| "The Lich" | |
|---|---|
| Adventure Time episode | |
 The Lich (pictured) possessing his arch-nemesis, Billy. The twist was called "horrifying" by Oliver Sava of The A.V. Club.[1] | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 26 |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Tom Herpich Skyler Page |
| Story by | Patrick McHale Kent Osborne Pendleton Ward |
| Production code | 1008-104[2] |
| Original air date | October 22, 2012 |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"The Lich" is the twenty-sixth episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written and storyboarded by Tom Herpich and Skyler Page, from a story by Patrick McHale, Kent Osborne, Pendleton Ward. It originally aired on Cartoon Network on October 22, 2012. The episode guest starred Lou Ferrigno as Billy, and Ron Perlman as the Lich.
The series follows the adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake (voiced by John DiMaggio), a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. In this episode, Finn has an ominous dream about the Lich, and sets off with Jake to warn Billy. Billy reveals that they must unite the gems of all the crowns of power, place them in the Enchiridion, and open a portal to the multiverse. However, it is revealed that the Lich is actually disguised as Billy. Finn and Jake then follow him through the multiverse.
"The Lich" would be the inception of a three-episode arc that would not be concluded until the second episode of the fifth season. In the opening scene, Herpich used unicorn symbolism, most notably the tapestry The Unicorn is in Captivity and No Longer Dead—a piece of the seven-part tapestry The Hunt of the Unicorn—to illustrate the themes of the episode. "The Lich" was watched by 2.589 million people and received largely positive critical attention, with many commenting on the episode's cliffhanger.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lichavclubwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Shows A-Z, Adventure Time With Finn and Jake". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
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