Go Team Venture!
It’s been two and a half years since the airing of Operation P.R.O.M., the season finale of Season 4. In the meantime, the creative forces behind the Venture Bros have been hard at work bringing us a new, amazing season. (For more insight on the delay and what this season will hold, please see my interview with Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick here.)
And so Tuesday night in the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin an a dozen other lucky theaters around the country, we were treated to the season premiere, “What color is your cleansuit?”
In a stroke of genius, we were also treated to the uncensored, not safe for TV version of Operation P.R.O.M., which I highly recommend everyone watch this week for two reasons: 1) The uncensored discussion of what a “Rusty Venture” is (perhaps the most vile discussion I’ve ever heard in my life. . .and so hilarious) and 2) When Jackson and Doc told me that Season 5 picks up right where Season 4 left off, they weren’t kidding. It was almost seamless.
For those of you who can’t watch the season finale, or who are wondering to yourself right now, “What the f@#$ is a Venture Brother?” please to enjoy this awesome infographic of all of the characters of the Venture Bros. universe and this 8 minute recap of four seasons:
“>httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CHVLSY_Hrk
So without giving away any spoilers, this is what I can tell you about “What color is your cleansuit?”
Any plot threads left hanging at the end of Season 4 are immediately picked up. There’s a reshuffling with OSI, SPHINX, etc that totaly makes sense and is organic to the story, but which also leaves open some fun and interesting possibilities. However, for the Venture family, things remain pretty much the same. Same with the Monarch. 21 really did quit, however, and that continues to play out, with some of the most entertaining bits of the episode.
The episode’s title refers to a new initiative on the Venture compound, bringing in teams of unpaid college interns (new economy, much?) each of which are divided into teams based on the color of their cleansuits. Hijinks ensue. During the episode, we get oblique and overt references to: Roots, several different Charlton Heston movies (with Sgt Hatred playing an awesome stand-in Heston), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Return of the Jedi, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Rocky, the Protestant Reformation, Star Trek, Batman, Buck Rogers. . . and a ton more that I’m sure I’m missing. Aziz Ansari (Human Giant, Parks and Recreation), Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show, King of the Hill), and Gillian Jacobs (Community) all appear in this episode as various interns, and they are amazing.
Furthermore, for fans of Billy Quizboy and Pete White, you get more. A lot more. And the introduction of my new favorite character as a foil for Billy and Pete, which I’m hoping we see a lot more of this season. Let me put it this way without revealing spoilers: he’s that kind of nerd that I hate, some of whom troll our comments board and Facebook page. Be prepared.
For more Season 5 goodness, watch this, and until then, make sure you’re tuned in Sunday at midnight: