Spoilers Below

Ah, college. Those days of wasting student loan money without the horrible realization that you’ll one day have to pay it back, the time spent drinking while you should be at class, the time spent drinking IN class, and the passing 2.0 GPA you probably got for being drunk all the time.

Blabberfans, this time I hopped into my phone booth, dialed 2002, and was whisked away to a time when MTV had some decent programming (but sadly, not a music video to be found,) it was something of a golden age for animation at the turn of the century. The Simpsons were still going strong (as they are now,) Futurama was just getting good, King of the Hill was being awesome, Adult Swim was giving us comedic gold that was off the beaten path, and Family Guy showed us a new style of humor. Add to this
a short lived and terribly underrated show like 3 South and you get a recipe for a nostalgia sandwich worthy of Epic Meal Time.

3 South follows the story of two inept Freshman named Dell and Sanford as they begin their post high school careers at a shitty, third rate college. There, they have to room with an uptight medical student named Joe. Hilarity ensues as our dimwitted heroes tackle classes, relationships, and other dormitory hijinks.

I chose the first episode” College Material” for this week’s review, mainly because the show was so short lived and you guys might need a refresher: Basically, its Dell and Sanford moving to their new room in 3 South. They attend Barder College an Ivy League school without the Ivy League. After they discover their third roommate died the week before, the guys get a new roommate in the form of premed student Joe, who is a pretentious, arrogant contrast to the easy-going and immature Dell and Sanford.

Basically the plot of the episode centers on them adjusting to college life, while missing three weeks of the semester in the process. They are told by their biology professor that if they don’t pass their next exam, they’ll be dropped from the class altogether. They buddy up with a guy on the baseball team who got an A on his last test, but it’s revealed that he is given a free ride because he’s on the team.

So they pull an all-nighter as many collegians do, but to no avail. They each get a grade of 45 (despite writing “Professor, you look hansum today” on their papers. My best friend tried this once in our biology class, and it didn’t work for him either,) but because the Prof. graded on a curve, they passed the exam and can stay in school.

For as much as I loved this show back in 2002 the animation leaves a lot to be desired. The coloring is very soft which both fits the style of the show but left me wishing it was a bit brighter and easier to look at. Many of the jokes were college centered and if you didn’t have a college experience might go over the viewer’s head, but in general, the episode, as well as the show, delivered genuine laughs with quick witted aplomb. So guys, take the time to dig around YouTube for this gem. You won’t be disappointed.

See you in the Dorms!

-Paulie Von Doom

6 out of 10