Doctor Girlfriend
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Dr. Girlfriend is a fictional character on the Adult Swim animated series The Venture Bros. She is the sidekick and on-again/off-again girlfriend of the supervillain The Monarch. Dr. Girlfriend is voiced by co-writer Doc Hammer, though she was voiced by Jackson Publick in her first appearance, "The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay".
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[edit] Background
Very little is known about the past of the villainess currently known as "Dr. Girlfriend" save that her first name is Sheila and that she is a veteran super-villain, serving as second-in-command for many different super-villains and having used an assortment of costumed aliases over the years. It is not even known if she really has a PhD. A former stripper or burlesque performer, she was trained in the art of crime by the half-human, half-machine "Truckules". The future Dr. Girlfriend first started out under the alias "Lady Au Pair", a nanny themed villain whose henchmen (called "murderous Moppets") were highly trained dwarfs dressed up as children. Very little is known about her time as "Lady Au Pair", though Dr. Girlfriend has stated that she was widely feared and respected by all.
At some point, she became Phantom Limb's "number two" under the name Queen Etherea, with a very revealing sheer costume. The working relationship between the two quickly evolved into a romantic relationship, though ultimately it came to an end when Queen Etherea met the butterfly-themed super-villain "The Monarch." The Monarch quickly seduced Queen Etherea out of her costume and into his bed, culminating in her dumping Phantom Limb for the Monarch.
Rechristened "Dr. Girlfriend" by the Monarch and now wearing Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis-esque outfits (including the former first lady's trademark pillbox hats), Dr. Girlfriend would quickly establish herself as the more intelligent and competent half of their relationship. Possessing a level of common sense and skill at villainy that the Monarch utterly lacked, Dr. Girlfriend quietly established herself as the true brains of the Monarch's operation, due in part to the fact that she single-handedly ran the day-to-day operations of Monarch's organization to such an extent that Monarch was totally dependent on her.
By the start of the series, Dr. Girlfriend's relationship with the Monarch began to suffer due to his vendetta against the Venture family. In hopes of trying to bridge the gap between the two sides, she briefly convinced the Monarch to reach out to Hank and Dean Venture as a friend when Monarch confided to her the revelation that Dr. Venture emotionally neglected his children on a regular basis. But the Monarch continued his vendetta against the Venture family and midway through the first season, Dr. Girlfriend confided to Phantom Limb that she was staying with the Monarch mainly because the Monarch, Venture obsession aside, represented stability. But the seed was planted for her to leave when Monarch continued to go after Dr. Venture, even after realizing how pathetic Dr. Venture's life was.
Dr. Girlfriend was frequently an active (though sarcastic) partner in the Monarch's schemes to destroy Dr. Venture; the most notable instance involved her (disguised as a woman named "Charlene") seducing Venture and injecting him with a compound that turned him into a giant caterpillar. Ultimately, however, she felt pity and sympathy for Venture and discreetly administered an antidote before he became a butterfly. Dr. Girlfriend also developed an adversarial relationship with Brock Samson, who believes Dr. Girlfriend (due to her deep, semi-masculine voice) to be a transsexual.
The relationship between the two ultimately collapsed when two of Monarch's most trusted henchmen secretly wrote and published a tell-all biography of their employer. While the unflattering stories in the biography upset the Monarch, the book's gratuitous photo-collage of Dr. Girlfriend in her "Queen Etherea" costume caused a massive fight to break out between the lovers. The Monarch's misogynistic tirade that her Queen Etherea costume made her look like a whore and that he had "reformed" her into a proper female villain reduced Dr. Girlfriend to tears as she fled their lair.
Seeking refuge at the home of the Phantom Limb, Dr. Girlfriend soon became a pawn in a much larger game. Phantom Limb used the fight between the two lovers to frame Monarch for murdering a police officer (who had been bribed with wealth and a new life as the husband of a super-model to allow the Guild of Calamitous Intent to fake his death) as part of a larger scheme to kidnap the deformed supervillain prosecutor Tiny Attorney. Dr. Girlfriend agreed to help in the scheme, foolishly believing that it would teach the Monarch a lesson and that the Guild would help Monarch escape during his trial after they capture Tiny Attorney. But Phantom Limb doublecrossed his former girlfriend, proclaiming that the Guild needed the Monarch to rot in jail in order to appease the local authorities, who allow the Guild to operate freely so long as the Guild did not cause harm to the local police.
Realizing that she couldn't help the Monarch, Dr. Girlfriend was allowed to place two post-hypnotic suggestions inside the Monarch's head: the first was one to make the Monarch believe that Dr. Girlfriend did not participate in the Phantom Limb's plot to frame him and the second was to make the Monarch believe that it was Hank and Dean Venture who framed him for a murder he did not commit.
The relationship between Phantom Limb and Dr. Girlfriend (now once again calling herself "Queen Etherea") resumed though their relationship became quite strained as Dr. Girlfriend became disgusted at Phantom Limb's elitist attitude and his insisting on engaging in harmless white-collar crimes like selling stolen artwork to wealthy gangsters. Meanwhile the Monarch escaped from prison and made several attempts to win Dr. Girlfriend back, only to be rejected due to what had become the single major issue that Dr. Girlfriend had with her ex-boyfriend: his vendetta against the Venture Family.
Ultimately, it would take the arrival of Dr. Killinger as the Monarch's new "number two" to bring Dr. Girlfriend back to the Monarch, as Monarch henchman #21 was convinced that Monarch was being manipulated by the fearsome Dr. Killinger for sinister reasons. Dr. Girlfriend confronted Dr. Killinger, who shocked Dr. Girlfriend by giving her Monarch's diary, which featured Monarch's feelings of love and devotion towards Dr. Girlfriend in written form. Dr. Killinger then left the Monarch, having revealed that he only took the job as the Monarch's number two so that he could reunite the estranged lovers.
Killinger's work succeeded, as the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend reunited. But fear of Phantom Limb forced them to keep their relationship private until finally Dr. Girlfriend offered Monarch an ultimatum: if he would abandon his vendetta against the Ventures, Dr. Girlfriend would leave Phantom Limb for good and marry the Monarch. Dr. Girlfriend also stipulated that if married, she would be Monarch's equal and not his "number two".
Monarch agreed but on the eve of his wedding, his henchmen ambushed the Venture Family and captured them as a wedding present for their boss. But the Monarch had not informed his minions of the deal he made with Dr. Girlfriend, resulting in him quickly declaring that the Venture family would be part of his wedding party, with Dr. Venture as his best man. Unfortunately for Dr. Girlfriend, this led to Dr. Venture finally putting two and two together regarding Dr. Girlfriend being "Charlene" and declaring his intent to win her away from the Monarch. But the wedding was interrupted by the Phantom Limb, who along with Guild members loyal to him, launched an assault to reclaim Dr. Girlfriend as his own. The attack ultimately failed, partially due to help from the Venture Family, the Order of the Triad, and the Sovereign, who is revealed to be superstar musician David Bowie in disguise.
Ultimately the two married and on their honeymoon, Dr. Girlfriend reveals her first name to be "Sheila," and says "I'm....", which shocks the Monarch greatly. What Dr. Girlfriend said is unknown, but may be revealed when season three of The Venture Bros. series begins.
[edit] Personality
Dr. Girlfriend is generally considered to be one of the more rational minded characters on "The Venture Brothers". She is generally portrayed as a level-headed villain who is shown to be the true brains behind the Monarch's organization.
Dr. Girlfriend's attractive appearance and easy-going personality has resulted in her gaining a favorable reputation amongst super-heroes in the Venture Brothers universe. Many heroes have attempted to convince Dr. Girlfriend to become their arch-enemy, though she's turned them down due to her preference to stay with the Monarch and not strike out on her own. Indeed, even Phantom Limb acknowledged that Dr. Girlfriend had the strength and determination to be one of the world's greatest villains if she would commit herself to her craft.
[edit] Relationship with the Monarch
Dr. Girlfriend has a dysfunctional but genuinely loving relationship with the Monarch. Though the two break-up at the end of season one, their reconciliation was the major focus of the second season of the program. The Monarch's devotion for Dr. Girlfriend was shown to be so great that he devoted just about every page of his diary to chronicling his feelings of love and honor for Dr. Girlfriend.
Despite her love for the Monarch, Dr. Girlfriend's evolving disdain for the Monarch's obsession with killing Dr. Venture has served as a major stumbling block for their relationship as time passes. After her (possible -- the show is unclear) one-night stand with Rusty, Dr. Girlfriend has come to the opinion that Monarch and Dr. Venture are a lot alike and that it's baffling to her that the two are not good friends because of their similarities.
[edit] Relationship with the Monarch's Henchmen
Dr. Girlfriend seems to take most of the responsibility of caring for the Monarch's henchmen, providing dinner, lunch and snacks for them on a daily basis with only minimal complaint. In spite of her skill as a surrogate mother, 21 says that Dr. Girlfriend seemed somewhat distant. Despite this, however, 21 goes to Dr. Girlfriend in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills" for help with dealing with Dr. Killinger. In contrast however, the Monarch mentions in a previous episode ("Hate Floats") that the henchmen "cried themselves to sleep." It is more likely that this is just an attempt by the Monarch to win Dr. Girlfriend back than an actual truth.
[edit] Relationship with Phantom Limb
The only other character on the show (other than Dr. Venture, who had a possible one-night stand with Dr. Girlfriend) who has been shown to have been in a sexual relationship with Dr. Girlfriend is the Phantom Limb. The two were longtime lovers and friends, until the Monarch came along and seduced the then-Queen Etheria away from the Phantom Limb. The two remained close after their break-up, though the Phantom Limb harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Monarch for stealing his girlfriend away from him. This hatred took center stage in the episode "The Trial of the Monarch", when the Phantom Limb bribed a police officer into allowing the Guild to fake his death and make it look like the Monarch murdered him. The plan, as explained to Dr. Girlfriend (who had a fight with Monarch and had sought refuge with the Phantom Limb) was to use Monarch to lure out Guild nemesis Tiny Attorney so that he could capture the deformed attorney for punishment for his successful prosecution of many high profile Guild members. Monarch would then be sprung from custody during the kidnapping, at which point Monarch would be humbled and willing to reconcile with Dr. Girlfriend. But Phantom Limb doublecrossed Dr. Girlfriend, announcing that the Guild needed Monarch to rot in jail because of the Guild's treaties with local law enforcement agency prevented them from aiding any villain accused of murdering a police officer. The Monarch himself didn't make any of this easier for Dr. Girlfriend, who was furious when Monarch proudly proclaimed that he was through with his ex-girlfriend.
Dr. Girlfriend (now as "Queen Etherea" again) resumed her relationship with Phantom Limb, he having apparently eliminated his rival from the picture. But Monarch escaped prison and Dr. Girlfriend found herself becoming disgusted at how Phantom Limb was no longer the exciting, adventurous villain he was when they first dated. Phantom Limb was more interested in trafficking stolen artwork and running the bureaucratic side of the Guild of Calamitous Intent rather than performing acts of exciting supervillainy.
[edit] Sexuality and rumors of transsexualism
One of the running gags of the show's run is the rumor amongst characters that Dr. Girlfriend is in truth a transsexual. These rumors are partially based upon the fact that the character is voiced by Doc Hammer, whose portrayal of the character's voice is a deep, masculine sounding tone.
Jackson Publick (who voiced Dr. Girlfriend in the show's pilot episode) admitted in a first season DVD commentary that his first attempt at providing her voice was primarily a poor imitation of Harvey Fierstein. Furthermore, the animation for the pilot episode "The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay" and season one premiere episode "Dia de Los Dangerous!" have Dr. Girlfriend appearing to have an Adam's apple, an error in animation that was removed for all subsequent episodes involving the character.
The writers themselves have fueled the rumors by having characters on the show acknowledge the rumor that Dr. Girlfriend used to be a man. One example of this rumor was a conversation between Pete White and Billy Quizboy in the episode "Tag Sale – You're It!". While talking about the rumors of Dr. Girlfriend being a transsexual.
Most notable, though, is Brock Samson's own skeptical belief that Dr. Girlfriend is a woman. While shown to be utterly indiscriminate in his sexual pursuits, Brock has never once thought about having sex with Dr. Girlfriend, much to Dr. Girlfriend's own disappointment. He later incurred the wrath of Phantom Limb during a team-up by repeatedly insisting that she must bear scars from a sex change surgery. (Phantom Limb claimed she doesn't).
The writers have also debunked the rumors of Dr. Girlfriend being born a man on countless occasions as well. Phantom Limb, The Monarch, and Dr. Venture, who have all been intimate with Dr. Girlfriend and would presumably know if she was a transsexual, have all denied the rumors. However if she indeed is a transsexual, she might have had the sex change before being intimate with any of them.
Also, the episode "Victor. Echo. November." has the character herself acknowledge and debunk the rumors when Triana Orpheus and her friend Kim encounter Dr. Girlfriend in the ladies' room. Dr. Girlfriend sighed and said before being asked any questions "Yes, I belong in here, I just have a deep voice."
The writers themselves have also implied that Dr. Girlfriend's deep voice is the result of Dr. Girlfriend being a long-time smoker. In the episode "Fallen Arches", blacula hunter Jefferson Twilight inquires, upon hearing Dr. Girlfriend's voice, whether she merely smoked cigarettes or ate them. Other fans have speculated that Dr. Girlfriend's raspy voice was the result of her having her throat cut at some point in her past, though Jackson Publick has denied this theory. Publick has instead commented that much like her passion for the clothing of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Dr. Girlfriend's voice is based upon the former first lady's own deep, semi-masculine voice.
Season two ended with a cliffhanger, as Dr. Girlfriend nervously told the Monarch that she had something to say that might change things, and then began to say "I'm..." before she was cut off. As stated above, this has fueled rumors of her being a transsexual.
Dr. Girlfriend is rumored to be pregnant, more than likely with the Monarch's child. Because the show is prone to plot twists and dark humor, however, rumors of Dr. Venture being the father have arisen. This rumor exists by the fact in the episode Mid-Life Chrysalis, Venture's old condom breaks into pieces before he puts it on and then says abruptly "Condoms? Rusty doesn't need gadgets to please a woman..." before being hit by serum in the neck by Dr. Girlfriend. Whether or not they actually slept together is debatable, but Dr. Girlfriend and the Monarch argue about whether she slept with him later in the episode, when she reluctantly says she didn't. It is to be noted in this time period that she is not "showing" except for an off-hand remark made by the Monarch a few days before their wedding which implied that Dr. Girlfriend's breast size may have increased (one of many pregnancy symptoms.) Although her affair with Dr. Venture was months from her admitting her secret.
| The Venture Bros. | |
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| Characters Main | Secondary |
Hank Venture • Dean Venture • Dr. Thaddeus Venture • Brock Samson • H.E.L.P.eR. • Jonas Venture Junior Dr. Orpheus • Triana Orpheus • Pete White • Master Billy Quizboy • Molotov Cocktease • Myra Brandish The Monarch • Doctor Girlfriend • #21 • #24 • Baron Werner Ünderbheit • Phantom Limb |
| Organizations Prominent | Minor |
Team Venture/Venture Industries • Order of the Triad • Monarch Henchmen • Guild of Calamitous Intent |
| Cast and crew | Paul Boocock • Lisa Hammer • Steven Rattazzi • Michael Sinterniklaas • James Urbaniak • Patrick Warburton Jackson Publick • Doc Hammer • J. G. Thirlwell • World Leaders Entertainment |
| Episodes | Pilot • Season 1 • Season 2 • Specials • Phone Calls |
