What!? Two in one day!? For a show that started three weeks ago?! Please, readers, I know what you want. And that’s reviews for episodes that have been available for weeks. So now we’re going to be talking about Where My Country Gone?, the second episode of South Park this season. In this episode, the show takes aim at Donald Trump and the dangers that his candidacy poses for our country. It’s a real hoot.
Here are some thoughts.
1. Of course Garrison is the Trump stand in
If the show was going to do a send of Donald Trump and all that he stands for, it makes sense that it would be Mr. Garrison. Randy is too earnest, and Cartman is too intelligent. Garrison is just the right amount of stupid, indignant, and ignorant to be the analogue for a South Park version of Trump. It’s kind of brilliant, actually.
2. So they’re really going for continuity this season
After last week’s episode about Caitlyn Jenner, she finally shows up in the town (looking… not great) and establishes a clear continuity from last weeks episode. Garrison is furious that she’s been so lionized and so starts on a campaign to build a giant wall… on the Canadian border. It’s really thrilling to see the show experimenting with continuity. They’ve done it in fits and starts in the past, and last season was all loosely connected, but this seems like a real serialized show now.
3. I love when South Park covers politics
Politics is absolutely rife for satire, so it makes sense that South Park really shines when it’s covering our ridiculous political system. And Trump is the most ridiculous of all the ridiculous-ness. I really hope we get to see Garrison as he runs for president. Especially if we get to see him in the GOP debates. That would be great.
4. Oh! A song! They haven’t done a song in a long time
The song is “Where My Country Gone?” which is also the name of the episode. It’s the not the greatest song the show has ever done, but it’s not bad either. It’s always fun to hear what Parker and Stone can come up with.
5. The wall jokes were really on point
Especially when the joke about a wall with Canada landed. I’m pretty sure they were doing a little jab at Scott Walker (former presidential candidate) for his comments about building a wall on the Canadian border. If that was the intention, then well done. Scott Walker deserves every ounce of ridicule he can get.
6. Not sure how I feel about those Caitlyn Jenner jokes
I don’t know what the point is of depicting her as weird looking or ugly, slurring her speech and whatnot. It feels very juvenile and kind of vicious. What does it accomplish to make fun of the way she looks? However, the repeated joke about her running over people with her car was justified, given an incident from earlier this year. It actually proves Kyle’s point from last episode: just because she has transitioned does NOT make her a good person.
7. They finally got around to calling out Kyle on his speechifying
Every time Kyle tried to give one of his impassioned speeches, we get a shot of whoever he’s talking to staring backing at him, looking angry. “Is he seriously giving a speech right now?” Cartman asks at one point. Kyle has been the voice of reason basically since the inception of the show. It’s kind of astounding that it took 19 seasons for Parker and Stone to make a joke about how many speeches Kyle makes.
8. This episode is, in many ways, the opposite of the premiere
Last weeks episode was about the extremes we go to to accommodate people and make them feel safe. This week was about the lengths people will go to spread bigotry and hatred. In a lot of ways, the first two episodes present the two sides of the American coin: intolerance, in whatever form, is ugly. Whether we’re shouting at Mexicans to get out because they “Took our JEEERBS!” or we’re screaming at people because they use the wrong pronoun for Caitlyn Jenner, the point is that shouting and screaming at other people is almost always the wrong way to go. Way to go, South Park, for summing that up right away this season.
9. Wow. Trump really got… uhh… well…
He got raped. Like, really, really raped. As in, he was raped to death by Garrison. Overboard? Maybe. Hilarious? Yes. Does Donald Trump deserve that kind of skewering (no pun intended)?…. Jury’s out on that one.
10. “In Canada… we call a Slow Cosby… love.”
I mean, what else is there to say about that? Other than I love this show.
