Review: The Venture Bros. “The Bellicose Proxy”

Go get your damn shinebox, St. Cloud.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

This week, Dr. Venture and The Monarch act as “big brother” style mentors for Billy Quizboy and his new villain St. Cloud respectively. They give their reluctant students a full training regiment; evil laughs, new costumes, new weapons, the whole nine yards. Despite their best efforts, though, Rusty and The Monarch can’t get their pupils up to speed, and their first arch quickly devolves into little more than a slap fight between the two arches.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch interrogates the captured henchman who was secretly working for the elusive “Peril Partnership”, an apparently honorless organization whose creed and calling is yet unknown. To flip the captured henchman into a double agent, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch has to help him recover his relationship with the OSI agent he’s fallen in love with. Without much recourse, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch agrees to help him out.

Our Take:

It’s my favorite part of the week when I get to review the deadpan extravaganza that is The Venture Bros. All the episodes of this season have been unique winners in their own right so far, and this week’s entry is no exception. The parallel villain/hero training story is an idea so fitting to this show I’m surprised this is the first time the show has dipped into it. It may sound like I’m repeating myself reviewing this show, but this is an excellent episode all around, chock full of story blended with generous hilarity.

The Venture Bros. has kicked its world development into high gear and I am loving every minute of it. From the get-go, we’re learning more and more about the daily function of The Guild of Calamitous Intent in typically hilarious fashion. From the confusing acronyms of the Guild’s many training departments to The Monarch taking on a villain tutoring job (For snooty fan favorite, “St. Cloud”) so he can be a “Good earner,” there’s plenty of laughs to be had. A particularly good chuckle for me is the callous sneer which Rusty Venture has for Billy Quizboy receiving a “Level 1” Guild threat, which he dismisses as “Boiler Plate.” It really is the little things that keep the show fun.

But you better not think that The Venture Bros is always going to play it safe and quirky. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch shows us just what terror is by her “Peril Partnership” prisoner that betraying the guild means true pain. You would’ve never thought that being covered in honey in a bathtub full of milk could be considered torture, but that’s Venture Bros. for you.

St. Cloud takes the word “pathetic” to a whole new level. Every scene he’s in is an exercise in pity, with a critical mass of laughter being reached when he gets his the crap kicked out of him by Billy’s mom, of all people. St. Cloud has always been funny, but he’s always been on the sidelines so he’s never gotten his chance to shine. Even though he isn’t much of a good villain, he’s great as a comedic punching bag and I hope he becomes a mainstay throughout the season.

You get the complete package with The Venture Bros this week, a sterling continuation of this most excellent season thus far. Keep on truckin’, Venture Bros, next week’s episode can’t come soon enough.