It Came from the Nightosphere

Production code:

1002-029

Airdate:

October 11, 2010

Credits

Episodes
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2021 Golden Stake Winner
	This article is a winner of the 2021 Golden Stake Awards. It won for the following category: Best Season Premiere

"It Came from the Nightosphere" is the first episode in the second season of Adventure Time. It's the twenty-seventh episode overall.

Synopsis[]

The Lord of Evil, who happens to be Marceline's dad, goes on a soul-sucking rampage after Finn releases him from the Nightosphere, causing great discomfort for Marceline.

Plot[]

The episode begins with Marceline and Finn hanging out at her house inside the cave. She asks Finn to help her lay down a sweet track, but to remain non-judgmental as to the extremely personal nature of the song. Finn agrees, but upon hearing the song, a mournful tale of parental estrangement and french fry theft, Finn asks Marceline why she does not reconcile with her father, as the song suggests is her desire. Marceline explains that not only do they have longstanding difficulties in the father/daughter department, but also that he is trapped in a fiery dimension known as the Nightosphere. The only way to free him is to draw a happy face, douse it with bug milk, and chant a fell incantation in Latin. Finn immediately does so while she says this, and succeeds in releasing Marceline's dad from the Nightosphere.

After Marceline stops her father from devouring Finn's soul on the spot, he takes Marceline's bass, actually a family heirloom axe which she converted to shred riffs instead of flesh, and stalks off into the night to suck the souls from the hapless citizens of Ooo. Finn then rushes to stop him, while Marceline only follows to retrieve her stolen bass guitar. Hunson Abadeer embarks on a cross-country feast of souls, tormenting and draining the life from Fuzzy Friends, Marauders and even the penguins of the Ice Kingdom. Marceline's dad claims that Gunter's soul is by far the evil-est he has encountered in the Land of Ooo, and attempts to steal it as well, but is unsuccessful and kicks him into the air. The Ice King catches Gunter and confronts Marceline's father, berating him incessantly for his soul-sucking acts, but The Lord of Evil turns and splits his face apart to reveal his true (unseen to the viewer) face, which is evidently so frightening that it causes the Ice King to soil his tunic, but claims he did it by choice, and flies away.

Marceline and Finn try to set an ambush for Marceline's father in Red Rock Pass, but an enraged Marceline charges her father to take back her bass. She is soundly defeated, and he leaves the two behind to continue his soul-sucking rampage. Finn is annoyed that Marceline did not stick to the plan, but still chases after her father, determined to stop him from devouring all the souls in Ooo.

As Marceline`s father continues to ingest souls, he grows to a tremendous height, allowing his sucking ability to reach far greater distances. When Finn and Marceline finally catch up to him, he is so huge, Marceline says that Finn would be like an ant to him, and is unable to defeat him. Finn, after awkwardly making double entendres while trying to come up with a metaphor for fighting him (This ant is about to get in his pants!), scales The Lord of Evil's massive body and after being flicked away, stabs him in the head. Then, he opens his mouth so wide his outer head opened to reveal his true form inside his mouth, a gigantic butt head with a vertical mouth, tiny cat-like eyes, and various tentacle-like appendages. Finn notices the souls of Ooo trapped inside a cluster of green sacks attached to his true head, and Lumpy Space Princess got sucked in here, too and pledges to save every last pilfered soul within. Finn attempts to fight Marceline's father, but is quickly defeated and thrown to the ground along with Marceline's bass guitar. Flustered, Marceline retrieves her bass and angrily storms off.

Desperate for a diversion, Finn plays the recording of Marceline singing about her father, which they had made earlier using the Walkman, causing her to blush furiously, and effectively distracting her father. Marceline's father assures her that he does indeed love her, and he is sorry for stealing her fries, and they have a tender moment of reconciliation. Finn takes this opportunity to stab him in his soul sacks, freeing the trapped souls inside. Though immortal and exceptionally powerful, The Lord of Evil is surprised momentarily, and Finn is able to banish him to the Nightosphere before he regenerates.

Marceline is at first angered at Finn for embarrassing her and stabbing her dad, but soon calms down. The two collapse in exhaustion and watch the souls bump into each other as they float away in the night sky. Marceline asks about Finn's pocket, and it is revealed that Jake was inside it the whole time. Jake rolls the other way in Finn's pocket and farts, where the episode concludes.

Characters[]

Major characters[]

Finn
Marceline
Hunson Abadeer (debut; name not revealed until "Return to the Nightosphere")

Minor characters[]

Jake (cameo)
Fuzzy Friends (called "Fluffy People" in this episode)
- Soul Sucked Fuzzy Friend (debut)
Penguins
- Gunter
Ice King
Lumpy Space Princess
Marauders
Tree People
Schwabl
Snail
Ants
Birds

Mentioned[]

Hot Dog Princess

Locations[]

Music[]

"Fries
"Stompin' On Ants"

Trivia[]

This episode was nominated for the 2011 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards for the category "Outstanding Short-format Animated Program."^[1]
Jake farting to end the episode is possibly a reference to the first episode of the first season, which ended with Starchie doing the same.
This episode previously was titled "Return to Nightosphere," then "Marceline's Dad," and then just "Nightosphere." A season four episode was later given the title "Return to the Nightosphere."
It is the featured episode in the second Adventure Time DVD collection.
It is revealed in this episode that Marceline's dad is immortal, and most likely cannot be killed, when Marceline said he is deathless.
Marceline has in her living room a painting that resembles the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus.
This is Pen's favorite episode of the second season.^[2]
According to the Frederator Blog, this episode was not completely finished one week before it aired.^[3]
This is the first episode story boarded by Rebecca Sugar, and to commemorate that fact, she made a special drawing.
This is the first episode where Jake only receives a minor cameo and has no lines.
The smiley face used to open the Nightosphere is a PHIL FACE.
The incantation to open the Nightosphere is "MALOSO VOBISCUM ET CUM SPIRITUM," which is Dog Latin, and presumably is supposed to mean "evil be with you and with your spirit." An approximation in correct Latin would be "malum sit vobiscum et cum spiritu tuo."
When it shows the PHIL FACE absorbing the bug milk, an "M" is carved on each of the two candles.
One of the Fluffy People who holds the ball with a printed star resembles Lumpy Space Princess.
This was the first time Finn had a pocket on his shirt. The second time was in "Davey."
While sucking up penguin souls in the Ice Kingdom, Hudson Abadeer mentions that one in particular "Gunter" is by far the most evil-est thing he has encountered thus far in Ooo. This implies that there is a main Gunter, rather than all of the penguins in the Ice Kingdom being named Gunter.
Marceline's dog, Schwabl, appears very briefly.
Despite being aired as the first episode of Season 2, it appears as the third episode on the Complete Second Season DVD and Blu-ray, switching places with "Loyalty to the King."
This is the first appearance of Marceline's father, Hunson Abadeer. Although his name wouldn't be revealed until "Return to the Nightosphere."

Episode connections[]

The song in this episode, "Fry Song," is also sung in two other Adventure Time episodes, "Holly Jolly Secrets Part II" and "I Remember You." In "I Remember You," the Ice King sings it with Gunter's name. This is the first time any song is sung in three episodes, even if it has been sung by a different character (the Ice King).
Hunston asked Finn if he is Marcline's "evil servent" refrencing the events of Henchman.
The portal spell is also used by Finn to open a portal to the Nightosphere in "Daddy's Little Monster."
Jake farting in Finn's pocket was also in the end of the episode, "Davey."
Hunson calls Gunter the most evil thing he's encountered and as well as "dark one". Gunter is revealed to be a powerful evil being in "Orgalorg."
The Marauder village from "Memories of Boom Boom Mountain" appears along with the Marauders from said episode.

Cultural references[]

The title card resembles a famous scene from the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
The portal spell is an allusion to the salutation/blessing Dominus vobiscum/Pax vobis. Et cum spiritu tuo. notable for being used in the Catholic Latin Mass.
The sweater Marceline wears in this episode bears a resemblance to the iconic sweater of Freddy Krueger of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
Marceline's outfit bears a striking resemblance to popular 90's rock band Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain's iconic outfit from a show in 1993 with the black and red striped sweater, the ripped jeans, and the red guitar.

Storyline analysis[]

When Finn asks how to kill her dad, Marceline replies that he is "deathless" and that he "can't die." During his conversation with Gunter, the Lord of Evil does not finish the sentence "NO! You can't have my soul! I don't even have a—," implying that he does not have one. This is where his immortality and his "deathlessity" may stem from.
- After Marceline and Hunson Abadeer's fight at Red Rock Pass, Abadeer refers to his daughter as "not alive." This could mean she does not have a soul either. Though technically Vampires are classified as "Undead" along with Zombies.
The fact that Lumpy Space Princess' soul was not sucked by Abadeer may link with the fact that she is the lumpy anti-elemental which is revealed much later in "Elements."

Errors[]

When Marceline's father comes in to suck Finn's soul, the entrance was wider than when Finn first opened it.
Marceline plays both sides on her axe-bass, it is unknown in which side she plays.

On the title card, Marceline's hair is not tied in a ponytail.
When Marceline tells Finn what he would have to do to invoke her father, her fangs turn into normal teeth for a moment.
When Marceline's Dad shows his true face and Finn was hanging in the tentacles, his sword can be seen stabbed in the top of Marceline's Dad head, despite he did not draw it at beginning of the fight.
When Jake farts at the end, his tail and ears are missing.
Marceline's skin appears white instead of its usual pale blue-gray.
Lumpy Space Princess was swallowed by Marceline's dad but was not shown escaping along with the souls.
During the scene when Ice King was talking to Marceline's dad, his eyes are black instead of white.