Review: South Park ‘Ginger Cow’

Spoilers Below

It’s funny how South Park can start an episode by making you think they’re going to do a show that just focuses the townspeople, or even just focuses on the schoolchildren, and then suddenly turn it into an international affair. (Speaking of international, did anyone else wonder why there were no subtitles for the news scene? I honestly thought the picture on my TV might have been zoomed-in too much and tried to change it like a doofus.)

Anyway, the episode began with Cartman announcing in South Park Elementary’s cafeteria that he was wrong – and Kyle & the gingers were right – about the existence of ginger animals. Cartman then showed the students a hilariously-fabricated, pale, red-headed cow.

Kyle warned (and foreshadowed) that even the smallest lie can have huge consequences. Cartman scoffed at this, and of course Kyle was correct, because as we all know, a red cow is a sign of the beginning of the end of times (that’s totally a real thing, right?) But then the world’s religious leaders sacrificed the cow in Israel, which led to peace in the Middle East. And then for some reason Van Halen played.

When Kyle realized that he would need to play along with Cartman’s prank for the betterment of the world, he was then forced to subject himself to Cartman’s frequent flatulence, which he also had to claim was “yummy yummy” and endure other similar & constant humiliations. A voice then told Kyle he “should, like, shave your head and get all peaceful about it,” and he did just that, but ended up becoming a “self-righteous asshole.”

In the end, Stan – also playing along – publically confirmed that the cow was indeed a miracle, which prompted the religious leaders to say that the prophesy actually stated that “a fat child with a small penis would decorate a cow to look ginger,” thus ending world peace and making Kyle realize his martyrdom was all in vain. Cartman reassured him, saying not to worry, “I’m sure this isn’t the first time someone who thought they were suffering for humanity was really just sucking farts.” And BAM, everything comes full circle in classic South Park fashion.

This episode had all the ingredients a South Park episode needs, like crude humor, silly innocent-seeming storylines, and social commentary. All the major religions were lampooned in some way, the episode showcased the Cartman/Kyle rivalry, and it further proved that the bigger the stage Eric receives, the funnier he can be. I’m not sure if this will be a classic episode, but it sure as hell was funny.