Maja invades the Candy Kingdom with an ancient power in order to eliminate the source of good emotion.
Tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: After Maja and Darren are defeated, Finn frees the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant from his servitude and the final part of the episode is about him finding his purpose in life.
- And I Must Scream: Maja ends up in a coma, but apparently conscious enough inside her body for the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant to psionically communicate with her.
- An Arm and a Leg: The Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant blasts Darren's arm off during his Dynamic Entry.
- Art Evolution: Maja's eyes are changed in order to give her better expressions.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Finn finishes off Darren by stabbing the brain seed in his head.
- Beam-O-War: Darren and the War Elephant have one between each other. When Darren is on the verge of winning, Finn intervenes and slays him.
- Big Damn Heroes: Right when Maja and Darren have Princess Bubblegum in their clutches, Finn and Jake ride in on their Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant and give him the business.
- Big Damn Movie: Averted - originally this plot was intended (and set up in the previous season) for an Adventure Time movie, but it was cut down and made as a normal episode when the movie project was delayed.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Darren and the War Elephant only understand fighting. The world has changed so much, they feel as if they no longer have a purpose.
- Call-Back:
- Maja's plan from "Sky Witch" unfolds in this episode. The "Something Big" she planned was quite...literal.
- The Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant from "The Limit" returns.
- Continuity Nod:
- Candy people exploding from fear returns from an incredibly long absence.
- Princess Bubblegum rides into battle on her laser swan from "Dungeon".
- Finn is seen with the steel sword from "Morituri Te Salutamus" and "Still".
- Deader than Dead:
- Root Beer Guy's body was completely shattered, with the root beer spilled all over the place. Because of this, he can't be revived by the life sparkles released by Darren, unlike the candy soldiers whose corpses were in relatively good condition.
- Darren can inflict this on people, killing them so much that they are erased from all dimensions.
- Death Seeker: Implied with Darren, whose final words were "Thank you" when Finn kills him.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: The war elephant, he proclaims he was made to serve and fight and can't think of doing anything beyond that. Finn sets him free to find his purpose, which he does...by helping Maja to recover from her coma.
- Everybody Lives: Subverted. Everybody who was killed by Darren comes back to life. Root Beer Guy, who wasn't killed by Darren, stays dead.
- Fluffy the Terrible: The destructive colossus Maja awakens is oddly named Darren.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Root Beer Guy dies activating the force field to trap Maja and Darren. The episode is dedicated to him.
- Human Cannonball: After they run out of cannonballs, Colonel Candy Corn orders his men to load him (and themselves) into the cannon to launch into the thick of battle.
- In Memoriam: Spoofed in-universe with a final screen dedicating the episode to Root Beer Guy.
- In-Series Nickname: Being old friends, Darren calls the War Elephant "Ellie".
- Kaiju: Maja awakens Darren, a massive tree and rock creature with immense power. His assault on the Candy Kingdom is brutal and one sided until Finn and Jake intervene with the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Darren agrees to destroy not just the Candy Kingdom, but all realities.
- Pulling Themselves Together: The "Legion of Cadmus" Darren summons consists of humanoid monsters with pink putty-like flesh that can reassemble their bodies after being blown up.
- Status Quo Is God: According to
Word of God, Root Beer Guy
was killed off to explain why the Banana Guards are still useless. - Suddenly Voiced: Gridface Princess has been seen several times throughout the series, but this episode is the first time she spoke. She provides the force field to trap Maja and Darren.
- Tank-Top Tomboy: In a full-blown siege, Princess Bubblegum abandons her usual elaborate clothing for a tank top.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: While Princess Bubblegum is talking to General Corn, you can see Finn whispering something to Jake in the background and the two sneaking away.
- We Used to Be Friends: Darren and the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant go way back, but are forced to fight each other.
- Worf Had the Flu: You'd think the Candy Kingdom's giant Gumball Guardians would be the greatest defense against the equally giant Darren, but he disabled them so the Candy Kingdom would be easier to destroy.
