One of the best reasons for expanding the character base has been Randy Marsh. Stan's dad has proven to be one of the show's funniest characters, and a number of classic episodes have had him at their center. Unfortunately, "Over Logging" is not one of those episodes. In fact, the episode continues this season's overall trend of good ideas turned into missed opportunities.
Everything starts off quite promising with the sudden disappearance of "The Internet." The town freaks out in classic South Park style and there's some funny stuff in the beginning. When the local news can't get access to the Internet – they have no news, so the only story becomes "There is no Internet." The desperation is amusing as Randy and company travel from one place to the next; looking for Internet anywhere they can find it.
When Randy finally packs up the family to head to "Californee way" looking for Internet – that's when the episode slows down considerably. This is all amusing – it's just not very funny. The black and white, the Grapes of Wrath references, it's all build up with not much pay-off. That's the way much of the episode functions – as if there's a big joke on the way that never really arrives. There's a Close Encounters reference, and the revelation that "The Internet" is just a giant router. Kyle figures out that all you have to do is unplug it and plug it back in – the catch-all solution for Internet provider tech support. While this is amusing, they already made this joke in the beginning of the episode, when Kyle says, "I even unplugged it and plugged it back in!"
The one running joke is that Randy needs Internet porn in order to masturbate. This is funny at first, until you realize it's the episode's only real joke. By the time Randy does get Internet access and is…successful in his efforts – did anyone not get ahead of this joke? Ah yes, the room is covered with Randy goo. The line "There was a ghost" is very funny, but only somewhat tampers the disappointment of a joke this obvious. The final moments include a parody of Steven Seagal's infamous On Deadly Ground speech. This keeps the trend of this season's lampooning of obscure movies, and while that might be worth a few chuckles, it's not saving the episode.
Ultimately "Over Logging" attempts to be a satire on our over reliance on and addiction to the Internet. However, it only raises the topic without actually having much to say or jokes to tell. This isn't a bad episode, but it will be a forgettable one. And this season needs to rise above that now. In our Idiot Box feature last week, I said it was possible that this season could run mediocre through its entirety – and we could still have a good season 13. Right now, it looks like next season can't come soon enough.
