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South Park

Started by bgmnts, August 19, 2019, 10:13:17 AM

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bgmnts

I've noticed a large absence of South Park chatter here. Recently started re-watching (watching south park is an absolute expensive ballache) some of the classic season 3 -12 stuff.

Not all of it hits home anymore because it definitely has aspects of 'rich white cunts punching down on everything' and the creators are a bit iffy politically but I found myself laughing very hard at a lot of the stuff, still.

And even if you dont like the comedy, has any other series on television maintained the same level of consistency in terms of output, creators, style and politics? It's been the same two blokes doing what they like. I find that quite impressive.

Any love for the boys on here?

NoSleep

New season starts in a month and a half. See you then.

bgmnts

I must admit i dont think i've seen a full episode of the past two seasons.

keir

It's hard to watch now that Cartman is POTUS.

madhair60

It's good, there was a period where they'd get hung up on one joke and repeat it constantly for entire episodes (or, memorably, one entire season of "I'm Lorde laaa laaa"), but it's back to being good now.

madhair60


Shit Good Nose

Absolutely love it and always have done from the very early days of explaining to people what it was whilst they looked at me as if I was eating a turd.

These days I'm always two or three seasons behind on account of not having any facility to watch it up-to-date (no Comedy Central or MTV, or whatever it's on over here these days, and no VPN or fiddled Firestick), so I just play binge-catchup when 5US or Star or whatever blitz through a series or three in the space of a couple of weeks.

Given the short turn-around of writing to airing plus the fact it's pretty much still just Trey and Matt doing it (at least on the creative side), it's remarkably consistent in terms of quality.  Over 20 years old and coming onto its 23rd series, there haven't been ANY other shows in my lifetime with those figures that I haven't thought needed the life support pulled from them.

Long may it go on.

jobotic

I loved it but have hardly watched the last few seasons. Don't know why. Last ones were the Cthulu ones.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

I mostly prefer the earlier series, although there's a large element of nostalgia at play in that. I think there was more charm to it when the visual style was simpler and the kids still acted a bit like kids. It was somewhere around series 10 or so, when I felt the whole 'rich white cunts punching down on everything' thing become overbearing. Oddly enough, that's about the same point that The Simpsons went off the boil as well.

I've got back into it in the last few years. It's rather ephemeral, but enjoyable in the moment.

Quote from: keir on August 19, 2019, 11:00:51 AM
It's hard to watch now that Cartman is POTUS.

VelourSpirit

I've gone back to some of the earlier episodes recently, making my way through highlights of maybe the first 10 seasons. Didn't expect to be laughing this much so early on.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Thaaaaankkks staaaaaaa-aaaaaaaan

Autopsy Turvey

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on August 19, 2019, 12:58:31 PM
'rich white cunts punching down on everything'

They're only rich because they're good at South Park! They tend to punch in all directions don't they really, the best way. It would be hard for them to only ever punch up responsibly and virtuously and still be as funny as they are. But granted, it is a shame they're white.

Ambient Sheep

The first ever episode is still one of my favourite ever things.

I watched (and taped) the next few seasons religiously but then I moved in with someone who hated it (plus I was getting a bit fed up with too much Terrance & Phillip and Mr. Hankey), so I stopped watching for a bit and never did get round to catching up.

Looking at Wikipedia it seems I only actually watched the first four seasons, plus a few from the fifth (inc. Scott Tenorman Must Die, the Osama bin Laden ep, and Kenny Dies).  I thought it was two or three more seasons than that... so maybe I taped but never got round to watching them.

I've also seen the film, and after someone here once mentioned the Simpsons crossover episode from season six I bothered to track it down.  I also managed to catch the Cartoon Wars two-parter (but not 200 & 201).

But yeah, I've not regularly watched any since 2001, longer than some people here have been alive!!

I'm glad to hear it still seems to be going strong though.

Sorry, this all adds virtually nothing, but may explain why I, at least, never mention it round here.

backdrifter

Can I get a few examples of some of the worst cases of punching down?

I've seen most eps but nothing from my memory is jumping out.

bgmnts

Quote from: backdrifter on August 20, 2019, 05:42:05 AM
Can I get a few examples of some of the worst cases of punching down?

I've seen most eps but nothing from my memory is jumping out.

Lake Tardicaca is a bit iffy.

madhair60

Quote from: backdrifter on August 20, 2019, 05:42:05 AM
Can I get a few examples of some of the worst cases of punching down?

I've seen most eps but nothing from my memory is jumping out.

There isn't any really, it's always Randy Marsh who is ultimately wrong. People are oddly humourless these days and see, for example, the Safe Space/PC Principal episodes as an attack on progressive politics rather than what they actually are, making fun of people get off on abusing people using those good intentions as a shield (this applies to both PC Principal and Cartman, obvs).

To be honest even if I disagree with something they say/do it's nice to see TV that's pissed off and actually taking some sort of stance.

madhair60

If they "punch down" it's almost always the starting point of a progressive message/learning experience (see: Timmy 2000, almost every other episode). If not, they're doing something so joyously silly that it's difficult to take offence (Nathan & Mimsy).

People do though. A friend of mine got really upset with me for liking South Park recently. Really, really weirdly upset.

Noodle Lizard

I think they even got some praise from disability activist groups for their inclusion of Timmy.  Matt/Trey don't seem like especially nasty people, so naturally they're able to fuck about with controversial stuff like that without it feeling mean-spirited.  Same with Book Of Mormon - the idea that a show featuring baby rape, countless AIDS jokes and a refrain that goes "Fuck you God in the ass, mouth and cunt" could become an international theatre sensation with minimal pushback (even from Mormons themselves) is kind of testament to that.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: backdrifter on August 20, 2019, 05:42:05 AM
Can I get a few examples of some of the worst cases of punching down?

I've seen most eps but nothing from my memory is jumping out.

I'm not sure if it counts as "punching down" but they did an episode last season that came off quite dismissive about anxiety as a condition. I know it hardly sounds like their worst offence, but it's one of those episodes where their clear anger about something was shining through, and it seemed like they had no understanding of it. They really showed their age and managed to confirm everything that I'm sure a lot of anxiety sufferers fear about how some people perceive them.

madhair60

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on August 20, 2019, 09:53:27 AM
I'm not sure if it counts as "punching down" but they did an episode last season that came off quite dismissive about anxiety as a condition. I know it hardly sounds like their worst offence, but it's one of those episodes where their clear anger about something was shining through, and it seemed like they had no understanding of it. They really showed their age and managed to confirm everything that I'm sure a lot of anxiety sufferers fear about how some people perceive them.

I saw it as being directed at the manipulation of others and attempts to control discourse through claims of "anxiety", leaning into letting it control you - bearing again in mind that Cartman and PC Principal are characters who abuse progressive language/systems as a tool to get away with shitty behaviour.

Edit: As Kyle says in the episode, everyone has anxiety but instead of shutting out others and treating people like shit, they have to deal with it and get on with their lives.

Noodle Lizard

To be absolutely fair to them, they have lived and worked in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles for 25 years, so probably have a pretty different relationship with the issue to most.  It's difficult to put it tastefully, but this is a city where almost everybody (at least among white, relatively privileged residents) claims to have an anxiety disorder - rarely diagnosed or treated.  There is something to say for mental health issues being sort of "in vogue" among people who are already prone to a martyrdom complex, and my guess is they were poking fun at that rather than the condition itself.  If there's one consistent thread in their targets, it's usually people being full of shit in some way or other.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: madhair60 on August 20, 2019, 10:00:24 AM
I saw it as being directed at the manipulation of others and attempts to control discourse through claims of "anxiety", leaning into letting it control you - bearing again in mind that Cartman and PC Principal are characters who abuse progressive language/systems as a tool to get away with shitty behaviour.

It seemed that way for the most part, but Kyle's angry rant to Cartman about how everyone has anxiety but you just deal with it, and that it's not an excuse to be an asshole (do Trey and Matt think shy introverts are rude assholes?). It stopped being directed at Cartman exploiting it for personal gain, but at the idea of people who claim anxiety as a condition to begin with. The message just seemed a bit confusing, like they're angry about people exploiting mental health issues, but they also don't really get anxiety being considered a serious thing either.

madhair60

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on August 20, 2019, 10:07:04 AM
It seemed that way for the most part, but Kyle's angry rant to Cartman about how everyone has anxiety but you just deal with it, and that it's not an excuse to be an asshole (do Trey and Matt think shy introverts are rude assholes?). It stopped being directed at Cartman exploiting it for personal gain, but at the idea of people who claim anxiety as a condition to begin with. The message just seemed a bit confusing, like they're angry about people exploiting mental health issues, but they also don't really get anxiety being considered a serious thing either.

Hmm, I don't see it that way, I see it as chewing out people who DO act like shitheads - such as Cartman, the character specifically being addressed.

Maybe I'm being too charitable but I just don't see it the same way.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: madhair60 on August 20, 2019, 10:11:55 AM
Hmm, I don't see it that way, I see it as chewing out people who DO act like shitheads - such as Cartman, the character specifically being addressed.

Maybe I'm being too charitable but I just don't see it the same way.

I didn't really get that part of it anyway, to be fair. I get the idea of people claiming they have mental health issues when they don't, but I haven't encountered someone who is a complete prick to people and then goes "uhh I have anxiety" when they're called out. That doesn't seem like it would fly anywhere. To me, it just seems like Trey and Matt view people who struggle in social interactions as being rude. That's certainly consistent with a mentality that exists among that generation. Perhaps it was accidental on their part, but a disregard for anxiety did seem to reveal itself.

chveik

I stopped watching it when they started doing those boring story arcs.

the pc principal stuff is a decent enough idea for one episode, not more.

I regularly return to the earlier seasons though.

dr_christian_troy

There I was, in 1997, sitting in a rented apartment at the age of 12, in Perth, Australia. The first ever episode of this controversial new animated series was premiering on Australian television, to much anticipation. I sat there on my own late at night and soaked it all in. The next week, there was a ton of merchandise available in stores nearby - I purchased a cap, a Cartman toy and silk boxers (with Cheesey Poofs on them), which no longer fits me but is somewhere in a draw.

It's very rare to be able to say I can still tune in to a television series I started watching 22 years ago and still enjoy the output more or less consistently.




...and that includes The Simpsons, which is a load of old fucking toss now

bgmnts

Perhaps I misspoke when I said punching down, maybe just more edgelordy.

The Giggling Bean

Resurrecting this thread, I have to say I've found the past few series a real chore to get through. I'm not keen on this series arc they've been doing for the past 3 seasons. I much preferred the self contained 25 minute episodes they used to do.

I know they get a lot of praise for being able to knock out an episode in 6 days to keep it topical but that also left me cold. I fell in love with the show because it took a cynical look at the world through the kids eyes. I love the eps where the kids are doing kid stuff while all this craziness is happening (Awesome O, Guitar Queero, Lil Crime Stoppers etc). Unfortunately it seems it feels it has to comment on whatever is going on in the news that week. I'd love a return to the goofy, surreal, off the wall episodes we got from series 1 to 8.

Like Doctor Who I still watch it in the hopes of it returning to past glories, but I'm usually disappointed.

NoSleep

I think they mostly try out new ideas to keep it interesting for themselves. I've noticed that having success outside of producing SP also gives them a boost. It's amazing that they never gave it up several years ago, but they seemed to have got over that and consider it their regular medium of communication to us, whatever else they are up to.

Elderly Sumo Prophecy