South Park: Dances With Smurfs

So, here's what I wonder. Are Trey Parker and Matt Stone unaware of what TV network airs their show? I can admit that they did a nice job of lampooning the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, but it kinda takes the punch out of it when a mere half hour after the episode aired viewers could watch two entire programs that have spent years making fun of the exact same target, usually with a more endearing angle at that. "Dances With Smurfs" is a textbook example of what actually makes South Park good and just how much it diverges from that when it tries too hard to make a point.

So, long story short, Cartman predictably becomes a right-wing cable news parody the moment he gets the chance to read the morning announcements at South Park Elementary. As if this mostly unfunny trajectory wasn't already as on-the-nose as possible, the finale has him dressed up exactly like Fox News pundit Glenn Beck, haircut and all. He goes on screeds about class president Wendy and all of the most stupid kids in the school support him fanatically. It's all pretty much rote.

But here's the kicker: all the best parts of this episode had almost nothing to do with Cartman's Beck parody. Somewhere in the stuttering timeline of South Park Parker and Stone convinced themselves that social commentary is what made their show good, when the truth is that South Park has always been at its best when it follows the most absurd trajectories possible. We tune in for stories of aliens who implant 8-year-olds with fire-spewing anal probes and the singular glory of Al Gore trying to convince everyone of the threat posed by ManBearPig.

So, the strongest parts of "Dances With Smurfs" were the shocking, weird and far-out bits that existed primarily, if not entirely, for laughs. The opening scene was powerfully shocking and hilarious in a roundabout way. No other show on TV could get away with, let alone properly execute, an all-audio murder/suicide bit involving an angry cuckold and a third grader. Just like the epic conclusion of "Scott Tenerman Must Die" was both sickening and impressive for its sheer darkness, the opening of "Dances With Smurfs" is one for the books.

I also really loved the Casey Kasem kid. Little touches like that are funny in and of themselves. It's just goofy and unpretentious, much like the sight of Butters running down the sidewalk with his pants around his ankles.

And then there were the Smurf bits. I was indifferent to them, especially since they seemed to once again fulfill the increasingly gratuitous violence quota for the week, but then they paid off in the end as a sneaky, preemptive attack on Avatar. See, that's good satire.

Best Moment: Nothing beats that opening. Parker and Stone should do some sort of radio show just for the novelty.

Notes: No more soft targets for a little while, okay guys?

Episode Rating: 3.5/5- The outlandish material saved the episode from the scrap heap, but I still miss the good old days when Cartman was more than just an outlet for anti-Right satire. It's Comedy Central, conservatives aren't watching.