What follows is an extremely cathartic episode where these characters all get to expel their demons and Rusty actually gains some perspective and learns to appreciate his family and what he has. There’s also a beautiful moment of reconciliation with Dr. Z that’s enough to make anyone a fan of the character. This is The Venture Bros. at its most empathetic and psychological.

Plus, the reveal at the end that Gary is actually responsible for the snake that takes out the therapist as a means to end Rusty’s therapy interruptions from battle is also the perfect way for the episode to go out and a totally logical explanation for what happened.

7. Twenty Years to Midnight

Season 2 Episode 5

Ignore me!

The second season of The Venture Bros. is still trying to figure out what it is in some respects, but that desire for experimentation leads to such lightning-in-a-bottle installments as “Twenty Years to Midnight.” This is a random story of the week, but the fact that it still gets quoted and stands out amongst fans is a testament to its power and the eternal weirdness of the Grand Galactic Inquisitor.

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The funny thing about this episode is while it isjust a one-off installment, it underplays the extremely high stakes of the storyline. If Rusty and company don’t assemble a device by midnight, mankind will be doomed in some respect. The strict time limit is infuriating for Rusty, but he also has a heap of distractions running around him, like the Grand Galactic Inquistor, Professor Impossible, and a drug-addled Action Johnny. It’s an early standout that packs in a ton and still holds up well to this day.

Ignore me!

6. Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel

Season 4 Episode 1

“Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel” is arguably the most ambitious episode that the show has ever done. This installment goes all over the place and features such craziness as a Brock and HELPeR hybrid a la Iron Man, the return of Steve Summers and his lovable Sasquatch, but most importantly, an insane plot that involves cloning and the spirit of Hitler being trapped in a bulldog. This episode intentionally throws a lot at the audience, and furthermore, the episode is purposefully presented out of order to increasingly muddle what’s going on.

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Cobbling together the cohesive, chronological order of “Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel,” is one of the most satisfying parts of this installment. The other joy is when it clicks in that the structural device that dictates the episode’s chronology is the CGC grading of a Marvel Comics #1 that depreciates in value over time. It’s an incredibly bold way to tell a story, but it’s an idea that’s something that only The Venture Bros. would ever attempt.

5. The Lepidopterists

Season 3 Episode 10

“The Lepidopterists” brings consummate O.S.I. professionals Doe and Cardholder, into the fray and The Venture Bros. is forever more awesome as a result. These characters are throwbacks to old hard-boiled film noir detectives of the ‘20s, but they’re a great, menacing foil to play against the Monarch and his lackeys. Doe and Cardholder are given carte blanche to eliminate the Monarch, lest he do the same to Jonas Jr (this includes a glorious Voltron-esque giant mecha fight sequence).

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The entire time it looks like the Monarch’s situation is becoming increasingly grim, but it turns out he’s been in control of everything the whole time. His plan works out and due to his uncanny foresight, he’s able to pull off the difficult transition of switching arches from Jonas Jr. to Rusty. It’s an episode that speaks to the undying determination of the Monarch, and how he can actually be rather capable, as well as setting the table with new and powerful players.

4. Tag Sale – You’re It!

Season 1 Episode 10

This is the only episode on this list from The Venture Bros.’ first season and it’s not some obligatory inclusion to reflect the show’s beginning. “Tag Sale – You’re It!” is just an incredible illustration of this unique world in full swing. Dr. Venture holds a large yard sale and tries to sell off old inventions and super-science tech in order to get out of the red.

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Obviously the majority of the interested buyers are either fellow scientists or supervillains, which means that this event is basically an excuse to get all of these extreme characters together and see what happens. Even the Monarch’s grand scheme here is petty vandalism, rather than anything drastic. The point of this episode is to just take a step back, get lost in these characters, and watch how this world operates on its own.

3. The Doctor Is Sin

Season 3 Episode 2

Good and evil are fluid concepts and The Venture Bros. understands that idea painfully well. One of the most enriching themes that the show has played with is that evil people might actually be better at being heroes, or vice versa. “The Doctor is Sin” dives head first into that concept and with Rusty Venture of all people.

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Dr. Henry Killinger steps in as Rusty’s evil mentor and tries to tempt him to the dark side of super-science. He’s not able to successfully persuade Rusty to swap sides, but the lasting ramifications of this proposal certainly linger with Rusty. The idea that he very well might be a better supervillain than he is a scientist is legitimate (especially when he’d be arching Jonas Jr.) and this identity crisis is something that even carries over into Dean and Hank and where their allegiances lie in the show’s later seasons.

2. All This and Gargantua-2

Season 6 Special

As the super-sized installment’s name indicates, “All This and Gargantua-2” really does offer up to the audience everything possible and then some. It’s very much the end of a chapter for the show, as it wraps up a number of storylines and character arcs before the Venture family take their inherited riches and relocate to New York City.

further reading: All This and Gargantua-2 Review

Features a colossal casino heist (long before The Force Awakens or Black Panther) set on Jonas Jr.’s Gargantua-2 that’s orchestrated by Killinger and the Revenge Society. The episode not only features some of the best action from the series, but there’s a relentless, ruthless pace to it that makes anyone feel dispensable. Hell, even the Sovereign is offed in a way that happens so casually and for comedic relief that it’s hard to believe that it’s real. The majority of the Council of 13 get wiped out here, there’s an amazing brawl with the original Team Venture, and Phantom Limb once again proves that he’s the biggest motherfucker courtesy of a massive backstab to gain Council seats. It also all functions as a fitting tribute to Jonas Jr., who Rusty is finally able to appreciate, and all it took was losing him.

1. Operation: P.R.O.M.

Season 4 Episode 16

“Operation: P.R.O.M.,” the big finish to the show’s fourth season, gives you everything that you’d want in a Venture Bros. installment. This hour-long finale wisely uses Hank and Dean’s prom as its foundation, but the theme of growing up is rampant through every character and people like Brock and the Monarch experience major shifts as this season comes to a close. At the height of chaos in this episode, a number of assassin prostitute transform into hideous insect creatures at Hank and Dean’s prom, leading Brock to go homicidal on the monsters. The image of these unconventional family dodging insect guts while they stick together is one of the most beautiful and fitting encapsulations of what this show represents. Dean also tells the Outrider to go fuck himself, so clearly we’re through the looking glass here and into a new chapter of this show.

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All of this makes for such the perfect finale and crystallization of what this series is about that it’s not surprising to hear that this was low-key meant to function as a series finale for the show if Adult Swim didn’t bite for more. While the show has only gotten better and more mature in its later years, “Operation: P.R.O.M.” would have made for an excellent finish, if necessary.