science

Simon & Marcy

Simon & Marcy is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Simon & Marcy rather than just read about it. In short: "Simon & Marcy" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written and storyboarded by Cole Sanchez and Rebecca Sugar, from a story by Patrick McHale, Kent Osborne, and Pendleton Ward.

Key takeaways

Simon & Marcy belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Simon & Marcy to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Simon & Marcy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

"Simon & Marcy" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written and storyboarded by Cole Sanchez and Rebecca Sugar, from a story by Patrick McHale, Kent Osborne, and Pendleton Ward. It originally aired on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2013, preceded by a re-run of the fourth season episode "I Remember You", and as such was advertised as a half-hour special. 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, Marceline the Vampire Queen (voiced by Olivia Olson) reveals to Finn and Jake that 996 years prior to the events of the series, she and the Ice King (voiced by Tom Kenny)—then a human named Simon Petrikov—wandered the post-apocalyptic land after the cataclysmic Mushroom War. "Simon & Marcy" was the last episode to feature Sugar as a storyboard artist. She left after completing the episode in order to create her own series, Steven Universe. The episode received critical acclaim; many praised its balance of humor and emotion, as well as its exploration of the Ice King's character. The episode was viewed by 2.6 million viewers and received a 0.6 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. The episode was later nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Short-format Animation at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to Mickey Mouse episode "Croissant de Triomphe".

Plot

Background In the context of the series, Marceline the Vampire Queen is a thousand-year-old vampire. The Ice King is a recurring antagonist of the series, and frequently kidnaps princesses throughout Ooo; although he is often at odds with Finn and Jake, he is generally not a serious threat. In the fourth season episode "I Remember You", it was revealed that Marceline and the Ice King had originally met following the events of the mysterious Mushroom War, a cataclysmic conflict that destroyed modern human society.

Events While playing basketball at Marceline's house, Finn and Jake are surprised to learn that Marceline invited the Ice King to play as well. After the two inquire, Marceline reveals that she had known the Ice King when he was still a human man named Simon Petrikov, 996 years before the timeframe of the episode. The episode then flashes back 996 years, following the destruction of civilization in the mysterious Mushroom War. Simon and Marceline—who Simon affectionately called Marcy—wander the outskirts of a destroyed and unidentified city. After hearing a rustling from the woods, Simon is forced to put on the mysterious ice crown. The crown gives the wearer ice-related magic powers but also drains them of their sanity. Using the power of the crown, Simon freezes what was making the rustling: a deer. Marcy eventually manages to snap Simon out of his bout of craziness, and later that night Simon sings the theme song from the sitcom Cheers to cheer her up. While laughing, Marcy begins to cough, and Simon realizes she is in need of medicine. The two make their way into the ruins of the city looking for chicken soup in order to cure Marcy's illness. Inside the ruins of a soupery, Simon and Marcy run into some sort of mutated slime-creature, but Simon manages to knock it out with his crown. The two flee and eventually discover what they believe is a food cart. Hopeful, Simon approaches it, only to realize that the vehicle is actually a mobile clam delivery service. Frustrated, Simon kicks the doors, which alerts several more slime creatures inside the vehicle. Simon, scared and hoping to protect Marcy, pushes the vehicle off of a bridge, and the resulting sound alerts a horde of the mutants. Simon and Marcy run into an alley, but are trapped. As a last resort, Simon places Marcy in an abandoned car and puts the crown on his head. In order to maintain his sanity, he sings the theme to Cheers while he unleashes a blast of ice which stops the mutant hordes in their tracks. Simon is able to eventually snap out of his insanity, and a sentient mass of bubblegum subsequently gives him a can of chicken soup. Marcy tells Simon that she loves him. Simon hugs her back saying he loves her too, but calls her Gunter. In the present, Marceline concludes her tale, to a shocked Finn and Jake and an oblivious Ice King. Marceline notes that Marcy and Simon "lived happily ever after", and Finn, Jake, and herself watch as the Ice King dunks several baskets, still unable to remember his former self.

Production

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Simon & Marcy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Simon & Marcy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Simon & Marcy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Simon & Marcy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Simon & Marcy

In research: Simon & Marcy appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Simon & Marcy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Simon & Marcy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2013 American television episodes, Adventure Time season 5 episodes, Mutants in fiction, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Simon & Marcy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Simon & Marcy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Simon & Marcy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Simon & Marcy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Simon & Marcy in simple terms?

Why does Simon & Marcy matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Simon & Marcy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Simon & Marcy.