The Limit

"The Limit" is the twenty-second episode in season two of Adventure Time.

Synopsis
On a mission to save soldiers of the Hot Dog Princess, Finn and Jake go inside a massive maze where wishes can be granted and where Jake's stretching powers are pushed to their limits.

Plot
The episode starts with Finn and Jake looking at the night sky with Hot Dog Princess at her house. The two hope for a shooting star so that they can wish for an Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant. A firework is shot into the sky, which Jake initially mistakes for being a shooting star. The firework then explodes and spells the acronym B.U.T.T. Hot Dog Princess quickly identifies this as a distress signal from her Hot Dog Knights, who were sent to rescue other Hot Dog Knights from a maze. She says that the acronym means "Baby Us Trouble Time", and takes this to mean that the Knights are in grave danger, as Hot Dog Knights are notoriously "slow." Since the Hot Dog Knights in the yard are playing in the mud, Finn and Jake offer to rescue the knights themselves.

When they arrive at the maze, Jake suggests they merely stretch over the walls, but Finn points out a nearby sign that reads "No Cheating Or You DIE." Jake then comes up the idea of wrapping his legs around a tree stump and stretching his body through the maze to prevent the duo from getting lost. They are only a few feet in the maze when they find the Hot Dog Knights that sent the distress signal, who are afraid that they'll be eaten. Not long after Jake explains that he and Finn are there to save them, one of the knights tells of a magical wish-granting creature at the center of the labyrinth. Finn and Jake seize the opportunity so that everyone will receive their wishes when they reach the end of the maze. As they descend deeper in the maze, Finn and Jake sing a song. Afterwards, Finn notices that Jake's stretching powers are pushed closer and closer to their limits and his strength begins to wane, as he is also forced to use his powers to combat various traps. While Finn suggests that they should turn back for Jake's own good, the knights cheer Jake on, and so they continue in spite of Jake's weakening condition.

As the group draws closer to the center of the labyrinth, a giant statue holding a puzzle poses what appears to be the final obstacle. Even though Jake is so stretched out he can't even close his eyes, he continues to push himself at the request of the knights. He solves the puzzle, allowing them all entrance to the center where they meet Aquandrius who will grant their wishes. They enter the chamber, accidentally leaving one of the knights behind who winds up breaking the puzzle. The door slams shut and crushes Jake, trapping the others inside as well. Finn thinks that all they have to do is wish themselves out, but when one of the knights rushes for the Eel, he is killed by a trap. Once again Jake strains his body so that he can carry the others across the lethal hidden traps in the floor. The remaining two Hot Dog Knights take their small magical orbs and wish for a box and to blow up (the second who wished to blow up wanted to grow in size, but exploded instead.) Jake absentmindedly wishes he wasn't so hungry, and receives a sandwich. With only one wish left, Finn must ultimately decide whether or not to save Jake or wish for the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant that they both wanted. In the end, he wishes for the elephant, and has it wish for Finn's friends to be saved. Jake and the Hot Dog Knights appear alive and well, and they leave with Finn on the elephant, with the Mud Eel cursing them as they leave.

Major Characters

 * Finn
 * Jake
 * Hot Dog Knights
 * Aquandrius

Minor Characters

 * Hot Dog Princess
 * Golem
 * Scorpions
 * Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant
 * Crystalline Demon
 * Labyrinth Worm
 * Snail

Music

 * Sing Cause Yo Mama Said

Trivia

 * This episode's original name was "Wish Upon a Maze."
 * In the title card, Jake is seen eating a sandwich.
 * The dark-purple worm creature in the title card closely resembles one of the Cantina aliens from Star Wars.
 * The blue creature with red gemstone eyes appears to have come from the Crystal Dimension.
 * Jake's idea to stretch out to avoid getting lost is a reference to the idea of the Greek hero Theseus who used nothing but string to also avoid getting lost in the maze.
 * It is revealed in this episode that Jake will do anything for anyone if they say his name three times.
 * Hot Dog Princess says that hot dog knights are "Slow." This implies that even she thinks her warriors are stupid and incompetent.
 * An eye symbol appears in various places throughout the labyrinth.
 * The golem's size changes constantly; it is way larger than our heroes when it finally falls.
 * The scorpions emerge from a wall with an image of a spider.
 * The labyrinth has chasms and may also have lower levels.
 * While Jake is completing the cat puzzle, there is one square missing (for the others to slide around). But when the camera shows the finished puzzle, it has no missing squares.
 * In the closing shot of the episode, an overhead view of the maze shows some of its walls spelling out the word "APRIL." This is because Moynihan was forced to put this in the episode under order of one of his friends, according to a video answer on his vYou account.
 * When Finn wishes for "his friends to be healed," all of the Hot Dog Knights end up immediately on top of the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant healed and ready to escape. Technically only two of the Hot Dog Knights should have been "healed": one of the Hot Dog Knights was left behind in the previous room unharmed and the other lived to wish for a box. This is probably because the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant wishes for "what Finn desires."
 * Technically, they still didn't get all of their wishes. ( The Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant's other head, and the two Hot Dog Knights that were destroyed before they got a wish)
 * You can see Jake blink before he says that he can't close his eyes because they're too stretched.
 * In this episode it is revealed that hot dog people are immune to poison.

Censorship
''This episode was censored on Cartoon Network Australia. See Censorship of Adventure Time in Australia for more information.''