Warning Contains Spoilers for South Park Season 20 Episode 2. Massive ball-sized spoilers.
South Park season 20 got its hands dirty last night, and it’s safe to say they aren’t pulling any punches.
As always, the show made some pretty poignant observations in what is actually a pretty crushing social commentary about how we react to threats.
South Park has made a name for itself as not only a rude, obnoxious comedy, but also as a show that challenges modern ideology by ripping the shit out of it for 20 or so minutes.
It makes you realise how insane we all really are.
What I Liked About South Park Season 20, Episode 2
The Return of the Troll
I loved how the creators of South Park season 20, episode 2 played with the perception of internet trolls.
We tend to think of trolls as sad, lonely people that want to make themselves feel better by making others feel worse. But the guys over at South Park had different ideas.
The show subtly hints at how you should be looking out for signs of a troll in one of the opening scenes, but then gives us a totally subverted idea of what a troll actually looks like.
The idea that perhaps trolls aren’t just grim humans, but in fact normal people who enjoy pissing people off for the banter is not only pretty entertaining, but quite likely true.
My favourite scene from this arc? Gerald skipping down the street, elated by the fact he’s got the power to cause such carnage.
South Park and Race Wars: A Never Ending Tale
Gerald’s fun as a internet troll leads us down the path of a more deeply political story.
We witness intense segregation and infighting, as one man tears down relationships and the very fabric of South Park’s society.
Sound familiar?
There is a very interesting scene in the school playground, where the girls plan an attack against the boys. Keyword here, the boys! Although the boys aren’t actually doing a damn thing wrong, they have been classified as the enemy as they are a target that can be seen and retaliated against.
Butters sums this up very well, in a perhaps heavy-handed explanation:
That leads the boys to try and expel Cartman from the equation, the supposed wrongdoer, in a desperate attempt to return the status-quo. But, of course, it doesn’t work. They can’t identify the enemy, they can’t stop the enemy, they just don’t want to be the enemy.
This is where we get the most damning scene. The girls disown the boys, breaking up every loving relationship in the school as a way of punishing and ostracising a group on innocents over the actions of a madman.
What’s next, ban them all from entering the country school?
Right in the feels South Park, right in the feels.
Twitter is Life
Most of the comedy in South Park season 20’s second episode came from a good old laugh at social media.
Presenting the idea that leaving twitter was akin to suicide in modern life was pretty damn funny. We’ve all had friends quit Facebook and make a song and dance about, like it’s the end of the world, which made for some hilarious moments.
What I Don’t Like About South Park Season 20, Episode 2
The Double Fake Out
The only thing that bothered me was the beginning, in which Heidi gave us a suicide fake out, throwing her phone in the river instead of her body. This was a brilliant scene, but…
Later the boys take Cartman off into the woods to do what they’ve always talked about. Obviously the implication is that they’re gonna kill the poor bastard, but after the first fake out, you knew they were going to just mash his shit and kill him like Heidi killed herself, destroying his online capabilities.
I get that Heidi’s scene sets up the ramifications of destroying Cartman’s two Christmas’ and a birthday’s load of gear, but it zapped a lot of the comedy from it, for me at least, because I saw it coming.
Conclusion
Overall, a very entertaining episode. It’s not going to be a classic episode you laugh about later, like when the internet went down or Randy smoked pot for his giant balls, but hopefully it’s going to set up something memorable.
Looking forward to seeing what happens with the Member Berries and the growing divides between the boys and girls. Also can’t wait to see what’s next on the political satire block.
I will admit though, the laughs weren’t getting me like they were in season 19. In episode 2, Canada built a wall, Garrison fucked the Canadian president to death and Butter’s went for a slow-cosby.
Overall Score: A Slow-Cosby — I think they are playing the long game on this one.
If you liked this blog, be sure to check out our look at why South Park is still one of the funniest shows on TV.