South Park: Joining the Panderverse

South park has had many ups and down the last few years. But the specials were always a moment where south park could go above and beyond.

And I'm glad to tell you that this special is no different.

Balancing the tried and true formula with new ideas has always been a tough act. And in this episode they do repeat some storybeats from other recent specials. But not so much where it became boring.

Overall this episode shows a lot of the qualities post 2020 south park has to offer. And when ranking all the south park specials, this one sits somewhere slightly above the middle. Still the above average quality compared to standard episodes. But not hall of fame worthy.

Certainly worth a watch.

The ability of these writers, led by Park and Stone, to highlight the very thing that's been plauging Hollywood for years now, something every studio underling is terrified to utter, is admirable.

It's ironic how the reasons for so many of Disney's failiures in recent years are so blatantly obvious to their unenthused audience, yet somehow remains a complete "mystery" to the big mouse's top brass... Luckily, South Park, alongisde Disney's disasterous performance and onslought of lazily written shows & movies, have hopefully pulled the wool over people's eyes.

Now we can only hope they try to actually prioritizing good storytelling (regardless of the ethnicity or sexual orientation of the characters).

This could be a turning point for Diseny.

But it probably won't be.

It is tough for a show that's been running this long to stay relevant, insightful and just the right amount of edgy. The Pandemic Specials and other installations of the newer South Parks have had some visible symptoms of having lost the edge a bit - again understandable - but boy oh boy this one is probably one of the best South Park episodes in a decade.

It manages to poke fun in multiple directions at the same time and most importantly dishes out some poignant, valid critique at the industry. B-plot was a bit meh and Randy sure has gone a pretty harsh Flanderisation but it's still entertaining enough.

Sure it's going to anger a lot of people and seems to have already done so but to me that is exactly the point of South Park. These episodes is why I watch this show.

If comedy is one of the best forms of criticism and social commentary that any kind of establishment or oppression is not happy with then South Park is all too familiar with being an equal opportunities offender taking comedic jabs at everyone and everything throughout its long run. This episode made the news for this exact reason, since South Park, an established franchise is the first time ever the entertainment industry dared criticise the declining state of Disney and Hollywood in general, the mockery is intense and unmistakeable, yet tasteful and comedic. The title of the episode, "pander-verse" , is a portmanteau of the multi - "verse" and "pandering" ; it is common knowledge Hollywood is mass producing mediocre superhero movies and remakes that fail at the box office one after another and it is this exact phenomenon South Park is mocking in this episode while making social commentary on the changes AI is going to bring in society.

A great episode, great commentary, a must watch, my favorite scene is parallel universe Cathleen-Cartman Kennedy ordering at the Asian Wok restaurant, the scene is too much fun!! They nailed it!

Another excellent special hitting the nail on the head of recent events. So many parts I laughed out loud because it was so on point with current events. The South Park team are always excellent at assessing these moments and then putting them into shows. Much like the Pandemic special and Streaming wars were. I don't know how well it will go down with Disney but what this show raises are very real points which in this current climate strike the nerves of many people. As they always do they articulate what many of us think but can't say. I am actively trying not to give any details of the episode because its better to enjoy it yourself. But I would 100% recommend this special..