When it began thirteen years ago, The Venture Bros. was an offbeat parody of such adventure cartoons as Scooby-Doo, G.I. Joe, and Johnny Quest, with some Fantastic Four, James Bond, and Henry Kissinger references thrown in for good measure.
But in the years since, this surreal ‘toon has managed to create its own mythology, one that continues to poke fun at cartoons, movies, TV, comics, and all kinds of good stuff, but it does so by creating unique and often intricate stories.
All of which, and more, is on full display in The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD, which is clearly (pun intended) the best way to watch this hilariously weird show.
Having inherited his brother’s fortune, company, and headquarters,
Dr. Venture moves his family move to Manhattan, where the good Doc tries to not run his new business into the ground, the boys continue their respective journeys of self-discovery, and Brock tries to keep them all from being killed. Meanwhile, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch’s continues to rebuild The Guild Of Calamitous Intent while her husband and his henchman forge an elaborate plan to once again arch Dr. Venture.
For those who’ve never watched this show before, The Venture Bros. Season 6 is not the place to start, obviously. And not just because there’s a “6” in the name. No, at this point, this show has become so intricate, so referential, that these episodes won’t make sense to those who haven’t see the previous five seasons.
But then, that’s what makes this show work so well. In many ways, The Venture Bros., especially at this point, is as cleverly scripted as Archer and Rick & Morty, two other great ‘toons that are weird, satirical, smart, and really, really funny. Though The Venture Bros. goes even deeper with the parody and pop culture references.
If you’re already a fan, though, The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD are the best way to experience these episodes. Though Adult Swim doesn’t have the annoying mid-episode promos you get on network television, this still looks better, especially on Blu-ray, than the show does on TV or streamed. Sure, you lose the funny Adult Swim bumpers, but you also lose the commercials, which seems a fair trade.
Along with the eight episodes that comprised this season, The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD also include the usual compliment of special features. Chief among these is “All This And Gargantua-2,” a special double sized episode that aired between seasons five and six, and not only serves as a bridge between them, but also sets up the other episodes in this collection. Which is why it’s odd that it’s found in the “Special Features” section instead of before the first official episode of the season. Though, on the plus side, it is the version that has the unaired epilogue that was originally posted to Adult Swim’s website.
Speaking of past seasons,
The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD also has a five-and-a-half-minute long recap of the fifth season and “All This And Gargantua-2” that’s not only informative, but it’s also entertaining, even if you know it all, because it’s recounted by Henchman 21.
Next, The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD has commentaries on all eight episodes, as well as for “All This And Gargantua-2.” Done by co-creators, writers, and voice actors Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, these conversations do get a bit tangential at times, but they’re still informative and funny.
The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD also has seventeen minutes of deleted scenes. For the most part, these are unfinished, some are just storyboards set to the audio track. And while these don’t have intros or commentary explaining why they were cut, they do have context showing from where they were excised. Like on the old Simpsons Blu-rays, every deleted scene starts with a few seconds of the completed episodes from which they were cut, before going into the deleted part.
There’s also five mini promos for the show and Adult Swim that only last a few seconds each. And while they’re not something you’ll need to watch more than once, the completionist in me appreciates that they included them.
While the extras on the The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD are great, they’re not perfect. For starters, all of the deleted scenes are presented as one long video, which is located in the special features section, as opposed to individually in the section with their respective original episodes.
And, well, that’s about it.
In the end, you’re going to want The Venture Bros. Season 6 Blu-ray and DVD not because the deleted scenes are curated correctly, or because this has special features you’ll only watch only once, you’ll want this collection because it’s the best way to watch a hilarious season of one of the smartest, most intricate, and funny shows on TV.
SCORE: 8.5/10
