South Park: Canada on Strike Review
Season 12 - Episode 04
Photo courtesy of southparkstudios.com
April 3rd, 2008 - The Writer’s Strike of 2007-2008 began on November 5, 2007. Two days later, South Park did a show on Guitar Hero. A week after that, they did a show on the lists girls make about boys. “Guitar Queer-O” was all right, and “The List” was very funny, but I was really hoping that Matt and Trey would take on the writer’s strike, as they were one of the few productions to be unaffected by the stoppage and they are well-known for their (very) current events satire.
But, as evidenced by “Canada on Strike” they were simply waiting to see how it all played out, and they very clearly don’t hold Patric Verrone or the deal he got for writers in very high regard, to put it mildly.
There is absolutely no subtlety involved in this episode, from the initials of the World Canadian Bureau mysteriously being WGA, to the Canadians demanding more money from the internet (somehow), to the extra-in-your-face “I learned something today” speech at the end of the episode. Matt and Trey have never shied away from their opinions in an effort to be politically correct, and there was no holding back in this episode at all. I wish I knew more about the ins and outs of the deal to better comment on the point they made, but it doesn’t matter - this was one funny episode.
Unlike “Britney’s New Look,” which was too heavy handed without being as entertaining as it could have been, this episode seriously delivered the funny. Everything about the Canadian strike was very well-done, from the initial song, to the Bennigans coupons, to the “I’m not your buddy, guy” running gag. But the truly hysterical moments of the show came from the internet parodies.
Butters singing “What What (In the Butt)” was great, but the meeting of all the famous YouTube sensations in one room was positively brilliant. It was a great idea to throw the Numa Numa guy (and hear the original song), the Star Wars kid, dramatic chipmunk, laughing baby, the Leave Britney Alone guy, and others all duking it out for who’s worth the most theoretical money. The point that they’re making here is totally valid - some people are willing to put themselves out there on the net making asses of themselves for millions to see without making a single penny. But the point is made while making you laugh, with a visual of the Chocolate Rain guy shooting the sneezing panda.
After two episodes that left me wanting more, South Park has delivered two amazing episodes that had everything that make the show great - a well-stated point of view and lots of big laughs. And I still can’t get Butters singing the butt song out of my head.
Alan’s Score: 9.1 out of 10
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