Image Credit: Comedy Central
Boy, those guys are good: Just three days after President Obama announced to the nation that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan, Trey Parker and Matt Stone managed to work a reference to the event into Wednesday night’s new episode of South Park. Poking fun at Comedy Central’s recent Comedy Awards, Jimmy and other special ed students hold an awards ceremony celebrating the world’s funniest (Ben Stiller, Jimmy himself, and Tyler Perry were award winners — the latter winning the Kathy Griffin Award, given to the celebrity most likely to show up). It goes awry, however, when the Germans get wind that they’ve been labeled the least funny people in the world. (SPOILERS AHEAD)
In retaliation, the Germans create Funnybot, a piece of technology who ends up taking jobs from Hollywood’s funniest people with his jabs targeted at Bryant Gumbel and various parts of human genitalia. (Sorry, I still like Zingbot better.) Problem is, Funnybot literally kills onstage, murdering an entire audience after a monologue one night. One of the most fun parts about watching South Park is slowly piecing together its seemingly inane and ridiculous plot points and realizing that its creators are actually delivering a well-thought-out and relevant statement. Last night’s episode’s first reference to current events appeared to happen here — a news crew covering Funnybot’s massacre noted that the robot began “spontaneously shooting people in their faces and in their chests. The blood went flying, and, oh s— it was funny!” (I can’t be the only one thinking South Park is referencing what some felt was excess celebration in the country over the death of bin Laden, who was reportedly shot in the face and the chest.)
In the end, Jimmy and the boys end up stopping Funnybot from destroying the world by presenting him with a paradox (a comedy award, something that gives serious validation to something that shouldn’t be taken seriously) — but not before President Obama, addressing the U.S. from the now-famous podium where he delivered his bin Laden speech, said he’d spend his final minutes on the Earth with his loved ones “watching a Tyler Perry movie. I know, it’s embarrassing. But I simply can’t help myself.” And after Jimmy and the others bury underground the episode’s real villain — Perry, apparently — South Park‘s Obama tells all: “I am pleased to announce that the greatest threat to mankind has now gone forever. Justice has been done.” Sorry, Matt and Trey — another Madea movie is all too likely.
Personally, I’m just glad this one didn’t involve a HUMANCENTiPAD. Did you dig tonight’s episode, PopWatchers? Impressed about how quickly South Park‘s creators can work?
Follow Kate on Twitter @KateWardEW
Read more:
Osama bin Laden dead, says President Obama
‘South Park’ season premiere review warning: Don’t read about ‘HUMANCENTiPAD’ on a full stomach
‘South Park’: 21 They Did What?! Episodes
I remember how quickly the used the capture of Saddam Hussein in that episode.
This review IS WAY TOO LONG.
Learn to stick to the highlights. Rambling is an unforgivable journalist sin.
Tighten up.
It was FOUR paragraphs. It took me like a minute to read. I hope this is sarcasm I’m not getting, otherwise…. you’re crazy picky. Emphasis on crazy.
I agree that journalists should be concise but this is a less formal blog and if it rambled it would still be annoying, but this isn’t even that long. Like three and a half paragraphs…
are you kidding sammy? can you read?
ITs not a sin, he s reviewing an episode, what did you want 4 sentences, if there is nothing to it why even bother reading it.
I’ve heard SOUTH PARK had one Japanese dude character also named HIROSHI like mine; hope he was a cool one. : ) And KUDOSTORM to gods of rock Japan didn’t make the list like the hapless Deutsche people. : )
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Thanks for some fun, KATE.
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@Samantha,
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Different people, different strokes, I guess.
Samantha is a douche. Is that concise enough?
STFU. Short enough.
Ha. Three paragraphs is too long for you? Also, there’s a huge difference between “journalism” and writing about television. I would dare to say that entertainment writers have a little more wiggle room in editorializing. But clearly the distinction is lost on someone who can’t make it through about a grueling 12 sentences.
Um, thanks for spoiling this news for us westcoasties who haven’t seen the episode yet. I didn’t have to read the article, the headline said it all. Not the biggest of spoilers, but still annoying.
oh, waa waa. they told you there’s a reference to bin laden. like they spoiled anything. when you see a move trailer, has it been spoiled? come on, dude.
C’mon. Didn’t you expect a bin Laden reference in there somewhere? One of the best things about South Park is that they’re ridiculously current.
The first paragrapg even says (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Nick the prick.
my comment prickish? i’d accept that if this were the harry potter feed. i’d have no business there, i grant you that. but south park fans don’t complain because they know a “reference” is coming…
West coast doesn’t count.
don worry nick sammy has no idea what you said it was probs too long
Sammy the Douche
How is the headline a spoiler? What a whiny douche.
The one you really want to see is on before it with the Jersey Housewives. Within 5 min of the news of OBL, I said South Park called that one right.. special ops and a shot to the head. Saddam was taken over a weekend I think and by Wednesday it was on TV. Hilarious!
I think saying that a robot shooting people is akin to people celebrating Osama’s death is a bit of a reach.
Think about the reporter’s reaction a little more. At first I thought it was a reach, but the more I think about it, Kate is right.
Don’t forget after the 2008 election, the NEXT DAY South Park used significant quotes from McCain’s concession speech and Obama’s victory speech in the episode. I’m not surprised that they work fast, I’m surprised they’re still so funny and smart when they work so fast.
It was very funny…………..and extremely insulting to many people, but that’s SP, which is probably why I love it.
That episode was a total dud. Sorry, but I don’t care about Matt and Trey’s personal beef with Comedy Central’s awards show that everybody ignored in the first place.
At the very least, they should have not even mentioned the Osama stuff at all, then go all-out on it next week.
The problem is that in the South Park universe, Osama is already dead so they can’t do a whole lot of direct reference parody. They just went more subtle and satirical about it.
They made fun of the hand that feeds them (which is pretty gutsy), and who said they had a beef?
“(I can’t be the only one thinking South Park is referencing what some felt was excess celebration in the country over the death of bin Laden, who was reportedly shot in the face and the chest.)”
Yes, you can be the only one think that it is a reference to Americans celebrating the death of mass murder.
Also, you apparently missed the whole Dr. Who reference with Funnybot. It is pretty much a Dalek. Spoke like a Dalek. Looked like a Dalek. Maybe they were excited about the Dr. Who premiere on BBC America Saturday night.
Thank you! From the moment I saw the shadow of the robot all I could think about was a Dalek. And then when it kept saying exterminate? Completely sold.
I thought maybe I was just wanting it to be a Doctor Who reference since I just watched the first 4 seasons of the reboot. Glad to see I wasn’t going crazy.
I got a kick out of the CBS poster that read “One and a Half Men”
When I saw the sucker arm, I knew someone watched Doctor Who, and then it even said “Exterminate!”
It actually said “Examine It!” in the exact tone of the Daleks. It also said exterminate though too.
Yes I knew I wasn’t the only one to get the Dalek reference. Gotta love that they are Dr. Who fans also, plus I mean we all know that the Germans are the only ones who could have created them.
Now if only they had a David Tennet like guy somewhere in the background that would of been perfect
Yeah people only see what they want to see… I hardly see this being an Osama Reference in here at all… Obama is talking to the american people during a crisis lol if someones going to blow up the world why wouldn’t the president/prime minister say anything… it also gives them an excuse to talk more about Tyler Perry since token was the only other black person laughing…. and yeah I’m not much of a Dr.Who fan but even I knew that was a reference to the Dalek….
And the ending kinda reminded me of the Pandorica from last season. I was thrilled haha
There was also a picture of Osama in the room when funnybot is writing.
i noticed that as well, i thought it was great.
LOVED poor Token who couldn’t help himself from laughing at or giving money to Tyler — if you keep giving him money, he won’t leave ! How true – LOL !!
OMG, we were laughing so hard at that part! “Token, quit giving him money” “I can’t help it!” FUNNY!
Yeah, Token was great. Not that familiar with Dr. Who, but the “I Am Nomad” episode of Star Trek was also referenced with the robot.
EXTERMINATE!
A really funny episode, one of the best in while, I haven’t laughed that much in a long time. Was surprising that there wasn’t a full-blown “Osama Bin Laden is dead” episode, but South Park did that twice already, so no big deal.
worse. south park episode. ever.
smh
worst* (my bad)
I agree. It was terrible. The entire premise that you shouldn’t have comedy award shows because comedy shouldn’t be taken seriously is just an invalid point -period.
Plus, it just wasn’t FUNNY.
Oh, and if that one line was truly a reference to the bin Laden capture… it was a three second one that was done piss poorly. I’m not really buying that it was a reference to bin Laden.