The Venture Bros.: The Terminus Mandate
September 24, 2018 9:21 AM - Season 7, Episode 8 - Subscribe

So it turns out there don't have to be 13 councilors in the Guild of Calamitous Intent, but each one does have to give up their life of antagonism. So every councilperson gets to go out and do one last arch. Meanwhile, Rusty sets his sights on a woman - who has a string of dead rich men behind her.
posted by GuyZero (16 comments total)
 
While I didn't laugh out loud as much this episode, I found myself smiling as I went to bed last night. A really great episode on a lot of levels that digs deep into character.
posted by GuyZero at 9:22 AM on September 24, 2018


And since everything is apparently posted before you even think of it: Johnny Quest vs last night's flashback.
posted by GuyZero at 9:33 AM on September 24, 2018 [9 favorites]


"Charming" is the best word I can use to summarize this episode. Everyone became more of a real character, instead of the good versus bad binary.

Red Death is the only real "villain" left, but only because Dragoon and Red Mantle outlived all their good-guy arches -- that guy from Home Improvement should consider himself lucky.

But I'm confused about Doctor Venture's story - was he looking an arch to defeat, or just for a date?
posted by filthy light thief at 11:22 AM on September 24, 2018


I kind of loved PP's Blind Rage as sort of a evil jock daredevil. That was a nice touch. Also Red Death just straight up killed a dude- which is very on brand I suppose. Also Kinda loved Novia/Black widow lady.

Oh man and Night Dick was hilarious. This was so good.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 11:27 AM on September 24, 2018 [3 favorites]


Oh man and Night Dick was hilarious.

His dialogue reminds me of basically every true crime podcast I've ever tried to listen to and noped out of.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:31 PM on September 24, 2018 [6 favorites]


But I'm confused about Doctor Venture's story - was he looking an arch to defeat, or just for a date?

Rusty's never been in it for the arching, he's just in this life for money and personal self-indulgence. And as a result of being brought up as a boy adventurer who was forever being kidnapped/tranked/etc, he has some unaddressed kinks regarding control, trust, and commitment issues that he thinks can only be fulfilled by a woman who is both 1) an expert at seduction and 2) who wants to murder him for his money. Moreover, he thinks that he is adept enough at dodging attempts on his life (with the help of Brock) that he can get 1) without succumbing to 2).
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:42 PM on September 24, 2018 [7 favorites]


Oh man, the tail, I can't believe they ditched it. I hope he keeps it long and doesn't go for a buzz.

I've seen speculation that DMTM might be pregnant and hiding it, given Blind Rage's creepy comments about her body and the way she's been kind of all over the map emotionally lately.

There's two episodes, I believe, left in the season, so there might some major bombshells on the way
posted by Query at 1:10 PM on September 24, 2018 [3 favorites]


On another forum, someone brought up if Dragoon and Red Mantle outlived all their arches, does that mean that the original Captain Sunshine (Desmond) has died?
posted by fings at 1:13 PM on September 24, 2018


does that mean that the original Captain Sunshine (Desmond) has died?

I'm not sure if we can take Watch and Ward to be perfectly reliable narrators, in so far as they picked the final arches. But even if he were alive, it wouldn't be much of an arch as Desmond is basically retired from the hero protagonist business.
posted by GuyZero at 1:35 PM on September 24, 2018


I've seen speculation that DMTM might be pregnant and hiding it, given Blind Rage's creepy comments about her body and the way she's been kind of all over the map emotionally lately.

There's two episodes, I believe, left in the season, so there might some major bombshells on the way


If nothing else because I don't want it to become a source of tension to drive the story, I really hope DMTM didn't have a fling with Gary ("Henchman 21" / sidekick). He's the caring, present one, where The Monarch has been ... flighty (ugh, dad humor).
posted by filthy light thief at 1:50 PM on September 24, 2018


I suspect the train missed Blind Rage, and he eventually escapes. Otherwise, monologuing to him to send a message to the PP fails to be effective.

On the other hand, it seems Red Death ignored whatever his arch was (crumpled the envelope unopened), and ignored the Guild's vote to pay off the PP, and instead threatened them. I'm not sure what his game is.
posted by fings at 2:41 PM on September 24, 2018 [2 favorites]


TWO episodes left? Jeez, it seems like they're just getting started! Goodness knows how many years we'll have to wait for the next season! I've heard tell that the first two episodes of this season were supposed to be the last two episodes of the previous season, so was this season originally supposed to be like 4 episodes long?

I never even watched Johnny Quest (it wasn't airing in reruns when I was a kid) but I still feel a little squirmy about how utterly wretched they make him on this show. It seems kind of mean, in a way this show usually isn't. It's also weird how he's just straight-up Johnny Quest. Like, how did they get the old rights to resurrect this character and make him a crazy junkie? I'm not sure if they could get away with just saying it's a parody, because it's not 100% a goof.

(Never mind. I just looked it up, and apparently Cartoon Network owns the JQ rights. Also, I hadn't realized that while the JQ characters were introduced as the original Johnny Quest and Dr. Zin on The Venture Brothers they've since been quietly renamed as Action Johnny and Dr. Z, so I'm guessing somebody at the network got wind of just what Hammer and Publick were up to and told them to back off.)

Man, they managed to make Blind Rage profoundly unpleasant in a hurry. He was such a dick that it made me realize how most of the villains on this show are really not dicks. Like, they'll do evil things sometimes, but most of the time they just seem like endearing goofballs. Even Red Death seems like a polite suburban dad, when he's not being evil.

It was nice to see the brothers, Brock and Doc Venture all in a scene together. It seems like it's been a while!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:41 PM on September 24, 2018 [2 favorites]


It seems kind of mean, in a way this show usually isn't. It's also weird how he's just straight-up Johnny Quest. Like, how did they get the old rights to resurrect this character and make him a crazy junkie?

It’s easy to forget that this show started waaaaaaaay back when Adult Swim was still running Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Sealab 2021, and The Brak Show; ironic, irreverent repurposing of crummy Hanna-Barbera characters was kinda the block’s whole shtick.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:55 PM on September 24, 2018 [5 favorites]


I want to believe Red Death just let Blind Rage get run over, because he's Red Death and doesn't care about retribution from the PP, and thinks that the Guild needs to put up a strong front. To that end, when the PP threatened them he kicked them in the teeth.

It's also possible he's a double agent for the Fraternity of Torment and he's starting a war between the PP and the GoCI to weaken them both.
posted by Query at 3:57 PM on September 24, 2018 [2 favorites]


His dialogue reminds me of basically every true crime podcast I've ever tried to listen to and noped out of.

Oh man Night Dick definitely has a bad true crime podcast.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:39 PM on September 24, 2018 [1 favorite]


And the thought of him hawking Casper mattresses and Blue Apron is delightful.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:41 PM on September 24, 2018 [5 favorites]


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