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The Venture Bros. :: Tears of a Sea Cow (03x08)
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Episode Information |
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| Title: | Tears of a Sea Cow |
| Episode #: | 03x08 |
| Production Number: | 3-34 |
| Original Airdate: | Sunday July 20th, 2008 |
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Episode Summary |
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The Monarch, who has been struggling to cope with his promise to Dr. Mrs. The Monarch about forgetting about henching Dr. Venture, notices that Brock and Dr. Venture are out attending an annual science convention. This leaves the Monarch in a joyful position. The Monarch, in violation of The Guild of Calamitous Intent's orders, takes numbers 21 and 24 to the Venture Compound for a night of mischief. While Hank invites Dermott for a sleepover.
| | There are no foreign summaries for this episode: Contribute | | English Recap Available: View Here |
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Guest Stars |
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| Guest Stars | | •Christopher McCulloch | voiced | The Monarch / Henchman 24 / Tim-Tom Moppet / Dr. Dugong | Recurring (8th appearance) | | •Doc Hammer | voiced | Dr. Mrs. The Monarch / Henchman 21 / Dermott Fictel / Kevin Moppet | Recurring (6th appearance) |
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Main Cast |
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Episode Notes |
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The episode's official working title according to Jackson Publick's blog was "Just Because". Though adultswim.com had initially listed it as "Murder O'Clock"
| During the credits, animation director Kimson Albert had a nickname added to his credit, which was a gag from the episode:"Weenis". It reads, Kimson "Weenis" Albert.
| The episode had credited a "Special Thanks" to Vishal Roney & Jennifer Stephens.
| As with the last three episodes in this season, there was no opening title sequence for this episode, just a small interlace scene where we see blood (or red paint) spattering on the background of the show's logo, dividing the first scene and the main episode.
| The Moppets have a new title, they are now known as the Pupa Twins
| The episode title, Tears of a Sea Cow, is a play on song title"Tears of a Clown" by "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles"
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Episode Quotes |
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Dr. Dugong: But Dr. Dugong has plenty more tricks up his sleeve.
The Monarch: You don’t have sleeves, you’re in a seal costume.
| The Monarch: “Showing the Vacuum Boom-Broom.” Do you know what that means?
Henchman 24: That Venture’s invented an exploding vacuum?
Henchman 21: And he’s gave it the stupidest name ever?
| Kevin Moppet: You wanna lose some of that belly fat right fast?
Tim-Tom Moppet: Put you on a cold steel diet.
Kevin Moppet: Be the last diet you’ll ever be on.
Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: Boys, don’t’ cut anybody.
| The Monarch: I wanted to kick his ass. I wanted to build a machine to kick his ass. I wanted to build an empire to house the machine to kick his ass.
Henchman 24: Then, by god, let’s go take a dump in his pool!
| Henchman 21: I can’t believe we didn’t get blown up. We’re like those guys on television. We’re like main characters.
Henchman 24: Don’t jink it!
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Episode Goofs |
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Continuity and Prop Error.
Tim-Tom: OK, then take the Uzi. I'm going to use this Kalashnikov.
Kevin: Where'd you get that? I want an AK too.
Though could have been talking about other guns that where on the gun rack near them, neither of the two guns Tim-Tom was holding where Uzis or AK-47s. Though both where identically designed, they have characteristics of both Uzis and AK-47s. For example, the overall appearance of the guns are that of Uzis, but the spiraled bullet magazines where that of AK-47s. (Picture)
| Minor Continuity Error and Inconstancy.
Dean: H.E.L.P.eR., disable all accessible audio functions. Access password "Rusty is a Cowboy".
Everything that has audio capabilities inside the Venture Compound immediately shuts down. This includes the Compound's security alarms and a portable radio and cassette player Hank was listening to. But, this did not affect the Team Venture's communicator watch's communicating abilities, but did, however, affect their alert systems. Hank and Dean where shown communicating via their watches. No beeping noise came out from the watches while they communicated either.
Though the possible explanation to why their communicator watches worked limited is that Dean's request, which was "disable all accessible audio functions", meaning to disable all functions that are pre-programed like alarm system noises and pre-recorded messages.
| Minor Inconstancy.
Number 21: I can't believe we didn't get blown up. dude, where like those guys on TV that get shot. Yeah, where like main characters.
Not entirely true, Number 24 was knifed by the two Moppets at the end of the episode "Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny". though Number 24 fully recovered.
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Cultural References |
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The Monarch: Yeah, it's chilling. I'm so scared of your left over prop from a Styx video. Oh please, spare my life Mr. Roboto.
Styx is an American rock band that was made popular since the 1970s. They had a hit called Mr. Roboto, which was written by written by Dennis DeYoung. The music video for Mr. Roboto had a very similar robot featured in it.
| The Monarch: How much thalidomide did your mom take?
Thalidomide is a sedative-hypnotic, and multiple myeloma drug medication that was used in the early 1950's till the late 1970's for it's properties in calming pregnant women and their morning sickness. It wasn't properly research and was concluded to be a key factor in certain imperfects.
| Hank: Here's the angle. The next big thing since Eddie and the Cruisers!
Eddie and the Cruisers is an American film directed by Martin Davidson and written by the director and Arlene Davidson in 1983. The film is about a reporter investigating the mysterious death of musician Eddie Wilson. The movie was considered a box office failure.
| The Monarch: I have a cocoon that's parked in a tree, that is full of guys that do nothing but play a video game that uses a little plastic baby guitar.
The game the Monarch was describing was either Guitar Hero or Rock Band. In both games, a gamer uses a fake plastic guitar (or Instrument peripherals) that comes with the game. The gamer hooks it up to the gaming system and uses it as the game's main controller. Though in Rock Band, a user can choose between several Instrument peripherals, including a drum set and microphones.The Monarch may have noted this if this where the game his henchmen where playing. Therefor the video game the Monarch was most likely referring to was Guitar Hero. Seeing that he only mentioned that his henchmen only played with a fake guitar. Also, Guitar Hero has the most version and titles out there. Rock Band was invented and developed by the creators of the first and second Guitar Hero titles. The third was Guitar Hero title wasn't made by them, but was actually made by another company that was bought by another publisher.
| Dermott: Oh hey looser. Changed out of your 1910's bankers costume into your Oompa-Loompa costume for us?
An Oompa-Loompa is a frictional race of small green people with bright orange hair from the Roald Dahl's books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.
| Hank: Dean. putting plastic dinosaurs in water until they get huge and all bloated, isn't "doing science".
Hank is referring to the real life toys that where popular in the early 80's. These toys consists of a package of small pill like plastic pallets which if put inside a cup of warm water, they expand a large percentage of there actual size in a given amount of time. These don't have a proper name, but most distributors call them "Magic growing ____". The blank referring to what there product is. whether it be animals, dinosaurs or bugs.
| The Monarch: I've got a better idea. We return to suckle the teat of hate that once nourished us like so much butterflied themed Romulus and Remus.
Romulus and Remus are considered the traditional founders of Rome. They are featured in the Roman mythology as the twin sons of the god of war, Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia. In the Mythos, Romulus and Remus where nursed by a Lupa named and commonly referred to "She-Wolf". Which is the literal translation from Latin to English. Romulus and Remus are commonly depicted in art containing the twins suckling She-Wolf's teats.
| Number 21: What is this, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the name of the film adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car". In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a family purchases an old beat-up, non working car and are surprised to find out that the car can actually fly. the family initially names it "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" after the noises it initially made.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's wings expands in the exact way as shown on the Monarch Mobile.
| Dean: And we had a bad run in with hot lava men of Tanga Island. So i can imagine how dangerous their women get when they're desperate.
Tanga Island, actual name Tanga Islands. They Islands are small group of volcanic islands located in Papua New Guinea.
| Dermott: I'm totally positive. They just landed on your freaking house! So that rules out weather balloon or the Moon.
Dermott may have been referring to the most famous UFO incident ever, the Roswell UFO Incident. In the Roswell UFO Incident, the government claims that a weather top secret balloon project fell onto a small New Mexico desert town named Roswell.
According to many UFO skeptics, claims of photographic and video UFO evidence are easily dismissed by such phenomena as the moon's reflection on some clouds. This claim was notably argued by Donald Howard Menzel, an American astronomer, astrophysicist and UFO skeptic. In which he himself experience ominous crafts that had about the same shape as the full moon. He has stated that he didn't know what it was but dismissed it as the moon's reflection.
| Number 21: It's like Blair Witch-O-Vision! Those kids eyes look all glowy.
The Blair Witch Project is an American horror film that was released in 1999.The movie is shown via the perspective of the actors of the film, who are recording a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. the film is mostly in black and white and also has shots which are filmed in night vision.
| (After Number 24 throws Dermott to the floor, Dermott starts to cough at Number 24 face.)
Number 24: Dude, what are you doing?
Dermott: I'm going to kill you with my cold. Die alien!
Number 24: I'm not an alien, dilweed. I'm a henchmen!
Dermott's attempts to infect Number 24, who he thinks is an alien, with his germs is a clear reference to War of the Worlds. In the War of the Worlds the end climax of the novel it is revealed that the alien invaders where subdued by an earth bacteria to which they had no immunities or cures for.
The War of the Worlds is the classic H. G. Wells science fiction novel that describes a hypothetical invasion of England by aliens from Mars.
| Number 21: You are an immortal.
Hank: Like the Highlander?
The Highlander is a series of movies and television shows about immortals who are are immune to disease and stopped aging. they can only die if they are beheaded.
| Dean: When my dad finds out about this, you're going to be in big trouble! Big trouble!
The Monarch: Yes, good! Tell your father. That is the final step in your training.
Dean: What?
The Monarch: Knock on me and your training will be complete. You will of become completely evil! Join me Dean. Tell your dad on me!
Dean: No! I won't be like you! Never, ever. Never ever!
The Monarch: Yes Dean, complete final test and tattle on me! Then and only then will you be a super-villain.
Dean: you can't make me. I'll never tell my dad! I will never be evil like you!
The Monarch: Oh, you have vested my this time, Master Venture! But next time I'll be ready! ... OK, bye.
The dialogue and scene are reminiscent to two different scenes from the original Star Wars Trilogy.
First one is that of the climax scene on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Where the protagonist, Luke Skywalker, is battling Darth Vader, his father, for the first time. Luke doesn't know Vader is his father, but Vader reveals this during this scene. The dialogue on this scene goes as follows:
Darth Vader: There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover you power. Join me and I will complete your raining. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.
Luke: I'll never join you!
Darth Vader: If you only knew the power of the dark side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Luke: He told me enough! He told me you killed him.
Darth Vader: No. I am your father.
(Luke, in Shock, looks at Vader in disbelief.)
Luke: No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!
Darth Vader: Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
Luke: No! No! No!
Darth Vader: Luke. You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and we can rule the galaxy as father and son. Come with me. It's the only way.
The Second reminiscent series of scenes that the Monarch's rant is referenced from is from the movie Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In which the Luke Skywalker is taken prisoner by Darth Vader, and Vader takes him to meet the Emperor. This time Luke accepts that Darth Vader is his father, but is hesitant to convert to the Dark Side. Vader takes him to the Emperor to try lure him into the Dark Side. The dialogue on the scene where Luke meets Vader for the second time goes as follows:
Darth Vader: I see you have constructed a new lightsaber.Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen.
The dialogue on the scene where Luke meets Emperor goes as follows:
Emperor: I'm looking forward to completing your training. In time you will call me Master.
Luke: You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father.
The Emperor, tempting Luke to attack him, tells Luke the following:
Emperor: Good. I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon! Strike me down with all your hatred, and your journey towards the dark side will be complete.
| Tim-Tom: OK, then take the Uzi. I'm going to use this Kalashnikov.
Kevin: Where'd you get that? I want an AK too.
Though both guns shown might of not been the guns they where referring to, both said guns are real and popular guns on the black market as well as in cinematic fiction.
The Uzi is a submachine gun first designed and created in the late 1940s
The Kalashnikov or also known as the AK-47 series gun, is a gun created by the Russian army in 1947 by Mikhail Kalashnikov. The AK stands for Автомат Калашникова which translated from Russian to English is "Kalashnikov's Automatic" and the 47 refers to the year it was invented which was 1947.
| Dr. Dugong's voice and accent.
In his livejournal account, Jackson Publick has stated that he intended the voice of Dr. Dugong to sound like Larry Flynt. though some people have said that his voice sounds like Jerry Lewis.
| Dr. Mrs. the Monarch: Shut up! now give us the key, the plans or whatever the hell you have!
The Monarch: I have a tank full of gentle Cuttlefish.
Cuttlefish are real sea animals. Despite their name, Cuttlefish are marine animals from the Sepiida order and belonging to the Cephalopoda class, They are mollusks not "fish".
| Dean's Printing method.
though purely speculative, and based on Dean being covered with purple ink, Dean's printing method for his newspaper could be based on the now obsolete method called "Spirit duplicator" aka a Ditto machine. The method involved the creation of masters and the transfer of ink from masters to copies. A carbon consisted of a sheet of slick, impermeable paper (the master) attached to the front of a second sheet that had on its face a coating of paste-like ink. The most common color that was used is Purple.
| H.E.L.P.eR.'s electronic tune.
The song coming off from H.E.L.P.eR for the majority of the episode is a common Casio electronic Piano Demo tune called "Samba" from the Casio software line "SA-21".
| Dermott: Plus, if I had on my Tabi boots I....
Tabi boots or what they are original called "Jika-tabi" are a type of heavy-duty shoes worn in Japan. They are normally associated to be worn by ninja and samurai.
| Dermott: Ah, come on. Your sealing is to low for me to make my sweet Gymkata hand spring real kick.
Gymkata is term used in the movie titled "Gymkata". Gymkata, the movie, was a movie about an Olympic gymnast who combines his natural talents and ability with the martial art of ninjutsu so that he can enter a deadly battling competition. The movie debuted in 1985 It was considered a flop in all aspects. Gymkata, the term, is a splice on the two words "Gymnastics" and "Karate".
| The episode title.
The episode title, Tears of a Sea Cow, is a play on song title"Tears of a Clown" by "Smokey Robinson & the Miracles". Tears was first released on the "Make It Happen" album in 1967.
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Episode References |
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Dr. Dugong's first appearance.
Dr. Dugong was first shown through a page featured inside the Guild's arch-nemesis face book the Monarch was looking through on the episode "Home Is Where The Hate Is".
| Venture Home News.
Dean's "Venture Home News" newspaper was first mentioned in the episode "Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman"
| Dean: It's a speed suite. I ware it when I'm doing science.
dean's speed suite was given to him by his father, Dr. Venture, on his birthday to use when doing scientific thing. The first appearance was of his speed suite the second episode "Hate Floats".
| Hank: About as much as ghost hunting or time machine guys from the past showing up to yell at my dad.
The "ghost hunting" part Hank was referring to may have been referring to the times where Team Venture encountered what they first thought to be a ghost on the episode "Ghosts of the Sargasso".
Also, still referring to the ghost part, they encountered the ghost of Abraham Lincoln on the season two episode "Guess Who’s Coming to State Dinner?".
The "time machine guys from the past showing up to yell at my dad" part was a reference to the season two episode "20 Years to Midnight".Where Team Venture encountered an entity from the past sent to the future to warm the about impending dangers.
| The Monarch: You rebuilding G.U.A.R.D.O. you pathetic looser? Want to see if you can get it to suck again? Huh? Is that what you want? Huh?
G.U.A.R.D.O. makes his third appearance since the season one finale, "Return to Spider-Skull Island". He was introduced on the season one episode "Home Insecurity" In which G.U.A.R.D.O. malfunctions and almost kills the Venture family.
| Number 21: I have personally seen you die twice. Seriously. Like shotgun to the face. You can't be killed. I shit you not. You are an immortal.
One of the time Number 21 witnessed Hank and Dean's death was on the ending of the season one finale "Return to Spider-Skull Island". The other instance where Number 21 sees Hank die is unknown. (Though it could have been a prelude to what Number 21 was about to do to him.) Though, on the season two episode "Hate Floats" Hank was shot at by a real gun, but had been knocked down to an escalator just a few moments before and dodged the bullets. Hank had appeared to been shot, but his belt buckle saved his life.
It is arguable to assume that Number 21 was the one who killed Hank and his brother in the episode Return to Spider-Skull Island. They died relativity the same way by a henchmen shooting a dart gun at them, causing them to loose control over their hover bikes and crash.
| Hank's Bass Guitar.
The bass guitar Brock gave Hank for Christmas makes it's appearance on this episode it was first mentioned on the season one special "A Very Venture Christmas".
| (Dean reading a query made by a subscriber of his.)
Dean:: A troubled reader queries: I’m in love with my boss’ wife, but because my boss is a known killer and private torturer I’m afraid to say something. Singed, G. Viceroy.
G. Viceroy was the pseudo pen of Number 21. The first time he used it was in "Powerless in the Face of Death" when he was contemplating the idea of becoming an official supervillain. the G. in the name stands for Gary.
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Analysis |
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Dr. Dugong.
Dr. Dugong first appeared in a page featured inside the Guild's arch-nemesis face book the Monarch was looking through on the episode "Home Is Where The Hate Is".
Though his appearance in the show was way too brief, it is worth noting that Dr. Dugong's real name is revealed to be "Dr. Douglas Gong". As he related his origin story:
Dr. Dugong: Dr. Douglas Gong, in a desperate attempt to learn the secrets of love and carrying, was chemically fused with a gentle sea cow.
In his livejournal account, Jackson Publick has stated that he intended the voice of Dr. Dugong to sound like Larry Flynt.
Also might be of interest to note that Dr. Dugong may possibly be a minor spoof on, or partially based on, a Star Wars character by the name of "Admiral Akbar". Both Dr. Dugong and Admiral Akbar are large man-like people who have the appearance of sea animals. Admiral Akbar being a giant fish like humanoid, and Dr. Dugong being a giant Sea Cow like humanoid.
Dr. Dugong, in an unrelated note, has said that he has a tank of "gentle Cuttlefish":
Dr. Mrs. the Monarch: Shut up! now give us the key, the plans or whatever the hell you have!
The Monarch: I have a tank full of gentle Cuttlefish.
Cuttlefish are far from a soothing aquatic sea animal, though he could have bread them, or done something to them to make them more "gentle" and "soothing". Despite their name, Cuttlefish are marine animals from the Sepiida order and belonging to the Cephalopoda class, They are mollusks not "fish".
| The Mystery of the Monarch's rivalry running gag.
Dr. Mrs. the Girlfriend: Tim-Tom. Kevin. The Monarch would never hurt me. You just don't understand him. He has a deep hatred for Dr. Venture
Tim-Tom: Why?
Dr. Mrs. the Girlfriend: Because the Monarch has passion. He has more hate in his yellow glove then most villains have in their entire costume.
Kevin: Why does he hate Dr. Venture?
Dr. Mrs. the Girlfriend: Because he can't fake it. He would rather jeopardize his whole career than arch somebody else. That's why, because he's the real thing!
Tim-Tom: No mom, what did Dr. Venture do to the Monarch to make them enemies?
Dr. Mrs. the Girlfriend: Nothing worth destroying your career or a mirage. I know what I have to do. You boys stay here.
Kevin: Why can't we get a strait answer?
Since early season one, it has been alluded to the audience to the true source and nature that caused the Monarch to hate Dr. Venture so much. It is clear that, via the previous conversation between the two Moppets, the witters are hinting at the viewers that they are aware that their fan base is waiting an answer to this mystery.
| Dermott's father's identity
Hank: Man, I hope the tape didn't snap. Brock would kill me. It's his only tape.
Dermott: It's Brock's? Hey, think I can borrow it? You know, just for a few days.
It is hinted by Dermott's comment that the possibility that Brock is in fact Dermott's "long lost son". further more, a huge confirmation to the theory is given when Dermott is captured by Number 24. This is most likely a confirmation to the previous claims:
Number 24: ... Who the hell are you?
Dermott: I'm Hank's friend.
Number 24: Yeah, I doubt that.
Dermott: Would you believe I'm Brock Sampson's long lost son.
Number 24: If that where true, I don't think I would of caught you so easily.
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Other Episode Crew |
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Featured Songs |
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