A pill-popping former boy adventurer. His two sons who act like they're in a 1960s sitcom (and have been cloned at least 14 times). A supervillain obsessed with butterflies and his manly-voiced wife. A violent former spy. A "likeable pedophile" (to paraphrase the show's creators). Having this laundry list of freaks on Comedy Central's Adult Swim last night can only mean one thing: Venture Brothers, one of the best shows on television, has returned for its fourth season. At its core, the show could be described as a messed-up Johnny Quest, but it's so far from that that I think I'd need the entire article just to describe it. Despite this, I'm going to give the uninitiated members of Team Venture an explanation of what the show is and what makes it so great. But be warned: Everything after this is one gigantic spoiler. There, you've been warned; proceed with caution. The show focuses on the Venture family and its interactions with its villains and allies. There's Dr. Venture, a scientist who had a childhood that mirrored Johnny Quest's. We see the toll that childhood took on him, now a bitter 40-something who has driven his late father's scientific legacy into the ground. His aloofness can be seen in how his sons Hank and Dean turned out. The neglect by their father coupled with their lifestyle has left them acting like the Hardy Boys, only with less human contact. Their lifestyle leaves them "death prone" in the words of Dr. Venture, and they have been cloned multiple times. They're protected by Brock Samson, a spy who is terrifyingly good at finding ways to kill the thousands of faceless henchmen that the Ventures' enemies throw at them. Many of these henchmen come from the Monarch, a supervillain who bases himself around monarch butterflies and torments the Ventures with his wife, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch (formerly Dr. Girlfriend). They have what seems like a bottomless supply of henchmen, but the two mainstays are the über-nerdy 21 and the Ray Romano-soundalike 24. Finally, we have Sgt. Hatred, a military centered villain who is trying to overcome his pedophilia while menacing the Ventures. The third season finale ends with Brock quitting his bodyguard job, Sgt. Hatred applying for Brock's former position, Dr. Venture's clone lab destroyed, and 24 being beheaded by an explosion, all on the Ventures' front lawn.

The episode starts off with this scene as Brock takes in the aftermath of the explosion. We are then treated to a montage of Brock going through medical treatment by government doctors before the scene cuts to a longer-haired Hank, a slightly (I mean seventh-grade tier) bewhiskered Dean, and Sgt. Hatred, who is now the Venture's new bodyguard. They're all arguing over "killing Hitler," with Dean protesting that Hitler is the best friend he's ever had. You need a minute to take in just what's going on, a fact that applies to much of the episode.

It quickly becomes obvious that Jackson Publik and Doc Hammer, creators of the show, have decided to take a very different method of telling the story. I'm going to admit that I was very confused by the non-linear narrative at first, but it actually works. The narrative skips around between different chronological points that will leave you wondering what's going on many times. But if you stay with it, everything eventually falls into place and makes sense. It feels kind of like a Quentin Tarantino movie, leaving you to fill in some of the empty places in the plot. It's different, but it's also the only way they could have packed so much information and plot into one episode.

Chronologically, the episode spans a few months, in which we see quite a bit of development in the Venture boys. The series has gotten more and more character-driven with each season, and it's good to finally see the title characters becoming a bit deeper after almost becoming secondary characters. The fact that the clone lab is gone means that there is no longer a fallback for when the boys are killed, meaning that the brothers must now live without their "safety net," as Dr. Venture described it (he's developed a very casual attitude towards his sons' mortality). Hank, saddened by Brock's departure, grows more rebellious and resentful towards Sgt. Hatred, while Dean becomes (somehow) even more emotional, becoming extremely attached to a dog that just happens to house the soul of Hitler. This doesn't seem like much, but the brothers had been somewhat one-dimensional throughout the series, and seeing these changes leaves me curious to just how much their characters will develop.

Despite the changes to the characters and the story, much of the show remains the same. Publik and Hammer write dialogue that is full of pop culture references and quick one-liners that stick in your head for weeks. The voice actors are great as always, especially Patrick Warburton as Brock (Puddy from Seinfeld). The next episode will feature Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in the amazing early '90s Batman: The Animated Series, as a superhero. If you're not excited by that, you're obviously not part of Venture Brothers' target audience.

All in all, this was a good start to the season. The episode's nonlinear story arc got pretty confusing at times, but everything connects. This is the kind of show where some things become clear after you've had some time to take it all in or have watched it again, so by now I'm pretty used to some confusion. Despite this, I thought it was good see what happened to the characters after the events of season three, and for the most part, this episode didn't disappoint. It also answered some lingering question but raised many that will probably dominate much of season four. I'm really curious to see how the changes and new plot points will play out and am ready for the rest of the season despite seeing the season premiere only a few hours ago. I think that is what a good season premiere should do, and this one succeeded amazingly. I can only tell returning Venture fans that it looks like things will only get better from here. There's going to be a lot happening. As for those who haven't seen it yet: Buy the DVDs, get caught up, then jump into season four. You won't be disappointed.