The art of parody doesn’t aspire to great heights. Typically, it takes a target, ridicules its subject matter or approach to it, and then closes with a laugh. It seeks to entertain and possibly provide a new slant on the same message. Parody doesn’t evolve. It might build up a catalog of jokes on popular topics, but it never reaches for a self-sustaining existence, one where it dreams up its own comic basis, content to latch on and draw material from elsewhere. That’s where The Venture Bros. started, as a show that lambasted Hanna-Barbera adventure shows like Jonny Quest or Scooby-Doo by staging its own series of random adventures based on the life of a resentful scientist who grew up as the son of the world’s most beloved mystery-solving, crime fighting hero.
As the series worked its way through the first season, it was clear it had aspirations beyond adventure parody. Comic book, film, classic television, and literature references started pouring in, and the characters began developing depth at a startling rate. By the second season there were definite hints at a deeper mythology to the show developing and the cast of characters expanded to include a much stranger but consistently funny collection of pop-culture tributes. As of the third season, the show had a rogues gallery and more lead characters than most writers could ever keep track of. It ended with a big showdown between the forces of the Monarch, Phantom Limb, and the Venture Compound, the aftermath of which starts off the fourth season.
If the third season is where The Venture Bros. stopped being a parody show and starts the process of being its own entity, then the fourth season is where the show comes to terms with that. While characters like Doctor Orpheus (Steven Rattazzi), Pete White (Christopher McCulloch), Master Billy Quizboy (Hammer), Professor Impossible (Bill Hader, formerly Stephen Colbert), and Dr. Baron Werner Ünterbheit (T. Ryder Smith) pop up from time to time, the true focus of the show is Dr. Thaddeus “Rusty” Venture (James Urbaniak), the son of the acclaimed Dr. Jonas Venture (Paul Boocock) who turned Venture Industries into a world leader of technological innovation. With Jonas’s passing, Rusty now manages what remains of the company and takes his two sons, Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas) and Hank (McCulloch), while under the guard of Brock Samson (Patrick Warburton), pretty much universally feared the world over. The events of season three’s finale have seen Samson retire as their guardian (with the head of the robot H.E.L.P.eR embedded in his chest) to join the clandestine group Sphinx (think G.I. Joe), with reformed villain (and pedophile) Sergeant Hatred (McCulloch) filling in for him.
The season’s events see less forward motion for the Ventures as it does for Henchman 21, who mourns the loss of Henchman 24 from the season three finale, and Phantom Limb. As the main characters go about their normal shenanigans facing off against the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend’s often inept schemes, Henchman 21 becomes the most hardcore henchman he can be with the help of Henchman 24’s ghost (as represented by his charred skull) and Phantom Limb adopts the moniker Revenge and makes an evil alliance with a few other villains. The latter is really just a 5 or 6-episode arc, whereas Henchman 21’s transformation is probably the biggest event of the season. The rest of the time is devoted to random adventures and further elaboration on the comically interwoven pasts of all the main characters. It’s quite impressive how well they’ve tied everything together at this point, and as the writers are beginning to discover, they can now manage some pretty complicated plots.
The animation has improved remarkably since the first season, due to a change in methods and, most importantly, a change in budget. In high def, the animation is sharp, the colors vivid, and all 16 episodes fit on one disc.
This is easily the best reason to watch Adult Swim nowadays, and anyone who hasn’t given The Venture Bros. a try at this point, should do so. This is a great fourth season and the writers and actors are doing splendidly in keeping it fresh and entertaining.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
There isn’t much to see here besides some interstitial commercials and multiple takes on certain lines from episodes. Clearly the extras aren’t going to play a factor in your decision to buy this set.
"The Venture Bros.: The Complete Season 4" is on sale March 22, 2011 and is not rated. Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi. Directed by Christopher Mcculloch, Jon Schnepp. Written by Christopher McCulloch, Doc Hammer. Starring Christopher Mcculloch, Doc Hammer, James Urbaniak, Michael Sinterniklaas, Patrick Warburton, Steven Rattazzi.
