Princess Monster Wife (episode)

"Princess Monster Wife" is the ninth episode in the fourth season of Adventure Time.

Synopsis
When Ooo’s princesses start losing body parts, Finn and Jake investigate.

Plot
The episode begins with the princesses of Ooo waking up to find various parts of their bodies missing. They go to Finn and Jake for help and the duo promise to help. They immediately go see Ice King, who denies doing anything at first, but reveals that he did in fact steal the princesses body parts to create a Princess Monster Wife.

Finn and Jake faint from the shock of seeing her, leading Princess Monster Wife to inquire as to who they are. Ice King lies by saying the heroes are their children, whom they drag to the table for dinner. Princess Monster Wife tries to eat, but cannot keep the food in her mouth, which Ice King copies to make her believe that this is normal behavior.

After dinner they wash the dishes; Ice King shows Princess Monster Wife his castle, after which they watch TV, during which Finn and Jake wake up, only to them pass out from seeing Princess Monster Wife, again.

Princess Monster Wife begins to doubt her normality, but Ice King denies it and tells her that she is beautiful. Ice King then arranges a fashion show to prove it, forcing his penguins to watch in the process. It starts out well, but eventually goes awry. Finn and Jake wake up and try to intervene, whilst also attempting to stay conscious by looking at Princess Monster Wife's reflection using hand mirrors, an attempt which fails, leading Gunter to vomit upon looking at Princess Monster Wife.

Distraught, Princess Monster Wife locks herself in her room. Ice King tries to show her that she is beautiful by revealing that he made her out of the parts of the princesses he found most beautiful. Princess Monster Wife is disturbed by this notion and asks Ice King whether he would love her without the princess parts. Suddenly a blindfolded Finn and Jake burst in and take down Ice King, only to discover that Princess Monster Wife has left to return her stolen body parts to their rightful owners. As her cape, the only piece of her that was left, floats back into the Ice King's castle, where Princess Monster Wife's disembodied last words to Ice King state that she will always be his wife. Ice King says he cannot believe that she gave away all his stuff as the episode ends.

Major characters

 * Finn
 * Jake
 * Ice King
 * Princess Monster Wife
 * Snail

Minor characters

 * Family
 * Princesses
 * Princess Bubblegum
 * Lumpy Space Princess
 * Slime Princess
 * Hot Dog Princess
 * Turtle Princess
 * Wildberry Princess
 * Skeleton Princess
 * Elbow Princess
 * Muscle Princess
 * Dr. Princess
 * Gunter
 * Kitten
 * Ice Bulls
 * Ice Toads
 * Snail

Songs

 * "Let Me Show You Something Special"

Trivia

 * This episode introduces a new princess, whose name is Elbow Princess. However, she had no important role in the episode, though Ice King considers her one of his favorite princesses.
 * Even though Dr. Princess is not actually a princess, she is one of the people who loses their body parts, suggesting that Ice King refuses to accept she is not royalty, or is attracted to her nonetheless due to her supposed similarities to Betty.
 * Ghost Princess can be seen on the title card even though she isn't in the episode.
 * In the title card there are framed pictures hanging on the wall. The people on those photos are: Jake, Finn, Lumpy Space Princess, Princess Bubblegum, Ghost Princess, Hotdog Princess, Turtle Princess, Gunter, and a dog-like creature.
 * All of the penguins names that Ice King calls out in this episode sound similar to "Gunter."
 * When Princess Monster Wife was returning the stolen body parts, she gives Turtle Princess's body part to Lumpy Space Princess.
 * The family in the title card appear on the T.V. while Ice King and his wife are watching it. Ice King, his wife, Finn, Jake, and Gunter are positioned the same way as the family.
 * Princess Monster Wife has the voice of Princess Bubblegum, Lumpy Space Princess, and Turtle Princess combined.
 * When Ice King was eating with Princess Monster Wife, there is a nesting doll on one of the shelves nearby.
 * This is the first episode where a Princess actually has feelings for the Ice King; Not counting when Ice King was mistaken for the Nice King in "Loyalty to the King," or when he was controlling Old Lady Princess in "When Wedding Bells Thaw."
 * Another large portion of the Ice Kingdom is revealed in this episode.
 * At the start of the episode, there are several photographs framed on a wall in Ice King's home; One of which appears to be a pre-Mushroom War city under snowfall.
 * Gunter's child, Kitten, makes a cameo appearance standing on an icicle just as Ice King starts singing "Let Me Show You Something Special."
 * Finn and Jake usually shout when they see Princess Monster Wife.

Cultural references

 * The stitched together parts to create one composite being is similar to the creation of the monster of the Mary Shelley horror novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus.
 * Much of the Ice King's musical number is a shot for shot homage to the magic carpet ride that takes place during "A Whole New World" in the 1992 Disney film Aladdin, including the couple's flight above a herd of horses and pyramids.
 * Finn and Jake's failed plan to use mirrors to get to Princess Monster Wife is reminiscent of the ancient Greek myth of Perseus and Medusa.

Errors

 * In the episode "Jake vs. Me-Mow," Wildberry Princess's arms are directly connected to her body, but in this episode, her arms were connected to one of her Berries.
 * In the episode "Hitman," the Ice King says that Lumpy Space Princess is one of his least favorite princesses, yet Lumpy Space Princess loses a body part and the Ice King says to Princess Monster Wife that all her body parts are from his favorite princesses.
 * When Finn and Jake look at Princess Monster Wife through mirrors, it appears she is facing them. However, when they faint, she has her back toward them.
 * When the Ice King gives Princess Monster Wife the princess photos he gives her Muscle Princess' photo and says that Princess Monster Wife has Elbow Princess' hips.
 * On Turtle Princess's model sheet, (below), says that part of her face is missing. While this is true in the episode, there is no difference from this model art and her regular model art.

Production notes

 * The Snail's location is shown in the long preview.

Videos
Adventure Time - Princess Monster Wife (short preview)|Short preview. Adventure Time - Princess Monster Wife (long preview)|Long Preview