It has been long established that the central theme of the Venture Brothers (the gem of Adult Swim's programming) is failure. Some may be surprised just how hilarious failure can be, and that is likely because in one way or another, all "success" stories are just failure arcs that haven't met their apex. Today a star, tomorrow turning tricks for $50 at truck stops. This may contain the germ of our fascination with the two sides of this coin, as our jealousy is fueled by seeing the famous torn down.
For some of us, it might be our only ticket to a brief moment of "living the dream" before we've got to pay the toll. As I've said before, in the end the mob will only be satisfied to see your bloody sacrifice. But first, for a time, you can be King For A Day. You know the deal: today, virgins and feasts. All the kids can project their angst and suffering on you. Tomorrow, the volcano will have you, and they can grow up and get to work.
It also may come as a surprise that the themes of comedic cartoons may owe anything to Jungian or Freudian symbolism, so let's take a look at two popular episodes, "the Doctor is Sin" and "Assisted Suicide" with that in mind. (Although part of the joy of this show is how many layers of cultural reference can be piled on, so that it's actually rather reductionistic to look at it simply as a play on any one thing.)
