3x17 Thank You

[8.4/10] I’ve come to lament the Thanksgiving story a little bit. A tale of Pilgrims and indigneous peoples coming together over a meal feels less wholesome when you grow up and learn more about where the relationship between settlers and those native to this land went from there.

But if there’s something to salvage from the myth, it’s the idea of recognizing that people with very different lives and very different experiences can, with grace and compassion, come together in unlikely scenarios. That’s the spirit that consumes “Thank You”, an episode which feels outside of Adventure Time’s usual M.O., especially this early in the show’s run, with a gentle holiday monotony-breaker.

Our protagonist is a snow golem, who comes across a baby firewolf. And despite their natural differences, the two find a sweet concordance. There’s very few words in that main story. Instead, the episode goes for a more elemental feel here. We see the snow golelm’s typical, adorably humdrum day. We see him go foraging for food and get into a scrap with the grown firewolves. We see the bonding and the way he initially repels their pup but eventually takes him in and cares for him. We see how the firewolf brings joy into the snow golem’s existence, and how in return, he goes above and beyond to care for the little firewolf.

The lengths he’s willing to go, to put his wood- and ice-based home in jeopardy with a flaming canine around, to brave a trip to the Fire Kingdom to return him, to face down his attackers once more in the name of reuniting the pup with his family, are all endearing as all get out. The absence of dialogue lets us fill in the gap, and allows the inventive animators and design team to sell the emotions through imagery and amorphous sound alone.

That said, the running background gag of Finn and Jake trying to get past the Ice King’s “invincible armor” is a hoot. The silliness of the fact that all Ice King did was steal sandwiches, that he constructed a giant frozen suit for this purpose, and that Finn and Jake are so dedicated to punishing him no matter how long it takes tickled my funny bone. It’s especially funny when they crack him out and retrieve their sandwiches, only for Ice King to reiterate his not-so-subtle fascination with the tasty lunchtime snacks.

But the most heartwarming part of the episode comes at the end, when having done his duty, the Snow Golem returns home, only to be confronted by the fire wolves. Except instead of attacking him, they just bring the pup over to show his gratitude, in an adorable licking session that turns the laughing golem into a puddle. Likewise, Finn sees this show of solidarity and camaraderie between two people who aren’t supposed to get along, and despite Ice King hilariously missing the point (“You know, we could learn a lot from those sandwiches”), Finn gives his archenemy an earnest kiss on the cheek and gets a heartfelt “Thank You” in return.

It foreshadows a sympathetic tone the show would take toward Ice King going forward. But more importantly, it recognizes an animating idea for the Thanksgiving holiday that’s often forgotten. Whether or not it has a basis in history or fact, the notion of two groups of people, otherwise disposed to oppose one another, coming together to find common ground, is a heartening one. It doesn’t always turn out as well in real life as it does for the snow golem and firepup, or for Finn and Ice King. But it’s a lovely sentiment to recall and aspire to on all days, but especially on Thanksgiving.