If you don't have a rose get the FUDGE OUT of the South Park Thread

[Reply #480 on:]

First season 18 preview:

[youtube]rnK-jYzaWtw[/youtube]

No info on the episode's name or plot yet, though. We'll probably get those tomorrow.

[Reply #481 on:]

That was pretty good, at least for a small clip. Looking forward to the episode.

[Reply #482 on:]

That was a good clip, though I'm worried about how interesting I'll find a plot built around that concept. Given how South Park is written these days, I expect that the episode will largely be that joke repeated 20 times.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Reply #483 on:]

Well, if they're tackling "racism in modern sports" as a general topic, rather than just specifically the Redskins, I'm sure they'll be touching on Donald Sterling as well. Though yeah, could go either way (as with any given South Park episode these days).

I will say, if this is the focal point, it already feels a little too similar to The F Word and With Apologies to Jesse Jackson.

[Reply #484 on:]

Episode information revealed:

Go Fund Yourself

Show spoiler

After Cartman and the boys name their new company, The Washington Redskins, they just sit back and watch the funding roll in. The head coach of the Washington Redskins football team demands that they change the name but Cartman digs in his heels. The Washington Redskins may never mean the same thing ever again.

Press images:

Show spoiler

Show spoiler

[Reply #485 on:]

It's good take on issue in South Park's style and I agree if there's not much other interesting content, it's basically same thing as countless other episodes, but we'll see.

[Reply #486 on:]

Yeah, I feel like the show has been repeating storylines for quite some time now

[Reply #487 on:]

Well, let's not forget that South Park now has almost as many episodes in the bag as The Simpsons did when South Park originally released "The Simpsons Already Did It." Coupled with the fact that South Park has a far more specific style, formula and objective, which doesn't allow for as much experimentation as The Simpsons did (not that the writers ever take much advantage of that, save from an episode or two per season).

At this point, I'm just happy to see a new South Park episode that isn't just the same 2 or 3 jokes being rammed into the ground repeatedly. It's a lazy writing technique that Matt and Trey would be better off abandoning altogether.

[Reply #488 on:]

Season 18 trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFT7...ature=youtu.be

Like seeing Nathan/Mimsy back. Garrison's line gives me hope that classic hateful Garrison might return this Season. Cartman being gay to use the girls restroom looks weird, but could be funny. Redskins episode doesn't sound like the worst "current events" episode the show has done, but still doesn't really interest me, especially with the show's track record for bad premiere episodes for the last few Seasons.

Eh, don't really have high hopes for the Season, especially with some of the terrible episodes from last Season, but I'm still looking forward to it, and hopeful it'll at least have a few good episodes in it.

Edit: Bill Hader won't be in the writers room for the entire Season due to working on a movie at the same time. Will miss him, though he didn't seem to do much besides offer a little bit of voice variety between Trey/Matt's voices.

[Reply #489 on:]

I had high hopes for him as a writer last year, but that clearly didn't happen

[Reply #490 on:]

Generally the other writers aside from Trey are employed largely as people to bounce ideas off than anything else. I doubt any change in writing staff there would have a particularly noticeable impact on the show.

[Reply #491 on:]

I felt like Robert Popper's involvement had a significant impact on season 14. Season 14 is so much better than the seasons surrounding it, it's just bizarre and I can only assume it's because he was involved.

As for South Park's style not allowing for experimentation and the like, I completely disagree. South Park can do pretty much any storyline that they want to, whereas The Simpsons largely has to exist within the realms of reality.

Add to that that South Park has produced loads of experimental episodes in its run:
"Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus" - an entire episode that's just a Terrance and Phillip special
"City on the Edge of Forever" - a clip show that reinvents its clips
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" - an entire episode of Christmas songs with no narrative
"Pip" - an episode adapting the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations and only featuring one of the show's usual cast-members - and cast member that's only a side character at that
"Kenny Dies" - an episode that plays Kenny's death entirely straight and handles it like a drama - they even started production on the episode with the intention of there not being any jokes in it, but found it too hard to stop themselves from writing gags
"Butters' Very Own Episode" - an entire episode about Butters without involvement from the main characters
"Good Times With Weapons" - a show that makes extensive use of anime-style animation
"Woodland Critter Christmas" - a non-canon, rhyming Christmas story
"A Million Little Fibers" - an entire episode about a side-character and two new characters, not featuring any of the usual cast
"Make Love, Not Warcraft" - an episode that employed extensive use of video game footage in order to tell its story
"Major Boobage" - an episode that made use of hand-drawn animation techniques
"Crippled Summer" - an episode produced in the style of Intervention
"I Should Never Have Gone Ziplining" - an episode produced in the style of those crappy "documentaries" that you get and one that features a live-action recreation of events

There are loads of other episodes that could be considered experimental but I think the above are pretty inarguably experimental. I'd say that the show has a history of being more experimental than The Simpsons if anything. The Simpsons produces loads of three-non-canon-segment episodes, but that's only really experimental the first time they try it out. Beyond that, what have they done? The Lego episode, the Halloween special where Homer travels to a CGI dimension... maybe the one with the insane chilli pepper that takes Homer on a trip.

[Reply #492 on:]

Season 18 trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFT7...ature=youtu.be

That link takes me to a broken video.

[Reply #493 on:]

As for South Park's style not allowing for experimentation and the like, I completely disagree. South Park can do pretty much any storyline that they want to, whereas The Simpsons largely has to exist within the realms of reality.

That's true, though most of the episodes you listed were parodies of specific things, and so still fit into South Park's usual "parody/satire" objective. Also, only one of those episodes listed was a season premiere, and only two were from the last 5 seasons.

More to the point, though, I meant "any given episode of either show" as opposed to the ones with huge shifts in style/presentation. The Simpsons has some very specific formulas that largely dominate their episodes too, though it doesn't have the unspoken guideline of "we NEED to satirise a current event every episode" that South Park now has. Not to mention that the larger cast of characters does allows for more potential people to centre an episode on outside of its usual players. So perhaps "experimental" wasn't the right word there, but I'd argue that it has more story potential within any standard episode of The Simpsons when compared to present day South Park which almost always sticks to social/political satire these days.

(And, of course, both pale in comparison to shows like Futurama and Rick & Morty in terms of story potential)

You're right about season 14 though - I loved the show's return to the abstract Python-esque humour that made the early seasons so unique. And I'd very much like to see a little more of that this year.

[Reply #494 on:]

There are loads of other episodes that could be considered experimental but I think the above are pretty inarguably experimental.

There's also the Dr. Seuss-style segment in "A Scause for Applause".

[Reply #495 on:]

Hmm, I suppose that's true, but there's no reason that South Park needs to satirise something every week. That's a self-imposed element of the show and, to be honest, I imagine it's so prevalent because it's easier for Trey Parker to use current events as a jumping off point when brainstorming new story ideas than it is to come up with something entirely original. I bet there would be loads more episodes about the kids just being kids if it were easier to write because both Trey Parker and a lot of fans are quite outspoken about their like of those sorts of episodes.

[Reply #496 on:]

There are loads of other episodes that could be considered experimental but I think the above are pretty inarguably experimental.

There's also the Dr. Seuss-style segment in "A Scause for Applause".

That's true, and that segment was effing fantastic.

But yeah, I should've clarified, I was speaking specifically about South Park in its current incarnation. I still think the best season of the show was season 6, and a lot of that was due to Matt and Trey shaking up the show's formula and playing around with what South Park could potentially be.

I also love the "kids being kids" episodes, and it's more than possible to incorporate it into the show while retaining it satirical/parody-based approach (Good Times With Weapons immediately springs to mind here).

[Reply #497 on:]

I still think the best season of the show was season 6

Best season for me has always been season 8, there isn't a single bad episode in it.

*edit*

For you UK fans who don't watch the new episodes online, season 18 starts on the 1st October at 10pm on Comedy Central.

[Reply #498 on:]

Season 8 was the first of the straight up seven and seven seasons, so it was still a fresh take on that and both halves were still equally good

[Reply #499 on:]

I still think the best season of the show was season 6

Best season for me has always been season 8, there isn't a single bad episode in it.

8 is a great season too (in fact, all of seasons 6-8 is pretty much a perfect run, in my opinion), though 6 earns extra points for introducing Professor Chaos, Lemmiwinks and the excellent "Kenny's soul" story arc.

[Reply #500 on:]

the excellent "Kenny's soul" story arc.

"A Ladder to Heaven" is an excellent episode.

[Reply #501 on:]

It is indeed, though The Biggest Douche in the Universe may be my favourite episode of the entire series (excluding mulit-parters).

It's also worth mentioning that seasons 6, 7 and 8 are all quite similar in tone/style, and so season 6 also earns a few extra points for being the real turning point of the show, in my opinion.

[Reply #502 on:]

Well obviously this is going to strike a disagreement, but while I like season 14, I think it was the weakest of the show so far at the time it aired. There were definitely more episodes I loved in the preceding few seasons.

[Reply #503 on:]

My major issue with season 14 isn't anything to do with the show itself, it's to do with how the episodes "200" and "201" were completely removed from the region 2 DVD release of that season. And they're pretty damn good episodes, too.

[Reply #504 on:]

I remember, when watching through the series, season 14 was somewhat better than some preceding it. Also some season 15 episodes really stood out to me.

[Reply #505 on:]

I agree about season 8 being the best of the show. That season is just perfect.

Season 6 is my second favourite, though. Another great.

Well obviously this is going to strike a disagreement, but while I like season 14, I think it was the weakest of the show so far at the time it aired. There were definitely more episodes I loved in the preceding few seasons.

Really? Worse than season 12? Up until season 16, I always thought 12 was noticeably worse than the rest. That's the turning point, for me, when the show stopped being a mixture of bad and awesome episodes and became a mixture of bad and merely alright episodes.

[Reply #506 on:]

Also some season 15 episodes really stood out to me.

Season 15 got off to a really shitty start, I was worried that the show had finally lost its spark, but they really picked it up with the second-half of the episodes.

[Reply #507 on:]

Well obviously this is going to strike a disagreement, but while I like season 14, I think it was the weakest of the show so far at the time it aired. There were definitely more episodes I loved in the preceding few seasons.

Really? Worse than season 12? Up until season 16, I always thought 12 was noticeably worse than the rest. That's the turning point, for me, when the show stopped being a mixture of bad and awesome episodes and became a mixture of bad and merely alright episodes.

I definitely remember you registering your dislike of season 12 before in this thread, so I can only assume I've said my opinion on it before in response. The season had its share of forgettable episodes, but I can't think of any that truly left a bad taste in my mouth, and a few of them stand up as some of my favorite episodes, namely the Pandemics and Elementary School Musical. I might agree that the season was the worst so far at the time, but I'd take it over season 14 easily.

[Reply #508 on:]

Well that was incredibly disappointing. There were a few good concepts for jokes in there, mainly at the end, but it wasn't fleshed out enough to even come close to filling the episode. Way too many uninspired gags and awkward scenes of jokeless dialogue with music behind it between the boys.

The last several seasons have all opened with a pretty weak premiere episode so I can only hope they find their footing after this one.

[Reply #509 on:]

I gotta agree with Josh on this one. Disappointing episode, although I didn't find it to be nearly as disappointing as Let go, Let Gov.

It had the potential to be something great, in my opinion. But it just couldn't be. 

[Reply #510 on:]

I liked the obvious comparisons to cowboys & Indians at the end, but overall the ending was very weak. An average episode imo.

[Reply #511 on:]

Hmm, I actually very much enjoyed this episode.

While I think the show's at its best when it structures an episode in a highly focused manner, I'm fine with South Park having lots of balls in the air and being a little all-over-the-place from time to time - as long as it's consistently funny the whole way through. With the generally short scenes and constant interjecting tagents, there wasn't any particular aspect about it that got boring/played out. It was just solid comedy the whole way through with decent satire sprinkled throughout. Not vintage South Park, but solid nonetheless (and, by recent years' standards, that's the best we can hope for in a season premiere).

[Reply #512 on:]

Eh, I enjoyed it. It was decent for what the show's output is like these days and it was a hell of a lot better than season 17's premiere. Nothing special, but an enjoyable 23 minutes.

Does anyone know which two weeks have been scheduled in as their breaks like last year?

[Reply #513 on:]

Does anyone know which two weeks have been scheduled in as their breaks like last year?

I don't think there is meant to be two breaks, last year one of the breaks was because of the power outage they had so they were unable to finish the episode on time.

[Reply #514 on:]

Does anyone know which two weeks have been scheduled in as their breaks like last year?

I don't think there is meant to be two breaks, last year one of the breaks was because of the power outage they had so they were unable to finish the episode on time.

They were supposed to have two breaks last year, though, they just took the first one a week early for the reason you mentioned (had there been no power outage, there would have been a scheduled break the following week anyway).

I'd imagine they'd be at the same points this year, too - one around episode 4, and the other around episode 8.

[Reply #515 on:]

New episode was decent. There wasn't much plot, but it was a good satire. I liked Cartman not remembering Kyle's name.

Also, I hope there's going to be episode about FCC, ISPs and net neutrality thing.

[Reply #516 on:]

Pretty standard episode. The Redskin/Kickstarter topics were done pretty obviously, especially the Redskin Indian comparison. I liked Cartman's presentations and Dan Snyder facing the Cowboys, also enjoyed the opening with the boys shouting out disgusting names, but the rest was pretty typical SP stuff. Not a terrible episode, but nothing really inspired either.

 Overall, a 2.5/5, better than Let Go, Let Gov, nothing cringy or nonsensical was done at least, but not something I'd want to see again.

[Reply #517 on:]

Episode 2 information:

Gluten Free Ebola

Show spoiler

Mr. Mackey is now gluten free and everyone is annoyed when he won't quit preaching about how great he feels. But, after witnessing a disturbing demonstration of what happens to your body when you do eat gluten, South Park becomes the first town in America to go gluten free.

Press images:

Show spoiler

Show spoiler

[Reply #518 on:]

Hmm, some of the best episodes of South Park are the ones that are able to pull of a sort of "apocalypse" storyline, but obviously, there's only so many ways you can do that without repeating yourselves. I kind of hope they've found a fresh new take on that shtick.

Either way, it sounds interesting. Thanks for posting these here, by the way, Danny.

[Reply #519 on:]

Hmmm, been a few seasons since an apocalypse storyline. Granted, they're quite predictable, but they've always been hilarious (Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow would definitely make a top 10 list if I had to put one together). I don't care how original it is, I just want it to be funny.