Episode - 1-05 (4th in Broadcast Order)
First Aired - August 28, 2004
The Venture family lands in an African-safari area aboard the X-1 on their way to "Brisbyland." The boys are confined to the jet, while Rusty and Brock meet Roy Brisby's mute bodyguard Mandalay. Mandalay takes them to Roy's office, where Brock is forced to wait outside. Inside, Rusty meets the paralyzed (due to a stroke suffered during an accident at his theme park) Brisby. Brisby offers Rusty some Panda milk from his pet "Companda," (Companion Panda) which he won from David Bowie in 1981.
Brisby reveals that he has summoned Venture to get cloning technology, which Rusty's father Jonas was "dabbling" in before his death. Brisby wants any notes on the subject that Rusty has, but Rusty claims to have no such notes. Brisby refuses to believe Rusty, revealing that his intel on Rusty shows that Rusty isn't actually a "doctor", and that Venture Industries has fallen on hard times. Irritated, Rusty calls the deal off.
Hank and Dean, bored on the X-1, begin to fight. As they fight, two soldiers notice them and sedate the boys.
Brock tries to start a conversation with Mandalay, who remains mute. Mandalay eventually offers Brock a cigarette, which Brock accepts. At that moment, Companda puts the belligerent Rusty into a sack. Brock hears the commotion and breaks down the door but passes out due to a drug in the laced cigarette.
Rusty wakes up inside the Brisby Dome, a giant beehive-like construction. Meanwhile, the boys wake up in the makeshift base of the "Orange County Liberation Front" (OCLF) soldiers, which is actually a community college gymnasium. The soldiers question the boys on what their father knows about Roy Brisby and explain that Brisbyland's expansion has destroyed their county and plans to continue expanding into other parts of the world. OCLF soldiers place prototype mind control bee hats (stolen from Brisbyland) onto the boys and convince them to join the attack on the Brisbydome.
Brock wakes up in the care of his old friend, Molotov Cocktease, as she tends his wounds. The two immediately fight but are evenly matched. As they fight, it is revealed that Brock killed Mol's father and took her left eye, while Mol is responsible for the death of Brock's old O.S.I partner. The two are, however, madly in love. They break off the fighting to make out, but it is revealed that Mol is wearing a chastity belt for some old Cold War reason. Brock masturbates in the bathroom while Mol informs him of the boys' location.
In the Brisbydome, Brisby gives Rusty a tour. Brisby explains that the dome is a template for a new society, for which Venture can be part for only a single clone. Rusty refuses, calling Brisby crazy. Rusty is injected with a truth serum, which interacts with his daily pill cocktail, putting him into his own little world.
Brock and Mol break into the hangar where the X-1 has been taken, but it takes off just as they arrive. Brock, via his wrist communicator, instructs H.E.L.P.eR to override the controls, but the robot misunderstands and ejects from the jet instead. Brock and Mol instead take her car to the Brisbydome.
The interrogation of Venture is interrupted by the OCLF attack. Brock and Mol also arrive but split up as soon as they get there. Brock battles his way to Rusty but is stopped by Mandalay. Brock demonstrates his proficiency with his weapon, while Mandalay finally speaks to quit his job and leave the dome rather than fight Brock. Brock then finds the mind-controlled Hank and Dean, banging their heads together to knock them out and break the brainwashing.
Brisby flees to his office and orders the preparation of his jet in order to escape. Molotov enters the room and demands that Brisby turn over a specific thing. Distracted by the conversation, Brisby backs into his office fireplace and catches fire.
When the boys wake up again, they are once again excited to be at Brisbyland.
The post-credits Stinger shows Molotov driving away in her car with the Companda in tow. She is on the phone with her client, revealed to be David Bowie.
Tropes:
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Hank and Dean under mind control by the OCLF.
- Foreshadowing:
- Molotov retrieves the panda from Brisby for David Bowie. At first this seems like a throwaway gag, but guess who appears in the season two finale?
- This is the first mention of Venture cloning tech, which becomes a much bigger deal down the line.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: Subverted by Mandalay, who simply steps aside and quits his job rather than fight Brock.Mandalay: Yo, I just work here, man. And I don't need this job no more.
- Hates Small Talk: Mr. Brisby's bodyguard, Mandalay. He is completely silent and rude to Brock, but does produce a lighter for Brock to light a cigarette. (Of course, it was all a trick to knock him out.)
- Mocky Mouse: Roy Brisby's character "Bizzy Bee" is a cartoon bee with many obvious visual similarities to Mickey Mouse, including as the mascot for the Disney World-esque theme park "Brisbyland".
- Mr. Alt Disney / No Celebrities Were Harmed: Mr. Brisby is a darker Walt Disney, except Brisby is looking to stave off death via cloning compared to Disney using cryogenics (or so the Urban Legend goes...)
- Portmanteau: Companda
- Punch-Clock Villain: Mandalay follows Brisby's orders... until coming face-to-face with an angry Brock. He pulls a Screw This, I'm Outta Here and quits.
- Scary Black Man: Mandalay, who barely speaks and is even larger than Brock.
- Shout-Out: Several.
- Mr. Brisby's name comes from the main character in The Secret of NIMH.
- The episode title comes from the film The Incredible Mr. Limpet.
- While under the effects of the truth serum, Rusty quotes lines from Rear Window and A Streetcar Named Desire.
- In addition to Walt Disney, Brisby seems to have been based at least partially off of Mason Verger.
- Brisby advises Brock to quit smoking, saying "Those things will kill you". The real Walt Disney died of lung cancer due to a lifelong smoking habit.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Brock and Molotov
- The Voiceless: Mandalay, until the very end.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Averted by Brock with Molotov. He'll beat the crap out of her (and she'll dish it out right back,) but he won't kill her.
- You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Brock says this to Hank and Dean when they're Brainwashed and Crazy. In this case, though, Brock says it as a threat; it's not that they're afraid to kill him, they're afraid of what he'll do to them if they try.
