Beavis and Butt-head/Good Vibes Pilot Thoughts

It's been 14 years since a new episode of Beavis and Butt-head has hit airwaves, and I'd say close to 7 or 8 years since the program has been shown on syndication on a major cable network. Needless to say, aging fans of the stupid comedy can rejoice, because last night marked Mike Judge's return to Highland in grandiose fashion.

To be honest, I wasn't a diehard fan, as I could readily except the shows inherent flaws, some of which paved the way and made Judge's later work King of the Hill all the more brilliant. But I can say, throughout my years as a youth and college student that I have seen every episode. I was even Butt-head for Halloween one year (my brother was Beavis).

I'm also a sucker for anyone who puts time and effort into a cartoon and it makes it on the airwaves (I'll even watch Sunday's debuting Allen Gregory on FOX, but I'm not holding my breath), so I even stuck around to check out Good Vibes, despite it's almost nonexistent hype and marketing. While it's probably a little easier to gauge an animated show's direction after one episode as opposed to an hour long cable drama, I can't give either of these shows my official stamp of approval just yet, but I liked what I saw.

Beavis and Butt-head Pros:

While the slapstick and perverted humor remains, it seems after all these years of the boys attending class at Highland High, they've gotten smarter. The undercutting of Jersey Shore as the boys watched the guidos make pizza in Italy was pretty amazing..."yeah, I mean, I get it, it's just not that funny..."

The numbers don't lie: Jersey Shore is close to hemorrhaging ratings, mainly due to the lax social commentary and the cast members failing to evolve. It's awesome that Judge picked up on that reading and lambasted the network's flagship program without any backlash.

On the same token, their immediate lack of intelligence always leads them into misadventures like finding ways to become vampires or werewolves in order to get chicks. The use of one of the most topical themes among pop culture was a home run in my eyes, as it perks the interest of the newer generation of fans, people who like Twilight, and anyone else who immerses themselves in the entertainment business. Beavis' continued attempts at howling like a werewolf were hilarious, if nothing more than coming close to sounding like Warren Zevon.

"being a werewolf hurts my bones..."

As any B&B fan knows, a continuing theme and dynamic within their relationship is Butt-head constantly ragging on the more passive and kindhearted Beavis, which usually results in Beavis eventually beating the ever-loving piss out of his friend in one bottled up outburst. This was kick-started last night in the latter half of the episode, "Crying," when Beavis gets whiff of a red onion and inadvertently starts to tear up. Butt-head pokes fun at this, even in public and to the point of embarrassment, leading to Beavis having to be restrained by longtime nemesis and gym coach, Buzzcut.

Sure, we could have been treated to the satisfaction of Butt-head finally getting what's coming to him, but that would be far too early, wouldn't it?

It's the little quotes and gems that really keep you around to fish through the boob jokes and incessant giggling. Even I could chuckle at Butt-head's simplistic and also deadpan declaration of "Florida sucks..."

Cons:

While their commentary during the three music videos and two MTV original shows was generally solid and well received, it really made me feel old not knowing who these bands were. I've heard of MGMT, but to find out that "Skrillex" and "LMFAO" were things really left me out of the loop on that one. I really hope the writers mesh in some older, more conventional acts, but then I remember that the target demo for this show is 11 years my junior, and those kids are stupid.

I'll give it a couple more episodes, but seeing familiar faces like Todd and Tom Anderson would be a welcome sight, if nothing more than for nostalgia's sake. You can ease these peripheral characters in slowly, kind of like Stewart and Buzzcut were in the pilot, but hopefully Anderson hasn't completely been written off. I mean, he is Hank Hill after all. I wouldn't mind a new villain to roam the streets of Highland, but Todd's indifference and ability to take advantage of the boys was often brilliant.

Beavis and Butt-head not being in HD is a real bummer. I first watched it in standard def, then watched it again in high def to see if the animators have adapted, but it actually looked better in standard def because MTV didn't put the black side bars next to it when viewing on your plasma. I don't want to say it was lazy execution, but you can tell Judge hasn't updated the backgrounds of the classroom, the living room, or the town since he first created the show.

Good Vibes Pros:

Next to B&B, Good Vibes looked like a gawdamned masterpiece of penmanship. The animation was crisp while exaggerated, color and hokey. In case you haven't heard of the show (and I hadn't either until I checked the guide a couple of days ago to set up recordings), Mondo is moved from New Jersey to a sleepy surfing town somewhere in California and is forced to adjust to the new lifestyle, awkward, teenage social skills and hilarious beer gut be damned.

The voice work is great, and features Adam Brody, Debi Mazar, and Josh Gad as lead roles, with more well known voices like Danny McBride, Jake Busey, and Tony Hale as supporting cast members. It'll also be interesting to see where they take Babs, Mondo's single and mostly naive mother, on the show, as it's not common for a female to be a lead in stoner comedies like this one.

Cons:

There isn't much I didn't like about Good Vibes, although the repeat flashbacks to Babs' alleged promiscuous jobs got a little old. I really hope the writer's didn't lean on the flashback gag, because at this juncture it really cheapens the value of the story telling (McFarland still does it well).

From all that I could tell, it looks like this season was completed and ready for launch sometime last year, so that's never a good sign. I'm not saying it'll get the Terra Nova treatment, but it's worrisome when even MTV can't find a time slot for it. Then again, perhaps the plan was to package this with Beavis and Butt-head all along, which also went through several delays. With their forces combined though, I think both will do a-okay.

A big MTV Con in general:

Infomercials for putting feathers in your hair. Listen, I'm not saying it's a complete lifestyle fuckup, ladies, but God will love you less if you give these people your money. I'll give them credit, though...when is the 2am block of television not the best time to hock your shitty, cyclical fashion wares?