South Park

[Goobz]

I like this season so far, it's premiere episode was pretty funny to me.

Edited October 19, 2018 by IAmAGoofyGoober2004

[WhoBibbles]

The Scoots is totally my favorite episode of the season thus far and to be honest, this wasn't even that funny of an episode. What made this episode so great is the return of Kenny being the center of the show and I'm biased at it since Kenny is my favorite charater of the show. I really felt bad for Kenny not being able to go trick or treating with anyone due to him being poor and I rooted him to handle the situation. Thankfully he wins at the end and it was so great to watch. Gotta love that he was the narrator of the episode.

The story was so much fun to watch. Scooter invasion is something South Park would pull off and it was all around a fun fest. I can't relate to scooters taking over where I've been but it was great to see everyone hitting on Mr. Mackey's car and them hitting each other during trick or treat. Mr. Mackey was another amazing aspect of the episode. His frustration with scooters made sense and I couldn't stop enjoying at his attempts to deal with this problem. The episode wasn't commentary heavy but I liked it was a bit about fear of future and how it effects our society. Kenny and Mr. Mackey team up was something unexpected and interesting to see. The comedy was light here but there were couple of gags I giggled. Cartman's atrempts to shit on Kenny being poor was hilarious. Mr. Mackey saying that who needs a scooter when he has a car. The whole ending with an alive scooter was pure asburd South Park comedy right there. One last thing I wanna mention is that the continuity nods there are much more acceptable than ongoing serialization. It makes episodes to be completely seperate and stand on their own, while not forgetting past events. This was such amusing af episode.

Grade: A-

[CyanideFishbone]

Yeah that was another really good episode. It wasn't laugh out loud funny but it had some good jokes but the plot was incredibly strong, and I was definitely not at all expecting a Mr. Mackey/Kenny teamup episode at all and it delivered very well. Felt so bad for Kenny the entire episode lmao but it was SO nice to see him again. It didn't connect with me as much as Tegridy Farms did but it was damn good for modern SP standards. I'm starting to have more faith in this season but I don't want to jinx myself. 

[Aquatic Konquest]

Missed out on an opportunity to talk about Tegridy Farms two weeks ago so here's a little something on my thoughts on that episode:

Overall, it was actually pretty decent. It did a great job on the plot and what worked well in regards to it was the fact that both plots fed into the single concept of vaping, and intersecting by the end of the episode perfectly. It was also nice to see Towelie again, and I must say, his presence in this episode felt more organic and true to character than Mr. Hankey's appearance did in A Problem With A Poo. Then again, Towelie's is perhaps a more obvious delegation for a character, being in a role that's both contextually and characteristically appropriate, as opposed to Hankey's role of practically being a surrogate Apu of sorts.

But I digress. Randy in this episode was also a delight to watch and the best joke in the episode for me has to be the Hemp Hat; the moment he put it on Stan I kinda just started to lose it. As for the end of the episode, I have to say I was left very intrigued at the prospect of this new dynamic for the Marsh family.

And now, onto The Scoots...

This episode was absolute gold. It felt like all the parts about Tegridy Farms only amplified significantly and injected with the charm and wit of an older, more kids-oriented episode of South Park. The fact that this focused on what the boys were doing as opposed to expressing the intent of delivering a message is already making this episode a win for me because this is exactly  what I wanted to see come out of this season considering how the show had let itself go in this particular area for the past two or three seasons.

I did not think I'd like a Kenny-orientated episode so much; can't say he's ever been my favorite of the four (five if including Butters?) main boys, but dang, I really ended up feeling for him not being able to fit in with the others. To some degree, I kinda want to approach the potential of this pragmatically referencing Parker & Stone's evident tendency to write Kenny out of the way as of recent seasons; this was certainly touched upon the episode at least once by Mackey during their conversation in his car, so I wouldn't be too surprised if this was in fact also being referenced the entire episode in and of itself.

But I have to express again how much this felt - to me, at least - like an older South Park episode. I think, while I know for a fact that this is, in fact, referencing a current event - one that goes right past me due to not being American, mind you - this fact doesn't actually attribute itself to anything in the episode; the e-scooters instead help drive everyone else's characters without giving much insight on the matter of e-scooters themselves. It focused on telling us a story about Mackey and Kenny; it wanted us to see how exasperated the former got at their presence and how excluded the latter felt at not being able to use them like his friends, and it just worked.

Also cute details I noticed include Stan's Tegridy shirt (yes, there's scenes on the farm itself, but I didn't expect the shirt to stick, of all things) and the fact that all the kid characters are Fortnite characters (not that I've played, but I know enough to assume) while the older trick-or-treaters wore more traditional Halloween costumes or costumes based on other fictional characters. (Also, no gunshots heard during the shot outside the school? Interesting.)

So as it stands, The Scoots has become my new favorite of the season, while The Problem With A Poo still stands as my least favorite. As a whole, this first half of the season has been a pretty solid watch, and I've enjoyed the ride; hoping the second half will continue to be as exciting and promising as this half has if not more.

[WhoBibbles]

Well, this happened. Season 22 delivered quite possibly one of the funniest South Park episodes in this decade. Time to Get Cereal is an episode I was legit hyped for it. Return of Al Gore was such a great welcome and he was even funnier than last time I saw his episode. I loved him continuously stroking his ego with barely trying to solve the ManBearPig problem. I actually gotta admit while I knew about Global Warming denial with people before, I didn't even realize it was all a parody of how people ignored it (including Trey and Matt themselves apparently), Al Gore whining about it in his documentary instead of solving the issue and now Global Warming being more relevant than ever and people being in wrong. Especially considering Matt and Trey actually admitted their wrongs on not believing in Global Warming but they are still aware Al Gore's full of shit. That's pure South Park magic to me. At its worst, It can be all preachy and on the nose with commentary but at its best, the message is hidden cleverly in the its bizarre situtations and perfectly timed jokes. The episode reminded me why I adore the show in the first place. With a fresh commentary and great comedy. Cartman mistaking himself being called poor, Irish cop whining about his wife continuing to play the RDD2, who is gonna save Ned's white ass (!!!), Gore's accomplishment video, cop saying he's gonna shoot kids himself for endless (fake) shootings, conservative dad ignoring ManBearPig and so much more. One additional praise I'm giving to this episode and this season for not only doing great job at storylines of episodes before them, bringing back old threads and characters from classic episodes and reinventing them. I loved this being an even better sequel to ManBearPig episode and return of Ned, Irish cop's wife and Satan were all done in a way to fit the story and made me laugh. How Stan's grandpa was included in the story was great at the end and it made me shocked they literally arrested the main kids (Stan especially, he is having a tough time this season, give him a break!) so I assume it's either an ungoing arc or just a part 2. Either way, I loved the way the episode ended and I loved all of the episode.

Grade: A

[CyanideFishbone]

Yeah this episode was great. Absolute blast to see Al Gore again. This season has been a surprising lift in quality despite it's rough start so I'm hoping Matt and Trey are gonna keep pumping out great episodes. Also it's such a breath of fresh air to see another episode that is centered around the boys.

[WhoBibbles]

Spoilers: Stan called out how Randy's a shitty dad and we all cheered.

They finished this two parter with a bang. Nobody Got Cereal finished ManBearPig arc with more hilarity and real suspense. I loved that they just wrapped things up for a negotiation and continuously ignoring ManBearPig's existence for 5 more years and they won't give a shit about 3rd world country kids on being eaten by him. Such a classical South Park way to tell us Global Warming situation won't be different with new generation and man, it's painfully true. I loved how they even expanded with jokes like "Should we start to worry?" and Irish cop ignoring scientists. Al Gore's parts were just as great last episode with him still being narcissistic with being right, especially ghost Al Gore, those parts just killed me.

Other jokes were superb like how Stan's grandpa explaining how Randy became, Cartman and Kenny being right on hiding in school as a bad decision, Satan's arrival at comminity center and people questioning to worry, "Shut up grandpa" and another Al Gore film by Al Gore.

It was also quite suspenseful episode with Satan and ManBearPig fighting and man, it was pure enjoyment. I totally didn't expect they'd parody CGI-fest The Incredible Hulk climax but here we are. RIP Satan, his arc was all "Red Dead Redemption 2" and now he's in heaven with Sadaam. And rip Ned I suppose.

Overall, such an epic and hilarious two parter with Al Gore.

Grade: A

[Aquatic Konquest]

For whatever reason, Comedy Central UK decided to air episode 6 and 7 together in the same week the latter premiered in America, which has been annoying for me because it's been as if I've had an extra dark week. I know why this somewhat makes sense, with what the episode being a two-parter, but still. But I'll digress nonetheless. The fact that there's a two-parter this season honestly came as a bit of a shock to me, because it's been quite a while since they've done one of these mini-serialized plots. Although I guess since this marks the return of Al Gore, it's a return of mini-Cerealization? Either way, I'm just gonna look at the two episodes together because that's basically how I had to watch them the other night from CCUK's schedule.

Anyway, the return of both ManBearPig and Al Gore were a pleasant surprise, even though a part of me does find a direction a little odd; has Al Gore been in the news a lot lately? I'm aware ManBearPig is an embodiment for climate change, and that Trey and Matt are making a point about how they were wrong to ridicule it in the past, but even so...odd. Nonetheless, I found it great that while Trey and Matt are evidently correcting their past mistakes in this department, they still take the piss out of Al Gore anyway and have him be completely smug and boastful about how right he is.

And the fact that Satan made a return in this two-parter too...it's always fun to see them pulling out characters they seldom use nowadays. He didn't get as much of the spotlight as Al Gore did for the majority of the two-parter, which I was a little upset by because I personally love Satan as a character (way more than Al Gore, even). But I absolutely loved the climax of Nobody Got Cereal? when he and ManBearPig start fighting the crap out of each other. While Satan does die, I somewhat feel like it's in his character to be beaten "like a bitch", considering his past relationship with the more dominating Saddam. I dunno, that was just how I saw it. Although I didn't expect him to lose, I must say.

Nice to see that this episode did focus on the boys trying to deal with the whole ManBearPig business; the show is definitely making more of an effort to focus on the four boys. Also, I felt like Kenny had more lines in this episode than he would have in newer episodes where he isn't the central character, so it's a pleasant surprise to see that Matt and Trey are giving him some more life nowadays. I was perhaps most satisfied with Stan's scenes with Randy (who barely appears - hurrah!) and his grandpa. I will say the whole "Elderlies Make A Deal With MBP twist caught me by surprise but it did lead up to what was, in my opinion, the funniest scene in the Cerealization and one of the funniest in the season overall: Grandpa's graphic retelling of Randy's origins to Stan.

All the Red Dead Redemption 2 related humor (and basically a good deal of Yate's scenes) lowkey pissed me off; I feel like it dragged on a bit. It does suit the show to have a character act irrationally for the most trivial of reasons, but here I think I got a little worn down by that aspect of the story by the time the second part kicked in. I will say, though, that Mrs. Yates is a treasure. Maybe it's the Irish accent done for her that I like the detail of, but she was the funniest part of the episodes as far as I'm concerned in regards to the RDR2 aspects.

So all in all, this two parter was a nice return to the serialized storylines South Park can actually pull off well, which it did here. I'd love for them to do more of these again in the future (assuming there is a future for this show after this year...I'm not aware of anything?).  Don't think this episode, in my opinion, beats The Scoots but it's definitely up there.

[WhoBibbles]

Buddha Box is an episode that really made me laugh most of the time but this is an episode that I don't think they get the commentary full right. Some aspects I thought they were full accurate with today's society on blaming disorders for your actions and that's exactly what Cartman does here and everyone else that uses Buddha Box. And how people love to ignore each other with using cellphone these days. I've experienced with people using cellphone to avoid conversation. It happened to me and I also did that many times to people. It's certainly a habit that needs to be taken care of. That aspect of the episode is fantastic. However, when it comes to actually discussing "anxiety", the episode doesn't get it. Yes, we all have stress to some degree and I'm not a doctor to confirm it but some people do have to live with anxiety in their lives and it's not easy to get rid of than just say "get over it" or anxiety is not that people excuse themselves to piss people off. That is very wrong and even though I find that joke to be funny in the episode, it's such a misunderstanding of how anxiety works. It takes a hard time for people to actually cope with the social activities and I happen to be one of it. That doesn't make anyone an asshole unless you do act like an asshole about it or you use anxiety to avoid your behavior. What Kyle and the doctor in the episode says isn't completely right imo and it's such a weird message to tell people your anxieties aren't real or everyone has it after we got a two part on how it kept saying Global Warming is actually real. Only thing that I think the episode gets right about anxiety is that overruse of cellphone does make you more stressed than you already are but other aspects, not so much. Don't get me wrong, the episode still had great jokes here. "Namaste, fuck you all", Buddha Box commercial, PC Babies being well PC Babies, a Buddha Box person being run over by a car by another Buddha Box person, doctor using phone to ignore Cartman, Cartman voicing other characters etc. I loved the whole PC Principal/Strong Woman plot again and it's just so great to see their relationship growing and becoming more relaxed. The entire ending is very Black Mirror esque, except it is so wholesome. Strong/PC family is the best, fite me. I enjoyed good amount of the episode but some aspects of the commentary felt so inaccurate and it does make it one of the weakest episodes of an otherwise good season.

Grade: B

[WhoBibbles]

Unfulfilled was an episode that I really enjoyed but I found it to be an off-putting episode to be a part 1 of a two parter that is also a season finale. After how ballsy and epic ManBearPig two parter was, It was just strange to have a two parter entirely on Amazon Prime. I do hope they have bigger plans with this because I'm not sure if it really needed to be expanded. That being said, this was a simple told episode about capitalism and how it effects society. We've seen this being tackled before and the episode can get too on the nose with this theme but I liked how it explored both sides of how Amazon Prime effects people, well, three sides actually. Butters' dad is the character that wanted to provide for his family in the episode and it was understandable why he was too worried for losing his job at Amazon Prime as well as other workers being mad at it for good reasons. Despite "fuck you son" line to Butters, which was actually funny, Butters' dad was actually a likeable character here with flaws and I just felt it refreshing to see after countless attempts to make him an abusive douchebag father and jerkass husband. How SP citizens reacted to Amazon Prime was handled perfectly. After a worker was put in a box due to machines bumping to him, workers started to take a strike and criticized the harsh capitalist system of Amazon Prime. Thus costumers didn't get any of the shit they orders, especially our 4 boys who wanted stuff for bike parade. While I'd take workers' side in the situation, It made sense why costumers would hate to wait for their delivery. That aspect was completely interesting and provided some hilarious gags along the way. 4 kids going to the mall and finding hideous workers was so hilarious. One joke about Cartman telling how the show became further from them worked so great. The part with the coworker being smashed by the machines cracked me up. 

I really hope part 2 will be even better than part 1 because I liked how this story started off, despite how me feelling off about Amazon Prime shit being streched to two parter. So we'll see how it goes.

Grade: B+

[CyanideFishbone]

Just for a little recap on what I missed

 

-Buddha Box was pretty funny but definitely was lacking compared to the previous episodes. The social commentary was not really effective and it was kind of a mess but it still made me laugh, so it gets a pass from me. Definitely one of the weaker episodes this season, but definitely above Dead Kids and A Boy And His Priest.

-I fucking loved Unfulfilled. Absolutely great satire, with describing working at the fulfillment center like working at a coal mine, Amazon putting out smaller businesses, everyone's reliance on Amazon, and Jeff Bezos was absolutely fucking hysterical as this weird sci-fi creature. My only worry is they're probably not gonna finish this 2 parter strongly knowing how Matt and Trey are with finales. Still loved it for what it is. Also small nice detail I noticed is in Jeff Bezos's introduction scene meeting with the mayor, you can see a portrait of her with George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Condeleeza Rice. Nice little background touch.

[WhoBibbles]

Well... congratulations on South Park for actually wrapping up almost everything decently this time. My main concern with the previous episode was that having Amazon Prime as the endgame felt very strange in such an ambitious and insane season but they totally made the whole thing work. I really liked Bike Parade for literally bringing the season to the full circle. Throughout the season, the show focused a lot on people's ignorance on serious issues happening around the world and how we can all be insensetive sometimes. Albeit I'm still processing on how the episode was trying to tell so much to me, I got the main theme of the episode and that was pretty much a meta commentary on how the show can no longer offend people and not make them care for it anymore. After 22 seasons, it makes sense why South Park can't insult people the way theu used to be but at the same time, it is very surprising to see the show lasting this long with all the controversy it took. I loved our main characters being desperare to cancel Bike Parade with literally painting it as offensive and insensetive just like how people are very offended by South Park's writing, yet Bike Parade still goes on just like the show itself and people smoking weeds there just don't care what they do anymore like the show's state in media. It was a wonderfully executed message in this finale and especially this season.

The finale wasn't the funniest of the season but it still had noteworthy gags. Cartman's anxiety making him wanna shoot the school, the man in the box getting killed by one of the kids trying to open the box, Santa's cameo, everyone being high and not seeing the actual Jeff Bezo, Kenny's off-screen death and Trump Garrison's arrest after how he escaped in season 21 finale (thank god they ended that shit with his brief cameo and not injecting him to the whole season). Alsp Ned's alive, YAY!!! If there's one major problem this finale had was that it did rush into its conclusion and I felt like Randy's tegridy plot would be streched to previous episode.

This season the show definitely went back to its roots, while telling an actual new and strong serialized story in this season. I felt like s20 and latter s21 were just doing same old same old with sprinkles of new ideas, which is why their conclusions didn't work for me. Same with s18-19, even though most of the episodes were seperate. This season, they managed to make each episode stand on their own, while telling the main story arc, ignorance of South Park citizens. Not everything in this season worked (school shootings and anxiety weren't handled well to me) but for the most part, this was a damn good conclusion this damn great season.

Finale grade: B+

Season grade: B+/A-

 

[CyanideFishbone]

This was definitely one of the more satisfying season concluders, concluding the Amazon plot from the last episode well as well as tying a nice bow on everything from the season. The ending of this one was stupid from every single angle but in the best way possible, easily my favorite part of the episode as Tegridy Farms as a whole was a hilarious and insanely enjoyable plot point to me. God that Tegridy Farms country song about living in a Colorado farm is stuck in my head now lmao. Wasn't as strong as Unfulfilled but still pretty strong. Solid 8 or 9/10 from me.

 

I enjoyed this season way more than I thought I would. It started out rough but easily became the best season in my opinion since Season 18. They finally ditched story arcs and kept the storytelling like it was from Season 18, and the re-emergence of plotlines around the boys was such a welcome change. Also glad they ditched the Trump Garrison stuff which was getting old fast, but I have no problem with his minor cameo at the end of Bike Parade. Very enjoyable season and easily the best since 18.

 

The Best (Favorite in bold)

"Tegridy Farms", "The Scoots", "Let's Get Cereal", "Nobody Got Cereal?", "Unfulfilled"

The Worst (Least favorite in bold)

"A Boy And His Priest", "Dead Kids"

 

[CyanideFishbone]

So South Park's back.... and even in my busy college schedule, still finding the time to watch the new episodes.

Mexican Joker, while not great, was definitely better than the last season's premiere. Mainly because the ICE stuff was really great in comparison to last season's opening which was honestly a pitiful attempt at satirizing school shootings. They could've went a little deeper with the Joker stuff but I don't mind because satirizing three things at once (ICE, the Joker controversy, and home-grown marijuana) could have become cluttered fast. As much as I love Tegridy Farms and enjoyed it last season the Randy subplot was pretty meh and forgettable. But the A-plot was really strong, enjoyable and funny so I can pretty much forgive it. 6-7/10.

Band in China was definitely a step-up. I'm actually surprised it took South Park this long to really tackle Chinese censorship and Hollywood pandering to Chinese audiences but the episode does a great job portraying it in something I honestly am not super versed in (media having to censor itself to appeal to Chinese audiences). The episode was throughly funny too, and loved seeing Fingerbang coming back at the end and also loved the Bohemian Rhapsody jab at the end as that movie bored me to tears.  Randy in China was also pretty great and the B-plot was throughly entertaining as well, really won't mind seeing Stan's weird death metal band as well as angsty Stan returning. 8/10

 

Only problem is it really seems Trey and Matt are going back to storylines, while not as strictly serialized as Seasons 19/20 it's a disappointment. Also I'm almost positive this is going to become the season of Tegridy Randy and I know I'm gonna be sick of it by the end which sucks because it cracked me up so much last season. But it's honestly still funny to me so whatever I guess. Overall, an alright showing by Trey and Matt so far, but definitely not as enjoyable as last season. 

Edited October 4, 2019 by CyanideFishbone

[Aquatic Konquest]

Finally caught myself up on the first few episodes of Season 23 because I found out we can record previously aired episodes on the TV whenever the hell I want, so I never actually need to record in advance.

Mexican Joker - It was...alright, I suppose. I love how the show actually opened with a Tegridy Farms version of the South Park opening, something I've noticed is recurring in subsequent episodes as well. I don't really mind the Tegridy Farms stuff but at the same time I'm hoping that the season does more with its characters. That said, the main storyline was a pretty good watch that made the episode pretty watchable and decent as a whole. Cartman being such a douche to Kyle is always fun to watch. Don't know much about whatever the Joker stuff was meant to convey since I don't really give a damn about that Joker movie or did I even get the buzz for it but the puppet rape thing that Jeff did got a laugh out of me so there was that. I guess.

Band in China - Perhaps the best episode of the season thus far, and my favorite in the season as a result. An amazing episode of South Park that is structured - and makes commentary on real world issues - in a classic South Park fashion, and I'm all for it. Maybe my inner Disney nerd also played a role in my love for this episode, seeing how Disney was integrated into the topic of Chinese censorship, and it was great to see that the related B-plot actually did something different with Tegridy Farms, focusing on Stan's anger at Randy and the farm, a sentiment I might be sharing if this shtick continues. The death metal music made me laugh as it came out of nowhere and was nothing that I'd imagined it would be as I anticipated watching the episode. Also kudos to whomever voiced Pooh in this episode because that was a spot-on impression (voice-wise, and even in mannerisms) that really sold the episode. Also Butters in a death metal band is the cutest thing and the Fingerbang reference was perfect.

Shots! - For a milestone episode...it was pretty by the numbers for a typical South Park episode? I guess the show probably wouldn't be able to go the the lengths they did for 200 and 201 without pissing off a whole new legion of people, I get that, but I mean...if you're going to reference the fact that it's your 300th in the episode itself, then maybe do something more with it? Although that's not to say that I don't like this episode, because quite frankly I really did. The Cartman A-plot was actually pretty good and had its fair share of laughs, and Cartman practically becoming a pig at the prospect of getting his shots was fun to see. It's a shame though that the Randy scenes (excluding those with Ms. Cartman, those were fucking great) just amounted to...nothing. It barely accumulated into anything resembling a B-story and seem to only exist for the sole purpose of reminding us that Tegridy Farms is still here so that its story can continue to play though every episode. Also, "Fuck the Chinese Government" is a noteworthy scene. It lacks any grandeur but it's a cool reference to the fact that China gave South Park the finger based on the last episode's content so it's still pretty cool.

I guess I like the commentary being made through Tegridy Farms that Randy is turning into the very thing he hated last season that motivated him to go into weed farming in the first place (a point echoed by Sharon in Shots!) but how much more is there to do? Randy was pretty good in Mexican Joker but then Shots! rolls around and suddenly I really don't care anymore. I'm hoping enough becomes of this Tegridy business so that it can culminate into something interesting by the last episode of the season since it's ever-so-evident Trey and Matt are doing some small-scale, season-wide story arc with it. As long as they keep doing stories with other characters like with Kyle, Stan and Cartman in their respective episodes thus far, then it probably won't hurt much to have Tegridy on the side.

[Jjs Goodman]

Honestly...I hate to say it, but I think this show has officially entered its zombie phase. Personally for me, this entire season mostly felt like a tedious chore to get through, with the exception of three or four episodes I did like, and even then some of those didn't hold a candle to old greats, except maybe "Basic Cable" which was arguably the best episode of the season. The entire Randy plot for half of the season was insufferable to sit through, and "Turd Burglars" was quite possibly one of the show's worst episodes imo. It's clear Trey and Matt don't know what to do with this show anymore, but are obligated to keep it going because it's all Comedy Central has. Shame.

[WhoBibbles]

Mexican Joker - B-

Band in China - B+

Shots!!! - A-

Let Them Eat Goo - A-

Tedgridy Farms Halloween Special - C

Season Finale - C-

Board Girls - C+

Turd Burglars -  D

Basic Cable - A

Christmas Snow - B-

Season 23 Grade: B-

This season was such a hit or miss. Especially after coming off so strong with s22, It sucks to see this season being not good in comparison. I was sort of okay with Tegridy Farms being main plot until I was tired of Randy acting like a douchebag throughout and how he got away with all the crimes he committed. They still had some really great eps like Shots, Let Them Eat Goo and Basic Cable but I feel like the show has no idea what it wants to do, especially episodes like Turd Burglars which tries so hard to be like a classic South Park episode but is instead very gross and dumb. The show has been on a rollercoaster since it ditched its old format and idk how it's either something great or something really dull. So idk how is the future of this show but lets just hope they give us more s22 content and not s23 content.

[CyanideFishbone]

I've yet to watch the season finale but yeah very meh season with some highlights. If I'm being honest, I kinda divert with you guys on Turd Burglars, which I actually thought was one of the better episodes this season. Thought it felt very much like South Park and it was nice to have an episode mostly focusing on the four boys and honestly I just found it amusing in how stupid it really was. Basic Cable and Band In China were definitely the best the season had to offer though. 

 

Really really disappointed by Board Girls in particular for completely wasting a subplot that could've delved into D&D's resurgence in popularity instead of a subplot with the boys having these girls join their tabletop game club that just doesn't really go anywhere and has nothing to offer besides the boys being constantly upstaged by the girls.

Edited December 14, 2019 by CyanideFishbone

[Aquatic Konquest]

So I finally decided to watch the rest of Season 23 and as Who said, it's been a...pretty hit-or-miss experience. Quite frankly, it's taken me this long to watch the rest of the season not only because I genuinely haven't really bothered/found a good opportunity but because I just haven't felt like I've wanted to endure the rest of the season, especially when the episodes I had seen showcased Randy's marijuana bullshit a majority of the time, and I was already fed up by the second episode - ironically one that I declared my favorite of the season when giving my thoughts on it months ago.

Let Them Eat Goo - A pretty solid episode, Tegridy stuff wasn't too bad and dovetailed into Cartman's plot quite well. Do not understand the reference the Goo Man is supposed to be making (I've looked it up but feh) and the ending was satisfying.

Tegridy Farms Halloween Special - This episode was just...weirdly structured. The B-plot especially. It made absolutely no sense nor did it have any relation to the main plot or any pleasing pay-off by the end? I love Butters as a character, and I guess the inclusion of a mummy is meant to add emphasis to the fact that this is a Halloween episode, but ultimately their plot ends up being an allegory for an abusive relationship that just seemingly comes out of nowhere. I can't decide if I'd've preferred a 22-minute version of Randy's plot in spite of my own feelings of fatigue towards him as a major character but this episode definitely tested my tolerance. Cute references to the cows they shot and Winnie the Pooh, though, I found those entertaining.

Season Finale - I...remember nothing. I think I clocked out despite this being where Tegridy Farms was brought to a halt. Garrison returning is cool, but...feh. Not much to go on about.

Board Girls - Honestly, I really really loved this episode, and given the lack of responses based on that episode in general I can't tell if that'd be an unpopular opinion for me to have but I'm assuming it is. I love how the show portrays Heather as a very macho Randy Savage type (and also the uh...reveal...when he's dancing after being introduced by Strong Woman and PC Principal was hilarious I almost guffawed) - they make it very evident through such a ridiculous portrayal that "Heather" is not a genuine trans person and is instead using the label as a means to compete alongside women to beat them.

I consider the Mulan reference at the beginning of the episode to come full circle here; Mulan identified as a man not because she was trans but to be able to achieve an ulterior motive of taking her father's place in the upcoming war in China (thus making Strong Woman's comment about the PC Babies being upset at how the movie doesn't discuss trans issues an indicator that they don't see the nuance of the situation which sets up later moments), and "Heather" is a parallel of that character. Or rather, a bastardization, in that he identifies as a woman just so he can qualify for female sports competitions to beat the shit out of them. I found it to be a pleasing little tie-in and you're welcome to disagree with me but I just really liked this episode and how it ended with the PC Babies. The fact that they don't cry at PC Principal when he's ready to face them after pushing "Heather" shows that they've matured/grown up and have come to understand the nuance of the situation, where PC Principal had pushed "Heather" purely because he was being a dick as opposed to being transphobic as "Heather" loved to declare.

All the stuff with the girls at school surpassing the boys in every single board game they play made for a very decent B-plot but the highlight was most definitely when it ended up dovetailing into the A-plot with the girls besting "Heather" in every game they play when they challenge him. The fact that the "Macho Man" is trying to hold women back only for them to best him in the end is a strong conclusion for the plot and one I enjoyed a lot. This episode is nowhere near as great as Band in China in my eyes by any means, but I liked it. It was also a nice start to a post-Tegridy Season 23 and the PC family have been some of my favorite recent additions to South Park and they haven't done me wrong yet.

(why I've spent so much time on this ep is cuz there is an A.V. Club review of it that I heavily disagree with and it's been on my mind for ages; not that I'm expecting anyone to change their opinions on the episode or anything, I just have a way of seeing this ep that makes it quite interesting to me and that personally makes a lot more sense that what the A.V. Club had to say about it.)

Turd Burglars - This was a solid episode, and I can't really say why responses towards this ep are so appauled. It definitely tries too hard to replicate an older era of South Park, but I do think that for the most part it actually succeeds. The women wanted to be treated the same as the male characters, and so...they did. They became as vulgar and gross as the men have been; you can say this episode was definitely gross and I would certainly agree with you but this is clearly intentional - they gave the female characters the grosser elements of all the male characters' traits. It works because it is stupid and crude, much like South Park had been all those years ago. I guess it just comes down to maturing tastes. And the whole scene with Cartman and the others trying to get Sheila's crap was fun to watch because it echoed back to when the show was just about the four boys and the crazy escapades they get into. It was definitely fun and enjoyable for what it was, but far from being a favorite of mine.

Basic Cable - This episode was...pretty good as well. I don't really have any qualms to go over with this ep since it felt pretty by the numbers to me. As with a good handful of other episodes this season it puts the focus into the kids, especially Scott, and their fascination for streaming services and it just works. I was perhaps a little disappointed that Scott's dad working for the cable company didn't have a callback to Informative Murder Porn or anything, but the portrayal of the cable guys here was pretty funny, especially when it turned out that they were all like it.

Christmas Snow - Oh boy, the return of Tegridy Farms...but honestly, I was okay with it. It worked well enough and I definitely saw it coming but it didn't really detract from anything. Nice to have Santa - and eventually Jesus - make an appearance in the episode and the meta-ness of the show in a few gags and one-liners is always appreciated. Randy's depication as a rural Santa was quite funny as well. Also, is the montage of Randy getting coke legalized a reference to something in the past on the show? I had Medicinal Fried Chicken in mind, but that doesn't seem right to me. I liked that montage though so if it is referencing something then what a cool callback.

So yeah, those're my opinions on the other eps in the season. It definitely got somewhat better in the second half but it didn't really take any from the fact that I honestly couldn't have been asked to finish it in the first place; the first half was just a drag that only found its footing once it ditched Randy for a while. I guess Tegridy Farms is bound to make appearances in the future (if there's much of a future for the show at this point) but if so I hope to god that it doesn't take center stage ever again. Randy can also take a step down for all I care because he definitely tested my patience again this season.

[Jjs Goodman]

It's no secret I haven't been a huge fan of this show's direction in the past few years, but that Pandemic Special was one of the strongest and spot on episodes in a very long time, despite a few issues. Seems like Trey and Matt still do have their hearts in it when they want to. Don't know when Season 24 is actually coming (since apparently this didn't start it), but if that's all we're getting from SP this year, I'm content.