South Park 6/9

The more I think about it, the more I like the episode. It's weak moments set it up to run like another reheated plot -- Randy's dad does something embarrassing, an extended poop joke -- and has the audience say "here we go again." Then it shifts gears from another lukewarm episode into something unexpected. I don't know if it would have worked without trotting out of the gate.

Parker and Stone have lost a lot off their fastball (at least in this show, "The Book of Mormon" suggests they can still pack a wire-to-wire wallop) and it seems like they've recognized that and used it to their advantage this time around.

 

I still think they are as funny as they have ever been. Sure, there are epic stories in the mix, but they are still one of the funniest shows on TV. I almost think part of the show in question is taking a crack at the people are saying they lost their fastball and that they are just spewing crap.

 

I agree with this. I still love the show, and I think they've done their best to mix things up as they go along - The first couple seasons were incredibly raunchy, followed by a lot of social conscious stuff (Smug Alert, Death Camp of Tolerance), and lately, some fancraft stuff (the imaginary characters three-parter, Cartoon Wars).

From interviews with the creators, it does sound like they're really fatigued on the show though. It wouldn't surprise me if the final half of the season is relatively "straight" - like actually having a consistent narrative and less fantastical shit for the final seven episodes. While they are under contract for a couple more years, Comedy Central probably can't force them to do it against their will. (Hopefully they learned their lesson from Chappelle...)

 

Wow, I would consider myself to be as big a fan of South Park as there is within reason, and I think it's one of the funniest shows of all-time.

But I think they've been phoning it in for awhile. Granted, Trey and Matt's C-game is better than most people's A-game, and even when the show was at it's peak it would usually be 1-2 great shows followed by one mediocre one, which is understandable.

 

This latest one wasn't necessarily sub-par. It was just so deflating.

 

Agreed. I found it well-done, but depressing.

 

Watched it for a second time with my brother, who hadn't seen it yet. He laughed most of the way through "Landslide," then said "Wait, they ended on that?" when the credits came up.

 

The old men trying to stop the britches holocaust had me in tears.

It felt like this was the climax of the series. I feel like they're about to wrap up the loose ends with the final episodes and end it after their contract expires.

 

Whenever I hear Landslide, I always think of Stevie Nicks' Fajita Roundup.