For the first time in over 23 years on air, “South Park” has put out a special. The episode, titled “The Pandemic Special,” is also the first hour-long episode of South Park, as well as the first new episode ever put out on HBO.
The episode, which aired Sep. 30, drew 4.05 million viewers, making it the highest-rated “South Park” episode in seven years.
In a year where disaster after disaster has occurred and serious news is being consumed on a nearly constant basis, a comedic but critical look at politics was a badly needed distraction. Both the ratings and reception the show received reflected this
The special did what “South Park” does best, unleashing a scathing critique of current politics in a crude manner that still somehow manages to capture the nuances of numerous different situations, all while remaining meta.
The episode starts off with the classic four friends — Eric, Kenny, Stan and Kyle — all attending school through Zoom, in true 2020 fashion, but quickly devolves into chaos as parents clash over COVID-19 regulations and political differences.
Eventually, the children are forced to go back to school. When they arrive, however, they find that their normal teachers have all refused to return for their own safety, and have been replaced by newly defunded and unemployed police officers who are willing to do anything for a paycheck.
Meanwhile, Stan’s dad, Randy Marsh, learns that he and Micky Mouse may be responsible for spreading COVID-19 during their drug-infused trip to China in season 23. When he tries to cure COVID-19 with his new “Pandemic Special” strain of marijuana, however, the town finds that the cure may be worse than the disease.
While the episode tackled almost every major issue in 2020, that did cause it to become a bit unfocused, which is a criticism many major reviewers had of the special.
However, in a year like 2020, it’s also fair to say that chaotic and unorganized might be the perfect mirror to society. The show generally does it’s best to reflect the general public’s opinions and emotions around controversial and hard topics.
In true “South Park” fashion, the show pulled no punches when it came to police brutality against minorities and Trump’s racist rhetoric and handling of COVID-19, either. At one point, the only black student in “South Park,” Token Black, is even assaulted by the police.
As for season 24 of the show, there is still no update or announcement on when the first episode might air, but most critics think that it will be soon.
Regardless, “The Pandemic Special” was a badly needed distraction that will likely tide over “South Park” fans as well as introduce newcomers to the show, and it definitely delivered.
The episode is available on HBO Max, but is also free to stream on South Park’s website.
