Adventure Time (S01E18)

Episode #018
'Dungeon'
Season 1, Episode 18

Princess Bubblegum leaves Finn and Jake in charge of putting safety signs around a dungeon hole, which naturally piques the interest of Finn, who proceeds to enter the dungeon without the help of Jake. What at first is a fairly lighthearted romp escalates into full-on danger for Finn, who eventually discovers how much he relies on Jake during his adventures -- more, in fact, than his ego would have previously allowed him.

Full of incredible creature designs and exciting action scenes, this 11-minute dungeon crawl packs a mean punch and actually gives Finn an opportunity to grow as a character. First-season episodes that actually give Finn some character developmemt are fairly rare, and the result helps to increase the bond between him and Jake. But ultimately, it isn't just the lessons learned that sets this episode apart: it's just the sheer enjoyability and danger found in this episode. Finn gets beat up, faces multiple memorable foes, and attempts to navigate this creepy dungeon without the help of his faithful sidekick in a way that is totally exhilarating. This is a fun episode that is appealing in the most simple of ways for Adventure Time: dungeon-based fighting/exploration episodes are some of the most entertaining in the show, and this is the gold standard of what to hope and expect from one. Also, it gets points for having a jump-scare that actually really creeped me out.