Kenny’s gone and most of the season the boys are auditioning a new friend. While it looks like Butter has the inside track, you’ll have to watch the season to find out. Personally I miss the “They killed Kenny” jokes and was relieved that it eventually returned. South Park appeared to regain a bit of its lost creative energy in season 6. It can also be said that the show pushed its boundaries a little bit farther. There are times even I think the show goes too far. One of my favorite episodes can be found in this collection. The boys attempt to steal the master print of Raiders of the Lost Ark to thwart Lucas and Spielberg’s evil plot to add new digital effects and create a “special edition”. For all of us movie fans out there this touched home quite a bit. Cartman’s still my favorite character. The opening episode’s jab at Jared from Subway was one of the show’s most well deserved targets. Aren’t we all sick of that guy yet?
Audio
Don’t expect much more than a center speaker or occasional mains from the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. Still, what the heck do we need fancy surrounds for on South Park. As long as I can hear Cartman, life is good. I do wish that they would avoid the bleep noises on home releases. We’re fair warned about language, so what’s the point?
Video
Each South Park episode is presented in its original television 1.33:1 full frame format. Expect pretty much the same as Season 4. There aren’t any blemishes or artifacts. This stuff is pretty much created in a digital environment and it shows. Colors are bright, or at least as bright as construction paper gets.
Special Features
Sadly, all we get are about 3 minutes per episode of Stone and Parker in what they call “commentary minis”. This is pretty much the tradition on South Park now, so get used to it.
Final Thoughts
Hard to imagine the boys have been going for six years here. Of course, the show is still running and appears in no danger of stopping soon. I’ve heard the show being referred to as “the simple man’s Simpsons.” While I don’t agree, I do find the similarities in both shows a bit interesting. Both require careful viewing to catch the many subtle references. Both treat long standing institutions with irreverence. Both appear ready to run another 50 years. Finally, both are funny as hell. Can’t you just hear Bart say: “Respect my Auth-ori-ty”?
