South Park (season 11)


release year: 2007
genre: animated comedy
viewing setting: home DVD, 12/14-18/19

synopsis: This show revolves around the odd adventures of four kids (and a large supporting cast) in a fictional Colorado town where damn near anything can happen.

impressions: I watched these back when they came out fifteen years ago, but hadn't kept up with anything after early season two from 1998. So here I am catching up, and delving into new material I'd never seen before. This season's satire targets include...well, you can look at the episode briefs below to see. This is one of those shows that you either know about and watch(ed) or else never have and never will. It's loosely-continuous, meaning that someone could die in one episode and be fine in the next, and it's often a biting satire of popular people and events of the time. It's also crude, with profanity and other references that will drive away critics...which I suspect is the point. This show is basically a way to satirize and make fun of whatever's in the news each week, and then wipe the slate clean for the next episode. Of note in this season, the 3-part Imaginationland arc, which contains a huge variety of references to TV series, movies, and past incidents. Episode briefs:
  • (1) (episode 154 overall) Accidental racial tensions
  • (2) Religous camp
  • (3) Head lice
  • (4) Hillary Clinton contains a bomb
  • (5) The Easter Bunny cult
  • (6) Lesbians vs Persians
  • (7) The homeless act like zombies
  • (8) Cartman pretends to have Tourette Syndrome
  • (9) Stan's dad takes a record-setting crap
  • (10-12) Terrorists attack Imaginationland
  • (13) The kids get hooked on Guitar Hero
  • (14) (episode 167 overall) The boys find a secret list that the girls made


    • acting: n/a but it's pretty impressive when you consider that two guys basically provide almost all the different voices.

    final word: This was groundbreaking stuff, and people typically either love it or hate it. Like Beavis and Butt-Head there's some clever humor and satire hidden there, for those with the patience and intelligence to find it...though with the bold and brash nature of this show, it's a lot easier to find.

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