Root Beer Guy
"Root Beer Guy" | |
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Adventure Time episode | |
Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 43 |
Directed by | |
Written by | Graham Falk |
Story by | Kent Osborne Pendleton Ward Jack Pendarvis Adam Muto |
Original air date | December 2, 2013 |
Running time | 11 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"Root Beer Guy" is the forty-third episode of the
The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. In this episode, Root Beer Guy (voiced by Jack Pendarvis) witnesses Finn and Jake abduct Princess Bubblegum, but no one believes him. He eventually decides to take matters into his own hands. In the end, it is revealed that Bubblegum set up the entire situation to test her police force: the banana guards. Because he solved the case, Root Beer Guy is promoted to head of the banana guards.
"Root Beer Guy" was the second episode of the season to have been storyboarded by Falk, who was a guest artist on the show. Originally, the writers considered asking author Stephen King to voice the eponymous character, although he was never actually approached. The episode was viewed by 1.842 million viewers, and Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club praised the episode for its introduction of new characters with depth, and for its parodying of detective fiction.
Plot
Root Beer Guy (voiced by Jack Pendarvis) is a candy citizen with a dead-end job; as a method of escapism, he often tries his hand at writing a crime and detective novel. One night, while working at his typewriter, he oversees Finn and Jake kidnapping Princess Bubblegum. He tells his wife, Cherry Cream Soda (voiced by Anne Heche), who brushes Root Beer Guy's story off as a dream. Root Beer Guy decides to take matters into his own hands, and he begins investigating. After being told forcefully by Finn and Jake to drop the case, Root Beer Guy soon discovers that they recently purchased suspicious materials and are headed out to Lake Butterscotch, possibly to dispose of a body.
Root Beer Guy follows them, only to witness them throwing what appears to be Princess Bubblegum into the lake. In a desperate attempt to alert the authorities, he calls the banana guards and tells them that he himself kidnapped the princess. They arrive to arrest him, but soon Bubblegum emerges from the lake and admits that the entire scheme was a set up to test the banana guard's sleuthing skills. Soon, the princess learns that Root Beer Guy was the one who actually solved the case, and she promotes him to head of the security force.
Production
"Root Beer Guy" was written and storyboarded by guest artist
Pendarvis voiced the title character after Osborne and Muto suggested that he do it. Reportedly, the staff thought about asking horror writer
Reception
"Root Beer Guy" aired on December 2, 2013 on
Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club awarded the episode an "A", applauding the episode for both fully committing to parodying elements of detective fiction, and for introducing a likable character with a developed backstory. Sava also complimented Falk's storyboarding abilities, writing that the resultant episode "has a confident artistic voice that proudly caters to older viewers, using the tropes of crime fiction to tell a poignant story about one man’s desperate quest for purpose."[10]
Eric Thurm of
Explanatory notes
References
- ^ a b Muto, Adam (supervising director); Nick Jennings (art director); Graham Falk (storyboard artist) (December 2, 2013). "Root Beer Guy". Adventure Time. Season 5. Episode 43. Cartoon Network.
- ^ Dietsch, T. J. (May 23, 2014). "'Adventure Time' Writer Kent Osborne Peels Back on the Curtain on 'Banana Guard Academy'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- ^ Blogspot. Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- Blogspot. Archivedfrom the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- ^ Adventure Time crew (November 26, 2013). "Root Beer Guy Promo". Tumblr. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- Blogspot. Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- ^ Cartoon Network (December 2, 2013). "14yr-old Make A Wish child wished 2 do a voice over 4 #AdventureTime". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Cartoon Network (December 2, 2013). "14-year-old Christopher wished through Make-A-Wish America and Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island to do a voice over on his favorite show, Adventure Time". Facebook. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (December 14, 2013). "Cartoon Network Ratings (December 2-8, 2013)". Son of the Bronx. Blogger. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- ^ Sava, Oliver (December 2, 2013). "Adventure Time: 'Root Beer Guy'". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
- ^ Complex. Iconix Brand Group. Archivedfrom the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
External links
- "Root Beer Guy" at IMDb