TALKBACK - Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake - "The Bird in the Clock" [11/27/2025]

[CNFan1995]

Episode 16

Online November 27

The Bird in the Clock
Premieres
THURSDAY 11/27 (Online)

This week...
After several setbacks, Fionna's quest to save the lot takes a costly turn, while Huntress and Cake begrudgingly join forces to explore an enigmatic vision of the future.​

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

Okay here's a very nitpicky issue I have with this episode; when Huntress Wizard kills the Cosmic Owl (yeah we'll get to more of the ramifications of that later) with his last words he should have said to HW "You're a sociopath!" Like wouldn't that be the perfect tie to his introduction all the way back from "Prisoners Of Love" and still be perfectly fitting for this specific scenario? I guess I also would have liked to have actually seen more of what happened to Farmworld Finn other then "yes he's alive and is glad to hear his daughter is still alive just in another universe" but I still think something has to happen with that we'll get the bigger picture of later. Though I will say even if they really don't at least this episode delivered on something we probably could of had an episode earlier but am glad to see finally pop in; our main heroes actually ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING and not just letting crap pile up.

I think my frustration especially last week wasn't really as much in the not really traversing the multiverse stuff which yeah I was fine with not doing at the start and want this season to feel different, but I think it was more the fact Fiona and Huntress Wizard's whole quest just feel like they are letting stuff pile up without really actually fixing ANY issue. And yeah obviously "Finn getting fully healed" story will probably only be at the end of the season but HW's attempts to go back to Ooo and Fiona's feelings of failure shouldn't just be hitting road block after road block and we should of had SOMETHING else by now which thankfully we get in this episode. As we not only get more HW and Fiona interaction but actually get to see Fiona and Finn interact... granted it's more this dreamscape not actual technical full Hero Finn but it is still really cool to see them actually work in tandem in this dreamscape. I do really dig the idea of Finn just forgetting who Fiona is each time he "dies" and Fiona still being in horror seeing it every time even if by the third she stops bothering to explain herself as well as Finn offering advice on following one's hero heart. Like the whole set up with clocks and time is an obvious metaphor but man though this episode actually doesn't have much swearing in this is easily rated adult for how many times Finn gets mangled in ways you wouldn't ever see get past the original series. Like being cut and half and then decapitated in one but yeah the point was ensuring that Finn didn't die in a way forseen by the Cosmic Owl. Like I really dug the backstory in the opening and then finding out it was for the Cosmic Owl (makes me wonder who is twin brother was. You think it was the original Death or like Hunson or maybe just someone we haven't heard about before yet) was a really cool reveal. Like the Cosmic Owl in the original series was very infrequently used but for the right reason so I never thought we'd see another focus on him let alone as sort of antagonist or at least "I have to do this job because it's been enforced upon me" leading to HW winding up killing him which yeah feels especially heavy. Like the kind of thing you can't just brush over which they are doing for now but I meant like the cosmic forces in this universe will be coming for her. I do like too Fiona trying to get her to open up to how she feels about Finn who clearly loves her but yeah her still wanting to be warrior hard and yeah her slapping some sense into Fionna after dream chasing DJ Flame was a nice moment as well. Again good to see these guys actually interact in some form or another.

There were a lot of other good little bits as well. I did Fionna managing to encourage Marshall in his dream to stand up against his mother and that obviously inspiring him in the real world as well as Gary even saying how punk it is to have a concert in a spot where your own mom made your coffin. And though it probably ultimately is just going to be played off as a joke I do really like the feel of suspense of Marceline actually contemplating saving Finn by turning him into a vampire and yes actually trying it... but not being able to because of the green sickness and yeah having to such on PB just to get back her health. And honestly a fair amount of good gags from Cake's reaction to her dream kids and "uh it's normal everyone goes to bed hugglng stuffed animals", PB using that device on Old Lady Princess to test on trying to make Finn at least APPEAR healthy, BMO drawing on Finn paralleing Cake drawing on Fiona and HW, Hunter and Huntress Wizard's interaction (know some of this is out of order just saying it as I think it) and Finn and Fiona both doing the "Finn scream" at the same time. Like they have been ultimately milking the Fiona scream a bit this season but having them both do it here really works. And yeah just a lot of cool trippy dream imagery as well from just the Cosmic Owl splitting himself to the stage like presentation of Finn's dream.

So yeah felt like something was accomplished giving our characters stuff to do and solid jokes and interactions makes for another good episode. Wish I had more to say on this one but eh them finding a way to do something I actually wanted for this season just has me in a positive mood on that with not that much to add ... okay looking up that is a fair amount but eh you know what I mean.