Fallen Arches

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Fallen Arches”
The Venture Bros. episode
"When word of this gets out, business will pick right up!"
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 8
Written by	Doc Hammer
Guest stars	Dana Snyder as the Alchemist
Production no.	2-21
Original airdate	3 September 2006
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "Love-Bheits" "Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?"

This article is about the episode of The Venture Bros. For the condition of the human foot, see flat feet.

"Fallen Arches" is the eighth episode in the second season of The Venture Bros.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cultural references 3 Connections to other episodes 4 Production notes 5 References

[edit] Plot

Dr. Orpheus receives his long-awaited approval from the Guild of Calamitous Intent for an arch-villain. However, the approval is for a team which long ago disbanded, forcing him to hastily reassemble The Order of the Triad with former teammates Jefferson Twilight and The Alchemist.

The Monarch, meanwhile, invites a prostitute over and makes her dress like Dr. Girlfriend, then sends her through a treacherous maze in order to escape the cocoon.

Henchmen 21 and 24 embark on a scheme to pass themselves off as supervillains using forged licenses and jetpacks. However, their trial attempts fail due to their failed handling of their equipment.

The Order of the Triad hold interviews for their archnemesis, causing a large group to amass on the Venture compound in order to audition. Dr. Venture, jealous of the attention Orpheus is getting, takes out a Walking Eye robot and washes it, baiting the amassed supervillains into causing havoc.

Told to entertain Triana, Dean Venture stages a play. However, Hank notices a foul smell in the bathroom left by a supervillain using the toilet; when the teens investigate, Triana disappears in a puff of smoke. The Order ultimately gives the archvillain position to an Australian demon supervillain Torrid, who impressed them by kidnapping Triana.

[edit] Cultural references

• The play that Dean stages for Triana is Lady Windermere's Fan, an 1892 play by Oscar Wilde.
• The costumes the Monarch's henchmen wear were stolen from the children's game show Family Double Dare.
• The "Walking Eye" robot that was created by Dr. Venture is based on the Jonny Quest episode, "The Robot Spy". A similar robot can also be seen in the opening credits of the first season of Venture Bros., just as the original version appeared in the opening credits of Jonny Quest. Dr. Venture also can be heard in conversation about Walking Eyes during "A Very Venture Christmas".
• Torrid appears to be a visual combination of Marvel's Dormammu and DC's Deadman with an accent likely modeled after Marvel's Pyro (in the episode's commentary, Jackson Publick claimed that the voice was taken from Lost, and that the fake Australian accent failed to impress series composer J.G. Thirlwell, himself an Australian).
• Curse, the supervillain the Order of the Triad challenges using magic, appears to be a reference to DC villain Mordru, a recurring enemy in the Legion of Superheroes comic books.
• The names of Guild sentries Watch and Ward are mentioned in this episode for the first time in the series. Their names are a play on the "watch" and "ward," the rudimentary system of local law enforcement established by King Edward I in the Statute of Winchester (1285) - the "watch" describing the nightly duties of the constabulary, and the "ward" describing the daylight duties.
• The Monarch's discourse and back tattoo of a Minotaur are direct parodies of the killer Francis Dolarhyde from the Thomas Harris book and related movie Red Dragon. The tattoo also appears to be fake, washing off in the shower.
• The scene where Dr. Venture washes his Walking Eye robot to entice to Guild hopefuls is a direct reference to Cool Hand Luke, in which a busty blonde washes her car to tantalize the members of the chain gang. The final shot of this sequence parallels the final shot of the car wash scene, where the girl's large breasts are rubbing against the window of the car.
• Jefferson Twilight is a pastiche of the Marvel superhero Blade and the blaxploitation movie protagonist Shaft.
• The Rabbot from Aqua Teen Hunger Force can be heard in the background during the scene where Torrid is introduced.
• The Monarch recites a paragraph from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" as the prostitute is making her way beneath a row of swinging axes.
• Hanks statement about Triana's smoldering remains banging out "kill me" in Morse code is likely a reference to the book and film Johnny Got His Gun.
• The Monarch's maze features the polar bear from Lost.
• Dr. Venture discusses the video for "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake (not White Lion, as Dean incorrectly guesses) as well as lead singer David Coverdale's relationship with Tawny Kitaen.
• Jefferson Twilight mentions Rochambeau, which leads into a discussion of rock-paper-scissors, the French general Rochambeau, and food manufacturer Franco-American.
• Henchman 21 wants to name their new supervillain team "Jetboy and Jetgirl" after the Elton Motello song, which he notes was covered by The Damned.

[edit] Connections to other episodes

• Many of the arch-villain candidates seen in this episode can also be seen in "Tag Sale – You're It!".^[1]
• In the line of enticed villains are Truckules (dressed in an Optimus Prime-like suit) and Sergeant Hatred. Both supervillains were mentioned in the episode "Hate Floats", but never shown.^[2]
• Dr. Girlfriend applies to be the Order's arch-nemesis under the name "Lady Au Pair," mentioned in the past as Dr. Girlfriend's first alias.^[3]
• Green Glory and Wild Fop, two of the villains in the training video, have profiles distinctly similar to the silhouettes of two of the Council of Thirteen seen in Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny.

[edit] Production notes

• When the Triad try fighting a wizard arch-villain named Curse, Dr. Orpheus says an incantation and proceeds to shoot a red laser that takes away Curse's legs. When this incantation is recorded and played backwards, it says "Enjoy hot magic."^{[citation needed]}
• One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For "Fallen Arches" the credit reads Kimson "Rochambeau" Albert.

[edit] References

Preceded by: "Love-Bheits"

The Venture Bros. episodes original airdate: September 3rd, 2006

Followed by: "Guess Who's Coming to State Dinner?"

v • d • e The Venture Bros. episodes Pilot The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay Season 1 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 Season 2 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 Season 3 1 • 2 • 3 Special A Very Venture Christmas Other Phone Calls • Songs