‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (2024)

You heard it right: Cake's (Roz Ryan) finally made her way to the whimsical reality of Ooo and she's trying to make the most of it without Fionna's (Madeleine Martin) caring help.

From the first two episodes, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake has already created this intriguing setup: the Fionna and Cake we see in this show uniquely contrast the heroic duo from the original show as they live a completely normal life.

However, in the second episode, there are a few more drops hinted during Simon Petrikov's (Tom Kenny) purpose searching with Finn (Jeremy Shada) that suggest that our unlikely protagonists may have more to their lives than what they already know.

Now, in this episode, with Cake finally making her way to Ooo, this episode creates another special perspective on self-actualization that will definitely resonate with fans as Cake discovers her own path, by fate or otherwise.

Fionna & Cake Episode 3 Recap Review

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (1)

Opening up, this episode starts with a familiar treading of a classic Adventure Time episode as Finn and Jake (John DiMaggio) make a daring escape from the Cockatrice's sky palace with a talking egg.

It's a fun icebreaker that reminisces on old times, calling back to previous things such as the Jake Suit while taking advantage of its TV-14 rating action-wise with the gore. However, the episode doesn't linger on this memorable moment as it cuts back to Prismo (Sean Rohani), who's watching all this from his Time Room while the alarm goes off on his remote.

Potentially hinting at the events of the previous episode, it signifies the heightened stakes that could have come with Cake's transporting to Ooo. Surprisingly, Prismo decides to ignore this little annoyance just for now as he continues watching the two.

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (2)

Shortly after, it cuts on the aftermath of the previous episode's ending: Fionna willingly jumps into the ice cream cart where Cake disappeared into while a scared Cake tries to gather her surroundings in front of a surprised Simon. Simon, who thought his spell would bring back Betty, decides to help Cake, not knowing who she actually is. When he finally puts on the talking collar he took on Cake's neck, a slight realization finally sets in as he tries to acquaint Cake: he's done something wrong.

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As much as Simon wants to put what Ice King did behind him, he may never be able to do it now that Cake's in the mix. Even more so, when Simon asks how she got to Ooo, Cake sings a song that triggers something within Simon, which doesn't further help his traumatic state of mind. Despite Simon's insistence, Cake manages to make her escape from the apartment thanks to an incidental notice from Astrid (Audrey Bennett), who tells Simon about Cake's oddly familiar presence.

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (3)

The sequence where Cake finally discovers her new surroundings manages to create those feelings of dread and wonder in a way that excitedly creates this outlandish world for Cake. Besides calling back to details like the Minerva Bots (Sharon Horgan), it also draws suspense on whether Cake could find Fionna and survive in this new reality.

Though she thinks she does, Cake gets tricked in a fake-out by someone who looks like Fionna. Terrified of what's going on, she escapes the Humans' floating city by falling, hearing the song that brought her here from the newly shaped Ice Kingdom.

However, Cake actually begins to take in her new surroundings, seeing all the magical creatures that charm her. In a way, she's finally believing that she's supposed to fit in here even without Fionna to help her.

As a surprise, Cake comes across the Squirrel (Marc Maron) from the season 5 episode “Up a Tree”. Discovering that he can talk too, the Squirrel decides to help her by fixing the collar, giving her her iconic voice. Even though Cake is discovering her physical self, she's still adjusting to her new environment as she begins to realize her inner true potential. She's not supposed to be this normal house cat who meows all day and more and more, Cake is opening up to the idea of this being true.

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (4)

As Cake and the Squirrel head into town to restore Cake's size, after eating a cursed apple, the duo share this small heart-to-heart as they open up to one another about their previous lives. Cake is beginning to realize that she doesn't need Fionna's help in the same way that the Squirrel wanted his own independence from the Tree. For viewers who haven't watched the original show, the Squirrel wanted to “fly away” from the Tree, but the others doubted him and didn't want him to in the end.

It's a sweet moment for Cake to find some common details with someone else who's in the same circumstances. The episode continually nails in that Cake isn't meant to be this character she was in the first episode: she's meant to be someone with her own livelihood and her own independence as she follows her own instincts.

Meanwhile, Fionna is still looking for Cake in the normal world, coming across Marshall Lee (Donald Glover) and Ellis P. (Pendleton Ward) for help. Though she believes that Cake does need her, this is surprisingly proven wrong after Cake and the Squirrel come across the Squirrel's “buddies” from the Tree, making quick work of them by clawing and scratching.

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (5)

After the two make their way into town, Cake manages to get cured and comes across a lively tune as she begins singing. Cake's song actually emphasizes her instincts-based independence from Fionna, expressing her existential emotions in a way that helps her actualize who she really is.

It's a fun, odd beat as it cuts back and forth between Simon trying to repeat the spell and Cake causing chaos, turning one of the Hot Dog Knights into a normal hot dog, hinting at the alarm Prismo ignored in the beginning.

As Cake closes out her song, the townspeople close in on her, hoping to punish her for the things she's done.

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (6)

In the normal world, Fionna is still tirelessly trying to track down Cake. She continues to remain determined on finding the portal, even if no one else believes her. Luckily, Gary (Andrew Rannells) is up to help Fionna with a iced cup of coffee, though she gets an ache due to Simon's re-opening of the universal connection.

Thanks to this, Fionna gets transported to Ooo, much to Simon's shocking dismay and anger. Simon still doesn't believe what he's done: he's been so focused on finding and getting to Betty that he believes that Fionna and Cake are just Ice King's manifestations of madness. Even though they're real now, Simon is still not able to cope with all these mishaps and mess-ups.

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After leaving Simon's apartment, Fionna easily takes it all in and approaches Astrid, who's been waiting outside and believes Fionna to be a cosplayer. Surprisingly, unlike Cake, Fionna is able to absorb this all in quicker because she's dreamt of this exciting life. Now, after entering this new world, she might be able to have that.

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (7)

With Astrid's help, Fionna is able to track down Cake to the square, where she's been held prisoner. This sequence finally begins to open that locked box of potential: as Fionna and Cake fight to survive, it shows that they have an inner capability for something more.

It also showcases that while Cake does have independence, her loving connection with Fionna remains stronger as the two have this shared bond just like Finn and Jake. It's a nice parallel for this episode to show that these two characters, no matter what variants they are, will always have this special, strong brotherly/sisterly connection that truly shows how much they care for each other.

Saving Cake from the (mostly innocent) townspeople, Astrid finally realizes that Fionna and Cake are the real deal. However, before they can do anything else, they're teleported elsewhere, presumably by Prismo's hand.

Final Thoughts

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (8)

Overall, this episode of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is a nice, charming exploration of independence and self-actualization through the instinctual eyes of Cake the Cat.

As Cake goes through her own journey of self-discovery in this episode much like Simon did in the previous episode, this show has mastered its capability of exploring a range of characters through its own meaningful ways. Though the callbacks to the original show may seem a bit much, they do help in building Cake's story in a way that feels compelling.

However, as the stakes grow ever more intense, we can hope that this personalized form of character development and storytelling will continue to play a major role in the grander multiversal plot.

Rating – 4 out of 5 stars

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cakeepisodes 3 and 4 are now streaming onMax – new two episodes are released every Thursday.

This review was written during the 2023 WGA (now resolved) and SAG-AFTRA (ongoing) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series/movie being covered here wouldn't exist.

Tags: Adventure TimeAdventure Time: Fionna and CakeMaxRoz Ryan

‘Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake’ Episode 3 Review: Cat’s Out the Bag (2024)

FAQs

Is Fiona and Cake canon? ›

The series follows our protagonists, Fionna and Cake, who are (more than the) gender-bent versions of the original Adventure Time heroes. The burning question that fans worldwide have is whether this spin-off is considered canon. The short answer to that is, well, yes.

How did Fiona and Cake become real? ›

In Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake, it was revealed that Fionna and Cake, along with their world, are real all along. They were actually created by Prismo who at some point became interested in creating his own reality rather than making ones based on others wishes.

How old is Fionna in Fionna and Cake? ›

This is the first installment of the franchise to be targeted towards a mature audience, with a TV-14 rating. Advertisement: In an alternate universe, Fionna is a 29-year-old woman living alone in an apartment with her cat Cake. After being fired from countless jobs, she wishes for a more fulfilling life.

Who is the female version of Finn? ›

Fionna Campbell, also called Fionna the Human, is a fictional character from the Adventure Time franchise. She was first introduced in the Adventure Time episode "Fionna and Cake" as a genderbent version of the show's lead character Finn the Human.

Do Fiona and Cake swear? ›

Overall, the TV-14 rating for this show feels undeserved and a marketing move, as the only difference in content compared to the original PG-rated show is more frequent blood, alcohol use and mild swears ("ass" and "goddamn" are the strongest ones), which are allowed in TV-PG programming (the exception may be ep 2 ...

Who is Finn's reincarnation? ›

Shermy is confirmed to be a reincarnation of Finn, which makes sense considering their similarities and the fact that Finn can resurrect when he wants and be another living being due to being an incarnation of the Blue Catalyst Comet.

Does Finn get a girlfriend? ›

Flame Princess is Finn's girlfriend, in which he confirms by himself in "Puhoy" and her in "Vault of Bones" He first meets her at the end of the episode "Incendium." During the episode, Jake poses as Finn trying to court her because he believed that Finn, depressed after being rejected again by Princess Bubblegum, ...

Is Fionna Finn's sister? ›

Finn. Finn is Fionna's long-lost twin brother. Fionna was kidnapped at birth by thugs who had it out for Martin shortly after she and Finn were born, and Martin and Minerva's memory of her was erased by the thugs, leading them to believe Finn was an only child.

Who did Finn end up with? ›

Finn & Roselinen

He becomes a local hero after slaying a fluffy dragon and ends up hitting it off with the king's daughter, Roselinen. Finn lives a long, fulfilling life in the pillow kingdom with Roselinen and their two children, but the idea of finding his way back home never leaves his mind.

Did Ice King write Fiona and Cake? ›

Fionna and Cake is a fan-fiction book written by the Ice King in the episode "Fionna and Cake". It is a book about the gender-swapped versions of the main characters in the show.

Is Fionna and Cake appropriate for kids? ›

Ultimately, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake is rated TV-14, and therefore is considered more appropriate for teenagers and adults rather than children. Arguably, the youngest age for a Fionna and Cake viewer should be about 12. Notably, this is a complete level up in content rating from Adventure Time's PG rating.

How old is Finn when Jake dies? ›

During Adventure Time, it was revealed that Finn and Jake were the same age, and the series ended when Finn was 17. Therefore, it would only make sense that Jake would pass away by the time Finn reached adulthood.

Does Marshall Lee like Fionna? ›

Fionna. Marshall Lee and Fionna are shown to be very good friends.

When did Finn turn 13? ›

In the same episode where he obtained the root sword (S02E19: “Mystery Train”) in the Cartoon Network show, Finn becomes 13.

Are Fiona and Cake in the same universe? ›

However, in the spin-off series Fionna & Cake it's revealed that Fionna and Cake do exist in an alternate reality that originally mirrored the Land of Ooo but was later altered to a world that resembled society prior to the Mushroom War because the universe that was contained in Simon's head was altered to not be ...

Is Fiona and Cake a prequel or sequel? ›

“Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” is the more mature spinoff-sequel of the show “Adventure Time,” in the same 2D animated style as the first, premiering every single Wednesday on HBO Max with two new episodes, ending on Sept. 28. Following the story of Fionna Campbell and Cake the Cat.

Who is Fiona's love interest Adventure Time? ›

She is usually seen in the company of Cake, her own stretchy companion also adoptive sister. Fionna's nemesis is the Ice Queen. She is shown to have a love interest, Flame Prince, a former crush on Prince Gumball and a past with Marshall Lee.

What happens to Fiona and Cake? ›

The time hoppers stay in their universe and Fionna puts her efforts into helping the city rebuild, while also protesting for fair housing and spending time with her friends. Cake, meanwhile, stays magic and can live as her best, magical, beautiful self. Gary forms his pastry business.

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