02.00 The Famous Five
04.30 The Venture Bros.
The Famous Five. Episode 2. "Five Go To Kirren Island, Part Two" Delightful second episode. Very much plot-driven, with almost no scenes where the personalities/character shine through the way they did in Part One. The first third is concerened with the bad guy who is holding George's Dad hostage. The middle third is where the action starts, as George abandons the others in the middle of the night and heads off to discover what has happened to the Professor. In the final third, with both father and daughter held captive, it is up to Julian, Dick and Anne to come to the rescue.
Worth noting is the fact that George (a teenage girl) takes the lead for most of the adventure: deducing what is happening, setting out to mount a rescue and sending Timmy The Dog for help. Also interesting: when Timmy raises the alarm and Julian gets everybody up and ready for action there is never a suggestion that they would leave Anne behind. She might be the youngest, and a girl, but she's clearly seen as an equal by her brothers. Part of the appeal of the show, no doubt.
Once again the music, on the soundtrack, is rather cool and well worth listening out for. The entire show is a blast. Lots of running around in the middle of the night, secret tunnels and a chase through the dawn hours makes for a very exciting tale.
The Venture Bros. Episode 4. "Eeny, Meeny, Miney... Magic" The first truly genius episode. Line after line, scene after scene, are pure gold.
1: We start on a dark and stormy night. The professor's nightmare will have significance in later episodes, while Brock Sampson's nightmare will have significance later in the story. The brothers, meanwhile, are messing with a Ouiji board. There opening exchance is both hilarious and gives great insight into their characters.
2: Doctor Orpheus makes his (stunning) entrance.
3: We are treated to television's best theme tune and opening sequence. Bar none.
4: Dean wakes his dad, and Hank wakes Brock. Hilarious, hilarious.
5: The opening speech from Dr. Orpheus is - simply put - genius. All of his speeches are, of course, but nothing that beat the first time you hear the first one. Likewise the conversationt that follows between Dr. Venture and Dr. Orpheus is wonderful: one of them speaking in phrases of high drama, and the other one concerned with rent and zoning laws and such.
6: Amid the comedy is a wonderful scene where Hank remarks to Brock that his dad never has time for him and - seconds later - Brock is advising on a game he is playing. It's a brief throwaway moment, amid the comedy, but it sure stands out with repeated viewing as a Grade A character moment.
7: Dean meets Triana for the first time. Their conversation in the kitchen contains the funniest lines ever uttered in a Venture Bros. episode. Pretty much everything that Dean says is enough to make me laugh until I hurt. No matter how many times I watch it. It's priceless. And, what I really love, it's not just funny: it's also good character development.
8: By the mid-way point of the episode, the threat-of-the-week has been unveiled and Brock "is stuck in Dad's thing that makes people happy, but it's all evil" and the Venture brothers must team up to save the day. Unlike earlier episodes they actually do team up in this one and set out to do something genuinely connected to the threat-of-the-week.
9: The ending is one of the best things about the episode. Funny and - as always with this wonderful show - a little bit sad. Dr. Orpheus hopes that the sound of a loved one will bring the boys back to safety. The fact that it is the sound of Triana's voice, not their father's, says lots about the boys. Yes, it's also supremely funny. And it's certainly sweet and romantic that Dean is so smitten by Triana after one brief meeting (typical for teenage boys, I suppose) but what drives the comedy/tragedy of all this is the fact that their father pretty much sucks at being a father.
Yes, I know I'm reading way too deap into this half-hour of comedy but - after multiple repeated viewings - you tend to take the characters and their world very seriously when you grow to love them very much.
Highlight? Famous Five (since I've watched this Venture Bros. episode many times)
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A Briefing With Michael: One Year Ago
Wed, Feb 25, 09 - The Famous Five, The Venture Bros.
