Venture Bros: Mid-life Chrysalis
My research is not complete, but I think this episode contains more disturbing images than any other.
1. Rusty in his toupee. Usually I’m struck by how much Dr. Venture resembles James Urbaniak, but with the wig on it’s truly alarming.
2. Brock losing his nerve. It’s so bizarre to see him at loose ends, without purpose, robbed of his spontaneity.
3. The Monarch masturbating to the image of his girlfriend making out with his arch-enemy. Oh. My. God. Perhaps the single most disturbing image in the history of animation.*
4. Rusty, without preamble, vomiting up reams of mucus to encase himself in.
That’s not even getting into the old, skanky and overweight strippers, the crumbling condom or the ugly pink tumor taking over Rusty’s head.
*Perhaps, even, the most disturbing image in the history of fantasy filmmaking. I don’t know why, but the mere idea of fantasy characters masturbating seems revolutionary and deeply subversive. Imagine Blofeld masturbating. Or Goldfinger. Or Darth Vader. Or even James Bond or Luke Skywalker or Gandalf the Great. Human nature insists that they all do, but, but —
— and then there’s the all-too realistic way that the Monarch goes about it. His hand idly tracing patterns on his chest, then slipping down to his abs, then — I can’t go on. It’s too disturbing.
Venture Bros: Careers in Science
A triumph.
Is it my imagination, or is the female astronaut with the big, bushy red hair but no face supposed to be a reference to the mayor’s assistant in Powerpuff Girls, who has the same haircut and the same unshowable face?
I’m curious if there was a number of character designs developed and rejected, or was the character faceless to begin with?
In general, the sweetest of the Venture Bros. episodes and the most generous in spirit. Rusty almost comes close to being likable.
It’s bizarre how the show walks this line between total parody and genuine drama. For instance, we are clearly not meant to take any of these characters as human beings, and yet they have all been given real backgrounds and personalities. They don’t just do whatever’s funny for a given situation, they react in character and without reliance on catchphrases or punchlines.
J.G. Thirwell’s music is overwhelming. Try watching the show on a home theater system with 5.1 surround sound.