Escape from the Citadel

"Escape From the Citadel" is the second episode in the sixth season of Adventure Time. It is the one hundred and fifty-eighth episode overall.

Synopsis
Finn and Jake follow the Lich to the Citadel, where Finn meets his long lost dad. But just how far does the apple fall from the tree?

Plot
Finn and Jake hitch a ride on a Citadel Guardian after he imprisons and transports The Lich to the Citadel. Upon arrival, the Guardian attaches The Lich's crystal prison onto a much larger crystal "cellblock". Finn and Jake then embark on a search of the prison for Finn's long-lost father, whom Finn initially believes to be the Guardian. Jake points out a strange looking "old kid" who resembles Finn, it turns out to be Finn's father encarcerated inside a crystal jail cell. They then notice that the Lich's cell is excreting a grey slime that is beginning to infect the other prisoners and Guardians. They then notice that grey fire is forming on Finn's father's cell, Finn uses Jake as a mace and frees his father, who introduces himself as Martin. Martin is reluctant to answer either Finn nor Jake's questions about his motives for abandoning Finn. Jake begins to encourage Finn to leave his father behind, calling him a loser. Martin notes that the fighting will cease once the last Guardian dies, he then points out that the last Guardian is currently sinking into a grey swamp. The Guardian shoot a beam that hits Martin in the lower right shin. Martin tells Finn that the blood of a Guardian contains healing properties. Finn and Jake retreive some blood and heal Martin. The Lich then sends Finn into a hypnotic state. The Lich tells Finn that only death will be iminent for all life, and that Finn is all alone in the world now. Jake then appears unconcious next to Finn. Finn wakes up and calls for Martin, who had fled with the other prisoners, abandoning Finn once again. The Lich reaches for Finn but begins screaming and growing flesh around his hand after touching the Guardian blood that was still on Finn. Finn then throws more blood onto The Lich, making him grow more flesh around his chest. Finn then tells Jake to finish him off while he stops his father from escaping. Martin and the other prisoners begin to fly towards a portal, but Finn grabbed two parts of a portal, preventing his father from leaving, the portal stretches him and begins to pull, Jake tells Finn to let it go, but Finn refuses and the Grass Sword takes over Finn's left arm, allowing him one last pull of the portal, but Finn's arm gives out and is severed. Finn falls into the water below where a small piece of Guardian blood touches his arm, making the stump of an arm sprout a flower. Jake pulls Finn to shore where Shelby is revealed to have been hiding out the entire time. Starchie then mysteriously crashes through another portal driving a train and announces that the next stop was The Candy Kingdom. Finn is reminded of the Lich and asks Jake if he had finished him off, Jake says there's no need, as the Guardian blood transformed The Lich into a baby-like creature, rendering completely harmless. Later, Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig are sitting in her house when outside Finn and Jake's chatter can be heard, the doorbell rings. The couple sees outside their door an infant Lich.

Major Characters

 * Finn
 * Jake
 * The Lich
 * Martin
 * Citadel Guardian

Minor Characters

 * Snail
 * Starchie
 * Shelby
 * Tree Trunks
 * Mr. Pig

Trivia

 * Starchie is in the title card riding a form of a 4-2-0 steam locomotive.
 * Finn loses his arm in this episode.
 * The Lich  in this episode is "revived".
 * The Grass Sword along with Finn's arm is removed.
 * Tree Trunks wanted to divorce Mr. Pig until they got their baby "delivered"

Cultural references

 * The transformation and mutation of the Grass Sword as it consumes Finn's arm is similar to the awakening power of Tetsuo from the 1988 Japanese animated film Akira.

Episode connections

 * Finn loses his right arm to the Grass Sword finally fulfills Finn's destiny to lose his arm, as seen multiple times:
 * His vision of himself in Mortal Folly
 * On the future Crystal in the Dungeon Train
 * A robotic (pillow) arm in Puhoy
 * In his "mirror reflection" in King Worm
 * In his Farmworld counterpart
 * In his previous life Shoko as revealed in The Vault

Errors

 * After the scene when Martin gets his leg zapped, Finn is seen without his grass sword in one scene where he repeats "uh-oh."