Earlier tonight I watched Britney's New Look, and I spent almost the entire 30 minutes with the same expression frozen to myself as the boys' shortly after they broke into her hotel room.
I've followed South Park since its first season, I've written about the show in a Throwdown, and have endured their occasional slumps with the understanding that they've historically punctuated their misses with an incredible bullseye, but I have to admit that I really struggled through the first two episodes of the current season. It's not just that they're a bit off, they're mean, angry, and dark.
My first reaction to last night's episode was that they must be running out of ideas. The show has been on for 12 seasons, and at least 9 of them have been spent in social commentary mode rather than the more innocent 'antics of the town' storylines seen in the first several years. But I've been thinking about it and I don't think that's true. I recently read 'Born Standing Up' by Steven Martin, who reminded me that comedy is a distortion of what's going on, and there will always be something going on.
Now, it could easily be that I'm just not finding humor in either the topics of AIDS or the obvious collapse of Britney Spears public life into whatever may left of her personal life. South Park has made it a policy to go after topic it chooses regardless of who it offends, so it could just be that I happen to be sitting in the 'offended' part of their audience for the moment...
But I don't think that's it either.
As I watched Stan look over Spears' headless, lifeless body as the rainclouds rolled in and the mob wordlessly left the scene totally unaffected to the act they'd just committed, I found myself saying "this isn't funny, it isn't even supposed to be funny. Not at all. Not even a little bit."
The show is getting darker. Its cynical view of the world seems to be hardening, and growing colder.
Still, I'm not leaving the show just yet. If comedy really is a distortion of what's going on, I have faith that South Park will find the funny sooner or late. Maybe we just need something lighter to happen for them to talk about.
Comments
Salemskeeper 03/21/08
I had an immediate response to come and post about tonight's SP as well, but 100% praise!
I think it was hands-down, one of the best written episodes to date. I, in turn, spent the half hour thinking how TRUE it is. It captured our very prob now w/ Britney Spears' obsessive-compulsive photog papparazzi.
THERE REALLY IS BRITNEY NEWS THAT CUTS INTO REGULAR PROGRAMMING
You can take it w/ a grain of salt, but SP is ALWAYS meant to entertain-not educate. This episode proves we take things
WAY
TOO
FAR
That said, it was still funny as hell w/ her head mostly blown off trying to sing. LMAO ROFLMAO
shaggydan 03/21/08
Really? Wow. I'm so glad I posted this blog then Salemskeeper. It's good to hear another point of view.
I agree with what you (and they) are saying. We've gone big time overboard with Britney obsession and South Park has long engaged themselves as a voice to call things like this out, but I felt this episode was trying to disturb, rather than entertain. I'm always game for thought provoking content, but I thought the missing head thing was just dark and twisted.
boslen13 03/21/08
Usually when I watch SP I have to laugh - though sometimes its a horrified, I-can't-believe-I-find-this-funny laugh (Thank you, "Scott Tenorman Must Die"). Watching the Britney episode, I was like shaggydan - I spent the entire episode with a look of shock and horror on my face, the same that Stan and Kyle shared in the first few minutes.
I can't deny the accuracy of the episode - one after another, we seem obsessed with systematically destroying those celebrities we find most watchable, most laughable or simply the most likely to be destructive. But I simply could not laugh, not once, at what was unfolding on screen. Maybe because it was simply not a topic I find funny, but I think that it may have also denied me my laughter because those SP-creators didn't really find it all that funny themselves.
Which is not to say that they don't find these girls funny ("Stupid **** Playset" anyone?). But simply that the American glee in watching someone slowly destroyed in front of us is not really all that humorous.
I do have to admit, I cracked up every time Cartman said "Sure? I'm HIV positive!"...
Salemskeeper 03/21/08
Shagydan, you're welcome!
Ok, so it WAS a darker episode & it did have an enormous amount of shock value. I think that's the point. If you say it's meant to disturb you're exactly right. I think it's what the writers wanted. Most of all, I think we SHOULD be disturbed.
We do treat these celebs as if their lives are our-some take it too far. Hence, the paparazzi camped out everywhere Spears goes. Just b/c they are in the public eye doesn't give them any less of a right to just be. The tragic thing about Britney is that she grew up in the spotlight & that's all she's known. The girl just snapped!
The lines from Stan & Kyle to just leave her alone nailed it perfectly. Standing there staring at her head blown off it's funny & really sad at the same time.
That all being said, is it any wonder stars turn to drugs & alcohol just to escape? Suicides come from not being able to handle the pressure.
I say Great job South Park! They've never censored their scripts before & always keep coming up w/ fresh & new perpectives.
Salemskeeper 03/21/08
I also found it hiarious that Entertainment Tonight mentioned the episode on tonight's brodcast. Irony anyone?
shaggydan 03/22/08
Sadly, I find it expected. Of course, that is, I think, the message this episode is trying to make- and it does- I just feel that there were less... intense ways to do it.
Add a comment
Remember to keep it clean. Bad words will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed. More Guidelines