Prismo

A cosmic entity resurrected through a ritual involving homemade pickles, time loops, and a sleeping alternate version of Jake.

Prismo is voiced by Kumail Nanjiani in the nineteenth episode of Adventure Time's sixth season, titled "Is That You?". The episode debuts on November 25, 2014, as part of Cartoon Network's "Corn-Ooo-Copia" week. At the start of this story, Prismo is deceased, prompting Finn and Jake to hold a memorial service featuring his homemade pickles. Unbeknownst to Finn, Jake is transported to Prismo's alternate dimension while a doppelgänger remains in Ooo. In that timeless realm, a pre-programmed version known as "Plan B" reveals an elaborate plan for resurrection involving time loops and alternate realities. With guidance from Plan B, Finn and Jake successfully execute the ritual to bring their friend back to life.

Lore & Background

Prismo's reality is described as timeless, replaying past events over and over again. In this episode, the realm serves as the setting where Jake wanders while contemplating Prismo's philosophy on relationships and death. A pre-programmed version of Prismo, dubbed "Plan B," exists within this dimension specifically for cases where the original Prismo is killed. This program explains a complex plan to resurrect Prismo Prime: one version of Jake must sleep for eternity in the alternate reality, allowing the true Prismo to return to life while another version returns to Ooo.

The events are triggered by an elaborate ritual involving homemade pickles, which initially transports Jake and later allows Finn to follow him into the dimension. The doppelgänger of Jake seen in Ooo dissipates into a cloud of smoke whenever interrupted, hinting at the instability of the timeline during these resurrection attempts.

Reader's Guide

To understand Prismo's role in "Is That You?", note that his death initiates the plot via a memorial service involving homemade pickles. Viewers should track the distinction between Jake's doppelgänger in Ooo and the real Jake in Prismo's timeless realm, where past events replay endlessly. The resurrection mechanism relies on Plan B Prismo, a pre-programmed backup created by the original. Key turning points include Jake falling asleep in the dimension to facilitate the return of Prismo Prime and Finn's decision to condense into a sword by stopping himself from waking the alternate Jake. The episode features guest stars Kumail Nanjiani as Prismo and Ron Perlman as The Lich, with Jesse Moynihan handling the storyboard work.