes, eyebrows, the nose, the lips, and the cheeks. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Was Finn's face in Water Park inspired by Thomas & Friends? #AdventureTime Share on X
adventure time default
(Cartoon Network)
thomas-character-guide
(Thomas & Friends)

    Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. She's a licensed attorney and has a master's in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].

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    12 Comments

    1. You have an interesting perspective. I’m surprised/not surprised at the collective dislike of the guest animator episodes. They are certainly different from the rest of the seasons they are respectively found in.

      In terms of story, style, and humor, I found the episode to be very similar to the first season. At that time, I think Pendleton Ward had much stronger influence over storyboarding and the general feel for the show. Pendleton Ward has always struck me as a very bizarre and silly dude. Many of the episodes in the first season had juvenile humor (plenty of farts and random silliness) and generally irreverent plots. One that comes to mind (and probably my favorite of the first season) was Memories of Boom Boom Mountain. A bunch of silly, irrelevant problems were solved in true hero fashion, but all in the most convoluted and silly ways. Referring to the Wikipedia: Larry Leichliter was directing all these episodes, and the storyboarders varied, so it’s hard to nail down where the juvenile direction comes from.

      Regardless, I enjoyed this guest animated episode and I’ve enjoyed all the previous ones. They all catch me off-guard, but after a couple watches I become a bit more familiar and wind up thoroughly enjoying them. Nevertheless, I’m a big fan (huge fan, even) of storyboarders like Jesse Moynihan that take the show’s narrative elements and themes in a totally different direction. I still love the intricate plots that have developed over the last few seasons. I just don’t think that one must exist without the other.

      I appreciate your time and research that you put into writing this article. I’m always interested in hearing from other AT fans.

      Elijah

      2. Thank you for sharing your perspective! I’m glad to hear other interpretations of the episode. Finn did appear much “younger” in his actions, so I could certainly accept this one more if it took place in season 1. 🙂 I have to say that I kind of loved Memories of Boom Boom Mountain. And the Boom Boom song always cracks me up way more than it probably should, haha.

    2. Water Park Prank was so disappointing. I deleted the file off my DVR, and I’m considering removing the hard drive and burning it, just to be sure it’s gone.

      The sound sucked, the actors sounded like they were not having a good time, and not sure of the show themselves. The pacing seemed slow to me.

      I’m looking forward to the daily series of episodes. It’s going to be epic! As long as Ferguson had nothing to do with them. Nothing at all.

      1. Your comment about deleting the file off your DVR cracked me up! Yes, it did seem like the actors were a bit confused by the dialogue too. I am soooo excited about Adventure Time Week. I wish it were this week, but then I would be sad once it’s over!

    3. I just got through watching this episode and, like always, I loved it. I really like the guest animated episodes, they’re a breath of fresh air and change it up without messing with the plot. Yes, the characters were ugly but that was part of the humor, I thought, like how Ricardio is so detailed and ugly.

      A Glitch is a Glitch and Food Chain were absolutely great episodes and just because this one is undeniably the weakest of the three, doesn’t mean they should stop altogether. This is part of the charm of Adventure Time. You never know what to expect.

      1. Thanks so much for commenting! It seems that the animation style did appeal to some people! 🙂 I, personally, wasn’t a huge fan. Interesting points about other guest episodes. I did like “A Glitch is a Glitch,” but I wasn’t much of a fan of “Food Chain.”

        You do make a good point about not stopping animation guests completely. I mean, you’re right, it does help with the charm of having no idea what to expect in an Adventure Time episode. And I love it when an episode ends and I’m just staring at the screen saying: “Whaaaaat just happened?”

        My biggest problem with the episode is that the personalities seemed off. I personally hope they don’t go with the same guy for another guest spot. But I wouldn’t be opposed to giving someone else a shot down the line. 🙂

    4. This episode could be the beginning of the end for Adventure Time. It’s Sad to see but all good things come to an end. I read in Rolling Stone that Ward was going to take a back seat because of all the work and pressure. This may be the first episode where we see the result of this change.

      1. Yes, I heard that about Ward too. 🙁 BUT if you’ve seen the last few episodes after Water Park Prank, it gets MUCH much better. I feel like the prank of Water Park Prank was making us worried about AT, lol.

    5. Got to say that that episode really wasn’t all that great. Nevermind the jokes being more juvie, but it just had very poor flow. Looked at this Ferguson’s website and his style really isn’t all that great. For example, out of the more sketch-looking cartoons, Superjail was extremely well done.

      1. I agree, skv012a! The jokes were not as mature and the entire episode just didn’t flow as well. The characters were really out of sync with how they are normally written. That’s a great point about Ferguson’s website too. I’m really glad Adventure Time redeemed itself in the last six episodes!