Halfway through its sixteenth season running, South Park opened with a rather mellow mid-season premiere. Of course, the word "mellow" is relative when talking about South Park, a show with a long history of controversy. Adept at mocking almost every facet of society, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker took it to the NFL and school safety policy in this weeks episode.
The episode began with Stan's concerned father, Randy Marsh, sarcastically endorsing the schools new policy that banned kick-offs in football games. He then sarcastically proposes the most unmanly and pathetic game possible, which he calls Sarcastaball, as a super safe and fun to watch alternative, in which the children wear bras, tinfoil hats, hug their opponents, and use a balloon instead of a ball. This new sport is immediately endorsed by the listless masses, who couldn't understand sarcasm if it pegged them in the nuts with a football (get it, reference to the longest yard), and it eventually makes its way up to the NFL, where all the football commentators, coaches, players, and hardcore fans enjoy the sport as sarcastically as possible.
From the get go,it is obvious that the running theme of this episode was sarcasm and the recent NFL debacles. It is typical for most South Park episodes to have a running comedic theme such as this, but they also have some type of shack and awe humor that causes the most controversy and laughs. This week's episode did not disappoint in that department, however the chosen shock joke for this episode was a little too graphic and repulsive to go into. If there was any pitfall in this episode, it was that the sarcasm was so heavy; it reduced the usual bang and pandemonium that most South Park episodes effuse. I found myself getting a bit lost in the sarcasm and losing my interest, but more low brow jokes brought me back. All in all, it wasn't the best South Park episode ever, or in this season, but it was a solid premiere that casually introduced people back into the show.
I used to be a South Park fan back when I was in middle school, and I remember the racist comments, graphic images, and other rated-R scenes. However, those are what made South Park awesome. I am happy to know that the creators are still pushing the line of what is acceptable and stirring up controversy.
ReplyDeleteA good review of a show I have never watched. Your synopsis and general overview of the episode had me imagining the episode as I read. Good work on that aspect. As for your form and writing style, the opening paragraph and detached tone fits the purpose of the blog post perfectly, that of a critic looking at an episode of a TV series. Good job.
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