South Park: The Pandemic Special
December 16, 2020 3:40 PM - Season 24, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Randy comes to terms with his role in the COVID-19 outbreak as the on-going pandemic presents continued challenges to the citizens of South Park.
I happened across this quite by accident since it was suggested by HBO following my watching The Tale (talk about a tonal shift). I remember discovering The Spirit of Christmas during my post high-school summer tech job and then being quite a devoted fan of the first few seasons of South Park when I was an undergraduate. I and my politics have changed a lot since then, and I hadn't watched the show in probably well over a decade—though I enjoyed The Book Of Mormon—so I was curious to see if it felt recognizable or relevant at all.
After watching, I'm left quite ambivalent. In terms of the characters and setting, it was like no time had passed at all. And yet, in true South Park fashion and unlike most animated shows, it was exceptionally relevant to current events (note: this premiered September 30, 2020, just days before the U.S. election). I found the running meta commentary and universal skewering of the various pandemic reactions to be well-done and amusing, but some characters still leave a bad taste in my mouth. On one hand, there are plenty of people like Cartman in the world today, and representing those views with a major character provides the show a vehicle for commentary, but I can't help feeling that the narrative voice is more positive towards an aggressive, prejudiced, arrogant, narcissistic, racist, xenophobic, anti-semitic, self-righteous child than it should be. Parker and Stone are very clearly anti-Trump in this special (and their commentary on the inequal impacts of the pandemic I found quite poignant), but apart from the age and access to power how different are Trump and Cartman, really?
MeFi doesn't seem to be a bastion of South Park fans, but I'm interested in more discussion around this and so I'm posting in the hopes to hear some other folks' takes.
I happened across this quite by accident since it was suggested by HBO following my watching The Tale (talk about a tonal shift). I remember discovering The Spirit of Christmas during my post high-school summer tech job and then being quite a devoted fan of the first few seasons of South Park when I was an undergraduate. I and my politics have changed a lot since then, and I hadn't watched the show in probably well over a decade—though I enjoyed The Book Of Mormon—so I was curious to see if it felt recognizable or relevant at all.
After watching, I'm left quite ambivalent. In terms of the characters and setting, it was like no time had passed at all. And yet, in true South Park fashion and unlike most animated shows, it was exceptionally relevant to current events (note: this premiered September 30, 2020, just days before the U.S. election). I found the running meta commentary and universal skewering of the various pandemic reactions to be well-done and amusing, but some characters still leave a bad taste in my mouth. On one hand, there are plenty of people like Cartman in the world today, and representing those views with a major character provides the show a vehicle for commentary, but I can't help feeling that the narrative voice is more positive towards an aggressive, prejudiced, arrogant, narcissistic, racist, xenophobic, anti-semitic, self-righteous child than it should be. Parker and Stone are very clearly anti-Trump in this special (and their commentary on the inequal impacts of the pandemic I found quite poignant), but apart from the age and access to power how different are Trump and Cartman, really?
MeFi doesn't seem to be a bastion of South Park fans, but I'm interested in more discussion around this and so I'm posting in the hopes to hear some other folks' takes.
Well it's not like Cartman suffers any permanent consequences. And he gets do many quotable lines, and he's funny. He's really the poster child for the "Oh Gamergate/Incels/Proud Boys/etc are just being silly. If you take them seriously it's YOUR problem" crowd.
posted by happyroach at 9:33 AM on December 17, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by happyroach at 9:33 AM on December 17, 2020 [3 favorites]
Parker and Stone are very clearly anti-Trump in this special (and their commentary on the inequal impacts of the pandemic I found quite poignant), but apart from the age and access to power how different are Trump and Cartman, really?
Well it's not like Cartman suffers any permanent consequences. And he gets do many quotable lines, and he's funny. He's really the poster child for the "Oh Gamergate/Incels/Proud Boys/etc are just being silly. If you take them seriously it's YOUR problem" crowd.
So not very different at all then really.
posted by some loser at 7:43 AM on December 19, 2020
Well it's not like Cartman suffers any permanent consequences. And he gets do many quotable lines, and he's funny. He's really the poster child for the "Oh Gamergate/Incels/Proud Boys/etc are just being silly. If you take them seriously it's YOUR problem" crowd.
So not very different at all then really.
posted by some loser at 7:43 AM on December 19, 2020
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I haven't watched South Park in a long time, but I am a fan. I do agree though that there are times when Cartman comes across as a hero a bit more than what Parker and Stone probably intend and that can be off-putting
posted by Fukiyama at 8:46 PM on December 16, 2020