Beavis and Butt-head: "School Test; Snitchers" Review

This week's episode of Beavis and Butt-head is the last before the season finale. So, does Butt-head get that liver transplant he's needed all season? And will Beavis finally reveal to Butt-head that he's secretly a serial killer?

OK, Beavis and Butt-head has never been that complex or emotionally rooted (duh), but over these past 11 episodes, the show has managed to pull off one of the most successful long-term hiatus returns I've ever witnessed. It gives me hope that maybe one day Dave Chappelle will do the same, and return with brand-new episodes of Chappelle's Show – better and sharper than ever before. Please, for safety sake, don't hold your breath on that one. But a fan can dream, right?

The first short of episode 11 was "School Test." The plot was pretty simple – Beavis and Butt-head are pulled into Principal McVickers office and told that they must pass the state test, otherwise many faculty members might get laid off. So, with several teachers in tow, they attempt to do the impossible – teach Beavis and Butt-head. As you can imagine, the task proves just as impossible as it sounds.

At first I felt like this short was a bit off, when it dawned on me – "School Test" feels a little more like the shorts of the original run, especially "Young, Gifted & Crude" which had B&B; ending up in a class for gifted students after taking a standardized test. The short is rich with fun characters, a simple idea, and a clever payoff. I wonder if Mike Judge and crew will return to this episode's plot points in future episodes, as Principal McVickers seems to have been ousted as principal, and Van Driessen was fired (maybe). I'm guessing not, but we'll see. I'd love to see a vengeful McVickers in future episodes, and perhaps a new character to step in as principal. (How 'bout Daria? Why the heck not.)

TV critiques for this short included a rather lengthy jab at Jersey Shore once again. Frankly, at this point, why not just have an MST3K-style show where B&B; make fun of Jersey Shore? Judge seems to love poking fun at it, and audiences seem to eat it right up. For me, they're growing quite stale, even if I do manage to chuckle with each segment. There was also a critique for 3OH!3's "Touchin on My." Not particularly funny, but the video is pretty dumb.

Todd Ianuzzi returns in "Snitchers." About damn time! And he gets a pretty badass return, too. After Beavis and Butt-head witness Todd knock out some guy at their local convenience store, they find themselves in a pickle. Do they tell the police what happened (they really want to, because it was awesome) or do they hide the truth? They can't help themselves so they admit to the truth, but after Todd's attorney unloads a laundry list of B&B;'s previous transgressions, the two end up thrown out of court. The short ends with Todd picking Beavis and Butt-head up, throwing them in the trunk of his car and driving off, likely to their pummeled doom.

Short and sweet, that's "Snitchers" in a nutshell. The story plays out rather quickly, with a few fun nods to previous episodes of the show, right down to the one that started it all – Frog Baseball. Alas, "Snitchers" is not really all that funny, though full of nostalgia and classic B&B; antics. I do wish we'd gotten to see a little more of B&B; interacting with Todd. Could have been really amusing. Perhaps in later episodes.

The TV critiques for this short highlighted 16 and Pregnant and True Life. The 16 and Pregnant segment was hilarious, as usual. But the True Life segment, which focused on a young girl wanting to enlarge her breasts, wasn't nearly as funny as it could have been.

Next week marks the end of this latest season of Beavis and Butt-head. Stay tuned for that review, and have a great holiday!

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