TV-Reviewed

The token South Park is still a show about children after all episode, blissful sigh. With only one episode left until April or so, we have our episode with the kids just being kids and trying to understand the complicated politics of surviving elementary school.

The boys are all having a typical lunch, including Cartman mocking Kenny’s ghetto lunch, when the girls burst into song and dance about being friends and always sticking together, etc, etc. When all the boys (except our 4 heroes) join them, Cartman, Kenny, Stan and Kyle are left wondering what High School Musical is. After examining the last TV movie, the boys vow to avoid this new craze and Cartman threatens to kill himself. A boy named Brighton seems to be at the center of the craze – a clear Zac Efron spoof – but in reality, he only wants to be a normal boy and play basketball. It’s his father, the hilarious Mr. Queermo, who insists that his son do him and his men’s choir proud, or else he will be beaten.

With lots of typical plot elements work, South Park looks to end their twelfth season on a high note. The boys are at their best when their still young imaginations are allowed to run wild in their small town world as well as being surrounded by their colorful and stand out classmates. Aliens and global conspiracies are put aside for the simply confusion over why some DVDs seem to be dominating all their friends’ minds. Mr. Queermo, a new flamboyant South Park resident, draws a lot of the laughs as his inexplicable fear of jocks leads him to go slap happy on his wife and son, the school teachers and even two Child Protective Services agents.

Joke highlights include Craig’s reference to the previous Peruvian based episodes as well as Cartman’s inability to kill himself due to his mother’s Hybrid car, Jimmy’s attempt to perform a solo and new character Scott Malkinson’s ability to be the gang’s punching bag. The biggest pay off, however, comes from Stan’s inability to jump into a song and dance when he eventually gives up and tries to join the fad to impress sometimes girlfriend Wendy. Supported by a background chorus, Stan is only able to muster songs along the lines of “Happy Birthday.” The idea that a bunch of teenagers, or anyone in the musical genre for that matter, can spontaneously burst into a perfectly constructed song and dance is called out by the toon tween.

This episode felt slightly less inspired than the long held back Obama episode of last week, but its refreshing to see South Park doing what it does best. It is, after all, why I am still watching religiously every Wednesday night after twelve years.

Rating: 8