Looking Ahead at 2018-2019

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, it's been a summer. There was a whole lot of nothing on television, aside from the Bates Family, the Duggar Family, the Roloff Family, and the newer addition to my reality followings - the Busby Family. Technically, there was also Trial & Error, but I'm behind in that because Spectrum is awful and we're on our third DVR box in two months. But, I spent some time last night going through the new shows for the broadcast networks and made some selections. because, you know, there's more to TV life than

ABC came in high, CW isn't even on the board, and FOX tanked. CBS and NBC are surprisingly equal, but we'll see how that pans out. I picked more shows this year than I did last year, but a few of them I really don't think will make it to Thanksgiving, so not much is lost in giving them a try.

What made the cut?
For ABC, I'm going with the soon-to-premiere Single Parents (a bit too much exposure, already, I think), A Million Little Things (it better be better than Friends with Better Lives), plus the farther out The Rookie (Nathan Fillion, anyone?), The Conners, Schooled, and The Kids are Alright (it seems that we're on an every-other-year-there's-a-Catholic-family-show module). As two of those are spin-offs, I'm not really feeling like my ABC selections are as high as they appear.

For FOX, the only thing I'm going to bother with is Rel, which starts tonight. It's about a guy who has to rebuild his life after a divorce, so it'll be a rough start, but Sinbad plays the protagonist's father, so that could be fun.

On NBC, the start dates are mostly soon. In September alone, I'll be checking out New Amsterdam (I'm a sucker for medical shows), I Feel Bad (I need more "mom shows"), and Manifest (it's going to be awful or amazing), plus later on there's Gilded Age (period show!), Abby's (this looks like a hot mess), and The Village (which, really, I'm only in to see Daren Kagasoff act again).

Rounding it out on CBS, there's the crazy (unscripted) Million Dollar Mile, the unlikely-to-work Happy Together, the reboot of Murphy Brown, the too-much-like-Living-Biblically-from-last-season God Friended Me, the is-this-Timeless-again? Blood & Treasure, and the Beth-Behrs-is-back The Neighborhood.

The bigger, scarier thing (if you can believe it) is that I have a TON of returning shows, which I don't think I realized back in Spring!
ABC: Fresh off the Boat, American Housewife, Speechless, The Goldbergs, Black-ish, The Good Doctor [only one new thing from last year remaining]
FOX: Bob's Burgers, The Resident, Last Man Standing (I don't think it'll be that good this time around, though...) [only one new thing from last year remaining]
NBC: This is Us, Superstore, A.P. Bio, Will & Grace, The Good Place (which I discovered online over the summer) [only one new thing from last year remaining]
CBS: Man with a Plan, How to Get Away with Murder, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon [only one new thing from last year remaining]
CW: Jane the Virgin, Dynasty [one old, one from last year]
Other Networks: South Park (Comedy Central), Grown-ish (Freeform), Good Trouble (the Freeform spin-off of The Fosters), plus the aforementioned follow-an-atypical-family shows I enjoy. 

And, at some point, I still do plan to check out The Mick and Good Girls. So... yeah, there's a lot of television entertainment to be enjoyed this year. 

South Park: Uber & Wacky Races

I believe that there is still good in the world. When I use Uber (whether in San Francisco or San Diego or Manhattan), I'm not afraid that I'll get kidnapped or robbed or raped. When I use Airbnb (and I've stayed in three different places in Los Angeles, for example), I don't worry that the homeowners will bring me any harm. I think businesses like these are a great asset to have, and allow individuals to make money using things they already own/pay for. But I've talked with people who look at me like I have three heads when I suggest they take up a stranger for a ride or stay in a room of someone's otherwise-occupied home. South Park didn't address these issues, instead using this episode to illustrate how easy it is to bring up a phone app to get a ride somewhere, before turning the focus to a Wacky Races spoof. While I'm not old enough to know the original cartoon and thus geek-out with the parents, I am familiar with Yogi Bear's similar antics, so I was also caught up in the action!

Comedy Central

South Park "Handicar" (S18E04): Timmy drives for Handicar, which seems to be like the Uber or Lyft services. He uses his motorized scooter pulling a red wagon, but keeps raking in thr dough, raising over $2,000 for summer camp. [dang!] However, there are cab drivers and anti-camp kids out to stop him; the cabbies even beat Timmy's legs, which, of course, doesn't slow him down. [who does that kinda thing to a kid??] An anti-camp kid, Nathan, suggests to Timmy that he expand his business, thinking he'll be able to get a sexual harassment complaint as a driver, but it backfires - the rider is a sexual predator and business booms. [only on South Park!] Elon Musk, of Tesla, gets behind the anti- group, and they challenge Timmy to a Wacky Race. [Dick Dastardly and Muttley! omg!]

Lyft Car, ZipCar, Taxi, Hummer salesman, Tesla D, Canadian concept vehicle, Handicar, Japanese self-driving car, and Dick Dastardly & Muttley all compete to see who is the best driver. [hilarious!] Lyft picks up the passenger, but Hummer steals her. But, they try to make a sale and let her drive, but Tesla knocks the SUV out of commission, and the Taxi steals her during the transfer. The Canadian car breaks down, Dastardly causes an accident, and Handicar picks her up. Every plot to ruin Handicar fails, so Timmy sells the company to Elon Musk for $2.3B. [and I'm sitting here shaking my head! also, rough Italy thing at the end.]

South Park: Feelings of Confusion

I may no longer work in academia, but my time in both graduate school and student affairs ingrained words like “cisgender” into my vocabulary. I’ve had to explain what I mean more than once when I use that term, and I’m generally met with stares meant for someone with three eyes. So, although South Park certainly takes some liberties with what they’re doing, I appreciate that there are now thousands of people who have at least heard the term now, even if they don’t quite understand what it means. All of that aside, I am super intrigued as to how the continuation of the episodes linking this season is going to work… do Matt Stone and Trey Parker have everything in that spectrum mapped out already? Or are they writing in their usual manner and just finding weird ways to keep certain jokes going?

Comedy Central

South Park "The Cissy" (S18E03): Cartman gets upset when both stalls are occupied in the boys' restroom at recess, so he puts on a hair bow and uses the girls' restroom, claiming he is "cisginger." [haha, this show and its gingers!] It causes such a ruckus that Cartman is given his own restroom, but Wendy rebels by claiming she identifies as male, and therefore should share the "other" restroom. [that was a quick remodel!]

A reporter is researching whether Lorde really played in SouthPark, but the truth is that Randy IS Lorde. [::blink::] The reporter keeps snooping and determines that Lorde works part-time as a geologist. Meanwhile, Randy confides in Stan that he is Lorde, and he uses autotune to do alter his voice. Stan then tries the transgender bathroom, as he feels confused. [interesting touch!] Meanwhile, the USGS wants Randy/Lorde to use a separate restroom, but everything blows over and even the school decides that the students can use whichever restroom they feel most comfortable in. [I kinda like it.] Plus, the reporter chooses not to publish the truth about Lorde being Randy. [anyone else start having flashbacks of the blogging gerbil?]

South Park: The Evolution of the Food Pyramid

When I was in second grade, our class play was about six kids who got locked in a grocery store overnight. The bulk of the class played various foods and had lines talking about their nutritional value, how much you should eat of them, and with what they pair well. I played the narrator kid, but would have traded my multiple lines to get to wear a costume made from balloons (grapes), a storage tub (yogurt), or posterboard (the cheese). Regardless, the point is that the food pyramid was something we spent a lot of time studying when I was a kid, so ten years later when my sister did so, I was really confused on why the one she was learning was different. I know that what is recommended today is even farther removed from what I see as “balanced,” so I laughed thoroughly at this episode, especially at the revelation that the food pyramid could be wrong. I thought they could have done more with the gluten-free jokes, but as South Park seems to be really working on a continuity schematic this season, I guess they ran out of time…

Comedy Central

South Park "Gluten Free Ebola" (S18E02): The boys return to school (well, not Butters, who set fire to the gym) after their Start-Up Company fails, but none of their classmates will talk to them. [meh.] They decide to throw the best party ever, with Lorde playing (apparently someone at Randy’s work is a relative of the musician?) and plenty of pizza and cake. To make sure people come, they decide to have a cause - a party for their diabetic classmate, Scott. [20 different cakes?!? For a diabetic? awesome.]

Mr. Mackey has gone gluten-free and won't shut up about it, and the town follows suit once a USDA representative suffers when he takes a shot of straight gluten. The adults start eliminating all items containing gluten. [jokes about ice cream and beer were especially humorous!] The kids cancel their party, but everyone thinks they're just backing out, even though the choice is based completely on the unavailability of food. [burning it in the streets?!?]

The situation leaves Cartman depressed and dreaming of pancakes. In one of these hallucinations, however, he realizes that the old Food Pyramid needs to be turned upside-down (with Fats & Oils making up the bulk, then Meat & Dairy, then Fruits & Vegetables, then Grains). This concept is immediately adopted by the panicked USDA, who had workers dressed in HazMat suits and brandishing Geiger-like machines measure gluten in households and quarantine those with high levels. [but apparently only a trace amount is needed to set off this counter…]

It all works out so the guys can serve food at their party, plus Randy dresses as Lorde to perform. [I wasn’t sure they were gonna get there!]

RETURNING: South Park: Classic Comedy

This episode did not disappoint. The initial set-up was a little much, with gross name after gross name, but once the direction was clear, the humor bloomed. There were certainly low points, but the writing continues to be true to the characters' personalities, and that's what works best for this series. Plus, it's been a while since they had a get-rich-quick scheme, and those are generally goldmines.

also, um, so I've invested in several Kickstarter projects and never thought about how the website makes 5% on every funded project and does nothing but host the pages companies and individuals create to raise money. I am thoroughly impressed with Kickstarter at the moment!

Comedy Central

South Park "Go Fund Yourself" (S18E01): The kids try to come up with a Startup Company name that isn't taken yet, which is quite tough, resulting in them buying Furry Balls Plopped Menacingly on the Table, Inc. before realizing that Washington Redskins is available because the trademark got pulled. [simple is better!] The kids quit school to move forward with their four-point plan (Stat Up, Cash In, Sell Out, Bro Down), which begins netting them Kickstarter (to do nothing) investments. [haha, I love simple "plans" like that!] Dan Snyder, the owner of the football team by the same name, wants Cartman to stop using the name, but it doesn't make a difference to him. Neither does ISIS looking up to the Washington Redskins, so Kyle and Stan decide to start their own company under the lengthier name, but Stan soon wants to simplify again, and leaves Kyle.

Meanwhile, the NFL team owners agree to come together and force Cartman's Washington Redskins to change their name and logo, but Cartman unveils the Redskins head with a profile of male and female body parts. [figures.] In retaliation, the football team takes over Kickstarter, causing havoc the night before Cartman's company is set to receive their raised funds. [ha!] Cartman thinks Kyle is the guilty party, but Stan points out that they just need to start over so they all merge back together to try to become the next Kickstarter. But, GoFundYourself's model is that others do all the work and then just give them 5%. [so, effectively, worse than how Kickstarter works.] But, it turns around and bites them when nobody buys into it and resents the guys. 

South Park: The War is Over, But Only Beginning

After a week off, we finally find out what happened with the XBOX and PlayStation war, which had quite the lead-up. Sure, it involved eating your family members and beheading people, but what else could really be expected once you realized that the Game of Thrones parody would take on "The Red Wedding" ?? The customized introduction was cool, but with the storyline so drawn out, I was really over it before the end, which was sad. Stone and Parker were right back at it the next week, however, tackling yet another war - the body image issues which have plagued our country for years but have recently gained a lot more attention. Unfortunately, I don't mean recently as in the past month or so, forcing the creators to draw from older information, which doesn't necessarily result in their best work. The Hobbit comparison was timely, of course, but ultimately timeless, as those who have read the Tolkien works are well aware of what the creatures look like.

Comedy Central

South Park "Titties and Dragons" (S17E09): The XBOX kids surrender, but only because they think it's the only way for everyone to get a console. [haha!] The PS4 kids try to take over the mall-adjacent Red Robin by renting it out "for a wedding." Kenny, who is off saving PS4 shipments as a princess, receives his invitation and takes off for the "Red Robin Wedding." Bill Gates calls Cartman, who is still continuing to make secret plans in someone else's garden. [the horse penises had me rolling!] Cartman then defecates in the garden and blames Stan to get him grounded.

George R. R. Martin cuts the ribbon for Black Friday, but when he spends too long talking about his penis, someone just cuts it off. [omfg!] Bill Gates and the SONY President show up just as the kids are trying to double-cross one another, and as battles happen all across the mall, the XBOXers win, and the kids get their consoles amongst dozens of dead bodies. [was that footage from TV news this year? also, weird homage to A Charlie Brown Christmas.]

South Park "The Hobbit" (S17E10): The cheerleaders are practicing, and Wendy tries to encourage Lisa, the self-proclaimed fat and ugly one. Lisa has a crush on Butters, and Wendy encourages her to ask him out - but he turns her down because she's fat. [awww, Butters! you were one of my favorite characters!] Wendy goes on the warpath, telling Butters that photoshop ruins the lives of girls by forcing them to try living up to unrealistic expectations. Butters cries to the counselor about Wendy poking fun at Kim Kardashian, and Kanye shows up to defend Kim, though he's not good at it. Speaking of Kanye, Pope Francis wins the Person of the Year award, and Kanye interrupts the acceptance speech to defend Kim once again. [the comparison of Kim to the actual Hobbits was hilarious.]

Wendy then photoshops a picture of Lisa to show Butters how it works, and he falls for the picture, deciding to give Lisa candy and flowers. [that was really funny, guys.] But, Clyde asks out Lisa and brings her around school, showing the picture of photoshopped Lisa to people rather than introducing the real Lisa. [holy cow that's ridiculous and unbelievable. but a nice satire.] Everyone thinks that Wendy is jealous of Lisa, but other girls ask Wendy to photoshop them, too. [whaaaa???] She says no, but the girls just go to the gym and photoshop themselves there, under the guidance of a trainer. [hahahahaha!!!!!] Stan asks Wendy for photoshopped pictures of herself to show people, but she just starts pointing out everyone in school's flaws. Wendy goes to the news and tries to ban the use of photoshopped images, but she winds up photoshopping herself in the end anyway, as the credits roll. [that's what makes this a sad and terrible episode with a lot of truth. what a way to end the season!]

South Park: Black Friday Continues

I wasn't sure how great my expectations would be, given the opening portion of this storyline, but they might have been a little high, as I was not impressed with this episode in any way. Perhaps the upcoming third part will really bring it all to a nice closure, but we'll have to wait to see! I think what I'm actually more curious about, however, was the "this episode was brought to you by XBOX One" message... was it a joke, was there a bidding war, was PlayStation even interested, who will sponsor next week's episode?

Comedy Central

South Park "A Song of Ass and Fire" (S17E08): Because of the death of the security guard, another 10% will be taken off (making that 90%!!) for the first 30 shoppers. [I still don't fully understand how the mall is going to handle such a thing!] Cartman calls Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, but the guy is confident that a console war is not a real war, so Cartman sends Butters to New Mexico to ask George R. R. Martin for help. [hahaha! nice themed opener as well!] They ask when the dragons will show up, and although Martin agrees to tell them, he has so much detail before that part (complete with a lot of sexual commentary), that the kids decide to bail early. [the diabetic issues were a strange twist?] To help the boys, though, Martin gets the date of Black Friday to move to December 6th. This causes the mall to go to 96% off for the first 100 people. Meanwhile, Bill Gates has Ballmer murdered so he can actually build the war on Black Friday. [dang.] Gates plans to actually help XBOX-seekers fight through the crowds, so he supplies them with axes and guns. [this is really getting intense, guys!] Cartman and crew talk to Kenny and say that the PS4 kids can't possibly win, but SONY makes Kenny a (anime) princess with a brooch, so who knows...

South Park: XBOX vs. PS4

My jaw dropped at the end of this episode because I was completely believing that it would finish the storyline in time. But, Matt Stone and Trey Parker wouldn't have started a November 29th story on November 13th for no reason! This has the potential to even be a three-parter, which would be significantly interesting. I already found the premise to be quite appealing, though I kept yelling at those kids, wondering why they weren't in line yet if there were clearly adults crowding the mall. I guess we'll find out how it all comes together, though it seems no official word has yet been given regarding what might be in store for the additional installment(s) of this one!

South Park "Black Friday" (S17E07): The South Park Mall announces that, on Black Friday, the first 30 people will get 80% off of their purchases. Security is beefed up, and Randy begins work on the crew. However, he is actually just trying to beat the Black Friday customers by already being inside the mall when it opens. [clever. can't repeat it, but not a bad ploy.] When Randy's boss is stabbed handing out wristbands, Randy admits the truth, but is still placed in charge. [and given a scarred eye patch!]

Meanwhile, the kids are scheming to make sure that they are able to use the 80% off on the newest video game console. Except, once they band together in cosplay, they realize that not everyone is after the same gaming device! Cartman heads up a group for the XBOX One while Stan recruits kids for the PlayStation 4. [there's also a new Elmo doll up for grabs, just to keep things interesting.] Cartman talks to Kenny about Kyle's loyalty, but Kenny is the one who goes over to the other side.

Comedy Central

Sony starts to worry that XBOX will make more sales, so they offer a special "Brack Friday Bunduru" to draw more interest. [I get the joke on the "L" vs "R" situation, but how does "bundle" become "bunduru" ???]

South Park: Cartman Creates a Ginger Cow

This episode was off to a great start. I found it pretty funny right up until the twist where the world religion leaders had hoped that Cartman created the Ginger Cow. That seemed unnecessary and strange, and didn't really seem to benefit anyone. The only thing that it did do, in fact, was make sure that everything was reset and the status quo was reached to start the next episode as if this had never happened. I'm not a fan of how The Simpsons uses that mechanism, and I didn't enjoy it here, either. Of course, I'm always always irked by the ginger teasing when the kids wear hats 98% of the time anyway! If Cartman hadn't seen Kyle's hair some random time, he's never even know that the kid is a redhead!

Comedy Central

South Park "Ginger Cow" (S17E06): Cartman sees a cow with red hair and red spots, so he apologizes to Kyle for saying only humans can be gingers. [what?] The other kids go to see the cow, and when the Al Aziz Network starts reporting about it, many reporters begin committing suicide. Apparently, a red cow can mean the end of times, and three Israelis show up at the school to see the cow. [weird that Kyle was supposed to translate, but the rabbis weren't actually speaking another language.] The Christians, Jews, and Muslims soon start discussing Armageddon. This causes them to realize that they're all getting along, so the cow is brought to Israel for sacrifice, in hopes of bringing peace. Even the religious symbols are merged together... creating the Van Halen logo. [and I bet that's where the inspiration for this entire episode came from... someone messed with the logo and it started coming together from there.]

Cartman soon admits that he made it all up, and tries to get Kyle to be his slave in order to not tell the Middle East the truth. [all the fart stuff was gross.] Stan tries to help Kyle, but he isn't getting anywhere, as he can't figure out what Cartman is holding over Kyle's head. [Kyle shaving his head was weird. I think more fit in with that but was cut.] Cartman and Kyle head to Israel while Stan and Kenny try to expose the truth, but Stan decides to follow Kyle's lead and cover the story for the sake of peace... only to ruin everything anyway by saying the cow came from the sky, which is not the "prophecy." [and that's where I regret watching this episode.]

South Park: Ike and Foofa

This episode left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Part of it is probably the fact that I really prefer adventures where the main kids are all involved, but the other is that the Ike storyline was incredibly far-fetched. Facial hair and chewing tobacco? His parents and teachers not really knowing anything about it? Nobody feeling the effects of Ike's changes except Kyle? I just didn't buy it. Perhaps if it had been the B-story to Intelelink instead of the other way around, it would have worked better. Because, in all honesty, I thought that there were not enough crosses between the two to really make them work well together.

South Park "Taming Strange" (S17E05): Mr. Mackey tells the kids about "Intelelink," which the kids can use to schedule appointments with the nurse or counselor. In the process, he shows the class a degrading picture of Kyle that Ike drew. As this has been happening frequently lately, Kyle tries to befriend his brother, but he's not interested, preferring to use some chewing tobacco. [I think that may be the worst depiction of puberty ever, by the way!]

Kyle goes to Mr. Mackey for help, but Intelelink is having problems and it's a while before he gets any ideas... and all he gets is "look up Canadian puberty to find out how it is different." [LoL, true, everything Canadian is different on this show!] Kyle skips school to take Ike to Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!, but Ike tries to "tame Foofa's strange" at the concert and gets in trouble. [wow. that was insane!]

Comedy Central

However, this makes Foofa decide to move on to playing for older audiences, and she soon goes wild. She hangs out with Ike, but her former band members bring Sinead O'Conner to tell her to control herself. [only part of me wants to look up the reference here...] But, she sticks with her mature shows, acting like Miley Cyrus in a way.

The whole situation seems to have started when Ike began getting the wrong medication from the Canadian government, and was receiving hormones instead of constipation medicine because of a system screw-up. [I laughed at the healthcare jokes.] Tom Brady has been getting the laxatives instead. [ha!] Kyle is able to get Ike to stop being so aggressive with the change.

Meanwhile, back at school, the system has problems, and Mr. Mackey keeps pouring money into it (we're talking about $100k) until he just has to have it removed because of the disastrous outcome.

South Park: Plants Turn Goths to Emos

I wax poetic about South Park sometimes, but this episode was a swing and a miss. And I didn't even think about the fact that the standard characters are pretty much absent from the episode! The themed opening was a nice change, but with this series not going into a segment immediately after the theme song, I bet many DVR watchers missed it. That is, if they even checked their DVRs to set properly, as the shenanigan last week caused many to not recognize that this was a "new" episode. It's okay, though, not much was missed, so here's hoping that Matt Stone and Trey Parker have more up their sleeves... between Halloween, the government shutdown, and Obamacare, there's gotta be something awesome they can do, right?

South Park "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers" (S17E04): The goth kids smoke and read Poe at Henrietta's house, and the actions make her parents think that she is "emo." [haha.] They decide to send her to a troubled kids' camp for two weeks, but the other goths try to get CPS involved. In explaining the problem, uncool audiences got an explanation of the differences between goth and emo... in short, goths are nihilistic and believe the world is screwed up, while emos are cynical and believe they are messed up. [I thought that was a decent summary, actually.] When Henrietta returns, she acts emo, and tries to win others over to that clique, too.

Comedy Central

However, when Michael's parents send him to the camp, too, the remaining goths turn to the vamps for help. [haha, Hot Topic is the vamp lair!] After the vampire kids observe the conversion, they hold a seance for Edgar Allan Poe, whose goth name is "NightPain." [I love how all the groups worship Poe.] It seems that being emo stems from being near a special plant, and a faux-goth emo kid captures some others to convert them. [I'm unclear as to why emos would care enough to convert others...] The kids summon NightPain and ask him to shoot the King Emo Plant (which is really only a common ficus), and it turns out it was all a set-up for a TV show - Yes! I'm Scared. [I think this was the worst part of the episode, actually.] The whole thing was a prank, and the kids are stumped. The "turned" emos struggle to believe there is no organic spore in their heads, but soon they're back to their usual selves.

NEWS: South Park to Rerun Tonight!

Matt Stone and Trey Parker are amazing people, in case you didn't know. But, nobody is perfect, and their quick turn-around times on their South Park episodes finally caught up with them. "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers" isn't ready to air in tonight's Comedy Central slot because of a lengthy power failure at South Park Studios Tuesday night.

With most animated shows, this would not have been a problem. But, as we've discussed before, the dynamic duo of South Park turn around their episodes very quickly, forcing strict deadlines. For the first time, they didn't meet the deadline for tonight's episode to air. But, they're still giving the fans something special: in its place, a rerun of their 2001 episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die" will air, and the team will live-tweet during it!

Look for the Vamp/Goth episode to air Wednesday, October 23 at 10pm ET/PT.

Comedy Central

Michael J. Fox Show: Art & Sports

In case you were curious, there is another movie with a pottery scene: TITANIC! There's a pottery scene at the very beginning, as OldRose is working the wheel when she hears the news talk about the Titanic exploration. Anyway, pottery is an interesting hobby, but I found it incredibly frustrating when I took it for a semester in college, so I imagine that it would be difficult for a grade schooler to enjoy. Hockey, on the other hand, is interesting for kids, at least on Roseanne and Beverly Hills, 90210. and The Simpsons and South Park, for that matter. And, as the other Henry children don't seem to be sports-oriented, it could be a great way for Mike to bond with his youngest. The fact that he chooses another activity entirely doesn't bother me, but where in Manhattan is there an outdoor go-kart track??

The Michael J. Fox Show "Hobbies" (S01E04): Annie and Mike struggle with the new breakdown of household chores. [the multiple dinners was pretty funny and original.] However, Annie is having a touch time with Graham bothering her all afternoon, so she wants to get him into a new afterschool activity. She thinks pottery would be a good choice, but Mike believes hockey would be a better fit. Both parents sign him up for their preferred activities, and both demonstrate their own strengths as Graham just keeps playing video games. [hahaha!] The Henrys put him in a go-kart activity, as he likes to play driving games.

Photo by: Eric Liebowitz/NBC

Eve gets a bully tweet, and Leigh decides to help fight back. It backfires, and Eve works on trying to figure out a new way of running, as she's getting teased. [Phoebe Buffay from Friends, anyone?] Leigh keeps trying to make a difference, but winds up making things worse and worse, and soon winds up in the principal's office for writing those tweets. On the bright side, she might have finally found a voice that will do better for her Cosmo-like articles. [side-boob as a topic? no comment.] 

At work, Mike is reunited with Susie Jones, with whom he worked years ago in Florida. He's not happy about it, but she spins it so that he's the only reason she has a career. [oh I HATE her!] Then, she threatens him in private, and he can't wait to prove her wrong. Harris knows that Mike is right when he witnesses Susie in pain after she claimed that she could no longer feel. [haha - Mike gifts her a broken vase just to cause her pain and annoyance!]

South Park: Z is for Zimmerman

Mixing news with popular culture is one of the strengths of South Park, and is also perhaps one of the reasons that the series continues to draw in so many viewers after all these years. I personally was expecting a Government Shutdown episode, but perhaps Matt Stone and Trey Parker are waiting to see how it is resolved before they tackle it with the fourth graders. Instead, the meld in this episode depicts a story that brings together events from last summer. Still, although it might have been more relevant if it had aired in July, it also might have been "too soon" to be poking fun at a case that had folks across the country up in arms. Actually, it might still be a bit early to do so, as I found it a little difficult to write about the events of the episode, and I didn't particularly follow the case very closely. Regardless, it's shaping up to be a strong season!

South Park "World War Zimmerman" (S17E03): Cartman hangs out with Token, then acts like Token is bothered by things that happened long ago. [haha, Les Mis and French history.]

Comedy Central

Cartman dreams that he is Brad Pitt, and Token is among those attacking him after the Zimmerman trial's verdict outrages African Americans. [play on World War Z with black people as zombies.] Cartman and Token clear the air in the counselor's office, but the former decides to leave town, as "the outbreak is starting." [haha, Tesla jokes.] He hops aboard a plane and tells everyone that there will be no Denver left to go back to, but when there's a black guy in the restroom, panic breaks out and the plane crashes. Cartman and one other person are the only survivors, but when Cartman finds out he just can't shoot Token to stop the plague, he decides to go to a Stand Your Ground state (Florida), where he heads to murder George Zimmerman. Another plane crashes again, and the same two survivors don black hoodies so they can't be seen. [that joke is a little touchy.] She's run over, but Cartman keeps going.

The government goes to Zimmerman's house to ask him to shoot another African-American kid, even though he has "given that up." [this is where I start to feel icky about recapping...] But, he shoots Cartman, and gets the chair for shooting a white kid instead of a black one. [errr....] When Cartman recovers, he shoots Token (whom Cartman believes is Patient Zero) in a spray-painted circle on the street. He's found not guilty, and is soon panicked enough to bring down another plane when Token gets upset at how the Stand Your Ground law allegedly works. [I didn't actually see World War Z, on account of the fact that I don't really do supernatural stuff, but I understand this is an exaggeration of the planes crashing in the film.]

South Park: Taking Matters into their Own Hands

Cartman hates Wendy, got it. The fact that he can't get past that, however, is sad, because even when she agrees with him, he boos her. Not caring about Syrian refugees is one thing, but when you are trying to change something that is affecting your daily life, it's something else. Speaking of which, it could have been much more effective if other kids' parents were wrapped up in the "informative murder porn," rather than so much of the Marshes. Also, I'm glad that someone finally explained Minecraft to me. Last summer I had students who talked about it all the time and I had never heard of it. To this day I haven't seen a single advertisement, either!

South Park "Informative Murder Porn" (S17E02): The kids are giving reports at school, and one student talks about the stuff their parents watch on Investigation Discovery. Stan's parents claim they like informative news and documentaries, but it's actually people having affairs and then getting shot. [ah ha! the title. got it.] Then, there's an instance in South Park, which has the kids up in arms at the community center. [really? they'd all head over there for this?] The kids want to block what their parents can watch, and the passwords are answers to Minecraft questions! [Stan wants Jaden Smith as a son? huh?] When the adults can't figure out the game, they go looking for answers and offer a kid 100 oz of silver to teach them the game. [haha, updated Judas?]

Comedy Central

Butters tells the kids at school about his parents playing Minecraft, and the kids try to figure out who is helping the adults. later, the children wonder if they should trust their parents not to imitate what they see on television. [haha on the adults building actual castles and cabins!] The kids go to the cable company to get certain networks removed: ID, A&E, OWN, and Oxygen. [only worth a giggle, sadly.] The company re-programs the packages to force the adults into buying a premium package in order to receive those channels. [this made me bust out in laughter!] In the end, the adults enjoy killing one another in Minecraft, which I guess goes to show you that they're going to do what they want, regardless of what options you give them.

South Park: Private, but Not

South Park never ceases to amaze me. The minds of Matt Stone and Trey Parker are just brilliant. Butters has been painted to be such a naive character over the years that it was perfect that he would be ignorant of the NSA, then believe not only that the government DOES want what is best for one and all, but when they might not have picked up on something, that one should repent for actions that might be un-American. It came off beautifully funny, especially juxtaposed with Cartman "infiltrating" the NSA while being more public about his thoughts than everyone else (except Alec Baldwin, apparently). South Park tends to start the seasons on a high note, but the quick turnaround on subsequent episodes is hit-or-miss at times, so let's not jump the gun on this being an unparalleled season, though it still very well may be!

photo courtesy: Comedy Central

South Park "Let Go, Let Gov" (S17E01): Kyle complains about people using speakerphone in public, which Cartman does constantly. [and just who are these kids he's talking to??] Cartman is organizing an anti-NSA rally, thinking that the government shouldn't keep logs of private information. He finds out that Alec Baldwin has the newest social media - you get implants into your brain that broadcast your thoughts. [I was a little confused about "shitter" followers... it seemed that everyone could hear them, not just followers. Soon enough, Cartman manages to infiltrate the NSA, but ruins things when he realizes that he hasn't made waves in the files. [haha. because a ten-year-old would really stick out to the government!] 

Butters takes the news about the NSA following him seriously and starts confessing to the DMV about indiscretions they might have missed. He then gets some Jehovah's Witnesses to go confess at the DMV, so they, too, can be at peace with the government. [ha!] Afterward, he joins the evangelists in going door-to-door and asking people to accept the government into their hearts. [I laughed so hard!] When he even gets Cartman to confess at the DMV, things start to fall apart, as the DMV workers allegedly "have sex with young boys." The office is shut down, the repenting patriots flee to post offices, and the same things happens there. [a bit of a twisted ending...]

Fun Friday: Voice Collage

Cartoon voices tend to be memorable.Maybe you can't re-create them yourself, but take a second and see how many of these you can hear in your head:

http://milo-campus.deviantart.com/art/Cartoons-Collage-286565096

When I was in first grade, there was a kid in my class who did a great Dale (Rescue Rangers was big at the time). By the time I was in third grade, I realized I could do exactly one convincing voice... and it's not a specific character, it's what a frog might sound like if he spoke. It wasn't until my third year of college that I added a T-Rex to my repertoire, which was a hit at parties. Unfortunately, I actually don't remember how to do that one anymore, and I think that's why voice actors are so great... they not only have great control over their voices, but they remember what to do to sound like certain characters. There are actors who specifically do voices and (almost) nothing else (like Tress MacNeille, Kath Soucie, Billy West, and Nancy Cartwright), actors who do both on-screen work and voices (like Patrick Warburton, Vin Diesel, James Avery, Jaleel White, Ashley Johnson, Cree Summer, Howie Mandel, and Joey Lawrence). Obviously, both lists are quite long. And, those are only folks who do them officially... many comedians who do excellent impressions as well.

That takes us to this video, in which Brock Baker does 31 South Park voices in two minutes.

And, these aren't the only ones he can do. Check out his other videos on YouTube for more of his voice collages from shows like Futurama and SpongeBob SquarePants. He's one talented guy, that's for sure!

Fun Friday: Under the Dome vs. The Simpsons

With the first season of Under the Dome in full force, here is a look at how the series stacked up against a similar situation that occurred in The Simpsons Movie. Usually, it's South Park that makes jokes about The Simpsons doing every bit in the book, but that's not the only show to take a page from the long-running animated series. Many people have asked novelist Stephen King if his 2009 Under the Dome took anything from the 2007 feature film with Homer, Marge, and the rest of Springfield trapped in a dome, but there seem to be many more differences than similarities, at least when using the television show for comparison rather than the novel.  

First, a look at some basic rules for the Chester's Mill residents in Under the Dome:

CBS Communications Group

Continuing, here are some similarities:

• When the Domes appear in both Springfield and Chester's Mill, things are cut in half.
• In both, bullets bounce off the Dome and injure police officers.
• In both cities, the Dome is sound-proof.
• Love still blossoms in both, whether between Lisa and Colin or Joe and Norrie (or Julia and Barbie). 
• Both towns have issues with water contamination, though in Springfield, there are mutant fish whereas in Chester's Mill, the fish just die.

Transitioning into the differences:

• In both cities, supplies soon run low, and looting occurs as a result. But, it takes until Day 37 on The Simpsons Movie, whereas it occurs in less than a week on Under the Dome. Similarly, it is at this point that Springfield experiences intermittent power failures, compared to Chester's Mill immediately losing electricity upon the Dome appearing.

Distinct differences:

• In Chester's Mill, the Dome appeared mysteriously. In Springfield, planes put it in place as a punishment from the President. In fact, the people of Springfield learn right away that the US Government and EPA did this to them because “Springfield has become the most polluted city in the history of the planet” and that does not need to spread to other communities.
• In Chester's Mill, the Dome shocks you the first time you touch it. In Springfield there is no consequence. In fact, they write on it.
• In Springfield, people could see the Dome. In Chester's Mill, they cannot.
• In Springfield, there is no breeze, but wind can occur in Chester's Mill.
• In Chester's Mill, there is no contact with the outside world, but in Springfield, televisions still work so the news can be seen.
• By Day 93, the Springfield Dome cracks because of retaliation. Nothing anyone does can seem to fracture the Chester's Mill Dome.
• After less than a week, the military launches a WMD at the Chester's Mill Dome and does not even scratch the surface. The people inside are not told officially and are only aware of the impending doom because Barbie gets a little classified information from a soldier. In The Simpsons Movie, the President unknowingly authorizes the blow-up of Springfield, and the citizens of Springfield know it is coming because they see an apologetic video from the EPA before a bomb is lowered into the Dome through a hole at the top. This actually allows Homer and Bart to save the day and destroy the Dome. 

After this season of Under the Dome ends, more comparisons might need to be made, as there are still so many unanswered questions about how the Chester's Mill Dome works. For instance, could there be a black hole/sinkhole function? Maggie (and later the rest of the Simpson family) is able to get out of the Dome through a sinkhole, and, although unlikely, technically this could still happen on Under the Dome. Be sure to check back in September to see whether more similarities arise, and keep watching Under the Dome on CBS, Mondays at 10pm ET/PT. 

South Park: Why Obama was Re-elected

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This episode was really confusing. I had to pause and re-watch multiple scenes to figure out what was happening. I'm not sure if this is one of those episodes where Matt Stone & Trey Parker have so many scenes that everything gets trimmed or what, exactly, happened here... but, in a nutshell, Obama asks the Chinese to help him win the election. In exchange, they want the rights to LucasFilms because they're afraid of what Disney will do to the Star Wars films. The Chinese hire Cartman to go steal a bunch of ballots from the swing states. When the Chinese and Obama meet with Cartman to get those ballots, the boy asks to portray Luke Skywalker's son in the next set of films, but the Chinese won't agree to that so Cartman disappears. Mickey wants Disney to keep the rights, so he strikes a deal with Cartman. While all of this is going on, Kyle decides to track down the ballots himself, and he figures out where they are at the same time the Chinese do. Cartman meets them there and everyone decides that, if Romney won like he was "supposed to," Star Wars would be in a worse place. They burn the evidence, realizing that Obama is the best choice to keep the integrity of the series. For more details, keep reading.

South Park "Obama Wins!" (S16E14): Cartman goes to the Colorado polls and pretends that he lost his mother. In North Carolina, he pulls the same thing, then in Citrus County, FL, then Ohio, then Las Vegas, Nevada. The day after after the election, Cartman invites Kyle to see his stolen ballots from the swing states (including Wisconsin and Virginia). Kyle goes to the police to report voter fraud, and the police enter his home without a warrant...  but the ballots are gone.

China calls Obama, as America owes a favor in return for "help" in getting Obama elected again. Cartman goes out to eat with the Chinese at Red Lobster, and Obama arrives. Turns out, LucasFilms becoming part of Disney was something that the Chinese wanted in on, as Morgan Freeman explains. [he earns freckles every time he explains something, by the way.] Well, Cartman wants to play Luke Skywalker's son in the newest movies, but those terms are not being met.

photo credit: COMEDY CENTRAL

Meanwhile, Kyle wants to find the missing ballots, so he blackmails Butters (who is extremely swollen and in the hospital because of an allergic reaction) into explaining Cartman's plans. But nobody can understand him except Kenny and Timmy, who reiterate and are understood as usual. [first of all, the allergic reaction thing seemed to be a little unnecessary, but I did laugh at the misunderstanding Butters but not Kenny. also, Romney as a duck?]

Mickey Mouse shows up in a Star Wars spaceship and lectures Cartman, who asks again for a role in Star Wars. Mickey doesn't care, so he gives Cartman what he wants. The kids figure out that a Hummer Dealership would be a place nobody would ever look, and they arrive there the same time as the Chinese dictators. Plus, Cartman arrives on a ton-ton, bringing the police. [yeah, I just had to look up what that creature was...] Freeman explains that the Chinese care more about the franchise than Disney does. Everyone thinks about the question, "what's more important - that the right man is elected President or that Star Wars is with the people who will protect it most?" Everyone decides to cover up the incident, lighting the ballots on fire. Romney could not be the President - he'd be stricter on the Chinese.

South Park: Dr. Seuss + Jesus

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I was shocked to see that the bracelets were WWJD-themed! Those were so fifteen years ago! The Dr. Seuss touch was nice and rather unexpected, and possibly the best part of this episode, honestly. I understand that it's topical to use Lance Armstrong and all, and it's amusing that South Park managed not to use his name and still make tons of jokes (unlike in their Penn State scandal episode), but I didn't find it all that funny... did you?

facebook.com/southpark

South Park "A Scause for Applause" (S16E13): Everyone is upset that HGH was found in the body of Christ, so they have their yellow WWJD bracelets removed at places like Walgreens. Stan doesn't remove his and winds up being ridiculed by everyone. [what was with that whole "retarded fish"??] People decide to get brown bracelets to remind them to stand their ground, like Stan is. The next thing you know, he's doing a Nike commercial and empowering everyone. But the validity of Stan's stance is under scrutiny, and Craig spreads a rumor that Stan has removed his bracelet and glued it back together. [...who cares??] Stan denies this, then he and Jesus decide to try to discredit the guy doing the investigating, but they then move on to joining forced and getting orange bracelets made for solidarity with Belarus (some farmers there are big fans of Stan). Butters thinks that it was all planned from the beginning, but, before long, the farmers are killed and everyone wants to return their bracelets. [haha!] So, Jesus takes HGH to "perform a miracle:... heading to the Scauses building and wreaking havoc. [seriously?]