Grid Effect

Helluva holiday season this year, we’ve probably been fairly outgoing in the wake of this writer’s strike. And you know what? We don’t like it. Spending time with loved ones, discovering and experiencing new things the world has to offer is overrated if you ask us. Sitting down in front of the television for a five hour binge is generally just as exciting and far more relaxing. Anyhow, onto the rest of the year end review…

5) Extras
Only got better from season one to two and was capped off by an hour and half finale that was as sentimental and introspective as it was hysterical. A sharp turn for a series that’s only dramatic moment beforehand was concluded with a voice mail from Patrick Stewart offering the series’ female lead a role in a soft porn. If Extras taught us anything, it’s that British actors, on a wide scale, are much more self-deprecating than American actors. And that Gervais and Ashley Jensen could both make the transition to dramatic acting and not miss a beat.

4) South Park
Imaginationland! To be frank I couldn’t even remember anything else about the most recent stretch of episodes and had to look it up. There was a King of Kong parody, an oral sex episode that coincided with a mockery of Jesus Camp, a 300 parody, a Guitar Hero episode and several mediocre attempts. But the three part saga that was “Imaginationland” hit on every comedic element possible. From rehashing former characters to absurd scenarios to remarkable likenesses, Trey Parker and Matt Stone proved they still hit more often than they miss.

3) It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Sometimes they strive too hard to upset as many people as possible (much like their predecessors at #4) and it cuts into the comedic stylings. But, when it’s working it works better than any other comedy on television. The cast (including Danny DeVito) appears to feed off their apparent synergy more so than any other cast on television since Seinfeld as “the gang” disparages and destroys their lives and the lives of those who dare associate with them. After finishing their third and best season I think this spot is well deserved, if unpopular.

I’d probably rather cross Chris and Snoop.

2) Mad Men
If it wasn’t for the finale of arguably the greatest achievement in television history this probably would have claimed the top spot. Jon Hamm, Vincent Kartheiser and John Slattery (who was briefly in Charlie Wilson’s War getting brow beaten by Philip Seymour Hoffman, by the way) led the helm of an ensemble cast that’s second to none. Every remarkably imperfect character is capable of invoking sympathy at times and hatred at others, including the protagonist Donald Draper, whose mysterious background and unfolded tale kept the summer television season worthwhile. The atmospheric has paved the way for a new style of television as it focuses on every intricate detail of the life during 1960. All we have to say is the editing team is probably underpaid.

1) The Sopranos
What else is there to say that hasn’t been said? The final scene has been rehashed and debated ad nauseum and in some ways diminished the brilliance of the final nine episodes. From a critical standpoint, the concluding half season of this series is probably the best run they produced (we’d still make a case for the fifth season, but that’s a different post) over the eight years it was on and left the series on an ambiguous high note, probably the only appropriate manner for David Chase to end it on.

That’s it for 2007, happy new years!

Feeling slightly better today, though I wouldn’t categorize it as better than shit, I still feel very much like excrement. But still, we came into work today and there isn’t a more leisurely way to spend our time than writing about an animated sitcom.

This was another stellar episode last night. I think everyone can remember being clueless about what makes the opposite sex tick at that age, and they illustrated it well. The highlight of which being the diction the girls used in the council meetings. We have no familiarity with it, but we’ll be damned if it wasn’t funny. Stan’s flummoxed reaction to it all was priceless, we’d definitely have the same deer in headlights look, and we’re twenty-five years old.

Kyle’s crisis of self-worth was quite comical as well, and it kicked off with that slow shot of the camera panning out from the bathroom wall, where he realized he was voted the ugliest boy in the class by all the girls, after being the only boy in the class to insist that it’s meaningless. This also carried-in the Government conspiracy parody with the list council (or whatever the hell it was called). The dialog throughout this was spot-on with such lines as: “I can assure you that this council doesn’t do anything in haste”, “You just couldn’t stop looking, could you?”; and everything involving the council heads and Bebe. After this episode, we’re certain Parker and Stone can parody anything with any storyline you give them.

The inspiration for insecure fourth graders everywhere.

The Abe Lincoln dream sequence was great as a bit of a diversion from the rest of the episode. Kyle rejecting all of his advice, then Lincoln driving him home in a sedan, then Lincoln calling Kyle an asshole when he refuses to reconsider the advice he offered, was a pretty lethal comedy bit. Listening to Abe rationalize why it’s good to be less attractive in adolescence (and adulthood, really) seemed like the writers were lecturing more than anything, “She always believed she was interesting and funny because guys would always tell her how special she is, but it was only because she was hot, when she turned forty she realized she’s about as interesting as a wet carrot”; but we still found it immensely enjoyable. The fact that this only seemed to motivate Kyle to burn the school down only enhanced its comedic value.

All in all, another fine episode to throw in the South Park library. Set aside the first episode with the Tourette’s syndrome there has been something to enjoy about every episode this season. We’re not sure how many more episodes are left in this set, they usually do eight at a time, if that is indeed the case, then we regrettably only have one more episode left before the next hiatus, and seven more left in the eleventh season. I still wouldn’t worry, their contracted for four more seasons after this, so they still have plenty of time to lose “it”.

Survivor recap later today.

This is coming late, so we’re going to turn it in the name of time frames and exhaustion:

Things we liked:

-Heroin Hero and that heroin induced bird.

-The regular mocking of video games that imitate real life talents. All while if the time spent playing the game was spent on learning the actual skill, it would be mastered ten times over by the game player.

-The parody of numerous fictional and non-fictional bio-films.

-Randy impotently trying to bond with his Stan.

-Stan having a moment of self-recognition while playing the racing game.

-Mick

-The kid that Stan was forced into a duo with, because he’s like a carbon copy of my roommate’s brother.

-The typical, impatient Denver fan response to Jay Cutler’s slower than expected professional development.

The things we didn’t like were few and far between, and consists of little more than nitpicks that have no bearing on the entertainment factor of the episode. This is the third episode I can recall where the characters make an attempt at forming a musical act: There was the “Fingerbang” episode mocking boy bands, then the race to go platinum where Cartman forms a Christian rock band. It’s actually four if you include the “Timmy” episode where he joined forces with Skyler and his band of misfits, but I don’t since it involved all peripheral characters.

Sorry for the half-ass job here, but when an episode was as enjoyable as this one, there is very little too write about. This is the second video game they’ve raked over the coals in the past couple of seasons (World of Warcraft being the first victim), we can only hope that Halo is next on the radar.

I’m kind of killing my good will from earlier today with the earlier post with this one so inexplicably late. Today was unforgiving, so I had to write this in sessions and finish it when I got home. But enough excuses, this was a great episode last night, so the post will be relatively short.

Last night was a satisfying conclusion to the saga. We got the inevitable Braveheart-esque battle scene, where apparently no one has ever imagined any sort of lethal firearm until Butters; the return of an Al Gore likeness, a definitive conclusion to the B-story which I’m sure will be referenced in future episodes; real world reports of the ongoings in Imaginationland and a comparative debate on fantasy vs. reality.

The ending was an easy fix, though. Since Imagination land was a collective interpretation of American creativity, all anyone had to do was “imagine” everything back into existence. My initial prediction that Cartman would conjure up something as noble as the woodland critters are evil wasn’t misguided, but wasn’t necessarily accurate either. Instead it ended up being Butters, who is set to be rife with parental issues when he reaches adulthood, if his imagination is any indication.

The press core white house meeting was interesting, but a highlight of the episode was the explanation of what happened to Kurt Russell at the hands of the woodland critters, and the following speechless reaction from the press. This, along with the brutal killing of Morpheus by Freddy Kruger and a Tron character meeting his demise also at the gleeful hands of the woodland critters, Beary the bear: “(Innocently) Hey, buddy. (Zaps head off with Cyclops like laser beams)”, All the critters: “Yaaayyyy”.

They seek and destroy

I knew, though never mentioned it so I can’t take credit, that Jesus was going to pop up in Imaginationland at some point, just to maximize the percentage of America that would be properly offended. I thought the imagined reincarnation of Santa would be akin to what we saw in the “Red Sleigh Down” episode, with two automatic rifles under his arms and a penchant for blood lust. Instead we get him all roman like with a golden battle axe, which is fine. Al Gore’s mocking is probably just as controversial nowadays. Putting a recent Nobel Peace Prize winner in a cape is always going to be divisive.

These three episodes were definitely outside their comfort zone, but they worked well. And, after over 150 episodes, its good to see their still attempting to broaden their horizons. I could have watched an entire season with this plot, much less only a trilogy. Just goes to show that continuity can pay dividends in comedy.

If all action/adventure trilogies were this entertaining, I’d probably be much more into Sci-fi. As it stands, though, the majority of the time they’re not, and I’m almost ashamed to admit that this story is actually engaging. And I never even much cared for Stargate. This met and probably exceeded all of the high expectations that Part I set for us.

Really, I never thought South Park would be so self-referential as to bring back past characters as part of our collective imagination. But there they were, the woodland Christmas Critters with all their sadistic joy; ManBearPig, whose only a figment of a fictional Al Gore’s imagination, but is much more menacing than I would have assumed. Essentially, the funniest parts of the episode were the most heinous. Specifically, the scene with Strawberry Shortcake.

If there’s ever been anything more hilariously disturbing, then I haven’t seen it.

The subplot in this is funny as well. Cartman’s angst over Kyle continuously ducking him makes for good cannon fodder. Eventually, I imagine Cartman is going to conjure up someone just as noble and just as the Woodland Christmas Critters are sadistic and violent. The situation still hasn’t been brought to his attention, or it has, but rather he’s been too distracted. Mind you, I’m making this assumption based on Hellraiser’s proclamation that he would never want to meet the person who imagined the critters.

Highlights were immense this episode. Kurt Russell’s shell shock was off the charts, Cartman’s tryst in the conference room, the mayor of imaginationland being slaughtered, Butters growing tired of Snarf and Gizmo in the bottom right hand corner of the opening, all made the episode a very enjoyable experience. Really, there isn’t seem to be any room for criticism. If they keep up at this pace, Part III will make for a worthwhile conclusion and a staple of the series.

Back with a Survivor recap later today.

Haven’t watched Survivor all that closely, we’ll try to skim through it at lunch for a rehashing just so the post is somewhat coherent. For now, here’s a recap of last night’s South Park, which we were pleasantly surprised with.

We can’t believe it took Parker and Stone this long to start dropping acid, but damn if it didn’t pay off. I have to tell you, if you haven’t seen a carebear get shot through the head by a terrorist then you my friend, haven’t lived. “Imaginationland” was like a cross between the “Woodland Christmas Critters” episode, one of the more “adventurous” episodes of Tailspin, and the hallucinations I experienced my freshman year of undergrad.

Just a tip of the iceberg.

As a general rule of thumb, when an episode of South Park deviates from the norm and into absurdities, they tend to utilize it well, and this was yet another example of that being the case. Using all mainstream children’s fables to create a world where our collective imagination is a living, breathing entity, then having it hijacked by terrorists and Butter’s being held captive, is, without saying, fucking genius. Then to have it all set to a subplot of Kyle signing a written contract to fellate Cartman’s scrotum should he prove the existence of a Leprechaun, which he did, only adds another element to an episode loaded with laugh out loud moments.

We can’t remember seeing a South Park episode where one could make the claim that there was almost too much going on in it, but there is a first time for everything. But we’re not complaining. None of the story lines felt flat, Cartman has always used the phrase “suck my balls” as a dismissive, watching someone fret over a court order to literally do so might seem cheap and easy, but it’s hysterical.

Additionally, Trey Parker and Matt Stone decided to use an episode revolving around the power of imagination to illustrate how little those in Hollywood occasionally seem to have. M. Night Shammaylan was mocked for his obligatory “twist” endings, Michael Bay for his obsession for CGI and special effects and ignorance of plot and character development. They did a number on Mel Gibson as well, but at least he was granted the approximation of having a semblance of understanding for storytelling, even if he is a perverted masochist (It’s about this time I start worrying about what abnormal Google searches will stumble onto this page). Anytime this series mocks celebrities for their mediocre work, it tends to be appropriate, as it was here.

Some highlights:

-Rockety Rocket freaking out as the terrorists were actually using him to blow up the wall separating good and evil imagination. His “Jesus Christ” right before he is rolled into the barricade.

-Butters assuming the gregarious fat man dressed like half a clown was going to rape them.

-Stan and Kyle’s court hearing.

-Everything about the imagination land.

-The depiction of the leprechaun, and the rainbow he created to disappear.

Definitely a top twenty episode for a series with about 160 under its belt. Even better, this is a three part saga. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested as to where the actual story is going as well, usually we say on this site that if a comedy evokes laughter, then it’s successful, but if the story regardless of how ridiculous can actually provide intrigue, then all the better.

Survivor recap later today. Maybe some more links if we can find the time.

A couple weeks ago, I recommended a film entitled King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, well, it appears that Trey Parker and Matt Stone would like to make the same recommendation. Because unless it was a complete fluke, the rivalry between Bono and Randy Marsh last night almost identically parodied that of Derrick Weibe and Billy Mitchell, with Bono playing the latter.

The unwitting villain from King of Kong

Its actually a subtle parody. Very little is similar other than the schematics of the rivalry: being in person versus a video recording, meeting in a logistically equidistant spot, the crowd favorite versus the outsider; but the similarities are there, just might be hard to pick up on given the distinct nature of the two different rivalries. In the film, its pretty self-explanatory just from the title that they’re competing in Donkey Kong. In the episode last night, Randy and Bono are going head-to-head for largest bowel movement.

Probably my favorite moment of the episode was Stan’s asking Bono to just let his father have the record, since Bono has so very, very much. And Randy has so very, very little. I believe the line was (paraphrasing), “You have tons of awards for charity, your music, you’re a billionaire, you have a hot wife and are beloved around the world, seriously, can’t you just fuck off?”. But last night was full of gems like that. From Sharon’s annoyance about the whole ordeal, to the parody of Bono, to everyone’s reaction of the contest to the parallels with the documentary, I couldn’t have asked for a better half-hour. Of course, eating at PF Cheng’s seems relatively unappetizing now, but I’m kind of bearish on Americanized Chinese food anyways.

For the time being, this episode redeemed last weeks overt-simplicity. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint, especially after you’ve been renewed through fifteen seasons and you’re on number eleven. Still, definitely enjoyed the homage to one of the better documentaries of late.

Sorry for the extrodinarily late post, but the work computer is on the fritz, and I had to wait for lunch to write/post this already week late review of the return installment of South Park. Not exactly an exhilarating excuse, but it’s all I can come up with.

Anyhow, to the topic at hand, this episode left something to be desired. I mean, its not like we haven’t seen an episode of South Park in which cursing was the primary focus. After a certain while it gets old. For those who might not have watched, Cartman discovered tourette syndrome while shopping at a toy store, and naturally decides to mimic the disease for the same privileges. Everyone believes him sans Kyle, and high jinks ensues.

The episode wasn’t a complete letdown. Virtually every scene with Cartman and Kyle was hilarious, then Kyle being forced to apologize to Cartman for calling him a liar (despite Cartman admitting to Kyle in private that he was lying) was probably the pinnacle of the episode. Also, the scene at the therapy clinic with Kyle in complete dismay over the conditions of tourettes victims was funny in the sense Kyle was completely awe struck by some of their confessions was enjoyable.

Maybe I’m just out growing this show, because obviously this wasn’t targeted towards their older audience, but just listening to Cartman curse endlessly didn’t really do much for me. This series has always been about pushing boundaries, but they sort of already did this in the episode where they tallied how many times they said “shit”, just the premise was different. And really, explicit language is a part of every South Park episode nowadays, no need to pretend its still particularly funny or edgy, we’ve all been desensitized.

More Randy would be a great start.

Unfortunately, from the commercials I’ve seen for tonight’s episode, it doesn’t look much better. From what I can tell, it revolves around Randy and a abnormally large bowel movement. While I always enjoy the presence of Stan’s father, this just seems desperate, and like they’re running out of material. This might be a harsh sentiment after just one letdown episode. However, they seem to have been teetering on the brink of irrelevancy for a couple eight episode installments now. So, in the midst of their eleventh season, it has definitely been a good run, but maybe Parker and Stone are on their last legs.

Either way, we’re watching tonight, so I guess it doesn’t matter what our sentiments are. But still, after a season long hiatus, I was hoping for more effort. Like this.

I don’t know, something about mocking the homeless has always rubbed me the wrong way. Not to be too sensitive, as any of you who read this site with even a modicum of regularity are well aware that I’m not. But something about mocking the disenfranchised and desperate has always seemed unnecessary. Luckily, my convictions are only so strong. In fact, most would probably label them as weak.

So any episode that features a healthy amount of Ryan Marsh, despite any halfhearted socio-political objections, receives a positive review from me. That guy epitomizes the fumbling TV dad. From accusing everyone of turning “homeless”, to blowing the guys head off to refusing the cherry pop-tarts, he provided most of the comic relief in yet another episode that was overly concerned with something other than comedy (In this case it was parodying George Romero’s Dawn of The Dead).

Was it their best episode? Not even for this season. Did they manage to genuinely satirically reflect our reactions when being approached by panhandlers? To a tee (”Oh, this guy’s a war veteran, I’m going to have to give him some change”). But I would just assume there is something better to satirize Dawn of The Dead with than the homeless.

One element of this show I do enjoy is the contempt the four boys hold for their parents (”These people are just as dumb as the people in South Park, pretty soon our town is going to look like this!”). Its apt in that their parents, particularly Stan’s dad, are utter morons when put in realistic (”Lord of The Rings” video) or mythical situations (fighting the non-human corporate entity of Wal-Mart).

Also, as a footnote, there was yet another early-mid nineties rap reference with Tupacs “California Love”. proving once again, if you were not already aware, that Parker and Stone are Gen X’ers. The first one I can recall was last season and Satan’s Birthday Party with the Notorious BIG interpretation. Perhaps a sign they are running out of ideas and just putting the four protagonists in absurd situations and relying on that for laughs? Nah, couldn’t be.

A recap of last weeks Survivor is coming this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Shut The F%ck Up!

I thought I would greet you this morning with the same exact intonations Ms. Garrison greets her class with after her boyfriend discovers she “used” to be male. Of course, the circumstances are a little different, she is having a difficult time landing heterosexual post-op dates and I simply need more sleep than I have been getting lately. So please, maybe I was a tad abrasive, but please try to keep a lid on it, Imus and Imus infatuated media.

I don’t think a South Park episode has ever been so misleading in its pacing. Initially, like 90% of all South Park episodes, we thought it was going to revolve around the four protagonists trying to appease their disgruntled teacher in one fashion or another. But ten minutes in, the focus shifts from the kids paying some Latin Americans to do their book report on Old Man and The Sea to Ms. Garrison’s ongoing gender identity disorder. In case you’re wondering, this episode converted her, she is now a lesbian.

(For those keeping tabs on her sexual orientation: Mr. Garrison was first a closeted homosexual masquerading as a run of the mill playboy, then he came out, then he got a sex change (making him Ms.) and she still dated men making her heterosexual once again, and now she is back where she started and is now either a full blown lesbian or bi-sexual, it’s too early to tell).

Out of nowhere, at about the ten minute mark after Garrison has converted and is in the middle of a bar fight at “Les Bos” (pronounced “Le-Bo”), some woman comes bursting through the door with news that they local Persian community has bought out their bar and is looking to make drastic altercations, leading to a hysterical 300 parody as the lesbians square off against the Persians (There are two communities Parker and Stone had yet to villify, way to broaden your horizons, guys) for the rights to the property.

It seems evident that the only South Park episodes I enjoy now are parody’s of pop culture sensations that I do not fully comprehend (I am waiting for one directed at American Idol), see the episode two weeks ago chastising 24. The last 15-20 minutes of the episode are spent with this capricious narrator detailing the actions of the two parties, and while I had tears streaming from my eyes from laughing so hard; I have never seen 300, but if it has narration like this throughout the movie, there is no way I am going to be able to take it seriously, especially after watching the the lesbians stonewall the Persians.

After reading back through this post, I would hate to see what kind of Google searches draw up this article.

Also, a good conclusion to the first season of FNL last night. In case you haven’t heard, the network ordered six new scripts of the series, so while we might not get an entire twenty-two episode second season, we will at least get an extension to the first.

Survivor recap coming up later this afternoon.

After a four week hiatus, The Office returned last night with a bang, I guess. It maintains a high level of comedy, which is what the series was initially created for; but if you scour the TWoP message boards, Jim’s attitude towards Pam after Roy attacked him dominates the discussion. (Apparently, him being less than cordial towards the woman who’s ex-fiance tried to kill him as a result of her “confession” is unacceptable on these here internets).

Ultimately, I am going to either get over it or stop watching the series altogether (which isn’t an option), but I just cannot believe the writers actually went the Friends route, at least for the time being. I mentioned the TWoP message boards, if you look at the tone to the Friends discussion and compare it to that of The Office discussion, they’re pretty much the identical. But the series has such potential and already established a laudatory reputation as the best sitcom on network television, it is still appointment television.

I just think season three has taken a plunge from season two. It is too late now, but a better alternative would have been to stretch out Jim’s crush on Pam He never levels with her, she marries Roy and is miserable, then they have the “Casino Night” episode in the finale for the penultimate season, and leave the final season to work everything out. Obviously, if this were the case, Jim and Pam wouldn’t dominate every other episode like they currently do, and I would be perfectly fine with that. It would simply be another running joke like Kelly annoying Ryan, Creed’s kleptomania and Bob Vance.

This all isn’t to say that last nights episode didn’t have its finer points. Michael wearing a womens suit was priceless. The way he described acquiring it made him sound like he was at a Salvation Army, “There was a box of clothes and everyone was just grabbing for them”, followed by the revelation of his diminutive salary was an apt loose connection. I also enjoyed Stanley’s reaction to the news, “He’s still overpaid”. (Speaking of which, when the branches merged and Darryl being head of the warehouse and Michael being the Branch manager, wouldn’t both of them had received raises as a result? I have no idea what the corporate structure is in scenarios like this.)

Angela and Dwight received a lot of camera time last night as well. Dwight, entirely too proud to have “saved” Jim from Roy in not accepting any compensation for his efforts and Angela firghteningly aroused by her boyfriend unsuspectingly macing another guy was a welcomed angle to all the Jim/Pam/Roy melodrama.

Noteworthy highlights:

-Jim now has visual evidence of Dwight and Angela, I guess I was wrong here, but I was under the impression everyone was conciously aware they might have had a relationship but was either indifferent or replused so didn’t broach it; and Pam knew definitively.

-”I accidentally cross-dressed” -Michael

-Kelly’s ongoing inane celebrity worship

-Dwight modeling his weapons while Jim narrates

-Toby’s description of Michael’s negotiation with Jan for a salary increase

Again, not the worst and not the best episode; simply more of the same in terms of dramatic plot points and some desperately needed comic relief.

I was ging to do a full post on last night’s South Park, but then I realized it wasn’t that entertaining so I decided to lump it in with this. I just really do not have anything to comment on. Look, Parker and Stone are mocking religion yet again. Its funny, probably more interesting just to see how they actually connect the Easter Bunny and other Easter traditions to actual Catholicism. But otherwise I wasn’t really interested, my roommate who is a diehard fan of the show received a call from his girlfriend and usually demands I pause the show while he takes the phone call and rushes her off, simply walked upstairs at the twenty minute mark.

There was nothing offensive about it, I guess it was controversial in a way (though calling South Park controversial is a bit redundant) so someone is bound to be upset with its content, which almost seems to take precedent over actual comedy. I mean, Kyle (who’s Jewish) murdered Jesus Christ at his insistence, only under the promise that Cartman would never catch wind of it. Which is funny, but the same joke has been made hundreds of other times on this series, just with varying delivery.

I think there is two more new episodes left in this opening to the elventh season, hopefully they resemble the premiere, the sophomore episode and even “The Snuke” more so than what we saw on Wednesday.

One thing I have always admired about the creators of South Park is there willingness to mock or denigrate culturally lauded people and entities. Sometimes they hit their mark (”Cancelled”, a parody on America’s fascination with reality television) and occasionally they miss (”A Million Little Fibers”, the bizarre and indescribable take on the James Frey fabricated memoirs scandal). Usually they fall into the former, and last night was no exception.

In interest of full disclosure here, I have never disliked 24. I watched it a couple of times, wasn’t overly impressed but definitely understood the appeal: Hyper-masculine super agent Jack Bauer defeats the bad guys through means of sheer will in the span of a single day. But the fact the show became so universally heralded as “the best show on television” and all other such nonsense, my disdain has exponentially grown for all things 24 related. I have no idea whether Parker and Stone are fans, after all, the episode last night could fall under the “Imitation is the best form of flattery” motive for its creation. but the mimicking they did on that series was second to none. Right down to every specific, inconsequential detail.

To be honest, its not the fact that the parody was so successful in execution that made it great (though it certainly did not hurt), its the fact that everyone else seems afraid to. I am not sure when it happened but it was long before last night, South Park has a pass to say whatever they want about anyone or anything and manage to allude all significant public criticism and repercussions.

Not to mention the complete and utter character assassination of Hilary Clinton and her presidential campaign (not too mention the current president, but they have done that numerous times). Will it ever come to fruition? Nope. Will she or anyone else around her comment or even acknowledge last nights episode? I really wouldn’t count on it. She is running a political campaign and has bigger fish to fry, but can you imagine if SNL pulled something even remotely as crude? It would be publicly denounced as inappropriate. Again, Parker and Stone have never made their politics clear to their fan base (though you can tell where they stand on varying issues based on the conclusions of most topical episodes, it’s hard to determine whether they lean left or right of center), but it really isn’t the point. In fact it would almost ruin the joke because it would appear they were pushing an agenda. It’s just their indifference to conceptually humiliating a often hated, yet also often beloved female politician.

Between Cartman’s torture techniques, the use of MySpace in tracking potential terrorists, the Die Hard: With A Vengeance reference (i.e. the Russians pulling the ruse of distracting local and national officials with the threat of bombing an elementary school) and all the aforementioned reasons, I enjoyed this episode and so far this season immensely and is dually compensating for the lackluster finish to the tenth season.

Unfortunately I never found the time to post at work and was forced to wait until now, at my house, during my free time, to summarize South Park. Its so much better to get these write ups out of the way on the companies dime, but I’m a whore for the man much like everyone else. But now that I’m done lamenting, what an odd turn for the Comedy Central series last night. While the last two episodes were vulgar and topically controversial, this one was just… bizarre; but immensely clever. I knew it was funny and was a great parody of doomsday films, but it was so offbeat I had a difficult time just trying to figure out when to laugh.

For those who did not watch last night, there was an outbreak of lice in the 4th grade classroom, much of the episode revolved around determining who was the culprate. But the other half of the episode took place inside of Tommy’s hair where a colony of lice questioned the meaning and future of their existence. They survived several hardships throughout the episode, such as an acidic flood (anti-lice shampoo), a hurricane (Tommy subsequently blow-drying his hair) and famine (the after effects of both natural disasters).

The attempt to humanize a village of lice and the satirically force uys to care about there outcome is funny in and of itself, but the lice clinging to strands of a nine year olds hair for dear life while he gingerly blow drys his hair sent me over the edge, it was the one true laugh out loud moment of the episode. As far as the rest was concerned, its almost as if they became too concerned with satire and forgot to add a punchline.

The story with the kids was more on track with what I like to see out of this series: a group of elementary school kids persecuting and villainizing each other for the means of self-preservation. Whenever they exhibit the narcissism of kids this age, I enjoy it, mostly because no one else seems to even acknowledge it. So Parker and Stone could make 100 episodes with the same thematic principals and it would still seem fresh and still be entertaining.

While I think this series is still currently off from its hay day (fifth and sixth seasons), I think this is a step in the right direction. And like I have said repeatedly I am always going to be entertained by this series, mainly because its some of the least formulaic comedy writing on television, and topical or no their material is always original. I just don’t think Parker and Stone need to push the envelope this far.

For the sake of this website and the limited number of people who frequent it, I am not going to go into any details about last night’s South Park. So if you didn’t happen to watch it, do not bother reading this post because it’s not going to translate well for you.

Parker and Stone really aren’t pulling any punches this season, are they? Between last weeks episode over the use of the “N-Word” and last night’s episode about the Ted Haggard-esque war against homosexuality plus Cartman’s misguided prank, it is at a point now where the co-creators are baiting the national media, the far left, the far right, and every PC goon in the country. Yet still, no outcry. No hysteria. Their relationship with the world at large seems to be at a point where the only thing they could do to shock anybody would be too give up attempting to do so. Honestly, what would be more shocking than a South Park episode that simply revolved around Stan & Kyle having to finish a school project that wasn’t a microcosm for a larger social issue but just contained humorous content?

But alas, we have Butters going to a Jesus Camp to be “cured” of his perceived homosexuality by his parents, and Cartman taking a compromising photo of himself then showing it to his classmates. Odds are, if you show this to the average viewer, as opposed to some counter-culture miscreant such as myself, they are going to find something to be offended about.

When this is the case, it usually sparks at least some media outlet to jump all over them, in hopes of “catching a story” and exposing them to the mainstream public. But for whatever reason, everyone is simply immune to their shennanigans. The last example of a South Park episode sparking any controversy were the two scientology episodes (in terms of humor quotient, the two episodes in question are clogging the bottom rung), and in hindsight that seems a little obscene, the only reason anyone was concerned with them directly correlates to the movie stars that were parodied. For some examples of the best South Park has to offer, Rolling Stone has a video countdown of twenty-five hilarious, pivotal moments in the series.

Honestly, I thought last nights episode was top notch. South Park, much like The Wire, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Sopranos; is one of those shows I will always be entertained by regardless of how mediocre one episode is compared too others in the series.
But my favorite South Park episodes tend to be less topical. Such examples would be The Lord of The Rings episode with the porno tape, “Ginger Kids”, “Cancelled”, “The Entity” and “Towelie”. Obviously they do not miss the mark everytime they focus on a social issue, “Red Man’s Greed” and “Butt Out” rank high on my list as well. But I cannot recall the last time I saw an episode akin to the former group that looked like they put forth any effort.

Well, South Park surely wasn’t apprehensive in its return. What was probably one of the more offensive episodes ever, Parker and Stone turned The “N” Word into a national joke, making the few white people who have been publicly ostracized for using the word offended for being recognized as such (Mark Fuhrman, Michael Richards, etc.). In addition, the episode was a non-stop barrage of midget jokes, as Cartman couldn’t contain himself around the sensitivity speaker the school hired.

Really, the bottom line is this, because no one is even remotely surprised by what Parker and Stone concoct anymore, they pretty much have limitless freedom and no material is too pervasive. To the contrary, they are at the point that if the material isn’t socially or culturally edgy, then the episode would be a disappointment. I mean, what other series could have a main character on Wheel of Fortune in the final round, and being asked to complete this puzzle:

Category: People who annoy you

N_ggers

Solve the puzzle.

Then on national television, the main character blurts out The N Word, when the correct answer was actually “nAggers”. To me, the truly offensive aspect of ths scenario was not the word itself, but rather the category that Ryan Marsh applied it to. His immediate connotation with a racial epithet as a description of people who are perceived to be annoying strikes me as adding an entirely additional insult already associated with the word in question.

Can anyone else pull this off? I know HBO isn’t restrained by any FCC regulations and they do not have to worry about sponsors. But they do have to worry about subscribers, and there isn’t a single series on any premium network that can openly mock the usage of the most offensive racial slur in the history of the country and simultaneously show a fourth grader beating up a midget. This sort of creative freedom that South Park continues to relish in can have its positives and negatives, such as it deepens the pool of material they have to fish from, but when everyone and everything is fair game, it can also make its audience uncomfortable in certain situations, particularly when someone happens to be watching the show with acquaintances instead of friends or family.

As far as the season outlook, the presidential race parodies are always standout South Park episodes, with the primaries races kicking off so early for the 2008 election, I am almost uncontrollably giddy for what Parker and Stone will produce this season.