What the Hell is up with South Park theses day?

Cafe Society
41

The first episode was great, since it covered a lot of stuff that happened over the summer. The second one sucked and only covered what had already been brought up in the first episode–no new satire, and a lot of draggy scenes with no jokes. So I cheated and read about the third one–it seems like it might be okay if it does a good job with the Presidential debate, but I’ve not gotten around to watching it.

I hope the pattern suggested in episode 2 doesn’t happen. You need to satirize something new each episode, and have some jokes that you could only get because of the 7 day turnaround.

42

I agree. It does take a bit more “effort” to watch (and makes it harder to share with your friends) but it’s still really sharp and funny IMO.

Budget Player Cadet complained about the “quitting social media is like suicide” thing, but I think that’s entirely appropriate if you’ve seen how much the younger generation is glued to social media. And the Election 2016 storyline has gone beyond just “they’re both flawed” - in episode 3 Garrison (Trump) outright points out that Clinton has far more experience and would do a good job, but keeps gaining support anyways.

43

Okay, so episode 3 was better than the shitty second episode that dragged its one joke into the ground. Nothing laugh out loud funny like the first episode. But it did get me to smile. And it did lampoon some current issue–the presidential debate. Sure, they didn’t really say anything new, but the delivery was funny.

I still feel like the Twitter thing is something that could have been made years ago, and not really fresh, but where they take it after the Presidential debate is still interesting. They actually seem to be treating Cartman like an Archie Bunker character–he’s still got some bigotry, but he’s sympathetic*. They actually made it a bit heartwarming.

Then we finally get some sign that Gerald’s actions are not actually what trolling is actually about. The stuff at the beginning was still stupid, and acted like trolling is just stupid Bart Simpson pranks. But it went further.

I knew about the suicide, but I was happy that it wasn’t just skankhunt who caused it. He was being silly, and the type of troll no one cares about. But others jumped in and made it worse. As long as they don’t screw up and make their trolling seem just as lame, it could work.

A real troll is happy when people commit suicide, since it means they are even more famous. They might get scared if they weren’t good at covering their tracks (and Gerald wasn’t–he’s a bad troll), but they don’t feel guilty, like Gerald obviously does.

Plus we have classic South Park in having an entire country needing to attack. Denmark is the new Canada.

I still wish it would have brought up something else stupid that had happened this summer or in the past week, or had the member berries say something interesting, or have Gerald’s trolling at least be funny. Still, the episode was still moderately funny.

*Of course, being Cartman, it could still be a ruse. Everyone I know seems to think so. They ask “What is Cartman really up to?” I also note that Cartman had already learned that vaginas don’t have balls. That was one of the things that people pointed to as evidence he was lying when he drew the picture. He wanted to be caught, they say.

44

I finally worked up the courage to get caught up on the last 2 episodes. Trey & Matt must have prepared 2 versions of last week’s episode, right? Mr Garrison is going to be President. The fictional universe of South Park still seems less screwed than the real world. Mars is looking pretty good now. On the plus side what are the odds they’ll try something like That’s My Bush! again? :wink:

45

No, actually. They had Clinton winning, calling the episode “The First Gentleman” and then had to do a fast rewrite before airing Wednesday. If you know that, you can basically see exactly how it would have gone.

If you don’t click the link, here was the original synopsis, which they had up on November 7:

46

I can see the production room, early wednesday morning…

“Buckle up buckaroos, we’re gonna have to work faster than that time we did an episode of the Elian Gonzalaz thing less than a week after it happened.”

“How fast?” “can we push it to next week” “member that time we pushed the show a week because the server lost power?” “oh I member when the server lost power!”

close in on the eyes w/ dramatic music

“QUIET! we still go to air tonight.”

mass panic ensues

47

I felt ambivalent about south park recently.

Thing is, they’re basically turning the entire season into one long coherent episode, with each segment having it’s own distinct theme.

It takes a longer time to set up the premise. However, I’ve noticed that once it has gotten going, it’s been good. Lots more laugh out loud moments.

Certain things are weak. I like the concept of member berries but the joke is wearing thin and they appear too frequently. I get that I need to pay attention to it, but it’s a distraction because they do it so often.

Other than that, it’s been great. And the topics are really on point- this screwed up election, the obviously bad candidate won, internet trolling, all these remakes in our culture, and the classic south park motif of there being an elaborate alien-like conspiracy out there which will destroy the town, if not our entire civilization.

That theme has existed every season. This time, I can see the frayed nerves and radicalism creeping into our society getting satirized, and I think it’s not just entertaining, it’s also really relevant.

48

I think the thing is that there’s still stronger and weaker episodes, but since the whole season sorta needs to be watched to get it, it means that evens out and you can’t just enjoy a really on-point episode.

Tonight’s had some good one-liners. They even poked fun at their new format with Kyle’s speech in the church about (paraphasing) “we used to solve problems right away, now we’ve been dealing with Troll Trace for weeks!”

49

I got rehooked on South Park when they had the whole “Imaginationland” story arc, where it just got too freaking funny.

Its true though, the last two seasons have been one big long episode. Its completely on point though, and I loved how they shot the guy that came over the wall they built around Fort Collins after Troll Trace. He is screaming, “Oh god my girlfriends super pissed at me I have to get out!” or something and they just shoot him and he falls. Nobody reacts like its a problem.

Dick jokes aside and 10 year old boy humor aside, its probably the most honest television that is on right now if you have the ability to see what they are saying using the South Park universe to tell it.

Mr. Slave and Kyle both figuring out to call Mr. Garrison / Trump / Giant Douche on the phone in The Situation Room calling him names was genius as well.

My wife loves the Member Berries and quotes the Godfather Member Berry that took over the Oval Office all the time now. This morning she told me as she was leaving - “They wanna member? There going to member now!” or something to that effect.

50

“I think they’ve eaten the mum’burries!”

51

What a weird season. Overall, really good and I can’t 'member looking forward to new episodes like I have this time around. Gerald’s evilness, Cartman’s semichange of heart, the hysterical Danish story, Mr Slave, more Ike, Butter’s full frontal protest, the Brovlofskis in the bedroom, Garrison’s Trump (lol @his stankface), the indisputable fact that Heidi is both funny and smart, the gallery of trolls, the memb’rys, Rickrolls… all great.

It hasn’t been all good, though. This week’s ep is pokey and not much got resolved except for the big reveal at the end. The previous ep appeared to end with Kyle and Ike setting off on an adventure. Next time we see them, they’re back home with Shiela screaming. This week, Kyle and Ike appear to be setting off on an adventure with Shiela screaming. The gentleman Bills was very odd…and Cosby? The SpaceX story is kind of weird. The puking of member berries from one person to another doesn’t make any sense.

It is going to be really hard to coherently wrap this all up in the season finale. I hope it doesn’t roll over to the next season. In any case, I’ll be parked right in front of the tv for the next one.

52

I saw it as a direct reference to Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness. People passed on their evil possession with projectile vomiting evil fluid.

53

I hadn’t realized there was a reference but it still doesn’t make sense. People are drawn to the member berries’ call to return to the good old times like Bespin and the Battle of Endor and tauntauns. The whole point is that people willingly partake. I guess it could be just a driveby reference that isn’t revisited. Come to think of it, what was that poisoned (?) berry in VP Jenner’s drink about?

54

jnglmassiv:

That’s what it seemed like at first. Now we know they’re much more intelligent and sinister, and have an agenda of control.

55

I loved it when the Berries where driving the tiny car down the interstate at night jamming Toto’s “Africa” and they had to pull over to beat on the Berry that was tied in the trunk.

“We’re going to KILL you, member?” “Yeah, I member”

It wasn’t until the Mem Berries killed that one berry and dumped he body into Kaitlyn Jenner’s martini that the force puking of the Nostalgia Daze started. Jenner forced Garrison/Trump into “membering” and then it happened to Randy, and Randy hit Sheila and Shelly with it at the dinner table.

I was curious if it was going to have an effect on the women of South Park (Jenner aside of course, since she was essentially patient zero), but apparently it does.

I wonder what J.J. Abrams thinks of all of this getting blamed on him.

56

Interestingly, the season finale is titled “The End of Serialization As We Know It”.

57

Translucent Daydream:

Yeah. As a comic book reader, I’m much more inclined to think of Geoff Johns (or, if he’s just obeying his publisher’s orders, Dan Didio) for the whole nostalgia craze than J. J. Abrams. But I imagine that comic book readers do not make up a large enough percentage of the population to make that reference worthwhile.

58

Better still when they formed a band and started jamming it out themselves in the White House.

59

holy shit, Elon Musk actually voiced himself in the past couple of episodes?

60

Yup.

The finale was… underwhelming. Wrapped up most things, at least, though the Memberberries were completely absent the last two episodes except for the last shot with Garrison. I wonder how much Trump winning really screwed with their plans.

I think they will be better off going back to one-episode stories. The Troll Trace stuff could’ve easily fit into 2 or 3 episodes I think.