The Venture Bros./The Trial of the Monarch

The Trial of the Monarch
Season 1, Episode 12
Airdate	October 23, 2004
Production Number	113
Written by	Doc Hammer
Directed by	Jackson Publick
← 1x11 Past Tense	1x13 → Return to Spider-Skull Island
The Venture Bros. — Season One

The Trial of the Monarch is the twelfth episode of the first season of The Venture Bros., and the thirteenth episode overall.

Guest stars: Christopher McCulloch (Tiny Attorney, Monarch Henchman #2, Guards #1 and #2, Watch, Bailiff), Doc Hammer (Monarch Henchman #2, Stranger, Ward), James Urbaniak (The Phantom Limb, Judge), Nina Hellman (Woman in Court)

Plot Overview

The Monarch is on trial for the one crime he may not have committed, stemming from his bitter breakup with Dr. Girlfriend. The boys and Dr. Orpheus are forced to testify, but only Brock is aware that something more sinister is afoot.

Notes

• Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer produced follow-up MP3s to this episode that were made available on IGN.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The Monarch is put on trial for the murder of a police officer. It's actually a setup by the Guild of Calamitous Intent, who are trying to capture Tiny Attorney. Dr. Orpheus discovers the truth, but the Guild brainwashes him into testifying against the Monarch. The Monarch is sent to prison, while the Guild takes Tiny Attorney into custody.

• The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend break up. Dr. Girlfriend goes to live with the Phantom Limb, who enlists her in the Guild's plan.

Characters

• Henchman 21 writes a tell-all book about the Monarch, called The Flight of the Monarch. The Monarch is not pleased at all, and the henchmen set up one of their own as the fall guy. The Monarch executes the unlucky victim.

• Dr. Girlfriend was previously known as Lady Au Pair and Queen Etherea. The latter is the identity she had when the Monarch met her.

• Dr. Orpheus had petitioned the Guild for an arch-nemesis of his own.

Referbacks

• The Monarch's appearance in the boy's testimony is almost identical to his costume from the pilot.

Trivia

The Show

• Even though this was the 13th episode produced for the first season, it is still intended to be the 12th episode aired. Return to Spider-Skull Island was the 11th episode produced for season one, and was still intended to air after this episode. The writers simply were ready to write the 2nd part before the 1st.

References

• Magnum P.I. and Indiana Jones: In their testimony, Dean is dressed up as Thomas Magnum and Hank is dressed as Indiana Jones. Magnum P.I. was a television show about the adventures of a suave private investigator living in Hawai‘i, played by Tom Selleck (thus the Hawaiian shirt and mustache). Indiana Jones was a fictional archeologist in the 1930's who uncovered legendary artifacts like the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail. He wore a fedora and carried a bullwhip. The character first appeared in three films made in the 1980's directed by Steven Spielberg; his adventures as a child/young man were later shown in a television program.

• Total Recall: Tiny Attorney is a brilliant lawyer that lives inside another man's body, a direct reference to the character of Kuato in the movie Total Recall. In the movie, poor living conditions on the planet Mars led to many of its citizens being born as mutants. Kuato was the leader of the Martian rebels. The authorities were unable to find him since he was actually a tiny psychic man that lived inside the torso of one of the other rebels. A situation like this would explain why the guild needed to stage the Monarch's trial in order to draw out Tiny Attorney.

• Danceateria: One of the pictures in The Flight of the Monarch is of the Monarch at Danceateria. Danceateria was a popular dance club during the 1980's in Greenwich Village (New York City).

• Stiv Bators and Lydia Lunch: The picture at Danceateria featured the Monarch french-kissing Stiv Bators and Lydia Lunch. Stiv Bators was a singer for several punk bands, including Rocket From The Tombs, The Dead Boys, and The Wanderers. Lydia Lunch is a prolific and influential punk (No Wave) artist who starred in numerous underground films and collaborated with various artists (including Venture Bros. composer J. G. Thirlwell).

• Frank Frazetta: The Monarch compares one of Dr. Girlfriend's old costumes to a Frank Frazetta design. Frank Frazetta is an artist known for his lush, detailed paintings of science fiction and fantasy subjects, like Conan the Barbarian. His women were often dressed in skimpy, inappropriate outfits.

• Taco Bell: After he comes out of the bathroom, Dr. Orpheus says he had Taco Bell for lunch. Taco Bell is a common fast-food restaurant that serves Tex-Mex cuisine. Apparently it didn't agree with Dr. Orpheus.

• Necronomicon: When Dr. Orpheus takes the stand, he replaces the provided Bible with a copy of the Necronomicon to swear on instead. The Necronomicon is a fictional book from the works of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft that contains incantations and spells allowing the reader to summon ancient and terrible gods (known as the "Old Ones"). It is said to be a danger to the health and sanity of the reader. Many later writers incorporated versions of the Necronomicon into their own works. The copy of the Necronomicon shown here is the version of that features prominently in the Evil Dead series of films. That book is a Sumerian text, bound in human flesh and inked in blood, containing ancient incantations and burial rites. The cover has a face on the front capable of biting and screaming.

• CHiPs: The Monarch calls the police officer (who rides up on a motorcycle) "Officer Poncherello", after the character from the television show CHiPs. Officer Francis Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello (played by Erik Estrada) was a highway patrolman who rode a motorcycle as part of the California Highway Patrol.

• Tom of Finland: The Monarch tells the police officer to put his "Tom-of-Finland ass back on his big gay bike." Tom of Finland was a fetish artist known for homoerotic imagery of stereotypically male professions, such as sailors, bikers, and lumberjacks.

Reviews

• Overall Grade: N/A with 0 reviews
• Review Breakdown: A+: 0 A: 0 A-: 0 B+: 0 B: 0 B-: 0 C+: 0 C: 0 C-: 0 D: 0 F: 0

• Be the first to write a review!