Every Tuesday, I will be attempting something unique. I will look through the pantheon on TV and determine what my favorite season of any show is. The goal is to explore the heights of these shows and better understand why they are beloved, at least by me. This is an experiment that I hope will last for awhile, though I am sure around the 30th entry, things will look a lot different and I will be grasping at straws. Anyways, join me for as long as this last and feel free to share some of your favorites with me as I go through this wonderful medium.
The Show
South Park (1997 - present)
It is the series that defined Comedy Central's ribald sensibilities. From creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, South Park was a series that was unapologetic about anything and everything from racism, politics, and current celebrity trends. While the series continually pressed buttons and ended up in the news, what gave the series longevity was its ability to also have some smarts in their jokes. Just because things could get offensive doesn't mean that there was something to chew on. While the series peaked in relevance during the post-9-11 era of confusion and disbelief, it continues to question societal desires and has even lead Stone and Parker to interesting film and stage careers beyond the series.
MY FAVORITE SEASON
Season 2 (1998-1999)
EPISODES
1.Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus
2. Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut
3. Chickenlover
4. Ike's Wee Wee
5. Conjoined Fetus Lady
6. The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka
7. City on the Edge of Forever
8. Summer Sucks
9. Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls
10. Chickenpox
11. Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods
12. Clubhouses
13. Cow Days
14. Chef Aid
15. Spookyfish
16. Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!
17. Gnomes
18. Prehistoric Ice Man
HIGHLIGHTS
5 Reasons It's the Best
1. After causing quite a stir with the end of the first season of cheaply animated delirium, South Park returned on April 1 with one of the most controversial episodes ever. This isn't to say that it was something offensive, but more that it debuted with an April Fool's Joke. This is the first time that the series would pull a middle finger on its audience and do whatever it wanted to do. The episode itself wasn't that funny, but the reaction was astounding with letters pouring in nonstop. It's a wonder that they eventually decided to let that episode back on the air after years of banning it.
2. In "Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls," the series managed to lampoon film festivals in an inspired fashion. Beyond pointing out how pretentious the films can be, they also discussed the stereotypical film (gay cowboys eating pudding), which became half true years later with Brokeback Mountain. Also, it is one of the few instances early on where Isaac Hayes got to get down and funky in a sexual manner with the titular song that promoted his product. It's cheap balls humor, but it still can raise a smile.
3. The fact that "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!" exists at all and manages to parody Peanuts holiday specials so effectively is creepy and amazing simultaneously.
4. "Conjoined Fetus Lady" manages to be one of the first episodes to tackle the subject of dealing with deformities and trying to exploit it for their own self esteem. While this would later be done to better effect, the idea of exploring this subject was still taboo and reflected how unapologetic South Park could be when exploring topics that reflected society's desire to be nice to each other by pointing out just how ridiculous that can be.
5. "Chickenlover" is the most heartwarming tale of a police officer learning to read while a juvenile poses as a cop and beats up people randomly while trying to solve a bestiality case. When it is discovered to be the crazy book guy, it only makes it more bizarre. It's so wrong, but from a procedural standpoint, it is rather hilarious and reflects how the cheap animation can pave the way for more interesting stories without worrying about too much discomfort.
BEST EPISODE
"Chef Aid"
There's plenty to pick from. However, one of the things that has always baffled me about South Park was how it managed to get such a high caliber mix of guest stars. It made no sense. However, in this episode, the benefit concert to get Chef out of jail features a wonderful line-up of relevant artists such as Joe Strummer, Ween, Elton John, and Meat Loaf. Spliced with footage of how Chef turned them onto music, it isn't the funniest or most controversial episode, but it is one of those examples where the series can be weird and fun without having to push buttons. It also didn't need to continually make fun of celebrities. Sometimes they can just come on and perform. There's a lot of excellent moments and it's still baffling that Elton John was even on this show. He seemed like too much of a square to do it. It also had its own real-life CD to accompany it.
WORST EPISODE
"Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus"
Even if I were to jokingly put it, the episode deserves an honorable mention solely for its confusing beginning to the season. While the Canadian duo would become more relevant to the series as time progressed, they were still a secondary group meant for offensive fart humor. To have an episode based around their antics, especially after a cliffhanger episode was just brilliant. It makes no sense out of context now that the episode is readily available. However, it's still strange and wonderful that the series in its second season had the courage to just mess with an audience that had yet to fully form an opinion of them.
FAVORITE PERFORMANCE
Eric Cartman in "Chickenlover"
Who is this fat, racist kid who is into get rich quick schemes and telling people to "Respect my authoritah!" For awhile, Cartman's offensive nature was the series' gateway into the absurdity that surrounded it. He was naive, but he was also a jerk to anyone that wanted the best for him. Beyond having a transvestite mother, this is the episode early on that defined him and launched a whole line of t-shirts. It's a wonderful moment where the series may have pushed the logic a little too far, but it gave us a glance into what that character could do. He didn't solve the case, but he still knew how to mess with people in an effective manner. He was simply a very funny fellow.
IS THE REST OF THE SERIES LIKE THIS?
Short answer: yes. It is tough to call a specific season of South Park the best, especially since its relevance and quality spanned well into its 10th season. The series even got more crass and creative. However, the reason that I selected season 2 is because it set up every block for what's to come. Also, it had the least amount of filler episodes. The characters were crass, but not too crass, and conceptually things were still being introduced. The shock was still fresh and thankfully the animation was greatly improved, even if it still looked cheap. It was a season that explored conjoined fetuses, bestiality, a briss, film festivals, negligent parenting, and a holiday special based around America's most famous serial killer. It is a fascinating season full of wonderful moments and while the series may have arguably lost its flair, it still manages to get people's attention when it needs to. This is a great reflection of where that all came from.
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