As a fan of both Sherlock and Venture Bros., I've gotten used to the idea that some of my favorite shows will go years in between new seasons. I'd like to think that the wait between Seasons 5 and 6 won't be quite as long as the three-year gap between 4 and 5, but you never can be sure with this show. The good news is that Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick have put together an hour-long special to tide fans over until Season 6 does materialize. The better news is that it's really, really entertaining. "All This and Gargantua-2" easily ranks among the show's best.

The more things change...

Dean looked better in black.

Season 5 ended on a pretty low-key note. The main development in the finale episode was the destruction of the Monarch's base and the Monarch, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, and Gary (now resuming his duties as Henchman 21) setting up shop in the Monarch's childhood home. Most of the season's running conflicts (including the threat posed by the immortal, vampiric investors), were left dangling. Granted, Hammer and Publick were as aware of this as anyone. They blamed Season 5's unusually short format and Adult Swim's unwillingness to allow extra episodes or a special to wrap up loose ends.That's where "All This and Gargantua-2" comes in. This special is basically the proper Season 5 finale we never got back in 2013. It picks up shortly after the events of "The Devil's Grip." Billy Quizboy is reunited with his long-lost mother. Dean has left his goth phase behind. Meanwhile, villainous forces are rising up from every possible, and they're all converging on one spot - J.J.'s swanky new space station/casino, Gargantua-2.You really have to give Hammer and Publick credit for going all-out with this special. The scope is huge. Nearly every major and minor character from the show's vast mythology (aside from certain celebrity-voiced characters like Captain Sunshine) factor into the plot. The duo managed to work in every villainous faction into the conflict, from the Guild of Calamitous Intent to the Revenge Society to Monarch's diminished empire to even the Investors themselves. There's the O.S.I., the Order of the Triad, and Team Venture in both its classic and contemporary incarnations.It's easy to picture such a jam-packed episode becoming bogged down with all the characters and conflicts competing for space. This special only have some 45 minutes to work with after commercials, and we've seen two-hour superhero movies collapse under their own weight just trying to juggle three villains. Luckily, Jackson and Publick keep their story focused and humming along. This show has developed a tendency to just throw things at the viewer - jokes, plot twists, continuity references - at a rapid pace and insist that they keep up. With so much continuity being referenced and expanded upon, this is certainly no place for Venture Bros. newbies to dive in. But assuming you can still keep up with this increasingly bizarre and complex universe, there's a lot to love in this episode.Somehow the duo find room to wrap up nearly every loose end in Venture Bros. mythology while simultaneously giving a wide range of characters their moments in the sun. The core cast definitely have their standout scenes, though often the focus is less on Dr. Venture and his sons or Brock and more on the supporting characters who have risen to prominence over the years. J.J. has a great character arc here as the dark secret behind his latest grand endeavor is revealed. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch also stands out as she becomes separated from her husband and is swept up in the chaos consuming the G.C.I. The ever-hilarious Dr. Killinger also steps up in a big way as he manipulates many of the events driving the episode. Even Billy's mother, the seemingly innocuous Ms. Whalen, is given the opportunity to strut her stuff. No character feels shorted is this grandiose battle of good, evil, and just plain weird."All This and Gargantua-2" was hyped as being a real game-changer for the series. It's definitely an eventful episode. Alliances change. Characters die. Things explode. Venture Bros. has so many characters and plotlines at this point that it's hard to define what the show's status quo really is anymore. But regardless, Hammer and Publick do essentially wipe the board in this episode and give Season 6 a fresher and more streamlined foundation on which to build.More important than that, however, is the way this episode manages a balance between humor, spectacle, and emotion. There are countless moments of payoff, and some genuinely heartfelt scenes amid all the chaos. The show's primary theme may be failure, but this episode downplays that theme somewhat as various characters embrace destiny and prove their mettle. If the show is about failure, then this episode at least prove that it's possible to fail upwards.Finally, it's worth mentioning the show's recent standard of higher production values remains in place. Given the action-heavy storyline and the fact that much of this episode takes place on a space-station, the animation quality is far above and beyond what you'll typically see on Adult Swim. There's even a great, extended Star Wars homage tucked into the climax. The voice work also stands out, with Publick and Hammer tackling a huge lineup of characters and James Urbaniak, Patrick Warburton, and the rest giving their characters ample personality. Stephen Colbert even returns to voice Professor Incorrigible. It all combines to from a lovingly crafted (and slightly insane) Venture celebration.