Recap / The Venture Bros S 3 E 12 The Family That Slays Together Stays Together Part I

Episode - Season 3, Episode 12 (Production Code: 3-38)

First Aired - August 17, 2008

Following the events of the last episode, ORB, Brock is in the X-1 hangar having torn apart his beloved car, which he calls "Adrian." The Venture boys are concerned over Brock's car, while Dr. Venture is only concerned with the mess Brock has made. Brock explains that dangerous people will be coming for him, and that Doc and the boys need to board the X-1 and head to the safety of Spider Skull Island.

Before the family can escape, a helicopter arrives at the compound. Molotov Cocktease and her Black Hearts mercenaries quickly surround Brock, however, Mol reveals that she is only there to warn Brock of the three actual assassins hired by the O.S.I. to kill him. (She was offered the job first, but turned it down.) The three operatives are Herr Trigger, a German gun nut who gets sexual pleasure from killing people, Go-Fish, an expert on maritime assassinations, and Le Tueur, a big game hunter and comic book fan.

Brock and the Ventures land the X-1 outside of the strip club where Hunter Gathers works. Gathers, citing his moles on the inside of the O.S.I, confirms Mol's story to Brock. He says that the O.S.I. is throwing Brock to the wolves, just as they previous did to him(her.) In the guise of a lap dance, Gathers gives Brock a fake ID, a contact book of friendly ex-O.S.I. agents, and the keys to his car.

Brock tries to send the Ventures to Spider Skull Island once again aboard the X-1, but Hank stows away in Gathers' (now Brock's) car, much to Brock's dismay. Herr Trigger attacks with a machine gun while riding a motorcycle and gives chase. Brock has Venture swing around in the X-1 to pick them up, but Trigger shoots blows up one of the engines and part of the landing gear. As the Ventures and Brock eject, H.E.L.P.eR uses his own body to replace the missing landing gear and is able to help land the crashing jet. The ejected cockpit of the X-1 then lands on top of Herr Trigger, killing him.

Meanwhile, the Monarch, Dr. Mrs. the Monarch, henchmen 21 and 24, and the pupa twins/moppets are on their way to the Venture compound in the Monarchmobile, no longer prevented by the Guild from arching Dr. Venture. They plan out how they'll attack the Ventures, but find the compound deserted except for Sgt. Hatred in the bathroom. Hatred explains that he wants his arch enemy, Rusty, to kill him after finding out that his wife, Princess Tinyfeet, is going to leave him. Sensing that this is going to take a while, Dr. Mrs. the Monarch stays behind while Monarch and the others leave to get the Cocoon.

Brock takes the family to a pair of friendly ex-O.S.I. agents named Shoreleave and Mile High, who have started a scuba-based bible study camp and changed their code names to "Holy Diver and Sky Pilot." Brock hopes to charter their boat to Spider Skull Island, but is interrupted when Go-Fish attacks. Go-Fish tangles Brock in fishing line and drags him into the ocean with his boat. Holy Diver and Sky Pilot gear up to help Brock, but their overly long gearing up sequence, as well as stopping to pray, prevents them from actually helping. Go-Fish chums the water, attracting sharks to the tied-up Brock. Brock is taken underwater by the sharks as Go-Fish circles around for the kill. It is, however, revealed to be a decoy of one of the dead sharks in Brock's shirt and hair. Using the fishing line and two buoys, Brock pulls the shark up to decapitate Go-Fish.

Brock, hoping to lay low for a while, takes the family to a hotel room. Brock heads out for supplies while Dr. Venture takes a long bath. Outside on the walkway, Hank strikes up a conversation with a Frenchman in a Batman towel. When Brock returns, he recognizes the man as Le Tueur. Le Tueur returns to his room and comes back out armed and in costume. He and Brock battle in the Venture family's room. When Le Tueur goes in for the kill, Brock beats him back using a bible from the night stand. Le Tueur recovers, slicing off Brock's nipples with his sword, before Brock is able to gain the upper hand and slice Le Tueur in half with his own sword.

Brock tells Hank to get Gather's contact book and call "The Cleaner" to dispose of the body. However, seconds later, two LAPD officers burst in the door and place the family under arrest.

H.E.L.P.eR is still holding up the X-1 in place of its damaged landing gear when the Monarch's Cocoon hovers into view overhead.

Tropes:

• Added Alliterative Appeal: Go-Fish's specialties: Aquatic Annihilations, Moist Murders, Sea Slayings, Liquid Lynchings.
• Affably Evil: Le Tueur is a noted Batman fan and bonds with Hank. When he accidentally elbows Hank while fighting Brock, he apologizes.
• Artistic License – History: Herr Trigger is mentioned by Molotov to have been a former professional athlete in East Germany. However, the bio that flashes on screen for him states his tenure as an athlete was from 1995 to 1998, several years after the dissolution of East Germany.
• Assassin Outclassin': Brock takes out the O.S.I.'s top three assassins.
• As the Good Book Says...: Brock makes "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle," sound extremely cool. You might have been expecting a Samson riff, but that's for later: Brock Samson doesn't lose any of his strength when he loses his hair.
• Blade Enthusiast: The assassin Le Tueur. Lampshaded by Brock when Le Tueur goes to draw his sword while explaining its backstory:
  Brock: "Shut up already! Why do you sword guys always gotta talk about how cool your swords are!?"
• Break His Heart to Save Him: Subverted. Brock tries to push Hank and Dean away to protect them by claiming his bodyguard role was just a job, but it's transparently clear to everyone involved that he's lying.
  Hank: Seriously, Brock? The Lassie trick? What was I, born yesterday?
• Carnival of Killers: Le Tueur, Go-Fish, and Herr Trigger.
• Chekhov's Gun: Holy Diver refers to the Bible as "the only weapon you'll need". Brock remembers this later on and uses the Bible like a weapon against Le Tueur.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Hank mentions to Le Tueur that he once jumped off his roof dressed as Batman, though he "might have just dreamed it." (How he remembers it all in that case is mystery.)
  • Brock is wearing a Brisbyland t-shirt when the family arrives at the motel.
  • The bartender at the strip club where Gathers now works is the same one Brock attacked after his license to kill was reinstated - he obviously didn't use it to its fullest extent.
• Cool Car: Gathers' car, which he gives to Brock, is a modified Jensen Interceptor.
• Freudian Slip: When the Monarch is handing out orders on who each of his henchmen is to "find and subdue," Dr. Mrs. the Monarch accidentally says "find and seduce Brock Samson".
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Go-Fish is decapitated by the sharks he tried to feed Brock to. Le Tueur is sliced by his own knife.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Herr Trigger is squashed by the cockpit of the Venture's jet only because he shot a bazooka at them.
• Manly Tears: A more sound-based example. Brock can be heard sobbing when he's seen destroying his Cool Car in the open after it tried to kill him in the previous episode.
• Meaningful Name: Assassins Jean-Claude LeTueur, Russel Sturgeon, and Heinrich Triggermensch; "Le Tueur" is French for "The Killer", Sturgeon is a kind of fish (and Rus specializes in maritime assassinations and general aquatic activity), and Herr Triggermensch ("Hair Trigger"), (German: Mr. Trigger-person, or Trigger-man) is a former biathlete, expert marksman, and gun fetishist.
• Misaimed Fandom: In-universe, Le Tueur is a gigantic fan of Batman, despite the fact that his career as a professional killer is something Batman would never approve of. When Hank points this out, he admits that he only cares about Batman because "'e has the best villains."
• Near-Villain Victory: Le Tueur almost kills Brock, who only survives because Hank distracts Le Tueur when he's about to land the finishing blow.
• Psycho for Hire: Herr Trigger, one of the three assassins sent to kill Brock. He is a gun fetishist and considers his job to be "ecstasy".
• Shout-Out:
  • The assassin Herr Trigger's physical appearance and mannerisms are based on German actor Klaus Kinski while his clothing is based on the style common in 1980s Krautrock (and later popularized internationally by Rammstein who typically wears an exaggerated version). His licking of his gun barrel is a reference to Æon Flux.
  • Le Tueur is based on Marvel Comics Kraven the Hunter, only French instead of Russian.
  • Holy Diver (Shoreleave) is heavily based on Bibleman with his name taken from the Ronnie James Dio song of the same name.
  • Hank calls Brock's attempt to get he and Dean to leave by saying he's "never loved them" the "Lassie Trick."
• Stinger: Only the second episode of the series not to have one, following the first part of Showdown at Cremation Creek.
• Throw the Book at Them: When Le Tueur puts Brock in a chokehold, Brock breaks out of it by whacking him upside the head with a Bible.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: As Dr. Mrs. the Monarch waits in Brock's room so that she can "seduce... er, subdue" him when he shows up. As she adjusts her outfit, you can briefly see one of her nipples.