The Lich (episode)

Synopsis
Finn is led by Billy on a quest to save the world and beyond from the Lich.

Plot
The episode begins with Finn having a dream about the Cosmic Owl screeching, Billy kissing his lady, and the bear and the snail reading the Enchiridion. Suddenly, the snail kills Billy and Finn wakes up. He tells Jake about his dream and Jake says it is a premonition dream. He then says they should go tell Billy because he was in the dream and then drives Finn to Billy's Crack.

Once there, Billy yells at them saying that its 3 in the morning and asks why they are there. Finn says that they wanted to make sure he wasn't dead, to which Billy asks why they would think that, and Finn proceeds by explaining about the dream. Billy asks them if they want to save all life from the Lich and they agree. After they head out. Billy tells them that they need to collect all the magical gems from all the princesses and Ice King's power crystals that protect them from the Lich.

After some time spent collecting crystals, the group stops to rest for a bit and Jake asks Billy how many more crystals they need. Billy indicates that there is 1 left. Finn gets hungry and rummages through Billy's knapsack looking for candy, finding the Enchiridion after being smacked out by Billy and asking why he had it. Billy says that he found it in the mouth of a bear and Finn blushes with embarrassment as he remembers giving the book away to the bear. Billy says it has magical powers and tells him to turn the sword on the cover of the book which Finn does. The circle on the front opens up showing 9 slots where all the gems go in mystically (except LSP's whom just falls over the book) and shows a brief diagram about what would happen if all the slots where filled. At first, Jake and Finn wonder what all the holograms are, but Billy uses the blue crystal on his face to activate another hologram. A man named Book-o (who bears a resemblance to a Key-per) appears and explains what the first set of holograms represent, which is all the known universes and dimensions, and how they are connected. Jake tries to play around with it, but it frightens him and he calls it off. Book-o goes on to mention that in the centre of the universe is the Time Room where Prismo dwells. Billy states that he's going to push the Lich into there, seemingly to place the Lich in non-existence.

They then go to the Candy Kingdom to get PB's crystal (she is experimenting with little creatures, cutting off their legs and reattaching them) and Finn breaks through the roof and asks for the crystal on her crown. PB is shocked and refuses, and Finn tries to grab it by force, during which PB accidentally slices Finn's cheek with the scissors she is still holding from her experiments.They stare at each other for a brief moment, both stunned, and PB says "That was an accident". Finn hisses, removes the gem aggressively from her crown and runs off with it with PB not far behind. Once outside, he then puts it in the final slot and the book's pieces start to fall off as the Enchiridion turns black (or to some rock-looking substance). PB runs out telling him that Billy is really the Lich and not to give him the book.

Just as she says this, one of the Gumball Guardians gets up and blasts Billy, detecting the Lich's presence, thus revealing half of the Lich's true face. The Lich then asks for the book. Finn realizes that the Lich "messed Billy up" and after dodging a grasp from him smashes the book with his knee, but that action accidentally opens up a wormhole, to which the Lich is pleased and thanks Finn, tauntingly. As the Lich tries to pass through, Jake grabs him, reacting to PB's request, and stretches as to not go through. Jake, though, is slowly dragged into the portal as the ground under him gives way. Finn tries to stop Jake from getting pulled in but instead is pulled in with him. The episode ends with a boy who looks similar to the Finn (but looks like the version of him from the floor mirror in "King Worm"), playing his flute with a regular dog who looks just like Jake, then his mother (Who is temporarily named: Finn's Mother, until further notice) calls him in for what she says is "something important" and the episode ends mysteriously as he heads inside with his dog.

Major characters

 * Finn
 * Jake
 * The Lich (Billy)

Minor characters

 * Finn's Mother
 * Booko (The Enchiridion)
 * Ice King
 * Princesses
 * Princess Bubblegum
 * Engagement Ring Princess
 * Emerald Princess
 * Lumpy Space Princess
 * Embryo Princess
 * Hot Dog Princess
 * Gumball Guardian

Dream characters

 * Bear
 * Snail
 * Old Lady
 * Cosmic Owl

Trivia

 * During Finn's dream, when Billy is laughing he switches to the Lich in one frame then back.
 * On the back of the Enchidirion, three numbers from the Fibonacci sequence can be seen.
 * Lumpy Space Princess' royal star does not possess magic similar to the gems of Ooo royalty. Instead it makes her fly, and is seen falling to the side instead of taking a place in the circle of magic gem holes in the book. It is unknown if it protects Lumpy Space Princess from the Lich's mental control like the other gems.
 * The computer monitor that Finn is looking at in his dream has a similar appearance to an iMac G3.
 * Billy never physically touched the gems, which was foreshadowing that it was not Billy, but the Lich. When Finn tried to let Billy carry a gem, he refused.
 * Another hint could be that Billy had said he found the Enchiridion in the mouth of a bear, yet it was directly delivered to the Lich.
 * In Finn's dream, when the Lich goes in Billy's body, he goes through his heart located beneath Billy's beard.
 * Flame Princess's gem was not used in the Enchiridion.
 * On the Enchiridion's lock appears Tolkien's elven alphabet.
 * In the portal, a shred of land appears to be in the shape of Texas.
 * When the Lich (as a snail) is reading an enchantment in Finn's dream, a page flies in front of Billy's face. This page is the first page of Chapter 5 ("How to Kiss a Princess"), which was first seen in "The Enchiridion!"
 * "Ex Hibio Conatum" means "Prohibits from Attempt" in Latin

Cultural references

 * The tapestry with the unicorn in Finn's dream is based on "The Unicorn is in Captivity and No Longer Dead" which is part of "The Hunt of the Unicorn," a series of famous tapestries. The four dogs in the cave could be same as the one on "The Hunters Enter the Woods" tapestry.

Episode connections

 * When Finn mentions the Cosmic Owl was in his dream, Jake claims it was a premonition dream, similar to his own in "The New Frontier."
 * This is Billy's first reappearance since "His Hero."
 * The strange-looking Finn appears when Finn looks in the mirror in "King Worm."
 * The concept of Finn having a prosthetic arm has also previously arisen in "King Worm," "Mortal Folly," and the Adventure Time comic.


 * The bear returns for the first time since "In Your Footsteps."
 * Book-o resembles the Key-per from "The Enchiridion!" and the Door Lord from "What was Missing."
 * The flute that Finn is playing in the alternate universe at the end of the episode is also seen in "Prisoners of Love", although the flute looked more damaged before Finn threw it, which caused it to break.

Errors

 * Finn claims that in his dream, he was the Cosmic Owl on television; however, he was actually viewing it on a computer monitor.

Videos
Adventure Time - The Lich (short preview)|Short preview. Adventure Time - The Lich (long preview)|Long preview. "The Lich" Animatic|The animatic.