Bringing “Beavis and Butt-Head” back to the small screen isn’t the worst idea in recent memory.
Making a live-action “Pac-Man” movie takes that crown.
Still, the thought of the ’90s teens navigating our woke waters is enough to send long-time fans into a tizzy.
“Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe” allayed those fears.
Now, we have more proof this nostalgia reboot exists for all the right reasons.
The first two episodes of the reborn series show creator Mike Judge has no intention of smoothing out the show’s hard edges.
He said, “hard…” [heh, heh]
Paramount Plus released two episodes so far, including one free to view on YouTube.
Little has change for our brain-addled heroes. They’re still wearing the same drab heavy metal T-shirts, and Judge’s vocals are untouched by the years.
We’re also reunited with the show’s supporting players, including hippie teacher David Van Driessen.
“Mmm-kay?”
The big difference? Music videos no longer rule and/or kick ass, so “B&B” now comment on TikTok videos as well as the occasional song clip. It’s a natural evolution, and it means the boys will have an absurd amount of clips from which to choose.
Their initial targets include an ASMR video of a woman wrapping her fingernails against a box of markers.
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The jokes remain the same, and they’ve aged surprisingly well. The boys are obsessed with sex and disinterested in just about everything else.
- Success
- School
- Other people’s feelings
- Manners
- Each other
That unchecked nihilism, particularly in our sensitive age, is bracing. They don’t act like society demands, and it’s liberating to the core.
Why?
Fictional characters, past and present, now undergo a thorough X-ray to expunge impure thoughts or “problematic” behavior.
It’s why social justice types excoriate Michael Scott of “The Office,” demanding a a clueless bureaucrat comport himself like a decent human being.
Or why woke web sites try to retroactively cancel classic shows like “Seinfeld.”
It all but ruins the joke, of course, and it’s part of a destructive trend that doesn’t apply to other behaviors — like contract killing.
In this exclusive clip from the ‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ revival on Paramount+, the duo can’t seem to relax while watching Gibi ASMR’s video. https://t.co/8KO1JMB8mO
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 3, 2022
Episodes are broken into two short stories, and episode one features a true clunker. Beavis discovers a talking fireball confined to a dumpster, and the fiery creation tasks him with helpful chores.
The segment goes on, and one, without so much as a chuckle. If this is an attempt to flesh out the character’s back story, it’s wildly unnecessary.
Far better? The boys inadvertently enter an Escape Room challenge. Suffice to say their attempts at solving the puzzle go poorly.
Otherwise, “Beavis and Butt-Head” have never been more necessary to the culture at large. If anyone said that 25-plus years ago, they may have required a medical intervention.
In today’s world, sadly, teens who defy authority aren’t just wonderfully subversive. It’s a reminder why the arts shouldn’t be cleansed of negative impulses.
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