| "Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Venture Bros. episode | |||
| Episode no. |
Season 2 Episode 12 | ||
| Written by |
Jackson Publick Doc Hammer | ||
| Production code | 2-25 | ||
| Original air date | October 8, 2006 | ||
| Guest Stars | |||
|
Brendon Small as Sgt. Hatred | |||
| Episode Chronology | |||
| |||
| Episodes | |||
"Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)" is the twelfth episode in the second season of The Venture Bros.
Plot
After a romantic tryst between Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch goes sour over the Monarch's jealousy of Phantom Limb, Dr. Girlfriend gets ready to leave in a huff when Monarch proposes to her. Dr. Girlfriend lays out a few stipulations, the last one being that Monarch ends his vendetta against Dr. Venture. After some reluctance, the Monarch agrees and Dr. Girlfriend accepts. One month later, the Cocoon has been trashed (thanks to the Monarch's bachelor party) and scores of disheveled henchmen, including #21 and #24, wake up to discover that the entire Venture family, including a shirtless and annoyed Brock Samson, are locked up in the holding cell.
In the meantime, the Monarch meets with Phantom Limb to pick up Dr. Girlfriend's (now Dr. Fiancée's) belongings. While there, Phantom Limb chats with Monarch while doing some hunting; his prey turns out to be Monarch's former prisonmates. In quick order, he shoots Mr. Monday, takes out Dr. Septapus and shoots off White Noise's arm. Limb reveals that he had Tiny Attorney win their appeals, then promptly shoots a naked Tiny Attorney. After briefly turning the gun on Monarch, he lets him go pick up Dr. Girlfriend's belongings, but not before warning Monarch that he will have his revenge.
During this time, The Order of the Triad is fighting Torrid over the "all seeing orb," a giant round object that resembles a large eyeball. The team forms a pyramid and successfully subdues Torrid. The battle, however, was less than impressive for the trio, all of whom complain about holding up Dr. Orpheus and feel slightly embarrassed. Orpheus chalks it up due to a lack of practice and admonishes them to work harder and decides to convene a training session at his house, one that the Alchemist assumes is a "slumber party".
Upon returning to the cocoon, Monarch is horrified at the discovery of the Venture family, knowing that Dr. Girlfriend would assume that he was behind it and would be furious. His horror gives way to surprise and asks his henchmen how they even pulled off the capture, especially without The Monarch's command, given that they haven't succeeded in this task in ten years of trying. It turns out that after the bachelor party, the henchmen got very inebriated and decided to get a tattoo for #21, at the same tattoo parlor that Brock Samson was coincidentally also patronizing. Upon seeing him, the henchmen decided to attack, while Brock was off his guard. After a vicious struggle, with the "predictable casualties," they managed to overpower and capture him. Upon realizing that the Venture family was now defenseless, they drunkenly stormed the Venture compound and captured the now unprotected Venture family. After this revelation, Dr. Girlfriend walks in. Upon seeing the Venture family, she is infuriated and threatens to call the wedding off. The Monarch quickly comes up with an explanation: Dr. Venture is his best man in a gesture of good faith and that they were only in the cell because of Hank's curiosity. He lowers his voice and tells Dr. Girlfriend that Hank isn't exactly the "sharpest tack" and that he probably thinks they're in a submarine or something. This explanation is helped when Hank groggily asks where he is. Accepting this, Dr. Girlfriend goes to get dressed, but not before giving the Monarch a long kiss and grabbing his butt, which leads Dr. Venture to finally realize that she was 'Charlene' (from Mid-Life Chrysalis).
Meanwhile, The Sovereign notifies Phantom Limb that his request, upon review, has been denied and directs him not to commit any acts of vengeance against The Monarch. The Sovereign adds that the Guild cannot authorize such requests because of Breakups, and suggests that Limb keep a diary instead, or jog with friends. Phantom Limb gives The Sovereign his word that he will not move against the Monarch (in the conversation, the Sovereign lets it slip that he has a "wedding to get to" but changes the subject). However, after their communique ends, the Phantom Limb is seen massing a large helicopter strike force...
#21, #24 and the Monarch lead the Venture family around the cocoon after they agree to go along with the wedding. Brock and the Monarch get into a minor argument in which Brock questions the Monarch's sexuality and Dr. Girlfriend's femininity, which the Monarch attributes to jealousy and in turn, insults Brock's tattoo ("Hell-o, jealous much? Heh, excuse me, but I am not the rough trade in the tight camisole with a naked guy tattooed on my arm!"). Brock had been attempting to get an Icarus tattoo from the Led Zepplin albums, which the Monarch also mocks ("Super fucking cool - when I was, like, 14."). Hank and #21 exchange putdowns over life as a henchman and Hank's clothing while Dean annoys #24 with his pseudo-scientific questioning. Dr. Venture spots a murderous moppet and slips away to find Dr. Girlfriend. On arriving at her room, he enters and begins to hit on her. After some initial confusion, she remembers her previous liaison with Dr. Venture.
At the Venture Compound, Orpheus is busy with Jefferson Twilight when the Alchemist arrives, dressed in Hawaiian garb. The Alchemist suggests they start drinking, but Orpheus and Twilight are put off by this, as it's still before noon, and Twilight is a teetotaler. After a brief back and forth, the Alchemist tempts Twilight with "Nik-L-Nips", sweet colored sugarwater that comes in tiny bottle-shaped wax containers. Twilight snaps and fights with Alchemist for taunting him. Later, we see that Twilight drank all the Nips and is passed out from his sugar binge. The Alchemist asks Orpheus if he really thought that a bunch of middle-aged guys were honestly going to take this whole 'superhero team thing' seriously, and continues that being magic superheroes who keep chasing the same guy "...is completely gay! And that is coming from a guy that voluntarily has sex with men!" Disappointed, Orpheus says that he'd hoped they would, but is interrupted by an alarm from his brooch, which tells him that great destruction and death is coming. Orpheus assumes that the Alchemist isn't interested, but Alchemist tells him that this is the kind of thing he is interested in. Enthused, both he and The Alchemist (as well as Nien Numb, whom they conjured from a Star Wars trading card) prepare to intervene along with the still-unconscious Jefferson.
At the Monarch's cocoon, the wedding is about to begin. #21 and Hank argue over the contents of #21's closet, which #21 insists are collectibles, but Hank dismisses as toys. After playing around with some of #21's stuff, #21 lets Hank borrow an old-school henchman costume (one of the henchman costumes from the pilot episode) for the wedding (which is attended by mostly supervillains, necessitating an appropriate costume for Hank). Hank also puts on a fake goatee, and jokes around by pretending to be a minor Russian villain. The weak disguise proves useful, as he ends up seated next to Sergeant Hatred, whom Hank remembers "bad touched" him. Tired of Dean's pestering, #24 suggests to Dean that he go "exploring" to the engine room, but warns him not to touch anything. While Dean is outside the engine room door, however, it opens and a henchman enjoins Dean to deliver an urgent report to the Monarch: the radar indicates numerous helicopters are en route. However, Dean sees something interesting and heads into the engine room.
As the wedding begins, David Bowie arrives to give away Dr. Girlfriend (after some threats exchanged with Brock, who apparently has a past with Bowie). Dr. Killinger performs the ceremony, but just before the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend can say "I do", Guild of Calamitous Intent helicopters surround the cocoon and Phantom Limb appears on the com monitor. In violation of direct orders from Sovereign, he announces that if the Monarch doesn't hand over Dr. Girlfriend in 5 minutes, he will destroy the Cocoon...and all inside.
Production notes
The episode was very close to missing the Sunday broadcast as the plane carrying the videotape was struck by lightning, forcing it to be diverted to another airport. In addition, the episode did not premiere on the Adult Swim Fix on Friday as it was not delivered in time for conversion and posting, making it the only episode of the second season not to be shown on the Fix before airing on television. Shortly after its premiere, the episode was added to the Fix.
This is the only episode of The Venture Bros. of the first two seasons to be split into two parts; as a result, it has no end credits. The salient credits roll during the first scene after the opening titles instead. The title regards an actual part of the Grand Canyon, which is where the episode takes place.
Connections to previous episodes
Phantom limb kills several characters from the Monarchs past in a style reminiscent of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game".
- Mister Monday - Originally From "Return to Spider-Skull Island"
- Dr. Septapus - Originally From "Return to Spider-Skull Island"
- White Noise - Originally From "Powerless in the Face of Death"
- Tiny Attorney - Originally From "The Trial of the Monarch"