South Park Season 13 (2009)
South Park Season 13 Review
The thirteenth season of South Park has its weaker points, but is mostly a very good season filled with some classic, unforgettable episodes.
The Ring is one of the best episodes of the season. It wonderfully makes fun of Disney and the portrayal of Mickey Mouse as this greedy, evil villain is just fantastic and he is easily one of the best villains in the show’s history. But Kenny here is superb and I really liked the emphasis on his character this time around. It is one of the most dramatic and funniest episodes of the season.
The Coon is awesome, there is no doubt about it. It deserves admiration for being the first episode that introduced us to The Coon who is a hilarious superhero alter ego of Cartman. And Cartman has rarely been this funny in recent memory. I loved that Professor Chaos was here as well and the banter between the two is just hysterical to witness. It is a terrific parody of the superhero genre with such a wonderful humor and many great one-liners.
Margaritaville is the season’s weakest point mainly because it focuses on politics and economy instead of good laughs. And yes, it does have its moments and is important, but it lacks a stronger story and memorable jokes and is overall a huge disappointment and one of the dullest episodes of South Park.
Eat, Pray, Queef is far from a classic as it is too ridiculous, but it is still funny in its silliness and Terrance and Philip are really well utilized here. Trey Parker and Matt Stone never cease to amaze me with their ability to mix social commentary and message with a ridiculous storyline and that mix is best represented here.
Fishsticks is naturally a classic. Cartman is so good in its first half, but of course this is Kanye West’s show and he does deliver in spades. He is without any doubt one of the best South Park celebrities as he is just so funny and so on-point. The ending is hilarious, the whole story is really clever and interesting and the humor is so good here. It is easily one of the most memorable episodes in the show’s history.
Pinewood Derby is one of the weirdest and most authentic episodes. It is such an old-fashioned sci-fi excursion that is more fitting for some of the earlier seasons of the series which is why its inclusion here is weird, but still so satisfying as it is such a powerful, original tale fueled with a great message, many great twists and it’s the closest South Park has ever been to making a Twilight Zone episode.
Fatbeard is one of the weaker parts of the season due to its lack of bigger jokes and an abrupt ending, but it still has great Cartman and Butters and it is one of those episodes that are so adventurous and fun that it is impossible not to like it.
Dead Celebrities does ridicule Michael Jackson too much in my opinion, but those jokes are still very funny and the story works wonderfully as the parody of the film as well as the singer. Those conversations between Kyle and Cartman are so funny here, the use of Billy Mays is excellent and the third act in particular is hilarious.
Butters’ Bottom Bitch is not only the highlight here, but also one of the finest episodes of South Park ever in my opinion. It is just that good. Butters has rarely been this funny and this is the best use ever of Sergeant Yates as he is hysterical in this one. Both of the subplots in this episode are so great and they merge perfectly into each other near the end as well. It is a perfect, immensely funny and satisfying episode.
W.T.F. mocks the sport so well and the jokes about wrestling being gay are also so smart and hilarious. And although this basically becomes a one scenario played out over and over again, it is still really good as it is played out in such a funny, clever and sophisticated manner.
Whale Whores is one of the most important stories, but that doesn’t stop it from being funny and it has great humor in spades. The twist about the Japanese in the end is so funny and absurd that I found it to be a perfect conclusion to this episode. And it has a great use of Stan who always fits in this kind of scenario perfectly.
The F Word is also a great mix of important social commentary and a hilarious execution. Those motorcyclists and the reactions they cause are so funny. The entire third act is phenomenal with the kids explaining the use of the word faggot to the court being one of the most memorable scenes in the entire season.
Dances with Smurfs is a masterpiece and one of the highlights of this season. It is another classic Cartman vs. Wendy story, but I liked how it stayed on that territory and it focused on the ‘Avatar’ parody in the lesser extent and just enough in my opinion. The opening is also really interesting and Cartman is fantastic and especially in his new role of reading morning announcements.
Pee is another classic which explores its subject matter to the fullest extent. The Kyle subplot is so good and relatable and the Cartman subplot is even better as it showcases his racism in the best way possible with the finest scenario. It also gave us Minorities at My Water Park which just might be the finest song that South Park has ever created. This is such a fun experience filled with many laugh out loud moments.
