Alright, on to Season 2 for our Venture Brothers rewatch
This is really when the show starts to pick up steam. You have first a great opening episode in "Powerless in the Face of Death", which satirizes the comic book tendency towards defaulting towards the status quo in the most hilariously dark way possible. It feels like a good season opener to reestablish the characters and the shocking ending of season 1. Then, a couple of weaker episodes, ... crap, haven't written in a few days. Christmas and all that. Anyway, yeah, the two next episodes weren't very memorable, and kind of still have that season 1 edginess to them. "Assassiniy 911" is one of those episodes that I didn't quite remember a lot of, at least the A plot... Actually, on second thought, the Hunter Gathers storyline stuck out. Some say it was dated for its trans politics. I didn't really feel that or at least didn't feel it was especially egregious. Maybe it was the later reversal that bothered people. Anyway, it wasn't a bad episode per se, but it wasn't memorable. Hate Floats was a little better, but again not memorable. Things really get into first gear with "Escape from the House of Mummies, Pt. II". This still stands out as one of the best episodes of the show for many fans. Certainly one of my favorite episodes. It combines the petty squabbles and disillusionment that is the show's bread and butter and combines it with a pretty insane adventure. I think this is a very good first episode to start off on if you don't want to do a full rewatch (though definitely check out some season 1 episodes for context). It's definitely when the series really becomes great. It cements its greatness with "Twenty Years to Midnight", which is also a favorite of mine, with its adventure and parody reaching some of the best in these early seasons. Those two episodes still hold up, and helped set the tone for how the show was going to go, so they're definitely the best of this season. "Love Bheits" is probably my least favorite not only of this season, but of the show. It really feels like filler, and it doesn't seem to have had any particular point to it, aside from just making strange references. After that, we get a trio of incredibly funny episodes (including the introduction of Dr. Orpheus' Defenders parody "The Order of the Triad", a welcome addition to the show, in "Fallen Arches", an extremely underrated episode in "Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner", and the insanely wild and funny "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills"). Then, much as the first episode was a real knock-out, the season finale is incredible, endlessly rewatchable, and just is exciting. It fits with season 2 being when the show and its parody finally starts to get its streak of dark humor. I think season 2 shows why the show is so beloved. It has all of its best traits. Honestly, this is a really good place to start if you need a good intro.
Alright, that's it for this month's rewatch. I'm still debating whether to do my annual list, because it's been a rough year and I don't know how I would do it. Anyway, if you like this, donate to my Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/rohithc, and I'll see you soon with Season 3
