South Park (season 15)


release year: 2011
genre: animated comedy
viewing setting: home DVD, 3/20-22/20

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. I will add that, here in season 15, for the first time, I encountered some episides that just weren't very funny to me. I also caught some obscure references in some episodes (the Dark Crystal in episode 1, Robocop in episode 2, Q: The Winged Serpent in episode 14) that other reviews didn't seem to spot. 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 210 overall) Cartman's obsession with having an iPad, and Steve Jobs' obsession with creating the next great device, both take odd turns
  • (2) the Germans create Funnybot
  • (3) the royal Canadian wedding goes awry
  • (4) the posting of the boys' school physicals gets out of hand
  • (5) Cartman starts the Crack Baby Athletic Association
  • (6) a new sushi restaurant causes problems, while Butters is diagnosed with multiple personality disorder
  • (7) Stan begins having the problem of seeing and hearing everything as shit (literally)
  • (8) Cartman's hamburgers prove ridiculously popular
  • (9) Cartman joins the U.S. Border Patrol
  • (10) a new gossip website takes the school by storm
  • (11) the true meaning behind Broadway musicals is revealed
  • (12) the entire school suffers because of Cartman being so out of shape
  • (13) the boys learn the true meaning of Thanksgiving
  • (14) (episode 223 overall) Cartman becomes the poorest kid in school


    • 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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