The Mantis-Eye Experiment

Summary

When Brock finds a long-lost video recording of Jonas Venture Sr., he, Dr. Venture and the boys embark upon a globe-hopping trip to recover the pieces of Jonas' machine that may just be the key to saving the planet (and lining Dr. Venture's pockets with more cash). They enlist the help of a few familiar faces and meet some old foes and friends along the way including the Impossibles, Jonas Jr. and... Jonny? Meanwhile a strange alien visitor observes everything, but what are his true intentions?

Capsule

Venture Compound. Late night. A spaceship lands (yes, a spaceship) and a strange, tall figure with a single eye showing through his golden helmet exits. Or maybe he's a robot because his eye rotates behind his helmet to reveal another, differently colored eye. And then another. It scans the Venture Compound for life forms and heads towards it.

Inside Brock is vacuuming the guest room for the first time in years apparently. Under the bed is one of those old cardboard boxes that's got an outside that kind of looks like wood. You know the type. He peers inside and informs Dr. Venture over his comwatch that he found something that might interest him.

Opening credits.

Dr. Venture comes down to the guest room to see Brock wearing one of his old t-shirts (with a cookie on it). Dean, meanwhile, wants one of the sweater vests in the box. Dr. Venture tries to tell Brock he looks stupid in the too-small shirt, but Brock won't have any of it. He hands Dr. Venture a video camera he found in the box. Dr. Venture looks it over and comments that they can probably sell it for some cash, but Brock says that he was really talking about the tape he found inside the camera. On the table is an old video player. Brock hits play.

JONAS VENTURE
Hello Rusty!

DEAN
It's grandpa! He's alive!

JONAS VENTURE
(continued) It's your father.

HANK
And trapped! In the Phantom Zone.

[DR. VENTURE pulls HANK away from the video]

HANK
I was just kidding. Jeeze, I'm not a tard.

JONAS VENTURE
(continued) I knew you'd find this tape. You were always such a little video buff.

DR. VENTURE
Once! I told him once that I wanted to make videos. Next thing you know every holiday it's cameras, 'how to' books-

HANK
Yeah, Pop, I've been meaning to tell you, I'm not really that into neckerchiefs.

DEAN
You wear them well.

DR. VENTURE
Wait, shhh, shh, what did he say? Go back.

[BROCK rewinds the tape a little]

JONAS VENTURE
What I have to tell you is a matter of the gravest importance, Rusty. It has to do with those mysterious deep space radio signals, you know, the ones I received back when you were just a boy.

Jonas goes on to explain that after ten years he translated the broadcast (from 'across space and time') and it has to do with his latest invention, which is also his greatest. Dr. Venture thinks money of course. Jonas continues explaining that, in order for it to not fall into the wrong hands, he disassembled his invention and put each part in a different secret location across the globe.

Outside, the Grand Inquisitor (the dude with the gold helmet) falls into the pool. Jonas continues explaining that the device needs to be activated at midnight in New York City on May 4th of Rusty's 44th year. This happens to be tomorrow. Dr. Venture jots down coordinates. Just then Dean speaks up:

DEAN
B-big man.

DR. VENTURE
Yes Dean, you're a big man now. Brock and I are- [he turns around] LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO!!

GRAND INQUISITOR
[In an incredibly annoying microphone voice] Earth man! I have traveled from an incredibly distant star to observe the ways of your planet.

HANK
Aw, I can feel it in my choanies.

GRAND INQUISITOR
You have the honor of representing your entire race as my sample subject!

DR. VENTURE
Brock, there's a twelve foot man in our pool pointing a beam at my head. Do something?

GRAND INQUISITOR
Whispering is futile! The Grand Galactic Inquisitor hears all, sees all-

DR. VENTURE
Look, we don't have time for this, okay? We're on a very tight-

GRAND INQUISITOR
Do not speak to me! Do not alter your normal human behavior in any way! You know not the elaborate criteria by which you are to be judged! Ignore my presence and go about your Earthly business!

[DR. VENTURE sighs]

On the X-1 (headed to Spider-Skull Island) Dean is looking through more of the stuff in the box when he finds a letter Dr. Venture wrote to the Herculoids. Hank points out it's not a fan letter but angry hate mail ("He calls them hippies for not fighting in Vietnam") when the Grand Inquisitor steals the note. Hank objects but only gets a loud "IGNORE ME!" in return. Dr. Venture tells Brock to swing around to the back so he can sneak in quietly without his brother ever noticing him.

On Spider-Skull Island, in a lounge area Dr. Venture quietly heads towards a painting on the wall. Just then the lights flick on and a woman on the couch says something in a crazy language and J.J.'s head pops up shortly after. Huh. What was he doing down there?

Inside a very dark X-2 Brock and the boys sneak in when a flashlight shines at them and a familiar voice asks them who they are. Brock jumps the voice and smacks him around a bit until Dean turns on the lights to reveal the voice belongs to none other than the fake ghost pirate captain!

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Aw jeeze, you people.

DEAN
Hey! It's that ghost pirate again!

HANK
Who isn't a ghost! Or a pirate even, really.

BROCK
What are you doing here?

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Ah, well, you never seemed to use the boat, so I- I kinda started sleeping here. Only a couple nights a week at first. You try finding a job with nothing on your resume but fake ghost pirate.

BROCK
Get to the point!

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Yeah, yeah, jeeze. Anywho, I wakes up one day and there's this little feller standing there. And he tells me it's his boat now on account of your pa ate him up when he was wee. He hired me on as the ship's captain, so really it's kinda more my boat than yours at this point.

In the lounge area JJ explains who his 'house guest' is while he opens the safe to retrieve the first piece of Jonas Venture's invention. Time to watch the tape again!

After watching the tape JJ proposes that they split up into three teams to get the remaining three pieces. One of JJ and the captain, one of Brock and Dr. Venture and one of the boys. They can take the X-2, the X-1 and the XX-1, respectively. They all depart the island with a hearty 'Go Team Venture!'

On the XX-1 Hank relaxes in the pilot's seat of the craft as it auto-pilots to its destination. He comments on how much cooler it is than the X-1 while Dean gets excited by the prospect of video games (Space Invaders) in the lounge. Meanwhile JJ and the Captain, decked out in SCUBA gear, swim towards their destination:

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Jesus Jones!

[he and JJ freeze and there is a brief pause]

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Ahh, now there was a band. Yeppers, back in the summer of '91, we all thought they was gonna be the future of rock and roll.

JONAS JR.
They sound great.

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Were great.

JONAS JR.
They're not around any more?

PIRATE CAPTAIN
No sir. No sos anyone would notice anyway.

They have both arrived at a bathysphere. JJ rings a buzzer on the outside and requests permission to board 'Quest Bell One'. Hmmm. Inside a strange looking blonde man opens the door for them and brandishes a pistol.

Dr. Venture, meanwhile, is naked and flying over the Venture Compound with a large umbilical cord still attached to his father. Jonas Sr. tells him he's doing great when Jonas Jr. comes along and rips off the cord. Dr. Venture starts to yell at JJ when a naked Brock flies by and tells Dr. Venture to wake up...

BROCK
Wake up, we're almost there.

DR. VENTURE
Ugh, I thought I was done with those crappy dreams.

GRAND INQUISITOR
That was a weird one.

DR. VENTURE
Great! You can read my mind!

GRAND INQUISITOR
IGNORE ME!!

[there is a long pause]

GRAND INQUISITOR
Yes I can.

Meanwhile Hank & Dean arrive at Col. Gentleman's abode. But the colonel is nowhere to be seen... they search around a little when Dean finds him in his bed... dead! Dun dun dun!!

Back at Quest Bell One:

JONNY
[breathing heavily] You cops?

JONAS JR.
Cops? Us? Ha ha!

[JONNY closes the hatch and fires a shot which hits the floor between JJ's feet]

JONNY
ARE. YOU. COPS?!

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Uh, let me handle this, chairman. No sir, we ain't five-O.

[JONNY relaxes a little]

JONNY
Y- you ho-ooo-ldin?

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Uh, no we ain't, cap'n.

JONAS JR.
Holding...?

PIRATE CAPTAIN
We're just lookin' for an old gizmo about yay big [he motions with his hand]. Few years back this feller's old man left it with your old man.

JONNY
My- my old man?

JONAS JR.
Yes! You father was-

JONNY
[raises his gun again] WOOOOAAAH!! DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY FATHER!! OWWW!

Back at Col. Gentleman's, Hank pokes the colonel a bit when Dean decides it's time to solve the mystery of the colonel's death. Hank reminds him that they don't have time for mysteries because if they don't find that piece of grandpa's thing then... something... happens... maybe?

At Quest Bell One Jonny is screaming and continues to circle with Jonas and the captain. The captain steps on some vials and prescription bottles and looks up at Jonny.

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Alright, alright. Just put the gun down, will ya? You wouldn't want to hurt... the doctor, would ya?

JONNY
Doctor? You're- you're a doctor?

JONAS JR.
Well, I'm- I'm not a medical doctor, I just have a PhD-

PIRATE CAPTAIN
[makes a noise to indicate JJ should shut up] That's right, he's a doctor! And he can write you a prescription for, ohh, anything ya might need.

JONAS JR.
Ohhh, right. Umm, what seems to be the trouble, Mr. Quest?

[JONNY drops to his knees]

JONNY
I'm in real pain...

Back at the colonel's place Hank and Dean continue to search for clues on where the piece might be. Dean finds Gentleman's diary:

DEAN
Wait, there's some kind of list. Could be a clue... 'Toys Col. Gentleman wishes he had when-'

[fade to a flashback of COL. GENTLEMAN writing the diary entry]

COL. GENTLEMAN
[continued, voice over] -he was a lad, but they weren't invented yet. Micronauts. Scooby-Doo monster game. Which Witch. ATAT Imperial Walker. Stay Alive, the survival game!

[fade back to HANK and DEAN in the present]

HANK
What is that, code?

DEAN
Colonel Gentleman's good names for an imaginary friend, Colonel Gentleman's Hollywood actresses who need a smack in the mouth... they go on and on. This is a crazy person's diary.

Hank, who has been leaning on Col. Gentleman's walking stick, accidently breaks off the top of it. The inside is hollow so he holds it up to his eye and a small rod slides out and hits him in the face. That's what they were looking for!

On the X-2:

DEAN
[over the radio] Venture 2 to Venture 1, we're comin' in for a landing! Do you copy?

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Roger Venture 2, you're clear for landin'!

[JONAS is sitting next to the captain with a disgruntled look on his face. He's holding a piece of the invention.]

PIRATE CAPTAIN
Next stop; New York. Oh stop your sourpussin'. We got whattcha needed!

Commercial.

In New York City Doc and Brock stand outside Impossible Industries worldwide headquarters (1 Impossible Plaza). Doc notes that before Impossible Industries set up shop at this location house the Venture Industries world headquarters (twenty years ago). Somewhere in that foundation is the final piece of the puzzle. So how is Doc going to get inside? Someone on the inside.

High up in the Impossible Industries building, Sally Impossible is packing a bag. Professor Richard Impossible peers in and asks if she's going somewhere. Sally tells him she's just going to the store. Richard reluctantly 'allows' it, and inquires if she's taking 'the child' with her. Nope, Ned's watching him. Richard is uncomfortable with that since Ned is retarded:

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
Please, can't you just leave the child with Huggy?

SALLY
Stop calling him 'the child', Richard! His name is Rocket! And I'm not leaving him with your crappy robot!

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
Sally! Why, that's almost churlish! And you're visible! What's this really about?

SALLY
You can't replace family with a robot, Richard! We need real, human affection!

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
That's why Huggy's programmed to simulate it, sweetness!

SALLY
[groans angrily] Please. Richard. Let me go.

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
Yes. Yes, perhaps the fresh air will, uh, calm the- female... uhhh...

SALLY
Don't strain yourself, Richard. Good bye.

[SALLY walks away]

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
Hmmm, 'real human affection'. Perhaps a pill or a burst of gamma radiation or- wait a minute! Sally! Wait! Would you like some company?

Sally waits for the subway. With two large body guards. Company. She steps onto the train but before the guards can follow Brock sneaks up and smashes their heads into the train. Now Sally is alone.

DR. VENTURE
Hello again, Sally.

SALLY
Dr. Venture! [she hugs him] When you called me I couldn't believe it! You never answered any of my letters, I- I worried you'd forgotten me and moved on. But I never gave up hope. The only thing that made my life bearable was the hope that some day you'd come for me and Rocket!

DR. VENTURE
Where is your boy? R- Rocky, was it?

SALLY
Rocket. I had his uncle Ned take him to the park just where you said.

DR. VENTURE
Are you sure he didn't say anything to your husband?

SALLY
No. No, no. I promised him a great big ice cream cone if he could keep a secret.

Cut to the park where Ned is excited about ice cream. He runs off to the ice cream man as Hank (sitting on the steps of the X-1 with Dean) tries to tell him that they're supposed to stay put. Hank attempts to go after him but ends up running into another bodyguard. Ned meanwhile gets his ice cream taken away by another bodyguard, who he pushes back. However another one knocks him out with a cattle prod. Ned falls to the ground and Rocket happily crawls out of his jacket, unnoticed by all.

Back on the subway Dr. Venture tells Sally he wants her to do one last thing for him before they live happily ever after (yeah right). Sally assures him he will, and that her only request is to pinch her, because she must be dreaming! A crazy homeless man assures Sally that it's okay because he sees Dr. Venture too.

At Impossible Industries:

BROCK
[to Dr. V] Oh, this is just... wrong. Man, even for you. Look at her!

[SALLY is dancing happily as she enters a code and retinal scan to get into the elevator]

DR. VENTURE
[to Brock] I have watched you pull a man's eyes from his head and make him dance like a marionette with his own optic nerves!

BROCK
At least I didn't break his heart.

DR. VENTURE
Teh! You don't know that.

They enter the elevator but when it comes to a stop they're not in the basement. Prof. Impossible quickly grabs Brock and Dr. Venture and puts them in chairs with fancy electric laser shackles of some sort. With them are Hank, Dean, JJ, the captain and Ned. Oops.

Prof. Impossible informs them that he found the piece of Jonas Venture's invention many years ago:

Prof Impossible: Then I thought about you in physics class. You were a daydreamer, a sass-mouth and not infrequently a bit of a giggle-puss. Somehow I doubt twenty years of amphetamines and failure have done anything to improve that. And you see, this invention is simply too important to trust to someone like yourself.

At this point Sally inquires as to the whereabouts of Rocket. Whom? Your son. Oh yeah him. Who knows? While Sally and Richard argue JJ contacts HELPeR:

JONAS JR.
HELPeR, come in HELPeR.

DR. VENTURE
Aw, now he's bossing my robot around! You see this? Wait, you have a radio in your collar?

JONAS JR.
Of course. What kind of an idiot would strap his only means of emergency communication to his wrist. They always tie you up.

DR. VENTURE
Oh, well fancy-schmancy!

JJ tells HELPeR to activate the II security system and free them. HELPeR complies and exits the X-1.

GRAND INQUISITOR
[inside the X-1] Hello? Anyone? Okay, the Grand Galactic Inquisitor is coming out. But you are to continue to ignore me! Okay? ... Alright, I'm taking that as a yes.

[he exits the X-1 and stretches]

GRAND INQUISITOR
Hello?

[ROCKET crawls out from behind the X-1's tire, babbling]

GRAND INQUISITOR
Someone left a baby. [he picks up ROCKET, who continues to babble] IGNORE ME!!

Inside II HELPeR disables the shackles when he is confronted by a large robot. It targets him and moves in for the... hug?

Meanwhile Prof. Impossible and Sally continue to argue about Rocket, but Prof. Impossible refuses to stop working.

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
This is important!

SALLY
What could be more important than your family, Richard?!

PROF. IMPOSSIBLE
[thinking hard] Sssssssssssscience?

Just then Brock grabs one side of Prof. Impossible's face, JJ the other. They stretch it out across the doorway and nailgun it to the sides. Impossible retaliates by stretching his body and pushing them all out the window. They grab for his body (and the professor grabs the invention) as it stretches down, down, down into the subway and in front of a train. However before impact it bounces back up. Sally falls, but JJ jumps off and saves her with his jetpack. On the way back down again Brock ties Prof. Impossible's legs to a bar on the outside of the subway train. They all climb up to street level and the subway pulls away, stretching Prof. Impossible to his limit until the bar breaks off the train, flying back up to the professor and clocking him square in the face. He drops Jonas Sr.'s now assembled invention which falls to the street below, unharmed.

Midnight. Nothing happens. The Grand Inquisitor pulls up in a cab, informing his sample subject that the glorious moment of judgement is upon him. He exits the cab:

CABBY
Hey! It's $8.20 on the meter, stretch!

GRAND INQUISITOR
IGNORE ME!!

JONAS JR.
Who the hell is that?

DR. VENTURE
Long story, just ignore him.

Just then the invention activates. It glows a purdy blue and out steps none other than... Dr. Jonas Venture Sr!? He smiles and fires a ray gun at the Grand Galactic Inquisitor, who yells for a second and then falls to the ground with a smoldering hole in his head. Rocket (who he was holding) is okay. Sally picks him up.

Jonas Sr. is about to leave when Dr. Venture asks him where he's going and why he left. Why did he leave him all alone? Jonas Sr. explains that the stars are always watching him. You know, when you're not in the city and you can actually see them. After some more pressing from Dr. Venture and JJ, Jonas Sr. finally confesses that he's not really Jonas Venture, but an alien sent here at this appointed time to kill the Grand Inquisitor, who would have wiped out all life on Earth. He only took the form of their dad because it seemed like it would be easier to accept than knowing there was life on other planets and that whole schpiel. Seems plausible.

DR. VENTURE
Why. You. Son of a bitch!! Do you know what you just put me through?! What the fuck were you thinking, what kind of fucked up planet are you from where you think showing up as my dead fucking father is supposed to make me feel any better?!

JONAS SR. ALIEN
Okay, take it easy-

DR. VENTURE
You prick!

JONAS SR. ALIEN
Look, I just saved your entire planet-

DR. VENTURE
PRICK!!

JONAS SR. ALIEN
Alright, fine! You wanna see?! Here!!

Off camera he pulls off his face to reveal his true self. Nobody looks happy at all.

JONAS SR. ALIEN
There! That would have been better?! If I showed up like that out of nowhere?! Look at you! You practically crapped your pants! Except him; he crapped his pants!

NED
Boom boom.

JONAS SR. ALIEN
We know what we're doing up there, okay? So don't second guess me! Just get in your little plane, go back to your little lives and thank your lucky stars someone in this universe is looking out for you! Ungrateful little half-monkeys!

DEAN
Um. Bye.

JONAS SR. ALIEN
Whatever.

With that the portal closes and the invention is sucked in, and it's all over. Nothing to show for it? Well, except saving the world. Oh and that big guy finally shut up. Ah, and they worked together, like a family. Go Team Venture!

Roll end credits.

Still on the streets, JJ comments on how life among the stars must be to the captain when Rocket grabs his hair. Sally tells Rocket to stop and introduces herself to JJ. Hmmmm.

Dr. Venture, meanwhile, is ready to take off before Sally becomes clingy again (though he may not have to worry about that any longer) but Brock appears taken aback by everything. Not the aliens stuff though. Professor Impossible is flapping in the wind like a very, very, very large tarp. He's going to feel that in the morning.

Notes

• While the Grand Galactic Inquisitor doesn't seem to be based on a single character like The Impossibles are (the Fantastic Four), he does seem to have quite a bit of Galactus in him, which is fitting since Galactus was a Fantastic Four villain. Galactus was, however, much larger than the Grand Inquisitor, and was a devourer of worlds, not self-appointed judge of the dominant species.
  
  It's also been mentioned that he looks kind of like the largest Knight who says 'Ni' from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, though I'm pretty sure this is just something of a coincidence since the two characters have nothing in common.
  
  
• Hank jokingly mentions that his grandfather is trapped in 'The Phantom Zone', which is a location in the Superman universe discovered by the Krytonians and used to 'store' their worst fugitives. At least in the 90's Superman animated series was accessed using some kind of crazy camera equipment and you could actually view the dimension through a TV screen. In Superman II the zone was viewed through a crystal and is where the three antagonists in the movie came from.
  
  
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo!!
  
  
• Apparently when Dr. Venture was a lad he wrote a letter to The Herculoids complaining that they didn't fight in Vietnam. The Herculoids was produced between 1967 and 1969 and 36 episodes were made (plus another 11 in 1981). The Herculoids themselves were uh, three humans and five weirdo aliens which included a dragon, a gorilla made of rocks, a ten-legged rhino/triceratops and two large blobs with cold, black eyes. Hippies. Some more info if you desire.
  
  
• Of course making a triumphant return in this episode is the Pirate Captain from Ghosts of the Sargasso, though he's not really a pirate any more (not that he really was before either). On top of that Sally Impossible, Professor Richard Impossible and Ned make their returns from Ice Station Impossible, though both did have short cameos in A Very Venture Christmas and the Professor had another in Tag Sale, You're It!.
  
  
• While swimming the Quest Bell 1, the Captain mentions Jesus Jones, which is one of those crazy bands that blended electronic music with rock. He's mostly right in that they're still around but nobody really cares that much. Thanks to HavocWare for the allmusic link. There's more on Wikipedia if you want!
  
  
• Jonny Quest? After Race Bannon's untimely death in Ice Station Impossible, it's now Jonny's turn. Living in a bathysphere and injecting heroin into his scrotum and taking prescription pills? Yes I think your childhood has now been thoroughly raped, correct? It's okay though, you'll always have the memories. Jonny is voiced by Brendan Small, by the way, who has been contributing many excellent voices to this season.
  
  
• Delving further into it, the bathysphere design is taken from the Jonny Quest episode "Pirates from Below", right down to the dolphin noise equipment. Jonny is also never referred to as 'Jonny Quest' or even 'Jonny' in the episode (only 'Mr. Quest'), but he is listed as Jonny Quest in the credits, and he shares all the characteristics, so there you go. Also Dr. Venture is doing fantastic after a childhood similar to Jonny's by comparison.
  
  
• Toys Colonel Gentleman wishes he had when he were a lad, but they weren't invented yet! Micronauts. Which Witch. AT-AT Imperial Walker. Stay Alive, the survival game! He also mentions a Scooby Doo 'monster game' which is kind of vague and could refer to anything, really. Many thanks to HavocWare again for those links.
  
  
• And sadly it seems the living Col. Gentleman will no longer be making appearences. His lone speaking appearence in the series was in Past Tense, though he did have a cameo in A Very Venture Christmas.
  
  
• Jonas Jr.'s 'sourpussin' before the commercial break is the source of some debate. While we can't be sure (and Jackson has skillfully avoided answering it on his LiveJournal [edit: not any more]), the most likely reason is because JJ, like many of us, used to look up to Jonny when he was a boy adventurer (since Jonas Sr. hid a piece of his invention in Benton Quest's bathysphere, we can assume the Ventures and Quests were friendly, or at the very least Dr. Quest and Jonas Sr. were). Now he sees what Jonny has become and his memories of young Jonny have been shattered.
  
  Another possibility is that he wrote Jonny some fake prescriptions and feels bad about doing so (because he a) duped Jonny Quest by trading him drugs for an invention and b) now knows what Jonny's poison of choice is). This, to me, seems less likely than the first scenario.
  
  Added on (9/8/06): Just to make me look bad (haha, sure), Jackson finally said something about it:
  

  [T]he answer is: he feels guilty for taking advantage of a junky and writing him a fake prescription just to get what he wanted out of him. There were originally a couple more lines to that scene which explained that a little better, but the episode was a good deal over time and we had to cut something. We thought his moral dilemma was self-explanatory, given the ruse he and the Captain put on in their prior scene, but I guess not.

• Rocket Impossible is perhaps an homage to Franklin Richards, the son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. In the Marvel Comics universe, Franklin is one of the two most powerful mutants ever born. Rocket doesn't seem to have any abilities, but I suppose only time will tell if anything will develop.
  
  
• If you think the bodyguards that apprehend Ned and the boys in the park look familiar, it's because they each appeared in Tag Sale, You're It! While it's most likely just be a case of recycling character models (remember the show has a limited budget; for example many of the people walking around the mall in Hate Floats were in the jury in Trial of the Monarch), it's nice to know that those guys can be hired out by anyone, from Prof. Impossible to Dr. Venture.
  
  
• It's never disclosed how the Pirate Captain and JJ were captured by Prof. Impossible, but we can assume that they were on board the X-1 when Hank and Dean were captured and we just didn't see them get apprehended.
  
  
• For once poor HELPeR isn't wrecked in some way. After saving the day and freeing the team he gets a nice big robot hug. Previously in this season he's been shrunk and stepped on and hit by Molotov, so a nice hug is probably a welcome change of pace for him.
  
  
• Speaking of, the robot who hugs HELPeR, HUGGY, is a parody of the Fantastic 4's robot HERBIE. HERBIE was actually introduced in the old F4 animated series and then later integrated into the comics, however he was built by Mr. Fantastic, though HERBIE's purpose was to aid them in finding Galactus. However an out-of-continuity series about Franklin Richards featured a young Franklin and HERBIE reduced to the role of nanny and caretaker for the boy. Thanks to Frankie in the comments for that one.
  
  
• The alien appearing as Jonas Sr. at the end of the episode is a reference to the movie Contact where Jodie Foster's character is sent to an alien world in a large machine build by humans using some plans sent to them from aliens. It's somewhat more complicated than that, so just go watch the movie (even though I'm kind of giving away stuff). Anyway, at the end she meets a single alien who takes on the appearance of her dead father in order for her to better grasp the situation, though her reaction is quite the opposite of Dr. Venture's.
  
  

[ Capsule | Cast | Notes ]