“The following film contains graphic sexual content. Due to its extreme erotic nature this program is NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN!”
Duh. I suspect that when we are all dead and gone, there will be two things we can count on continuing beyond the end of human civilization. The cockroaches will inherit the world, and they will all be watching South Park, the only television show still running. It’s already been 22 years, and doesn’t it feel like 50? I don’t mean that in a mean way. I love South Park, but I’m starting to find it hard to remember what life was like without it. I’m convinced it will survive us all, and AI versions of Parker and Stone will be producing it until the planet is finally vaporized … and I’m not sure even that will stop this show.
After 20 years or more, they really do feel like friends. I’ve known Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny longer than most real people in my life. Only the Simpsons have been around longer these days. Over those years South Park has always been a series of stories that rarely connect with each other in any significant way. There have been multi-part episodes, and certain experiences have come back up over the years. Still, we’re talking about a universe where killing Kenny had become a running joke and happened pretty much in every episode. Those days are gone, and it’s been a while since Kenny met his demise, and now South Park has joined the ranks of the continuing story season. I do believe that’s one of the signs of the apocalypse. I’m just sayin’. Of course, I’m talking about these “specials” that have been running since COVID came and kind of went. There has been a shortened season, but I’m not sure we will ever get a 10-episode run of South Park again.
This time it’s a 45-minute special called South Park: Not Suitable For Children. When we join our friends Cartman, Stan, and Kyle as a new trendy fad has hit South Park, and like so many before this one is going to be trouble. Actually, there are two trends hitting our show this time. It’s discovered that the South Park Elementary art teacher has an Only Fans channel. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a place like Youtube, but with adult content. Celebrities are starting them, as are a new wave of “influencers”. Like Youtube, the content creators share things, but only for a paid subscriber group. Most of it is pretty much porn or something tangent to it. When Randy finds out that the art teacher is pulling in 10 grand a month, he decides to create one himself. Here the show turns ugly, unless you really want to spend time looking at an animated character’s penis. Me, I truly have at least a thousand better things to do. That also appears to be true in the world of South Park. Randy can’t get any subscribers. When he refuses to shut it off, his wife Sharon starts her own, and Randy is stuck with the inevitable truth that far more people will pay to watch naked women than naked guys. He needs a new angle.
This is where the second trend comes in. The kids are all hooked on a sports drink called Cred. Soon your popularity at school is tied to how man bottles of Cred you display. Cartman starts a group to take advantage of the fad, as he always seems to do, but it backfires when he’s fooled by a kid who has been faking it. All of this plays out as Randy decides to add the popularity of Cred to his videos. Unfortunately, he is just pouring various flavors … on his penis. It all goes rather dystopian as Cartman and his group try to wipe out their shame by scoring a limited edition of Cred about to be given away a couple of hundred miles away. The rush creates a bleak landscape in the store as the fight over the bottles of Cred lead to a ruined store and war-torn children.
There’s a lesson to be learned here somewhere. I’m just not sure what it is. For me it’s that the show needs to return to its original format and stop focusing on one-offs. Hey, Trey and Parker: COVID’s over. Get your butts back to work. We need better South Park, and we need it now. Truth be told, guys, you’re starting to lose your cred.
Video
South Park: Not Suitable For Children is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Colors are fantastically bright in this 1080p image. Brought to you by a solid AVC/MPEG-4 codec, the picture certainly looks as good as it ever did. You can really appreciate those special things. This is starting to look better with each year. Not bad for what started out as construction-paper cutouts. The look remains, but there’s no question that the boys are using the latest in technology to look so old-school.
Audio
The Dolby Digital TrueHD 5.1 track is perfect. There’s some high-flying music and wonderfully immersive ambient sounds. Otherwise, the audio differs mostly in the greater range of dynamics to the sound to the DVD or broadcasts.
Special Features
NADA.
Final Thoughts:
I’m hoping for regular episodes soon. I’m eager to review a full season. “I have to have more Cred than anyone else.”
