by Geoffrey Golden

Before we begin in earnest, a note: the first half of this review is more for those not yet initiated into Team Venture. Monarch Henchmen can scroll half-way down for the sneak peak stuff. Also, this is not an objective review. I’ve been a fan of the show since it first premiered.

Alright, let the arching begin…

On The Simpsons, there was a Treehouse of Horror short called The Genesis Tub, which was inspired by a Twilight Zone episode. Lisa creates a tiny, complex mini-universe of people inside a petri dish, starting with just a loose tooth, some soda and a surge of electricity. She runs downstairs to get waffles and comes back an hour later very surprised. The people in her petri dish quickly evolved from cave dwellers to Renaissance folks. Eventually, they become a highly advanced, futuristic society… until Bart starts messing with them, of course.

That “tub” is an apt analogy for The Venture Bros., which launches its “Season 4.5″ on Sunday, Sept. 12th at 11:30 pm EST. The Venture Bros. began as a straightforward parody of Jonny Quest, following two naive, dim-witted boy adventurers — Hank and Dean Venture — as they unravel creepy, surprisingly adult mysteries. From there, the show has grown over the years into a wonderfully complex organism, featuring a sprawling, delightful ensemble cast, as well as a vast, interweaving mythology spanning decades in time and a fondness for obscure, unmined pop culture allusions.

Another way both animated sitcoms are similar is that they began as shows about children, but came into their own when they shifted focus to the adults in the household. The Venture Bros. is now about the life of Hank and Dean’s father, Dr. Thaddeus Venture, a former boy adventurer himself who grew up in the dark shadow of his genius, super-scientist father. His inferiority complex is the heart of the show and yields many of its most hilarious moments.

To use another cartoon analogy, Charlie Brown is to Snoopy as Dr. Venture is to his (now former) bodyguard Brock Samson, a muscular super soldier and a parody of manliness, especially in contrast to the scrawny, sniveling Dr. Venture. Brock used to be strongly tied to The Venture Clan, but now has his own bloody adventures as a secret agent with the SPHINX organization.

I thought I’d begin by comparing The Venture Bros. to other great cartoons, because it should be considered one in its own right. I’m surprised that a show this well-written, intricately-plotted, and expertly-voiced — by talented performers like James Urbaniak (American Splendor) and Patrick Warburton (Emperor’s New Groove) — is not very well known. I’m sure the average 20-something on the street is more familiar with other long-running Adult Swim shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Robot Chicken. So I give a lot of credit to Adult Swim, because like Lisa and the petri dish, they’ve allowed this funny show to grow into a hilarious, complex organism with a rapid, much-deserved cult following.

A final thought for new viewers: I would strongly recommend watching the DVDs of past seasons before tackling the Season 4.5 premiere. You will probably more-or-less understand what’s going on plot-wise, but one of The Venture Bros. strengths is rewarding regular viewers with callback jokes and unexpected, yet narratively justified character twists. To put it another way, you could watch Avatar in 2D, but you’d be missing an important part of the experience.

Okay, Venture Fans, what can you expect from the premiere? This episode is like a Whitman’s Sampler of key Venture Bros. ingredients. The creators show off their Magic Murder Bag of tricks, which includes…

The Diving Bell Vs. The Butter-glider

***Warning: Spoilers Ahead!***

The Cast! Expect to see the whole gang. Doc, Brock, the Boys, obsessive arch nemesis The Monarch, the voluptuous Dr. Girlfriend, nerdy Billy Quizboy and Pete White, super-nerdy but crazy buff Henchmen 21 and the ghost of dearly departed 24. Sgt. Hatred proves he’s a survivor and an important part of Team Venture. (I get the feeling his character will be a lot less about his ex-child molester past this season, which I’m sure many fans will be happy about.)

The Mythology! Hank and Dean are presented with direct evidence that they’re clones. SPHINX and Team Venture (sort of) join forces for a mission. The power struggle in The Cocoon continues as 21 gains more influence.

Action! – Car chases! Motorcycle races! Crashing submarines! A Henchman revolt! A David Byrne reference! Not stop thrills, chills and thrillprises!

Adventure! As much as I love the mythology, like with LOST or The X-Files, many of my favorite episodes are the stand-alone adventures (Viva Los Muertos, Dr. Quymn). The premiere’s main plot – a race to save Dr. Venture’s life – is a clever, works-on-its-own twist on movies like Innerspace. In good Venture Bros. form, two of characters have an argument about whether Innerspace is terrible.

Bureaucracy! The world of heroes and villains is rife with red tape in The Venture Bros., but in this episode, someone figures out how to legally cut through the bureaucratic BS with astonishing ease. The consequences may have an impact on future episodes.

A Heartfelt Musical Number! – Wait… what?!

For my money, The Diving Bell Vs. The Butter-glider is a stronger season opener than the season 4 premiere, Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel (gotta love these episode titles). I’m a longtime fan and Blood of the Father confused even me. Its unconventional narrative structure was a neat idea, but The Venture Bros. is elaborate enough without adding another layer of complication, though Inception fans might disagree.

Regardless, Diving Bell is a pure injection “Go Team Venture” fun and a solid start to Season 4.5. Like SPHINX, The Venture Bros. is one of television’s best kept secrets. Here’s hoping pretty soon, someone finally blows their cover.

Geoffrey Golden is a contributor to Lineboil and serves as Editor In Chief of The Devastator, a quarterly book of comics and satire.