The Lepidopterists

"The Lepidopterists"
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 10
Written by	Doc Hammer
Original air date	August 3, 2008
Episode Chronology
← Previous; "Now Museum-Now You Don't"	Next →; "ORB"
	List of The Venture Bros. episodes

The Lepidopterists is the tenth episode of Season 3 and the overall thirty-sixth episode of The Venture Bros.

Plot[]

The Monarch launches his first attack on his new arch nemesis, the other Dr. Venture. But Jonas has the formidable defenses of Spider-Skull Island on his side, as well as his own Team Venture, and the expert advice of a duo of O.S.I. "butterfly specialists." It will take a loose reading of the Guild handbook, an insertion team of his three best henchmen, and all the diabolical chicanery The Monarch can muster to even the playing field.

Episode Cast[]

First Appearances[]

Connections to Other Episodes []

Dia de los Dangerous!

Henchman 24 begins to tell Henchman 1 a story about a henchmen named Speedy, a reference to Dia de los Dangerous!

Ghosts of the Sargasso

There are repeated references to The Captain's past as a pirate, as seen in Ghosts of the Sargasso.

Tears of a Sea Cow

This episode takes place immediately after the post credits scene from Tears of a Sea Cow.
Cardholder and Doe state that The Monarch has killed his previous five archenemies. This was shown on-screen, and stated previously, in Tears of a Sea Cow.

Now Museum-Now You Don't

This episode takes place chronologically after Now Museum-Now You Don't. Displays from the Jonas Venture Jr. Museum of Jonas Venture are seen in the background in several scenes.
The "late '60s death ray" is mentioned as having been constructed by Scaramantula. Scaramantula was revealed to be the previous owner of Spider-Skull Island during Now Museum-Now You Don't.

Any Which Way But Zeus

21 mistakenly reports the death of Scott Hall as "Death by Samson", but he is later revealed to be alive in Any Which Way But Zeus.

All This and Gargantua-2

Scott Hall (in his "Zero" supervillain identity) is eventually killed for real by Brock Samson in All This and Gargantua-2, causing his death to be once again listed as "Death By Samson".

Cultural References[]

Capricorn One (1978)

The Capricorn device referred to by The Monarch is likely a reference to the 1978 thriller film Capricorn One in which a manned mission to Mars is faked by the government.

Flavor Flav

Cardholder and Doe mention watching a theoretical reality TV show starring J.J. and Flavor Flav. This is a reference to the various reality TV series the rapper was featured on, including VH1's The Surreal Life and Flavor of Love.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

When Henchman 21 and Henchman 24 shoot the Pirate Captain with their dart guns they pose like the hitmen Vincent and Jules from the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction.

Space: 1999 (1975-1977)

The alarm that Henchman 1 sets off sounds identical to the alert signal used on Moonbase Alpha in the science-fiction television program Space: 1999.

Tomb Raider

Henchmen 21 & 24 reference the death animation from Tomb Raider as a rationale for not swimming blindly underwater.

Valsalva Maneuver

Henchman 1 instructs 21 to perform the Valsalva Maneuver to adjust the pressure in his middle ear. "A swallow or a yawn should do the trick."

Voltron (1984-1985)

The giant combining mech that Jonas Jr. and his team use, Ventronic is a reference to Voltron.

Production Notes[]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Lepidopterists

One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For The Lepidopterists the credit reads Kimson "No-No Word" Albert.

Trivia[]

Speedy is mentioned for the first time since his debut and death.
21 coins the phrase "Death By Samson" in this episode.
The Pirate Captain's tranquilizer addiction is first seen in this episode.

	Preceded by: "Now Museum-Now You Don't"	The Venture Bros. episodes Original Airdate: August 3, 2008	Followed by: "ORB"