(S03E05) In last week's review for "Home Is Where The Hate Is," I mentioned how I felt the season so far has all been set-up, set-up, set-up and we're still waiting for the punchline. I mean, it's been hilarious and beautifully animated set-up, but it's been set-up nonetheless. With "The Buddy System," we're finally getting back to everyday life on the Venture compound. It feels good to get a better sense of the family's present.



We learned that in his post-Killinger situation, Dr. Venture wouldn't give in that easy and decided to make some cash by starting up Rusty's Day Camp for Boy Adventurers. Okay, if this thing were real and had an animated ad like that, I would totally join, despite the fact I am neither a boy nor much of an adventurer. In case you're not so hot with the reading of fine print, I've transcribed the legal mumbo-jumbo that flashed on the screen:

"Camp size has been estimated based on a survey conducted in 1978. All camps created after cited survey have not been taken into consideration. Rusty's Day Camp is a privately owned camp. Therefore any and all children residing on the premises are to be considered trespassers. Rusty's Day Camp holds the right to prosecute any or all trespassers that do not uphold the rules and regulations stipulated in the supplied document entitled 'I'm A Good Day Camper'."

Way to cover your behind, Rusty.

The Day Camp was an overpriced, hap-hazardly planned adventure. Everyone pitched in, from the Order of the Triad and their safety demonstrations to the Captain and his pirating lessons. Dr. Venture and Billy Quizboy led a group to explore some not-so-safe places and encountered a crazy gorilla (side note: I miss King Gorilla). It was hilarious to see that Dr. Venture's knowledge of wildlife is terribly dated as well, thinking that all gorillas communicate like Koko and love kitties. After the heartbreaking "The Invisible Hand of Fate," I don't know how much more Billy violence I can take! That poor fella lost his arm again. At least it was the replaceable one.

Now, let's take a moment to marvel at the beauty that is Dr. Mrs. The Monarch's new costume. As you can see from the gallery, I didn't skimp on the photos. It's like they redid the entire character design for the sole purpose of making her look extra hot great in that outfit, so no, ma'am, your ass doesn't look chunky. At all. I'm not sure how I'll be able to cope with her in that get-up from now on, though. I kind of miss the classic pink suit and pillbox hat. Speaking of retro stuff, I loved that The Monarch still had one of those old clam-style iBooks. He probably refused to upgrade because he likes the orange or he spent to much time and effort Monarch-izing the cover.

Dermott (full name listed as Dermott Fictel in the credits) was the only teenager who attended the Day Camp. He spent the majority of his time provoking Brock during his demonstrations and talking to Hank, who had taken a liking to him. Dean, on the other hand, found Dermott to be incredibly rude and chose to ignore him. That is, until his relatively smooth conversation with Triana was interrupted by Dermott being a douche. My jaw literally dropped when Dean went finally nuts and started beating the crap out of Dermott, tears and snot flying every which way. Should we expect something a million times worse when Dean snaps from all the boy adventuring? After Brendon Small's cleaned-up (but still messed-up) Action Johnny urged Dean to get out while he had the chance, I think Dean's huge mental breakdown is inevitable. I should also note that this was the first time I was really into the Dean and Triana relationship. Anyway, Brock let Dean beat up Dermott, as he had been spending most of the episode looking for a way to teach the jerk a lesson without looking like he's being petty. He even turned to increasingly creepy Murderous Moppets, who were at the camp spying for The Monarch.

And what the hell was Brock supposed be dressed up as during the final show? A... yeti... mummy? Well, whatever it was, he should wear it more often when he's beating the crap out of henchmen, because it makes him look extra-menacing.

Once again, we got to see Sgt. Hatred arch with kid gloves (or whatever the less pedo-y equivalent is). It looks like he's sticking with his plan to arch as politely as possible. Obviously, Brock wasn't used to this and really went to town as soon as he saw the Hovertank. I loved the bonus inclusion of the Wilhelm scream when Brock jumped on that henchman. Man, once you learn what it is, you'll never be able to ignore it. Actually, I think I heard it during the Rusty's Day Camp intro too. Also, elderly Dr. Zin -- I mean, Dr. Z -- was hilarious ("Can I shoot at him?... How about scorpions? Can I at least drop scorpions on him?"), especially when he let Sgt. Hatred go totally fanboy.

I loved the snapshots at the end so much that I just went ahead and took screenshots of each and every one, just in case anyone wanted a closer look. Pop into the linked gallery and check 'em out towards the end. The Captain's Captain Morgan pose was adorable, as was Hank gleefully tending to unconscious Billy Quizboy.

At the end, Dermott and Hank exchanged good-byes as new friends. I love their situation. It's like Hank has found a Brock closer to his own age. His attempts to be as tough as Dermott are adorable as well ("I'm Walter... Walter... Melon...") We got this exchange when Dermott got into his silhouetted mother's car...

Mother: Dermott, sweetie... Did you meet him?
Dermott: Yeah, he was okay. You sure he's my real father?

Dun-dun-dun! So what do we know about Dermott's mother? She has a slight Southern (?) twang to her accent, dark hair, and an impressive schnoz. Have we really met Brock's super-secret son, or are Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick cruel enough to string us along like this, only to reveal the father to be someone completely different from the camp? After all, they didn't actually come out and say that Brock's the daddy.

Shirt of the Week: Rusty's Day Camp for Boy Adventurers: Even though I was totally blown away by the number of new emblems and logos and designs in this episode, I would have been pretty taken aback if the shirt didn't turn out to be the Rusty lightbulb ringer tee. This is me being nit-picky, but I would have liked to see the shirts look more like the ones from the episode, sans text and just with that adorable Rusty lightbulb. Doesn't make much sense for the lady-types to wear a shirt explicitly intended boy adventurers... But I guess the same could be said for full-grown men. I'm on the fence about whether or not I'm going to buy it, because I totally love the little lightbulb, but it doesn't really fit with my current wardrobe. The Guild of Calamitous Intent shirt was more my thing. Now if only they could get Triana Orpheus DIY skull or the Order of the Triad emblem on a shirt...