History Recap / TheVentureBrosS3E3TheInvisibleHandOfFate

** [[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest Race Bannon]] is shown aboard the O.S.I. headquarters torturing a SPHINX agent, [[Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan Steve]] [[Series/TheBionicWoman Summers]] is seen aboard the helicarrier as well.

** Phantom Limb identifies Billy's arm as being based on one of Mike Sorayama's designs; Sorayama was the posthumous villain of the season 1 episode "Past Tense."
** Continuing from her backstory in "Shadowman 9 and the Cradle of Destiny", a young Dr. Girlfriend makes a brief cameo as one of Phantom Limb's students requesting more time on a paper. (Incidentally, this is the first time we learn that her real name is Sheila.)

Meanwhile, the O.S.I. wages a war on the criminal organization SPHINX. Aboard the O.S.I. helicarrier headquarters, a team of O.S.I. agents (who look a lot like the Music/VillagePeople,) comes aboard to poke fun at Col. Hunter Gathers and Brock Samson for not participating in the battle, preferring to chase around a shadowy organization known as "The Guild of Calamitous Intent." Gathers tells them not-so-politely to fuck off, and reveals that they're close a breakthrough in their investigation.

Brock and Gathers are now driving across the country in civilian garb to their next mission, investigating a suspected Guild operative at State University.

Billy, injured and alone in the desert, is approached by Gathers and Brock. They replace his hand and eye with robotic versions in a plan to use him to infiltrate the Guild. They reveal that a Professor Fantomos at State University is recruiting students into the Guild. Billy is enrolled in Fantomos' class, and discovers that his classmates also suffer from major deformities, including Fantomos' assistant. However, the classwork overwhelms Billy.

Brock and Gathers, meeting with Billy, reveal that the O.S.I. had Creator/StephenHawking write the paper for him. Brock and Gathers also reveal that Stevie was their other man on the inside and they believe that Fantomos killed him because he was getting too close as well as the fact that his new eye and arm are actually recording devices, and that he is providing them with valuable intel. Tired of being used, Billy punches Brock in the balls and flees to Fantomos' lab where Fantomos is preparing an experiment to restore his limbs.

** Phantom Limb identifies Billy's arm as being based on one of Mike Sorayama's designs; Sorayama being the posthumous villain of the episode "Past Tense."

* RayOfHopeEnding: Fantomos plans to become a supervillain, Sgt. Hatred successfully wards off any suspicion the OSI has over the guild for the time being, Brock and Gathers fail their mission and get reassigned to different missions. Billy's life and reputation is destroyed and he is left amnesiac under the care of Pete White... who is overjoyed to reunite with his friend.

** Billy hitting his head in the bathroom to recall his wiped memories is similar to how [[Film/BackToTheFuture Doc Brown]] got his inspiration to build the flux capacitor.

* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Most of the episode is a {{Flashback}} seen through the view of Billy Quizboy, revealing how he got his robotic hand and lost his eye. (It also indirectly reveals how Phantom Limb came to be.)

* MilkmanConspiracy: Hunter claims at one point that the Build-A-Bear Workshop is a front for an organization influential enough to bring down the Berlin Wall. When Billy points out that hasn't happened, Hunter simply tells him that it was decided at the last meeting.

* RayOfHopeEnding: Fantomas plans to become a supervillain, Sgt. Hatred successfully wards off any suspicion the OSI has over the guild for the time being, Brock and Gathers fail their mission and get reassigned to different missions. Billy's life and reputation is destroyed and he is left amnesiac under the care of Pete White... who is overjoyed to reunite with his friend.

* RayOfHopeEnding: Fantomas plans to become a supervillain, Sgt. Hatredt successfuly wards off any suspicion the OSI has over the guild for the time being, Brock and Gathers fail their mission and get reassigned to different missions. Billy's life and reputation is destroyed and he is left amnesiac under the care of Pete White... who is overjoyed to reunite with his friend.

* RayOfHopeEnding: Fantomas plans to become a supervillain, Sgt. Hatredt successfuly wards off any suspicion the OSI has over the guild for the time being, Brock and Gathers fail their mission and get reassigned to different missions. Billy's life and reputation is destroyed and he is left amnesiac under the care of Pete White, who is overjoyed to reunite with his friend.

* ShoutOut

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: The OSI fighting SPHINX serves as this. In rapid succession, we see them shooting down parachutists, executing prisoners, and desecrating corpses, among other things. It even concludes on a shot of a soldier lighting a cigarette while standing on top of a pile of naked SPHINX soldiers, a rather obvious reference to the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghirab.

* DownerEnding: Fantomas plans to become a supervillain, Sgt. Hatredt successfuly wards off any suspicion the OSI has over the guild for the time being, Brock and Gathers fail their mission and get reassigned to different missions, Billy's life and reputation is destroyed and he is left amnesiac under the care of Pete White.

* RealityEnsues: The sequence with the OSI fighting SPHINX is this to their roots as a ''Franchise/GIJoe'' pastiche. What happens when professional soldiers with all the attitude and bloodlust of the American military go up against ineffectual Saturday morning cartoon villains, freed of the restrictions of children's broadcasting? Well, five or six war crimes later, the cartoon villains get completely slaughtered.

* ContinuityNod: Several, as is par for the course with Venture Bros. flashbacks.
** [[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest Race Bannon]] is shown aboard the O.S.I. headquarters torturing a SPHINX agent, [[Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan Steve]] [[Series/TheBionicWoman Summers]] is seen aboard the helicarrier as well. ** [[Recap/TheVentureBrosS2E10IKnowWhyTheCagedBirdKills Myra Brandish]] is shown having her nervous breakdown and being taken into custody by the OSI.

* CallBack:
** [[Recap/TheVentureBrosS1E7IceStationImpossible Race Bannon]] and [[Recap/TheVentureBrosS1E3HomeInsecurity Steve Summers]] are seen in the flashback to the OSI headquarters.
** [[Recap/TheVentureBrosS2E10IKnowWhyTheCagedBirdKills Myra Brandish]] is shown having her nervous breakdown and being taken into custody by the OSI.
* ContinuityNod: Several, as is par for the course with Venture Bros. flashbacks. [[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest Race Bannon]] is shown aboard the O.S.I. headquarters torturing a SPHINX agent, [[Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan Steve]] [[Series/TheBionicWoman Summers]] is seen aboard the helicarrier as well. Myra Brandish is shown being removed from duty as Dr. Venture's bodyguard after going crazy.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The Nozzle. Nobody knows exactly what it is, not even the OSI top brass. A later CallBack appearance implies the point of it is just a bit of intimidation and humiliation to establish the OSI can do what they want to you.

** "Quizboys" is pretty clearly based on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}},'' complete with answers in the form of a question and a final round where the contestants write down their answers. And a cheating scandal like ''Filk/QuizShow''

** "Quizboys" is pretty clearly based on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}},'' complete with answers in the form of a question and a final round where the contestants write down their answers. And a cheating scandal like QuizShow

** "Quizboys" is pretty clearly based on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}},'' complete with answers in the form of a question and a final round where the contestants write down their answers.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The Nozzle. Nobody knows exactly what it is, not even the OSI top brass.