The Cold Open begins with Hank and Dean reading a letter from Sgt. Hatred, who reveals that Dr. Venture was apparently killed by a falling disco-ball and his remains captured by The Monarch, a reference to The Stinger of the previous episode. As part of his contingency, Hank and Dean are to be separated for their safety and entrusted to the care of their godfathers, Action Man in Boca Raton, Florida, and Colonel Gentleman in Tangier, Morocco, respectively. Hatred's letter then reveals that this entire setup is actually a training scenario, and that the circumstances of their father's death is a fabrication, meant to prepare the two "for the worst", except for the part about being captured by the Monarch, who now has Dr. Venture in his clutches.
In Boca, Action Man lays fellow Team Venture member Entmann (formerly Humongoloid) to rest, after the latter was tragically crushed under Action Man's rocking chair. Action Man then unzips and pisses on Entmann's grave, apparently an old Venture tradition which also entails the youngest member present (in this case, Hank) doing his part by popping a squat and "fertilizing" the ground to represent new life. In Tangiers, Colonel Gentleman regales Dean with the Moroccan eating customs, only to be interrupted by a surly South African mercenary who mistakes Dean as Gentleman's latest plaything; after dismissing Dean, Gentleman dispatches the mercenary with his thumb—the mercenary's thumb, specifically.
Back at the Venture compound, Hatred seeks out Gary (who is still squatting on the Venture property after the destruction of SPHINX) and recruits him to rescue Dr. Venture from the Monarch's compound. Despite their differences, they agree to work together to recover Doc.
Meanwhile, at the Monarch's estate, the Monarch gleefully prepares a list of tortures to inflict upon his captured nemesis. In the adjoining room, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch prepares Doc for the torture session. Despite Doc not taking the situation as seriously as he could be, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch orders Doc to play along, under threat of killing him for real if he doesn't perform up to standards.
As Action Man enlists Hank's assistance in hooking up with a fellow retirement home resident, Rose, and Col. Gentleman tasks Dean with documenting every appearance of Salem in the Sabrina the Teenage Witch series, then taking dictation for Gentleman's autobiography, I, Gentleman, Gary and Sgt. Hatred have successfully boarded the Cocoon and managed to get to Gary's old room. Gary notices that the Monarch bought him a T-shirt from the latest villain conference, and reflects upon the better days of working in the Fluttering Horde as a henchmen. He and Hatred have a conversation on their causes for fighting, and, despite their misgivings about working with each other, realize they're similar upon retrospect. Down in the Monarch's estate, the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch finally make their grandiose presentation to the Doc, but unfortunately Dr. Venture's somewhat..rough treatment as a child coupled with his mediocre improv skills make his reaction to the first torture (by The Bell!) unfulfilling to the Monarch at best.
Meanwhile, Gary and Hatred continue searching the Cocoon for Doc, and narrowly avoid getting caught by one of the Fluttering Horde, who admits to a disguised Hatred that the Pupa Twins are all but running the Cocoon when the Monarch isn't around. Gary manages to keep the alarm from being raised, but Tim-Tom, eavesdropping from the incapacitated henchman's communicator, takes note. Kevin confronts Hatred in the Cocoon's cells, feeding him the lie that Gary, a.k.a. Henchman 21, betrayed him to the Monarch and dumps him out the Cocoon's trash chute. On the bridge, Tim-Tom attempts the same thing on Gary, spinning the story that Hatred sold him out to save Venture, but Gary doesn't buy it; and furthermore, he reveals to his own truth: The Pupa Twins killed Henchman 24, violating the most sacred of Henchman laws. Chanting, "Hench has killed hench!" the Fluttering Horde descends upon Tim-Tom, deaf to his protests as they repay him for his sin against fellow Henchman in the deadliest way possible.
Col. Gentleman and Action Man are having their own difficulties as well; Gentleman has gotten into a spat with his ex-lover, Kiki, who leaves him for good, and Gentleman begins to bitter reminiscence that many of his old flames have long since passed or moved on, and the luster of Morocco has finally begun to wear off. Back in Boca Raton, Action Man has successfully scored his date with Rose, but the two are incompatible, an issue compounded by Rose expressing doubts about Action Man's fidelity and drug issues, though Hank does realize that Rose is Billy Quizboy's mother, and invites the two of them back to the Venture Compound with him.
After setback after setback keeps preventing him from successfully torturing Dr. Venture, the Monarch finally calls it quits, untying Doc much to Doc's surprise. The Monarch admits to Dr. Venture that apparently, no one even answered his ransom calls, and the two have a rather depressing conversation comparing the failures in their lives, before the Monarch lets Venture leave, telling him to "break a few things" so his escape looks plausible to his wife. When Dr. Mrs. The Monarch comes to tell him of Doc's escape, she finds him looking at the picture he took from Doc's photo album showing the two playing as youngsters. Initially, he admits to his wife that he allowed Doc to go....before triumphantly declaring that he managed to "break" Venture's will with the "failures" act, inflicting harm upon his nemesis in ways that cannot heal like a physical wound. Just as he and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch jump onto the bed for some post victory "fun", Gary arrives, still in his Henchman gear, and having decided to remain under the Monarch's command. Before anyone can celebrate, however, Hatred arrives in his hover tank, having been fully convinced that Gary sold him out. He attempts to call Gary out to face him, but his hovertank's cannon misfires, sending a missile careening into the Cocoon...which is sent careening into the Monarch's estate before crashing to the ground on what remains of the Monarch's front lawn. As Hatred awkwardly leaves, the Monarch digs himself out of the rubble and confusedly asks, "Who the fuck is 'Gary'?"
In The Stinger, the Monarch, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, and Gary, now Henchman #21 once more, move into the Monarch's old family estate, which is in...less than stellar condition. At the Venture compound, the Ventures gather with Col. Gentleman, Action Man, Rose, Billy, and Pete to Entmann's official funeral. Hank, noticing Dean sitting by himself, asks him what's been eating him this entire year, and Dean reveals to Hank their cloned nature. Hank, however, finds this to be cool, and says it is "just another reason why it is great to be a Venture!" He then invites Dean to partake in the "tradition" taught to him by Action Man earlier in the episode with Entmann's memorial.
- Accidental Murder: Dr. Entmann was killed when The Action Man crushed him with his rocking chair.
- Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: The Trope Namer is referenced by 21 to rally the Fluttering Horde into killing the twins.#21: Wait! The Moppets have broken our most sacred law! They killed Henchman 24! Hench... has killed Hench!Henchmen: (slowly joining in as #21 continues chanting) Hench has killed Hench! Hench has killed Hench! Hench has killed Hench!Tim-Tom: (as the mob chants intensify) We didn't! He's a liar and a traitor! Seize him! I can prove he's lying. Idiots! He's getting away!
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Attempted, anyway by The Monarch. It doesn't go well, thanks to a combination of technical issues, and Dr. Venture's poor improv skills.
- Deadly Ringer: Subverted when the Monarch tries to torture Dr. Venture by placing him under a large bell and striking the side of it, hoping the ringing will make his eardrums explode. But, as Dr. Venture points out, he spent a lot of his childhood travelling in a supersonic jet, so the noise barely affects him.
- Exact Words: Col. Gentleman said he'd beat a scarred mercenary with a thumb. He never said his thumb.
- Hated by All: The Pupa Twins' treatment of the Fluttering Horde comes back to bite them hard when 21 reveals to them that they were responsible for 24's death and sets them on the Tim-Tom with minimal effort, later killing Kevin off screen.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: When Sergeant Hatred thinks Gary has betrayed him, he finally brings out his tank and, albeit accidentally, destroys the Monarch's Cocoon.
- Lima Syndrome: Consistent with their previous encounters, Doc repeatedly tries to invoke this with Dr. Mrs. The Monarch - she's having none of it.Doc Venture: (whilst having his injuries tended.) I really appreciate this.Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: I'm only doing it 'cause it's against Guild regulations to torture somebody with an unattended injury.Doc Venture: Yeah, not buying it. I know you're the softie here. Not my first time at the rodeo.Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: Rodeo's over, baldy. You're hog-tied. I'm just waiting for my husband to pick out a barbecue sauce to spread on you.[...]Doc Venture: I know you clowns aren't gonna do anything. You never do.Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: Yeah, he may not be very good at it, but he loves it, and I love him, so you better play along.Doc Venture: How about you pop my hip back in place, and I send you a little tax-free donation?Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: You are gonna cry in agony if my husband tickles you. You will plea for your life if he gives you a back rub. You will try to escape just so he can catch you.Doc Venture: Why would I do that?Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: Because if you don't, I will straight-up just slit your throat.Doc Venture: No, no. You wouldn't do that.Dr. Mrs. The Monarch: Don't underestimate a woman in love, Dr. Venture.
- Never Mess with Granny: Col. Gentleman delivers a Curb-Stomp Battle to a much younger and fitter South African mercenary in a bar.
- Oh, the Humanity!: Hatred quotes the trope after shooting down the cocoon.
- Rotten Rock & Roll: To convince the goody-two-shoes Rose Whalen to have dinner with him, Action Man Rodney conspires with Hank to convince her Hank had been corrupted by rock and roll. While Hank's act is utterly unconvincing to anyone that knows anything at all about actual rock and roll culture, Rose is sheltered enough to buy it hook, line, and sinker. As soon as she suggests showtunes as an alternative, Hank pretends to do a Heel–Face Turn.Hank: Hey, old man. I was just playing my bass at a volume that's unreasonable. Can you give me some money to buy records with clear warning labels?
Rodney: Oh, Rose. You got to help me straighten him out!
Hank: You ain't never gonna stop me from overly-sexualized dancing and dressing like an indigent. Loud rock music! - Shout-Out:
- 21's reference to Hench having killed Hench is likely a reference to the "Planet of the Apes" series, especially Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
- One of Col. Gentleman's hobbies is to watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch and note which scenes use a real cat vs. which one use a puppet.
- Hatred says "Oh the humanity!" after shooting down the Cocoon and watching it crash on the Monarch's house on fire.
- Sympathy for the Hero: Monarch has a moment of it for Rusty when he finds that Rusty is already too broken for Monarch's attempts to unleash sanity breaking mental trauma to work.Monarch: "What can I do to this guy that life hasn't already?"
- Villainous Breakdown: Tim-Tom breaks down into screaming and fear when it becomes clear that the Fluttering Horde are about to kill him and Kevin.
