Reason for the Season- Venture Bros. Season 3

      Alright, Season 3, let's gooooo:

      This is the first fully strong season of the show, in that there isn't a bad episode in the bunch. The first season starts off rough, and season 2 has some episodes that aren't as good as they could be. Every episode of this season works, it fits into the continuity of the show, and serves some sort of purpose, whether it's building the characters, building the world or just being a straight comedic or adventure episode. Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman" is an example of this. It has some small connection to continuity, but it serves more as a comedic episode, focusing on the awkward sexuality of the Venture clan, and the comedic possibilities inherent in it. It mostly works, and I'm surprised it hasn't been part of my rewatch cycle. Anyway, we get a nice mix of Monarch focused and Dr. Venture focused episodes, each exploring the characters and helping them become fully formed figures, especially as they are no longer official enemies. The Monarch has some great episodes, really showing his passion for loathing Dr. Venture and how difficult it is moving on from said hatred, cementing this key part of his character going forward. Dr. Venture being just as villainous, if not more, is firmly and decisively established in "The Doctor is Sin", which, again, becomes a key part of the character going forward. "The Buddy System", while another comedic episode, helps establish the dysfunctionality of the world and the very idea of "boy adventuring". "The Invisible Hand of Fate" is one of the best episodes of the season, perfectly balancing the worldbuilding and character origins. However, tied for the three best episodes, not only of this season, but the series in general are "What Comes Down, Must Come Up" for its sublime mix of humor, history, and plain insanity, balancing out each of its interweaving stories,  "Now Museum, Now You Don't", which is just a great episode exploring the characters just interacting and the inherent tension in those sorts of interactions, and of course, "ORB", which is a straight adventure, which manages to exhibit the very best of the show's writing, a great mixture of pulp and comic tropes and real world history and some good obscure references to follow, and in the grand tradition of great season finales, "The Family that Slays Together, Slays Together", sees a stunning, unbelievable status quo change which will come to mature the series as it reaches its fourth season, and upping the stakes for characters in a big way. (And a Babes in Toyland reference, so that's cool.)

   Alright, no big outro this time. Again, a link to my Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/rohithc and to my Paypal: https://paypal.me/rohithnc

Reason for the Season- Venture Bros Rewatch Season 2

     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

Reason for the Season- Venture Bros Rewatch Season 1

Much to the shock and sadness of its many fans, the Venture Bros has been canceled by Adult Swim. Over the past year, it has basically become my all-time favorite show, with its blend of comic book parody, adventure genre homage, and obscure references very much in my own wheelhouse. I spent the first part of the year eagerly waiting for a Season 8, in the midst of this godawful pandemic. Well, there are hopes to revive it at HBO Max, but until its confirmed, why not at least go back through the seasons and see how the series changed and evolved to become something truly special. A beloved classic now of television. So, with that, lets begin our rewatch with, of course, how it began. 

  I frequently rewatch Venture Bros, but I don't really rewatch Season 1. Mostly, it's just because, in comparison to later seasons, it doesn't have the right elements yet. Sure, a lot of the best episodes and characters are built on these early episodes, but they don't have that same ... zing that later seasons often have. Honestly, most of my rewatches begin after "Escape from the House of Mummies, Part II" in season 2, where the show's parody actually starts to begin more decisive and its world building clearer. However, in rewatching the first season, I find a lot more episodes hold up better than I thought. The show's thesis statement of generational toxicity and the idea of the show being "between adventures" (as expressed by the creators in the show's art book) is very present in these early episodes. The episodes focus on the characters not going on adventures with jokey villains and gags, but is more of a Woody Allen-esque look into the character's particular quirks and personalities and how between adventures, they suffer from their own neurosies and often have failure in their personal lives. If you've seen the show, you already know that, but it's very clear in these early episodes, and it helps set up how the series will progress in its later seasons. Still, honestly, the first few episodes are rough. Especially the pilot, which doesn't have the best animation and it feels very "mid-2000's Adult Swim", which means a lot of weirdness and oddity in place of actual jokes. Luckily, it starts to pick up with "Careers in Science", which sets the format for many episodes of the show, dealing with the main characters as they each deal with their own crises, and how these characters handle (or don't handle) their own problems. Even still, the show really doesn't pick up until  "Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic!", when it really feels like the parody is spot on with the introduction of the ever loveable Dr. Orpheus, whose introduction is bombastic. The episode helps transition the show less from its original as yet another weird Adult Swim riff on an old Hanna-Barbara property into something a lot more interesting. An examination of the comic book world, through the lens of Gen-X disillusionment in the vein of Dan Clowes. That, "Tag Sale, You're It", "Past Tense", and "Ice Station Impossible" are the few episodes I do rewatch from this season. "Tag Sale, You're It" is not only the best episode of this season, but of the whole show even now, because it really shows the satire of it at its best. It shows the sheer ridiculousness of the whole "hero/villain" conflict is as portrayed in comic books and genre fiction and also really cements the idea of failure and self-propellment in this world. The Monarch has the best line when he realizes he doesn't want to wreck Dr. Venture's lab: "What can I do that life already hasn't", which sums up the theme of the show in a nutshell. "Past Tense" is second best, merely because it is very funny and it shows the writers had bigger plans. Worst episode..... None of them are bad, per se, but the first few are rough and forgettable. Maybe .... "The Incredible Mr. Brisby", because it feels superfluous in the continuity, but even that has some good moments. It's weird to say, but the pilot is likely the worst episode, just because it feels like the initial concept with nothing on it. Like I said, another Adult Swim animated show deconstructing an old Hanna-Barbara property.  It feels very different from what it would become, while still retaining the same structure and some of the same themes. Anyway, rewatching it, Season 1 is actually a little better than I remember it. I might start adding these episodes to my rewatch list. Oh yeah, and the season 1 ending was really when this show sold me on itself. No spoilers, but you don't see it coming, and its resolution really helps the show develop. 

Which we'll get back to next time. If you like my writing, you can support me on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/rohithc. Just a one-time donation should be sufficient. I'm trying to gradually move my writing towards getting money, and I'm hoping the Ko-Fi is a good start. Please check it out, and I'll see you next month for Season 2.