By Gabriela Laracca
WARNING: ‘South Park’ is rated TV-MA for mature content. This review features crude humor, sexual and profane language as well as controversial view points.
On Wednesday Sept. 14, Comedy Central kicked off South Park’s 20th season with its first episode ‘Member Berries.’ Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park, also released episode two, ‘Skank Hunt,’ on Wednesday Sept. 21.
Stone and Parker have done it again with their incredibly satirical humor. Although this season is as controversial and vulgar as any, it has had this reporter in stitches since it aired.
So far, this season has had its usual nostalgic-references and indecent humor, but it also follows the ongoing presidential race. This season has proven to be linear from episode to episode with an ongoing story.
There are representations of both candidates shown although they are not exactly named correctly. Hillary Clinton is often referred to as ‘Turd Sandwich’ in the episodes while Donald Trump is referred to as ‘Giant Douche.’ What is even more ridiculous is that ‘Turd Sandwich’ actually looks like Clinton but ‘Giant Douche’ is played by Mr. Garrison, a returning character, complete with ‘Make America Great Again’ signs and extremist right wing behavior.
‘Member Berries’ is all over the place.
On one plot line, everyone in South Park is obsessed with these new berries called ‘member berries’ that speak of nostalgic things before you eat them. For example, before Mr. Mackey, the school guidance counselor, eats one the berries are chanting things like “Remember Chewbacca? I member. Remember the storm troopers! Yes, yes, I member!” in a hilariously soothing and somewhat racist voice.
The other main plotline in ‘Member Berries’ is based on the current fight on whether one should sit or stand during the National Anthem – a jab at the unnecessary hype over NFL player Collin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand in the name of social justice. Government officials decide that the only way to end this controversial chaos is to have J. J. Abrams reboot the National Anthem – a joke directed at his reputation as a rebooter.
During this episode, we also see a parody of cyber bullying in an act that, of course, Eric Cartman, gets blamed for. The girls and women of South Park are being targeted by an anonymous online user. This plotline carries into episode two.
In ‘Skank Hunt,’ the primary plotline is finding out that Gerald Broflovski, Kyle’s dad, is the anonymous cyber bully. In this episode, he has escalated to taking pictures of random people in South Park and editing a penis over their face in a sexual manner. Although vulgar and not for everyone, as usual, Stone and Parker were taking a satirical yet important jab at cyber bullies and trolls on the internet.
The presidential race is also featured in this episode with Mr. Garrison, or ‘Giant Douche,’ leading the polls. Once he realizes how far ahead he is, he starts to panic because he, nor his VP Caitlyn Jenner, know what they are doing or what they are going to do. He then starts anonymously campaigning for Hillary Clinton, or ‘Turd Sandwich.’
Overall, this episode is already drowned in Stone and Parker’s usual satire. Season 20 episode three will air on Wednesday, Sept. 28, just after this article’s release.
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