From its inception in 1997, Comedy Central's Emmy award-winning cartoon South Park has graduated from simply pushing the boundaries of good taste to offering trenchant social commentary . . . while pushing the boundaries of good taste.
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are coming from a Libertarian rightist perspective (Stone once said, "We hate conservatives, but we really f*****g hate Liberals.") but, in their 13th season, South Park takes shots at everyone from the Jonas Brothers to Glenn Beck, Paul Watson to Mexican President Felipe Calderón. While Parker and Stone's social commentary is as outrageous and deadly as ever, one gets the feeling the duo's outrage at current events is stronger than their comedy.
Comedy Central, Paramount Home Video Distribute South Park: The Complete 13th Season DVD
No blow is too low when Trey Parker and Matt Stone take aim at a target. Whether it's showing a picture of environmentalist Paul Watson with the word 'turd' scrawled across his face ('Whale Whores'), mocking rapper Kanye West's arrogance by depicting him thinking that a popular joke was about him ('Fishsticks') or depicting the WWE's Vince McMahon as an effete theatre punter, South Park's satire goes straight for the jugular.
That's not to say that such shots at celebrity are undeserved. Whether it's the Jonas Brothers preaching purity while giving their preteen fans hot foam facials or right-wing commentator Glenn Beck's wild rants at anything that offends him (a very long list indeed), Parker and Stone have an unerring way of puncturing pomposity and pointing out the ridiculousness of everyday existence.
And you can't decide whether to laugh at South Park's depiction of Michael Jackson in 'Dead Celebrities' or pity the fallen King of Pop.
That's not to say that every episode works well. While 'The Coon' expertly spoofs The Dark Knight or Disney's corporate practices in 'The Ring,' 'Eat, Pray, Queef' has a relatively weak premise that focuses on a distaff version of fart comedians Terence and Philip. And, while excellent, the satire in the Emmy Award-winning 'Margaritaville' cuts a little too close to the bone to be truly funny. It seems Parker and Stone's outrage over some events have temporarily shorted their comedic instincts.
South Park: The Complete 13th Season DVD Extras
In addition to Parker and Stone's "mini-commentaries" accompanying every episode (try to muster a little more enthusiasm next time, guys), Paramount Home Video offers seven deleted scenes from various episodes. At least 3 of those scenes would have made their respective episodes a lot stronger, especially the alternate ending of 'The Coon' or the final gag in 'Fishsticks.'
'A Behind-the-Scenes tour of South Park Studios' is exactly as advertised, brought to you by Inside Xbox.
South Park Season 13: Not One of Their Better Years
It's almost too much to expect a television show as haphazardly put together as South Park to maintain a consistent level of quality year after year. Although S13 doesn't deliver as many laughs as in previous years, it's still too early to start writing the show's obituary.
Parker and Stone instincts for an issue's idiocies remain as strong as ever, as is their ability to outrage, but one gets the sense that the creators' outrage won over their funny bones last year. Not surprising, considering what went down in 2009, but hopefully South Park will up the comedy quotient next season.
South Park: The Complete 13th Season DVD gets a 3/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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