A strong season of South Park continues with a Killer Mike rap, a collection of Hummels and some old lady farts.
I'll be damned if I didn't laugh out loud a solid three or four times in this episode. South Park has always worked well as a show that takes very serious issues and turns them completely on their head. In this case, it's the nation's current opioid crisis. The show doesn't really go to hard into the issue, instead working to tell their own story in their own way. The boys are once more the focus of the episode, with Stan in particular getting the spotlight. His interactions with his grandfather, as well as the general state of the nursing home he's staying at, take up most of the airtime, and produce a top quality main storyline.
If you've ever seen a show centered around a prison, you'll probably get the gist of what Matt and Trey are going for here. All the stereotypes are in play, from the "head bitch" Ms. McGillicuddy and her flourishing drug trade, to the "Solitaire" room, a great pun on solitary confinement. Hummels are the main trade here, and Stan is roped in by his grandfather, quickly turning into a drug dealer. The idea in general of a nursing home as a prison is absolutely fantastic, and makes for some top quality gags. Later in the episode, Cartman, Kyle, Butters and Kenny perform a barbershop quartet that is among South Park's greatest scenes. There isn't a huge amount of expansion onto this idea, however, which is a pretty big drawback to the episode. The world that Stan finds himself inhabiting is very limited and one-dimensional, with the entirety of the focus on ending McGillicuddy's evil reign. And it end it Stan does, as he steals her Hummel collection, allowing his grandfather to beat the absolute tar out of her. Watching him clobber her with a bag of figurines makes this whole story worth it, and is another top-quality scene.
One of the major by-products of the drug trade is the increasing number of deaths of children's entertainers in the community. After watching Chuck E. Cheese overdose at his own birthday part, new character Marcus begins to investigate his death. I don't have a great history of liking newcomers on South Park, as I think the show can do perfectly well with the characters they have. Here, Marcus does a decent job, although he's fairly one note. After he discovers Stan's involvement in the tragic deaths of these ridiculous characters, it leads to a fairly intense stand-off. In the end, Stan convinces Marcus to go after the top of the food chain, and the episode closes as Marcus crashes a pharmaceutical convention.
8/10
This is a very solid entry in what has been an entertaining but inconsistent season of South Park. While I've enjoyed parts of each episode, like this one, I've yet to see anything approaching the full package. We'll have to see next week if the show can reach those lofty heights.
I'll be damned if I didn't laugh out loud a solid three or four times in this episode. South Park has always worked well as a show that takes very serious issues and turns them completely on their head. In this case, it's the nation's current opioid crisis. The show doesn't really go to hard into the issue, instead working to tell their own story in their own way. The boys are once more the focus of the episode, with Stan in particular getting the spotlight. His interactions with his grandfather, as well as the general state of the nursing home he's staying at, take up most of the airtime, and produce a top quality main storyline.
If you've ever seen a show centered around a prison, you'll probably get the gist of what Matt and Trey are going for here. All the stereotypes are in play, from the "head bitch" Ms. McGillicuddy and her flourishing drug trade, to the "Solitaire" room, a great pun on solitary confinement. Hummels are the main trade here, and Stan is roped in by his grandfather, quickly turning into a drug dealer. The idea in general of a nursing home as a prison is absolutely fantastic, and makes for some top quality gags. Later in the episode, Cartman, Kyle, Butters and Kenny perform a barbershop quartet that is among South Park's greatest scenes. There isn't a huge amount of expansion onto this idea, however, which is a pretty big drawback to the episode. The world that Stan finds himself inhabiting is very limited and one-dimensional, with the entirety of the focus on ending McGillicuddy's evil reign. And it end it Stan does, as he steals her Hummel collection, allowing his grandfather to beat the absolute tar out of her. Watching him clobber her with a bag of figurines makes this whole story worth it, and is another top-quality scene.
One of the major by-products of the drug trade is the increasing number of deaths of children's entertainers in the community. After watching Chuck E. Cheese overdose at his own birthday part, new character Marcus begins to investigate his death. I don't have a great history of liking newcomers on South Park, as I think the show can do perfectly well with the characters they have. Here, Marcus does a decent job, although he's fairly one note. After he discovers Stan's involvement in the tragic deaths of these ridiculous characters, it leads to a fairly intense stand-off. In the end, Stan convinces Marcus to go after the top of the food chain, and the episode closes as Marcus crashes a pharmaceutical convention.
8/10
This is a very solid entry in what has been an entertaining but inconsistent season of South Park. While I've enjoyed parts of each episode, like this one, I've yet to see anything approaching the full package. We'll have to see next week if the show can reach those lofty heights.
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