Overview:
South Park finds itself at a terrifying crossroads when A.I. and empty nostalgia grabs begin to dismantle society as we know it. Cartman’s recurring nightmares hint at an apocalypse of multiversal proportions as the barriers between worlds grow increasingly elastic. Cartman is haunted by these visions and soon finds himself in a new world that’s both familiar and foreign. Displaced and discouraged, a “pandering collision” between universes becomes imminent unless Cartman can reach a certain CEO who possesses incredible (greenlighting) powers.
Meanwhile, South Park falls to pieces on a granular level after an A.I. dominant society replaces the old way of life and leaves the past generation scared and unstable.
Our Take:
South Park announced 14 feature film-like “specials” that will air on Paramount+ in addition to the show’s standard seasons on Comedy Central. Two of these specials are set to air each year and 2023’s first entry, “South Park: Joining the Panderverse,” is the fifth of these supersized installments. The previous specials have featured some great heights for the series as the stories take riskier turns and this ethos carries over into “Joining the Panderverse.”
The multiverse concept is nothing new, but it’s become the flavor of the decade far beyond simple comic book movies. Oscar-winning feature films are consumed with the multiverse and even series like The Simpsons and American Dad have turned to the storytelling device. South Park, who have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to their superhero commentary and deconstruction, is the perfect property to tackle the multiverse and thankfully “Joining the Panderverse” does not disappoint and is South Park at its best and most ridiculous. It’s a fantastic installment that begins at 11 and only gets progressively more wild as pop culture’s latest fascination gets taken to task.
Cartman’s intense nightmares turn out to be visions into alternate universes and his growing paranoia over these dangers lands him in Universe 216-B. Cartman is forced to experience his worst nightmares as he’s immersed in a universe where everyone has been “replaced by diverse women who complain about the patriarchy.” It’s a blatant way for South Park to dissect the many vocal white males who feel threatened by these “woke” reimaginings of established IP as they’re all reduced to Cartman. “Joining the Panderverse” very much mocks this crowd rather than support their frail arguments.
South Park has a lot of fun with all of this, especially when it comes to Janeshia Adams-Ginyard’s standout work as Universe 216-B’s Cartman. One of the special’s best jokes involves Universe 216-B Butters’ melodic singing of the character’s trademark “Apples” song. Beyond basic race and gender character swaps, “Joining the Panderverse” could do more to really hammer in its multiverse points beyond surface level changes. Laziness aside, the special’s big reveal that Disney’s diminishing returns are actually because the Kathleen Kennedy who keeps signing off on productions is actually a variant from another universe is genuinely strong. It’s a good enough idea that makes it easier to understand why this special was done in the first place, even if many of its finer details aren’t as polished.
The decay and pandering of nostalgic IP is certainly timely, but it’s something that’s been stuck in South Park’s craw for decades and first reveals itself in season six’s “Free Hat” where the boys rage against Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ re-editing of their old films. South Park has repeatedly returned to this fight, like in season 12’s “The China Problem,” where Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is specifically under fire. All of this background context adds to Cartman’s lament in “Joining the Panderverse” and gives it more weight than if this were just a new issue. The fact that these problems have been festering for over two decades with Parker and Stone makes this special’s events palpable and poignant. They have a lot to get off their chests here and “Joining the Panderverse” expertly argues its points, while somehow only briefly bringing the latest Indiana Jones movie into its crosshairs.
While South Park’s youths reckon with the multiverse, the town’s adults recognize their uselessness in a steadily-changing world. The episode’s A.I. material initially feels a little too detached and that “Joining the Panderverse” struggles to reconcile these two different ideas. Randy’s personal concerns balloon into the grander epidemic that no one knows how to do anything anymore due to years of society’s growing complacency. Randy wants to teach his kids how to be self-sufficient, yet his approach to life is still lazy and dependent upon others, just not as lazy as his children. It’s a smart way to highlight the generational snowball effect of lethargy and helplessness that’s become a scourge to society, especially in South Park. South Park transforms into a heightened gig economy lifestyle where the handyman reigns supreme. It’s entertaining to watch society descend into a handyman war, but “Joining the Panderverse” circles around the same point until it evolves into its “Tax the Rich” takedown as these everymen become Elon Musk-like titans of industry with skewed priorities.
“Joining the Panderverse” is primarily enraged over lazy storytelling and irresponsible billionaires, but there’s still some understandable disdain for A.I. and the all-knowing algorithm. It’s far too fitting that South Park’s adults begin to rebel against the use of A.I, when not very long ago South Park indulged in an episode that was partially written by Chat GPT. It’s a stark look at just how quickly Parker and Stone’s tune has changed on this matter, but also a prime example of how South Park’s hot, immediate takes can come across as impulsive and reactionary just as much as they’re prescient. At the same time, “Joining the Panderverse” benefits from how it’s been seven months since the latest dose of South Park and that there’s more than half-a-year of events and movies for this special to lampoon.
To that point, “South Park: Joining the Panderverse” is a successful special, albeit one that’s slightly surprising to see wrapped up in a single entry. Past South Park specials have told grander stories across multiple specials, which doesn’t seem to be the case this time around. It’s comforting that South Park doesn’t unnecessarily drag out this story and pander to its audience in the process. However, such a big idea could easily sustain two specials and might have been the better approach to this story. The first half of “Joining the Panderverse” is rather messy in a structural sense, as is the story’s resolution. These are issues that could have been fixed with a more focused approach. There are so many multiverse movies that egregiously shoehorn a cliffhanger into the end of their stories that it’s surprising that South Park also doesn’t follow suit. Copying the standout conclusion of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse where Cartman or Kathleen Kennedy come face-to-face with an evil version of themselves would be a tense twist that sets up an exciting second part.
“South Park: Joining the Panderverse” doesn’t waste this rich premise, but it still feels a little toothless at times. It’d be fun to see South Park really go for broke with this concept and replace a major character with one of their variants by the end of this storyline. This is a big ask, but it’s another way that South Park could draw parallels between multiverse events and stunt plotting. That doesn’t mean that one of the core four needs to be replaced, but a variant of any major resident would accomplish the same point. That is, of course, if there’s still a multiverse left to explore!
While there’s never been more South Park content available, it also feels like there’s a significant South Park drought where new material arrives and is then gone in the blink of an eye. It makes each new South Park experience mean even more since it does continually feel as if Trey Parker and Matt Stone have other things that they’d prefer to be doing (ie. Baldur’s Gate 3). “South Park: Joining the Panderverse” doesn’t feel like this lengthy wait has been in vain. If nothing else, this clever, timely special proves that the series is as sharp as ever after 27 years and more than 325 episodes.