South Park: The End of Obesity

I HOLLERED at the use of "It's my life!" in this special. No, not Bon Jovi. Remember Vennu Mallesh? Yep. THAT 'It's my life'. South Park ft. Vennu Mallesh is NOT what I had signed up for but boooooy, it was a surprise :D They have labs based out of Vishakapatnam, with signs saying 'Prayogshala' etc. (surprisingly written correctly 90% :O) in Hindi and.... Sanskrit..? XD Who comes up with the ridiculous stuff like this? LMAO.

"Rich people get get Ozempic, poor people get body positivity." The commentary on the American Medical system was hilarious and sadly still prevalent. I don't know anything about Lizzo's music and don't know if the criticism of the music was justified, but someone got a prescription to listen to Lizzo five times a day because they couldn't afford medicine and their insurance wouldn't allow claims. The Cereal Mascot acting like mob-bosses, LOL. Wut!? XD Leave it to South Park to come up with some of the most random things.

Classic South Park? No. But if you're a fan, it's enjoyable. If you know have heard of Vennu Mallesh, this is a must watch.

I loved this one and I don't get why others didn't. But comedy is perspective I guess.

My favorite part was the opening theme. If you're a horror fan, you would recognize it as the same theme as Dawn of the Dead (which just passed its 20th anniversary). The tie between the cell mutation and mindless consumption, to a zombie like culture was perfection.

The word play was good, the realistic and unbearable hoops, and struggles with the health insurance industry, the multiple layers of roasts thrown at Lizzo, the vanity and constant need for validation by the moms. I personally enjoyed the show from beginning to end.

For the comments saying they didn't go far enough or the show isn't the same, I think that's a good thing. A show that does the same level of comedy on a constant basis will make the entirety of the show dull and predictable. Creativity is meant to change and flow in different directions. Some people just don't like change, and if you prefer the old episodes, then just put your device on loop and repeat the old episodes then. I remember when everyone who was mad about the opening theme to the series being updated.

This was a fun, and entertaining special. Totally worth the watch. Don't go in with a negative attitude and high expectations. Just relax and enjoy the show for what it is... making fun of everyone and the popular trends.

I don't have any especially strong feelings either way about the new South Park special, although I believe it's a fairly valid one. This time, the subject is the American healthcare system, insurance companies, and the maddening labyrinth that these entities will put people through.

However, it also concerns body positivity and uses Eric Cartman to represent something I've sometimes noticed within the body-love discourse. A lot of people simply want the thing that THEY are insecure about to get destigmatized so that they can then poke fun at other people's shortcomings from a position of superiority -- of not being "ugly" themselves. They want to be able to dish it out without having to take it.

Something similar happens in "gender wars" discourse: Many incels espouse that they should be worthy of love even if they are short or thin, but will gladly demonize fat women, while a woman who pushes for fat acceptance may readily use the very language she's decrying when it comes to small schlongs and "skinny b-itches". Both sides will tell you it's totally different when the other does it.

But I digress. How is the rest of the episode/special/"Paramount+ event"? Well, it has some laughs and it lets a lot of characters shine. (Randy, as per usual, gets a pretty funny B story where he gets in on the South Park moms' obsession with semaglutide drugs.)

Also, it has appreciably better cereal mascot gags (yes, cereal/sugar companies also become involved in the plot) than anything we got in Unfrosted.

In this special, South Park makes several statements about modern social trends, and they are all 100% accurate.

It draws attention to how horrible and hypocritical big pharma is, and also evilness of corporations that feed off the unhealthy lifestyle of middle, mid/low, and low class tiers. It also focuses on the plight of the average unhealthy American, and how it IS a choice for many to be overweight, but also how difficult it is to choose a healthier lifestyle. It teaches us acceptance, while farting in the face of social predator morons like Lizzo.

And the jokes are fantastic. There are blatant jokes, and sort of subtle jokes. I especially loved the random 1-sec long doo-wop singing of the classic "Golden Crisps" theme. It's a small, yet blaring piece of evidence that the brains of South Park still got it.

And let us not forget the CLASSIC and typical story arc and motivation of Cartman's character. It's on point, never-changing, and it's one of those episodes where he either gets his just desserts, or it ends with him winning and everyone else frustrated. Either way, it's a win for the audience, especially those of use who have been with the show for eons.

Only a few minor drawbacks to this special. For one, there are a few moments when it seems like they're either phoning it in, or trying too hard to be "typical South Park" (case in point, the side effect of "Lizzo" with the ears). But then again, maybe that's what makes South Park so "South Park" and they're merely sticking to the original recipe of the show.

Six months after ripping into the Prime sports drink craze, South Park's back with another special, this time aiming at Ozempic weight loss drugs.

In true South Park fashion, Matt and Trey take a topical idea and ramp it up to absurd levels, culminating in a "Mad Max"-style road battle.

Firstly, let's get the one negative out of the way: the jokes at Lizzo's expense seem a little too cruel. While Lizzo's star has dimmed due to recent allegations over her behaviour, the shots at her 'body positivity' image and her music feels a bit lazy. Or, if you want to give Matt and Trey the benefit of the doubt, maybe their criticism is directed at all the keyboard warriors who love ripping into her on social media? Either way, it feels like Lizzo is an easy target.

The best thing about this special is Cartman's portrayal. We're so used to seeing the evil Cartman who cynically manipulates everyone to get his way. In this special he's genuinely vulnerable and almost resigned to a life of being teased about his weight. Even the rest of the boys - who usually love ripping on Cartman - do their best to help him, including navigating the almost impenetrable American healthcare system (with a nice little song from Butters) and Big Sugar (in the form of famous cereal mascots). And we get a nice happy ending with a genuinely satisfied Cartman.

It's also nice to see Randy in a different light. As one of the most popular characters, Randy can be massively overexposed (the Tegridy Farms stuff got old quickly), but here he actually grows: he starts out with selfish motives, and gets caught up in the Ozempic craze, but learns that he doesn't need that life. It's also nice to see him and Sharon actually being affectionate to each other.