This episode isn't as conventionally funny as the typical South Park episode. While there are a number of amusing references to The Simpsons and Family Guy, there are few of the usual laugh-out-loud gags we've come to expect from the South Park crew. That said, this is as smart and high-minded of a cartoon as you're likely to see.
Many fans of this episode particularly enjoy its characterization of the Family Guy writing process. While the manatee tank is one of the more brilliant creations of Matt and Trey, the real joy of this episode is the way it takes the media to task over one-sided censorship and a failure to stand up for free speech. A bit in which a confused-looking President Bush tries to explain the First Amendment to the White House reporters is a classic, and the dialogue between Kyle and a distraught television executive beautifully sums up South Park's argument about how we should respond to threats against free speech.
What really made this episode perfect was Comedy Central's refusal to air a scene in which Mohammed hands a football helmet to Family Guy. Literally a minute later the network was perfectly willing to air a scene that contained Jesus Christ and President Bush defecating on one another and the American flag. Had Comedy Central not caved in to their fears this last bit would have been gratuitous toilet humor. However, because the network did "puss out" (in the words of South Park), they essentially said, "Mohammed standing there is not OK to show, but Jesus and the President defecating on one another and the American flag is OK to show." As Kyle pointed out to the fictional television executive, they made a distinction based not on the appropriateness of the material, but based on the fear of violence from a particular group of people.
43 out of 45 found this helpful