Grid Effect

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.