Season Review: South Park Season 18

This could very well end up being one of the shortest season reviews I’ve ever written. Now, as some of you may know, ol’ Gonzo can get carried away sometimes with his writings, so this is generally no easy feat. But in the case of season 18 of South Park, it should be simple for two reasons: first, I basically touched on a lot of the reasons in my individual episode reviews, and there were only ten of those. And second, the cause of the season’s success was so simple: it did everything South Park does, and has always done, extremely well – all season long. As I specified in my last episode review, South Park is at its best when it’s relevant, opinionated, offensive, and, of course, funny.

One of the other keys to South Park’s season 18 success, was the fact that, while doing all of the above things, it didn’t try to do too much at once. Although every aspect above was touched on at one point or another, some episodes only focused on one or two at a time. However, in the case of the premiere, it did it all.

“Go Fund Yourself,” was a very topical commentary on the debate over the Washington Redskins name. It was also a chance to address Kickstarter, other crowd-funding websites, and ISIS. Yet at the very beginning of the episode – literally the first scene – it went straight for its signature obscenities. Not just simple four-letter words either, but creative, cringe-worthy, cackle-enduing beauties like “Boner Forest,” “Angry Clit Spasm,” “Lubricated Titty Burgers,” and “Furry Balls Plopped Menacingly on the Table, Inc.” Those are some impressive terms. In fact, they were so well-crafted that they made it past the censors. The very same episode ended with the apt statement: “There’s nothing sweet about a people who were decimated; a once-proud nation that finally lost hope and left their leader to be massacred by cowboys in a defiant last stand.” This was a clear statement on the Native American people that, in true South Park form, was disguised in an obvious allegory.

The second episode, “Gluten Free Ebola,” was the only one to miss the mark this season, and the only to score below an 8. (It got a 7.) It had a lot of potential in the title, but the whole gluten-free fad wasn’t properly ridiculed, Ebola wasn’t even mentioned, and the episode just wasn’t especially funny. However, it was one of two episodes (the other being “Cock Magic”) which visually clarified that dicks are A-OK on TV in cartoon form. However, the difference between the two (and their score differential) was the fact that despite Magic: The Gathering only getting gently ribbed in “Cock Magic,” the episode as a whole was much more humorous.

The third episode, “The Cissy,” is probably one of the best I’ve ever seen of the show. Not only was it funny, relevant, and dead-on with its message, but it was crafted entirely based on a review of the previous week’s episode. I know Trey & Matt make each episode in six days, and they’ve made episodes about the results of elections (and other news events) the day after they happened, but this is another level. Some schmuck wrote a negative review of the show, and ended up becoming a character the very next week. Imagine being that guy. And based on the way the season unfolded from there, that review may have influenced the entire season. Amazing.

Episodes four through nine were remarkably consistent, and all received grades in the 8 range. “Handicar” was a fun & simple story involving Uber; “The Magic Bush” was the same, but dealt with drones and leaked nudes (and just a bit of the Ferguson incident); and “Freemium Isn’t Free” could float in the same boat, except with opinions on mobile games, addiction, and yes: Canada.

“Grounded Vindaloop” is in a class of its own. The episode featured an entertaining story that kept viewers’ interest from start to finish, and was nothing more than that. And it didn’t need to be. Sometimes fans can get caught up in the deeper meaning, the social issues, or the offensive humor, and forget that Trey Parker & Matt Stone are still master storytellers who are capable of crafting an amusing plot at a moment’s notice.

The season ended with a two-part episode (“#REHASH” and “Happy Holograms“) that acted as a perfect cap to a wonderful year. Remember all those elements I mentioned at the beginning of this review that aid in the show’s success? These two, like the premiere, had the perfect balance of them all; like bookends for the season as a whole. Part one of the finale set-up the premise: kids these days would rather experience virtual life, or real life rehashed through someone or something else, than live it themselves (kind of like season 15’s “You’re Getting Old,” but focusing on more than music). Add to that some celebrity spoofs (Michael Jackson, Tupac, Bill Cosby, etc.) and actual cameos from internet sensation PewDiePie, and you’ve got yourself some solid episodes. But to separate themselves from just any installment, and to truly make these the cherry-on-top for season 18, the shows referenced events from almost every one of the previous eight, bringing the entire season full circle.

Season Notes:

1) “1) Start Up, 2) Cash In, 3) Sell Out, 4) Bro Down” was just as good, if not better, than “Phase 1: Collect Underpants, Phase 2: ?, Phase 3: Profit” from season 2’s “Gnomes.”

2) I still don’t know what the hell was the deal with Butters apparently setting fire to the South Park Elementary gymnasium. It was mentioned in passing early in the season, but never fully explained. Was this just a tease? Or part of a plot that didn’t pan out?

3) South Park and Saturday Night Live both did such a wonderful job spoofing the Matthew McConaughey car commercials, that I don’t even know who did it better.

4) Best song of the season? “Craig’s Mom’s Bush.”

5) Best rant? The “please drink responsibly” PSA from “Freemium Isn’t Free.”

6) I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a show pull off two or more jokes simultaneously, for an entire episode, like South Park did with the running Twitter feed in “Happy Holograms.” Well done.

Of course the characters are a strength of the show as well. Can’t forget them, especially this season, in numerous ways. For instance, although it wasn’t as prominently featured as it has been in the past, the Cartman/Kyle rivalry was alive and well in season 18. In addition, we got to see some of the usual fan favorites, like Timmy & Jimmy, as well as fellow handi-capable classmates Nathan & Mimsy, with their unique Of Mice and Men relationship.

Two of the strongest characters on the entire show, Randy Marsh and Butters, had a surprising amount of screen time too. Butters always pops up from time to time, but it seemed like he was given a couple extra lead roles this time around. Randy, who is no stranger to lead roles himself, also had his share of attention. I’m not sure if it was intended to last a whole season, but after the joke about him being Lorde got so much attention, Randy appeared in almost every episode, perhaps even all of them.

Which brings me to the final reason why season 18 of South Park worked, and it’s something we have yet to see before on the show: continuity. This not only isn’t the norm for South Park (save for multi-part episodes) but for cartoon series in general. Shows like The Simpsons, or Family Guy, or Bob’s Burgers might have recurring or throwback jokes, and they might have bits of progression sprinkled throughout the entire run of seasons, but rarely, if ever, do they have continuity from episode to episode. Yet season 18 of South Park had just this. Be it the running comments about Randy being Lorde, or mentions of gluten or gluten-free beer, or the Washington Redskins, or even just the ciss bathroom in the background, right up to the culmination in the self-reference-filled finale episodes, South Park pulled off something truly unique this year.

So there you have it. South Park – a show that is legally old enough to vote, buy porn, or join the military – has once again found success by remembering exactly what it always did to excel: relevancy, opinions, offensiveness, and humor. And on top of that, it’s still finding new subjects to spoof, new characters to exploit, and new ways to tell its endless amount of entertaining and amusing stories.

And the best news of all: South Park has already been renewed for two more seasons, so the best could still be yet to come.

So much for brevity in this article. Sorry about that.