![[Image: venturebros.jpg]](http://www.poeghostal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/venturebros.jpg)
NOTE: Thanks to Hades, who refined my idea for this writeup.
The Venture Brothers is a show on Adult Swim. It is a fairly different kind of show, very interesting but most assuredly off the beaten path. I want to review the four main characters (at least through the first three seasons) and talk about fatherhood, alphas male and their relationship with children/youth.
Overview Of The Show
The show is based around the professional failings of Dr. Rusty Venture and his two sons, Dean & Hank Venture. They have a bodyguard in Brock Samson, who is very much an alpha male.
The show is based around their misadventures, the ineptitude of their enemies and just general lack of competency in the world of the show. Rusty is trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, a superscientist named Dr. Jonas Venture. His father was a hero & was very intelligent, charismatic and competent. A common theme throughout the show is the inability of the characters to change, their incompetence and how Rusty & his family manage to luck out.
The layout of the show clearly reflects cartoons of the 50’s & 60’s. However, understand that the glorious future these cartoons of the past reflected is presented as a false reality in the show. Repeated flashbacks show a world brimming with hope for the future; the present reflects a deeply cynical view. Let’s step through the relevant four characters for this writeup.
Dr. Rusty Venture: A highly insecure man who was gifted his complexes from his father. I first started watching the show before I immersed myself in psychology; after a complete series blitz in the lead-up to the new season, I was struck how narcissistic his father was. His father was the real deal, but as is shown, his father was only concerned with worship from his son. One episode showed his father walking to the kitchen table, completely nude, and young Rusty is shown reacting badly to Jonas’ huge dick. Another episode showed Rusty vibing with a young girl. Their interactions are interrupted when Jonas’ and that girl’s mom fall onto the cloth fort they were hiding in.
This is important, as a picture of a classic codependent develops. He doesn’t have much compassion towards his sons and is primarily concerned with building up his identity as a superscientist. He doesn’t have the skill or intelligence (although he still is smart) of his father, so he struggles mightily in the shadow of his father.
![[Image: 250px-Brock.png]](http://www.venturefans.org/w/images/thumb/9/97/Brock.png/250px-Brock.png)
Brock Samson: Quite possibly the most interesting character on the show. He is, by far, the most competent character on the show. He is an excellent, fearless fighter. He is jacked, handsome and has a cool, calm demeanor that occasionally (much more at the outset of the series) explodes into rage. As Hades observed, he is fairly uncomplicated. He seems to be a guy that is well-adjusted (outside his rage issues) and is the defacto patriarch of the family, as Rusty is technically the leader, but Brock often steps in to put them on the right path.
Dean Venture: He is very insecure, bookish and fairly well-mannered. While he is much more intelligent and well-read (or, paid more attention to his learning bed) than his brother, he also displays less potential for growth. He truly is some sort of omega, low-level beta. His family’s name helps him a bit and on rare occasions, gets it somewhat right. I can only think of one episode where he sacks up, when he stomps some fool out in front of his crush – and, of course, her interest is piqued.
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Hank Venture: He is more rebellious and less intelligent than his brother. He has a level of courage and confidence that often only comes out when he puts on a mask. He is also so much more outgoing than Dean. He is the only of the two to have gotten laid. His relationship with Brock is the most salient point here.
Brock & Hank: The Importance Of The Alpha Male
Let’s talk about Brock & Hank’s relationship. While Dean and Brock do have relationship, Dean seems to want to emulate his own father than Brock. Brock tries to develop to a parental relationship with Dean sometimes, but Dean never really connects with him. Dean’s bookishness and shyness puts him more in line with his father.
However, Hank doesn’t just take a shine to Brock, he clearly idolizes him. Brock senses this and does his best to cultivate a relationship with him. Part of this is Rusty’s (his father’s) lack of affection for him. Rusty clearly has decided Dean is his heir apparent. The other part is Hank has a personality that is more reflected in Brock’s personality.
Brock takes him under his wing and tries to teach him many things. He exhibits a compassionate, fatherly relationship with Hank. When Brock leaves the family’s employ at the outset of season four, Hank grows out his hair like Brock and wears Brock’s coat around, refusing to take it off. There is an episode where Hank is forcibly circumcised (no painkillers) and Brock comes up to him and sincerely asks how he is doing. The shot pans out to Rusty complaining, ignoring Hank’s pain.
This shows how important confident, alpha males are for grooming boys into men. Consider Dean, who seeks to follow in his father’s footsteps. At best, he will be more competent than his father, but he will never have the confidence to truly believe in himself – he might become a narcissist like his grandfather Jonas. Most likely, he will become like his father, a man trapped chasing a dream he will never achieve. His life will be marred by misstep after misstep, but nothing bad enough to destroy himself – just enough to keep him wallowing in depressing mediocrity.
Brock does his best to try to save Hank from becoming a self-absorbed loser like his father. Do note Brock does have truly like Rusty; he just doesn’t want Rusty’s sons from becoming like him. The lesson here is this sort of parenting is required from the start. The show starts with both Dean & Hank as teenagers. However, despite the potential Hank displays, it seems he probably won’t make it.
Hank really is a tragic character. He is hamstrung by a terrible childhood, while displaying levels of charisma and competence. Trapped in a world of incompetence and narcissism, with only islands of competence and real confidence, he has far more potential to fail than succeed.
The Utmost Importance Of Fatherhood
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The problem with poor fatherhood could spawn multiple books if not a lifetime of research. Let me break it down as quick as I can.
In order to grow into confident, healthy men, boys need solid, real-life role models. Terrell Owens famously remarked he "was no role model." He was both right and wrong. Boys will idolize successful males in the media, even if they have strong male figures at home. Of course, many boys don't have that, so that makes figures like T.O. too relevant.
In a perfect world, T.O. wouldn't need to be a great role model if the great majority of boys had good role models at home. The most obvious example is the black community - when was the last time you heard a white nationalist control for fatherhood in the black community?
Fathers are not just important, they are critical. I recall a study in which they followed if a child was a regular church member once they left the home. Guess which parent mattered much more? The father - his regular attendance was the primary determinant whether a child grew into an regular attendee as an adult.
My examples here are just to highlight how important fathers are. While many girls are terribly hurt by not having father who believe in & support them, boys are hurt more. Unable to have a person to model themselves after, they struggle - either relying on older boys (never good) or their mother. I have long thought the stereotypical interest in shoes by black males was reflective of their identification with their mother/women.
Imagine if you are born to a single mother - the next authority figures you meet are still women - school teachers! The next authority figures you most likely meet from your ever-loving government are police. That doesn't breed a positive relationships, as every male needs to rebel against male authority figures. If you have a father, then you have your legally sanctioned one.
If you don't, what will you target? Older male peers? Police? Male teachers? None are positive. Males born to single mothers, especially in poverty, aren't just at risk - they most likely doomed to a life of nothing but sorrow and bullshit.
In sum, boys needs fathers. Period. If we want to live in a stable, peaceful society we need fathers to be invested in their sons. More specifically, we need monogamy. Isn't it ironic you see "Free Love" & "Peace" signs at hippy get-togethers?
To me, it is beyond sad. Our society is trapped between desperately wanting fathers to invest in their children and desperately wanting to pretend fathers aren't necessary - we exist in an absolutely terrifying chasm of ignorance and denial.
You know, the past is in the past. Thank God, it doesn't last forever.
The problem is that past is our reality.
