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South Park Season 22 #cancelsouthpark

Started by Petey Pate, September 14, 2018, 06:24:27 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Jumblegraws

Quote from: Captain Z on October 23, 2018, 06:36:22 PM
I laughed but I don't really understand the Two Princes song reference, is it just regarded as a stoner anthem or something?
The frontman wears the same stupid style of hat in the music video. I wasn't sure if there was any cultural connection beyond that.

Small Man Big Horse

Blimey, I genuinely enjoyed that one, it was my favourite episode in a good few years. I really liked that Kenny got a bigger role for once, and it was packed with some great jokes and surprisingly fun visual elements.

up_the_hampipe

I didn't think it was that funny, but it was fairly enjoyable. Glad they've involved Kenny again.

JamesTC

Just sat down to watch the new episode which I'd recorded when it aired on Comedy Central. I'd heard it was an Al Gore episode so I wasn't phased when it opened with him and I thought it was just a flashback. Turns out it was the first Al Gore episode and Comedy Central had decided not to air the episode until next week due to a mass shooting in America. If they delayed South Park every week there is a mass shooting in America then we'd be really fucking behind now.


up_the_hampipe

Quote from: JamesTC on November 10, 2018, 07:39:35 PM
Just sat down to watch the new episode which I'd recorded when it aired on Comedy Central. I'd heard it was an Al Gore episode so I wasn't phased when it opened with him and I thought it was just a flashback. Turns out it was the first Al Gore episode and Comedy Central had decided not to air the episode until next week due to a mass shooting in America. If they delayed South Park every week there is a mass shooting in America then we'd be really fucking behind now.

In fairness, this week's episode featured a lot of references to the school shooting stuff.

NoSleep

It was an odd one inasmuch as there was a trace of an apology for casting doubt on Al Gore in the first place, re: An Inconvenient Truth.

Quote from: NoSleep on November 11, 2018, 09:20:06 AM
It was an odd one inasmuch as there was a trace of an apology for casting doubt on Al Gore in the first place, re: An Inconvenient Truth.

Which appeases The AV Club and their belief that South Park's the reason for the alt-right and why Trump's in the Whitehouse.

mojo filters

Those two episodes were pretty awful! There were some hints at humour, with references to whatever that video game was, but the rest was dire. I thought the manbearpig was going to be an analogy to the caravan hoax, ie here one week and gone the next - but apparently not.

Shame they wasted some potentially useful video game material. The best South Park episodes these days are often those that remind us how debased and undignified it is to see adults playing video games.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: JamesTC on November 10, 2018, 07:39:35 PM
Just sat down to watch the new episode which I'd recorded when it aired on Comedy Central. I'd heard it was an Al Gore episode so I wasn't phased when it opened with him and I thought it was just a flashback. Turns out it was the first Al Gore episode and Comedy Central had decided not to air the episode until next week due to a mass shooting in America. If they delayed South Park every week there is a mass shooting in America then we'd be really fucking behind now.

Oh is that why? I thought my cable box got confused and recorded the wrong episode.

NoSleep

Quote from: mojo filters on November 15, 2018, 12:11:59 PM
Those two episodes were pretty awful! There were some hints at humour, with references to whatever that video game was, but the rest was dire. I thought the manbearpig was going to be an analogy to the caravan hoax, ie here one week and gone the next - but apparently not.

Shame they wasted some potentially useful video game material. The best South Park episodes these days are often those that remind us how debased and undignified it is to see adults playing video games.

I can't tell from your post whether you saw the original appearance of Gore & ManBearPig (in 2006), deriding An Inconvenient Truth (and dismissing the effects of man on climate change); like a lot of stuff this season they have dredged up a couple (or 3, including Satan) of old minor characters. It would make sense (of a kind) if ManBearPig wasn't here today, gone tomorrow this time around. Sorry to see the end of Satan.

mojo filters

Quote from: NoSleep on November 16, 2018, 09:27:16 AM
I can't tell from your post whether you saw the original appearance of Gore & ManBearPig (in 2006), deriding An Inconvenient Truth (and dismissing the effects of man on climate change); like a lot of stuff this season they have dredged up a couple (or 3, including Satan) of old minor characters. It would make sense (of a kind) if ManBearPig wasn't here today, gone tomorrow this time around. Sorry to see the end of Satan.

I did see the original. I found Al Gore, manbearpig and "serial" / "cereal" all got tired quickly back then, hence not particularly pleased to find all that returning.

NoSleep

It was a lame takedown of Gore the first time around, and this is a very grudging admission by Parker & Stone that they were wrong; the whole thing is awkward. This season's theme appears to involve the lingering of such minor characters past their sell-by date (something Gore/ManBearPig never did, until now) so I guess we'll have to wait and see where this is going.

mojo filters

Quote from: NoSleep on November 16, 2018, 11:46:18 AM
It was a lame takedown of Gore the first time around, and this is a very grudging admission by Parker & Stone that they were wrong; the whole thing is awkward. This season's theme appears to involve the lingering of such minor characters past their sell-by date (something Gore/ManBearPig never did, until now) so I guess we'll have to wait and see where this is going.

It was a really lame attempt the first time round. Ironically it was a subject with plenty of potential, but sadly they really missed the mark and the glaring opportunity to do something really funny.

I'm not particularly pleased to see old characters returning, especially when it looks a bit lazy. To be fair they've done some decent episodes this season, but like the last one it has not been consistent week to week.

rue the polywhirl

The Scoots episodes was pleasant enough but holy moly was it mild. The manbearpig double ep was definitely a load more suspenseful with proper jokes written in. Al Gore is as camp as a box of frogs and Death of Satan was a real gut wrench. I didn't see it as an admission of anything, just a way to get more material from older one-off characters. I'm liking this season quite a bit so far but it is surprising how tactful and reserved it is a lot of the time these days.

Twed

Do you think South Park is becoming more liberal in its old age?

rue the polywhirl

I don't think they are becoming more liberal but they are becoming more entrenchantly neutral about everything which in some ways is even stronger defiance against liberals and liberalness.

NoSleep

Quote from: Twed on November 17, 2018, 08:06:25 PM
Do you think South Park is becoming more liberal in its old age?

I think Trump winning put the shits up them.

up_the_hampipe

Wasn't too hot on the first part of the ManBearPig story, but this week's second part was really good. Lots of good jokes, especially grandpa telling 'Billy' about how he accidentally became a father.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Twed on November 17, 2018, 08:06:25 PM
Do you think South Park is becoming more liberal in its old age?

Dunno. I've seen left-twitter sneering at Matt and Trey as 'libertarians'. Dunno if that's entirely accurate really?

ajsmith2

In the 00s the archetype of the 'South Park Republican' was coined, some basic context for that and what's been perceived to be their political stances over the years here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park_Republican

semi-interesting recent article on the show's political relevance in 2018 here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/10/17/how-south-park-became-ultimate-bothsides-show/?utm_term=.2fdcd6b72325

Some people see the South Park Republican archetype as the antecedent of the Alt Right. The Alt-Light end definitely, but I think the actually nazi Alt Right is a largely separate thing that comes from a different place (online mainly) and would have taken Parker and Stone by surprise. The rise of Trump indeed seemed to completely confound them as much as anyone else and is something they don't seem to have been able to get a grip on satirically.

If they're apparently in favour of climate change now it's maybe cos as the Post article mentions above, they like to play devils advocate. Climate change denial is perhaps as boringly mandatory a position on the right today as promoting climate change was on the left a decade ago.

NoSleep

Quote from: ajsmith2 on November 18, 2018, 06:40:51 PM
The rise of Trump indeed seemed to completely confound them as much as anyone else and is something they don't seem to have been able to get a grip on satirically.

I remember them saying that it's difficult to make a joke of something like Trump's presidency, it's already making a mockery of everything. It reminds me of Tom Lehrer packing it all in when Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (except Parker & Stone haven't thrown the towel in).

Sebastian Cobb

Don't they rattle out some of their more satirical episodes 3 days after the event? If so, that's quite impressive.

NoSleep

They definitely used to, but I wonder if they're still working like that, now that there's some continuity. Or maybe that's part of the challenge. I could definitely see they were hedging for Clinton to win at the election, hence the damp squib confusion that that season ended in.

mojo filters

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on November 18, 2018, 05:35:58 PM
Dunno. I've seen left-twitter sneering at Matt and Trey as 'libertarians'. Dunno if that's entirely accurate really?

I've seen plenty of sneering from both sides of the political spectrum over the years, though more recently it has been from the left wing as you describe. I suspect the post-Trump awakening of / increase in left wing activism has been a significant factor, with some folks simply unable to take a joke.

Trump is incredibly hard for satirists, however I think Trey and Matt's absurdist Mr Garrison take is really rather clever and effective - especially compared with most other more conventional efforts.

Personally I think if both sides are finding fault, it probably shows you are actually doing something right. For comedy like South Park, I can park my own politics and just enjoy the sheer breadth of the scope of the subjects they manage to so effectively (mostly) satirise!

colacentral

The problem with arguing both sides is that it's the same as sitting on the fence, declaring yourself a sensible centrist. They say it's more punk than taking the left-wing view but it's not; they're propping up the status quo.

mojo filters

Quote from: colacentral on November 19, 2018, 04:57:52 PM
The problem with arguing both sides is that it's the same as sitting on the fence, declaring yourself a sensible centrist.

In this context, it seems more like two smart people creating 22 minutes of niche entertainment for an appreciative audience. Not everything requires distillation down to a partisan political analysis.

NoSleep

I can't think of any instance where they really took a stand; apart from Trapped In The Closet which actually ended with them (well, Stan) challenging the Church Of Scientology to sue them.

NoSleep

Quote from: mojo filters on November 19, 2018, 05:11:25 PM
In this context, it seems more like two smart people creating 22 minutes of niche entertainment for an appreciative audience. Not everything requires distillation down to a partisan political analysis.

Which makes them look like they're sitting on the fence and have no opinion; like a lot of mainstream entertainment. It's actually refreshing (and rare) to see otherwise.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: ajsmith2 on November 18, 2018, 06:40:51 PM
If they're apparently in favour of climate change now it's maybe cos as the Post article mentions above, they like to play devils advocate.
I don't know. If that were the case, I don't see why they would bother with dredging up Manbearpig and making the (seemingly sincere, but heavily qualified) apology to Al Gore.
Parker and Stone are both pushing 50. People do tend to reevaluate things as they become old farts.

mojo filters

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on November 19, 2018, 05:36:25 PM
I don't know. If that were the case, I don't see why they would bother with dredging up Manbearpig and making the (seemingly sincere, but heavily qualified) apology to Al Gore.
Parker and Stone are both pushing 50. People do tend to reevaluate things as they become old farts.

Couldn't it be they were simply trying to be funny, but happened to miss the mark this time as seems to be the peril of their fast-paced production environment?