Tear Jerker / Adventure Time: Distant Lands

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

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Obsidian

• The special shows the moment when Marceline and Bubblegum broke up and it's every bit as sad as fans expected. To recap, the Glass Kingdom called Bubblegum for help to deal with the dragon, and Marceline just tagged along with her, without her permission. While she managed to keep Larvo trapped by using some kind of machine, she desperately tried to find a way to defeat him, but Marceline kept distracting her by goofing around and by being completely apathetic towards the Glass people. This sparked an argument between the two of them, until a stressed Bubblegum lashed out on Marceline, by telling her to go home and calling her "monster trash". Hurt by those words and feeling rejected, Marceline sings the Break Up Song "Woke Up", where she started to call Bubblegum out for her insecurities and for her Control Freak attitude. Meanwhile Marceline's angry song managed to scare off Larvo by accident, driving him back into the Furnace, where the Glass People kept him locked up. The Glass people then proceeded to hail Marceline as their hero, while Bubblegum ran away in tears, and even Marceline was not happy about what she said. Their relationship ended because of a petty squabble and their own unresolved flaws.
• Literally everything revolving around the death of Marceline's mom. From Marceline having grown up believing her mother had abandoned her out of fear, when in reality Elise just didn't want her daughter to see her die, to Marcy uncovering a recording of her dying words that reaffirm that her mother loved her.
  Elise: Marceline… you're there, aren't you? Brave girl. I'm sorry I had to trick you… (coughs) …but you're tough enough to handle this world on your own. But it's not gonna change you, because you have a good heart. I love you, Marceline. I hope you can forgive me…
• While Elise and Marcy are wandering, they discover a friendly wolf cub that turns out to be mutated, which startles Elise enough to attack it in an attempt to protect her daughter. The wolf's mother then shows up and attacks Elise for it. When Marceline goes full demon mode and sucks out the wolf's soul to save her mother, the wolf's now orphaned cub starts crying over its mother's body.
• Marceline's iconic bass getting destroyed by the glassassins.
• Larvo's backstory. He only became the monster he is due being unable to process the trauma of witnessing his siblings getting devoured when he was young.

Together Again

• "Together Again" shows that Finn took Jake's death hard and never quite got over it even after he died too. He spends the first half of the special desperately looking for Jake and is incredibly dismayed that Jake chose to move on to the 50th Dead World instead of waiting like they promised.
  • A good example can be seen early on, while Finn is trapped in a Lotus-Eater Machine and watches Jake melt into an open grave. Finn starts screaming and panicking over losing his brother, again. Given how he said it, it was not the first time Finn had nightmares about Jake's death.
    Finn: What's that doing here? [Jake starts dragging himself towards the open grave] Uh?! WHAT THE HECK, MAN?!
    Jake: It's OK, this is where I'm supposed to be.
    Finn: No! That is NOT what's supposed to be! We're s... We-we're supposed to eat the 50th-Flavored Ice Cream, together!
    Jake: Bye, Finn. [melts into water and flows into the open grave]
    Finn: Ugh?! Jake! [grunts] Uh?
    [Finn tries to gather the water that used to be Jake before it and the 50th flavored ice cream fall into it, to no avail.]
    Finn: JAAAAKE!! [hyperventilates] No. Nonononononono! Dah! This isn't happening! Not now! NOT AGAIN!! No-[suddenly stops]
    [Finn looks at the tombstone again. It now says "R.I.P. JAKE"]
    Finn: Oh, Glob... Oh Glob oh Glob oh Glob oh Glob, Nonononono! JAKE! JAAAAKE!! Ugh! [takes off his shirt and coughs] Jake...
• Just seeing that most of the show's recurring characters that fans have come to know and love are now dead and residing in the Dead Worlds is sad in its own right. Special mention goes to Tree Trunks' brief appearance, given that her real life voice actress, Polly Lou Livingston, passed away a few months prior to the episode's airing and this ended up being her final performance.
  • Finn's Heroic BSoD where he believes that his search for Jake led to New Death's minions killing Joshua and Margaret. Afterwards, Finn's all but ready to give up and can only shout Jake's name in desperation and anguish.
    Finn: MOM! DAD! [grabs his head, shakes in horror and desperately tries to travel to another Dead World before stopping] What's the point? *sob*
    [Finn collapses on his knees and cries uncontrollably]
    Finn: Jake... *sniff* Why didn't you wait for me? *sob* JAAAAAKE!!
    [As he screams, Finn's physical form explodes and he transforms into a skeleton]
    Finn: I need you...
  • Finn's breakdown is what finally makes a portal to the 50th Dead World open, right on top of him. As Jake descends from it, Finn is shocked and elated and jumps at him to hug him, still in tears.
    Finn: What the...?
    [New Death's "stupid pipe" opens its eye and stares at the portal as Jake descends from it, wearing white and gold robes. Finn is so shocked that he returns to his 17-year old self.]
    Finn: *gasp* Hahahaha! [Finn jumps towards Jake and hugs him] Hahahaha! JAKE! JAKE! Hahaha! JAKE! Thank you... thank you... You found me...
    Jake: Yeah... Who's Jake?
• At first, it seems something horrible happened. It seems Jake doesn't remember Finn at all. Fortunately it was simply a combination of Jake just messing around with his brother and the intense inner peace those who live in the Fiftieth are in, but for a moment even Finn believes it and breaks down in tears, even harder than after the 45th Dead World's destruction moments before. Unfortunately, Jake tries to leave him once more as he enjoyed the 50th, but Finn would have none of that.
  Finn: *sniff* Let me scope that gold mug...
  Jake: Do I know you?
  Finn: YES YOU KNOW ME! It's Finn! FINN!! *sob* [Finn starts crying sofly]
  Jake:...Right, right... I'm just messing with you, Fern.
  *beat*
  Finn: ARE YOU STILL MESSING WITH ME?! [cries]
  Jake: Yeah, brother. You're Finn. I know you.
  Finn: Pretty... funny, dude. Ha ha... *sob*
  Jake: I was hanging out in a Nirvana beyond all desire when I picked up your vibe. It was so bananas intense that I had to check it out.
  Finn: Thank you... [Finn continues to sob in Jake's robes]
  Jake: Buuut, I can see you're doing just fine. I'll see you when you get to the Fiftieth. [Jake tries to fly back through the portal, but Finn stops him]
  Finn: Wait! I'm not doing fine, you ding-dong. We were supposed to be dead, Together, and then be reborn, Together! Being bros forever...
  Jake: Huh. Well... [Jake tries to fly away again, but Finn holds him by his robe.]
  Finn: Dude! Why don't you care?!
  Jake: Wish I could help, but I've moved beyond all this stuff.
• Finn, desperate to stop Jake from leaving him for good remembers he had himself buried with bubblegum, Jake's favorite. He gives it to him to return him to his senses.
  Finn: Uhhh... OH! Look what I have! Gum!
  [Jake grabs the gum as the portal begins to close]
  Jake: This used to be my jam. [Jake eats the gum, as Finn looks on] Mmmmm... Mmm...
  Finn: I... made sure I was buried with it.
• Unfortunately, Tiffany and New Death's Undertakers catch up to Finn and attack him. Despite being an experienced fighter, Finn is outnumbered and is quickly overwhelmed, beaten and bruised to an inch of his unlife. Fortunately Jake snaps back just in time and saves him.
• The final fight of the series, not Finn versus New Death, as one would expect, but a fight between Finn and Jake. An utterly heartbreaking battle between both brothers, as neither of them wants to let the other make the ultimate sacrifice and become the new New Death.
  Jake: That settles it.
  Finn: We need to ice Death now. [closes his eyes] And we both know who needs to-
  [Jake slaps Finn]
  Finn:: UGH!
  Jake:: Like you're gonna go around harvesting the souls of cute little bunnies! Leave it to your big Bro! [tries to grab the Kiss of Life, but Finn stops him]
  Finn: Old Man Finn was a bunny slayer...
  Jake: You don't got the BOINGWALL!!
  *Groin Attack*
  Finn: NO...!
  Jake: Sorry, Finn! [walks towards the Lich-possessed New Death with the Kiss of Life in his hands] Deathmate!
  Finn: GIMMETHESTICK!!
  [Finn lunges at Jake and grabs him, sending the stick flying away from them both. Jake tries to get away, but Finn stuns him with his robotic arm]
  Finn: I save you! [grabs the Kiss of Life, smiling, until he notices Jake getting back up] Whoa!
  [Jake turns into Shoko's tiger and tries to grab Finn, who turns into Shoko as he dodges him. Jake then turns into his blue form and tries to bite Shoko, but fails and smashes his face against the room's floor. Jake reverts to his true form as he rolls]
  Jake: RAGH!! [grows to a massive size] I! SAVE! YOU!! [pins Finn to the floor with his hand, but he breaks free by turning into his Lumpy Space form] You got so many lives ahead of you!
  Finn: Well, I DON'T WANT 'EM!! [Jake grabs him with both hands] URGH! [Jake looms over him, furious and with tears in his eyes] Not if you won't be there with me!
  [Finn's mouth grows as big as his face and he bites Jake' hand]
  Jake: OUCH!!
  [Jake coils his body into a spring and smashes Finn and himself into the room's ceiling, aiming his arms upwards so that Finn hits first, Finn closes his eyes and grits his teeth before the impact]
  • The aftermath of the fight is one of the most heartbreaking moments of the episode, beating out both of Finn's nervous breakdowns. Finn and Jake are lying in the floor, horribly bruised and in tears, still punching each other over the Kiss of Life. Mr. Fox is understandably horrified and calls both of them out.
    Mr. Fox: Heh... Heh... So sorry about the delay... [notices the aftermath] Haaah!
    [Mr. Fox sees the ceiling of New Death's palace now has a large hole. He lowers his head when he listens Finn's sobbing]
    Finn: [crying] I LOVE YOU! [punches Jake in the face]
    Jake: I LOVE YOU TOO! [punches Finn in the face, sobbing]
    Mr. Fox: You're fighting over... a stick? [Finn punches Jake again] You're brothers! You're a... [grabs the Kiss of Life] teeeam! Ugh!
    [Mr. Fox pulls the Kiss of Life. Finn and Jake try to hold on, but they're too weakened and heartbroken to stop him from taking it.]
  • In an unexpected way, The death of New Death at the hands of Mr. Fox. He was a tyrant and an asshole, but even he didn't deserve the hand fate played out for him. The Lich set him on a path to ruin he couldn't escape from. He was heartbroken when he realized his own mother had a hand in his demise. He even seems to break into tears and cover his face with his hands, as his hat fades and his body breaks apart, leaving nothing behind other than a bunch of tumbleweeds and the possessed Farmworld!Jake's right paw that now acts as the Lich's physical form.
    New Death: ... Mom?
• In a way, New Death becomes more pitiable. After killing his dad, he freaks out and figures his mom is going to kill him... and he's right. After proving to be a terrible mother and completely absent from his life, she never tried to help or fix his issues. She let it go this far because she could carry on her work. She even treated the souls she reincarnated more like her children than her actual child. As soon as New Death's obsessions and the Lich's mind control threatened her job, she quickly and without hesitation made a weapon to kill her own son, again, before even trying to talk to him. Yeah, no wonder he was so messed up. Death at least tried to teach him how to be zen which would have gotten New Death into the 50th dead world that he was so fascinated by, but even death couldn't get through to him. In the end, the only thing that could get to him was his own death.
• It’s extremely hard not to feel bad for Jeremy Shada for most of his performances in this episode, as he spent most of it on the emotional side, starting with Jake’s death. Man, did he end his time on the show with a bang (until the Fionna and Cake spinoff that is).