REVIEW: CRASH CANYON “The Curse of the Monkey”

Spoilers Below

 

It’s back! After a two-month hiatus, Crash Canyon has returned, and, well, not much has changed. In this week’s episode, the canyon experiences an epidemic, and we learn how creepy Uncle Vern really is. When Sheila contracts a cold and develops a nasty cough, Beverly Manderbelt is quick to ostracize the Wendell matriarch, and force her into isolation.

Roxy believes that the canyon has more germs than Uncle Vernon’s creepy old chest, to which he guards closely with a shotgun. But that’s not the only creepy thing in regards to Uncle Vern, as he instantaneously, and for no reason, develops a crush on the canyon’s optimistic cheerleader, Sarah Forbes. He constantly hits on her and, obviously, is continually turned down.

When Lippy the space chimp comes down with the virus too, it’s just the beginning of the outbreak. Eventually, Beverly has the entire community in quarantine, not long before the Manderbelts become violently ill themselves. The episode didn’t contain many laughs, even with lethargic Uncle Vernon, who has become more of a gimmick for fat jokes and lazy quips, compared to his brilliant comedic timing in the first season.

I believe the series is wringing out what’s left of the season, if not the entire series. It’s most drab cartoon in North America, if not the world, and the jokes are getting dryer than the series’ desert setting. It’s also peculiar how this show has lasted it’s run so far, considering the hatred that pours in through message boards and forums across the world wide web. It’s not as if Crash Canyon is a malicious or offensive show, looking to offend, but it does lack many of the elements that make a series worthwhile, whether it’s captivating satire like South Park, or laugh-out-loud humor like American Dad, but it does try to emulate just that.

And fails.

Most viewers of this series have negative things to say about it than good, and you’d think that wouldn’t secure a future for the series in question.

Crash Canyon has changed timeslots, from 11 p.m. Friday nights to 9 p.m. Sundays, but how much buoyancy does this change secure? Especially while competing with Family Guy in the same timeslot, Sunday nights will put Crash Canyon in the margin of primetime.  There is a reason Fox coined Sunday nights “Animation Domination”.

And if the writers don’t step it up a notch, then Crash Canyon may go the way of the dodo!

(5 out of 10)