Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire
Production code:	1054-277
Airdate:	December 17, 2017
Credits
Director:	Cole Sanchez
Story:	Kent Osborne Jack Pendarvis Julia Pott Ashly Burch Adam Muto
Written & storyboarded by:	Steve Wolfhard Tom Herpich
Episodes
Previous "Seventeen"
Next "Marcy & Hunson"

"Ring of Fire" is the sixth episode in the tenth season of Adventure Time. It's the two hundred and seventy-second episode overall.

Synopsis

When an old flame comes calling on urgent business, Tree Trunks reconsiders both her wild past and her tranquil present.

Plot

Sweet P is playing with a toy car in the yard when Tree Trunks calls him to eat breakfast. He proclaims that he has the best life in the world, asking his mother if she has the best life in the world. She watches a leaf fall from a tree, allowing tears to fall from her eyes. Sweet P notices and asks why she is sad, but she quickly dismisses it and heads inside her home after Mr. Pig asks her to answer the phone.

Inside, Mr. Pig is cooking porridge for Sweet P when Tree Trunks answers the phone. On the line is Randy, her first husband. He wants to meet with her, and Tree Trunks is unsure but agrees.

At a diner, Randy asks Tree Trunks for his grandmother's ring, for him to propose to his girlfriend. Tree Trunks begins to reflect on her life. She recalls Randy proposing and her leaving him before the honeymoon.

She meets Daniel, her second husband, as a pirate. The night after they wed, she discovers a lie he told her. She maroons him on an island and leaves the life of a pirate.

Tree Trunks becomes a businesswoman specializing in trade. Wyatt, her third husband, meets her while working for her. She separates from him after he wants her to take care of him, with Wyatt saying he would throw the ring into a pit.

Randy is shocked by this, and shortly after, Mr. Pig crashes from the ceiling, worrying that Randy would take her away, but his worries are dismissed. Wyatt comes into the diner, wanting to fight Randy, but trips. Randy takes the ring while he is incapacitated and leaves the diner. Soon, Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig are having a moment for themselves.

Characters

Major characters

• Tree Trunks
• Randy
• Danny
• Wyatt
• Mr. Pig

Minor characters

• Sweet P
• Peanut (flashback)
• King of Ooo (flashback)
• Tiny Mammals (flashback)
• Mama Trunks (flashback, cameo)
• Pirates (flashback)
  • Mr. Faidutti
  • Hair Apes
• Snail
• Cookie

Mentioned

• Moe

Trivia

• Steve Wolfhard has stated that this episode "was the most sex-mad" episode he has boarded for Adventure Time.
• This is the ninth (and final) episode (not counting the gender-swap episodes) in which both Finn and Jake neither appear nor are mentioned, the first being "Princess Day," the second being "Evergreen," the third being "Friends Forever," the fourth being "Be Sweet," the fifth being "Orgalorg," the sixth being "Varmints," the seventh being "Broke His Crown," and the eighth being "Lady Rainicorn of the Crystal Dimension."
• It is revealed in this episode that Tree Trunks has a false eye.
• The name of Tree Trunks' pirate ship, "La Femme Du La Mer," translates from French to "The Wife of the Sea" (tying in with the episode's theme).

Episode connections

• The title card for this episode parallels the title card for "Tree Trunks" with the aforementioned character being the focus and in the same pose in both.
• This is the first time Randy and Danny are given speaking roles. It is also their first appearances since "Apple Wedding."
• The gorilla pirates on Tree Trunks' ship are similar in appearance to the Hair Apes from "Dungeon Train."
• The instrumental version of "I Just Can't Get Over You" from "Love Games" is heard after Mr. Pig crashes from the ceiling.

Cultural references

• The title of this episode may be a reference to the Johnny Cash song of the same name.
• When Wyatt says in a dramatic tone that if Tree Trunks is gonna be stepping on her man with one of her exes "it's gonna be me!" might be a reference to the end of the chorus of NSYNC's 2000 song It's Gonna Be Me. In the song, the singer tells a woman that after all their failed relationships, in the end she knows she'll end up picking him, and many of the lyrics could be applied to Wyatt's character such as "Every little thing I do never seems enough for you" .
  • Curiously, the band NSYNC used to have 5 members, the same number of husbands Tree Trunks has had (including the Alien husband).
• The Tiny Mammal Kingdom and its inhabitants may have drawn inspiration on the stuffed toys Beanie Babies produced by Ty Inc which became very popular in the 90's. Though the actual line includes toys inspired in many other species besides mammals, the common theme is the tiny size (which is equal throughout all the animals), simple shapes, soft colors and simplified eyes which are just black dots, much like Tree Trunks and all the other inhabitants that are shown in the flashback.

Storyline analysis

• The promo art for "Min and Marty" implies that it was Tree Trunks' ship that rescued Martin.

Production notes

• This episode was released early on the Cartoon Network app on December 7, 2017.
• This is the second episode that aired during the DecemberBomb.

Gallery

Official art

Ring of Fire title card designed by Steve Wolfhard and painted by Joy Ang

Ring of Fire storyboard panel

Adventure Time December line-up

Screenshots