Episode Review Season Finale – Operation: P.R.O.M.
I’ve attended a total of six proms in my lifetime, and none of them were…
Episode Review of “Silent Partners”
Lola Wickerman does not keep secrets from the Venture Fandom, so I’m ripping the bandage…
Episode Review of “Assisted Suicide”
Assisted Suicide takes the Ventureverse out of the realm of the subtle Freudian slip and into the overt world of the three-part clinical Freudian explanation of human consciousness. The craftsmanship of this episode is thoroughly marvelous; it successfully inserts Freudian themes into each storyline contained within.
Within the compound, a strange and varied assortment of father-figures attempt to save the day by different means of might and magic. The tension between Brock and Sgt. Hatred is growing thicker, both driven by an affection/attachment for the boys and a desire to wrest some kind of usefulness for their continued presence. Meanwhile, the boys themselves prove ineffective as anchoring totems for Orpheus’ magical efforts; their father’s love for them is apparently not strong enough to allow for psychic entry. The tone of these scenes could be called Oedipal (perhaps swaying more toward the resolution of the Oedipal complex which supposedly results in identification of the child with the same-sexed parent) based on the nature of the fixation of father-figures, but the dynamic is reversed; it is the father-figures competing for the position as responsible party.
Episode Review “Everybody Comes to Hank’s”
Where can I get an application to HankCo? Episode 4.12 is a visionary masterpiece. As they have established time and again, Astrobase Go proves unafraid to take their sordid tale of woe into dark and risky places, ultimately providing us with a rich and thought-provoking story.
The opening of the episode seems like well-worn territory; Rusty continues to thrust Dean into his failed super-scientist footsteps with an internship in New York, even going so far as to make his sensitive son don an old suit that he himself wore in his intern days. He sternly lectures Hank about finding a job. Hatred is lovably quirky and befuddled on nighttime jet functions, and adorably excited about tickets to a Broadway production of the Music Man. Cut to a Hank-operated business reminiscent of exploits seen in season 1’s Tag Sale-You’re it! It makes sense, of course, that one of the only ways Hank can think to make money is by selling his father’s possessions; it’s one of the only examples he’s ever been given to follow. Once this comfortable Venture formula has been set up, however, the meat of the episode is revealed: the mystery of Dermott’s parentage, alluded to in past episodes but never fully scrutinized, is about to be investigated by Henry Allen Venture, expert gumshoe, and his girl-Friday, the Alchemist.
Episode Reviews “Every Which Way But Zeus”
I keep a safely guarded opening in my heart of hearts all week long, ever patient to fill that special hole with the latest installment from our pals at Astrobase Go. Dedicated readers will remember my slightly under-whelmed reactions to the last two episodes, but I loyally accepted those chapters into my special hole with the good faith of a steadfast partner who knows that love is not always perfect. Tonight, I felt totally rewarded for that faith, and completely thrilled by the performance. We were treated to a slew of old familiar faces such as the Lepidopterists, Captain Sunshine and Ghost Robot (R.I.P.) We also got to see some seriously low behavior from Rusty via his dirty talk to a Teddy Ruxpin rip-off, as well as some beautifully self-reflective softness as his true feelings toward Hank were expressed.