This is the season that changed everything for The Venture Bros. When Season Five comes around, it’s going to be a very different world for them. That’s a rarity on TV, and it’s virtually unheard of in an animated series. In the early days, The Venture Bros. was very, very good at giving us stories of a bitter scientist fighting a guy who dressed like a butterfly. They could have done that for years, and the viewers would have been happy. But the show’s becoming increasingly rich and complex. There’s a reason for us to care about the characters, and that takes it to another level. Granted, I love that Brock Samson occasionally punches dudes in the head so hard that they die, but I love even more that he’s discovering that he’s an idealist at heart. If there’s one thing that Season Four made clear, it’s that Venture Bros. is so much better than it needs to be.
