Without question, this has been one of the most subpar season's of South Park in quite awhile. At least the first half was. The Britney Spears episode and Canada Goes on Strike, while charming, none of them were really memorable and worth watching more than a few times. The second half, though, has been better. The China Problem was excellent and the Pandemic series was fairly above average. The latest episode, which aired earlier tonight, is actually one of the best episodes in quite awhile, giving us nearly everything we want from everyone's favorite animated show not called The Simpsons.
It's amazing how fast South Park can produce episodes. They make fun of Obama's grandmother literally 48 hours after she died. This in itself is an absolutely brilliant feat. While this may have been somewhat tasteless, it wasn't presented in a tasteless way, and the episode does an excellent job of showing the primary differences between the McCain and Obama camps, or at least what the general consesus on them is. It's been less than 24 hours since the election results and we already have a full episode all about it. The fact that the episode aired with such completion is a feat that I don't think can ever be topped without being a live broadcast.
But enough about that; while the episode may break new ground by being the absolute fastest parody ever produced, what's more important is whether or not it's worth watching.
Happily, I can report that it is.
It turns out, according to the episode, that McCain and Obama planned the election and the campaign to work out the way it was, allowing Obama access to the Oval Office and thus a secret tunnel that goes underneath the Smithsonian allowing him to steal the Hope Diamond.
Yeah, you read that right.
There are two story arcs in the episode, which is the standard for most. The first involves that Ocean's 11 parody involving McCain and Obama and even Palin, who apparently dresses in sexy leather with a British accent when not giving speeches. The second manages to show, very broadly, the difference in thinking of the McCain and Obama camps, with Obama supporters partying in the streets until they're drunkenly flipping over police cars while McCain supporters build an "Ark" to hide in until the end of the world passes (brought about by Obama's election). It's a very sharp-witted division that only supports the statement that South Park is, despite all the tight-wadded elite who think it's just toilet humor, the smartest written show on TV. The humor is spread evenly throughout the episode and it never gets bogged down by a single running gag like the previous Pandemic episode.
If there is one gripe I have with it, it's a pretty major one, and that's the lack of the four main boys' involvement. Stan and Kyle have a few moments of screen time as they bring Ike to the hospital after his (apparent) suicide attempt (he was a McCain supporter) and Cartman shows up for a brief second with TVs he looted during the Obama partying. Other than that they're pretty much absent, and I've never really liked when they're not involved.
Other than that, this week's South Park is one of the better episodes in quite awhile, with enough parody but also enough story to keep you satisfied while never really taking any cheap shots at the canidates in order to squeeze out humor. In fact, you'll probably like all the canidates even more after watching it. I know I did. Especially Barack Hussein Obama, the world's greatest jewel thief...apparently.
Score: 8.5/10
