South Park S27 Ep 2 Review
First the White House says that South Park isn’t relevant. And then Homeland Security decides to use an image from their latest episode to prove ICE? It’s official: Matt and Trey managed to ruffle some feathers in Washington.
Two weeks ago, South Park came back with its first full season in two years, and it came back swinging! Everyone from fans to mainstream media like CNN was talking about the long-running satire tore Trump to shreds! It got so bad, the White House had to come out and claim that South Park hadn’t been relevant for twenty years. Everyone knew that that was a lie, though, to cope with the roasting. As if to hammer things home further, Homeland Security’s Twitter account used an image from the next episode to promote themselves.
South Park naturally had to rub it in their faces. Though, admittedly, this second episode doesn’t hit as hard as the first.
Mr. Mackey, Agent of ICE
The episode starts off with a major shift in the status quo at South Park Elementary. Due to the President cutting on things deemed “unecessary” in school, Mr. Mackey gets fired. Since he still needs a job to make a living, something that people keep referring to as “a nut,” Mackey takes the only one that will hire him: Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Mackey is working for ICE.
This is not the first time South Park has gone after ICE, but somehow, their reputation has gotten even worse in the eyes of many in that time. Instead of just focusing on the percieved inhumanity of what the agency is doing, though, it seems Matt and Trey opted to satirize how desperate they are to bring in new blood. I knew that they were offering high-paying incentives to join, but I had no clue that the part about no age limits was true! Nor did I even know anything about Kristi Noem. Besides making fun of how much effort she has to put into looking young, the biggest running gag involved her repeatedly killing puppies. It’s a series of literal shoot-the-dog moments based off her own experiences. The dog-lover in me wants to hate her for this, but my sense of humor can’t help but find it funny.
Cartman doesn’t know who he is anymore.
Meanwhile, Cartman continues to mourn the loss of his identity. This time, he finds his sexist and racist rants getting stolen by Clyde, who uses them to become a succesful podcaster. Furious at his schtick getting stolen, Cartman tries to one-up Clyde, only to fail miserably at masterdebating.
While the show does use this as an excuse to make some low-brow jokes, this b-plot seems to continue what looks to be Cartman’s arc for this season. He’s built his entire identity around being a hater for the love of the game. Now that he’s looking chill in comparison to others, he doesn’t know who he is anymore. It’s a darkly comedic reflection of how Matt and Trey likely feel right now. They’re having to push themselves to remain on top of satirical comedy, and Cartman is becoming a casualty. Then again, it does lead to us getting some pretty hilarious moments. For example, ICE storming a live-action production of Dora the Explorer. The kicker, though, has to be when they raid Heaven in search of illegal immigrants! That is hilarious!
Fun episode, Mid Ending
Ultimately, though, it takes Mackey meet the President himself to realize that he cannot stay with ICE. While the show could’ve taken the moral route as to why, it instead goes with the more realistic, but nonetheless understandable, reason: he doesn’t like the job. Even if the pay is good, doing a job you hate isn’t good for your mental health. It’s why many people are quitting their jobs in favor of doing what makes them happy, even if it pays less. Sadly, though, the episode…doesn’t really have an ending. Clyde and Mackey escape Mar-a-Lago, and the episode ends with a parody to the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas. It feels completely random, weak, and reeks of the show not knowing what to do. But you know what? Let’s give it a pass this time! The show more than earned it for the premiere.
It’s looking like this season will contain some elements of serialization once again. Mackey’s still fired, Cartman’s issues remain unresolved, and who knows what else is around the corner. Yet South Park will be fine. In fact, they might be more popular than they’ve been in years.
