Yeah I actually liked this one, in spite of the Orpheus disappearance, and taking way too long to explain what that control room was that the Monarch was in, and the weak handwave for why Mrs. Dr. Girlfriend can’t order her own henchmen to piss off.
Judging by the flag-touch football game, I’m assuming the Sphinx guys finally gave up on trying to remain hidden from the rest of the Venture compound.
Don’t know if anyone else noticed, but they released the first half of season 4 on DVD this week.
Received just the other day. Have not yet cracked open, but for those wondering, it doesn’t have fake coffee stains this time around.
Notice there’s also zero discussion of this past week’s episode and it’s just as well. One of the limpest and absolute weakest ones in recent memory.
In response to thunderous interest in DVD set here, posting quick thoughts:
DVD set is physically far less impressive than Season 3 DVD. No fold-out anywhere. Powder-blue speed-suit cover is simple paper DVD sleeve for conventional laminated DVD case inside. Cover of DVD case, for whatever reason, folds out as a blown-up picture of a man’s bare, hairy upper chest with a nipple on either side of the cover. Inside DVD cover is nothing but disc and tiny scrap of artwork (the Modern Villain magazine cover featuring Dr. Girlfriend).
DVD extras very scarce. Include a trailer, the one “cut” episode opener from Season 3 (combat simulation), and deleted scenes, none of which are any great shakes.
Commentary is provided for every single episode and reveals, among other things:
-Jesus-haired humorist Dino Stamatopolous, creator of “Moral Orel” show, apparently blasted Doc Hammer at some comic convention panel about Hammer’s Pete White-like hairdo. That panel apparently appears on the Moral Orel DVD, not on this one. Would’ve been much more interesting than any of this disc’s extras.
-The boys (Hammer and McCulloch) are very much aware of how unpopular Sgt Hatred is, and in several points in the commentary, defend the character (either earnestly or ironically, hard to tell), pointing out that unlike Brock, who is too cool for Dr. Venture’s harebrained schemes, Hatred is “up for anything.” They also point out that the repeated references to Hatred’s pederasty in every episode is nothing more than a TV requisite, since any viewer might be coming into any episode blind without knowing Hatred’s history. They consistently defend the character as being “great” and laugh (again, either earnestly or ironically) at how funny he is.
-The boys concede that nobody (in the fan community, nor any of the show’s actual characters) cares for the Murderous Moppets. They don’t seem terribly supportive themselves. This is presumably why the two have had such staying power…specifically to mess with the heads of fans. (In the recent run of Season 4, Volume 2 episodes on TV, the two have a very emphatic near-death experience but survive it, presumably to mess with the heads of those who want the duo dead.)
-On commentary, the boys constantly point out their incredibly low-tech, low-rent solution for DVD commentary. In episode 1, their video feed cuts out halfway through and they completely fly blind.
Um yeah, first create a show with great characters people love and then after two seasons take those away and replace them with characters people hate. Great plan.
Jerks.
I believe we’ve seen this before.
The only time the Sgt was funny was when the midget was in his bag.
Aw, I like the moppets. They’re the most unassumingly evil characters in the show.
H.
Woooo! Also, <3 to the moppets. And I don’t totally hate Sgt. Hatred… more Brock would be nice, though.
In a show filled with great season finales, this was one of their best.
And I liked the part in the credits that read “The Venture Brothers Will Return.” Something to ponder over the next couple of years before season 5.
Edit: As of right now, there is no “Rusty Venture” definition at urbandictionary.com. They’re about to get a flood.
The ending with Brock racing back really was awesome, as was the side-effect Dr Venture’s “Spanish Fly” has. The stuff with 21 was great, too, but the OSI/Sphinx shit didn’t really resonate.
I’m not sure what I think about the episode as a whole yet. Going to sleep on it. Also loved the Brock stuff and the side effect. Still, I just about died laughing at the scene after the credits.
For me, the finale was about as satisfying as the whole season. Which is not at all.
I loved the finale. It wasn’t all cliffhangery, but that was a welcome change. I especially liked the OSI/Sphinx resolution and am kinda hoping that Treister winds up on Gargantua and JJ fixes him up.
My DVR messed up and I missed like 5-10 minutes in the middle, but I definitely feel like I need a few repeat viewings to digest that episode fully.
Gotta say I totally felt Dean on the ending there.
So… I laughed when Brock drove the limo over the dead henchman. And that was pretty much it.
Ah, Zylon. The alexlitel of the Venture thread, in that I will love something in direct proportion to how much you hated it.
I didn’t like the episode that much, but I didn’t hate it as much as some earlier ones from this season. I thought the whole “What’s a Rusty Venture?” thing went on WAY too long, and the sexual references seemed a little out of place.
Brock: “What’s with the mouth?”
Hank: “I swear now. The new Hank swears!”
(or something like that)
The new Hank cusses.
Apparently so does the new Dean!
The show has always had a lot of sexual content though.