We return to the land of South Park after a brief hiatus, and with the end of the season starting to get closer, this episode upped the ante. We get a brief look at the set up for the season finale, and I couldn't be more excited.
Officer Barbrady was the focal point for this episode, a welcome sight. He's been overlooked the past few years, and he delivers a strong performance. From top to bottom, Barbrady is entertaining and worth watching, as he deals with the PC changes to South Park. As the viewer, you can really understand how much he loves his town, and what it would mean for him to ever leave it. Its yet another step forward for the gentrification of the town, and a shining example of the struggle between the new and old South Park.
The episode opens with a call to the police department from PC Principal, as he yells at Leslie for no particular reason. These seemingly throwaway scenes become more relevant by the end of the episode. Barbrady panics, and shoots an unarmed Mexican, sorry Latin-American, student, triggering an explosion of hatred from the town towards the police. I read a complaint that the show has become too reliant on montages, as evidenced by the f*ck the police skit, but you are talking to the biggest montage fan in the world so........ As a result, the mayor fires Barbrady, and it causes a downward spiral in his life. It was touching to see a more human element to the show, as Barbrady struggles to stay on his feet and still support his best friend. Thinking about it, Barbrady may well be the best character on the show. He's chaotic at times, but can really shine through in a town full of nutcases. If anything, I think we need more Barbrady episodes.
The police department turns their back on the town as it struggles through some more homeless problems, leading to Barbrady being invited back into the fold. He commits the same mistake again, however, as he shoots another unarmed taco maker. The mayor fires him for the second times, this time for good. The town agrees to work with the police department, with the police solving the homeless problem, in exchange for being allowed to beat the sh*t out of more minorities. Under the guise of an investigation into his mischievous ways, Barbrady is told by a suit that his town is in trouble. The episode ends on a cliff hanger, only telling the viewers that bigger forces are at play, likely connecting to Leslie and PC Principal. Without spoiling too much, I have a pretty good idea where this is going, but Matt and Trey love to confuse the viewers.
Our sideplot for this episode is the title, as the boys have some fun dressing up as ninjas. They are mistaken as members of ISIS, and the resemblance is actually very strong, leading to more misunderstandings with the town. While it was fun to see them get some significant screen time, this whole story has been played out before. Cartman's scenes were somewhat interesting, but nothing that felt game changing. Not everything has to advance the plot, but in a strong season, it's disappointing that the boys have not really been involved. Most of the storylines they as a collective have been in are very hit and miss, With only a few episodes left, hopefully they will start to get something to work with soon.
I enjoyed this episode, and I think this may be the strongest season of South Park in history. While the episodes are not the best by themselves, I can't remember a season that has strung this many good ones in a row. With the climax to the gentrification storyline on the horizon, South Park is in prime position to finish well.
7/10
This would have been an 8, but a lack of direction with the boys knocked it down a rating. Again, not everything has to advance and be a part of the plot, but in a season where one storyline has been prevalent throughout, I'm forced to grade harsher for plots without development. I didn't really enjoy it anyway.
Officer Barbrady was the focal point for this episode, a welcome sight. He's been overlooked the past few years, and he delivers a strong performance. From top to bottom, Barbrady is entertaining and worth watching, as he deals with the PC changes to South Park. As the viewer, you can really understand how much he loves his town, and what it would mean for him to ever leave it. Its yet another step forward for the gentrification of the town, and a shining example of the struggle between the new and old South Park.
The episode opens with a call to the police department from PC Principal, as he yells at Leslie for no particular reason. These seemingly throwaway scenes become more relevant by the end of the episode. Barbrady panics, and shoots an unarmed Mexican, sorry Latin-American, student, triggering an explosion of hatred from the town towards the police. I read a complaint that the show has become too reliant on montages, as evidenced by the f*ck the police skit, but you are talking to the biggest montage fan in the world so........ As a result, the mayor fires Barbrady, and it causes a downward spiral in his life. It was touching to see a more human element to the show, as Barbrady struggles to stay on his feet and still support his best friend. Thinking about it, Barbrady may well be the best character on the show. He's chaotic at times, but can really shine through in a town full of nutcases. If anything, I think we need more Barbrady episodes.
The police department turns their back on the town as it struggles through some more homeless problems, leading to Barbrady being invited back into the fold. He commits the same mistake again, however, as he shoots another unarmed taco maker. The mayor fires him for the second times, this time for good. The town agrees to work with the police department, with the police solving the homeless problem, in exchange for being allowed to beat the sh*t out of more minorities. Under the guise of an investigation into his mischievous ways, Barbrady is told by a suit that his town is in trouble. The episode ends on a cliff hanger, only telling the viewers that bigger forces are at play, likely connecting to Leslie and PC Principal. Without spoiling too much, I have a pretty good idea where this is going, but Matt and Trey love to confuse the viewers.
Our sideplot for this episode is the title, as the boys have some fun dressing up as ninjas. They are mistaken as members of ISIS, and the resemblance is actually very strong, leading to more misunderstandings with the town. While it was fun to see them get some significant screen time, this whole story has been played out before. Cartman's scenes were somewhat interesting, but nothing that felt game changing. Not everything has to advance the plot, but in a strong season, it's disappointing that the boys have not really been involved. Most of the storylines they as a collective have been in are very hit and miss, With only a few episodes left, hopefully they will start to get something to work with soon.
I enjoyed this episode, and I think this may be the strongest season of South Park in history. While the episodes are not the best by themselves, I can't remember a season that has strung this many good ones in a row. With the climax to the gentrification storyline on the horizon, South Park is in prime position to finish well.
7/10
This would have been an 8, but a lack of direction with the boys knocked it down a rating. Again, not everything has to advance and be a part of the plot, but in a season where one storyline has been prevalent throughout, I'm forced to grade harsher for plots without development. I didn't really enjoy it anyway.
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