Review: South ParQ Vaccination Special

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The residents of South Park demand to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Eric Cartman and the gang must get the vaccinations to the teachers to redeem themselves from a prank gone wrong. However, a new militant group that’s against vaccinations seeks to prevent the process from happening.

Our Take:

2020 was one heck of a year, not just for us but also for our beloved characters from South Park. The one-hour “Pandemic Special” from last year represented and satirized how messed up 2020 was. In addition to the pandemic and the new temporary lifestyle, the special also poked fun at police brutality and racial unrest. It showed how much the world fell into chaos under the rule of our former president.

The “Vaccination Special” continues where “The Pandemic Special” left off by satirizing the next and hopefully last step of the COVID-19 pandemic: The vaccination process. Unfortunately, this process isn’t as simple as it appeared to be due to people’s concerns about the COVID vaccinations. In typical fashion, South Park reflected on this honest subject matter in a way that’s both comical and unapologetically insane. The one-hour runtime can be a bit too stretched out for some people. Still, the special has basically what we need to get ourselves out of our pandemic blues: an entertaining plot that pokes fun at the situation and the people’s reactions towards it.

The “Vaccination Special” satirized how strict the process is by choosing which group deserves the vaccinations the most. The older people managed to get the treatment first, leaving the other groups waiting impatiently to get it, including the teachers. It also focused on Cartman and his friends as they find their friendship tested during their mission to bring the vaccinations to the South Park Elementary teachers. I thought that part, along with the satirization of vaccination groups, was nicely handled by the show’s creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Even though some of their actions were undoubtedly immature, especially Cartman’s period prank, there’s still some heart found in their complicated “bro-ship”.

One of the surprising aspects of the special was the return of Mr. Garrison, who’s out of his “President Trump” persona thanks to Joe Biden’s presidential win. For some reason, Garrison didn’t remember the actions he caused during his time as president, but the South Park residents sure did. It was nice to see Mr. Garrison back to his regular self again, in my opinion, and to have him have his own unexpected redemption arc. The whole “President Garrison” gag had already worn out its welcome before “The Pandemic Special”.

Then we have the anti-vaccination group lead by the White family. They’re conspiracy theorists who believe that the child-murdering “Hollywood Elites” are plotting to brainwash people with the vaccines. That segment gleefully showcases just how messed up the special was. It features the Hollywood Elites as powerful Gods who control everything, including the show. They even turn Mr. White into a giant penis, which I found to be the funniest part of the special.

The comedy still proved to be the show’s greatest strength as it provided a respectable balance of offensive and insanity. Some of the jokes that worked well were the Hollywood Elites and the Walgreen’s Vaccination building resembling a nightclub, complete with a bouncer. The running gag involving the reporter, Chris, harassing another reporter on air was a bit too much for my liking. It would’ve been better if it was shown twice, and that’s it. As usual, the comedy isn’t going to work for everyone because of the show’s crude and violent nature. However, I think the humor was suitable enough to impress the show’s fans, including me.