Beavis and Butt-head: "Time Machine; Massage" Review

Editor's Note: Spoilers ahead. All ye be warned.

Season eight of Beavis and Butt-head is coming to a close, with only three scheduled episodes left. This week's episode, like most of this season, was a great success. "Time Machine" is the first short. It finds Beavis and Butt-head on a school trip. They fall asleep on the bus ride and wake up in a faux living community set in the 1800s. After some disorientation, they simply accept the fact that they've somehow traveled back in time.

Eventually the two meet up with their teacher, Mr. Van Driessen, who's dressed as one of his ancestors. After they see him trying to hook up with the hot gal churning butter (you can imagine how they react to that), they make it their job to alter the space-time continuum and block Mr. Van Driseen's...um, you know, so that they'll never have to sit through his class again.

"Time Machine," like many episodes this season, could have almost been stretched to feature-length. The joke is ripe with potential, with only the surface scratched. Still, there are plenty of laughs, mostly as Van Driessen's expense, though it would have been funny to see him actually score with the butter churning lady.

This short boasts two pretty amusing critiques. The first was for 16 and Pregnant. I really wish Mike Judge would play around with this show more. It's so much funnier than the Jersey Shore segments, and a keen, ironic notion to have Beavis and Butt-head come off as smarter than the folks depicted on this show. But I can also see why Judge has been a bit shy to poke fun at it too much. After all, these are real people, with real struggles. It's a shame so many come off as dumb as they do.

The other critique poked fun at Porcelain Black's "This is What Rock N' Roll Looks Like." For the record, the video is not what rock n' roll looks like. It's what pop-rap infusion looks like. Alas, Beavis and Butt-head don't really play up that point. Instead, they mock the video's dull classroom setting, and the amusing inclusion of Lil' Wayne.

"Massage" starts off with an awesome montage of B&B; hanging out at the mall, checking out the "semi-erotic" sights. A massage station catches their eye, since dozens of hot girls are there getting a quick massage. But when the owners complain about staring, the two are asked to leave. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Beavis and Butt-head decide to go into business for themselves.

After a second, equally hilarious montage of Beavis and Butt-head gathering up the tools to make a massage chair, the two go into business, but find it tougher than they expected. Finally, the duo take over the actual massage station while the owners are out to lunch. They're just about to massage a cute gal when the owners return. The short ends with B&B; having to massage a nasty, overweight hick. "At least he has boobs," Beavis quips.

Beavis and Butt-head at the mall. What a great place for these two. Alas, we only get a quick montage of the mayhem they could cause. While I thoroughly expected the short to center on B&B; trying to get a happy ending, the resulting gags were pretty funny, too. And the payoff was well worth it.

This short only had one critique, and it's the Jersey Shore clip that circulated the internet prior to the show's return. It's very funny, sure, but fans have seen it quite a few times now, so it might feel a little stale. I would have really dug another "Beavis and Butt-head At the Movies" critique again. Loved that segment from a few episodes back.

While this episode was supposed to close out 2011 for the show, MTV has moved things around once again. We'll see at least one more episode this December. So check back for one last B&B; review before Christmas strikes. See you then!

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