7.4/10. I have this weird propensity to be kind of underwhelmed by Venture Bros. finales. Not that I didn't enjoy this one -- it had some amusing bits and even two absolutely huge moments. But for the most part, it kind of felt like a standard episode, and that's a blessing and curse. The episode basically had four stories, so let's take them in turn.
Dean getting paired up with Colonel Gentleman was probably the biggest dud. There was some good ludicrousness to Dean having to watch old episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and transcribe Colonel's memoirs, but for the most part the pairing just didn't bring out the comedy in either character. The duo of Hank and Action Man fared a little better. Action Man enlisting Hank's help to woo a fellow member of the retirement community is kind of a sitcommy story, but Hank's routine as the no good teenager who learns the error of too-loud rock and roll music was a very funny, so it gets more of a pass.
Pairing "Uncle Vatred" (I'm pretty sure I missed the advent of that nickname) with Gary on a quest to retrieve Doc worked a little better, just because the similarities between them, and the trademark VB noticing of how this whole thing is just a ridiculous game resulted in some nice moments between them, especially with the moppets trying to turn them against each other. But the best story was Dr. Venture with The Monarch Family. I really liked how Dr. Girlfriend knew this would all just be for show, but loves Monarch enough to threaten Doc into playing along. It created an interesting motivation for her, and adds some more depth to the character as she likely ascends to the Council of Thirteen.
But then there were those two great moments. The first is the moment where Momarch gives up on trying to torture Dr. Venture, and the two commiserate with one another. As with Sgt. Hatred and Gary, there's a sense that these two guys are very much the same, but locked into this battle for reasons they barely understand, and both have started to feel the utility of. I think Monarch's boast that he broke Venture's spirit at the end of the episode is overcompensating bravado, but I appreciate the two sharing a moment where they realize how close together they really are in a lot of areas.
And then there's the last little moment between Hank and Dean. Making Dean despondent for the season after hearing the news that he's a clone made for some interesting character development on his part, and gave the character a season-long arc to complement Hank's despondency over the loss of Brock from last season. I like the resolution a lot though, that rather than being bummed by the news, Hank marvels at the coolness of it, and helps his brother perk up a bit too. There's little rays of sunshine that peek through the sadness and failure at the core of the show now and then, and they feel truly earned in little moment like that, where the notion of a brighter tomorrow can be a reason for optimism and awe rather than just a broken promise. Well, maybe I liked the episode better than I thought.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-08-28T21:02:46Z
7.4/10. I have this weird propensity to be kind of underwhelmed by Venture Bros. finales. Not that I didn't enjoy this one -- it had some amusing bits and even two absolutely huge moments. But for the most part, it kind of felt like a standard episode, and that's a blessing and curse. The episode basically had four stories, so let's take them in turn.
Dean getting paired up with Colonel Gentleman was probably the biggest dud. There was some good ludicrousness to Dean having to watch old episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and transcribe Colonel's memoirs, but for the most part the pairing just didn't bring out the comedy in either character. The duo of Hank and Action Man fared a little better. Action Man enlisting Hank's help to woo a fellow member of the retirement community is kind of a sitcommy story, but Hank's routine as the no good teenager who learns the error of too-loud rock and roll music was a very funny, so it gets more of a pass.
Pairing "Uncle Vatred" (I'm pretty sure I missed the advent of that nickname) with Gary on a quest to retrieve Doc worked a little better, just because the similarities between them, and the trademark VB noticing of how this whole thing is just a ridiculous game resulted in some nice moments between them, especially with the moppets trying to turn them against each other. But the best story was Dr. Venture with The Monarch Family. I really liked how Dr. Girlfriend knew this would all just be for show, but loves Monarch enough to threaten Doc into playing along. It created an interesting motivation for her, and adds some more depth to the character as she likely ascends to the Council of Thirteen.
But then there were those two great moments. The first is the moment where Momarch gives up on trying to torture Dr. Venture, and the two commiserate with one another. As with Sgt. Hatred and Gary, there's a sense that these two guys are very much the same, but locked into this battle for reasons they barely understand, and both have started to feel the utility of. I think Monarch's boast that he broke Venture's spirit at the end of the episode is overcompensating bravado, but I appreciate the two sharing a moment where they realize how close together they really are in a lot of areas.
And then there's the last little moment between Hank and Dean. Making Dean despondent for the season after hearing the news that he's a clone made for some interesting character development on his part, and gave the character a season-long arc to complement Hank's despondency over the loss of Brock from last season. I like the resolution a lot though, that rather than being bummed by the news, Hank marvels at the coolness of it, and helps his brother perk up a bit too. There's little rays of sunshine that peek through the sadness and failure at the core of the show now and then, and they feel truly earned in little moment like that, where the notion of a brighter tomorrow can be a reason for optimism and awe rather than just a broken promise. Well, maybe I liked the episode better than I thought.