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The 10-season fantasy series Adventure Time contains a whopping 283 episodes, but not all of them connect to the show's rich lore or the upcoming prequel, Adventure Time: Side Quests. For some viewers, a story-centered watch of the series is more compelling than just following Finn and Jake on their tangential adventures. However, it can be understandably difficult to sift through what's required Adventure Time viewing and what's a little more light on the plot. Finn, a burgeoning hero, and Jake, a shape-shifting dog, live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, where candy-people rule kingdoms and vampires strum bass guitars.
The show is its own brand of weird, but Adventure Time is rooted in a richly imagined storyline — one that augments its unique world-building and characters. While there's no "right" way to watch the series, but with the prequel premiering releasing June 29 on Disney+, some viewers are looking for more of a traditional narrative arc to dive into. Although trimming down their viewing to a handful of episodes per season might mean missing out on some of Adventure Time's best quotes and character-building moments, it can certainly be done so that audiences are ready for the new series.
Starting with Adventure Time season 1, episode 5, "The Enchiridion," is a great choice for newcomers and lore-seekers. A kind of manual with multiversal connections, the Enchiridion's introduction is a great starting point — for numerous reasons. From there, viewers will want to focus on episodes that introduce key characters and tease the biggest elements of their backstories. While Adventure Time's timeline may seem a bit daunting at first, focusing on lore-filled episodes will help newcomers keep track of big moments. That said, lore-lovers should focus on the following episodes:
It's challenging to whittle down Adventure Time to its "core" episodes. For each viewer, that has a different meaning, especially depending upon which supporting characters they gravitate toward or if they find minor plot references crucial enough to include in a lore-watch.
Some of Adventure Time's best episodes aren't exactly required viewing for folks who want to focus on lore and story elements. For example, the fan-favorite Fionna and Cake episodes don't necessarily have a huge impact on the show's core narrative. While the titular characters are great and add some color to the Adventure Time world, they aren't as essential to the original series as characters like the Lich. Other iconic episodes, like the recurring "Graybles" chapters, tease future plotlines and are fun, but won't make or break one's understanding of the series.
After the original series ended, the Adventure Time spinoff Distant Lands, which comprises four hour-long streaming television specials, aired on Max. More like character studies, none of the Distant Lands episodes feel particularly essential to the Adventure Time lore. However, each episode no doubt enriches the Land of Ooo and Adventure Time's characters. For fans of Bubblegum and Marceline, "Obsidian" fills in some crucial gaps, while "Together Again" closes out Finn's story. Similarly, the alternate-universe spinoff Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake isn't something the original Adventure Time hinges on.
While the Adventure Time spinoffs don't necessarily connect to the broader show, each of them are shows that long-term fans of the show eventually may want to invest in. As Adventure Time: Side Quests begins, the spinoffs and the original series have all been made accessible on Disney+ and Hulu in the US, where Side Quests will air. As the world of Adventure Time continues to expand, the shows that make up the franchise all hold their own weight from viewer to viewer.
