I tried to stay away. Curse those rockin' tits.

[thehefner]

Trey Parker and Matt Stone have put every SOUTH PARK episode on-line for free.

Twelve seasons and still going strong. This show should have fizzled out around season two, yet somehow, they actually got better and better. Whereas the five-times-more-popular FAMILY GUY quickly became a retread of itself, and THE SIMPSONS has but the rare excellent gem amid its current seasons of mediocrity, SOUTH PARK is still goddamn brilliant. I was starting to get concerned this season, though. The first two episodes had been kinda weak. But then this week's episode aired, and... oh sweet lord, we were dying over here.

So for those looking to catch up on SOUTH PARK, might I humbly suggest trying the following episodes...

Season 5: "Scott Tenorman Must Die"

Season 7: "Fat Butt and Pancake Head," AKA "Jennifer Lopez."

Season 8: "Good Times with Weapons," (if I were a monster, I'd suggest "Woodland Critter Christmas")

Season 10: "Make Love Not Warcraft."

There are so many others, but those just pop out at me as must-sees.

If you haven't seen this week's, "Major Boobage," a stellar homage of 1981's HEAVY METAL, oh dear lord do. It actually made me want to watch HEAVY METAL again, which is saying something. I think that film is one of the classic examples of "You had to be there."

Some of the best American satire being produced today. Even if it's not for all tastes (but then, what satire is?)

Comments

[torberg.livejournal.com]

Well, the do still have their complete crap. I watched the season opener and, while I think I get some of the point they were trying to make, they wey they went about it just fell flat with me.

On the other hand, "Imaginationland" was wonderful and I still want to see all of "The List."

"Okay, we learned that girls don't have nuts."

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Quite right. I was lacking the brainpower and eloquence earlier when I tried to talk about how they have a tendency to deliver some serious crappy crappy episodes now and again, usually in chunks. It often happens when they're burned out, like during and after TEAM AMERICA. At such times, I start to wonder if they've finally lost it. But then they bounce back, they always have, and I keep wondering how long they can keep it up. It's frankly amazing they've done it this long.

I was wondering it two weeks ago with the season opener. And the follow-up was kinda fun for high school students who read Shirley Jackson, but otherwise... yeah, not so great. Thankfully, the third time was the charm.

[interdisciple.livejournal.com]

Dude, you forgot Season 11's "Guitar Queer-o"... a must-see for the newfangled games-of-Rock crowd...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I was trying to keep my list of samples as short as possible, with the slim hope that someone actually might pay attention and give those episodes a try. Otherwise, oh dear LORD yes "Guitar Queer-o" is magnificent.

Something Not Quite Right

[jcsbimp.livejournal.com]

The most recent episode I saw before "Major Boobage" (which was indeed a brilliant tribute to HM, which I saw twice in the theaters, heh) was either "Jennifer Lopez," or that last weird one with Chef's voice excerpts being dubbed in, and so I have to ask... is something up with their voice characterizations? Or are their vocal cords just getting tired?

Re: Something Not Quite Right

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Really? I haven't noticed anything.

Re: Something Not Quite Right

[jcsbimp.livejournal.com]

Hmm. It may just be the natural evolution of Parker/Stone's voices over the period I haven't watched, and so I would notice. Kinda like the way Jim Davis drew Garfield those first few years.

But wow, the sheer VOLUME of good episodes, even throwing away the crappy ones, is absolutely amazing to me. I've always been a strong believer in Robert Frost's observation "Nothing gold can stay." I guess all generalizations ARE inaccurate, after all. (PARADOX ALERT)

[droidboy010101.livejournal.com]

The Scott Tenorman episode was sheer brilliance. Sadly, as I forego cable for internets and Netflix I'm quite behind but putting these all up for free is a sign of the sheer rockness of Matt and Trey and Comedy Central.

Being the political junkie I've loved the honesty these folks have shown. They've been loved by republicans and dems alike. I think the post-911 episode was one of the fucking best therapies after those day when everyone did that idiotic "can people laugh again" mantra. These guys took hits from liberal Hollywood pals when they put out Team America so close to the election. The best times on Penn Jillette's sadly now gone radioshow were when Matt and/or Trey were on. These dudes are wicked smart.

And Woodland Critter Christmas was glorious - glad they retired Mr. Hankey.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

It's funny, a lot of people write the show off as being too "preachy" and/or too "republican biased." I honestly don't know how people can think either. On the former front, they always diffuse their "lessons" with irony, and on the latter front, they make fun of EVERYBODY.

[gore-whore-5.livejournal.com]

Awesome bewbage.

It's fitting that I just watched that while topless.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I love how you just offered that up totally unprovoked. Oh, you.

[gore-whore-5.livejournal.com]

^^

[adaptor.livejournal.com]

"(if I were a monster, I'd suggest "Woodland Critter Christmas")"

Don't you mean Satanist? ;-)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Don't you mean SSSSSSSATAN...ist?!

[lovedatjoker.livejournal.com]

Fatbutt and Pancake Head remains one of my avouritest things ever, ever, ever. I'm not all caught up with South Park, but I do think it remains consistently vicious and hilarious.
Family Guy - used to love it, but as you said it just became a retreat and the rampany misogyny really began to upset my viewing, particularly the fixation on sex workers. I'm a bit torn, because there's still parts of it I really enjoy.
The Simpsons - I've watched that show since the very first episode but not having watched TV for a few years I'm hopelessly out of touch, except when I do catch the occasional ep I feel this incredible sense of sorrow for something that was so brilliant and so iconic to be falling apart. That said, I adored the movie.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

"Jennifer's" Ben Affleck song was just... it's hard not to thinking about it without laughing. It's so wrong. If the website will let you catch up on episodes (some, like adultswim.com, don't work outside the US), oh, do check out some of the others.

I'm curious, what particularly about FG's fixation with sex workers?

With the exception of the Star Wars episode, FG has rarely been laugh-out-loud funny in recent memory (and watching the repeats of the first couple seasons, I found myself wondering when it was ever LOL worthy...), but it's always watchable. I can't even say that about some Simpsons from the last couple years. That said, Simpsons just came up with a couple episodes that were excellent. They've still got it... sometimes.

Okay, now that we're on Simpsons, I need to ask, what did you think of the Australian episode? Because every time I've met an Australian Simpsons fan and asked them, the answer was always a dry "... ehhh, it was all right, I guess." And then, of course, I still went ahead like an idiot and quoted "Knife-y Spoon-y," but in my defense, how could I hold back?

[lovedatjoker.livejournal.com]

All of the songs in that episode are brilliant. I love the taco flavoured kisses. OMG. And the 'I wonder... will I dream...' it's just so beautiful.

One scene that leaps out... Peter takes a punch of high corporate guys out and one of them kills a stripper and Peter's comment is... she didn't have a family so it doesn't matter... just exemplifies the whole attitude towards sex workers in general... they are constantly being murdered/assaulted/stereotyped since I am a sex worker I find it disgusting... there's a way to do hooker humour without relying on rape and murder.

The Aussie episode... it didn't offend me... I just found it a bit baffling. I couldn't relate it back to my own experience as an Australian so I just felt confused and like... where did they get this from? Really, they had so much comedy gold potential to tap into so it seems like such a waste... It was like the writers didn't know anything so they just made stuff up. I guess that would've been funny to people who didn't know any better but for anyone who did it was just scratch head-worthy. Some bits were funny but overall it just fell flat.
It did get me thinking though that maybe all the racial stereotypes I laugh at actually aren't that accurate at all... the humour inherent is that supposedly there's an element of truth to it... something you recognise from actual experience... so I began to wonder how much of that is accurate and how much I have just 'learned' from media.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Ewww, Ben Affleck spooge!

Yeah, I can't defend Family Guy in that regard, no would I have any interest to. It's empty calories at best, with little substance to back it up. It saddens me how it's five times more popular than South Park, but at least we have the Simpsons still occasionally living up to their golden era (which FG will never, ever be able to touch).

Weird question: are you also crimsontide? I only ask because I don't know how many other Joker-and-I-presume-Harley-obsessed Sydney-based sex workers there are in the world. If you're not, you should start a club. It'd be the best club ever.

As for the Aussie episode, all I can guess is... well, perhaps it's like Borat. No one (with a brain) takes the parodies/commentary seriously, because it's so outlandish and random, which is part of the humor. I totally get your befuddlement now, it makes perfect sense. On the other hand, "Bullfrog? That's a funny name. I'd 'ave call him a chumpwuzzle!" and "I see you've played knifey-spoony before"? Those are beloved gags to us simply because they're random and make no sense.

(Well, as for the chumpwuzzle part, I think we think you guys make up weird-ass names for things, but I don't know if that's really a commonly-thought-stereotype)

[lovedatjoker.livejournal.com]

Well... I can tell you right now that I love absurdist humour... it actually is my favourite syle of humour... I think that's a reasonably international comedic style that appeals to many... and I love it passionately... however... I was expecting a satiric view of Australia... as I think most were... so to get absurdist humour instead... was like... bzuh? It didn't make sense because my expectations were for something quite different. I have watched the episode many a time and always get a giggle, but as a commentary on Australia it's entirely nonsensical. And I think that's the reason behind the 'meh' Aussie reaction... we were all expecting something we could actually relate to.

I imagine it must be somewhat akin to how Canadians feel towards American shows satirising them... it's like... sure it's cute... but ... bzuh?

The stuff I more laughed at in that ep were things like the kid having to bicycle 3 squillion miles to the nearest neighbours and the frogs eating all the crops... because that's actually relatable to the Australian experience... it was recognisable. Also the PM and such living next door to each other. That was pretty funny.

However, I have no problems confessing to a bit of a crush on Homer, I tend to laugh at most anything he does.

Of course I'm crimsontide, who else could I possibly be? I'm also the owner of harley-quinn.com so yes an obsessed Harley fan. :) I'm more curious about how you know the crimsontide identity! hehe

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

So you actually don't call your currency "dollaradoos" nor do you kick offenders with a giant boot? Well heck, now I have no reason to come down there. ;p

And hey, I've met Canadians! Their heads are totally flapping just like Terrence and Phillip. Totally accurate, that.

Man, just to let you know, I've spent the last twelve hours with "Hey look, I'm in Australia! America! Australia! America! Australia! Ame--" PUNCH! "HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WE DO NOT TOLERATE SUCH FOOLISHNESS, SIR!"

I'd kinda like to see some other country do a totally absurdist take like that on us. I love it when, for example, Monty Python do bad American accents and stereotypes. "Well let me tell ya somethin'...!"

Hey, I figured you were one and the same, but I just thought I'd ask! Because heck, now I'm kinda sad there won't be any club. But also, before you mentioned the sex worker thing and I put two and two together, I actually assumed that you were a man on this account. That's probably because the last obsessive Joker fan I knew was a man (actually, he was like the living embodiment of Guy Gardner, but that's neither here nor there).

I knew about crimsontide because I'd seen you comment on Joker posts, and in my procrastination where I'm looking for any distraction from my work, I sometimes check out profiles of folks on scans_daily. Yours was a bit more... memorable than most, shall we say. Your site is awesome, and your dedication to Joker and Harley is admirable!

[lovedatjoker.livejournal.com]

livejournal just ate my response arrrrrrrrrrrrg

I don't even know if I can be bothered writing it all out again, in a nutshell:

Aussies have a weird habit of creating strange nicknames ie Shane becomes Shazza Barry becomes Bazza Aaron becomes Azza. We have some very strange habits actually, they should've used that. and sorry to disillusion you ;) but we have plenty of OTHER weirdness to enjoy! :D

I'm highly amused you thought I was a boy as I'm the girliest girl who ever girled! I'll very proudly tell all my friends how butch I come off when writing obsessive treatises to Mistah J! tee hee.

and ta re the site, I do so love it!!!!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Lame, I *hate* when that happens.

Well, I have to ask: what other weirdness?

Ha! Well again, all I can say is that my last super-obsessed Joker friend was the living embodiment of Guy Gardner with a good deal of Bender the robot thrown in. Besides, this is LJ: (putting on Pennywise voice) WE *ALL* SQUEE DOWN HERE!

[demonfafa.livejournal.com]

FYI, i've added you. be afraid.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Oh I am. Not very afraid, but reasonably afraid nonetheless.