Adventure Time: The Hall of Egress

March 6, 2016 6:52 AM - Season 7, Episode 24

Trapped and alone, Finn must unravel the riddle of the weird cave with no exit.
posted by FallowKing (2 comments total)

I think I'm going to have to re-watch this to make any sense of it.

It was nice to have them refer to the Dungeon Train again, rather than have it vanish forever because they were done with it. And according to the Adventure Time wiki this dungeon was mentioned in the Dungeon Train episode.

Finn and Princess bubblegum reading together was cute.
posted by FallowKing at 6:57 AM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

That was my favorite episode in a while. I think after thunking about it for a while I have some sense of the meaning?

Noun
egress

1. An exit or way out.
2. The process of exiting or leaving.

When Finn first entered the room containing the hatch to the Hall of Egress, I was certain the solution would be to put the stoneman in the correct order and then the door would open. (Definition 1)

Instead, he gets caught in a Groundhog Day-like loop of exiting (definition 2). In order to finally escape the loop he has to give up 1) his knowledge of how mazes work, 2) his friends, and 3) his possessions, only to find himself back where he started. But this time something's different. That's presumably Finn himself, now that he's exited the usual patterns of his life only to face the same challenges again.

I think there's some parallel being drawn between the two definitions of egress and the route one takes through life. Princess Bubblegum gives Finn the quick and simple definition, but nothing in life is ever as quick or simple as just leaving through the door marked exit. Dungeons aren't about the exit, they're about the egress.
posted by books for weapons at 8:51 AM on March 6, 2016 [11 favorites]