The Venture Brothers

[Alpha OTS]

I've been going through season 2 thanks to this thread. I think this picture is one of my favorite stills from the entire series:

[reddsun1]

Ah yes, the Venture Bros. Right up there with The Boondocks and Frisky Dingo among my all-time favorite [modern] animated shows. Brilliant writing/dialogue; love the zany characters and super-villians--vaguely familiar spoofs of lots of TV/movie/comic favorites. Kinda reminds me of the Ben Edlund style of character parody from The Tick [who incidentally, is credited as a writer for some eps of Venture Bros] .

I'm anxiously awaiting season 3, can't wait to find out what has The Monarch going "WHAT?!" at the end of season 2. While they've alluded to and set up the whole "used-to-be-a-dude" bit rather nicely over the previous eps, part of me thinks that'd be too obvious. If I were a betting man, I'd say that Dr. Girlfriend "is expecting," or something.

I wonder what new super-villians will enter the fray? Phantom Menace killed off a lot of them with his "purge" before the wedding.

Assy McGee has actually turned out to be a bit of a sleeper hit with me, too. At first, I thought the premise of a show about a walking-talking ASS was rediculous and didn't bother to watch, but it's actually turned out to be pretty funny.

Edited May 10, 2008 by reddsun1

[JsARCLIGHT]

The Doctor Girlfriend cliffhanger could be one of several things. They eluded to a multitude of possible issues she might be.

Current internet speculation says that her declairation to The Monarch is going to be one of the following:

I'm...

- Pregnant. (The Monarch himself asked her earlier in Cremation Creek part 1 if "Phantom Limb left a little surprise in her oven")

- A Man. (Brock goes on and on about it to both Phantom Limb and The Monarch in multiple episodes questioning her sexuality, as well as Billy Quizboy)

- Starting her own Supervillain Setup. (She propositions Triana's Friend Kim to be her accomplice in the womens room during Victor Echo November and is shown in Fallen Arches to be actively trying to become an independent supervillain with her "Murderous Moppets", who make multiple appearances with her)

- In love with Doctor Venture (a long shot but given her actions during Midlife Chrysalis and Dr. Venture's advances in Cremation Creek it could be possible)

My money is on her being pregnant. That option sets them up for the most potential comedy story lines. Her being a man is too obvious and too "easy". She already has her own supervillan angle with her "Lady Au Pair" thing and the whole "I Love Doctor Venture" is just a bit too "out there" to follow through. Given how they handled the "cliffhanger" from season 1 to season 2 (using a little bit of every possible idea folks had about how things were going to "be") I kind of expect the same treatment.

[Wes]

I liked the episode where they were showing all the ways Hank and Dean have died over the years! Overall, too many good scenes to list!

They're playing that show online again, which makes me want to ask that question. Don't you think Dr. Venture might have been another "case" of that?

[JsARCLIGHT]

I have long believed that Dr. Venture was not cloned, mostly because that would kind of invalidate the underlying "theme" of the show, which is "failure".

Dr. Venture's father Jonas is really the only character in the show who has had a resounding "success" in the things he did, albeit they came at a high cost. Jonas' "failure" was that he put his boy through so many traumatic events that he turned out warped, a pill popping manic hysterical who can't escape his father's shadow. It is also shown that Dr. Venture's main weakness is that he cuts corners a lot. I have always seen his cloning of the boys as the ultimate "corner cut". He doesn't have to be responsible or as skilled as his father Jonas was... if the boys die, they die... he just microwaves a new set and moves on like nothing happened.

Which raises the question of why he keeps making clones? Dr. Venture obviously hates his own kids and seems to have little patience for them. Why doesn't he just let them "die"? I think it is because that would be yet another failure on his long and ever growing list that he is not willing to add. To acknowledge that his father was better than he was at everything is probably more than he can handle.

[Alpha OTS]

Or if you have death-prone children, you keep a few clones around.

[Wes]

I have long believed that Dr. Venture was not cloned, mostly because that would kind of invalidate the underlying "theme" of the show, which is "failure".

Dr. Venture's father Jonas is really the only character in the show who has had a resounding "success" in the things he did, albeit they came at a high cost. Jonas' "failure" was that he put his boy through so many traumatic events that he turned out warped, a pill popping manic hysterical who can't escape his father's shadow. It is also shown that Dr. Venture's main weakness is that he cuts corners a lot. I have always seen his cloning of the boys as the ultimate "corner cut". He doesn't have to be responsible or as skilled as his father Jonas was... if the boys die, they die... he just microwaves a new set and moves on like nothing happened.

Which raises the question of why he keeps making clones? Dr. Venture obviously hates his own kids and seems to have little patience for them. Why doesn't he just let them "die"? I think it is because that would be yet another failure on his long and ever growing list that he is not willing to add. To acknowledge that his father was better than he was at everything is probably more than he can handle.

I dunno the Ventures raise a whole lot of questions that will probably never be answered until the creators figure it out/decide to show it on air. I thought the Dr. Venture's childhood thing might have been a Mozart-like life ("Your dad?! He peaked at 16!") But the fact that he doesn't really seem to "know" how that cloner came about and that he seems to forget alot of stuff could be drugs burned them away or too many copies like his kids.

And I wonder if they'll ever say Hank and Dean's real origins. It maybe with that one "crazy woman", but I've always wondered why Dr. Venture's always taken more to Dean and Brock to Hank, and they have the same hair color...

[JsARCLIGHT]

That's the allure of the Venture Brothers storytelling to me... what's "real"? What isn't? Is the boys supposed mother Myra, aka Powercat, actually their mother?... or is she just totally batshit crazy?

As for the cloning angle, the story supports that Jonas Venture was working on cloning before he died and he told Mr. Brisby about it (hence his knowledge when he asks Dr. Venture to clone him). Dr. Venture's evasiveness about the cloning was probably in regard to his boys and not wanting the world to know he was a terrible father who killed his boys time and again. I have always assumed that Dr. Venture (then calling himself TS) found out about the cloning machine when he left college early to assume control of Venture Industries from his dead father. My guess is that Jonas actually got the cloning machine to work, but he never used it due to some moral dilemma (which Jonas has shown in the past with the loss of the TVC15 space ship, he left it down at the sea floor out of respect for Major Tom). TS, not having his father's ethics, probably rolled out the cloning machines when his kids got killed for the first time.

[reddsun1]

While the characters are wonderfully well-rounded and developed, let's not over-analyze, they're not so complex as all that.

Shallow; self-centered; sarchastic; under-acheiving; hugely self-entitled, Rusty Venture takes the "anti-hero" motif and cranks it up to 11. Normally, one would want to consider him a completely unlikable di*k; but like Charlie Brown or something, we seem to be drawn to rooting for him, hoping he'll finally catch a break.

[reddsun1]

LOLOL!! I just noticed something while watching Powerless in the Face of Death. When 12 and 24 are in henchman group therapy, Gary is wearing a tee with Porkchop Sandwiches on it. I just remembered the gag GI JOE PSA's from a while back--Porkchop Sandwiches was like one of the funniest ones!

[dizman]

Heres something I always wondered, if Venture has a cloner and wants to talk to his dead father about so many things why not just clone him? Maybe hes just too afraid to A. Dig up the corpse and B. just couldn't bare to confront him in the end .

[JsARCLIGHT]

In the "rules" of the show a clone only knows what it was programmed to know. The boys can be repeatedly cloned with minimal side effects because they routinely sleep in their "teaching beds" which read their minds every night and record all their memories. In order to be able to clone Jonas, he would have had to have recorded all his memories, which it is unclear and unlikely that he did... otherwise Dr. Venture would have found some way to cash in on it.

As for the show being "not so complex as all that", I feel that it is. That is kind of why the show "works" on so many levels is that there is this dense underlying narrative to it all. Hammer and Public have shown they posess pretty good storytelling skills and they seem to enjoy planting the seeds of plot elements several episodes ahead of when they come to fruition. The show is rife with double entenre and hidden meanings. It's one of the few cartoons on the air right now that you can go back and re-watch a season and say to yourself "ooooooh, so THAT is what they meant by that" after seeing later episodes.

[reddsun1]

Yup, I need to retract my earlier statement, in part. While Rusty V. is pretty self-centered and a bit of a slacker, his "issues" with his dad definitely are a big part of his whole character. The multi-faceted approach to their storytelling is a big part of the show's appeal for me, too. I love how they can go from the subtle to the right-in-your-face with the humor--but without having to be excessive or vulgar.

Anybody else LOL at the "GI JOE-ish" parody in the Season 3 preview?

GO TEAM VENTURE!!!

Edited May 12, 2008 by reddsun1

[JsARCLIGHT]

Season 3 has had it's premiere already? All I've seen is the season three teaser and the season three convention clip reel.

[Wes]

Season 3 has had it's premiere already? All I've seen is the season three teaser and the season three convention clip reel.

Preview he said. It's online not to hard to find.

[JsARCLIGHT]

For some reason I read it as "premiere".

I've already seen the preview that had the OSI GI Joe send-up on it, I just thought he actually saw the whole episode somewhere.

[reddsun1]

Oops, mea culpa. I initially typed "premiere," but had to do a quick edit...

Is that Dr. Girlfriend we see briefly in a very Monarch-esque new costume at the beginning of the preview?

Dr. Killinger's "therapy session" with Rusty was definitely pushing the envelope there, for a bit. Testing the censors, eh?

[JsARCLIGHT]

Yes, that would be "Dr. Wife" sporting a new "Queen Monarch" suit.

You also briefly see The Monarch in what appears to be his first costume sans cowl or crown (and he has Dean hair) as well as what appears to be Hamilton G. Fantamos getting zapped into Phantom Limb...

I myself was stoked to see more Colonel Hunter Gatherers. Then again I'm a Hunter S Thompson nut.

[Alpha OTS]

I myself was stoked to see more Colonel Hunter Gatherers. Then again I'm a Hunter S Thompson nut.

"NO WOMEN NO CHILDREN!"

I'm wondering if it's going to be all flashbacks.

[Keith]

Can't believe I missed this preview. Doubt the whole season will be flashbacks. Likely just an episode or two.

[reddsun1]

OMFG.

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...

[Alpha OTS]

Speedy!

[karmajay]

Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later...

Yikes! We need a better angle picture of the girl, looks like a quality costume!

[JsARCLIGHT]

Molotov Cocktease seems a little out of place amongst the Monarch and his henchmen... if she was part of their group she should have gone as Dr. Girlfriend instead... or one of them should have dressed up as Brock just to tie it all together better.

It's kind of like everyone going as stormtroopers but one guy dresses up as Bib Fortuna. Admittedly the show is not really "girl cosplay friendly" but it's a totally obvious setup for the butterfly crew to have a Dr. Girlfriend.

I myself prefer this becostumed duo:

[Steve68]

Just watched episode 17 "20 to Midnight."

Galactic Inquisitor: IGNORE ME!

[reddsun1]

tee hee, how can you not like Molotov Cocktease?

Edited May 20, 2008 by reddsun1

[reddsun1]

I dare say The Venture Bros. stands the best chance at making a successful live-action transistion to the big screen....if done well, it has the potential to make for a hit comedy film series the likes of which not seen since the Austin Powers trilogy [although that one petered-out by the 3rd installment].

Edited May 20, 2008 by reddsun1

[JsARCLIGHT]

I dunno if I'm keen on the idea of a live action VB, but the concept doesn't totally mouth frothing enrage me. A lot of it would come down to casting. Patrick Warburton (the voice of Brock) could actually be Brock... but I think the live action-ness would have a weird vibe to it. For me personally the VB's animation style does as much for the comedy as the script.

Did anyone see the VB season three teaser on Adult Swim last night? It showed some new footage.

[Alpha OTS]

I dunno if I'm keen on the idea of a live action VB, but the concept doesn't totally mouth frothing enrage me. A lot of it would come down to casting. Patrick Warburton (the voice of Brock) could actually be Brock... but I think the live action-ness would have a weird vibe to it. For me personally the VB's animation style does as much for the comedy as the script.

You ever see the "Live Action Movie Preview" extra on the first dvd set? Kind of inadvertantly highlights why it would and wouldn't work.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Doc Hammer dressed up as Dr. Girlfriend was shockingly attractive... in a five o'clock shadow, gravel voiced kind of way.

I was soooooooooo hoping to see Warburton dressed up as Brock only to be blueballed by his absence that extra.

[dizman]

I honestly don't get why people always want a live action movie if an animated series is doing well. 9/10 times the transfer is terrible or doesn't do the original series justice. I'm just fine with Venture Brothers being an animated TV series and nothing more.

[Steve68]

Yeah I don't see the live action working out so well, but I think a 90 minute episode would do well on the big screen. I would imagine the budget would be small and the profits HUGE! Witness SpongeBob SquarePants movie.

Steve

[Wes]

For the love of all that's entertaining why does it always have to be brought into...LIVE ACTION?! Quit raping my...adulthood?

[Greyryder]

I think a Live action VB would be the sort of thing that would ellicit cries of "PRICK!" from Doc Venture, and "How DARE you!" from Monarch.

Besides. Do you know how much it would cost to properly CG Monarch's eyebrows?

Edited May 21, 2008 by Greyryder

[JsARCLIGHT]

Besides. Do you know how much it would cost to properly CG Monarch's eyebrows?

... probably a lot less than it will take to digitally remove Phantom Limb's limbs.