South Park: Classic or Dud?

I haven't been following this season but I did watch this - pretty amazing. I actually found the image of Stan looking up at that big, shitty sun kind of profound. (Also, laughed uncontrollably at the shitty trailers.) Have to wonder if this season's the last.

Now I feel like posting a "do you relate deeply to Stan from South Park" poll, because that episode is exactly like what I was recently posting about (old friends ditching my cynical ass) on the innocuous things thread. Poor Stan. What will happen to him now?!

episode got so unexpectedly heavy!

Have to wonder if this season's the last.

Apparently Comedy Central convinced Matt and Trey to sign for another two seasons, which really surprised me after the way CC mishandled "200"/"201". And this episode, especially the ending, felt like they're targeting some sort of downer "And then they grew up" ending.

I lol'd at the Custer's Revenge arcade machine in the one scene

goddammit I actually teared up towards the end

That has to be my favorite South Park, at first I was laughing so hard my side ached and then the ending completely took me off guard. I hope the rest of the season keeps this up.

Rated "ARG" for pirates — FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!

if this had had a little more content and a little less shit it would be one of my favorite episodes

one scary thing is that "jack and jill" is a real movie

Fee fi fo fum, I smell Kraft Dinner!

Seriously. Wow. Maybe the most fucked 20 minutes of television I've seen in years, maybe ever.

there's been like 20 south parks that were more fucked than that!

Did you just watch Scott Tennorman Must Die on syndication or something?

Really? You seriously think moving from "you think the whole world is shit" at the end of the last series moving into overly produced sound where the minor thing such as background fans are unnaturally loud and drown out reality (like clinical depressives hear) into enforced 'medication' concluding that drinking out life so you can pretend to be normal isn't unbelievably fucked and bleak?

The sequence when Randy & Sharon get back together for the sake of the kids, just after Stan has had his breakthrough, to then see him actually hear the radio as 'we' hear it and then have to take a further drink before joining his friends is absolutely heartbreaking.

well, yeah, it was pretty sad and bleak but i wouldn't call it "fucked"

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/Signature/10-1968/med_thats_life.jpg

If you'd identified with Stan as a child growing up with South Park, broadcasting that your best way to deal with the rest of your life is to spend it in an alcoholic stupor is pretty fucked, dude.

I did enjoy that the wonder/gateway drug was just Jameson's.

And Kyle once again refusing to be caught up in an epic battle.

I loved the Drunk Stan/Kyle discussion outside the burger stand.

I am conflicted by my enjoyment of this ep...but it *was* kinda great. Fucked up, but great.

"I love you"
"Fuck you"

Has someone put some of the songs together in a compilation? having Cartman's Make it Right in my head for the past week.

this season's actually been pretty good so far

Yeah, I related to that last episode pretty hardcore. My grandma sits around watching that jewelry channel all day. At least she hasn't bought any $6,000 bolo ties. That I'm aware of.

"Hi. Um...kill yourself?"

yeah last 2 eps have been pretty good

as usual, felt compelled to change channels as soon as racist asian schtick kicked in

Yeah, that is far and away the most lamentable aspect of the show and pretty much the only thing that keeps me from recommending it unreservedly. And it's doubly disappointing, since (as with most other things) they've been otherwise pretty smart and insightful about race. I don't know why they have it in for Asians.

yeah that was nagl

Episode felt like it was left up to the very last minute (endless audience-taxing shots of rotating jewelry), but some of the best South Park episodes are like that.

I've been saying "Okay sir, I'm just gonna check inside ya aaaasshole" all week, regardless of context.

I don't see how the Asian ladies this week are any different than the black ladies last week, this show's been pretty consistant in that. Maybe because they have (had?) a recurring Asian character in the City Wok guy? (which the creators apparently think is the funniest joke ever)

I mean I don't think it goes any further than "all the writers think Trey's Asian guy voice is funny", the characters that stick around are usually the ones with the best voices

Maybe because they have (had?) a recurring Asian character in the City Wok guy?

Turns out he's not actually Asian (spoilers).

I mean I don't think it goes any further than "all the writers think Trey's Asian guy voice is funny", the characters that stick around are usually the ones with the best voices

― Estimate the percent chance that a whale has ever been to the moon? (frogbs), Saturday, 24 March 2012 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^ this is true + there is a knowing 'this will piss off certain liberal sensibilities' + they are equal opportunity haters..

wow i'd do anything for a "Jackin' in San Diego" mp3
the show's still pretty hit & miss but all the musical bits are amazing, as they've always been

holy shit I just realized that was about the Kony video

here's the song, no video though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LKcsB8OMw8&feature=related

guess i can just convert this

(which the creators apparently think is the funniest joke ever)

they run every single one of their "jokes" into the ground. those two cocks who created it are unbearable. this show is just the fucking worst.

Used to be good when then animation and overall style was charmingly crude (it was the identity! why did they do away with it?), the characters didn't develop (one of them kept dying every episode! this played so well with the crude style), and the kids found truth through their fresh perspectives on life, not because they already had everything figured out like a bunch of insightful twenty somethings. If you wanted the kids to grow up then you should have let them. Might as well have them all in college if you want people to believe they'd have all these developed critiques on society. Also some of the bits within the satire comes off in the way Robot Chicken approaches parody, like a fifteen year old was riffing on a "you know what would be funny if x happened?" scenario that quickly misses it's own point as it geeks out over the details to a ridiculous extent.

South Park is similar to Robot Chicken in that it is animated and it on television.

it is on television.

the show's still crude as hell, just not in the animation
really, what do you expect after 16 seasons

DWH I wasn't saying the shows were similar except that they both get carried away with bits in dorky ways, basically.

Animation is allowed to improve after so much time yes, if that's what you mean. But they didn't do anything to preserve the personality that came naturally out of the crudeness. The silliness and abrupt, quick pacing of the homemade animation and sound effects was a great counterpoint to the over the top ridiculous scenes that took place, and was certainly intentional even if it started as necessity.

I still watch it, it still makes me laugh, the show has changed but it still has pretty much the same spirit it always had. Which is: make fun of all things, all the time, make fun of all the people.

This week's episode was A+.

I certainly agree with that, but I was talking about the execution.

If you wanted the kids to grow up then you should have let them. Might as well have them all in college if you want people to believe they'd have all these developed critiques on society.

this is really the worst thing an animated show can do, which is why none of them do it. live action shows where the characters aging is a real thing (i.e. any show with kids on it) tends to have a totally different dynamic than an animated show. some of the Simpsons episodes where they go into the future are nice, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to watch a version of the show where all the characters were 15 years older. I think in South Park it's kind of a given that the kids aren't really kids anymore, which yes is a little bothersome, but still part of the show's overall dynamic.

the show's main thesis has always been "the kids are sane and the adults are crazy, except for when the kids are crazy"

Yeah, but the kids were originally sane via their fresh young world view without preconceived notions. Now they're just megaphones for stuff Matt and Trey are annoyed by in current events.

And you're right, the show wouldn't have worked with them literally grown up, but that was my point in a way. Plenty of shows develop progressively in all sorts of subtle directions, and at a certain point the writers and viewers have been steadily lead into the new world that's been created that they don't notice the purity of the original concept is corrupted and forgotten, leaving a portion of fans disinterested and saying the show sucks now but they're not sure why.

I don't think South Park sucks that bad now but I consider the first 3 1/2 seasons at least to be a much, much different and better program altogether.

Yeah, but the kids were originally sane via their fresh young world view without preconceived notions.

we only thought this because Matt and Trey hadn't done five bazillion interviews about their views and how they influence the show yet

No I mean how the characters were written. The kids just did things with innocent, kid like motives and ended up stumbling on truths the adults were too set in their ways to see all along. Summed up by their "I learned something today" to spell it out if need be, while preserving the kid's fresh perspectives on the world.

Basically hose truths were always Matt & Trey's opinions but they were written into the show in a way that made more sense coming from kid characters.

basically Matt & Trey's opinions are about as nuanced and thoughtful as a 10 year old's.