| "Self-Medication" |
|---|
Plot
During the opening of the episode, Dr. Venture runs down his hallway, being chased by The Monarch. Chased outside onto the rooftop, Rusty can see that the compound has been surrounded with The Monarch's henchmen, who are all chasing Dean and Hank. In the meantime, Henchman 21 and Sergeant Hatred are fighting each other. Rusty is captured by The Monarch's robotic arm, who is using his tool to make Dr.Venture dance like a puppet. Rusty then tells The Monarch that it's Wednesday night and he has group therapy to go to, using it as an excuse to halt the attack on the Venture compound. The Monarch calls off the attack, causing everyone to stop their actions. Feeling sad about the attack, the minions' spirits are rekindled by the thought that they all get a free night off, and they all walk off, not seeing Sergeant Hatred and 21 letting go of each other, thinking that the other is lucky to be alive.
In group therapy, Dr. Venture is introduced to the rest of the group, all of whom were once boy adventurers and junior crime detectives. The group includes Action Johnny, the Ex-Wonder Boy, the Hale Brothers, and Ro-Boy. The therapist then lets Rusty know what sort of things they do in the group.
Meanwhile Hank, Dean and Sergeant Hatred all go to a movie for their night off, this theater being the same one the Henchmen choose. During the session everyone was taking turns on what went down in their lives with Wonder Boy no longer with Wonder Man for he is old and must never use any title that belong to Wonder Man, The Hale Brothers quit their junior detectives after their father's death and have inherited the family fortune leaving the younger brother still stock about all what happen while the older brother look like he have move on, Action Johnny have some trouble with the police aka Johnny Law, and Ro-Boy try to move on with his life even thought that he is a robot that can never aged. When Dr. Venture was about to make his story about his past, the therapist was poison from his drink then die after a snake pop out of his pants.
During the time when the group look at the body after the therapist drink his poisoned drink, everyone was wondering what went down and Ro-Boy thinks he can turn him back on by poking a spot on his lower body like he have on himself, which in this case Ro-Boy's reboot button is on pelvis. When the younger brother was putting his detective skills to work when he found out that the coffee was tainted with poison, the snake pop out of the pants and it was destory when Ro-Boy woke up and blast it. Everyone was wondering who would want to take out the therapist by looking through the client flies that the therapist have, which includes another group he was helping with that were all ex-henchmen to villains. Action Johnny describe the snake to be an Asian jungle type of snake. Once the group found out who is connected with a death and the snake, the ex-young adventurers were off. At the theater, Sergeant Hatred was having one of his moments where he have intercourse with young boys when he is seeing an male elf with a young boy face. Soon he begin to have a panic moment where he run out of the theater, into the restroom to be worried by seeing boys in the restroom, and locking himself in the stall. Soon he ran out of the building while the boys are still watching the movie.
On the hunt for the killer, they found one of the henchman to Action Johnny's arch enemy from his past, Dr. Z, in the bar. Action Johnny went in to try to get some info about the murder only to get beat up by everyone in the bar along with the group. Knowing that the henchman have no info on the murder, they found and went to the home of Dr. Z. Dr. Z didn't realize who the group were for he think they were trick-or-treater and give them candy and Action Johnny make Z realize who they are. Once Dr. Z knows who they are, he only let them in and offers food. Outside the theater, Hank and Dean wondering what happen to Sergeant Hatred only to found out that he secured himself in the panic room back at the compound to back him away from the boys. With no ride to get home, they ask henchman 21 for the ride. They found Sergeant Hatred in the panic room and ask what he does to get out of his panic feeling only to found out that he have an indian boy name Princess Tinyfeet to please him. So Dean dress up to look like his princess to trick him out of the panic room only to be ambushed by 21 and his henchman. Before Sergeant Hatred was knock out with the drug to come him down, Hank thank 21 for the help, only to hear 21 saying that they did him a favor.
Back at Dr. Z's house, Venture and the group were welcome by Z and his wife. When Dr. Z found out what been happening to everyone in the group and the murder of their therapist, he tell them to forget about all the young times when they were adventures and live the lives they meant to have like he have. He told them that after his time facing Action Johnny, he settle down and found and married his wife at which he did it a long time ago so they would have children of their own. Hearing this made Ro-Boy sad and want the Dr. and Mrs. Z to adopt him to become their child. Dr. Venture finally realize after what Dr. Z meant and stated that he is done being a child adventure and become a regular adventure with his kids and his life. After that he call everyone in the group losers and left.
At the end of the episode, 21 was talking to the skull of 24 about the movie and the special affects that it have it. Comparing it with the others in the series just like 21 and 24 would do if 24 was still alive. Just then The Monarch came in to check up on 21, who hides the skull and makes up an accuse for talking to himself. The Monarch ask 21 if did what he wanted him to do, which was slipping the snake in the air vents and put a scent to lure the snake to the therapist. At this point the Monarch now can destroy Dr. Venture without no excuse this time.
Connections to Other Episodes
- The therapist was first seen in Powerless in the Face of Death running a support group session entitled "Men Before Henchmen" which was attended by Henchman 21 and Henchman 24.
Cultural References
- Using snake pheromones to use a snake to kill someone is a reference to "Snakes on a Plane".
- Ex-Wonder Boy used the phrase "holy" at the beginning of his sentences. This is a reference to Robin from "Batman".
- The movie that Hank, Dean, Sergeant Hatred and the Henchmen see is a parody of the "Lord of the Rings" movies and the "Narnia" movies.
- Action Johnny says "It's no old lighthouse keeper in a rubber mask" a reference to "Scooby-Doo".
- Dr. Venture calls Lance Hale "Encyclopedia Brown-Noser", a reference to the character "Encyclopedia Brown".
- The Hale Brothers are a pastiche of the fictional teen detectives "The Hardy Boys" and the Menendez Brothers, who murdered their parents with a shotgun. According to the prosecutors this act was done in order to collect their inheritance early.
- The Hale brothers' last name may come from the idiom "hale and hardy" as they are a partial parody of The Hardy Boys.
- When Sergeant Hatred plans to go to Thailand and buy a child he says that "Garry Glitter" knows where to buy one. Gary Glitter was a popular musician who was arrested and convicted for possession of child pornography and other sex offenses.
- Dr. Z's monologue is taken from the film "Raising Arizona".