they made the perfect choice. _baboon heart_ clearly wasn't written to finish the series but to finish one of the series major threads: the search for identity and family. the show _venture bros._ has always been about those. yes, of course, deception too but-- unity is the core that moves all the show's characters; and it's clear, in this movie, the authors' disatisfaction with the idea that, for a long time, the last thing fans ever saw from _venture bros._ was hank leaving. that's the antithesis of what the show is about and why the movie immediately cold opens with a search expedition for him. the movie _baboon heart_ feels like a complete season. of course, it lacks the breathing a 3h season would benefit from (length of an 8-episode season) but it does not lack on what it sets to do. it also has all the jokes and gags one would expect from the show, enough references and continuities to old episodes and really nice small background details worthy of second viewings just to catch them all. but really, the star of the show is its ending. it's clearly set out to work as a "goodbye forever" but also as a "goodbye for now". it answers some of the show's most crucial questions while also leaving a lot of room for new ones; and most importantly: it feels like the completion of a cycle. the movie might not end the series' plot but sure as hell settles a 20 year old emotional quest. it's one last arching wrapped in a leathery gold stamped red envelope.

Packed finale to the epic cartoon series that does its best to wrap up select plotlines in its short runtime, skipping through major revelations & twists with little time for fanfare or weight. That said, I'm just glad it exists.

Definitely feels like a season on fast forward but hilarious as always