Any South Park episode that deigns to take on a hot button issue runs the risk of nudging and winking a little too hard. There were times throughout “Butterballs” where the episode threatened to become a one note joke run into the ground, particularly one that the show has used plenty of times before. South Park has always been good at pointing out the hypocrisy inherent in any “anti” campaign, but the bathroom confrontation scenes in tonight’s episode didn’t do much beyond pointing out that the recent glut of people preaching bullying awareness are responsible for doing the very thing they’re supposed to be fighting.
Talk and share everything South Park! Join SouthParkOlogy!
But when South Park surrounds a heavy handed message with the kind of absurdity only it can pull off, any bluntness is easily forgiven. Despite starting off with a pretty straightforward mission statement – Butters’ inability to stand up to his new bully inspires Stan to take up the anti-bullying mantle – the episode takes enough turns to keep things interesting. It’s revealed that Butters is being antagonized by his sadistic grandmother, whose awful behavior would need to be explained if she weren’t part of the always terrible Stotch clan. Butters’ best effort to stand up to his cruel grandparent involves the welcome return of Professor Chaos, but he proves no match for his grandmother’s equally villainous alter ego, whose costume features a metallic battle bra even more terrifying than the kind you see at your local Renaissance Faire.
Meanwhile, Stan’s efforts to fight bullying turn into a pretty fun KONY 2012 riff. Stan makes a music video at the taunting suggestion of Bucky Bailey’s Bully Buckers, which cheerfully encourages everyone to get together and make bullying miserable enough to kill itself. The video, which is naturally interspersed with Cartman singing about his off-limits vajayjay, is bought up by a major movie studio, and Stan quickly makes the film more about him than his message. Kyle warns Stan that such shameless self-promotion only leads down one long, dark road – one that inevitably ends with him jacking it in San Diego.
The episode takes its KONY 2012 spoof to its natural conclusion. After Butters viciously pummels Dr. Oz on national television, the movie studio pulls out in fear of backing a bullying victim who’s an angry psychopath. Everyone turns on Stan, and he’s forced to fly out to California to masturbate in public. The episode ends with a brilliant doo wop number about jacking it in San Diego, and if the song isn’t everyone’s ringtone tomorrow morning, there is something terribly wrong with this country.
But in an episode saved by inspired musical numbers, it’s still Butters’ relatively weak bullying storyline that has the strongest moment. After standing up to Dr. Oz, Butters confronts his grandmother, telling her that he finally understands her after beating somebody up himself. She’s simply sad and empty on the inside, and when she’s inevitably on her death bed in the near future, she’ll have to lie there with the knowledge that she’s stuck being the person she is, all while being forced to watch Butters lead a happy, healthy life. It’s a wonderfully dark moment, and a rare triumph for Butters that prevents the episode from getting bogged down by its transparent soap box moments.
SumOlogy: When South Park is as funny as it was tonight, Matt and Trey can shove their opinions down my throat for all I care. At least it’s a hell of a lot better than a urinal cake.
Grade: B+
Comments (2)