South Park (season 14)


release year: 2010
genre: animated comedy
viewing setting: home DVD, 3/1-19/20

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. Episode briefs:
  • (1) (episode 196 overall) some of the kids are falsely diagnosed as sex addicts
  • (2) the kids write the most controversial book ever
  • (3) Cartman takes over a cartel to get his KFC, while Stan's dad gives himself cancer to he can buy medicinal marijuana
  • (4) Facebook/friends hysteria, and Stan gets sucked into the program
  • (5-6) all the celebrities that the show's made fun of band together
  • (7) an intervention is staged for drug-addicted Towelie
  • (8) Cartman tries to become a NASCAR driver
  • (9) everybody hates obnoxious New Jersey people
  • (10) various parties tackle the compulsive hoarding problem
  • (11-13) the Coon and friends deal with oil spills which lead to invasion by extradimensional monsters
  • (14) (episode 209 overall) Stan's dad becomes obsessed with cooking shows


    • 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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