TV Time: South Park Season 4

I decided to pick up a season of south park on dvd because the prices were pretty low ($25), it is highly rewatchable, and the dvd editions are fairly nice. I somewhat randomly picked season 4 because it was in the best condition of the season at Best Buy. It was a good choice.

South Park is one of those shows where I'm pretty sure I've seen most episodes, but I'm really not sure how many I haven't seen. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were several in Season 4 that were new to me. Matt and Trey are comic geniuses, there is no other way of saying it. I feel extremely lucky that this show persists, and has, to date, 160 episodes (with no signs of stopping). South Park has quietly become one of the most significant shows of the past decade.

Season 4 has some classic episodes. "Timmy 2000" marks the first prominent appearance of everyone's favorite handicapped boy (unless you prefer Jimmy). "Cartman Joins NAMBLA" features Cartman looking for more mature friends, and finding plenty of older men looking to befriend young boys. Here's a quick top 5 from season 4:

1. Timmy 2000
2. Helen Keller! The Musical
3. Trapper Keeper
4. Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000
5. Cartman Joins NAMBLA

Cartman is a character that I will remember long after this show has ended its run. Many of the season 4 episodes revolve around him (mostly about his many attempts to make $10M). Butters (my other favorite character) is also featured in several episodes.

Like most seasons, there are many episodes that could be offensive if misinterpreted. So, if you are easily offended, or are already a South Park hater, please try not to misinterpret them. They are not hatefully making fun of any protected groups. What they are parodying is the absurdity of our world and our society. Their shows usually have good message behind them.

There are groups that they do target from time to time (NAMBLA, PETA, scientologists, etc.), but they are usually extremists of some sort. I am not defending everything they do, but they are very careful with the messages that they send, believe it or not.

Oh, and the show is freaking hilarious.