Grid Effect

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.

Last night was like the George Bush of South Park episodes: very divisive. I have to imagine most SP fans either loved it or hated it, mostly because it veered away from the elementary school humor (observing how inane the concerns of elementary school kids are) and focused on the pop culture satire, more specifically a satire on inspirational sports movies, and even more specifically, The Mighty Ducks.

Parker and Stone seem to be resorting more and more too honing in on one character, “Stanley’s Cup” was an example of just that. Outside of a brief appearance from Kyle, Stan was our lone protagonist. And was forced to coach a pee-wee hockey team (a la Emilio Estevez) to retain his bike from city council so he could continue his paper delivery job. I hate dissecting humor, because if it needs explained, then by the end of my explanation you are just going to be disinterested. But this is funny on multiple levels, particularly because most of the adults (his boss, the tow truck guy, the city councilman) Stan has to deal with are so outrageously unreasonable and inept.

The councilman stole the show, every time he chimed in with one of those ridiculously cliched voice overs narrating Stan’s experiences, I couldn’t help but laugh. The voice was verbatim the same voice Parker and Stone used a few years ago when they were parodying all of the Rob Schneider movies (”The Carrot”, “The Stapler”, etc). Essentially everyone from “Stanley’s Cup” was along the lines of: “Stan Marsh has lost his bike that he needs for his job. And now, to get it back, he is going to find out that coaching a pee-wee hockey team (record screeches), is harder than it seems.”

All in all, the episode seemed mailed-in to me, bordering on lazy. All the material was recycled from past episodes. Its a comedy so I am not criticizing the plot or anything, but nothing happened organically and that is generally where the best satire stems from. The humor was so aggressive too, there were even a two more Steve Irwin jokes thrown in for good measure, they weren’t really clever or funny, but solely to grate the nerves of people who were offended with the first go around. I am not one of those people, but the decision to add that in (which in all likelihood was done so after the fact) just seemed like a desperate ploy for attention.

I don’t expect anyone to heed my advice, but if Parker and Stone want to become socially controversial again, they’re going to need to put forth a better effort than this. Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman have set the bar so high (or low, depending on your perspective) that when they crack a couple of Steve Irwin jokes a few weeks after already doing so, most of anyone who was initially offended is now immune. This could be their point, but if its not funny (Again, I am not offended) then it doesn’t work. Anyhow, this is precisely one of the many reasons this show is great: no continuity. We start fresh next Wednesday.

Last week on South Park: Cartman froze himself so he wouldn’t have to feel the two week wait for the the release of the Nintendo Wii. The elementary school made it mandatory for the class to be taught Evolution. Mrs. Garrison is incapable of doing so, forcing Principal Victoria brought in an evolutionary scientist, and he falls for Mrs. Garrison, who is bald, because a sex change operation only resolves so much. He converts her into an Atheist against her will, because she is so desperate since the operation.

Let me just preface this by saying that this weeks episode definitely redeemed last weeks former half. Parker and Stone hammered home their theories on evolution and intelligent design, but the parody of the typical sci-fi movie was so exaggerated it worked as a comedy while simultaneously being topical.

The opening scene with Cartman and the sea otters riding the ostriches to The Historical Museum of Technology was hysterical if only for being so unexpected. He was fully in tune with their diction but it was scattered throughout random expletives and his typical aggressive language. Cartman’s nickname of “time child” is the brand of melodramatic satire that people love from South Park. The little nuances that seem to fit perfectly with what is being mimicked are what make Parker and Stone the best at what they do.

Along with everything Cartman, the war between the United Atheist League (Humans) and the United Atheist Alliance (Sea Otters) was hysterically petty. The riff between the two factions, according to the otters, was the humans are illogical in tearing down trees to build tables when one can simply eat off his/her stomach. I never thought I would write a sentence that sounded that absurd. But, there it is.

Some Great lines:

“Kill the Wise One!” -A random Sea Otter starting a mob after their leader suggests that God may exist. Naturally the leader is instantly pummeled.

“And the best way to persuade people, is to be a dick to anyone who disagrees with you.” -One of the Atheist humans explaining the philosophies of their God, the evolutionary teacher from last episode.

Toy Store Owner: The crank call phone is 6000 credits.
Cartman: What? I don’t have that? You don’t understand, I have to have one of those phones.
Toy Store Owner: Oh okay, then you have to give me 6000 credits.
-Exchange between Cartman and a toy store owner he was trying to by a phone from that can contact the past.

“Kill the table eaters!” -Otter leading the helm in the charge against the humans.

Recaps and thoughts on The Office and Survivor coming tomorrow.

I just watched last night’s South Park, and there really isn’t much to say about it. Other than it was much tamer than last weeks episode and it wasn’t terribly funny, mostly because it was trying entirely too hard to be controversial. And the fact it was so topical was almost detrimental to the punchline.

The basic plot kicks off with Cartman demanding a Nintendo Wii, which has been slated for release three weeks from the day he wants it. He decides to freeze himself so he won’t experience the twenty day wait the problem being Butters assumes he had died after the insitence from General Dissarray. So they forget about him, and Cartman isn’t discovered until the year 2546, 540 years in the future.
At South Park Elementary, they are forcing Mrs. Garrison to teach evolution against her will. She explains it dismissively and they are forced to bring in an evolutionary Scientist. Despite her protests to his assistance, they begin dating. And since she has not had a date since her sex change operation, she lets him coerce her into becoming an Atheist.
When Cartman arrives in the future, we discover that everyone is an Atheist at war with each other, and that the legion of Sea Otters are set to become the worlds new leaders. This is where they cut to commercial and we learn its a two-part episode set to continue next week.

This premise is funny in and of itself, and some of the characerizations were quality satire (Primarily, the evolutionary scientist), but there were few to no jokes. Clearly Parker and Stone think advocates for both Intellectual Design and Evolution are too stubborn, and they are very apt in mocking both sides, but it resonated so little. They spent so much time disparaging both parties for pushing their own beliefs, that this episode felt preachy in and of itself. The second part can definitely salvage the first. I thought the second part of last year’s “Cartoon Wars” was definitely superior to the first half. And like I said, the premise definitely works. So I am optimistic for next weeks installment.

Some decent lines:

“A couple of fish got together and had a retarded baby, then that fish had butt sex with a squirrel or something.” -Mrs. Garrison explaining her interpretation of evolution.

“This is the dawning of the Sea Otter” -The ring leader of the Sea Otters in a menacing tone.

Let me just say, there is funny, there is hysterically funny, and then there is The Three Stooges as represented by deceased serial killers on South Park funny. That is hard too top. The only exception I could think of would be for Satan celebrate his birthday on Halloween while satirizing the gluttony induced MTV reality series My Super Sweet 16. We got both in droves in last nights episode.

For starters, I have been waiting for years to see this series be dragged through the mud. Not only are the kids pretentious, spoiled little brats, completely devoid of how privleged they are. But MTV exploits their naivete for every penny they can muster. Fortunately, there are two people noble enough to assume the creative burden and appropriately parody this erosion of American decency in Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

It is really difficult to recap comedies, there isn’t much to say outside of observational explanation and comparsion. But I can say that one of the more creative gimmicks by Parker and Stone was highlighted in this episode: John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer in full “Three Stooges” form. The trio is delegated to oversee the proper handling of Satan’s Ferrari birthday cake… As the bodies pile up, the cake gets ruined and Satan has to settle for standard four-door car cake as opposed to the Ferrari cake, at which point he throws a tantrum (if you have never seen the MTV reality show, you will probably be at least mildly confused with this satire. Just as a semblance of understanding for the typical budding sixteen year-old cast on this show: a girl was once belligerently screaming into her cell phone, “And I don’t want to hear the world doesn’t revolve around me. Because today, It does!”).

The arc with Butters, Stan, Kyle and Kenny was pedestrian. In short, I think they were parodying Beetlejuice by repeating “Biggie Smalls” three times to resurrect his spirit. It had its high points, most noticeably Butters and Cartman spouting Notorious B.I.G. lyrics (if you didn’t know of them, just based on watching their show it is evident they are Gen. X’ers).

Some noteworthy lines/exchanges:

Satan: Listen, uh, coming as Crocodile Hunter, its just a little to soon, he just died a few weeks ago and some peo-
CH: But satan, wait, its me, Steve Irwin.
Satan: Oh, dude, no costume, you gotta go.
-Exchange between Satan and a guy everyone thought was in costume as Crocodile Hunter, but actually ended up being Steve Irwin.

“Satan is throwing a party, and word is, it’s going to be off the hook.” -Priest

“No one can dress up as ‘The Crow’. I’m serious.” -Satan

“Ive got kettle one and Bacardi to sponsor the alcohol.” -Satan, obviously funnier in delivery than in substance.

“I don’t want it if diddy did it.”
“How about a donut machine?”
“Did Diddy do it?”
“Diddy did it.”
“Damn it, what didn’t Diddy do?”
-Exchange between Satan and a party planner.

A lot of this humor is easily contrued as offensive, and possibly for good reason. From what I can tell some feel particularly upset about the bit with Steve Irwin. The only thing I can offer is in the world of South Park, nothing is sacred and everyone is fair game. I don’t think they were trying to say anything positive or negative about the man, they just threw him in there for shock value, and Parker and Stone have done much worse for shock than this. That said, I feel deplorable for laughing at it.

Now this is the South Park I know and love: topical, offensive humor that mocks the indefensible. This makes up for last weeks episode that was like a Mad TV skit. And a poor one at that. The groundbreaking comedy series has really become hit or miss for a lot of people, and common consensus nowadays seems to believe it is more the latter. To generalize, we’ll say I still enjoy two out of every three episodes nowadays, and with the season premiere from a couple weeks ago (a satire on those obsessed with “World of Warcraft”, you almost have to be familar with the game to understand the humor) and last night’s episode, they are still on target.

Last night Trey Parker and Matt Stone finally decided to mock the recent and abundant amount of incidents involving attractive female teachers having sex with their middle-school students (Conisdering this is the same comedy that parodied Saddam Hussein being captured just two weeks after it happened, I was surprised it took them this long). The one exception that instead of a pre-teen, the student was Kyle’s five year-old Brother, Ike.

South Park has been the king of social satire for the past seven or eight years now. And this episode exemplified why. Obviously it is unacceptable for a kindergarten teacher too sleep with her students. Never the less, Parker and Stone have characters in the episode defending her actions (namely, every adult male, including the cops). And the sole responsibility falls on the shoulders of Kyle to dissuade his brother from eloping with Ms. Stevenson. Comedic genius.

Cartman, in a side story that is loosely connected to that of Kyle and Ike, receives the title of Hallway Monitor. Which as you would guess goes straight to his head. From the time he verbally berates the former hallway monitor who calls him into the principals office, to when he first roughs up a kid for not having his hall pass, to detaining the Butter’s from the bathroom with his pants around his ankles (The resident whipping boy of the show has yet to learn how to pee without completely dropping his pants, I think every elementary school had one of these); the bigoted, narcissistic Eric Cartman was in rare form. Much of his stint as hallway monitor was a spoof on Dog, The Bounty Hunter and since I have never watched the show, it fell flat with me. Overall, though this was a solid episode.

Some noteworthy lines from last night:

“Ike is very mature for his age.” -Ms. Stevenson

“What? I did shoot him in the face, twice.” -Opening line to a scene introduction with the cops.
“No, really I shot both of them. They weren’t even doin’ nothin’.” -Another opening line to a scene introdution with the cops.

“Oh, but she’s ugly, right?” -One cop, after Kyle reports Ike’s teacher.

“Nice”, “Niiicccceee.” -Any two adult males when Ms. Stevenson having sex with her student is a topic of conversation.

“She’s using the Mel Gibson defense.” -News reporter after Ms. Stevenson blames her pedophilia on alcoholism.

“The case is really shocking due to the fact that she is actually, very hot. -News Anchor

“Ike, you need to have a life, have fun, then ruin it by having a serious relationship.” -Kyle, trying to dissuade Ike from committing suicide with Ms. Stevenson.

Again, this was a solid episode. Not in the ranks of “Ginger Kids”, “Cancelled”, “Free Hat” or “AWESOM-O” (just a few of my favorites), but the best of this very short season.

Comments on Survivor and The Office later tonight.