South Park - General Discussion

[Amarsir]

I just realized! Do you think they were setting up a Bill Clinton / Eric Cartman parallel? Because that would have been a massive opportunity to have him go "Women are smart and funny, get over it."

[kittykat]

This episode, for good reason, definitely had a more somber tone to it.  It still managed to make me laugh.  Gerald pretending to be James Bond. Laughing at all his troll names reminded me of the Biggus Dickus scene in Life of Brian, which I would guess is what they were going for since I know P&S are Monty Python fans.

I'll also chime that the Rickroll just killed me.

We're also getting shades of Casa Bonita Cartman, he'll do anything to Heidi even send her to Mars to ensure she never sees his internet history.

[Galileo908]

On 11/10/2016 at 6:59 PM, Amarsir said:

I liked trying to picture how it would have been different had Hillary won.

• Garrison gives a concession speech saying "Thank God".
• Bill Clinton comes to South Park as the "First Gentleman" to get the boys in line since women are in power now.
• Turd Sandwich's excuse to enlist Gerald is not "rigged election" but rather "national security".

I think those worked better this way, although Mr. Garrison as the President probably isn't a corner they intended to get themselves into.  The only part I don't see is Randy's involvement, since him meeting Caitlyn Jenner and getting zombified wouldn't make sense.

I'd like to think Randy would've gone to Garrison to console him, only to get zombified by Caitlyn.

I also think Bills final speech to Butters would be about Hillary using her newfound powers to get back at the patriarchy, and not because she lost.

Edited November 12, 2016 by Galileo908

[OnceSane]

Quote

Gerald tries anything to escape the Troll Hunter’s revenge. Meanwhile, Cartman and Heidi make their way to SpaceX to try to get on the first rocket leaving for Mars.

[Galileo908]

Confirmation from South Park itself: Caitlyn originally puked on Garrison, and was changed to Randy.

[Spartan Girl]

God, it really is all going to shit. Member Berries really are a force to be reckoned with. 

There would be some kind of karmic justice if Heidi winds up dumping Cartman for Butters.

FINALLY Kyle figures it out! Took him long enough when he's supposed to be the smart one! Gerald is the lowest piece of shit. He'd better be getting what he deserves in the last two episodes. Shame we have to wait until after Thanksgiving.

[Galileo908]

It's been a while since we've seen Tom's Rhinoplasty. That it turned into Darth Vader's chambers is nothing short of amazing. Anyone else catch the David Hasselhoff poster in the background?

Reminder that Garrison's dick gets dry because it's an implant.

On the surface, the Memberberry stuff looks stupid but dammit, I loved every minute of it, especially the speakeasy. And the Godfather members WWII. It all makes sense, THAT'S what they're trying to do. Go back to the good old days of the world fighting each other.

And so Butters + Mars not happening + boring tour by Elon Musk = Cartman's inevitable meltdown, and it will be glorious. Speaking of which, Kyle finally solved the puzzle. Can't wait to see what happens...which will be in two weeks.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Galileo908

[Lantern7]

Well, I'm depressed all over again. I'm thinking Mars isn't far enough away. Who's up for Jupiter? I know it's mostly gas, but how is that different from what we got?

Maybe there will be a reset button, negating Garrison's win. It might be seen as lazy, but I wouldn't blame Matt and Trey for opting out.

Two more episodes to go, right? I've been recording the season on DVR, but I might delete it instead of rewatching. It's not poor quality, but it's a case where real life is way more fucked up than shit in South Park.

[Peace 47]

I have to watch this again because I kept getting interrupted and couldn't focus completely, but one thing I loved was "Hail to the Chief" played in a minor key whenever Garrison would appear.  Garrison is the perfect avatar for our real-life national disgrace.

I guess that the whole Danes/ Internet history/ Gerald trolling storyline is all coming together.  I have to admit that I have found it a little hard to follow the thread/ message on this, and it hasn't been my favorite storyline that they've done.

[benteen]

The member berries never fail to be hilarious.  Seriously, I laugh every time.

Gerald is a gigantic piece of shit and looking forward to him getting his.

It's interesting how the kids have really taken a backseat for the most part.  Kenny practically doesn't exist anymore and Stan is way in the background.

Really, really fun episode and epic storyline.

"Oh, geez..."

[Dust Bunny]

I want to know how they story-boarded this season. And I want to know where it would have gone, if last week had been different. 

Butters' 180 got right to the heart of how fucked up things are right now.

The member berries are brilliant this season. If only the UK had called sooner.

For a second, I was thinking of the Towelie episode. "Yeah, I want to get high." 

[Galileo908]

South Park's twitter feed has been very helpful with how these episodes came to be. I think the ending to last week was pretty much the same, but they confirmed that Caitlyn would've vomited on Garrison instead of Randy.

[AwesomO4000]

"What, what, whaaaaat?" .... How long has it been since we heard that? (And now I'm inspired to look up "Kyle's Mom Is a Bitch" to listen to. Hee).

Poor Ike! Don't believe your dad, Ike. He is not going to make it up to you... and even if he does try, it likely won't be worth it.

I enjoyed this episode (but agree with @Lantern7 that it's also a little unnerving, too.) and am looking forward to how this is all going to play out.

Edited to add: And those MemberBerries still remind me of those cockroaches in "Joe's Apartment." Even more so now that they are getting together in larger numbers... though there weren't any semi-evil roaches in the movie like the mobbish MemberBerries (who were suitably wrinkled - hee).

Edited November 17, 2016 by AwesomO4000

[placate]

5 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Reminder that Garrison's dick gets dry because it's an implant.

I can't believe I'm having this discussion, but I thought his dick was getting dry due to "FUCK THEM ALL TO DEATH!"  He could be desensitized and wants more BJs and is asking politely?  This season is weird because it didn't turn out as T&M expected so they had to rewrite the script and get it to round the season back and have a cohesive finale with only 2 episodes left.

[Amarsir]

I'm enjoying the season but am having trouble buying the explanation of Member Berries as the root cause of everything. I though they got closer wehn Garrison confronted PC Principal. "You made me" makes a certain amount of sense, since you can argue that being overly-PC has caused a backlash which resulted in trolls and the most un-PC President ever.

BTW I'm not sure Boris Johnson is the best person to warn about "Membries", but it was fun to see him.

8 hours ago, Dust Bunny said:

I want to know how they story-boarded this season. And I want to know where it would have gone, if last week had been different. 

Trey and Matt did an interview with the NYT in September where they said that they don't storyboard the season. They set stuff up not knowing where it will go because they think it will be interesting later.  I have to think they knew TrollTrace would lead to world war potential, but other than that I think they're just tying stuff together as it comes. For example, the Cartman story seems like it's trying to self-propel but not really getting anywhere significant.

[benteen]

I enjoyed Garrison bringing up that it was the backlash to PC that helped lead to his rise to power.

[Peace 47]

7 hours ago, benteen said:

I enjoyed Garrison bringing up that it was the backlash to PC that helped lead to his rise to power.

Garrison would blame PC culture for his own failings at both being a decent human being and learning Canadian.   Obviously in some ways, PC Principal was extreme, but like the kids acknowledged in, I think, maybe, last season's finale(?) moving away from outdated rhetoric and acknowledging that things needed to change was not such a bad thing. 

Edited November 17, 2016 by Peace 47

[Galileo908]

19 hours ago, placate said:

I can't believe I'm having this discussion, but I thought his dick was getting dry due to "FUCK THEM ALL TO DEATH!"  He could be desensitized and wants more BJs and is asking politely?  This season is weird because it didn't turn out as T&M expected so they had to rewrite the script and get it to round the season back and have a cohesive finale with only 2 episodes left.

Yeah, that works.

[Spartan Girl]

It was good to see the old sweet yet secretly wise beyond his years Butters. His comment about how it was never a question that women could be funny, and how they had actually made big strides in comedy for years (referencing 9 to 5 as an example) was spot-on.

[DrSpaceman73]

I can't get those Member berries out of my head.  Which I know is the point, but its so addictive. 

I too wonder how they put this together so quickly after the election.  I haven't read the twitter feed or anything about it elsewhere, but I would think they had to have a basic story and are just putting in different versions and substitutions in certain scenes now based on who won

[OnceSane]

I like the British version "membries" better.  And I loved the Brits realizing it was too late.

Now that Kyle knows his dad is responsible, will we get a speech?  IDK, people were pretty pissed last season every time he opened his mouth.

[kittykat]

Man this keeps getting crazier.  Gotta love how P&S are using member berries to poke fun at those who keep longing for south park of yore but still manages to throw on some old references (Tom's Rhinoplasty, Sheila's WHAT WHAT WHAT).

Glad Kyle finally figured it out and Gerald truly has become the worst on a show where Butters' parents exist.

Of course Butters is going to be the one that breaks Cartman.  I can't wait to see the inevitable meltdown.

Didn't take long to include Steve Bannon.  And the Brexit reference was great.  Loved that they South Parked Boris Johnson.

[Guest]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 10:36 PM, Lantern7 said:

Maybe there will be a reset button, negating Garrison's win. It might be seen as lazy, but I wouldn't blame Matt and Trey for opting out.

 

I am wondering if they are using the chamber to modify Garrison's appearance so Garrison can opt out of being President without anyone knowing and go home to South Park while they have Trump take his place.

[Spartan Girl]

On November 16, 2016 at 10:36 PM, Lantern7 said:

Maybe there will be a reset button, negating Garrison's win. It might be seen as lazy, but I wouldn't blame Matt and Trey for opting out.

I don't want a reset button if it's going to get Gerald off the hook. It's ironic that his plan to frame Ike was basically moot, since the Troll Trace emoji analysis would have proved Ike wasn't the same troll. So Gerald basically burned his last bridge for nothing.

[halkatla]

This was one of the best South Park episodes ever. Gerald is so disgusting, I loved it when Kyle came home and saw his brother in the corner and figured it all out, because Heidi is so smart of course. And I´m loving the new president.

[OnceSane]

Quote

Cartman is certain Heidi can solve the problem of getting them to Mars because she’s really funny. Gerald tries to save himself by reasoning with the Troll Hunter while Garrison explores his new found military power.

 

[Galileo908]

The only person who could talk sense into Mr. Garrison: Mr. Slave! 

Oh man, Kyle and Ike talking shit to Garrison (then Sheila) was the best.

[Spartan Girl]

So Troll Trace was a troll the entire time. Should've seen it coming. I bet the Troll Hunter is behind the member berries somehow too...

The return of Mr. Slave! Love him and Kyle calling Garrison a bitch president. Also love the show breaking the fourth wall about how everything has been so serious this season.

Seriously, I don't know why Kyle and Ike are staking out themselves to cover for their father. Sheila is on the warpath now. She had BETTER find out Gerald is the troll. Only one episode left for Gerald to go down. Do NOT disappoint me, Trey and Matt!

Edited December 4, 2016 by Spartan Girl
Mispelled Kyle

[Lantern7]

Bang? Whimper? No. Rick Roll. Gotta say, I did not see that coming.

Really hoping Sheila doesn't die from pure rage. She shouldn't suffer because she married an asshole troll. Surprised she didn't go full New Jersey on us.

Man, when was the last time we saw Mr. Slave? And nice to see Garrison easily manipulated. Still wondering how he gets to start a war. I mean. I get how this show is a funhouse mirror reflection of reality, but I'd expect a few rules to remain in place.

Still expecting the last two seasons to be a fever dream. Still expecting Garrison to find Patrick Duffy in the shower. Still expecting Patrick Duffy to be attached to Scuzzlebutt. But damn, Matt and Trey know how to make things interesting.

ETA: The Member Berries would also be a dream. That explains why we didn't see them rocking the White House this week.

[Galileo908]

I get the feeling that Hillary Clinton, J.J. Abrams & the Memberberries were going to play huge roles...and then Trump won. Unless they all come in to play next week, I have a feeling that the Garrison plot was not planned.

EDIT: So Heidi really IS smart...but is she as funny as Cartman says she is?

Edited December 1, 2016 by Galileo908

[Galileo908]

19 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Man, when was the last time we saw Mr. Slave? And nice to see Garrison easily manipulated. Still wondering how he gets to start a war. I mean. I get how this show is a funhouse mirror reflection of reality, but I'd expect a few rules to remain in place.

Member when Sheila started the war against Canada? And since Denmark is the Canada of Europe, it's fitting that Gerald's the person that starts this one.

EDIT: I fully expect the story to not fully be done, just like last season's finale.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Galileo908

[Peace 47]

I loved plucky, super-intelligent little Heidi.  It was so cute when she was staring at that board and said, "I'm just not getting this," but she didn't give up and found the answer while teaching herself advanced math.  Adorable.

I also liked Kyle taking a pause to ask Ike where he learned such filthy language, and Ike said, "Daddy!"  Gerald is the worst.

Lastly, I got a laugh when Garrison took calls from his South Park acquaintances over every world leader that was on hold.  Good episode.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Peace 47

[Spartan Girl]

7 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

I get the feeling that Hillary Clinton, J.J. Abrams & the Memberberries were going to play huge roles...and then Trump won. Unless they all come in to play next week, I have a feeling that the Garrison plot was not planned.

Nobody expected Trump...er, I mean Garrison to win.

I'm annoyed that the trolls seemed to let Gerald off the hook, especially when his apology to the trolls and the Danes only came off as being more pretentious. I get the writers are trying to make him an allegory for the show, but harassing people online doesn't make you a satirist, it makes you a sociopath.

[benteen]

Mr. Slave!  I had to admit I had completely forgotten the character until he showed up but damn was I happy when he returned.  His bit with Garrison (as well as Kyle and Ike's subsequent phone call) was great.

But where were the Member Berries?  Member?

Gerald has become even more vile if that was possible and I don't know why Kyle and Ike continue to defend him (though I laughed when Ike said where he got his potty mouth from).  It looks like it Classic South Park style they are setting him up for a double turn against the Danish troll.  I hope that no matter what Sheila is the one who makes him pay for what he has done.

Glad to see Kyle return to the forefront here.  Stan has really been pushed into the background the past two years or so and Kenny is just a background extra now.

[Lantern7]

Forgot about Priest Maxie. Where has that guy been hiding? He was sketchy, but at least he wanted to fight the actions of his fellow priests.

[OnceSane]

Kyle & Ike have to come clean with Sheila, she may go all Jersey on them but she needs to know what Gerald has been doing.  I loved them going balls in on her & Garrison though.

And of course Garrison can be swayed by whomever insults him last. 

Troll Tracker is a troll?  Good twist.

[ganesh]

On 11/30/2016 at 8:35 PM, Spartan Girl said:

Seriously, I don't know why Kyle and Ike are staking out themselves to cover for their father.

I don't know if they're covering for him. Kyle seems to want to actually get to the bottom of what's going on. He had no idea that Gerald was in Denmark and clearly put 2 + 2 together, with the bombing, the troll software, and Gerald suddenly being there. 

Sheila is totally out of control, so there's clearly no talking to her until the evidence is right up in her face. I saw him more buying time to figure out what to actually do. 

[OnceSane]

Quote

Heidi's reason to go to Mars finally becomes clear to Cartman. Meanwhile, Sheila sees what Gerald's been up to online; and Kyle and Ike rally the rest of the kids to save the world.

 

[Lantern7]

Press release for "The End Of Serialization As We Know It." This might mean Matt & Trey are abandoning season-long storylines. Or maybe they'll elect to call it a series after twenty seasons. Given how much shit 2016 has given us, could you blame them? I imagine them popping up at the end of the episode, doing the clapping/gesturing Token did during the LOTR homage.

ETA: The synopsis has Kyle rallying the kids, which might mean the return of Stan and Kenny. And I just made this poster for the Motivation thread.

[AwesomO4000]

On 12/1/2016 at 9:58 AM, benteen said:

But where were the Member Berries?  Member?

I member.

I'm guessing the show will member this week, but there's a whole lot to wrap up here, so it'll be interesting to see if they're going to be able to pull it off.

My guess... the member berries will somehow end up hijacking whatever rocket there is and being the ones to go to Mars - since they don't appear to die - where they can member some of those movies about Mars and martians on the way. Member "Total Recall?" Member "Mars Attacks?" Yeah, I member.

[Spartan Girl]

It says Sheila is finally going to find out about Gerald. Yessssss!

[Lantern7]

Before the finale, here's a new trailer for The Fractured But Whole:

[Spartan Girl]

All wrapped up except for member berries (though they got a brief cameo).

God dammit, I wanted Gerald to get his comeuppance! But at least Ike got cleared. And Ike and Kyle hate him, so there's that.

Try and Matt sure nailed how Trump got elected and how the Internet got so fucked up.

[Galileo908]

Well, as predicted, we didn't get everything wrapped up. Garrison is still president (presumably guided by the Memberberries), Heidi & Cartman are still together (but Cartman of course isn't happy with it) while Gerald got off scot free. The internet was saved...for now. 

I loved Kyle rallying everyone to troll at the beginning.

Also, here's what Ike's TrollTrace list looks like. Chinpokomon is still a thing (and he's into FFXV).

EDIT: I saw some people asking if Trevor's Axiom is really the term for what that process is. If it wasn't, it is now,

Edited December 8, 2016 by Galileo908

[SeanC]

They really couldn't resolve the whole Memberberries storyline as they originally planned to since, of course, the berries "won" when they were supposed to lose.  But the rest of the finale was fun.

[Lantern7]

I thought of you, @Spartan Girl. Gerald got off way too cleanly. Sometimes, the bad guys can get away with murder. Literally, in his case. And except for Sheila pissing on him every few weeks and his kids having lost all respect for him, I don't think Gerald learned a damn thing.

So . . . barring turmoil in the next seven weeks, we'll be getting President Garrison in 2017. And Vice President Jenner. And an Oval Office full of sentient Member Berries. You think the Marshes are under their influence? Probably not. Oh, and Sparky's there! Holy crap, how long has it been since he saw him?

Cartman and Heidi are still together, apparently. Is this going to be like the season of Seinfeld when George got married, and Heidi will end up dying licking tainted envelopes?

Never let it be said that Matt and Trey half-ass things. As painful as the season has been, I could live with the show getting another Emmy. But I'd like to see how Archer deals with "Dreamland."

[benteen]

I really enjoyed this episode and this season.  Serialization has worked very well for the show.  I wonder if they will continue.  I do sometimes miss the old topic-of-the-week episodes they did.  Garrison at least seems like he will remain President.

I wish Gerald had gotten his but I give the show credit for making him the main character this season.  A lot of Kyle, Ike, Butter and Cartman goodness.  Stan has really become forgotten but not as forgotten as Kenny.

[Peace 47]

2 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Also, here's what Ike's TrollTrace list looks like. Chinpokomon is still a thing (and he's into FFXV).

 

Ike sent an email to Santa?  How cute!  (Edit:  Wait, they're Jewish, I forgot.  That's actually weird.).  I enjoyed Kyle's continuing disquiet in response to Ike's filthy mouth.  

Cartman manufactures a bomb threat by NASA to Space X because NASA is super-jelly?  Lol.

I really didn't like that Gerald didn't get his at the end, but I'll still hold out hope for next season.  Kyle's optimistic voiceover was completely at odds with what was actually happening at the end:  Gerald doesn't have a "second chance" with his children (who hate him now), and no one in the public at large learned anything and will continue being terrible on the Internet (evidenced by the old man's dick pic).  Cartman is also a ticking time bomb, so maybe the episode title is also a lie, and there is some justice served next season.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Peace 47

[Lantern7]

Isn't Ike Jewish? Then again, in a world where Santa exists ("Imaginationland" be damned), that wouldn't be a big thing for Santa. Also: I like Kyle and Ike's bitch faces. I didn't think a kindergarten kid could have one of those.

Was anybody else expecting to find that the soccer player staged killing herself, and the blood wasn't actually on Gerald's hands? Right now, he's got two deaths on his conscience. If he has one, I mean.

[Peace 47]

Just now, Lantern7 said:

Isn't Ike Jewish? Then again, in a world where Santa exists ("Imaginationland" be damned), that wouldn't be a big thing for Santa.

Yeah, I had edited my post at the same time that you were posting that I completely forgot that Ike and his family are Jewish, and it's actually kind of an uncomfortable reference in that respect.  Although maybe Ike is just friends with Santa through Kyle, since Kyle knows Santa from their trip to Iraq.  With Jesus.  (I love "Red Sleigh Down":  I've got to go watch that again.)