SOUTH PARK (2018) – SEASON 22 REVIEW

Directed by: Trey Parker
Produced by: South Park Studios
Written by: Trey Parker
No. of episodes: 10
Release Date: September 22 2018 – December 12 2018
UK Release: Comedy Central

Trey Parker’s scandalous and scatological satire South Park shows no sign of slowing down in its mission of targeting the various sacred cows, media, celebrities, politicians and fads of society. The shenanigans of the small Colorado town reach their 22^nd season, as the likes of: Cartman, Sharon, Randy, Kyle, Mr Mackey, PC Principal, Stan, Mr Hankey, Butters, Mrs Cartman etc. continue to be used as Parker’s conduits for comedy and social commentary.

Season 22 started slowly but ultimately proved a hit for me. Nonetheless the show is arguably a victim of its own formula and success. There are few surprises left as the show bases most episodes on satirising current events and the cultural zeitgeist. Plus, the characters are so well formed that we are rarely shocked by what they do. However, the writing, gag-rate and thought-provoking narratives prove the show is as strong as ever.

Arguably not as memorable as the incredible Season 19 (review here); there is a lot to recommend in Season 22! Below, I will now look at each episode in turn and consider their various merits.

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

EPISODE 1 – DEAD KIDS – Mark: 8 out of 11.

School shootings and the lack of reaction to them force Sharon Marsh to become apoplectic in her outrage. A solid episode which didn’t quite catch fire but had its moments; as Sharon’s PMT is ridiculed by Randy unfairly with Parker clearly stating gun crime something must be done about this horrendous stain on United States society.

EPISODE 2 – A BOY AND A PRIEST – Mark 8 out of 11.

Butters “befriends” Father Maxi as the Catholic Church once again try and cover up historical paedophilia. I was shocked but how unshocked I was by the episode yet it contains many great gags. Parker ensures we do not forget the horrific crimes committed by priests down the age; highlighting the hypocrisy that continues to be presented by the Catholic hierarchy.

EPISODE 3 – THE PROBLEM WITH A POO – Mark 8.5 out of 11.

Talking turd Mr Hankey was never my favourite character, but the show literally gets loads of “shit” jokes out of him. Here, Parker satirises celebrity Twitter scandals but more interestingly focusses on Vice Principal Strong Woman giving birth to five PC Babies! This precipitates a fantastic running joke throughout the series involving PC Babies crying persistently at mention of something that does not fit their progressive agenda.

EPISODE 4 – TEGRIDY FARM – Mark: 9 out of 11

The series really started hitting its stride as Parker snipes at the vaping craze and the legalisation of marijuana in Colorado. Typically, Randy Marsh driven episodes are almost often classics and here he becomes a hemp farmer. Similarly, Cartman has become a vape dealer and the two narrative strands combine to delightful effect.

EPISODE 5 – THE SCOOTS – Mark: 9 out of 11

This was another brilliant and funny episode. It combines elements of Hitchcock’s The Birds, with satirising of human beings’ obsession with smartphones and Halloween. I loved the way the episode built from Mr Mackey’s panic with the E-Scooters as they threaten to take over the town. As this is South Park it all soon descends into disaster and brilliant anarchic humour.

EPISODES 6 & 7 – TIME TO GET CEREAL / NO ONE GOT CEREAL – Mark: 9 out of 11

In this hilarious two-parter the kids’ old “friend” Al Gore comes out of retirement due to a monster killing citizens of South Park. It turns out it’s the analogous beast ‘ManBearPig’; a demonic animal part-pig-part-man-part-bear. If you didn’t know ‘ManBearPig’ is an absurd symbol for the Environment, and here Parker depicts Gore as not just a figure of fun but actually smugly correct in his global predictions. Meanwhile, the authorities – including the police – reject the existence of ‘ManBearPig’ and blame the kids for the murders. Satan makes an appearance too as the two-parter amusingly critiques: Climate Change deniers, inept policing and addiction to video-games such as Red Dead Redemption 2.

EPISODE 8 – BUDDHA BOX – Mark: 8 out of 11

Cartman’s anxiety leads him to wear a cardboard ‘Buddha Box’ over his head to isolate himself from society. Sending up further our obsession with mobile phones by eschewing meaningful human contact is always going to get laughs and Parker achieves that here. However, the PC Babies gags win the episode as taking the piss out of snowflake millennials continues to be hilarious.

EPISODES 9 & 10 – UNFULFILLED / BIKE PARADE – Mark: 10 out of 11

The highlight of the season was undoubtedly the episode called Unfulfilled. Here South Park pokes its parodic tentacles at Amazon, never losing its grasp. Amazon open a warehouse in South Park, and after an accident, the employees go on strike. This industrial action leads to Jeff Bezos himself coming to South Park; with Parker depicting him as a cold telekinetic alien. The episode and the follow-up Bike Parade show the various ways the people of South Park deal with the lack of fulfilment from the Amazon non-deliveries. Here Parker combines Marxist doctrine and consumer culture satire with absurd comedy and horror parody to amazing effect. These episodes once again show that South Park retains the balls and strength to make us laugh and think in equal measures.  

Overall mark: 8.5 out of 11.