Twenty Years to Midnight

"Twenty Years to Midnight" is an episode of the animated television series The Venture Bros., the fifth episode of the second season. A strange craft lands outside the Venture Compound in the night. A twelve-foot-tall figure disembarks and scans the compound, locating Dr. Venture on the toilet. Inside, Brock finds an old box while cleaning and calls for Dr. Venture on his wrist communicator. Venture arrives to find the boys examining the box's co... more

"Twenty Years to Midnight" is an episode of the animated television series The Venture Bros., the fifth episode of the second season. A strange craft lands outside the Venture Compound in the night. A twelve-foot-tall figure disembarks and scans the compound, locating Dr. Venture on the toilet. Inside, Brock finds an old box while cleaning and calls for Dr. Venture on his wrist communicator. Venture arrives to find the boys examining the box's contents, but Brock points out one particular item: an apparent Betamax tape. Playing the tape, they view a message recorded by Jonas Venture Sr. about 20 years ago. He explains that he deciphered a radio signal from deep space that was addressed to him specifically. Jonas says that his "greatest invention" must be assembled and activated at midnight on a specific date -- which Brock notes is the following day. Failure to do so will have grave consequences for mankind. Jonas ends the message by listing the locations of the device's components.... less