The Book of Rannells: Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake: Season 1, Episode 3 – “Cake the Cat” (2023)

While episode 2, which I didn’t review, is wildly different from episode 1 in ways that are confusing but intriguing, episode 3 starts bringing things together. Still confusing for a layperson like me, but it’s definitely entertaining, and I’m finding my footing better.

First, a quick catchup: in episode 2, we see a man named Simon Petrikov. Formerly the Ice King in Fionna’s fantastical dreams, he’s now an ordinary human who lives in the wondrous Land of Ooo, at odds with all the wild beings that inhabit it. He’s trying to open a portal to get back to someone he’s lost, but instead, Cake jumps through the portal into the Land of Ooo. While she explores the possibilities of this new world (and having a voice!), Fionna is back in their world, frantically searching for her.

I enjoyed Cake in the first episode, which nails her essential catness, but giving her a voice is even better. In the Land of Ooo, animals can wear special collars to give them human speech, and Cat relishes the opportunity: “Wow, I’ve never been able to say what I want like this before! Usually, I just meow, and my human puts food in my bowl or cleans my poop.” She also describes Fionna as “kinda like a big clumsy cat I live with,” tries Alice in Wonderland-style size-changing fruit, and inadvertently makes all kinds of people mad at her.

An additional wrinkle to the story is that, in the Land of Ooo, Fionna & Cake is a popular book series, formerly written by Simon. While he wants nothing to do with it anymore, he’s constantly reminded of it by fans. Naturally, a cat that looks suspiciously like Cake popping out of a portal is the last thing he wants, especially when he gives her a speech collar and she starts calling out for Fionna.

Meanwhile, Fionna is at her wit’s end looking for Cake. Having a lost cat is bad enough, but Fionna’s sure she saw her go through a portal just before she disappeared. The people around her think that’s crazy talk, so what does she do: look for her cat in more mundane places or look for the portal?

Andrew Rannells/Gary comes into the story after Fionna’s been frantically pounding the pavement all night. He immediately proves a caring and attentive friend, making her a coffee and being 100% on board with joining the search. We’ve only seen Gary in a few scenes so far, but he’s definitely good people.