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"Venture Libre" Discussion

Hey kids, it's time for your weekly dose of Venture Bros. and along with it your weekly dose of Venture Bros. discussion on your favorite Venture Bros. website. This week's episode is titled "Venture Libre". As always, feel free to post whatever you like about the episode in the comments. As such, reader beware, if you don't want to be spoiled, don't read the comments. After you watch the episode don't forget to pop on over to the episode capsule page and give it a score. Enjoy!

This week's shirt club shirt has also been announced: it's a very minor spoiler (maybe), so I won't say what it is just in case, but you can totally buy it for money now.
Blade Runner reference! (bicycle shorts talking about tears in the rain)
  • 3
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:08am
Now that we've gotten two consecutive tastes of hour-long Venture, I can't but feel like half-hour episodes just aren't enough.

That being said, that was a fun episode. It was a blast seeing the Venture family doing some actual... well, adventuring.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:32am
Indeed on the venturing. And to the little tastes, "'tis better small drops of delight, than the miserable void without..."

-Booberry
  • 1
Jun. 14, 2013, 4:25pm
  • by N/A
  • (unregistered id: D001C82AC6)
  • Reply
I'm really glad they made Hank good at something. It is time for Hank and Dean to stop blowing. And Dean got a little nod for fixing helper.

That said, the episode was great but I was really looking forward to a Helper and Dean episode like Doc and Jackson joked about back in Season 1 commentary.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:35am
Competence all around!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:41am
I really thought we saw that Hank had quite a bit of badass in him in Pomp & Circuitry.

Loved seeing Hank care for H.E.L.P.eR.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:44am
You know I meant DEAN care for H.E.L.P.eR.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:46am
Hit it out of the park again! Good job all around!

URGH!!!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:38am
Now he doesn't sound the same anymore. Friggin' Dean!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 5:22pm
  • by Bill
  • (unregistered id: 33CBEB0483)
  • Reply
I don't know what to think of Hank. One the one hand, he's clearly developed the physical skills to be a real adventurer. He was quite tough as The Bat and--as another commented has pointed out--when auditioning for S.P.H.I.N.X. in "Pomp & Circuitry."

I think it's a stretch to call him "competent," though. In this episode, he jumped out of an airplane wearing what he though was a parachute, only to find out that it was a jetpack. Which he crashed, Rocketeer-style, into a coffee plantation! And a lot of his success as The Bat was due to his being wired on caffeine (it was established early on that he has a very low tolerance) and Venturestein's love of Batman.

I guess only time will tell whether Hank has what it takes to be a real crime-fighter/adventurer. From the Adult Swim sneak-peeks, it appears that he may fall in with 21's new S.P.H.I.N.X. organization.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 12:06pm
  • by beb
  • (unregistered id: E931CDA98D)
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Exactly. Hank has the individual skills to be a great Boy Adventurer but only under special circumstances can he bring them all together,

You know, Hank's reaction of coffee in some ways resembles the way people with ADD react to stimulants. Feeding their brain with speed actually helps them focus. It sort of makes sense. Hank has always bounced from one thing to another and never paid much attention to what people are saying to him.
  • 1
Jun. 12, 2013, 12:53pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
It's like Fry in that Futurama episode '300 Big Ones'. After 100 cups of coffee, he becomes so focused that time slows down.
  • 0
Jun. 12, 2013, 6:06pm
I'm so happy that they blew up Michelle Bachman
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:36am
  • by Nocturnal
  • (unregistered id: 96781B1211)
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Her inclusion in the episode was the one thing I disliked about it. I hope they aren't going to make a habit of blatantly injecting their political views into the show. There is more than enough propaganda on "entertainment" television already.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 5:02am
Bachman is rather a bipartisanly recognized fool. As a negative example . . . she unites people.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 5:46am
  • by Jory
  • (unregistered id: 2EE76A7550)
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Yeah, the character doesn't seem like a comment about Republicans, more an indictment of callous, vain and ignorant political pursuits.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:28pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
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Yeah, almost every state has at least one of those people per political party.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:28pm
Weird! I saw that character as more of a Leo Ryan busy-body type who was honestly trying to help but didn't realizing how much danger they were in...
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/jonestown1.html
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:25am
That whole thing with her seemed kind of shoehorned into the plot to me.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 6:59pm
What can i say? I loved this episode too. I can't wait to watch it again (several many times) when i'm a wee bit more sober.
So...
Where did that laser that sliced the whale and octopus and/or squid come from???
...
Oh
....
I'll bet it was H.E.L.P.E.R.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:40am
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Helper kicked ass this week.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 4:01am
Loved all the callbacks in this episode. I couldn't name all of them. The Bat. Venturestein. Sonny. Little Jorge.
Also I'm glad to hear abomination super-science is a pandemic. (you know what I mean)
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:40am
Hank was f*#king awesome as "The Bat"!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:43am
Loved the Sunny and Ted "zombies"
  • 6
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:44am
At risk of sounding cliché, I'm having some Sgt. Hatred feels right now. But anyway great episode and I'm really excited for next week. Gary!!

p.s. did anyone else notice the Oompa-Loompas in the crowd scene?
  • 3
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:46am
I did. Of course they have to be made in a lab. Those little fuckers don't exist in nature.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:49am
Haha, yeah. Oh yeah, and I noticed that Sgt. Hatred's first two initials are C.R. Maybe is name really is Courtney. . .
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:34am
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
You better hope not, because if they're real, so are Vermicious Knids.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:51am
Oompa Loompas, a creature from the black lagoon, and even a Man-Thing!
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 2:11am
I liked Dean's "I don't eat 'face'." joke at the beginning.
Although I thought a Doc comment saying "well you can at least eat your tomato and eggs" or something would be an appropriate followup. (yes, I know 'face' referenced his entire plate in this case)
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:51am
I'm repeating an observation from another site, but I think I spotted a Brain That Wouldn't Die/MST3K reference!

Jan-In-A-Pan and her buddy briefly appeared while Venturestein was addressing the abominations, I think.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:52am
None of us are forgetting The Island of Doctor Moreau, right? This was the most obvious reference
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:54am
Always suspected Doc and Jackson might be MSTies. :) Shared themes of failed scientists and their suicidal minions, ontology, and names like "Brock Samson" (SO "Space Mutiny"!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHlJ2voJHY
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:37am
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
This one was ok. I guess after last week's home run, anything would look a bit weak by comparison. That's not to say this is a bad episode- not at all. It's just not as good as I thought it'd be. The congresswoman thing felt really forced, as well as the returning Helper to his original body. I did like Hank as The Bat, with his jungle-made attire. He's really growing into a fine leader. I also liked most of the mutants/lab made creatures, but not the cheetah guy. Venturestein's new voice didn't do anything for me. I think my favorite line was Rusty telling Dean to tell Ted he'll call him back in a few days. That was a great callback.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 4:00am
  • by Anthropomorphic Cow Named Stan
  • (unregistered id: D882C43681)
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I cant believe I'm drawing a blank on this but, who was Ted?
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:10pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
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Teddy Ruxpin, from Any Which Way But Zeus, when Hatred and the boys 'kidnapped' Rusty. They really bonded.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:50pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
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I thought it was a reference to TED talks. Like Venture expects them to call on him at some point. And he's completely failed to realise it's not just some guy's name.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:55pm
  • by WASHER
  • (unregistered id: 2AAD50F6E5)
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I thought Sonny and Ted were the Scooby Doo types from "Viva los Muertos".
  • 0
Jun. 26, 2013, 1:43pm
Haha amazing, I didn't even pick that up. The hilarious implied narrative there is that Hank (or Sgt. Hatred?) is probably still harassing his father with that thing.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:58pm
  • by Jory
  • (unregistered id: 2EE76A7550)
  • Reply
The only thing I didn't like about the Cheetah guy was that he sounded identical to other characters Chris has voiced (like, I think, Herr Trigger from "Family that Slays Together...")
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:31pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
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I was thinking the Doctor from Superjail!, but him too.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:32pm
  • by Bill
  • (unregistered id: 33CBEB0483)
  • Reply
I thought the cheetah guy sounded like other characters voiced by Jackson, too. I would love it if the guys had the budget to hire other voice actors for small-ish parts like that one. In a strange way, though, the similar voices connects the show to the Saturday morning cartoons it satirizes. The cartoons I grew up on were all voiced by some combination of, like, five guys!

The situation has improved somewhat, but the cartoons my son watches (e.g., "Teen Titans, "The Legion of Superheroes, "Ben 10: Ultimate Alien," etc.) have characters that sound remarkably similar. He's starting to ask why Cyborg from one show sounds like Manny from another.

Anyway, this is a wordy way to say that I try to content myself with the thought that voice problems connect "The Venture Bros." to "real" action-adventure shows.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 11:28am
  • by Cheb G
  • (unregistered id: 942E697AF8)
  • Reply
Scorpio is another one.

Also, you just made me remember the brilliance that is Frank Welker. VB should give him a role.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 5:21pm
  • by Bill
  • (unregistered id: 33CBEB0483)
  • Reply
Can you believe Frank Welker's still working? Jackson and Doc should really try to get him before he retires. He's cartoon voice-over royalty!
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 8:19pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
And he'll say yes to almost anything, if he has the time.
  • 0
Jun. 12, 2013, 12:25am
  • by The "La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo"
  • (unregistered id: C4073D41E6)
  • Reply
Although most likely not an intentional reference; some of this episode gave me a vague 'Apocalypse Now' kind of vibe.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 4:46am
  • by Ustio Merc.
  • (unregistered id: 25CADBF5F2)
  • Reply
Great reference with the dog's head and the two scientists

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiments_in_the_Revival_of_Organisms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_S._Bryukhonenko
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 6:23am
  • by beb
  • (unregistered id: A678E20E7F)
  • Reply
I got that vibe, too. Just as last week's ep had a "Midsummer's Night" feel to it, especially where everyone wakes up and can't remember what had been going on.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 7:59am
Probably not unintentional, since another Jackson-penned episode ("Assassinanny 911") has a bunch of "Apocalypse Now" references in it (especially the ending). Probably a favorite film of his, if I had to guess.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:00pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Well, it's one of those films that everybody calls essential, part of the cinematic vernacular, all that sort of thing.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:34pm
  • by beb
  • (unregistered id: A678E20E7F)
  • Reply
I'm clearly in the minority here in that I thought that last weeks hour-long opener was weak. Maybe a 7 out of ten. Not enough story, and certainly no changes to the characters -- that they remember. Venture Libre was exactly what I was looking for. Unexpected twists, sharp jokes, rapid pace. This was a much better episode that Cleansuit. But that's just my opinion.

It was fun watching Hank in his coffee-induced psychosis become "The Bat" but more than that, had the actual chops needed to rescue his father and Hatred. Compared to what the boys were like back in the first season, there has been a lot of growth.

It was interesting to see Hatred seriously consider joining the Isle of Monsters because he's a monster in so many ways as well. I know that guys like Hatred too much to write him out of the series but I can see him having a psychotic break and the Ventures needed yet another bodyguard. Right aout the time 21 needs a better job....

But the part I think everyone is overlooking is Dean small storyline. Fixing HELPer is no small accomplishment. His father didn't try, he just put HELPer's head on the Walking Orbs' body. Was it because he was lazy or because there were no spare parts and HELPer's body would have to be built from scratch? In fixing HELPer Dean showed a lot more savvy than his father and a lot more commitment to finishing a project once started. Combine this with last week's Dean story where he won the affection of the fair Thalia through a series of physical challenges. Dean loudly and profusely refuses to be a Boy Adventure like his dad but is showing a natural talent for it that Hank, frankly, lacks.
  • 4
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:22am
I liked this weeks episode better as well, loved all the call-backs! Anyone else see Otto Aquarius on the boat at the end? And the flashback scenes with Hatred...taking us to that dark twisted place again much like the end of What Goes Down Must Come Up!
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 9:55am
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
  • Reply
Didn't see Otto but I did see the green guy that the Triad interviewed back in Fallen Arches. And a pink guy that I'd seen somewhere before too.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:53pm
On re-watch, I got a better look at some of the backgrounds. The storage room that Dean goes into contains everything you'd ever need to re-build a H.E.L.P.eR.: blueprints, extra bodies, extra heads, wheel assemblies, etc. It also contains parts to re-build a walking eye. The implication is that Doc made a conscious choice to put H.E.L.P.eR.'s head onto a walking eye (i.e., made a conscious choice to turn him into a killing machine). Dean understood H.E.L.P.eR.'s misery at being stuck on a walking eye and returned him to normal. I thought it was a great storyline, and I'm actually glad to see the return of original-vintage H.E.L.P.eR.
  • 1
Jun. 13, 2013, 11:42am
I disagree! I really like it when the Venture's go on a Quest-like adventure. We need to see them go on these quests every once in a while because that is the heart of who the Venture's are.

Was this episode an "Escape to the House of Mummies Pt. 2" level of adventure, no but it was great! 9/10
  • 0
Jun. 19, 2013, 10:39pm
  • by Fumificated Pharoa-Hemi Ankyroid
  • Reply
More H. G. Wells refs. I laughed at the Oompa Loompa/Man Thing commando, Groovy the pill hippie recall, human centipede liberation, & jungle "haven for bad scientists". Laugh riot!

Hatred is going to be someones mother eventually with all that estrogen. Drinking from plastic bottles will do that to ya.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:43am
  • by Fumificated Pharoa-Hemi Ankyroid
  • Reply
Sorry, Sonny, not Groovy..was pretty out of it by the time I got on here. Viva Sonny!
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 12:39am
I don't understand the episode's title. Is there some reference I'm not aware of? Can someone explain it to me?
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 11:11am
  • by beb
  • (unregistered id: A678E20E7F)
  • Reply
Libre is Spanish for freedom and Venturestein was leading the abomination freedom force. So it fits. I don't think there's anything deep or profound hidden in the title.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:25pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Also a reference to the drink Cuba Libre, aka rum and coke.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:52pm
My review of Venture Libre: http://noiselesschatter.com/2013/06/10/review-venture-libre-the-venture-bros-season-5-episode-2/

Hope you like long meditations on passive character development, because that's what this turned out to be.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 11:16am
  • by beb
  • (unregistered id: A678E20E7F)
  • Reply
I don't knoiw, I thought blowing up the Congresswoman was one of the best punchlines in the whole episode. The dynamics of theater demands that someone be holding the jPad when it finally explodes and what could be more appropriate than a truly obnoxious character. Remember this story was written in the middle of the 2012 election cycle when campaigns were really getting annoying. And Doc's "I can fix that" (a call-back to Wredck-it Ralph?) takes the sting out of the situation. I see it as pure comedy gold.

On the other hand it does reveal a problem Jackson and Doc have in written women characters. The congresswoman was obnoxious, Dermott's grandmother is a hag and a harridan. The mother of astronaut Bud Manstrong is a harridan, as is the bodyguard of Dr. Quymn. Princess Tinyfeet and Triana's mother broke their marriage vows, the boy's mother is insane... The question becomes have they ever written a woman character in the show (aside from Dr. Girlfriend) who wasn't psycho?
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:48pm
To be fair, a large percentage of the male characters in the show are also completely awful in some way or another. A main (but sort of secret) premise of the show is that it's this strange nearly motherless world where everyone just runs crazy.

Also Dermott's grandmother is perhaps one of the most noble in the entire series. The sacrifice she made in her own life to cover up Doc's completely selfish, horrible error and to support her own daughter is not something to be shrugged off. She's got her shortcomings, but I don't really think it's fair to say she's angry or bossy when the only time she has expressed those emotions has been in regard to things she has every right to be upset about.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:06pm
Yeah I've actually thought Jackson and Doc have done very well creating strong female characters. There's an essay in there somewhere, if I ever get around to writing it.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:46pm
Oh I have no problem with blowing her up. The character herself was a pretty pointless creation though.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:24pm
  • by Jory
  • (unregistered id: 2EE76A7550)
  • Reply
Personally I thought blowing her up was pretty fucking tacky, not just because it's probably still "too soon" regarding Gabrielle Giffords but because of the pointless contempt it showed for the character. I'm saying this as the opposite of a Republican, but simply as a person who has a lot of empathy for other human beings.

I, too, am bummed that they introduced a new female character (voiced by Gillian Jacobs!) only for her to immediately blown up, which feels like a pattern this show has acted out before. Maybe the lovable, Venturesteined version of her will return at some point?
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:43pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
  • Reply
It did serve a purpose at the end of the story though: Backwoodstein appeared at the UN and sing the praises of URGH and their Abomi-Nation, and thus secure Venturestein and his friends' future. She was the source of the episode's happy ending.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 7:41pm
  • by Bill
  • (unregistered id: 33CBEB0483)
  • Reply
"I thought blowing her up was pretty fucking tacky, . . ."

I agree. And like you, my politics are considerably to the left of the Republican party.

My problem with the character is that she wasn't nearly mean enough. Early on, she voiced some animus toward undocumented workers, but soon redeemed herself by confronting General Manhowers about mistreating one of her constituents. She even flew to Central America to rescue that constituent, without any knowledge of his political leanings. A real congressional candidate, regardless of party, would be too busy begging for money by telephone to undertake a diplomatic/rescue mission.

I think Jackson mistakenly assumed that viewers would (a) know about Michele Bachmann's controversial positions and statements, and (b) transfer them to the character in "Venture Libre."
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 11:49am
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Well, it depends on what you mean by woman. If you're talking about adult women, then Sally Impossible and Anna Baldovitch are the closest thing to normal. If you include girls, then Triana and the Quymn twins are pretty sane as well. I'd count Nikki as sane (a bit obsessed but normal otherwise).
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:44pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
I'd agree with your assessment pretty much (Silent Partners really is under-rated), but I think Rusty's grown a little bit. He's grown the least but the Season 1 Rusty was a different person than what we have now.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:50pm
  • by Anthropomorphic Cow Named Stan
  • (unregistered id: D882C43681)
  • Reply
One of Jackson's Best!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:07pm
  • by BENJI
  • (unregistered id: D882C43681)
  • Reply
It's good to see Hank is still his old Bat-Crazy self!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 12:28pm
Hank has become something different, a 20 something year old in a 17 year old's body. He is older than Dermott. So is Dean. But back to Hank, that dude kicks ass and why not, he has seen allot and possibly learned from his "deaths". I hope he gets together with his brother's mom. lol

Dean is trying to rebel but isn't fully committed. Dean needs that cherry popped or continue down the "Rusty Venture" highway....
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:01pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
  • Reply
I just realised one a second viewing that Hatred got his injection on 'Bring Your Son to Work Day'...was the kid he leapt at in his flashback Gen. Treister's son, the guy who ran Brock's exam from Mid-Life Chrysalis?
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:40pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
  • Reply
Plus, the kid had a Captain Sunshine shirt on. And Venturestein's flashback saw the two clone slugs that were destroyed in that episode get blown up.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 1:42pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Couldn't be- he was in the Guild when Treister's son was that age. Plus, he only started his medications after Brock quit.
  • -1
Jun. 10, 2013, 3:46pm
Don't forget that in Viva Los Muertos one of the tanks shattered and a clone slug spilled out onto the floor, which Venturestein was sliding around on. Doc must of reanimated it as well. He needed all the bodies he could get seeing Brock wouldn't pull the plug on the other clones.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 5:36pm
This was actually in reply to Cheb's comment.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 5:37pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 94501AB128)
  • Reply
Yeah, Doc was counting the wasted slug among the corpses at the end.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 6:59pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 94501AB128)
  • Reply
The obvious implication was that the shot given in this flashback caused his 'dirty little weakness'...or at least the reduction in empathy it caused diminished his willpower to the point where he had no qualms about acting upon it. And where's your evidence that Treister's son was that age while Hatred was in the GCI? Hatred joined the Guild around the time the Venture Bros were born, at least officially.We've no timeframe that we can really place today's flashback in.
  • 2
Jun. 10, 2013, 6:57pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Valid points. It'll definitely come up again, so we'll see if we get a better idea of when it happened then.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:25pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Well, I should have checked the replay before making a call. It was a super-soldier shot, took place when everyone was much younger, and that was Treister's son. Totally changes everything then. The pedophilia seems to be a side effect of the shot, as somebody pointed out. My mistake.
  • 0
Jun. 12, 2013, 12:30am
  • by Cheb G
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
  • Reply
Or, he was always that way inclined, but the shot made him lose his self-control...one of the effects on the chart we see is a substantial lowering of empathy. But I suspect what we were meant to think was what you've put above.
  • 1
Jun. 13, 2013, 4:26pm
First, there is no evidence saying if Sgt. Hatred was in the Guild when Treister's son was that age. I think the timeline would work out for that being his son. In "The Invisible Hand of Fate", Hatred joins the Guild when Hank and Dean are babies. Treister's son is older than the boys, so he would be around the age he was in the flashback sometime before Hatred joined the Guild. Also, in the flashback, they were injecting him with something in a syringe labeled "Soldier-X". I'm guessing that was a performance enhancer that was supposed to make him into a super soldier or something like that, but it had a side effect of making him a pedophile. What you were thinking of was the "NOMOLESTOL" that the OSI gave him when he left the Guild and went back to the OSI in "Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel". It was also shown in "Self Medication". You can tell that the flashback was not after Brock quit, as you claimed, because Hatred didn't have his H tattoo on his face and Treister didn't have his eyepatch yet.

To summarize, I think that was Treister's son in the flashback.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:57pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 94501AB128)
  • Reply
I took a look at M-LC, and Treister's son has a downward pointing nose, whereas the kd's pointed upwards, which would suggest to me different characters...BUT their glasses had identical frames, thick and flat at the top with little or no frame at the rounded bottoms. So make of that what you will. About the character, I mean, not that I have too much time on my hands.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:39am
Daddy go him a nose job. Or they just drew him different as a kid.
  • 0
Jun. 13, 2013, 7:01pm
  • by Captain V Bro.
  • (unregistered id: ED7A7CCB5C)
  • Reply
They explained that Sgt. Hatred was literally given a shot that turned hin into a pedo, so people can now feel bad for him, or have some form of empathy foor the poor bastard.

I thought that was the biggest reveal of the episode by far.

That.. and walking eye Helper can kill whales and giant squids with ease.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 4:05pm
Gotta love Doc. He's pleading for his life at the end of the show by saying what a really "compassionate" guy he is, then as soon as H.E.L.P.eR shows up he's like, "Kill those guys!"
  • 3
Jun. 10, 2013, 5:44pm
Yeah, after getting some insight into why he's so fucked up and even giving him a little humanity last season, this season he's been back to being a pretty huge asshole again. So far.

Dean seems to be on his way to breaking the cycle though, based on this episode. Hank not so much, but Hank is Hank.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:40pm
  • by Jory
  • (unregistered id: 2EE76A7550)
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In Cleansuit he was a pretty total dick, but in this episode he showed a lot of compassion for Venturestein (if not necessarily the other mutant guys.) I think it fit in with his season four arc pretty well.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 8:39pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
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Did Dermott appear in this episode? Because I noticed that he's Doc H's sole voice credit. Deleted scene?
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 7:50pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Post-credits scene. He commented on how Dean putting Helper in his original form messed up his sound quality. Check out cpc65's quote near the top.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:29pm
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 94501AB128)
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Cannot, of course...frickin' Dean...
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:41am
  • by Cheb G
  • (unregistered id: 94501AB128)
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Damnit. Not cannot. Bad phone.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 5:07am
  • by Cheb G
  • (unregistered id: 94501AB128)
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Damnit. Not cannot. Bad phone.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 5:07am
  • by U.R.G.H.
  • (unregistered id: 5BF8FFD506)
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He did appear. He was in a post-credits scene band practicing with Hank along with the new old HELPer
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:36pm
  • by U.R.G.H.
  • (unregistered id: 5BF8FFD506)
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The Mysterious H beat me to it, but yeah, he was in it.
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:37pm
Great episode, loved the Bat and deans growth arc. It seems that regardless of dean's wishes his aptitudes may indeed lie in super science, but at least he shows more compassion than Dr. V.
Who is the illegal gardener, Dr Morpheus or S.P.H.I.N.X. Commander?
OOmPa-LOOPa-DOOMPa-DooP-IDEE-DOO?
Human centipede, now that is truly hurt science Venturestein!
SO that what happens when a Captain America experiment F*cKs up.
And finally the Hank mobile!!
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 8:41pm
I think Dean was who she thought was the gardener. And she thinks he's Mexican, or Spanish at least, and wanted to find out if he was here legally.

My explanation isn't very funny but it wasn't very funny in the episode either.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 10:25am
You're right on. She thought Dean (with the hairnet and weak mustache) was foreign. Honestly, I thought that throw-in joke was funny.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 10:41am
And he only responded, "Uh...kay?" Which she translated as "Uh...que?" And then she asked where Dr. Venture was and Dean responded "Puerta Bahia" which she didn't realize was a place, just more Spanish she didn't know.
  • 1
Jun. 16, 2013, 11:18am
So Dean found the last Murphy bed?
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 9:01pm
'Should'nt have had that big crab dinner...'

Man I'd gotta drink more coffee...
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 9:28pm
I honestly didn't know what those were and was going to look it up after the episode until one hit Dean in the head.
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 10:01pm
I only knew because I briefly considered buying one when I lived in Manhattan (and I suspect this is how Jackson and Doc know of them). They are a real space saver! Expensive though. I wish I knew a guy who could build them, that would be pretty awesome.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:06pm
Maybe Hankco does delivery and installation?
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 7:03pm
Rush-ian comment from Hank in a jungle scene; "Hank's War Journal Star Date 2112.."
  • 1
Jun. 10, 2013, 9:22pm
Since when did hank co start selling fissionable material?
  • 0
Jun. 10, 2013, 9:54pm
  • by Fumificated Pharoa-Hemi Ankyroid
  • Reply
HELPER coming down the rescue route from Colorado? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_285

Those V bros. when they apply themselves are very able to make things happen. They just have very little common sense.

Hatred, being able to build all kinds of war gimcrackery goof kill devices (which Monarch stole at one point) can't come up with a good plan to keep himself from getting tortured, prisoned, or maimed. Why doesn't he rename himself Sgt F Troop Fuckup?
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 12:32am
  • by Cheb Ghobbi
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
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Credit where it's due, his job is to guard Rusty with his life. He seems to take torture, bullets, darts, claws whatever for the guy every week. Have we seen Rusty get so much as a scratch? He lost an arm and a kidney and had an eye pop out its socket when Brock was bodyguard...
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 12:51pm
Speaking of credits, did anyone else notice that the year at the end of this episodes titles was 2012, not 2013 like in the What Color is Your Speed-Suit! What's up with that?
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 1:50pm
  • by Cheb G
  • (unregistered id: 942E697AF8)
  • Reply
Cleansuit was the last episode written and produced, so I'm guessing Libre was made (or at least close to finished) last year.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:44pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
I believe it's the first in production order, even.
  • 0
Jun. 12, 2013, 12:33am
  • by Captain V Bro.
  • (unregistered id: 00348E1C53)
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This episode is in fact production #501, but it stills bugs me that it says 2012 at the end of the credits.

They could have easily made it say copyright 2013, knowing damn well this season wasn't going to air until winter 2013 at the earliest.
And it ended up being June 2013, lol!
  • 2
Jun. 12, 2013, 8:38pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
Well, there's legal stuff though. Can't lie in your records and all that.
  • 0
Jun. 13, 2013, 12:50am
Is the War Journal thing a Punisher reference? I've never heard the term in any other context, but it could just be because I'm too much of a comics geek.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 2:17am
  • by Cheeky
  • (unregistered id: 3C3F558AFD)
  • Reply
The boy Hatred attacks is the son of no other than General Treister. We see General Treister's son in the episode where Brock needs to retake his agent's exam, as he is giving the exam. During the scene where Hatred attacks the boy, it's Bring your son to work day. This boy stands beside General Treister. Also, he has the same thick brunette hair and glasses as his older counterpart.

http://venturefans.org/w/images/thumb/a/ae/Treister%27s_son.png/200px-Treister%27s_son.png
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 2:29pm
  • by Cheeky
  • (unregistered id: 3C3F558AFD)
  • Reply
Oh wait, this got mentioned.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 2:50pm
  • by Bill
  • (unregistered id: 33CBEB0483)
  • Reply
You know, this episode gets better with repeated viewings. I'm not crazy about the whole Senator Backwood storyline, and Venturestein's exposition was far, far too long. The rest of the episode is pretty solid, though.

It was great to see the Ventures in action again, and I though Hank's brief stint as The Bat was hilarious and fun. I even liked the cheetah guy stuff (e.g., his marking of the temple wall, his "Dammit!" at not being able to climb the tree, etc.). And I'm glad to see the return of H.E.L.P.eR. to his original form, despite the effect it will have on Shallow Gravy's sound.

Despite a few missteps, it's a good episode. That's two-for-two this season. I'm really looking forward to this week's exploration of Gary's S.P.H.I.N.X.
  • 1
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:49pm
Thought this was a pretty sweet episode, I have to agree that the last one was better. Anyone else notice the umpa lumpa's, Smokey the bear, manthing, Rico was at the end. pretty sweet cameos.
  • 0
Jun. 11, 2013, 3:57pm
  • by Finn
  • (unregistered id: 00348E1C53)
  • Reply
I actually thought this was one of the worst Venture Bros. episodes I've ever seen.
It was just too wacky and felt like a goofy FOX cartoon.
Honestly it felt like an episode of "the Tick' or something.
Probably a little late to get this surreal again.. this was more like a season two episode... but in season five.
Jackson should put this one away with "State Dinner" on his bad episode list.

I'd say it was a 7/10 at the absolute most.
  • 0
Jun. 12, 2013, 8:35pm
  • by Cheb G
  • (unregistered id: 8A956CCA4E)
  • Reply
'State Dinner' is the one episode ever that I dislike, and that was mainly because for some reason here in the UK it was the only episode that got shown for a few weeks, right when I was starting out with my VB addiction...But I loved this one. I liked that we got to see our heroes adventuring; we don't see it as much as I'd like. The last Johnny Quest-style adventure they had that springs immediately to mind was 'Dr Quymn'. That is was like a Season 2 episode was one of the things that I loved about it (and I LOVE Season 4, so it's not like I feel the show has got worse since then).
  • 0
Jun. 13, 2013, 4:31pm
  • by BillyQuizBoytheMegoManiac.
  • (unregistered id: 00348E1C53)
  • Reply
My biggest issue with this episode is that Doc Hammer had one line the entire show.
All those new beasts, and characters.. and he has one line!
What the hell Jackson!
  • 1
Jun. 12, 2013, 8:42pm
Does anyone else feel that the Hatred flashback with the Soldier X injection thing was kind of a cop-out? Doc and JP must know that some fans have issues with the man's past and are uncomfortable with Courtney being a main character now, so they're trying to engender sympathy towards him by showing that the pedo thing wasn't his fault.

Overall, I like the big lug myself but I too have had some reservations about the pedo thing. Although never a victim myself, I knew a girl who had been, and I'm sure I can't begin to even imagine what she has been through and how that will effect her for the rest of her life, so I just don't feel that it is an appropriate subject for humor. That's just my personal feeling. Not trying to preach.

I respect the fact that Hatred does seem to genuinely want to change and overcome his compulsions, and takes his job as Venture bodyguard very seriously, and seems willing to lay down his life to protect them. "Cheetah-Man is like crazy fast! What was I thinking?" But I still feel this was a bit of a cop-out excuse. They should have left it as is and have him be able to put it behind him, with or without the OSI's help.
  • 1
Jun. 13, 2013, 7:39pm
  • by The Mysterious 'H'
  • Reply
I agree with most of that. It's taking the easy way out a bit, making it some sort of side effect instead of something he was born with. Sometimes the best way to get through a difficult time or subject is through humor though. I know it's that way for me.
  • 0
Jun. 14, 2013, 1:53am
"I still feel this was a bit of a cop-out excuse."

I agree. But as a cop-out, it's remarkably consistent with the themes/tone of the show. In an early interview, Jackson explained that real-life boy adventurers wouldn't "drop barrels on the frogmen" but would instead "get their throats cut." I think that sums up "The Venture Bros." nicely: it takes the adventurers, heroes, and villains we loved as kids and places them in the real world. Sgt. Hatred is no doubt a product of that approach. In the real world, two boys being dragged around the globe by their super-scientist father would run into at least one "bad-touch guy."

Placing the Captain America super-soldier experiment in the real world, one would expect some pretty terrible results. And that's what we see in flashback in "Venture Libre." So again, it was a cop-out, but it was one that remains true to the approach taken by Jackson and Doc from the beginning.

"I just don't feel that it is an appropriate subject for humor."

I agree, and I don't think we're alone in feeling so. Jackson and Doc have toned things down a bit, but if Hatred is going to remain a part of the show, I wish they'd just drop the subject. If "Friday Night Lights" could just act like a six-episode story about a sensational murder never happened, the guys can drop the Hatred-as-pedophile storyline!
  • 2
Jun. 14, 2013, 3:31pm
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Latest Informatives

Hank

Apr. 19, 2023, 12:53am
First footage! Title revealed! https://youtu.be/eXJ5OM9RfV8 Synopsis and cast too! “In The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, a nationwide manhunt for Hank Venture leads to untold dangers and unexpected revelations, while the Monarch is literally out for Dr. Venture’s blood. An imposing evil from the past reemerges to wreak havoc on the Ventures, the Guild, and even the Monarch marriage—it will take friends and foes alike to restore the Ventures’ world to order… or end it once and for all.” The voice cast includes the returning James Urbaniak as Dr. Venture, Patrick Warburton as Brock Samson, Michael Sinterniklaas as Dean Venture, Chris McCulloch as Hank Venture, and The Venture Bros. co-creator Doc Hammer as Dr. Mrs. The Monarch. (Hammer and series co-creator Jackson Publick also wrote the script, and Publick directed.) Other voice cast members include Nina Arianda as Mantilla, Clancy Brown as Daisy and Red Death, John Hodgeman as Snoopy, Hal Lublin as Clayton, Jane Lynch as Bobbi St. Simone, Charles Parnell as Jefferson Twilight, Jay Pharoah as Nuno Blood, Steven Rattazzi as Dr. Orpheus, JK Simmons as Ben, and Dana Snyder as The Alchemist. A project of Titmouse, Adult Swim, and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, all that radiant baboon heart blood will be gushing forth later this year. Go Team Venture! https://gizmodo.com/venture-bros-movie-adult-swim-warner-bros-animation-1850353234

CaseCrash

Jul. 4, 2019, 11:34pm
It's a month old but there's not much news here for two years at a time, so whatever :) https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/the-venture-bros/281421/the-venture-bros-season-8-jackson-publick-doc-hammer

cpc65

Jun. 7, 2019, 9:33pm
Okay, Venturoos. Here's what ya get for the Extras, at least on the DVD version. I felt it was a little light, but that's just my opinion. Deleted Scenes (as always) - Some are B&W sketches with the dialog, others are animated with the dialog. Ghost in the Pro-Blem - An extended view of the distorted images of events from the Pro-BLEM's point of view. Maybe there are some clues hidden in it if you like frame-by-frame advancing. Maybe not. Sirena Goes Off... - Cristin Milioti ad-libbing way more dialog than the script calls for. Poor Rocco. Promo - Basically the season 7 promo. Maybe there's Easter Eggs to find. I haven't done any extensive searching yet. If anyone finds any feel free to post them here!

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