RJ Writing Ink

This was just one of the many songs that played at the second of two concerts held at the Red Rock Ampitheatre in Colorado last Saturday, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of South Park.

South Park is famous for many things. They don’t pull punches on anything, nothing is too sacred for them to make fun of, and they make every episode in less than a week. However, another excellent aspect of the show is the incredible music. From Isaac Hayes’ “Chocolate Salty Balls” to “Gay Fish” to the iconic opening song, South Park has enough hit songs to comprise several albums. My

What’s my favorite song, though? While I’m partial to “Let’s Fighting Love,” that’s nothing compared to “Kyle’s Mom.”

Kyle’s Mom really is a bitch! Happy birthday, South Park

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Come on Down to South Park & Meet Some Friends of Mine

Come on Down to South Park & Meet Some Friends of Mine

— Read on thegameofnerds.com/2022/08/13/come-on-down-to-south-park-meet-some-friends-of-mine/

Happy 25th birthday, South Park!!

South ParQ Vaccination Special Review

Back in September, South Park tried to make us laugh at just how bad things got for us in 2020. Their solution? An appopriately named “Pandemic Special“. While it was a good idea in concept, it was trying to cram everything bad about 2020 into sixty minutes of TV. In other words, it ended up falling flat in its execution. I still don’t know what the Aesop for it was! Thankfully, the world’s gotten marginally better in those six months. We got vaccines rolling out, Trump’s out of office, and things are slowly returning to normal. Which means South Park had to follow up with a vaccination special.

Like last time, it was trying to juggle multiple plot threads, but the vaccination special did it a little better.

Everyone Wants a Shot at the Vaccination Special

The good news: the COVID-19 vaccinations are rolling out as I write this. However, the bad news is that there aren’t enough to go around. Which means who gets a shot at vaccination, which is driving the people of South Park nuts. They have the Walgreens set up like an exclusive night club that only lets the elderly in, who waste no time in rubbing it in everyone’s faces. I found the whole thing to be a dark, but hilarious, representation of the frustration people are feeling in America right now. People are struggling to get shots, even the ones that should be considered essential workers like teachers. That anger will eventually boil over, which is what happens with the kids teacher, Ms. Nelson. After a prank involving ketchup done by Cartman and Kenny pushes her too far, the kids teacher refuses to work until she gets a shot.

So, the classic quartet of South Park boys does something I’m surprised I haven’t heard about in the news yet. They get into their local Walgreens and outright steal the vaccinations for their teachers. From their, though, the boys become split over who should get them, with their “broship” looking like it might sink. For good.

Unlike the Pandemic Special, the Vaccination Special seems to do a better job with keeping a somewhat coherent story. I think. Honestly, I was more interested in Mr. Garrison in the special.

Mr. Garrison is Back

Before Mr. Garrison was the show’s stand-in for Trump, he was the teacher of the kids of South Park. Until he got fired several seasons ago for being a jerk. Having lost the election, Mr. Garrison returns to South Park and tries to act like he never left, despite his actions making him utterly despised by everyone in town. Except for the Whites and the QAnon people, who are convinced he’s just biding his time to regain power.

I’ll be honest: I liked seeing Mr. Garrison come back, as I was curious about how he would fit into the show in a post-Trump America. However, did they really have to resort to using the White family again like before? It wasn’t funny the first few times, and it isn’t funny now. Well, seeing them try and use a fake tutoring business to feed kids their nonsensical conspiracy theories was funny, but nothing else was. Eventually, Mr. Garrison gets fed up with the Whites and the other conspiracy theorists and admits that he doesn’t care anymore. He just wants to get his old life back.

What happens next, I’m still not entirely sure, but it’s one of the trippiest fourth-wall breaks I’ve ever seen. I think Mr. Garrison made a deal directly with Matt and Trey to fix everything in town. And it works.

Vaccination Special Saves Everyone. Except Ms. Nelson

In the end, all the problems of the special get resolved when Mr. Garrison gets everyone in town vaccines straight from Israel. Just like that, he’s redeemed in the eyes of the town. Status quo is God, after all.

Speaking of status quo, Mr. Garrison’s return also means that Ms. Nelson is no longer needed. In a tragic irony, she ends up dying of COVID right before she can get a shot. While this may seem like a cruel jab to some over the fact that people are still dying while waiting to get COVID Vaccinations, it makes sense in the context of the show. Ms. Nelson was a flat character with almost no purpose outside of teaching, so she had to be written out. Mr. Garrison’s back to being teacher again. And everyone celebrates being vaccinated.

Overall, the Vaccination Special was every bit as nonsensical as the Pandemic Special was. However, it also ends on a much more positive note. Yes, the road ahead will still be long and hard, but the end may be in sight at last. If we’re lucky, things can return to a sense of normality before the year’s out. Ultimately, I think that’s the message of the Vaccination Special, and if that’s the case, then it delivered way better.

I Give “South Park: The Pandemic Special” a 3/5

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South Park: the Pandemic Special Review

At the time I’m writing this, it’s only been an hour since the premiere of South Park: the Pandemic Special, and I’m still coming down from the laughter high it gave me. And considering how my highlight from the previous night was seeing the two guys running for President yell at each other, I needed this pick-me-up. All of America needed this pick-me-up. They needed this Pandemic Special, and it tried to deliver. It also served as a reminder that this year is the worst since 1968. Now, let’s breakdown what made this Pandemic Special mostly work.

South Park is Miserable And It’s All Randy’s Fault

The cold opening showing South Park in pandemic mode reminds the audience of how bad things have gotten for America. Shops remain closed, people are dying, and life sucks for everyone. The only ones happy are Cartman and Randy Marsh. The former because he’s happy to not be in school, and the latter because his weed farm is booming. And being Randy, he first rubs it in people’s faces, and then announces his Pandemic Special to make an extra profit.

If this took place last year, I’d have just groaned at Randy’s stupidity and see how it played out. However, the writers seem to be aware of how many fans don’t like Tegridy Farms, and decided to use that to their advantage. In the special’s synopsis, it says that Randy comes to terms with his role in starting COVID-19. Turns out they weren’t joking. Remember how Randy went to China last season? Well, he and Micky Mouse got high on weed, they found a bat, and, well…

But then it turns out it was a Pangolin. That he also did it to while high. In other words, Randy Marsh is responsible for ruining 2020, which would be hilarious if it weren’t for how miserable we all are, and the fact that the show spent the better part of its last season focused on Randy’s stupidity. As a result, Randy then spends the rest of the Pandemic Special trying to cover his tracks and keep himself from being blamed, only to make things so much worse.

The Great Chain of Misery for 2020

The special is South Park’s attempt to address an entire years worth of misery in the span of an hour. While I don’t think that they managed to hit everything right, I also know how monumental a task that is. Life has gotten so ridiculous that it can be hard to make fun of at this point. Still, they at least try, and I think that’s what counts.

While Randy’s trying to keep his part in COVID-19 a secret, the rest of the special deals with the myriad of garbage this year has thrown with us. There are free big issues that primarily focuses on, though. The first is the debate over whether school’s should reopen, something that Cartman adamantly opposes. It’s not that he’s concerned about his health, though; he just likes being out of school and ignoring classes on Zoom. Nonetheless, he’s right to be worried. Every time we try and open a school, it seems like someone catches COVID-19, and everyone has to quarantine. In this case, the kids have to spend two weeks stuck at school and watched by Police Officers.

Which brings me to the next issue: the fact that no one trusts police anymore. Thanks to the heinous actions of several cops in 2020, confidence in them has hit rock bottom. And since the cops in South Park are so trigger-happy, they make things worse by shooting themselves in the foot by accidentally shooting Token. Then they use insane troll logic to quarantine the whole school because of COVID-19. Which leads to the students escaping and results in the police going to town.

As hilarious as it is, it highlights just how badly things to change with police in our country.

Finally, there’s the big, underlying issue that is explored through the kids: the desire to return to a normal life. With how miserable 2020 has been, we all want to wake up and find everything’s gone back to normal and we can enjoy our lives again. And the fact that it may be months or years before that happens is not something everyone can cope with. Stan even breaks down in tears near the end over it. But then, the Pandemic Special gives us the Aesop of the story, I think.

The Aesop of the Pandemic Special

Okay, I’m not sure if this is the moral of the story, but it’s what I got from it: that we shouldn’t give up hope. I know it’s cheesy and cliche, but we all have to remember that everyone’s been suffering through this year. But no matter how bad things may get, we can’t just give up hope, and that we need to remember to look on the bright side of things. Or at least learn to laugh at our misery.

I think that’s what they were going for, but aside from a few moments, it didn’t always work in its execution. In fact, the very end has the show give a genuine plea for people to get out and vote Trump out of office. If South Park is willing to abandon their philosophy of making fun of everyone, then we know that something is wrong with this country. For the love of all that is good, people, vote Trump out of office!

I Give “South Park: The Pandemic Special” a 3/5

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In a year where everyone’s lives have been effectively screwed over by the universe, one show will rise up to challenge all the crap 2020 has thrown at mankind. By making us laugh at just how terrible this year has been! Wednesday, September 30th, 2020: South Park returns. And if they can’t save us from this year, then I don’t think anyone can!

We Need South Park Now More Than Ever

While everyone’s year is going to be doing to be different, as a whole, 2020 has felt like a nightmare for everyone on Earth. Riots and protests grip the streets; faith in law enforcement’s at an all-time low. The West Coast is burning down. And it seems like we’re nowhere near ending the COVID-19 Pandemic! Add in the high profile deaths, and it seems like there’s no hope. So what can South Park hope to do about that?

A lot, actually. Fans who have been around long enough may remember what South Park did in the aftermath of 9/11. As the Nostalgia Critic on YouTube states in his review, America was gripped by fear; the same kind of fear many are living with in 2020. So South Park did the smartest thing possible: they made us laugh. They made people take a look at how crazy life had become, and had a good, long laugh about it. It might not seem appropriate in such a dark time, but it’s when things are darkest that we need to remember how to laugh.

In other words, I’m hoping South Park can repeat that success while tackling all the awful things that have happened this year.

COVID-19, the Police, and Returning to School All At Once

This is the official synopsis of the hour long special:

Randy comes to terms with his role in the COVID-19 outbreak as the on-going pandemic presents continued challenges to the citizens of South Park. The kids happily head back to school but nothing resembles the normal that they once knew; not their teachers, not their homeroom, not even Eric Cartman.

South Park Studios

So, it looks like South Park plans to go after the three biggest issues Americans are dealing with: COVID-19, the Police being hated, and the question of how safe it is to open schools up. And in typical fashion, they’re fusing them all together. They’ll probably also reference the high profile deaths, as well.

I, for one, am looking forward to this hour long special, and you can bet that I plan to review it when the time comes. We need some laughter in our life right now! And if this is the only South Park we get this year abecause of the Pandemic, then I hope it blows us away!

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South Park, Season 23, Episode 10, “Christmas Snow” Review

Since its inception, South Park’s been intrinsically tied to Christmas. In fact, if it weren’t for that video Christmas Card Matt and Trey made in college, South Park wouldn’t exist. Therefore, it feels appropriate to end its 23rd Season with a Christmas episode. However, don’t let the name “Christmas Snow” or the return of the official intro fool you. This finale’s about a different kind of Christmas snow.

Return of the Original Intro

Firstly, I felt surprised to see the normal South Park intro make its return. Given the season’s theme of faux spin-offs, I thought we wouldn’t see it again. At first glance, one would think this mean’s that Matt and Trey ran out of fake spin-off ideas. Thus, they went back to their usual routine. However, this proves to be a red herring, as once we get into the episode, we see why.

In an effort to curb car accidents, Santa has booze banned in South Park for the holidays. As a result, the grown-ups have no pick-me-up to get them through the stress of the holidays and become miserable. So they turn to another big guy in a red suit and a beard. And it’s someone I haven’t been a fan of this season: Randy Marsh.

Tegridy Weed Christmas Snow

I guess Matt and Trey couldn’t stay away from Tegridy Farms, even if not everyone liked it. They even take the time to reference the fact that some of the Tegridy Farms episodes weren’t that well-received. The moment of self-mocking passes, though, as Randy gets into the meat of the episode. Inspired by the snow falling on the ground, he and Towelie use their leftover weed to create what they call “Christmas Snow”.

The moment I saw the white stuff on the marijuana, I thought it was either mold or cocaine. Much to my amusement, it turned out to be the latter. While the Mayor freaks out since cocaine is very illegal (and dangerous), Randy nonchalantly fixes the problem. In what I can only assume is a jab at the efforts to legalize weed, Randy does a quick montage, comes back and says “Okay, coke is now legal”.

As hilarious as that scene was, I couldn’t help but feel a little disturbed at the implied undertones. Next to marijuana, cocaine is one of the most illegal drugs in the world, yet the people of South Park snort that Christmas Snow like there’s no tomorrow. At least the show reminds us of how bad coke is, so I think it evens out in the end.

Of course, none of this goes over well with Santa.

Santa Grinches the Coke

Maybe he’s genuinley trying to keep the people of South Park safe, or he’s mad at them running Mr. Hankey out last year. Either way, Santa refuses to let the grown ups get high on the road. Thus, in a reversal of the Dr. Seuss story, Santa Grinches everyone’s cocaine, leading Randy to chase him off a cliff.

What happens next is, in hindsight, one of the funniest things I’ve seen all season. Randy convinces Santa to try his Tegridy Christmas Snow, and the jolly man loves it. Then Jesus shows up and starts trying it as well. The trinity of South Park is sitting in the woods, snorting on that Christmas snow. As a result of loving it so much, they decide to share it with everyone. So, Jesus spreads the coke in the air as actual Christmas snow. It’s so weird and so funny. I think.

So That Happened.

To be honest, I didn’t think that this episode was that funny at first. However, after sleeping on it, I admit that the premise of “Christmas Snow” is pretty funny. I was just letting my dislike of Tegridy Farms get in the way of that. At the least, it beats the literal crap-show that was “Turd Burglars” which I refuse to discuss anymore.

That said, I honestly hope that next season, South Park puts its focus back on its original stars, the four boys of South Park. At the least, I hope that this is the last time we see Tegridy Farms. It’s a joke that’s run its course a thousand times over!

I Give “Christmas Snow” a 3.5/5. And that’s me being generous. Happy Holidays, South Park

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South Park, Season 23, Episode 8, “Turd Burglars” Review

I’m going to be keep this review as brief as possible out of sheer disgust for what I’ve witnessed in South Park last night. Not “disgust” as in anything moral, but “make me want to vomit” disgust. I can deal with a lot of the stuff that South Park does, but jokes about actual poop is where I draw the line. Even if I thought the reference to the Spice Melange from Dune as funny.

In this episode, Mrs. Broflovski suffers a nasty bacterial infection, and her gut needs a transplant of some healthy bacteria via fecal transplant. I looked it up, and its a real thing. Sheila’s health improves, and then every woman in town wants in on her shit. They even try to bribe Kyle with a copy of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I’m not sure if that’s a subtle jab at EA by saying they’re still worth shit. However, even I admit Fallen Order’s good.

Meanwhile, Kyle goes through a germaphobe phase when he discovers all the bacteria and germs in his body. It doesn’t last long, though, and he embraces his own microbiome. As a result, he reaches a state that I assume is similar to someone high on the Spice Melange from the Dune franchise. His eyes turn blue, he has a heightened sense of awareness about micriobiomes, and he keeps saying one thing: the bookshelf.

Tom Brady’s Spice Melange

As the episode progresses, we get the titular “Turd Burglars”- Stan, Kenny, and Cartman. They start stealing shit for people who want to be healthier. This eventually leads to them wanting to get Tom Brady’s shit, which everyone calls “The Spice Melange”.

While the Dune reference seems a bit random at first, in hindsight it makes sense. In the Dune franchise, the Spice Melange is this super drug that sped humanity’s development into the stars. In addition, ingesting it leads to extended lifespans and heightened awareness. The joke that the show’s making is the fact that Spice Melange comes from a single source: the Sandworms of Arrakis. Their shit mixes with water to become the Spice Melange. A similar process ends up saving the town of South Park. However, replace Sandworm with Tom Brady, and Spice Melange with Tom Brady’s shit.

When the women of South Park try to do their own transplants with turkey basters, the resulting bacteria makes them all sick. Thanks to Kyle discovering Tom Brady’s collection of “spice”, though, the day’s saved. Just in time to make people sick for Thanksgiving.

This has to be my least favorite episode of the season. I can deal with a lot of the things South Park does, but this is where I draw the line. The only saving grace I could find were the jokes about Tom Brady and his Spice Melange. Now I need to go forget what I had to watch for Thanksgiving dinner.

I Give “Turd Burglars” a 2/5. I’m never watching this episode again.

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South Park Season 23, Episode 7, “Board Girls” Review

After the “Season Finale” episode from last week, it looked like South Park was through with Tegridy Farms. However, I knew that Matt and Trey like to mess with us sometimes, so I was skeptical. However, it looks like it’s really gone. The bad news is that this episode focuses on PC issues. In other words, that means we got PC Principal, Strong Woman, and the PC Babies.

I didn’t like PC Principal when the show first introduced him, but after Season 19, Matt and Trey toned him down. Even so, I think that South Park can be better off avoiding PC topics. In fact, this was the first episode of the season that I didn’t watch live; I went to sleep instead.

Heather Swanson, Jerk

The PC Principal/Strong Woman plot focuses on Strong Woman losing an annual athletic event to a transgender woman. However, said woman, Heather Swanson, is a jacked-up beefcake and Strong Woman’s ex-boyfriend. She dumped him because he’s a jerk, and he couldn’t stand losing to a woman. In other words, I think Heather does this in a petty act of spite against Strong Woman. In addition, since she’s transgender, PC Principal can’t raise the concerns he has without being called a transphobe.

I don’t really understand the message the show was trying to send with Heather, but I don’t really care.

Board Girls Rule

The more interesting story came with the subplot that gives the episode its name. When some of the girls try to join Cartman’s and Stan’s board game club, Cartman’s furious. Being Cartman, though, he’s mad because the girls are way better at playing games than he is, and his fragile ego can’t stand that. Stan, on the other hand, doesn’t mind playing with them, and seems impressed with how good they are. I know I was.

The end result is that Cartman goes all the way to Congress to get the girls out of his club. However, this backfires when they form their own club, Board Girls. Board Girls proves to be a thousand times better than Cartman’s group, and it looks like the kind of club I’d join in a heartbeat.

This Flew Over My Head

Both the Board Girls and Heather Swanson plots converge when the latter shows up at the school to rub it in Strong Woman’s face. Again. The girls of South Park Elementary are clearly unimpressed, and challenge her to beat them in any board game. After seeing Heather’s obnoxious behavior all episode, seeing her get thrashed by kids felt cathartic.

While my inner geek was impressed by the knowledge of board games shown in this episode, I think the message of “Board Girls” flew over my head. It simply wasn’t my cup of tea.

I Give “Board Girls” a 2/5. I Made the Right Choice Sleeping Through It.

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South Park, Season 23 Episode 1 Review- Mexican Joker

Fall is finally here, and that means it’s time for our favorite shows to come out with new seasons. Of course, this means it’s time for new episodes of South Park. I’ve been waiting all year to write about Comedy Central’s topical hit, and after the promo from this earlier this week, I had high hopes. After seeing the season premiere of “Mexican Joker”, though, I felt like the show only met us 65% of the way.

After a hilarious opening focusing on Tegridy Farms, the weed farm Randy started last season, we then get into the main plots of the episode. The first one is how Randy feels his business is threatened when people start growing their own weed, leading him to try and get it banned. He tries justifying it by saying it’s taking away his livelihood and threatening his kids health and future, but I see through him. He only cares about the money, like how he’s the only one in his family invested in the farm.

I get the appeal behind Randy: he’s an idiotic man child that lets the show do things they can’t do with the kids. But it can get old relying on one guy all the time. Personally, I hoped that the Tegridy Farms would have flopped last season, so we could put some focus back on the four main boys.

The Boys are Back

Regarding the boys themselves, their story was the funnier of the two. When Cartman learns about ICE arresting potential illegal immigrants, he does what you’d expect: sic them on Kyle’s family and laugh his butt off. It’s such a classic Cartman thing for him to do, and even though we know it’s reprehensible, we can’t help but laugh at it.

So Kyle gets sent to a Detention Camp by himself, and the show could have easily run with the joke that ICE thinks he’s an illegal immigrant, they do something better.

Over the summer, people have debated over whether ICE’s detainment camps are “concentration camps”. So when the guards realize Kyle’s Jewish and American, they have an “Oh Crap” moment, and realize this will make them look like racists. So they offer to let Kyle go, but in true Kyle fashion, he demands all the kids be set free.

Kyle’s long been the voice of reason on the show, but after the whole PC Principal thing, that side of him started to be downplayed. Seeing him stand up for what he thinks is right is a return to his roots that I appreciated seeing.

What’s Happening Now?

Then things took a turn for the weirder. Kyle’s comparison of the kids mistreatment to a supervillains origin story is clever, but saying it would create a “Mexican Joker” fell flat for me. Erik Killmonger came to my mind first; I never even considered Joker. Since it’s South Park, though, the guards get the wrong idea and just try to get the kids to not hate them.

Then Randy goes full on Heath Ledger Joker and blows up everyone’s weed gardens. To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention to his story, caring more about Kyle. Unfortunately, the episode ends on a cliffhanger. Everyone’s now afraid of Mexican Joker and the kids still locked up in detention camps. Which means South Park’s still using serialized stories.

So what was South Park trying to say here, again? Were they ripping on ICE by comparing the camps they run to concentration camps? Were they cashing in on the upcoming Joker film? And why do they still care about Tegridy Farms? There are a lot of ways this story could go this season, but this was a shaky start. Hopefully, next week will resolve the detention camp story in an entertaining fashion. That, and I want to see how far Randy will fall before Tegridy Farms goes under.

I Give “Mexican Joker” a 3/5. Lots of Potential, Poor Delivery

Stray Observations

• I thought it was genuinely hilarious when Cartman realized Kyle+Detention Camp= Sensitive Subject. How did he forget Kyle’s Jewish
• Cartman’s completely nonchalant about being sent to the camp by Stan is so him.
• I want Tegridy Farms to burn down so Stan can move back to South Park
• ICE named the princess in their puppet show Star. Is that a coincidence? Because I hope so.

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www.youtube.com/watch

I’ve been waiting all year to do this. South Park is back for their 23rd season, and I have every intention of covering it. Starting this week, I’ll be reviewing every new episode of South Park, you guys.

In this episode, I think Cartman just invented the idea of ICEing people. It’s like Swatting, but calling the ICE on them.