South Park is one of my all-time favorite shows, but I haven't watched it in awhile. The creators & writers are mad geniuses who always put the craziest spin on social issues and current events. This week, my wife & I watched the Pandemic & Vaccination Specials. They were the typical hilarious South Park takes on the situation surrounding the COVID pandemic.
We watched the Pandemic Special first, which was from the Fall of 2020. The focus was on society's reliance on authoritarianism when faced with social crises, as the teachers of South Park were replaced with police officers & the school was put on "lock down".
Another main part of the story was Randy Marsh's marijuana business Tegrity Farms, and his "Pandemic Special," lampooning the corporate exploitation that inevitably arises to take advantage of any opportunity to make a profit.
A couple nights later, we watched the Vaccine Special, which was even funnier. It started off with the comparison of waiting lists for vaccines to the lines in front of nightclubs, which is a hysterically perfect analogy.
They also brilliantly tied in the QAnon conspiracy movement & the belief in a cabal of pedophile elites who are controlling everything behind the scenes. In true South Park "WTF, they're crazy!" fashion, Matt & Trey ended up turning that trope back on themselves.
There were so many subtle & not-so-subtle points of parody in these specials, that it kept us constantly looking at each other in disbelief & laughter. These are simply must-see episodes. They are experts at taking taboo subjects and breaching them, and exposing the absurdities in our culture that people take for granted.
It's amazing that the show has been so consistently funny for so long, but it's still absolutely hilarious. The details and satirical genius of South Park make it a true treasure, and watching these specials has made me realize I really have to catch up on the last few seasons.
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