I've always appreciated how South Park manages to take ludicrous turns and run with them. After so many seasons it's practically impossible to be unpredictable, but that's not really what I want from this show anymore. It's been years since South Park shocked me, but it never fails to make me laugh, which is more than I can say for most of the comedies on TV today. The show came back from hiatus last week with an attempted powerhouse send-up of the unusually long list of celebrities who died over the summer. "Dead Celebrities" was hit or miss, not that any of the targets were all that difficult to lampoon. This week's was more of a stand-alone episode that didn't rely on any particular moment in pop culture history, so it fared a little better.

Of all the sideline characters to join the ever-expanding cast of South Park, Butters has to be the most worthwhile. He began as a quiet dweeb who didn't do much, then slowly evolved into one of the more reliable sources of humor and outright satire on the show. His earnestness and innocence makes him a perfect counterpart to the cynical little jerks that populate South Park Elementary and he provides a certain charm to seedy plots that would be entirely abrasive in any other character's hands.

Tonight, Butters works his way into the second oldest profession when peer pressure results in his first kiss, given to him by a girl who's selling smooches for five bucks a pop. In record time, Butters is the kiss-pimp of the fourth grade, living large and taking cues from the gold-toothed daddies at the latest Playa's Ball. That particular parody felt more than a little dated, but then again I doubt Parker and Stone actually wanted us to take this episode's message seriously to begin with.

When rumors of Butters's game reaches the local police station, South Park's team of clueless cops set up a sting operation with one of their own posing as a prostitute. In typical South Park irony, the undercover cop actually has sex with his Johns before arresting them, a gag that gets increasingly outlandish as the episode progresses. It was gross and juvenile, so it was naturally an excellent South Park bit.

As the two different stories intersect, Butters comes to the conclusion that real love is more important than money, so he quits the pimping business with a clean conscience. Of course, Butters happened to be the only nice pimp in the world, treating his bitches like the ladies they are. Do you know what I am saying?

Best Moment: Butters conducting a business meeting with his prospective ho's, complete with crayon-written charts.

Biggest Laugh: When Butters explained his new social arrangement to his parents.

Episode Rating: 4/5- When South Park is on with its satire, it's really on. When it's off, it's cringe-worthy. That's why the show needs its balance of non-satirical episodes. Rank this one as an enjoyable addition to the latter.