venture bros

[gbeenie]

For what it's worth, the phrase "pounding his invisible meat" is permanently burned in my brain.

And Klaus Nomi's falsetto can kill.

[daltysmilth]

I guess for once I'm gonna have to be a troll and say I never really liked Venture Bros.  Not one bit.  I just don't think it's that funny.  To me, laughing at Venture Bros. is like laughing at a kid with Down Syndrome when they do or say something stupid.  Sure, it might be somewhat funny, but at what cost?  Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like all the jokes are "Oh look, Brock used WAAAAAAAAAAY more force than was necessary to defeat the bad guys.  And Dean and Hank are really naive about how the world works!  Oh, and Dr. Girlfriend is really hot-looking, but her voice sounds like a man's voice!  And the Monarch is a really incompetent bad guy!"  Did I miss anything?

[Sharktopus]

I guess for once I'm gonna have to be a troll and say I never really liked Venture Bros.  Not one bit.  I just don't think it's that funny.  To me, laughing at Venture Bros. is like laughing at a kid with Down Syndrome when they do or say something stupid.  Sure, it might be somewhat funny, but at what cost?  Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like all the jokes are "Oh look, Brock used WAAAAAAAAAAY more force than was necessary to defeat the bad guys.  And Dean and Hank are really naive about how the world works!  Oh, and Dr. Girlfriend is really hot-looking, but her voice sounds like a man's voice!  And the Monarch is a really incompetent bad guy!"  Did I miss anything?

First of all, you're not a troll for expressing an unpopular opinion. (Unless you're a douche about it, like a certain hemmorhoid who will remain nameless...) We still love you, Dalty, even if you're completely backassward wrong. 

Anyway, you seem to be missing the point. True, what you've pointed out about the show isn't particularly funny, not anymore funny than, say, Homer Simpson being a complete bumbling idiot, or Bender being a vice-ridden robot. It's the way the characters interact with each other, how they react to situations, and the absurd fusion of Johnny Quest-style action with modern geek attitudes that's funny. For example, here's one of my favorite moments from the episode "Fallen Arches." Dr Orpheus has reassembled his old superteam the Order of the Triad to audition prospective archnemeses:

Jefferson Twilight, Blacula Hunter: On three we give him the old Rochambeau.
The Alchemist: Rock-paper-scissors?
Dr Orpheus: What does a general from the American Revolution have to do with this?
Jefferson Twilight: American Revolution? Rochambeau sounds French to me.
Dr Orpheus: Yes, the Franco-American forces.
Jefferson Twilight: They fought with Spaghettios and meatballs?
The Alchemist: Why would a company called Franco-American make Italian food?

But hey, there's no more subjective question than What's funny and why?

[daltysmilth]

Anyway, you seem to be missing the point. True, what you've pointed out about the show isn't particularly funny, not anymore funny than, say, Homer Simpson being a complete bumbling idiot, or Bender being a vice-ridden robot. It's the way the characters interact with each other, how they react to situations, and the absurd fusion of Johnny Quest-style action with modern geek attitudes that's funny.

No, I get the point.  I just think it's not really absurd enough to truly qualify as a parody of Johnny Quest, but it's not far enough away from the style of the show to really be anything other than a parody.  Either way, I just don't think the show goes about trying to accomplish what it's trying to accomplish in the right way, and I've seen other shows and movies do it much more skillfully.  Space Ghost: Coast To Coast, for one.  Harvey Birdman.  The early episodes of Sealab 2021.  Red Vs. Blue is another one.  Okay, maybe that one isn't a parody of anything in particular, but it is sort of loosely set in the Halo universe.  Or how about the Brady Bunch movies?  Those movies are a perfect example of taking something that was popular in the past and seeing what happens when you look at it through a modern lens. 

[Wiseblood]

Ooooh....tiger BOMB!

I think I feel a...lump.

[Sharktopus]

Anyway, you seem to be missing the point. True, what you've pointed out about the show isn't particularly funny, not anymore funny than, say, Homer Simpson being a complete bumbling idiot, or Bender being a vice-ridden robot. It's the way the characters interact with each other, how they react to situations, and the absurd fusion of Johnny Quest-style action with modern geek attitudes that's funny.

No, I get the point.  I just think it's not really absurd enough to truly qualify as a parody of Johnny Quest, but it's not far enough away from the style of the show to really be anything other than a parody.  Either way, I just don't think the show goes about trying to accomplish what it's trying to accomplish in the right way, and I've seen other shows and movies do it much more skillfully.  Space Ghost: Coast To Coast, for one.  Harvey Birdman.  The early episodes of Sealab 2021.  Red Vs. Blue is another one.  Okay, maybe that one isn't a parody of anything in particular, but it is sort of loosely set in the Halo universe.  Or how about the Brady Bunch movies?  Those movies are a perfect example of taking something that was popular in the past and seeing what happens when you look at it through a modern lens. 

That's just it - I don't see Venture Bros as a parody of anything in particular. Sure, it borrows its basic premise from Johnny Quest, but it throws in so much from superhero comics and pop culture in general that it's become its own fully-developed world unto itself. The early episodes, which were nothing but a weak JQ parody, just plain suck. It's only once the writers stretched their legs, and the characters took on lives of their own, that it became what I love so much.

[Carmelita]

I really enjoyed Season 1 but Season 2 was kind of a let down for me.  It just didn't seem to have as much humor for me.  *shrug*  I watch my Season 1 DVDs all the time though.   

[Sharktopus]

I really enjoyed Season 1 but Season 2 was kind of a let down for me.  It just didn't seem to have as much humor for me.  *shrug*  I watch my Season 1 DVDs all the time though.   

Really? I found Season 2 to be stronger, myself. Well, at least you're not completely wrong, like Dalty.

[Pak-Man]

Really? I thought Season 2 kicked it into high gear. That's where you have your Escape from the House of Mummies Part 2, the battle at the mall, the subsequent breakout using collectibles, the ghost of Lincoln, the Henchman Suit-Up scene, the clone-death montage...

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

ok the house of mummies part 2 was freaken genius

FREAKEN GENIUS

which is why so many people dont find it funny. 

[Compound]

Really? I thought Season 2 kicked it into high gear. That's where you have your Escape from the House of Mummies Part 2, the battle at the mall, the subsequent breakout using collectibles, the ghost of Lincoln, the Henchman Suit-Up scene, the clone-death montage...

IGNORE ME!

[Bob]

I had NEVER heard of the Venture Brothers before, but those YouTube videos were HILARIOUS.

I must check this out.

[Pak-Man]

House Of Mummies may be my favorite. "Hank, stop riding the perfect man."

[sarcasm_made_Easy]

no i want to stay here with my new friends and their feel good candy. 

[Sharktopus]

no i want to stay here with my new friends and their feel good candy. 

It is a crime that the opening "Everybody's Free" segment from "Powerless In The Face Of Death" isn't on YouTube. It's not the most hilarious thing ever, but it's just so beautifully staged. Dr Orpheus crying, the Monarch eating a butterfly, and quite possibly the best use of '90s club music ever.