Adventure Time: Distant Lands Recap: ‘BMO’ Ends With a Gasp-Worthy Twist
Spoiler alert: We’re about to break down the first episode of HBO Max‘s Adventure Time miniseries. Haven’t watched yet? Click here to take care of that.
Nearly two years after Adventure Time wrapped its 278-episode run on Cartoon Network, the franchise returned on Thursday in the form of Distant Lands, a charming — and surprisingly connected! — new chapter.
“BMO,” the first of four specials that make up Adventure Time: Distant Lands, opens with the titular robot sailing through the deepest reaches of outer space. But where is he? And when is he? None of these questions are answered at the outset, nor do we know what “mission” the li’l guy claims to be fulfilling. But he’s singing, and he’s wearing an adorable cowboy hat, so does it really matter? While repairing a hole in his ship, BMO befriends a lonely droid named Olive — well, BMO names it Olive — who transports the ship to a nearby space colony known as “The Drift.”
Naturally, BMO arrived on The Drift in the middle of a turf war between the Great Elves and the Shell People, who decide to team up against BMO despite his perfectly reasonable objections. (For example, “But I’m so cute!”) Fortunately, BMO is snatched out of harm’s way by a spunky rabbit named Y5, who whisks him away to her secret lab. And while her original plan is to knock BMO out with a hammer and inspect the worth of his parts, Y5 eventually takes a liking to the adorable robot — and Olive by association.
The people of The Drift also change their minds about BMO when he singlehandedly saves (most of) them from being sucked out into space, an act of unbridled heroism that earns BMO the title of sheriff. (I mean, he gives the title to himself. But sure, we’ll go with “earns.”) With Y5 as his reluctant deputy, BMO begins a new mission of restoring order to The Drift.
They eventually arrive at Y5’s little community (“Bunnies! So many bunnies!”), where her parents immediately arrange for BMO to be picked up by a mysterious gentleman known as “Mr. M.” But when there’s another emergency, the self-appointed sheriff springs back into action, catching the attention of a benevolent tech genius known as “Hugo.” (Side note: I realize that I’m using “known as” to introduce a lot of these characters, but given how shady they all are, I feel like it’s appropriate. Nay, necessary!)
Hugo takes advantage of BMO’s need to make people happy by sending him on a dangerous mission to retrieve the rare and powerful Genesis Crystal, the final piece required to complete his long-gestating “unity pod.” Hugo presents himself as the savior of The Drift, but as we later learn from CGO — a “janky, off-brand cousin” of BMO, whom we know we can trust because she’s singing the Frasier theme song when we meet her! — Hugo is actually a bad, bad man.
“He created me,” CGO explains. “We go way back… to the real busted last days of Earth.” The ‘bot recalls fleeing the planet amidst a flurry of mushroom clouds. “Hugo had a big brain and a rocket, and led an exodus to the stars on the cheap.” From there, he and his cohorts sailed through the cosmos, conning people and draining planets.
In the end, Y5 successfully exposes Hugo’s treachery, and the people of The Drift launch him out into space. It’s a satisfying ending, especially seeing Y5’s parents finally respecting her as she maps out a plan to sustain life on The Drift. With his mission complete, BMO also leaves The Drift for his next destination, which turns out to be… Ooo!? And the first people he sees upon landing is… Baby Finn and Jake!?
Things we should probably discuss…
* Um, that ending! Sure, I wondered at the beginning when “BMO” was supposed to take place, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be a prequel. This is like Final Destination 5 all over again!
* The mysterious “Mr. M” is clearly Martin Mertens, father of Finn the Human, right? Not only are they voiced by the same actor (Stephen Root), but he also makes that off-handed comment about how “kids are always calling out their deadbeat parents.” And I can’t think of anyone in the Adventure Time universe who embodies that better than Martin.
* If the remaining three Distant Lands installments — including one with Bubblegum/Marceline, one with Peppermint Butler, and a fourth with Finn and Jake — are even half as good as “BMO,” I will be satisfied.
Your thoughts on “BMO”? Grade the first Adventure Time: Distant Lands installment below, then drop a comment with your full review.
You had an opportunity to go full Anya and didn’t take it. Never miss an opportunity to go full Anya and be able to use the “Bunnies, bunnies, it must be bunnies!!” line.
Y5 was so adorable, I wish she had her own series.
That fan theory that Shermy is the reincarnation of Martin makes even more sense , since Martin has now been revealed to have done terrible things to the Rabbits.
SPOILER(?) ALERT
As a massive fan of Adventure Time but not one particularly attached to BMOs character, I was pretty disappointed that this didn’t focus on what Ooo was like after the war… I.e. what happened to all the hints about the future changes of Ooo in the Come Along With Me opening? I think considering how excited everyone was about that opening and how curious everyone was about what happens in the future, it would’ve been pretty big. BMO is cute and could easily have a spin-off but this episode wasn’t worth watching as part of one of the final limited AT episodes :(
So yes it’s a prequel. But with the events of “Islands” could Mr.M truly be Martin Mertens? Since the “Visitor” episode has he just been draining colonies and space splurging forgetting all about Finn? And is this Finn soon after he drifted on that raft to Ooo? This prequel only made more questions. Great to see BMO always be the heroic type from day one; was a great watch.
i just dont understand how this could be a prequel considering the comment mr m/martin made about “kids calling out their deadbeat parents” finn never confronted his dad until well into the series not to mention the earth bmo lands on looks suprisingly whole also at the start bmo mentions the friends she left back home and all the talk about football it just doesnt really make much sense to be a prequel. but in true adventure time fashion it doesnt have to make sense to be wonderful. this episode was really cool.
All I can think about is: FOOTBALL! he talks to Football on his failed trip to Mars, then goes back to earth, sees baby Finn and Jake, and goes “I wonder who those people are” and if you try to say Football was created before the Adventure Time series, the watch the first graybles episode “Five Short Graybles” where Finn and Jake leave the treehouse and Bmo goes to the mirror and says “oh! I think I’ll call you Football”
Watched this with my 9yo son. As soon as it ends he says to me “why are young Finn and Jake outside the tree fort when marceline lived there?” All I could say was “That’s a good point”
Don’t forget that she lived a long life,and Is probably still living. so she probably lived there before finn, and Jake were born.
Good episode. I was not expecting it to be a prequel! I didn’t even realize that Mr. M could be Finn’s dad. I’m excited for the next few episodes!