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The Venture Bros.
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| Title: | The Invisible Hand of Fate |
| Episode Number: | 31 |
| Season: | 3 |
| Season Episode #.: | 3 |
| Production Number: | 3-27 |
| Original Airdate: | Sunday June 15th, 2008 |
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When Billy Quizboy bumps his head after falling from his toilet, he remembers several important things from his past that led him to lose his arm and eye, and meet Pete White. When Billy tells this to his friend and companion Pete White, Pete knocks him out. Billy's past is revealed to us in a dream sequence flashback. All the way since Billy's former life as a "Quizboy" game contestant is then shown.
| There are no foreign summaries for this episode
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| | Guest Stars | | •Christopher McCulloch | voiced | Pete White / Colonel Hunter Gathers / Sgt. Haine / Additional Voice | Recurring (third appearance) | | •Doc Hammer | voiced | Billy (Whalen) Quizboy / Shore Leave / Sheila / Underground Quizboy 1 | Recurring (third appearance) | | •James Urbaniak | voiced | Professor Fantomas | Recurring (third appearance) | | •Joanna P. Adler | voiced | Myra Brandish (as Joanna Adler) | Recurring (4th appearance) |
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| The Adult Swim schedule at AdultSwim.com had changed the name of of this episode from "Billy Quizboy and the Invisible Hand" to "The Invisible Hand of Fate".
| Billy Quizboy's real full and last name is revealed in this episode to be Billy "Whalen"
| In the scene where a janitor is shown taking off the name plaque of "Professor Impossible" from off of Professor Fantomas' door.
Professor Impossible is voiced by Stephen Colbert, who in early season 3 production had been invited to come back and do another voice over for an episode on the upcoming episode. Colbert agents and/or assistant had refused the request made by the show's creator, Jackson Publick, stating in a response email he had sent to Colbert's assistant "[Stephen Colbert] has neither the time nor the interest in participating in your project". Jackson Publick had stated in his blog that he has some remorse to this response.
People had speculated that Jackson Publick may have made this reference to Professor Impossible on the bases of either that he was initially intended, or written, to be in this episode, or that Publick was trying to write Colbert's character completely off. Though as we learned in the season 1, Professor Impossible was Dr. Rusty Venture's former teacher, and therefor consistent with the story.
Also, Jackson Publick had clearly stated on his livejournal the following about this reference to Professor Impossible not being any malicious intentions or negative comment on Colbert's absence:
| jacksonpublick Wrote: | | Kind of a coincidence, actually--but definitely not some snarky little comment on Colbert's absence. The original draft of the script contained a scene between Impossible and Fantamos in that office in which we learned that Impossible had just been asked to leave the University due to a scandal involving him and a young student named Sally, which had been exposed by one of Fantamos's students--Stevie. The episode ran long and we couldn't get Colbert to do the voice (but still believed we'd be able to get him later in the season), so I cut the scene but left the implication. |
| Hank and Dean are seen as babies at the Venture compound and being held by H.E.L.P.eR., but they have no dialogue other than crying.
| During the credits, animation director Kimson Albert had a nickname added to his credit, which was a gag from the episode:"The Nozzle". It reads, Kimson "The Nozzle" Albert.
| The episode title "Invisible hand of fate" was mentioned two times inside the episode. Once with Pete White and the other with Professor Fantomas. Both times each character was telling Billy that fate has brought them together.
| On the first scene where we see Professor Fantomos giving his class in the university. There is a formula with it's result written down on the chalkboard , "V.B. S3", which could spell out "Venture Bros. Season 3"
| Sergeant Hatred is shown in this episode named as Sgt. Haine, who is a high level OSI agent which is Brock's superior officer. Sgt. Haine is later shown putting on a Guild ring, showing his true allegiance. This episode notes Sergeant Hatred as an undercover Guild agent, that was infiltrating (or had defected), the OSI.
"Haine" is French for Hatred"
| A young Doctor Girlfriend, referred to her first name Sheila, is seen as student of professor Fantomos.
| According to Jackson Publick livejournal blog, this episode was intentionally written for season 2 and to air before the season finale, but due to Showdown at Cremation Creek becoming a two part episode it was put on hold for the next season.
| The episode had credited a "Special Thanks" to Vishal Roney & Jennifer Stephens.
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| Billy: I never asked for the answers! I never wanted to cheat! you did this to me!
Pete: Hey, hey lets not make me out to be the bad guy here, huh? Us freaks have to stick together.
Billy: Us freaks? Ya like fun. A handsome TV guy like you. You'll probably end up with a talk show out of this.
Pete: No Billy, you see (takes off his wig), I'm a freak to.
| Shore Leave: Oh, Hunters, Wayland Flowers wants his Madam back.
Colonel Hunter Gathers: Yeah, well the Village People called, and they want you to go fucking kill yourself you prancy bastard.
| Computer Nozzle Voice: Please do not be alarmed. We are about to engage… the nozzle. Please do not move while the nozzle is engaging. Moving will disrupt calibration of… the nozzle. Pleae wait while we calibrate… the nozzle. Please do not look away from… the nozzle. The nozzle is now calibrating. (dramatic pause) The nozzle is still calibrating. (another pause) The nozzle has completed calibration. Thanks you.
| Billy Quizboy: I’m still a little confused. I mean, why me?
Brock: You fit the profile.
Colonel Hunter Gathers: Deformed, disgraced. An extra-intelligent superfreak shunned by an unforgiving world.
Billy Quizboy: Yeah, that sounds like a profile for, like, suicide.
Brock: Or an international supervillain.
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| Continuity Error
Though minor, Billy had said to Pete that he had "fallen off of the toilet", when we see him actually falling off from the bathroom sink counter.
| Closed Captioning Error
In the the scene where Colonel Gathers was describing to Billy about the Bilderberg Group's involvement of the Berlin Wall coming down, if you had Closed Caption the line about "Bilderberg" was misquoted as "Build-A-Bear".
Build-A-Bear is an American shop that sells customizable teddy bears and other stuffed animals, while Bilderberg is an unofficial and mysterious annual invitation-only conference that use to take place in the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands. Both names, as you may have already surmised, sound a like.
Line how it appeared during the AdultSwim broadcast:
Colonel Gathers: That's what they said about the Build-A-Bear Group, son. And then whammo! Berlin Wall comes tumbling down.
How it should of read:
Colonel Gathers: That's what they said about the Bilderberg Group, son. And then whammo! Berlin Wall comes tumbling down.
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| Pete: Hello Goldilocks, this Casper. Little Nemo has fallen out of bed.
The Goldilocks in Pete's phone calls Brock's codename, while Casper is Pete's codename and Little Nemo is Billy's codename.
Goldilocks is a character from the well known children's bedtime story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Casper is the main character popular cartoon series, Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Little Nemo is the main character in a series of weekly comic strips created by Winsor McCay.
| Pete: Who was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty?
(As Todd and Billy had answered, the answer was "Richard III")
Richard III was a King of England who had ruled from 1483 until his death.
Plantagenet dynasty, also called the House of Anjou, or the First Angevin dynasty, was a noble family from France, which had ruled the county of Anjou.
Billy's original answer was "Louis XIV"
Louis XIV was the crowned King of France and of Navarre. He had ruled from May 14, 1643 until his death in September 1, 1715, and was part of the "Capetian dynasty".
| OSI battle scene.
The battle action sequence shown where OSI agents are combating a menace known as the Sphinx, and the song that sung during this scene, was a parody to the opening credit sequences of the old G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero cartoon series from the 1980s.
The G.I Joe soldiers are portrayed as OSI agents. And the Cobra agents are portrayed by SPHINX
| Shore Leave: Oh, Hunters, Wayland Flowers wants his Madame back.
Wayland Flowers was an American puppeteer in the 1970s and 1980s, whose best known for his puppet Madame.
The OSI agent may have commented this on seeing how Colonel Gathers' preferred method of smoking is through a cigarette holder.
| Colonel Hunter Gathers: Yeah, well the Village People called, and they want you to go fucking kill yourself you prancy bastard.
The OSI agents that where bother Colonel Gathers where all dressed like members of the VIllage people. wearing attire such as native American Indian feathers, a leatherman, an officer, a construction worker, and a sailor.
The Village People is an American disco group formed in the late 1970s. The group is well known for dressing up in costumes and for their songs.
| Race Bannon
Race Bannon is shown coming out of a torturing room inside the OSI building, where he was interrogating and torturing a suspect.
Race Bannon is a main character from the Jonny Quest cartoon series, to which this show is mostly parodied to.
Race Bannon makes his second appearance on the program.
| Pete White: So, what are you going to do with all that money Billy?
Billy: Well, I'm hoping to save it for college tuition.
Pete White: Any idea where you want to go yet?
Billy: Yes sir! MIT!
MIT,which stands for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a well known private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that is best known for it's scientific and technological research departments and studies.
| Billy: Well, I'd love to help you professor, but I don't know if I can handle the extra work.
Professor Fantomas: Nonsense! The university's bylaws clearly stipulate that the roommate of a suicide is automatically granted a 4.0 for the semester. You've got a free ride Mr. Waylen, and I might have you all to myself.
This is a reference to an old urban legend known as "Pass by [catastrophe]".
There are at least two movies with this urban legend as there main basis, "Dead Man on Campus" and "The Curve".
| Colonel Gathers: That's what they said about the Bilderberg Group, son. And then whammo! Berlin Wall comes tumbling down.
Billy: No it hasn't.
Colonel Gathers: Oh it will, kiddo. It was decided at the last meeting.
As known to the public, the Bilderberg Group is an unofficial annual invitation-only conference, whose guests are of the most influential in the fields of business, media and politics.
According to conspiracy theorists, the Bilderberg Group is an annual meeting of elitists who plot to build a "One-World/One-Nation Empire".
The Berlin Wall was a border, and literal wall, separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany in what was known as the the "Iron Curtain". The "Wall" was taken down in 1989.
| Billy: He died for my sins.
A reference to Christianity. Jesus Christ dying on the cross for all of humanity's sins.
| Brock: Well, Stephen Hawking did it. I called in a favor.
Stephen Hawking is one of the leading theoretical physicists in the world.
| Sgt. Haine: Your windmill chasing days are over, Sancho Panza.
Sancho Panza: is a character in the novel "Don Quixote" written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1602. Sancho plays the sidekick figure to Don Quixote. Don Quixote was a delusional old man that had once charged towards windmills thinking they were ferocious giants.
| Underground Quiz Announcer: Jeopardy! rules apply. Answers in the form of a question. You have five seconds after buzzing. Winner take all.
Jeopardy! is a long running quiz game show hosted by Alex Trebek. Topics are based on history, literature, pop culture, and science. Rules. as like explained on this episode, must answers in the form of a question. The contestant has five seconds to answer after the had buzzed in.
| Underground Quiz Announcer: In 1215-..
Billy: What is the Magna Carta?
Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter) is an English charter issued in 1215 that required the King to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that the will of the king could be bound by law.
| Steve Summers.
Though he had no speaking roles on this episode, former astronaut Steve Summers made his third appearance in the show. Steve Summers, parody of Six Million Dollar Man "Steve Austin", was briefly shown walking through the OSI base as Brock and Colonel Gathers conversed.
| The janitor removing a name from an office door.
In the scene where the janitor is shown taking off the name of Professor Impossible from off of Professor Fantomas' door, this is a reference to the film The Hudsucker Proxy.
In the movie the Janitor, who was also bald, is seen taking off another character's name from an office door.
Professor Impossible, in an early draft of the episode as stated by show's writer creator "Jackson Publick", was supposed to have been shown leaving the university forcefully after it was revealed he was having an affair with one of his student named "Sally." The remainder of this scene was ultimately scrapped due to both the time restrictions and Stephen Colbert, Professor Impossible, not returning for this episode.
| Messenger OSI Agent
The OSI agent who had given a note to Brock and Colonel Gathers resembles Marvel's Iron Man comic book character, Jasper Sitwell.
| Race Bannon's torturing method.
In the scene where Race Bannon comes out of an OSI torturing room where he was suggestively torturing someone with a pair pliers, and his victim siting on a chair with blood coming out of his mouth is an allusion of the movie Brazil. In the movie Brazil a character named "Jack Lint", played by Michael Pali, is shown about to torture a man in a similar fashion.
| Chanting of "YO-S.I."
The cheering made by the group of OSI agents that where dressed like village People was another reference and spoof to the similar chant of "Yo-Joe" from the 1980's cartoon series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
| Agent Shore Leave attire.
The OSI agent bothering Colonel Gather and Brock is parody to a member of the Village People, and the G.I. Joe character Shipwreck whose attire slightly resembles his. Also, Shore Leave maybe even more deeply association to the stereotypical homosexual way of dress depicted by both Paul Cadmus and Touko Laaksonen. Which may or may not have been the writers intentions.
| Gold head SPHINX leader.
The man shown on the OSI battle montage strongly resembles Destro from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
Destro wares a steel mask that covers his entire head.
| OSI's and SPHINX's military Jets.
In the OSI battle montage scene we see OSI Jets battling SPHINX jets that were coming out a huge golden replica of the Sphinx. These Jets resembles the jet model line of "Dassault Mirage"
| The SPHINX's flying heli-carrier.
Apart from being a golden replica of the well known monolithic statue, Great Sphinx of Giza, the carrier itself could be a reference to similar floating fortress in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, known as "White Base". White Base is also shaped, positioned and modeled like the Sphinx.
| SPHINX agent's execution.
During the OSI battle montage scene we see an OSI agent killing a SPHINX agent execution style.
The way the SPHINX agent was postioned and how the OSI agent had killed is remeisccent of the famous photograph taken by Eddie Adams of a man, South Vietnam General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, executing Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Viet Cong officer and prisoner.
| OSI agent smoking on top of tied up and naked SPHINX soldiers.
During the OSI battle montage scene we see an OSI agent lighting up a cigarette while a pile of tied-up and gaged SPHINX soldiers are lying naked on the ground. This remiscent of the treatment and leaked photos taken of Abu Ghraib prisoners. This specif scene parodies a picture of disgraced US soldier Lynndie England mocking and posing for the camera with Abu Ghraib prisoners that were naked, tied up and lying on the floor.
| OSI Agents attire and uniform
As shown in other episode of series, the standard issue uniforms the OSI agents wear resembles the uniforms SHIELD operatives wear in the Marvel comic book series SHIELD. However, Colonel Gathers notes that there is no longer a dress code in the show.
| Brock: Well look, I didn't want to to tell you this, but Stevie was are other man in the inside.
Colonel Gathers: Codenamed Pussyface
Apart from Stevie's face not-really resembling a vagina, this name might be spoof or reference to Preacher comic book character Arseface. Arseface had similar facial characteristics to Stevie.
| Title/Line: Invisible Hand of Fate
Other than being both a play on word for Phantom Limb's powers and being a reference to how fate works, there was a movie with this line, Manos: The Hands of Fate.
| Chubby underground Quiz contestant's attire.
The overweight underground Quiz contestant wore a torn up smiley face -shirt with blood on it. Both a reference to the Graphic Novel limited series, Watchmen, and also a reference to Revenge of the Nerds character "Booger" who had wore a similar shirt.
In the Watchmen, a main hero,The Comedian, fashions a "Smiley-face" button-pin. Like the one the Smiley-face contestant was wearing.
| Billy and the game show host caught cheating.
In the 1960's there were many infamous Quiz show scandals, this is a reference to them.
| Jr OSI Agent: Colonel Gathers? This just came in over the Telex for you guys.
Telex is communications system consisting of teletypewriters connected to a telephonic network to send and receive signals and information.
| Professor "Fantomas" name, portrait and family.
Family & Portrait:
It was revealed that Professor Fantomas, aka the Phantom Limb, family comes from and parodies to The Phantom. The Phantom is the main charecter in a series of comic books of the same name created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. Also, his arching name is later created as "the Phantom Limb"
Name:
Professor Fantomas name, "Fantomas", is based on and parodies to Fantômas. Fantômas is a fictional arch-villain and master criminal in a series of books created by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre.
These two notes where confirmed in a comment made by Jackson Publick in his livejournal blog.
Professor Fantomas: My family rejected me, the last son of a long line of costume adventurers.
In the limited comic book series Watchmen, the Watchmen are referred to as "costumed adventurers". Furthermore the man on the paining Professor Fantomas ha a mask similar to that of The Comedian in the Watchmen.
| Fellow freaks.
Both scenes with "Pete and Billy", and "Professor Fantomas and Billy" share similar reveals that they all have common physical traits, since they are all considered to be "freaks". These reveals resembles a theme in the movie Total Recall. Where in Total Recall a traitorous character named Benny had to show his deformity in order to gain acceptance and also to be rusted by the other mutants, but is later killed.
This episode and the movie also draws similarities in the way that in the movie deals with memories forcefully taken away from oneself.
| Brock: Ah, you hear they're going to ban smoking in here soon?
Current Editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada had banned characters smoking in Marvel comics, which caused a commotion in the fan community. Characters that are chain-smoking addicts in the Marvel universe include: Wolverine, the Thing, J. Jonah Jameson and Nick Fury -head of SHIELD.
| Billy: It all came flooding back to me like a titlewave. Things that happened to me years ago. I fell off the toilet and suddenly my hand started making a weird stu--
When Billy mentions falling off the toilet and remembering everything, this is an allusion to "Back to the Future". In Back to the Future one of the main characters, Doc Emit Brown, fell off of his toilet and had an epiphany on how to travel back in time by creating what he later called a "Flux capacitor". this episode also deals with time, but only in the past and lost memories.
Furthermore, in several scenes in the desert we see a billboard that that closely resembles that of the billboard seen on the Back to the Future trilogy.
The Invisible Hand of Fate billboard: If you lived here... ...you'd be home by now!
Back to the Future billboard: Live in the home of tomorrow... Today!
| Dr. Venture: Barkeep! Another Suffering Bastard!
A "Suffering Bastard" is a real drink consisting "rum, Over Proof rum,Orange Curacao liqueur, orgeat syrup, lime juice, and orange juice.
| Billy and Pete's bathroom hanged picture/portrait
One of the portraits or pictures inside of Billy's and Pete's bathroom has a NASA logo on it
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the US government's space organization. And leader's on Scientific think tank around the world.
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| The Super-Scientific American magazine with Dr. Jonas Venture Jr. on the cover.
During the conversation between Dr. Venture and Dr. Jonas Venture Jr. on episode The Doctor is Sin. They converse about Dr. Jonas Venture Jr. being featured inside this magazine' recent issue. We now see the magazine he was describing on this episode. Before Billy had noticed he was out of toilet paper, he is shown reading the magazine.
| Race Bannon
Race Bannon is shown coming out of a torturing room inside the OSI building, where he was interrogating and torturing a suspect.
This marks Race's second appearance on the show. His first being in "Ice Station - Impossible!"
| The Phantom Limb's and Billy Quizboy's origin back stories,
In "Victor. Echo. November." the Monarch, Hank Venture, and Henchman #21 all had told there theories and thoughts on how The Phantom Limb had gotten his superpowers. Of the three stories told, the one had most merit to it was the Monarch's story. Though he had told it an unflattering/unjust way.
Though Number 21's theory had gotten a few aspects of Billy's back story right, like Billy winning a lot of money on a game show, he had gotten most to all of Billy's and Phantom Limb's connection and origin back story wrong.
| Billy not knowing how he had lost his arm and eye.
At the end of "Victor. Echo. November.", it was revealed by Billy after Dr. Venture had asked him how he had lost his hand and he got a mechanical hand, Billy had answered that he didn't know or remember.
| Professor Fantomos' and Billy's mechanical limbs designer, Mike Sorayama.
In the scene where Professor Fantomos complements Billy on [supposedly] creating his mechanical hand from a design made by one of his formal students, Mike Sorayama. This was a reference to the season 1 episode Past Tens, where Brock, Dr. Venture, Pete White and Baron Ünderbheit are kidnap during Mike Sorayama funeral. Mike Sorayama was a brilliant mechanical engineer, who had created fully working robots, and had even made a mechanical replicating of himself.
| Steve Summers third appearance.
Steve Summers, parody of Six Million Dollar Man "Steve Austin", had a cameo on this episode. He was briefly shown walking through the OSI base as Brock and Colonel Gathers conversed. He had no speaking roles in this episode.
His first appearance in the show was in the first season episode "Home Insecurity" his second appearance was in the Christmas special, "A Very Venture Christmas".
| Sergeant Hatred
Sergeant Hatred, who had many appearance and mentions on other episode, is shown in this episode named as Sgt. Haine, a high level OSI agent who is Brock's superior officer. Sgt. Haine is later shown putting on a Guild ring, showing his true allegiance.
"Haine" is French for Hatred"
| Colonel Gathers sex-change.
In the second season episode Assassinanny 911, it was reveled that Colonel Gathers had a sex-change operation.
Colonel Gathers had hinted on two occasions in this episode his hidden desire to have sex-change operation. The first being when he sarcastically mentions to Billy that he "wanted to be born with big beautiful tits". The second being dressed like a female cheerleader when he's undercover at the university.
| Billy: ...Just like my hero, Rusty Venture.
It was revealed in the season 2 episode Escape to the House of Mummies Part II that Billy had admittedly told Dr.Venture that he was his boyhood hero.
| Pete: You said Rusty Venture was your hero, right?
Billy: And how!
Pete: Well I happen to be very good friends with him.
We learned in the season 1 episode Past Tense that Pete met Dr. Rusty Venture in college.
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| Colonel Gathers: That's what they said about the Bilderberg Group, son. And then whammo! Berlin Wall comes tumbling down.
Billy: No it hasn't.
Colonel Gathers: Oh it will, kiddo. It was decided at the last meeting.
If what Colonel Gathers said was completely accurate, the events that took place on this episode are between May 15, 1989 (that years Bilderberg Group meeting) and November 9,1989 (the day the Berlin Wall came down)
This would be chronology accurate seeing that Hank and Dean were at most a year old on the events that transpired in this episode, seeing that they had recently, in 2006, had there 16th birthday as shown on season 2 episode Hate Floats.
Another note, Hank and Dean had noticed during there birthday in the episode "Hate Floats" that there ID card had a birth year that did not suit there "real age". Meaning that they are older then they had previously stated and thought. As we learned in the season2 premiere "Powerless in the Face of Death" that the brothers are actually clones of a clone of a clone and etc. Their true age is uncertain.
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