South Park‘s second hour-long special, the provocatively titled “South ParQ Vaccination Special,” corrects major complaints about recent episodes by situating Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny at the forefront, bringing back a post-election Mr. Garrison, and largely disregarding Randy Marsh and his “Tegridy Farms” plotline. This episode heralds the one-year anniversary of the COVID pandemic and follows the September 2020 episode “The Pandemic Special,” which focused mainly on Randy Marsh and his attempt to profit from quarantine by selling his Pandemic Special marijuana in greater volume. Here’s a rundown of the new episode and an explanation of why it signals a return to South Park‘s roots.
By the time South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker put Randy Marsh in the spotlight for September’s “The Pandemic Special,” many viewers were already complaining that Randy’s Tegridy Farms subplot had already gone stale. In this episode, Randy is responsible for both supplying marijuana to quarantined citizens and stumbling upon a rather disgusting “vaccine.” The episode contains its share of hilarious cameos and turns, including the detail that Randy himself is directly responsible for the spread of COVID-19. Overall, however, the episode feels somewhat baggy and unfocused, and many critics argued that the episode’s focus wandered too far from its more beloved characters.
By contrast, in “South ParQ Vaccination Special,” Randy Marsh gets only the briefest of cameos toward the very end of the episode. Much of the narrative focuses on central characters Stan, Kenny, Eric, and Kenny, who are struggling to keep their “bro-ship” intact due to pandemic-related pressures and disagreements. Throughout the South Park episode, the boys express a desire to rediscover a pre-COVID state of normalcy, but that possibility seems more and more impossible, especially after they’re put in charge of a large vaccine supply. These friendship dynamics have been sorely absent from the show, and the unstable “bro-ship” thread is both hilarious and touching, especially when the boys begin to coddle Kenny as if he’s a young child whose parents are getting divorced.
Furthering this implied desire for normalcy, a post-election Mr. Garrison (previously a stand-in for Trump) returns to the town of South Park and quickly becomes dismayed that citizens won’t treat him just as they did before he became President. In time, a QAnon conspiracy theorist named Mr. White approaches Garrison to let him know that despite the public’s newfound distrust, “All of us ‘Whites’ were really on your side.” Although at first he resists the QAnon faction, Garrison eventually becomes entangled with its members, allowing the always-controversial Stone and Parker ample opportunity to make fun of QAnon supporters, people who overreact to QAnon supporters, and themselves, since their likenesses appear among images of adrenochrome-chugging “Hollywood elites” like Oprah and Tom Hanks. Later in the episode, as Garrison comes closer to unmasking Stone and Parker as the secret masterminds at the center of the conspiracy, the show breaks the fourth wall by revealing the very animation software that powers South Park. It’s implied that Stone and Parker threaten Garrison before placating him with the return of Mr. Hat — Garrison’s beloved puppet, who first appeared in season 1.
Overall, the “Vaccination Special” makes a wise move in returning to the basic storylines of the four boys and a non-presidential Mr. Garrison. These classic characters have epitomized the South Park experience since it first aired, though, admittedly, not all episodes have aged well. That said, much like “The Pandemic Special,” this new “South ParQ Vaccination Special” does feel somewhat baggy and overstuffed at times. It could be argued that South Park has always found its best footing in the 30-minute format. In any case, Stone and Parker are still among the sharpest satirists on the block, and hopefully this release brings with it the promise of additional episodes in the near future.
