TV Review: The Venture Bros. - Season Three.

I don't know what the difference was between the first two seasons and this one, but they apparently thought the difference included removing all censorship, which allowed them to add a whole lot more unbleeped cussing and a bit too much male nudity (with almost no female nudity).

I've heard numerous rants about this season and how it's the weakest season of the show, but I disagree. In fact, this is my second favorite season (after the second, and I liked this season better than season 1). One argument is that there's too much reliance on male nudity for jokes. I disagree. There's no more male nudity in this season than any other season. It's just that this season doesn't block it like the previous seasons.

There's also arguments that this season has way too much backstory. While it does have a lot of backstory, the whole season is far from pure backstory. There were maybe 3-4 episodes that I can recall that were really in-your-face about it. The rest I don't really recall much backstory. And if there was, they were quite subtle about it, much like any other season. And who doesn't like more developed characters?

Though I was disappointed in the little use of Dr. Orpheus in the season. He was moreso in the first half of the season than the second. And his daughter, Triana, had maybe one or two appearances, so there wasn't a whole lot of fun Dean/Triana relationship building. But I suppose I can understand it (moreso the lack of Orpheus). They don't want to go too overboard on him... then you won't appreciate him as much, I guess.

Also, one of the best focuses of the season was the ever-increasing roles of Henchmen 21 and 24 (which only makes me hate the very end of the season finale). Those two are such fun characters, and their duo dynamic is hilarious. It's especially funny when they start to realize their own 'main character-ization' and how they keep escaping death, as if they're becoming main characters in a story.

I realize I haven't really discussed the story of the season yet, so I should probably do that. Again, it picks up where the last season left off. The Monarch has married Dr. Girlfriend (whose name keeps changing now, becoming more along the lines of 'Dr. The Monarch's wife'). But a stipulation of their marriage is that The Monarch can no longer 'arch' (arch-nemesis) with Dr. Venture. So Dr. Venture gets a new arch-nemesis from the Guild: Seargant Hatred, a buff military-esque villain who is more concerned with having the destruction come when it's good for the both of them than just being a bad guy. But The Monarch won't give up... he misses arching Dr. Venture, and he tries to sneak in some arching with him when he can.

As such, the story for this season feels, at least to me, more fluid than previous seasons. There is a focus on backstory, but at least it never explains why The Monarch is so adamant about hating Venture (a running joke that would have otherwise been ruined). Everybody seems to have some purpose to what they're doing this season. Seargant Hatred isn't nearly as fun as The Monarch, but I think that's the point, especially by the time we get to the payoff in the season finale.

And speaking of the season finale, as usual, it is one of the best parts of the season. If this show can do anything great, it's build up to some of the greatest finales of any show on television. Even if they have a subpar season, the finale can still manage to bring everything together and make it awesome. And after the finales from seasons 2 and 3, the season 1 finale that I thought was so epic just pales in comparison. And as usual, they end with a big twist and some unanswered questions (as well as some death). Unfortunately, this season was the newest, and I'm not sure when the next season will be airing on TV. So I'm all caught up with the show and can't wait for it to start back up again... though now I'll have to watch it one at a time instead of numerous via DVD. Lame.

Anyway, as usual, if you enjoyed the previous seasons, I'd just keep it going. You'll doubtlessly enjoy this season, as well. Though it seems this season is hit or miss with some folks, so who knows. I guess it comes down to how much you like background information. But background info or not, it's still funny in its presentation. And I don't care if she sounds like a man (or is a cartoon figure), Dr. Girlfriend is hot.

TV Review: The Venture Bros. - Season Two.

Warning: Spoilers (for last season and partially this season) follow.

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Season Two picks up almost right where Season One left off. Dr. Orpheus feels regret for being responsible for the deaths of Dean and Hank, while Dr. Rusty Venture and Brock don’t seem all that fretful. Turns out it’s because Dean and Hank have died numerous times before, and they have clones at the ready. Meanwhile, The Monarch is still in prison while Dr. Girlfriend is with Phantom Limb. And Jonas Venture, Dr. Venture’s brother that had been living inside of him his whole life until recently, is proving himself more successful than his brother, much to Rusty’s chagrin.

This season is much more coherent than the first. The main plot is easier to see, and every episode doesn’t always seem to be completely random and disconnected. Also, a lot of the random episodes that never really came back in any important fashion in the last season come back in said important fashion in this season. This season really focuses on everybody trying to set everything right again and get back to normal. The Monarch must escape prison and reclaim Dr. Girlfriend from Phantom Limb, while the Venture family (including Brock) gets back to their normal routine.

What I liked about this season was its focus on some of the smaller characters, such as Dr. Orpheus, Billy Quizboy, Pete White, and Henchmen 21 and 24. There were also more hints at Brock’s past, including his relationship with Russian femme fatale, Molotov Cocktease. Besides the obvious love of Dr. Orpheus, I particularly liked the Henchmen 21 and 24 stuff, as they are a great comedy duo.

As usual, there’s not a whole lot to say. This season really was vastly better than the previous (not to say that the previous was bad… I just enjoyed this one a lot more). And I really think that had to do with it being clearer what the creators were aiming for and having that cohesion. The uber-violence from Brock and the sex jokes are still there in all its glory, as well. And one thing I’m noticing between this season and last is that everything prior to the finale episode(s) for each respective season, it’s a bit of randomness here and there. But then it gets to the finale, and everything really clicks together, suddenly making all the randomness make sense. Not to mention the finales thus far have kicked ass. I loved season one’s, but this season’s two-parter was epic in its own right.

There was really only one episode I didn't care for, which was the episode right before the two-part finale (the one with the Scooby Doo parody). I thought it was kinda boring and lame.

Anyway, I still recommend the show. And if you at least marginally enjoyed the first season, I really recommend the second if you haven’t already seen it, because you’ll probably (like me) enjoy it that much more.

TV Review: The Venture Bros. - Season One.

After immense and nearly endless hype from one of my friends/co-workers, I finally got around to watching this. Well, ironically, I got season one from another friend/co-worker who the aforementioned friend/co-worker got to watch it first (and then who bought the seasons herself). But then the first friend also lent me season two, which I’ll be reviewing at a later time (once, you know, I actually watch it). Long story short, and as many people know, sometimes hype can kill something for you.

I’m not saying I disliked it (not at all). I found it rather enjoyable. But let me split it up like this: the first season is split into two discs. The first disc has the first 8 episodes, and the second disc has the last 5 for the season. While I found the first 8 seasons mostly entertaining, I didn’t do much more than give a rare chuckle. However, the last 5 episodes, I was laughing out loud through quite a bit of each episode.

For those that don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, let me explain. The Venture Bros. is a rip on old action/adventure cartoons such as Johnny Quest. Dr. Venture is a bald super-genius/scientist with daddy issues. Dean and Hank Venture are his straight-laced and incredibly dimwitted sons. And then there’s Brock Samson, their hulk of a bodyguard, a man fueled by sex and violence. But you can’t have a superhero-esque adventure team without super-villain arch-nemeses… at least self-proclaimed arch-nemeses… such as The Monarch, a rather pathetic villain with butterfly themes. And The Monarch’s sexy girlfriend with a man-ish voice… Dr. Girlfriend. There’s a whole slew of other characters, as well, such as the Venture’s next door neighbor Dr. Orpheus, a necromancer/magician with a taste for histrionics… as well as his goth daughter Triana, whom Dean has a major crush on.

There’s not really a main story to the show. It’s basically their random adventures that are usually more stupid occurrences that are made out to be bigger than they really are… with the rare event that something dumb somebody does makes it worse than it should have been in the first place. There are things that carry over from episode to episode, such as Dean’s building crush on Triana or The Monarch’s relationship with Dr. Girlfriend.

As I said earlier, the first 8 or so episodes are entertaining, but they didn’t have me in hysterics. But I started episode 9, and was laughing within the first, pre-credits scene. And I’ve been told season 2 is funnier, so that makes me happy. The stories often parody different genres or shows. There have been appearances from the 6 Million Dollar Nan to Fantastic Four rip-offs and more.

But the show is really more about the characters than the story. My personal favorites are Brock Samson and Dr. Orpheus (I can’t see how anybody could hate Dr. Orpheus). Both characters are just so over-the-top in what they do. Brock’s tendencies toward violence are both fun and funny (I personally love the scene at the opening of episode 9 where a plane crashes immediately overhead as he’s washing his car. A guy comes running at him in flames, screaming, and without even looking, Brock punches the guy out and turns the hose onto the guy). It also helps that he’s voiced by the same guy who voices Joe in Family Guy, but in a much more subtle way than he does with Joe. And Dr. Orpheus… well, it’s hard to explain him. He’s just very theatrical in everything he does. Dean and Hank are starting to grow on me though. There needs to be a lot more from H.E.L.P.eR., though, because he’s hardly in show, and mostly only for plot point reasons.

There’s not a whole hell of a lot to say about this first season. I haven’t been sold on the “best cartoon series ever to grace the planet” as so many people seem to dub it (just check IMDb with its currently 9.5 rating). But I’ve been promised that season two is especially hilarious, so I’m looking forward to it (especially if it’s anything like the last 5 episodes of season one). Would I recommend it? Sure. It’s not bad at all. You can catch it on Adult Swim on late-night Cartoon Network, or just rent it or borrow it or something like I did. It’s wacky, funny, and action-packed (usually, anyway). And that season one finale was freakin’ epic. I don’t want to ruin it, but let’s just say… Brock, a flaming car, and a giant robot. And of course John Woo doves. That about says it all, really…