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Last Wednesday night at ten o’clock, just like it has for over ten years, South Park aired on Comedy Central. But this time, South Park aired their 200th episode, the fifth of the 14th season, and quite possibly one of the best episodes of the series. Since the beginning of the 14th season, Comedy Central, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone (the show’s creators, writers, and voices) have been making much ado about this episode. The pair divulged a few months ago that the 200th episode would revisit various celebrities that South Park had taken shots at, a mainstay of the show since its inception. I always felt that South Park as a social satire had really developed in the show’s later seasons, so this was apropos of their second centennial. I suppose this was the reason I was so blown away by the 200th episode, because it wasn’t just a show about the various celebrities it has taken shots at, but it was a colossal love letter to the show’s most hardcore fans, and for that I thank them.
Before we get to what precisely made this one for the real fans, let’s talk for a minute about the celebrities. More and more frequently, South Park episodes focus on the absurdity of pop culture. For example, this season opened with an episode dedicated to recent celebrity sex scandals. But this is nothing new; from Kathy Lee Gifford to Mel Gibson to Britney Spears, nobody has been insulated from the Trey and Matt treatment. Of the hundreds of celebrities who made an appearance on the 200th episode, here are some of my favorites: Sally Struthers (absolutely loved her as Jabba the Hut in the Starvin Marvin in Space episode), Kanye West (seeing him in the green fishdicks suit was great), George Lucas (complete with Indiana Jones being raped), Hill-Dog (who, presumably, still has a snuke in her snizz), Russell Crowe (I’m glad he’s back and ready to fight some cancer), and plenty more. I also loved the inclusion of new celebrities, like Tim Burton, who according to Trey (and myself) hasn’t had an original thought since Beetlejuice and should just make love to Johnny Depp already. To be honest, however, I got a little tired of the Tom Cruise being a fudgepacker routine. We got it the first time you called him a fudgepacker, and that scene could have been trimmed down a bit.
I also love that they tested Comedy Central yet again with the Muhammad issue, this time pointing out the hypocrisy of it all by referencing the Super Best Friends episode, in which Muhammad appeared. It’s almost like Trey and Matt were like, “Come on, it’s our 200th episode, you can’t say no this time! And we already showed him! Come on!” They were quick to point out the absurdity of the whole situation with lines like, “When it comes to Muhammad, Jesus doesn’t matter,” and displaying Buddha doing drugs, where Jesus’ only reprimand was not to do it in front of kids. So, we learned Muhammad in the back of a U-haul is fine, but walking around in knight’s armor isn’t. And speaking of the Super Best Friends, I loved the return of Moses, who I wish still required macaroni pictures.
Okay, with all that out of the way, let’s talk about why I adored this episode. First and foremost, Mitch f-ing Connor. His brief cameo at the end of the already hilarious “Fat Butt and Pancake Head” is possibly one of my favorite moments in South Park history. Mitch Connor is the embodiment of Cartman’s insanity and criminal genius. When Cartman throws his voice, and starts talking about skipping towns as a con-man, I lose it. We all thought Connor bit the dust after he took that Cyanide pill with dramatic thoughts of whether or not he would dream (as Cartman waved his hand as if to shake himself of the possession). But I guess Trey and Matt got us, kind of.
Second, the Gingers. I knew South Park was going on the offensive against the gingers all over again after they released a video poking fun of the “angry ginger kid” viral videos during the off-season. Previews for this season included a shot of Cartman in full ginger costume mimicking his ridiculousness. I’m not sure if that is going to be part of the second part of the episode, if that ever comes to be at all. Still, great to see the Gingers back at the Airport Hilton, plotting their takeover. Huzzah!
Third, Mecha-Streisand. In an episode full of celebrity returns, it wouldn’t be complete without the return of Bar-bu-ra. This was relevant in two ways. Primarily, Streisand is perhaps the biggest foe of Matt and Trey. The original Mecha-Streisand episode was one of the first shots fired at Hollywood from South Park. Her name is even uttered in the South park movie as the worst curse word you could say, used to unleash Cartman’s V-chip fury and defeat Satan’s army. Also, the 5 story tall robot-zilla is used here as a demonstration of how far the show’s animation has come since its inception. Since Season 10, the show has looked absolutely phenomenal, and uses some serious computer technology that they don’t often get to show off. Here’s hoping we also see the return of Robert Smith from "The Cure" to once again help take down the mechanized beast.
As for the actual story, the final two happenings of the episode were HUGE. First, Mr. Hat made his return to the show, paying homage to the show’s beginnings. I always wondered if Mr. Hat would find his way back to Garrison’s hand. I wanted Hat to return, not because I thought Mr. Hat was hilarious, frankly I think Garrison has become much funnier since he dropped Mr. Hat, but because it’s a nod to people who have watched every episode religiously. The fact the Mr. Hat and Mitch Connor did time together back in Saigon had me rolling.
The granddaddy of them all, however, has to be regarding Eric Cartman’s father. All this time, we were led to believe that his mother was a hermaphrodite and was actually both his mother and his father. This is canonical, and the fact that they are brining this up is epic. I must have been close to 11 years old when my local cable network finally picked up Comedy Central. Before that, I was relegated to listening to .wav files of a very different sounding Cartman shouting that he was big boned, and not fat. “Cartman’s Mom is a Dirty Slut” was the first episode I ever saw, and from that moment I have been hooked. To go back and revisit that classic plot line is almost like Trey Parker saying, “thanks for watching, budday.”
One big question remains: will there be a part two? Who knows. If I had to bet, I would say that next week would be a Terrence and Phillip episode, followed by part two to close the first part of the season (for all of you who don’t know, “Not Without My Anus”, a T and P episode, followed the original “Cartman’s Mom is a Dirty Slut” before airing the much anticipated conclusion). And who is it? I’d say either Dr. Mephisto, who hasn’t been seen in quite some time, Chef a.k.a. Darth Chef, playing into the Star Wars theme, or Gerald Broflovski. While Cartman does sort of resemble Mephisto, Gerald as Cartman’s father would make him Kyle’s brother, and Jewish (sort of), which would make for some hilarious moments. Still, I’m putting money on the return of Chef. Playing into the theme of celebrities returning, brining Chef back would allow Trey and Matt to make amends with the deceased Isaacs Hayes, who played Chef on the series for years before quitting after some artistic disagreements. Chef had always been the town’s voice of reason, and his return could save the town one more time. But really, in the end and in our hearts, we all know Cartman’s father was the 1989 Denver Broncos.
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