It Came from the Nightosphere

Synopsis
The Lord of Evil (also called Hunson Abadeer), 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 doesn't 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 fel incantation in Latin. Finn immediately does so, 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 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 Fluffy People, Marauders and even the Penguins of the Ice Kingdom. Marceline's dad claims that Gunter's soul is by far the evilest 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, 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 didn't 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. Marceline retrieves her bass and storms off, flustered. 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 and watch the souls bump into each other as they float away in the night sky. Marceline suddenly asks, "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, what's with that pocket on your shirt?." Finn reveals that Jake was inside his pocket the whole time. Jake rolls the other way in his pocket and farts where the episode ends.

Major characters

 * Finn
 * Marceline
 * Hunson Abadeer

Minor characters

 * Jake
 * Fuzzy Friends (called "Fluffy people" in this episode)
 * Penguins
 * Gunter
 * Ice King
 * Marauders
 * Tree People
 * Lumpy Space Princess
 * Hot Dog Princess (mentioned)
 * Schwabl
 * Snail
 * Ants

Music

 * "Fry Song"
 * "Stompin' On Ants"

Awards

 * The episode was nominated for the 2011 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards for the category "Outstanding Short-format Animated Program."

Trivia

 * 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 can't be killed, when Marceline said he's deathless.
 * This is Pen's favorite episode of the second season.
 * According to the Frederator Blog, this episode was not completely finished one week before it aired.
 * 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 uobiscum et cum spiritu."
 * When it shows the PHIL FACE absorbing the bug milk, an "M" is carved on each of the two candles.
 * One of the Fuzzy Friends who holds the ball with a printed star resembles Lumpy Space Princess.

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. used in Catholic Mass and some other Christian denomination.

Errors

 * When Marceline's father comes in to suck Finn's soul, the entrance was wider than when Finn first opened it.
 * On the title card, Marceline's hair isn't tied in a ponytail.
 * 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 didn't draw it at beginning of the fight.
 * When Jake farts in the end, you can see that his tail is missing.
 * Marceline's skin appears white instead of its usual pale blue-gray.
 * Lumpy Space Princess was swallowed by Marceline's Dad but wasn't shown escaping along with the souls.

Episode connections

 * The song in this episode, "The 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).
 * The portal spell is also used by Finn to open a portal to the Nightosphere in "Daddy's Little Monster."
 * The "Phil face" Finn drew is the same face in Lemongrab's prank in the episode "Too Young."

Videos
Nightosphere Animatic|Animatic