It is imperative that your read the recaps of Season One, Season Two, Season Three and Season Four to fully understand the insanity of what follows.
Hope Has No Home Here
One of the most important aspects of the season was the “blackening” of Dean Venture. Bright-eyed and exuberant was Dean no longer; and it all started on (A Very Venture) Halloween. During a romp through “Old Man Potter’s Place” – a place apparently long-abandoned and supposedly haunted, Dean discovered the area wasn’t so empty after all. Inside, Dean discovers another scientist simply named Ben who used to be a colleague of Dr. Jonas Venture, Sr. who actually played a part in bringing Hank and Dean into this world. Ben reveals during this initial encounter between creation and creator that Dean and Hank are actually clones of the original brothers Venture. The revelation that he wasn’t, in fact, the original Dean Venture – let alone an “organic” human being – sent Dena into a downward spiral of depression. Dean became “emo”.
After letting his emotions turn physical by burning up his “learning bed”, Dean joined Sergeant Hatred (or “Vatred”/“Ventured”) in hiring volunteers to construct an ionic ray shield for his uncle Jonas Venture, Jr. It was during this recruitment session that Dean met the incredibly cute and intelligent Thalia. Between work hours, Thalia and Dean spent significant time together; encounters that were heightened by radiation poisoning causing physical mutations to everyone who spent too much time in the designated area (including Sgt. Hatred, who was gaining a pair of voluptuous breasts). Thalia, sporting two extra arms, hair loss and telekinesis, convinced her love interest to fight her fellow mutants in white and orange clean suits – with the latter turning into giant, lizard-like creatures reminiscent of Bowser from “Super Mario Bros.”. Dean somehow won the “Challenge” mostly thanks to a series of childish challenges including a cookie-eating contest. Thanks to a dual chemical attack by Dr. Venture and The Monarch – who believed Henchman 21 wasn’t done with being his best lackey, but simply infiltrating The Venture Compound under the guise of quitting the henching lifestyle – the college kids and Dean Venture alike were saved and left incredibly high.
Dean’s actions made him forget about his problems, gave him hope for finding someone to love not named Triana Orpheus, and even returned H.E.L.P.eR. back to its original state after his father transformed the musically inclined robot into a walking eye that shot lasers. Wanting to find some type of connection to his old life and memories (that weren’t really his experiences), Dean contacted Myra Brandish. Myra, Dr. Thaddeus Venture’s former bodyguard and lover, convinced herself and, to a certain extent, Dean that she actually gave birth to him and his brother. But Myra was clinically insane. And, somehow, “Mother” Myra convinced all of her fellow residents in Dunwitch Asylum that she was the maternal figure of everyone locked inside with her. “Inside her” was also where Myra wanted Dean to return so she could truly experience the miracle of childbirth. Thankfully for Dean, his brother and Gary (Henchman 21) had gotten themselves incarcerated as well; staging a riot that freed everyone.
Continuously throughout the season, Dean found solace in who and what he was not by his own merit, but thanks to the concerned words of his brother. In the season’s closing moments, the youngest Ventures have a quick chat where Hank explained how awesome it is to be some kind of super clone reaching “Highlander” status. For a short moment, the hopefulness that once made Dean such an enjoyable character returned without another word being spoken between the two other than Hank alerting his bro that he was about to breathe new life into the world … with his feces.
A Rivalry For the Ages
One of the more interesting twists seen in season five was Billy “Quiz Boy” Whalen finally getting an arch. After applying to The Guild of Calamitous Intent seasons ago to be just like Dr. Venture and have some costumed super villain trying to ruin his and roommate Pete White’s lives, Billy moved on to more promising adventures. Then the fifth season began and White was confronted by a force all-too-familiar; a force of unimaginable annoyance. That force belonged to a portly, incredibly rich scientist with a penchant for quellazaire smoking and talking through his nose, Augustus St. Cloud. Having the money to buy anything he desired, St. Cloud had become one of Dr. Venture’s favorite clients due to his mix of wanting super weapons and, more likely, items of novelty associated with the life of “Rusty” Venture and his Dr. Venture, Sr.’s TV show. Though he made several appearances over the course of the series, it wasn’t until the beginning of season five that Augustus was not only given a name, but also a reason to exist: to expose Billy for the continued cheater that he is.
Augustus had the opportunity to be a part of the game show “Quizboys” during his youth just like Billy. But when it was revealed that the show’s creators were helping Billy win, St. Cloud reasonably felt robbed of his chance to showcase his intellectual skills. To make matters worse, Billy won Ebay auctions against Augustus that further angered the man believing Whalen was nothing more than a glorified cheater. Their encounters, while minimal in time and nature, actually led to several hilarious and outright endearing confrontations including St. Cloud recreating the “Quizboys” set for an early season showdown. In the end, Billy one-upped St. Cloud again and again – proving his intellectual superiority as well as St. Cloud having the inability to overcome the “albino code”.
Double Crossing the Double Crossers
The epic fourth season finale featured Brock Samson, a former Venture family bodyguard by the command of the Office of Secret Intelligence (O.S.I.) turned S.P.H.I.N.X. agent – a group once used as team Cobra to the O.S.I.’s G.I. Joe who had become vigilantes to stop unlicensed super villains and mad scientists who were operating without The Guild of Calamitous Intent’s approval – joining his S.P.H.I.N.X. team under the continued leadership of Colonel Hunter Gathers as the O.S.I.’s premier unit after witnessing the deaths of his greatest love/adversary, Molotov Cocktease, and the only man she dropped her chastity for in the enormous Monstroso … or so Samson thought. While Gary tried to take up where the latest iteration of S.P.H.I.N.X. left off (eventually getting double crossed by the group’s original members looking for one last moment in the figurative sun before going out in a blaze of glory after hiring Hank as a member of the team as “Destiny” – a power suit-wearing strong woman that proved to be so comfortable to Hank that he refused to remove the outfit) and accidentally screwing up an O.S.I. mission by blowing the cover of Brock & his fellow soldiers, the Office captured the living romantic couple as they went out of their way to give their attempting capturers the show of a lifetime.
Taking Monstroso and Molotov into custody gave Brock and the eventual government agents trying to figure out what happened great insight about the powers that be in The Guild, including the mysterious Council of Thirteen. Before Samson could get any more information, Monstroso went into a rage trying to avoid the sinister grip of the obviously dangerous and devilish trio known simply as “The Investors”. Samson never saw what occurred between the attacking three and Monstroso after having a table thrown on top of him; not witnessing The Investors removing Monstroso from his holding by putting him through a wall and dropping him from the figurative heavens to the earth below. As this was occurring, Molotov escaped her prison through her own volition. Molotov would be confronted by the power suit-wearing Hank minutes after her breakout, beating him down and stealing the suit – leaving Hank paralyzed due to muscle atrophy – prior to a final fight with Brock.
And just when everyone thought Samson had rid the world of this highly talented assassin, Col. Gathers ran interference by revealing the truth: Molotov, being a mercenary for hire to the highest bidder, helped the O.S.I. actually kill the double agents working alongside Gathers, Brock and the eccentric Shore Leave this entire time. Through the magic of camera feed connections allowed for Brock to throw the power suit into the ship’s motor while everyone watching assumed Cocktease was still inside. The O.S.I. gave Molotov her “death sentence”, only to discover far too late that they too were tools in a game started and potentially finished by The Investors.
Regression is Progression?
After being forced to fulfill a contract with his baby brother in creating an ionic shield for Gargantua-2, Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture’s past came back to haunt and invigorate his life. On the negative side of things was one of his experiments leading a revolution in Central America. Good, ol’ Venturestein – the resurrected corpse of an old Monarch henchman that Dr. Venture wanted to use as a test model to earn a government contract – discovered many mad scientists in the jungles of Central America that featured creatures ready to break free of their literal shackles and fight. But primal rage got the better of these monsters and Venturestein’s attempt to be the mutated Che Guevara was hindered and willingly stopped by a coffee bean-fueled Hank (who transformed into “The Bat”) and the arrival of other mutants looking for haven alongside Venturestein.
On the other end of the spectrum for “Rusty” was his return to the Greek island “Spanakos” for the yearly “Spanakopita” festival. When Thaddeus was a small child, he was left out of his father’s protective sight for far too long; making him easy prey for a kidnapping and ransom attempt. Unfortunately for the wannabe pirates, they couldn’t contact Dr. Venture, Sr. and witnessed the sad cries of what appeared to be an abandoned child. Augustus St. Cloud also arrived for the event after some eavesdropping, cheating in hopes of winning the “Spanakopita Games”. The quest for victory had Rusty reliving the joys of his youth while doing his best to avoid losing his “championship”. Thanks to some unexpected help, Thaddeus kept his winning streak alive (while dropping more money than he could almost afford – allowing local innkeeper Giorgio and his promise come true by making Jonas, Sr. pay for taking his eye all the those years ago when the superhero worthy father finally recovered his son). But Thaddeus’ youthful enthusiasm gained from “Spanakopita” put him in quite the pickle only a couple of episodes later.
Former allies and employee-employer “Henchman 21” Gary and The Monarch were having problems facing the reality of their current situations. As mentioned earlier, Gary quit his position as The Monarch’s top henchman during the fourth season finale, “joining” S.P.H.I.N.X.. But since Gary wasn’t officially enlisted, when the militia went back to the O.S.I. Gary was left all alone to carry on the name of S.P.H.I.N.X. (or just hang around and play with as Brock verbally assumed he would). Gary, as hard as he tried, simply couldn’t pull off being a heroic leader. Though Gary “The Viceroy” overcame most of his inexperience on the battlefield, he couldn’t see the forest from the trees when it came to being tricked by people who have played the game longer and better than he ever could – though he proved to be a pretty good outside bodyguard for the Venture family.
While Gary attempted to be a good guy (and failed rather miserably), The Monarch was hoping “Henchman 21” would make his grand return after pulling an infiltration attack on the Venture clan by pretending to be a fed-up henchman who couldn’t take The Monarch’s stupidity anymore. Though The Monarch had several opportunities to talk with Gary and gain confirmation that this wasn’t some elaborate plan by Henchman 21, but a legitimate resignation, he never believed and continued arching the Ventures. Like so many other instances of villainy, The Monarch’s plans went awry until he the revelation of a lifetime: when he was a child, the little Monarch actually befriended Rusty Venture.
The learning of this lost memory sent The Monarch into a state of confusion that could only be helped by torturing the other person who had no idea of their interactions pre-college, Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture. Thanks to Thaddeus literally walking into a den of villains more than happy to melt him in an acid bath because Rusty thought he was going into the same costume party as Brock Samson, The Monarch was able to capture Dr. Venture for the first time in three seasons. But The Monarch forgot whom he was dealing with. The instruments of torture including ringing a giant bell while Thaddeus was inside didn’t really affect someone whose childhood was based on being captured and tortured until his father rescued him.
Add that to the fact The Monarch was terribly unprepared; leaving him unable to even use some of the equipment he had ready for Dr. Venture’s physical annihilation. In a moment of clarity thanks to his inability to do the one thing he also wanted (kill Dr. Venture), The Monarch released his nemesis while informing Rusty that, just like so many other times in his life, no one noticed he was even missing. But before they could go their separate ways, the enemies had what could only be described as a “heart-to-heart” chat – lamenting over their lives and inability to find hope in what once made them happy, yet can’t get away from no matter how hard they try (though The Monarch found solace in lying to his wife about mentally breaking Dr. Venture” before letting him go).
The Monarch and Henchman 21 eventually reunited thanks to sheer happenstance (and Sgt. Hatred having an emotional breakdown after someone else he trusted supposedly tricked him) and moved into The Monarch’s run-down childhood home after The Monarch’s cocoon fortress was shot down and crashed into The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch’s home.
By the season’s end, Thaddeus, The Monarch and even “Henchman 21” Gary had to revert to what made them the people they were while coming to the realization that the lives they once enjoyed and eventually outgrew were the closest thing they all had when it came to a stable existence – even if that existence is dangerous, annoying, and, at times, downright demoralizing. Though parts of the past were meant to stay hidden and not embraced.
He Doesn’t Get Out at the Last Second
Similar to previous “specials”, “All This and Gargantua-2” – the same piece of floating hardware in the middle of space that initiated the actions of season five – kicked off in subtle fashion as the Venture family headed into the starry night for the grand opening of the first outer space casino and hotel that is Gargantua-2. But they weren’t the only ones planning to make an appearance on the space station, both willingly and involuntary. The O.S.I.’s Brock Samson and Amber Gold – a classic southern belle now having an affair with Samson – decided to hitch a ride by abducting passengers on another ship so they could crash the party. Why? Because the O.S.I. discovered Jonas Venture, Jr., the mind behind Gargantua-2’s transformation, had struck a deal with The Investors. There was also the floating, space-bound body of General Treister formerly of the O.S.I. – a man suffering from genital cancer under the guise that he was a living “Incredible Hulk”. But nothing mattered more than the interactions between two brothers. Angered about his accommodations (or lack thereof), “Rusty” confronted the twin brother he ate in the womb and “birthed” decades later; only to discover that “JJ” was dying of cancer. The staging was far too great and left Jonas only had a short time to live.
A true family moment
But just as much was happening on land as it was in space. “Henchman 21” Gary, whom reunited with his old employers The Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (or DMT Monarch) during the fifth season finale, joined the husband and wife in moving after their home was destroyed by The Monarch’s shot down flying Cocoon. The new place of residency – The Monarch’s childhood home that had now become run-down due to years of neglect and apparent squatters. It didn’t take long before DMT Monarch’s new duties a member of The Guild’s Council of 13 became pressing and whisked her away as her husband and Henchman 21 were left to explore what was, shockingly enough, a refrigerator full of fresh food. How could something like this happen? These weren’t some average vagrants, but the Phantom Limb created (and now Dr. Henry Killinger-managed) Revenge Society hoping to attack and rob Gargantua-2.
While The Monarch and his lone henchman planned to subdue Limb by too going into space via an easily stolen Venture brand rocket (easily stolen thanks to Sgt. Hatred and The Triad trying to fix the suddenly decaying Venture Compound), DMT Monarch was fighting for her life as The Guild’s Sovereign had apparently gone rouge and was murdering Council members who didn’t agree with his idea of killing everyone on the Gargantua-2. The Sovereign actually had a little assistance in the matter courtesy of former Guild adversary and believed heir to the throne in Limb himself. With the help of Watch & Ward, DMT Monarch confronted The Sovereign (or simply “…some bloke who wanted to be anyone but himself.”), escaped a sure death, and accidentally caused the O.S.I.’s top sharpshooter to kill the fleeing Sovereign prior to piloting The Monarch’s ship into “Meteor Majeure” – the previous sovereign’s hideout and the site of an epic battle between “brothers”.
Star Wars, eat your heart out
Eventually the actions of earth and space collided as The Revenge Society invaded the party-hosting space station and started robbing the joint. Jonas discovered that the ship’s reactor was about to suffer a meltdown that would complete The Sovereign’s goal of leaving nothing alive including The Investors. Brock Samson killed “Zero” (Henchman Zero) with the help of Amber. And asteroids were starting to pelt Gargantua-2 after the ionic shield failed. With the help of Thaddeus, Dean and Treister – who actually became a hulk thanks to constant exposure to radiation – JJ had the opportunity to stop his “baby” from obliterating everyone who couldn’t escape their intended floating coffin. In one last honorable action after a complete evacuation of Gargantua-2, Jonas Venture, Jr. and General Treister took one last flight with the reactor.
As the black void known as “space” lit up with debris and the night’s sky was illuminated by the burning Venture Compound, Dr. Killinger revealed that he had found the perfect people to begin The Council of 13 anew – Phantom Limb, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Henchman 21, the ode to Two-Face in Radical Left, Ward and Watch. But in a twist very few if anyone saw coming (or saw at all), the internet-viewable epilogue showed just how thoughtful Jonas, Jr. was as he left in his will that his big brother be the owner of “JJ’s” multi-billion dollar industry and headquarters located in New York. Thaddeus’ reaction was incredibly reasonable.
And so ends the fifth and probably most emotionally driven season of “The Venture Bros.” to date. What strange, outrageous and wonderful adventures await the family heading into season six? The wait is almost over.
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