Superhero Media: The Venture Bros. - Season 3

I was watching season three of The Venture Bros. and I caught myself having to pause the playback occasionally because I was laughing so much and I realised, this may be the start of the series being truly great. Fresh from the conclusion of the previous season, The Monarch and Doctor Mrs My Wife (later Doctor Mrs The Monarch) must face the mysterious Council of Thirteen, leaders of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, fight for their future together and bring the new tone and status quo to the programme. The Venture Bros. has a habit of reshaping itself somewhat with each new season, as the cast is shuffled around and new things are tried, which not only sets it apart from almost every other animated television programme, but makes re-watching it feel like going back to a classic Cable or Netflix series. The word I would use to best describe the third season of The Venture Bros. is "memorable", as every episode is endlessly quotable, new characters are anything but dull and background is added to more of the supporting cast. 

The world that the titular family inhabits broadens in this third season, with the Office of Secret Intelligence [OSI] becoming a fully-fledged organisation, the Guild coming out of the shadows and more of a look at how the broader world reacts to the fact that Dr Venture was the star of a children's cartoon series sometime in the 1960s. The first of the big narrative shake-ups come in the two-part season closer, "The Family that Slays Together, Stays Together", with the death of Henchman 23 and the departure of Brock Sampson from the role of Venture bodyguard; both of which will be major features for the next season. I must have watched most of The Venture Bros. at least a half dozen times, but I'm still struck every time with just how good it can be, from little quips about Jefferson Twilight's absurdly specific power set (hunting Blackulas), from layers of conspiracy being planted in one or two lines that will come to the fore years later (ORB). It's an easy programme to fall into accidentally, with the layers of meaning never quite being obvious as to just how meaningful they will be down the track. 

In case you can't tell, I still love The Venture Bros.; I feel that it may well be one of the best written continuing series being put out, or at least, pretends to be very well. It's a masterclass in writing and world-building for those who love that sort of thing, as well as a great example of how characters can grow and change over time, even in an animated or illustrated medium. Hell, it makes taking a look at older pulpy programmes like Johnny Quest worthwhile, not only as a deconstruction, but with new stories like Future Quest. Some streaming services are now offering The Venture Bros., but you most often have to dig for it, so take a look next time you're browsing for something to binge, you could start a life-long addiction. Again, if anyone knows someone that works on the programme, drop me a line so that I can try and sell my game idea to them, you know you'd buy it, at least to get a 28mm Sky Pilot and Holy Diver.