7.8/10. Oh Venture Bros., I just don't know what to do with you. So much of this episode is so unfocused, jumping around and frankly becoming pretty unwieldy in the way it tries to balance a dozen storylines and what feels like a hundred characters all at once. And then in the end, after so much throat-clearing and set-up and kind of indulgent check-ins with anyone and everyone who's crossed paths with the Ventures, it all sort of falls together in this crazy explosion of character and continuity and a little bit of real feeling to boot.
I have mixed feelings about any given storyline. I like Dean having made it past his down period, having the cleverness to solve super science problems, and even boosting his dad's self esteem. I like the way the episode tied JJ's terminal illness to The Investors, and even made good on the former head of OSI's hulk-like "condition." I liked the return of Killinger and his method of whipping the Revenge Society into shape and making them the new Council of Thirteen, not to mention his Star Wars-inspired battles with the Investors, who are apparently his siblings. (The whole episode had a major Star Wars vibe to it, which is kind of interesting synergy for me since I've been watching The Clone Wars as something of a companion show.) I loved Dr. Girlfriend's devotion to Monarch despite his rampant stupidity and her showndown with The Sovereign. I even enjoyed Hank trying to play it cool as a spy and help Brock only to throw up when he has to face Brock taking out Zero.
As is the case in a lot of Venture Bros, there was a lot of scattershot stuff going on here though. And as also the case, things came together pretty damn well by the time the episode was finished. But since this episode was supersized, that jumbled beginning felt even more jumbled than usual, and that ending, which involved so many characters and so much action and excitement, felt especially epic. I'm not sure if it's the greatest thing Venture Bros. has ever done, but it's one of the most ambitious and for the most part, that ambition paid off.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-08-30T23:02:39Z
7.8/10. Oh Venture Bros., I just don't know what to do with you. So much of this episode is so unfocused, jumping around and frankly becoming pretty unwieldy in the way it tries to balance a dozen storylines and what feels like a hundred characters all at once. And then in the end, after so much throat-clearing and set-up and kind of indulgent check-ins with anyone and everyone who's crossed paths with the Ventures, it all sort of falls together in this crazy explosion of character and continuity and a little bit of real feeling to boot.
I have mixed feelings about any given storyline. I like Dean having made it past his down period, having the cleverness to solve super science problems, and even boosting his dad's self esteem. I like the way the episode tied JJ's terminal illness to The Investors, and even made good on the former head of OSI's hulk-like "condition." I liked the return of Killinger and his method of whipping the Revenge Society into shape and making them the new Council of Thirteen, not to mention his Star Wars-inspired battles with the Investors, who are apparently his siblings. (The whole episode had a major Star Wars vibe to it, which is kind of interesting synergy for me since I've been watching The Clone Wars as something of a companion show.) I loved Dr. Girlfriend's devotion to Monarch despite his rampant stupidity and her showndown with The Sovereign. I even enjoyed Hank trying to play it cool as a spy and help Brock only to throw up when he has to face Brock taking out Zero.
As is the case in a lot of Venture Bros, there was a lot of scattershot stuff going on here though. And as also the case, things came together pretty damn well by the time the episode was finished. But since this episode was supersized, that jumbled beginning felt even more jumbled than usual, and that ending, which involved so many characters and so much action and excitement, felt especially epic. I'm not sure if it's the greatest thing Venture Bros. has ever done, but it's one of the most ambitious and for the most part, that ambition paid off.