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Top 5 Favorite Thanksgiving Day Specials

I don’t understand why, but I’ve never been that big a fan of Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s because of the fact that I don’t like the food; it’s true. I don’t like stuffing, gravy, or mashed potatoes. However, I still appreciate what Thanksgiving means. It’s about being able to spend time with family and think about what we’re blessed to have. Still, I’ve spent 2019 doing something for several big holidays, and I won’t stop with Thanksgiving. So without further ado, here are my top 5 favorite Thanksgiving Day Specials!

#5- Talking Turkey, CatDog

Few people in Nearburg love Thanksgiving as much as CatDog, though they each love it for different reasons. Dog’s simply thankful for everything he has in life, while Cat only wants turkey. However, when the only turkey in Nearburg comes seeking refuge from the holiday, the two have to work together to help him escape to freedom.

I only saw this special a few times on TV, and I didn’t find it until years later with streaming. As far as what it brings to the table, I think this special’s pretty average. While it’s subtle, though, there is a message about the importance of family. It’s just hidden underneath the slapstick of Tom Kenny and Jim Cummings.

#4- Garfield’s Thanksgiving, Garfield

Given how much Garfield loves Thanksgiving, one would think Thanksgiving’s his favorite holiday. However, this holiday special sees Garfield put on a diet on the day before Thanksgiving. As a result, Garfield has to find a way to dodge his diet, or else make sure no one enjoys the holiday.

I was a big fan of Garfield growing up, and I especially enjoyed the old show, Garfield and Friends. So I naturally had to include the fat cat’s Thanksgiving day special on my list. The only reason it’s not higher on the list is due to my in credulousness at the fact that Garfield’s vet, Liz, put him on a diet right before a holiday involving eating. I get that she has to watch out for his health, but the woman had the worst possible timing! Good thing Garfield got out of the diet in the end.

#3- Helen Keller, The Musical!, South Park

In this Season Four episode of South Park, the kids are putting on their annual Thanksgiving Day play on Helen Keller. In an effort to one-up the kindergartners play, Cartman adapts the play into a Broadway musical, complete with a pet turkey jumping through a ring of fire. However, when lead Timmy chooses a disabled turkey named Gobbles, Cartman’s forced to take drastic measures to save the show. Oh, and Kenny dies.

South Park has had its fair share of Thanksgiving Day specials over the years, but I think that this one is my personal favorite. I honestly thought that the bond between Timmy and Gobbles the turkey was heartwarming to watch. Moreover, despite Cartman’s objections, I think using a disabled turkey was appropriate given it’s about Helen Keller. My favorite part, though, is the ending, where it’s revealed the kindergartners play was a lame, one minute act. Never trust Butters as a source of information.

#2- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Peanuts

Taking the number two spot on my list is a special that needs no introductions, because almost everyone in America knows the name Charlie Brown. Right when Charlie Brown and Sally are going to their Grandmother’s Thanksgiving day dinner, Peppermint Patty invites herself, Sally, and Franklin over. As a result, Charlie Brown has to cook an impromptu dinner, with the help of Snoopy and Woodstock.

Like almost every other Peanuts special, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is a holiday classic. It follows much of the same formula as many of the other Charlie Brown specials. Charlie Brown faces a problem, his wishy-washy nature exacerbates the problem, then he solves the problem. We’ve seen it a thousand times, yet it never gets old. It helps that we had the dynamic duo of Snoopy and Woodstock to provide their brand of silent comedy.

As good as “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is, though, it’s not my favorite Thanksgiving special. That honor goes to another

#1- The Thanksgiving Episode, Regular Show

Taking the top spot is one of my all time favorite cartoons, Regular Show with their Thanksgiving Day special. After accidentally destroying all the food for their Thanksgiving dinner, Mordecai and Rigby scramble to make things right and get that precious turkey. While everyone else is trying to pick up their families or get more food, the duo enter a singing contest with the prize being a naturally born Turducken. However, they find themselves competing against the likes of billionaire Rich Buckner for the prize

There are a few reasons why this takes my top pick for my favorite Thanksgiving day episode. Firstly, I enjoyed the fact that Richard Buckner was a humorous parody of Donald Trump, complete with his hair. Secondly is the song that Mordecai and Rigby sing in the contest, “What are You Thankful For?” Not only is the song super catchy, but provides a genuinely heartfelt message about the meaning of the holiday: spending time with loved ones. For that reason, I name it my all-time favorite Thanksgiving Day Special.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments below! And be sure to check back this Saturday, as I have news about my plans for December!

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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 6- “Season Finale” Review

In the first half of South Park’s 23rd Season, Randy Marsh became the Walter White of marijuana. He’s killed dozens of cows while high, murdered Winnie the Pooh, and worst of all, the Halloween Special. It looked as though viewers needed to wait until the end of the Season to see Randy brought down. However, last night’s episode “Season Finale” seemed to finally throw fans a bone. In addition, it did all this while tying together the plots of most of the episodes.

The episode starts off with Randy being arrested by the police. They figured out he blew up everyone’s pot gardens in “Mexican Joker”, and they have the footage to prove it. In addition, all of Randy’s other actions have essentially left South Park sick of Tegridy Farms.

I made my dislike for Tegridy Farms clear from the beginning, and it looks like Matt and Trey took notice of the fans dislike. I looked at the comments in the teaser for this episode, and a lot of them shared my disdain. It’s clear that Tegridy Farms wore out its welcome, and the writers know it.

The ones who are most excited about Randy’s arrest are, naturally, the Marsh’s. If Randy goes to jail, then they can move back to South Park and live their old lives again. They’re so happy at the prospect that they throw a party to celebrate. It’s at this point, though, that the town goes through its crisis of the week.

No One Cares About the Whites

While playing football in the park, a kid named Jason White gets run over by a cop car. In real life, this would be a horrific tragedy, but in South Park, few people care. Except for the Whites, who we last saw in “Splatty Tomato”. Mr. White uses his son’s funeral to complain about how no one cares about them. I think it’s supposed to satirize how Caucasians are becoming the minority in America, but I didn’t care. They also happen to be big supporters of Tegridy Farms, and they show up to ruin the Marsh’s party. Cartman, in a rare display of sympathy, offers to help the White’s move on from the loss of Jason. The place he sends them to, though, is one the show’s familiar with: the ICE detention camp.

The story involving the ICE detention camp never got resolved, so I felt surprised to see it brought back. However, this time the show knows what’s its bashing and doesn’t hold back on it. In this case, South Park tears into ICE’s policy of letting the kids of deported parents be adopted by American families. The fact that it’s portrayed like a pet center’s not only black comedy gold, but reinforces how inhumane the practice is.

At any rate, the White’s adopt a Mexican boy named Alejandro, and viewers see how harmful their actions can be. While they think they’re being loving and affectionate foster parents, Alejandro doesn’t see it that way. All he wants is to see his actual parents, which the Whites fail to understand. This ultimately leads to Alejandro snapping in the biggest way possible.

Randy Marsh Has a Sobering Realization

Meanwhile, Randy Marsh, now cut off from Tegridy Weed, starts to feel guilt for his actions. He calls President Garrison for advice and tries to use his “reverse-blame” tactic, but it fails. Fully sober, Randy realizes how big a jerk he’s been the whole season. At his subsequent hearing, Randy owns up to his actions and that he deserves to be in jail.

Considering how much of a bonehead Randy’s been this season, this moment feels almost cathartic. For a moment or two, it even looks like Tegridy Farms will be brought down for good. Then, the status quo steps in with a bang.

Having snapped over his anger at the US, Alejandro starts causing way more destruction than a normal boy should be capable of. Since the White’s covered him in sunscreen, he looks exactly like Mexican Joker. As a result, Alejandro gets all the blame as he flees the police, leaving Randy a free man. DRAT!

Tegridy Farms Future?

So, Randy Marsh got off the hook for everything that he did, and Tegridy Farms remains in business. I wanted to see his weed business go down, but “Season Finale” reaffirmed my belief that this won’t happen until the finale. That is, if it happens at all. For now, though, the show makes it look like Tegridy Farms’ done for the forseeable future. As in, the growing season for weed’s done. That’s where the title “Season Finale” comes.

It felt good to see Randy get a taste of karma, even if the status quo meant he got off the hook in the end. However, I remain skeptical over whether or not he’s learned his lesson. If the show’s smart, then it will stop focusing on Tegridy Farms. It’s been forever since we had a classic episode about the four main boy. If we’re lucky, it will focus on that in the remaining episodes. Howerver, I now want to see if they’ll do anything with Alejandro and the Mexican Joker plot. That’s too big a plot thread to leave by the wayside. For now, though, I think this was one of the better episodes of the season. Second only to “SHOTS!!!” in my opinion.

I Give “Season Finale” a 4/5.

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South Park, Season 23, Episode 5, “Tegridy Farms Halloween Special” Review

If there’s one holiday besides Christmas that South Park’s big on, it’s Halloween. They’ve had plenty of Halloween specials over the years, and some of them have been my favorite episodes of the show. So even though I don’t like Tegridy Farms, I chose to watch their Halloween Special. After I got done watching it, I could think of one thing:

If there’s one holiday besides Christmas that South Park’s big on, it’s Halloween. They’ve had plenty of Halloween specials over the years, and some of them have been my favorite episodes of the show. So even though I don’t like Tegridy Farms, I chose to watch their Halloween Special. After I got done watching it, I could think of one thing:

What the hell were they smoking when they made this?

I Hate Tegridy Farms

I’m not joking. The Tegridy Farms Halloween Special made little sense to me, and could barely be called funny. The episode starts with Randy excitedly preparing the farm for the titular special; it’s a red herring, though. The “Halloween special” is what Randy and Towelie are calling their strain of marijuana.

I know I was disappointed, but that’s nothing compared to what Shelly feels. Like the rest of her family, Shelly’s fed up with Randy and Tegridy Farms, and makes her feelings known. Randy, being Randy, is so full of himself that he can’t comprehend why, though. His attempts to bring her around only make her angrier, and leads to her brewing a “witch’s potion” to kill Randy’s Halloween Special.

Unfortunately for Shelly, and the viewers (not sorry), her mixture only makes the plants mutate. The result is some bizarre plant abomination that gets people incredibly high.

I Don’t Want My Mummy

While all this is happening, there’s a b-plot with Butters getting cursed by a mummy. Rather than try and kill him, though, the mummy wants to be his friend. An obssessive, yandere type friend that overreacts when Butters seems to slight it. The crazy part is that everyone takes the mummy’s side.

I don’t understand `what Matt Stone and Trey Parker were trying to tell with this story, but it didn’t make sense; at all. It had little to no connection to the main plot, and seemed like a distraction.

Return of the Tegridy Farms Halloween Special

Thanks to the mutated plants, Randy’s Tegridy Farms Halloween Special becomes better than ever. In fact, it leads to what may be the only funny from the episode.

In a scene out of a horror film, it looks like the weed mutate’s people into plant zombies. Making matters worse, it appears that Winnie the Pooh and all the cows Randy and Towelie killed come back for revenge. Except they’re not really back; the Halloween Special’s making everyone hallucinate. 

What Did I Watch?

So in the end, Shelly saves her dad and Towelie with another brew, and the Mummy leaves Butters with everyone thinking he’s the bad guy. Randy wakes up three days later with his family hating him even more. As for me, I’m waiting for the day when Tegridy Farms burns to the ground.

The Tegridy Farms Halloween Special was, by far, the weakest episode of this season of South Park. The plot made little sense, it was barely funny, and I could barely pay attention to it. The only redeeming thing is that the show kept up with its jabs at China by bringing back Winnie the Pooh. You go, South Park. As we reach the halfway point of the season, though, my main motivation is to see if Tegridy Farms burns. 

I Give “Tegridy Farms Halloween Special” a 1.5/5. Waste of my Wedensday Night. 

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South Park, Season 23, Episode 4- “Let Them Eat Goo” Review

If there are any recurring themes in this season of South Park, it’s Tegridy Farms and Matt and Trey’s making fun of China’s policies. In the 300th episode, this took a backseat to the anti-vaxxer storyline, but now its back in force. This time they also take aim at vegan fast food for good measure. The result is a solid, if quiet, episode about, off all things, vegan pot burgers.

Thanks to Randy dropping China as customers, Tegridy Farms needs a new source of income. So Towelie suggests selling the unused parts of their crops as mulch. I had to admit, that was a really good idea and it could have solved their problems. However, that idea falls to the wayside when Randy discovers Burger King’s Impossible Burger. Like everyone says, it tastes awful, yet people buy them because they think it’s healthier and better for the environment. Yet, it’s still Burger King.

Cartman Freaks Out

Regarding healthier and better food, South Park Elementary changes it’s cafeteria menu to serve healthier food. This happened because a lot of students protested how unhealthy the food they ate was. They forgot how Cartman would react to getting his favorite food taken away. Cartman ends up freaking out so much that he has a heart attack. Twice.

As morbidly funny as that was, it drives the point home about unhealthy the food was. Yet Cartman doesn’t care, he just wants the right to eat his junk food, even if it kills him. When Wendy tries to argue her stance, Cartman quotes a recent statement from LeBron James:

Yes, we do have freedom of speech, but at times there are ramifications for the negative that can happen when you are not thinking about others and only thinking about yourself!

Once again, South Park mocks China and Hollywood and the NBA for sucking up to them.

Rather than deal with Cartman, the school compromises by hiring a “Goo Man”. He makes this green goo that can be molded into food and it’s supposed to be good for you, despite not explaining what it is. Now he wants to supply it to all of South Park, and even manages to get Cartman on his side by explaining what it is.

It’s surprising that Cartman would like this, but that’s because it’s the same thing as what he loves. It’s processed junk filled with preservatives and sold from factories, just better for the environment. Even crazier is how he gives a rare apology to everyone. Yet, his statement about the goo being “processed crap” makes it feel like a hollow victory.

Vegan Pot Burgers. They Get You High.

Meanwhile, Randy’s newest business venture, vegan pot burgers, has seen massive success. Despite tasting no better than what Burger King sells, people get so high from the pot burgers that they don’t care. That ends up making him a target of the Goo Man, who works with Burger King and a cattle rancher. They dump a bunch of unwanted cows at Tegridy Farms, so Randy and Towelie kill them while stoned out of their heads. They then leak the whole thing online, shutting down the vegan pot burgers.

Stoned Burgers, Not for Me

While the whole vegan pot burgers thing was hilarious, the episode felt a little disjointed to me. Perhaps it was because I don’t really like the Tegridy Farms arc and want to see Randy fail. Or maybe it felt disappointing after last week’s hilarious episode.

However, I got what the show was getting at: how vegan food can end up being the same junk we eat, but with a different name. Nonetheless, the whole story didn’t click with me as much as it should have. Maybe someday, we’ll be able to create food that’s healthy and eco-friendly, but South Park seems to think that day’s not today. For now, we eat goo.

I Give “Let Them Eat Goo” a 3.6/5

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Jay’s Month of Scares, Day 12 (Late)- South Park

I would like to apologize once more for missing my Halloween quota last night. Therefore, to make it up, I’m doing two for one tonight: a Halloween special and a movie! Let’s start off with a classic Halloween special, “Pinkeye” from the earliest days of South Park.

Patient Zero

It all started like how many classic South Park stories do, with Kenny dying a gruesome death. His body gets taken to the morgue, and through the power of South Park writing, his body gets pumped with Worcestershire sauce, turning him into a zombie. Zombie Kenny then proceeds to infect the entire town. Since most of the adults in the town are dumb, they believe the infection to be pinkeye.

I can see why the writers consistently portray the adults of South Park as dumb or immature. While I normally get annoyed by this level of ignorance, South Park wrote “Pinkeye” in a way that makes it so funny to watch. One minute people are walking down the street with zombies, then they get devoured.

The boys are completely oblivious to all this, though. It’s Halloween, so they’re focused on having the best costumes and candy. This was a fun subplot throughout the episode, though I was more focused on Cartman’s costumes then Stan’s misfortune of dressing up like Raggedy Andy. Cartman dressing up like Hitler is what I’d expect from him; his “ghost” costume was even worse though.

Zombies, South Park Style

However, I think the real humor comes from how it parodies the zombie film. Once the boys realize the danger they’re in, the episode turns into a full blown parody of the zombie apocalypse film. The boys slash zombies up left and right with the preferred zombie deterrent, a chainsaw. It’s gory, but the episode makes it fun to watch.

In the end, the “pinkeye” infection is quelled by killing Kenny (you bastards!) and everything returns to normal. Or does it? Yes, it is. Kenny comes back next episode normal.

This was a classic South Park episode, and the first of at least half a dozen Halloween specials over the years. Its fun, and as far as gore goes, it’s pretty tame. If you want to watch a classic, 90s Halloween special, then this is a good one. Plus, it has Chef dancing as Michael Jackson!

Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

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South Park, Season 23, Episode 3, “SHOTS!!!” Review

It’s hard to believe that South Park has passed the 300-episode milestone, but here they are. I never saw the infamous “200” and “201” episodes, nor can I. Thankfully, last nights episode , “SHOTS!!!” made up for it by being the first South Park in a while to make me laugh my butt off. It does all this while juggling the Tegridy Farms story and jabbing at China once more.

The episode starts off in a meta joke, with Randy celebrating the three hundred… thousand dollars Tegridy Farms has made. He’s the only one who’s happy though, as everyone else in the family hates him. Sharon hates how he’s sold out to the Chinese, and Sharon and Stan hate living on the farm. That’s not the main focus of the episode, though.

Catch the Cartman!

The main focus of “SHOTS!!!” is with Liane trying to get Cartman a vaccination, something he’s terrified of. With any kid, this wouldn’t be much of an issue, but since this is Cartman, it’s almost impossible. No matter what she or the doctor do, Cartman starts squealing like a pig and running away. He goes so far as to strip down and grease himself to make him harder to catch.

This was one of the funniest things I’ve seen South Park do in years, and I had to restrain myself from laughing too hard. We all know how evil Cartman is, so seeing him genuinely scared is a treat. When the school has to order him to get a shot, though, he simply says he’s concerned with it making him “artistic”. He even has his mother recite “facts” about the dangers of vaccination at a PTA meeting.

The show could have stuck with a story about debunking the myths of shots, but they wisely decide not to. The adults of South Park know Liane doesn’t buy what she’s saying, and that those facts are untrue. The woman then snaps and says she can’t handle trying to get her son a shot, and dares everyone to do better. They try, with hilarious results.

So how does South Park top something that hilarious? With something even crazier! That pig wrangler convinces the town to have a rodeo so all non-vaccinated kids get shots, and Cartman’s the main event.

Take That, China!

Meanwhile, Liane got thrown out by Cartman over her stunt, so she ends up going to Tegridy Farms. Since Randy’s still dealing with his family’s disgust, they get high and talk their problems out. Randy realizes that he needs to make things right and get his Tegridy back, so he makes amends with his partner. I knew it’s implied he meant Sharon, but I knew it would be Towelie.

Towelie does end up coming back, but not before Randy vows to stop selling to the Chinese. He even makes Randy say “f**k the Chinese.” Under many circumstances, that would be racist as they come, but it’s made apparent he’s referring to the policies of the Chinese Government. Plus, it gives Matt and Trey a chance to pay China back for what they did.

SHOTS!!! Was Hilarious

So, the episode ends with Cartman getting out of another shot thanks to his mom. She blocks a shot he would have gotten, but makes it clear it’s so she can do it her way. In the end, Cartman willingly goes back to finally get a shot, but the episode has one last laugh for us. Remember that “artistic” joke? The shot made Liane into someone who wants to create art; an artist. Well played, South Park.

By a wide margin, this was the best episode of the season. In fact, it’s one of the funniest episodes South Park has done in years. I loved “SHOTS!!!”, and while not as ambitious as “200” and “201”, it brought us a lot of laughs. In the end, isn’t that what matters? Not to mention that it tackled an issue like vaccination by reminding us that it’s not an issue. Vaccinations are a good thing, and the odds they’re not are astronomical. If even South Park can say that with as close to a straight face as possible, then it has to be good.

I Give “SHOTS!!!” A 5/5. Happy 300th Episode, South Park!

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Last week’s episode of South Park, “Band in China” saw the show go after two big targets. First and foremost, they took aim at the Chinese government and their oppressive censorship of society. They also called Hollywood out for their increasing dependence on the Chinese market for financial success. And people are taking notice of what the South Park crew had to say.

Earlier this evening, Fox News was talking about how the NBA got itself in hot water. Daryl Morey, manager for the Houston Rockets, tweeted his support for the protests in Hong Kong. So China blocked the Rockets, leading the NBA to apologize. Then the news anchors mentioned last week’s episode and how this seems to prove the creator’s point.

South Park Vs. China

South Park’s managed to incur the ire of the Chinese Government, as well. After “Band in China” aired, the show was reportedly banned in China. In response, the show’s Twitter account posted the following statement earlier today:

I won’t lie, I was laughing my butt off when I saw this. It’s classic South Park to give this kind of sarcastic, back-handed ‘apology’. Matt Stone, Trey Parker, and their staff have made it clear they don’t care who they offend. I think they’ve even gotten death threats from some people over their show, and they refuse to back down. I respect them for standing behind their beliefs.

In fact, Matt and Trey are probably thrilled to know that they got their show banned in China. That not only shows they got under the Chinese Government’s skin, but that they hit the nail on the head. I may not have liked the episode as much as I should have , but seeing this makes me smile. South Park has still got it.

Plus, all this publicity is perfect for their 300th episode in Wednesday. They’re going after anti-vaxxers. 😊

Click here to see my review of the episode “Band in China”

South Park, Season 23, Episode 2, “Band in China” Review

I guess that South Park is sticking with the Tegridy Farms thing for the long haul, to my mild annoyance. Last week’s season premiere had a good premise, but it got mired in its confusing messages, and two plots that barely connected to each other. This week saw South Park focus bash on one thing, though: China censorship’s. It helped the episode have a more cohesive plot.

Kissing Up to China

In his continued bid to make sure everyone buys Tegridy weed, Randy decides to start selling in China. Because no one else has come up with that 🙄. Turns out marijuana’s illegal in China, though, so he gets arrested and thrown in prison along with Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

I actually had no idea that Winnie the Pooh was banned in China. I don’t really see how the Chinese President resembles him, though. It was a nice way to segue into Disney’s China troubles, which Randy throws himself into.

Stan’s Death Metal

Back in the US, Stan tries coping with living on a farm he loathes and his dad’s ignorance towards him. So he forms a death metal band and tries getting a biopic to leave the farm. He then runs into the same problem his dad has: dealing with the Chinese.

Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been very vocal about their views on free speech: it’s all okay, or none of it is. They’ve proven they’re not afraid to say what they want, even if they get death threats. So this episode has them use Stand and Randy as their mouthpieces to express their views. Through Randy, they chew China out over their censorship laws, while Stan takes aim at Hollywood’s dependence on China these days. The message is clear: they’re ripping on Hollywood for sucking up to China, to put it kindly.

That’s where the similarities end, though, as the two Marshes are different men. Stan refuses to kiss up to China’s censors, and gets the integrity that his dad claims to have. We all know that Randy has no integrity left, as his speech about integrity becomes a sales pitch for Tegridy weed. Randy then sinks even lower by murdering Winnie the Pooh to appease China. Not. Cool.

I Hate Tegridy Farms

I still don’t like Tegridy Farms and want to see it burn down before the season’s done. Now that I know that Stan hates it, too, I may actually see it happen. If Matt and Trey stay the course, I think Stan and Randy will go to war with each other over integrity. If I’m lucky, Tegridy Farms will die. Tegridy Farms has no integrity.

I Give “Band in China” a 3.5/5. Better than last week, but not best the show can do.

Stray Observsations

• Favorite Quote of the Episode by Mickey Mouse: “South Park, do I own that?” “Not yet, sir!”

• We finally see Kenny again!
• The return of the boy band “Fingerbang” and the four boys hang out again
• Kyle and Cartman get out of the detention camp with no explanation or resolution 🙁

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