The Mantis-Eye Experiment

Summary

As Phantom Limb makes his stunning power play, only Brock can rally The Monarch's forces to mount a defense. The fate of almost everyone in the Venture universe hangs in the balance as The Sovereign reveals his true identity and guys and stuff explode all over the place.

Capsule

Previously on The Venture Brothers... well, you know.

PHANTOM LIMB
Or I will destroy your ridiculous cocoon. And all inside.

Cue a bunch of scared bad guys. Everyone is abandoning ship... or cocoon, as it were. The Monarch protests since he's not sure if he's even married at this point. Killinger wishes them luck and quickly bails out of the Cocoon himself.

Brock searched for Hank, who is clinging to a pillar. Brock tells him to try not to die. Also find Dean, because they're leaving. Good idea.

Outside the Cocoon various ships exit as the Guild Wasps watch, still in attack formation. And by attack formation I mean they've surrounded the Cocoon and are just kind of hovering there.

PHANTOM LIMB
Monarch! What say you?

THE MONARCH
I say what kind of loser can't get the hint that he's been dumped?

PHANTOM LIMB
So it's okay for you to kidnap her, but when I do it, I'm a loser?

DR. VENTURE
This is like, between you guys, right? I mean, we can go? You don't need us, right?

DR. GIRLFRIEND
Hamilton G. Fantomas! You are embarrassing yourself! Take your little armada of cronies and go home!

PHANTOM LIMB
Sweet girl, you're being irrational. And such is the curse of your sex. I forgive you.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
You forgive me?!

THE MONARCH
Are you blind?! Dude, she totally hates you! She even told me you have bad breath.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
Honey that's not the point here.

THE MONARCH
Oh yes it is! I've had it with this dick!

PHANTOM LIMB
Then you leave me no choice! Klaus! Iggy! Now!

On command Bowie's bodyguards attack. Klaus lets out a shrill super-sonic scream and Iggy sort of freaks out and spins down the aisle. He then forms an energy ball and aims it at the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend when Bowie steps in. He orders them to stop, but Iggy refuses, saying he's tired of being Bowie's idiot for the last 30 years. He flings the energy ball at Bowie, who catches it. However, Iggy says 'Pop!' and Bowie disappears in a small energy blast, leaving only a pack of smoldering cigarettes behind.

The Monarch shakes Dr. Girlfriend, who isn't moving. He shrugs and says that he's got nothing to live for now.

THE MONARCH
Alright, I've got the one dressed like Taco! Brock, you get Spicoli!

[THE MONARCH tackles KLAUS]

BROCK
You might wanna make your move, because mine's gonna be ugly.

[IGGY picks up a piece of wood]

IGGY
Come on!

BROCK
So, you want that up your ass?

[THE MONARCH, meanwhile, is beating on KLAUS in as girly a way as possible]

THE MONARCH
What is this, plastic armor?

KLAUS
All but the bow tie!

Klaus' bow tie spins off and knocks the Monarch into Brock. Iggy and Klaus decide they won. They grab Dr. Girlfriend and the free smokes Bowie left behind and leave the wedding hall.

Dean, meanwhile (hey, remember Dean?) is still stuck in the engine room. He tries to contact Brock, Dr. Venture and finally Hank. None respond. Dean sits down on some steps and sulks. He picks up a soda can tab and puts it on his finger. A voice says stuff out of nowhere! Sounds like Billy...

It's Giant Boy Detective! Who happens to look a lot like Billy. Well, a bigger version of Billy anyway.

DEAN
Giant Boy Detective! You're real! Are we gonna solve a mystery?

GIANT BOY DETECTIVE
No, youngin, we are going to save the kingdom and restore Princes Tinglepants to the throne! Then peace shall reign for eternity.

DEAN
Oh. Okay.

GIANT BOY DETECTIVE
And solve a super cool mystery?

DEAN
Yaaaay! [he stands up] You're a short giant. Aren't you like thirty feet tall in the books?

GIANT BOY DETECTIVE
Aw if you think I'm a disappointment you should see Clifford. He's like the size of one of those little dogs rich ladies drag around. Plus he's more pink than red. Anyway. Your magic flashlight shall lead the way! [the flashlight dies] Stupid fucking enchanted battery. [he hits the light and it turns back on] Follow me!

GBD points the flashlight at the wall and it reveals clouds or something. This is going to be good... maybe?

Back at the Venture Compound the Triad (and their newest member from a Star Wars trading card) are loaded into the X-1... only nobody knows how to fly it. They argue on how to fly it, since they only know magic and not... flying. Dr. O can't even figure out how to work his seat belt.

THE ALCHEMIST
Why does creep-o get to be the co-pilot?!

[CREEP-O says something in his native language]

DR. ORPHEUS
I wasn't the one who materialized him from a trading card.

THE ALCHEMIST
Point of order! I wanted to kill him. Because... I- I bet he's an abomination or something! And isn't there some code about that?

DR. ORPHEUS
Unless he's made from dead people it is still considered murder. Nice try. Got it! It was all crammed under the cushion.

JEFFERSON
What if he gets hit by a car and is half dead? I had this dog once that never looked both ways when he-

[CREEP-O, meanwhile, is flipping switches and starts up the X-1... it begins to take off]

DR. ORPHEUS
I hope he knows where we're going.

THE ALCHEMIST
I hope he couldn't understand what I said about him.

Back at the Cocoon the Monarch wakes up. He starts yelling about Dr. Girlfriend and how he has to get her back. Brock stops him. He reminds the Monarch that there's an armada of Guild wasps outside the Cocoon. He tells the Monarch to fire up the Cocoon's engines and show him what... this Cocoon... can do. He then tells 21 and 24 to organize a strike team and get them ready for an attack.

BROCK
Henchmen, listen up!

THE MONARCH
Woah, woah, woah, hold up there! Who's running this cocoon?!

BROCK
Ohh fine, then you give the order.

THE MONARCH
[clears throat] Minions!! [to BROCK] They like that better than 'henchmen'. [to all] Battlestations!!!

[24 flips a lever and the wedding area converts back into the Cocoon's cockpit area]

BROCK
Magenta? That's your battle mode color?

THE MONARCH
Eat a dick! Oh, and, thanks. Minions! Prepare to launch!! That's my seat, jackass!

[DR. VENTURE is sitting in THE MONARCH's chair eating wedding cake]

THE MONARCH
And what is this, huh? What is this?! This is for the reception.

DR. VENTURE
[getting up] Sorr-y.

Outside the Cocoon Iggy and Klaus bring Dr. Girlfriend to Phantom Limb. She berates the henchmen and then yells at Phantom Limb for kidnapping her. Phantom Limb tells her that he was only doing her a favor (and saving her life since he's about to destroy the Cocoon) and she should get back into her Queen Atheria costume.

Dr. Girlfriend asks what the Sovereign is going to do to Phantom Limb when he finds out what Phantom Limb did... Iggy and Klaus giggle until she finally asks what the fuck they are laughing about. Phantom Limb informs her that the Sovereign would be alright with everything since she's looking at him. He laughs and gives the order to attack. The assault on the Cocoon begins.

The Cocoon takes off, a large number of Guild wasps hot on its... tail... or whatever the back end of a cocoon is called. They fly perilously through the Grand Canyon, dodging pretty fire from the wasps.

DR. VENTURE
Soooo, it's a cocoon... that flies.

THE MONARCH
Obviously.

DR. VENTURE
I just realized, that makes no sense.

THE MONARCH
Duh, Monarch, butterfly, butterfly cocoon. It's- it's a theme thing.

DR. VENTURE
Yeah, I get it. But why didn't you just make it shaped like a butterfly?

THE MONARCH
Cause that's gay?

Meanwhile in the armory 24 is trying to rally the troops or something. Of course he's doing it pretty badly. He's interrupted by 21 informing them that Brock is coming. Brock enters wearing butterfly wings and goggles.

BROCK
Listen up! I know that I've beat on most of you in the past.

HENCHMAN WITH BROKEN ARM
I forgive you, Brock Samson!

HENCHMAN WITH TATTOO SCRAWL ON FACE
I was asking for it!

RANDOM HENCHMAN
I love you, Brock Samson!

[various other henchmen declare their love for BROCK]

BROCK
We have to put all that aside and focus on getting Dr. Girlfriend back. Now god knows a child could take you guys one on one-

HENCHMAN 21
Hey we do the best we can! We try!

BROCK
But as a swarm even you guys can be dangerous! Welcome to big boy town! As of this moment you are no longer butterflies! Today, you. Are. MURDERFLIES!!

[THE HENCHMEN stand up and cheer]

BROCK
One decisive blow, we go for the head, cut if off and watch the body die. We all fly for Phantom Limb's command ship!

[the crowd quiets]

BROCK
What?

HENCHMAN 21
Ummm, we don't have anything to fly in.

HENCHMAN 24
We just have a Monarchmobile and a Nissan Stanza.

BROCK
You all have wings.

HENCHMAN 21
Yeah, these are for showin', not for blowin'.

RANDOM HENCHMAN
[flying] Aw no way, they work!

HENCHMAN 21
Wha- what!? Total gyp! Why didn't anybody tell us these things worked?!

[HENCHMEN are flying around the room now]

HENCHMAN 24
Aw this changes everything!

HANK
I wanna come with! I wanna help.

BROCK
Not this time Hank, it's too dangerous.

HANK
Aww come on, let me at 'em, Brock! I probably know Judo! How many of those guys can make the same boast?!

BROCK
No.

HANK
[sighs] Why must you be the screen door on my submarine, Brock?

BROCK
The answer's no, Hank, now go find your brother and hide under something heavy.

Speaking of Dean, he's still caught in his insane hallucination. Princess Tinglepants, who looks a lot like Triana, is talking about Dean the Brave, who has come to free the enslaved orphans of Insectia. Or something. Wiggy.

Dean and Giant Boy Detective are in some kind of cloud city... talking to the White Oracle (Pete White). Giant Boy Detective tells the Oracle not to be judgmental when he shows him the chosen one. The White Oracle promises not to, but judges away when GBD reveals Dean. The Oracle's assistant, who is a weird rat in a lab coat and sounds exactly like Dr. Venture, protests that they are wasting the Oracle's time. The Oracle asks Dean if he's going to cry. Dean says he can do this. After all, he has the ring of power! He shows it to the Oracle and the rat, but it falls off his finger.

In the Cocoon, meanwhile, Brock is sending out waves of henchmen to attack the Guild offensive. A soldier dressed in the old henchmen outfit with a goatee is about to jump when Brock stops him.

BROCK
Hold up soldier, we launch in waves. [he lights a cigarette] So, where you from, son?

HANK
Uhh, I am, uh, exchange henchman. From Russian super villain.

BROCK
Well you picked a hell of a time to come over. [something beeps] Okay, you're up. See you on the other side, comrade. [he pushes HANK out of the Cocoon]

HANK
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Commercial.

HANK
-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE!

[BROCK grabs HANK, his goggles and goatee have fallen off]

BROCK
Stick close and follow my lead and you'll make it through this, soldier.

HANK
Woah. Oh, thanks Brock.

BROCK
Hank!? Damnit Hank, what did I-

Something explodes in front of them and then to the side. Brock avoids them and tells Hank they'll have to talk about this later.

Brock instructs the Henchmen to attack. Many are taken down by the wasps, but some henchmen get in a few good, if not useless, shots on the choppers.

Inside Phantom Limb's command chopper he gives some orders when Iggy gets all antsy:

IGGY
Come on, man, let me at 'em! I'm a street walkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm! Gimmie danger, man!!

PHANTOM LIMB
Calm yourself! I need you here to protect my queen.

IGGY
Pff. Yes, Sovereign.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
This is insane, there's no way you can be the Sovereign. I've seen him chew you out over that TV whatever thing. The screen thing.

IGGY
It's called a telescreen.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
[to KLAUS] You stay out of this! Oh god, you two skeeve me.

PHANTOM LIMB
Didn't you get the memo? The old Sovereign is dead. I've given myself a promotion.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
You- you killed him. You killed him, didn't you?!

PHANTOM LIMB
Not me personally, but it was my invisible hand which guided- [laughs] well, I don't have to tell you that. You were there.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
[pause] Bowie?!

PHANTOM LIMB
Quite a bean in that pretty little head! Give the lady a prize!

DR. GIRLFRIEND
So this thing with the Monarch then, this was all a- a front?!

PHANTOM LIMB
Oh, dear, you didn't really think all of this was just about you, did you?

Iggy is about to light a cigarette when Phantom Limb tells him to go outside. No smoking!

21 meanwhile is struggling to fly. 24 tells 21 that he kind of needs his help since squad E is down and his squad is mostly on fire.

HENCHMAN 21
Was it you guys who got caught in that engine?

HENCHMAN 24
No, that's an urban myth.

HENCHMAN 21
What does that even mean?! How can you start an urban myth with flying guys in the grand canyon?!

BROCK
[over the radio] Hey knock off all that chatter! We're coming up on the target!

At the target Iggy steps out on the top of Phantom Limb's command ship to smoke. He's about to pull out a cigarette when he notices it has a face. It introduces itself. David Bowie.

DAVID BOWIE
Make way for the homo superior!

Bowie punches out Iggy.

Inside the ship Phantom Limb and Dr. Girlfriend continue their conversation. Iggy falls outside the ship, grabbing onto the windshield and hanging there unnoticed until he falls.

Brock and Hank, meanwhile, are still flying. Brock catches an injured henchman who tells Brock it's 'wicked bad' out there and that these five minutes under his command have been the proudest of his career. He then spits up some blood and dies. Brock throws his body into the turbine of a Guild wasp, causing it to crash. Brock then tells Hank to take out the bogies on his ten and two. Hank fires a shot which ricochets off a henchman and hits one of those crazy rocks perilously balanced on a much, much smaller rock. The rock smashes into a chopper. Brock congratulates Hank and gives the order to move in on the command ship.

Oh hey, remember Dean? Well there's some kind of insect king (with a black heart) who is using orphans to turn a crank which is powering some sort of evil engine. He sounds like the Monarch.

Just then Dean crashes through the ceiling yelling 'Yo Joe!' He confronts the Insect King (who confesses to destroying Dean's father) with the Ring of Power, causing the Insect King to flinch and cower. It's the only thing that can steal his black heart.

Dean attacks the king, stabbing him a bunch of times and cuts off his arm and leg. The king is still alive, and quite pissed. Because Dean missed his black heart. You know, the source of his power?

Dean finally takes a hint and throws his sword at the king, stabbing him through his black heart. Did I mention his heart is black? Because it is. The king dies and is absorbed by Dean's ring. Dean then goes to destroy the evil engine thing and free the orphans.

DEAN THE BRAVE
Run, orphans! Be free! And have your own room, and maybe not live in fear of costumed guys trying to kill you all the time. And there are no yetis freakin' out on you, or like, putting you on a rocket ship. Run to a place where your father won't make you get in a fight with a Venus fly trap that walks and with a gun...

Dean has been beating on the evil machine the whole time and it finally dies.

The Cocoon, meanwhile, appears to be crashing. What exactly was Dean really pounding on again? The Monarch complains about the lack of go and a henchman informs him that they just lost power. Like, all of it. Where did it go? Somewhere? Not in the engine at any rate.

THE MONARCH
What?! Someone get down to the engine room and find out what the hell happened!!

HENCHMAN
No! No way. That place is spooky.

DR. VENTURE
Do you pay these people?

THE MONARCH
Uhhhh... wanna... see my escape cocoon?

In the command ship Iggy enters behind Klaus. He's about to grab him when Klaus screams. Iggy covers his mouth, which causes Klaus' head to pop. If only someone had thought of doing that in the 80s.

PHANTOM LIMB
Bowie.

[IGGY morphs into BOWIE]

DAVID BOWIE
That's Sovereign to you.

[they fight... HANK, BROCK and the HENCHMEN are outside the ship trying to get in]

HANK
Aw, check it! It's like Dracula versus Yoda in there!

BROCK
The bolt cutters! You were in charge of the bolt cutters!!

HENCHMAN 21
Cut me some slack, I wasn't getting an altitude! I had to drop ballast! That's why my shoes aren't even on!

HENCHMAN 24
Panicked. The man panicked!

HENCHMAN 21
Did you even see me out there throwing Certs out of my pocket! Anything!

BROCK
[yells] This is useless!!

HANK
Aww, hey!

[HANK points at the X-1, which is closing in on the command ship at an alarming speed]

The X-1 bashes into the command ship, knocking it sideways and causing everyone on top of it to fall off.

DR. ORPHEUS
What the deuce was that!?

THE ALCHEMIST
I don't care, we're going to crash into that flying face thing! Can't you put a magic protective bubble around us?

DR. ORPHEUS
Join hands! Our powers are stronger as a team!

JEFFERSON
No they're not! Dude, I'm a blackula hunter. I don't have powers.

THE ALCHEMIST
I got a magic powder that turns mosquitos into bats. But if you still wanna join hands...

The Monarch and Dr. Venture, meanwhile, scramble to get to the escape cocoon. The Monarch launches it (commenting if Dr. Venture would prefer and escape butterfly) and it ejects out from the top of the Cocoon. The Cocoon itself, meanwhile, falls into the Grand Canyon, with the X-1 hot on its tail.

And what of Dean? Well, Princess Tinglepants is thanking him for saving Insectia and now she can take her place as the beautiful (and approachable) princess of everything. Dean thinks that sounds nifty, but maybe they should make out instead. Woo! Just then that weirdass flying giant dog thing from The Neverending Story lands and tells Dean he loves him.

Fade to reality. The X-1 has crashed into the wall of the Cocoon and Dean is standing at the top of some stairs in the engine room.

THE ALCHEMIST
Ahh. Woof. That little guy we made? All over the windshield. Watch your feet, I think it's head is out there.

DR. ORPHEUS
Byron Orpheus, magic guy. Never flown an experimental jet before. Magic.

DEAN
A dog-dragon! Wait here with the orphans! I must free Giant Boy Detective from the Spider Queen!

THE ALCHEMIST
Hey, that's the scrawny Venture kid. And he's crazier than usual!

DEAN
[sitting on the nose of the X-1] To the castle in the clouds! Fly!!

DR. ORPHEUS
He's snapped! Lost touch with this world and created another. We must spirit him to safety!

THE ALCHEMIST
He's creepy. I am so not gonna touch him.

Inside the command ship, meanwhile, Bowie, Dr. Girlfriend and Phantom Limb are tumbling around since the ship they happen to be inside is plummeting towards the ground. Oh but look, here comes the escape cocoon. It scores a direct hit as the two collide in a big explosion and the rubble crashes to the ground.

There are dead henchmen everywhere. Then some bubbles in the river as 21 floats to the surface. His wings have inflated. 24 is also alive and unscathed. Brock is smoking and Hank also appears okay, though he is face down in the water until Brock rights him. Hank wants to do it again.

The Monarch exits the remains of the escape cocoon and sees Dr. Girlfriend. He grabs her and hugs her, but she turns into David Bowie. Oops. The smoke clears a little and he notices the real Dr. Girlfriend, laying on the ground. She's pinned under Phantom Limb's leg... or something, but otherwise okay.

Phantom Limb, meanwhile, is nowhere to be seen. The Monarch groans since he now has a new arch enemy, but Bowie notes he won't be safe anywhere once he sicks the Diamond Dogs on his scent. He then quickly congratulates Dr. Girlfriend and the Monarch and promptly turns into an eagle and flies away.

BROCK
Doc, you okay?

DR. VENTURE
I swallowed a gold filling during the crash, so we have to hook up the metal detector to the toilet again. What did we miss?

HANK
The guy from Labyrinth turned into a bird!

HENCHMAN 21
Okay, so the Sovereign recorded Station to Station?

HENCHMAN 24
And Changesone. I love that album.

HENCHMAN 21
Could you be a bigger poser?! Changes is a best of!

DR. ORPHEUS
Don't panic! Dean is safe! Safe in the magic hands of the Order of the- [he trips and drops DEAN]

DEAN
Ow! Hey pop.

DR. VENTURE
Dean was missing? Nice job, Brock.

THE ALCHEMIST
[inspecting what DR. ORPHEUS tripped on] Peoples? Someone here lose and invisible- [he squeezes it] Ohh. Oh, I'm keepin' this.

Roll end credits.

Dean is sticking out of the top of the X-1 (the place where HELPeR is) cheering. He's very, very cold though.

JEFFERSON
Uh, he gonna be okay up there?

BROCK
Yeah he does this all the time. He'll pass out in a couple minutes, we'll go up and get him.

In the escape cocoon, which is floating near what appear to be some tropical islands:

THE MONARCH
Woo! Ahh, you're insatiable, woman. Now that's one myth about married life we can scratch off the list, eh?

DR. GIRLFRIEND
You know, I- I never actually said I do.

THE MONARCH
Well you never said you don't.

DR. GIRLFRIEND
Well there's something else I haven't said. It's uhh, it might... change things.

THE MONARCH
Is it 'let's go again', because I'm gonna need a few minu-

DR. GIRLFRIEND
No! Okay. Deep breath. Sheila you've been rehearsing this. [she takes a deep breath] Monarch, I'm-

[cut to outside the cocoon]

THE MONARCH
What?!

Notes

• The opening assault in place of a more traditional "previously on..." montage is actually a ton of frames from part I of Cremation Creek. If you look at it frame by frame (which I don't recommend, because it takes a while) it's actually a really good summary of the episode.
  
  
• One of the ships that leaves the Cocoon is the Recognizer from the movie Tron.
  
  
• Speaking of leaving the Cocoon, amusingly enough if you look closely you can see Princess Tinglepants (from Dean's hallucination later in the episode) running out of the wedding. It's been acknowledged as an animation goof by Jackson Publick, so you can stop with the crazy theories on how Dean wasn't hallucinating.
  
  
• Phantom Limb's real and full name is apparently Hamilton J. Fantomas, which is perhaps a reference to Fantômas, one of the most popular fictional bad guys in French literature. He's also fancy and wears a mask similar to Phantom Limb, so he could be the inspiration for Limb in a few respects.
  
  
• Prior to their fight Iggy says to Bowie "now you're gonna be my dog" and that he's been playing Bowie's idiot for the last thirty years. The former is a lyric from a Stooges song I Wanna Be Your Dog and the latter a reference to Pop's solo album The Idiot as well as Bowie's influence over Pop (which was covered in the notes for part one).
  
  
• After Iggy kills Bowie (note he speaks the word 'pop' when doing so; his own surname), he says "Ding, dong, the queen bitch is dead." This is a reference to Klaus Nomi's song "Ding, Dong" and Bowie's song "Queen Bitch".
  
  
• When the Monarch and Brock go after Iggy and Klaus, the Monarch refers to Klaus as 'the one dressed like Taco' and Iggy as 'Spicoli'. The Taco thing is a reference to singer Taco Ockerse who kind of dresses like Klaus Nomi... Spicoli refers to Sean Penn's character Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High who had a similar build and hairstyle to Iggy Pop at the time.
  
  
• Dean's hallucination is mostly a reference to The NeverEnding Story where various Venture Bros. characters appear as versions of NeverEnding Story ones. According to Wikipedia (where would I be without them? forced to watch NeverEnding Story again is where) Dean is Atreyu, Triana is the Childlike Empress, Dr. Venture is Nighthob, Pete White is Cairon, Billy is Rockbiter, the Monarch is Gmork/Nothing, and the X-1 appears as Falkor... which is weird but also kind of makes sense.
  
  
• Giant Boy Detective of course has appeared in other episodes before, but never to this capacity. He was first mentioned in Careers in Science (to which Hank memorably responds "Screw Giant Boy Detective!"), but this is the first time he's ever appeared in reality (sort of).
  
  
• When Dr. Girlfriend is first dragged to Phantom Limb's commend ship she asks him where he gets off "sicking your two stooges on" her. Klaus quietly responds to this by saying "I wasn't in the Stooges" which is a reference to one of Iggy Pop's bands The Stooges of which Klaus was not a member.
  
  
• After Brock's rousing speech 24 mentions that they only have the Monarchmobile and a Nissan Stanza with which to transport themselves. This may be true, but you may remember the hooker stole the Stanza at the end of Fallen Arches, though there's always the possibility they stole it back or even bought a new one (though the latter seems silly to do).
  
  
• Note that the henchmen are all shocked that their wings actually work, but it was revealed they worked by the Monarch himself in Hate Floats, though his wings are not the same as the rest of the henchmen (instead of being plain orange they are styled like those of a Monarch butterfly), so their skepticism is probably not unfounded.
  
  
• Iggy's line "Come on, man, let me at 'em! I'm a street walkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm! Gimmie danger, man!!" is a line from the Stooges song Search and Destroy.
  
  
• When Bowie transforms from the cigarettes back to himself he yells the line "Make way for the homo superior!" which is a line from his song Oh! You Pretty Things!.
  
  
• Star Wars? Theme of the season! When Hank shoots that weird balancing rock and takes out a Guild chopper Brock says "Great shot, kid, that was one in a million!" which is a line spoken by Han Solo in the original Star Wars.
  
  
• When Hank sees Bowie and Phantom Limb fighting he comments that it's like Dracula vs. Yoda. Aside from the Star Wars reference, this probably refers to the famous battle in Episode II between Yoda and Count Dooku. Dooku was played by Christopher Lee, who is also famous for his portrayal of Dracula in: like nine billion different movies in this non-comprehensive list. So there's that.
  
  
• After the crash, Bowie notes that he's going to sick the Diamond Dogs on Phantom Limb. This is a reference to Bowie's album Diamond Dogs.
  
  
• Hank refers to Bowie as "the guy from Labyrinth, which is a 1986 movie where Bowie played the antagonist, Jareth the Goblin King who can also turn into a bird, though in the movie he turns into an owl, not an eagle.
  
  
• 21 and 24 discuss two Bowie albums, Changesone and Station to Station.