It feels a bit like déjà vu with episode 8 as, even if the plot moves a little forward with Red Death going after the Peril Partnership in his usual manner, the episode itself felt quite standalone. Also, as with “The Unicorn in Captivity“, the focus of the action is on the villainous end of the cast while Dr. Venture has a plot that offers up silliness.
Continuity
Oddly, this episode feels out of place when compared to last week’s. In The Terminus Mandate we see Rusty Venture complaining of not being with a woman for a while, but just last week we saw him under a pile of women having the time of his life.
And then Gary and The Monarch came into possession of the game-changing teleporter last episode, but tonight it wasn’t even mentioned in passing. It’s possible the episodes aired out of order to fix something in continuity as has happened before, but the only thing that stands out as something that affects both episodes is Gary’s ponytail.
Poignancy
Other than the above minor quibbles, this was a fascinating episode that showed how The Venture Bros. can turn on the poignancy and heart when it needs to.
Dr. Z’s plotline of his final arching of Action Johnny turning into simply an offer to give Johnny a home and a family when he gets out of rehab was incredibly sweet and a reminder of how in most cases, the hate between the heroes and the villains on this show is mostly an act or something that was really fun when the characters were young, but they eventually grow out of it.
This is especially apparent with Dragoon and Red Mantle who, in their old age, are terrified of the prospect of arching again having settled into a life of TV dinners and Downton Abbey.
The Venture Bros. has always been about characters who can’t grow up or who can’t escape their past, so it was nice to see some characters move into adulthood tonight, taking on responsibilities and burying old grudges.
Final Thoughts: The Terminus Mandate
Much like last week, this is an episode that was good by itself but will play much better when viewed with the entire season.
We’re moving towards the end game now with only two episodes left for the season and the war between the Guild and Peril Partnership getting ready to boil over. I’m excited to see how the Ventures end up caught in it, and also what revelations are still to come.
I feel as though there are more secrets about the movie night massacre to unearth and I want to see The Monarch and Rusty interact before the season is over and the long wait for more wonderful Venture Bros. begins.
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