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South Park "Doubling Down" Review

Before I begin with this review, I would like to explain my stance against politics being involved in this show. If you've read enough of my reviews, you'll see that, by and large, I have a problem with politics being dragged into South Park. My own views have little to do with this criticism, and will remain my own. I think my biggest problem is that politics, and political commentary, is always going to be very divisive. Anyone who thinks this is a recent development is either lying to themselves or doesn't have a good concept of history. South Park is and will always be one of my favorite shows; I wouldn't cover it on my blog if I wasn't a fan. Ultimately, I like to enjoy the show and bring you these reviews, without having to wade through endless wars about whether or not certain members of the government should be executed. Anyway, rant over. Let's begin.



I apologize that that discussion went so long, but I did need to get that off my chest. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot to cover about this episode. "Doubling Down" to me felt like as much of a throwaway South Park episode as you could possibly get. Throughout the entire extent of watching it, I was waiting for the show to kick into second gear, and I never felt like it did. Don't get me wrong, there were aspects of this episode I enjoyed, and manipulative, rage-filled Cartman is the best Cartman, but this was South Park going through the motions. Bringing back Garrison's Trump was a questionable decision, as he adds very little to any of the stories they've been telling this season. Add in a random appearance by some 'Member Berries that added nothing to the episode, and you can see why this failed.


Again, there were some redeeming moments. The Cartman/Heidi/Kyle love triangle was certainly an intriguing story, along with an overall summary of relationships. Despite everything he put her through, Heidi would rather stay with Cartman and try to pretend that everything is okay than face the ridicule of her friends. The show tried to make a connection between her decisions and regretful Trump voters here, but never really quite made the jump. Maybe it would've worked better if they had actually featured the voters in this episode. Garrison's "f*** everyone to death" and overall rape humor falls into a similar category as most South Park jokes; funny the first few times you hear it, but progressively gets worse from there. Unless they have a fresh take on the character, I would be perfectly fine to not see Garrison for the rest of the season. I did also enjoy Cartman's "Pink Elephants on Parade" hallucination, but that was about the only genuine humor in this episode. Ultimately, the Cartman/Heidi relationship stays mostly the same, making this half hour almost completely pointless.


5/10


Maybe I'm being a little harsh on this episode, but it really felt like it had nothing to offer. If you do disagree though, feel free to mention it. I'm always open to constructive criticism.
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