Liam Hoofe reviews the premiere episode of South Park season 23…
South Park returned last week for the premiere of its 23rd season. The show has gone through somewhat of an identity crisis in recent seasons and has gone back and forward with its formula several times. The show’s 22nd season was a mixed bag and there has been a lot of speculation about just how much Trey Parker and Matt Stone have left in the tank.
If there is one thing that Parker and Stone have not lost over the years, however, it’s their ambition. The show has never done things by halves and their latest outing ‘Mexican Joker’ is one of the better season openers in recent times.
The episode kicks off with Randy and Towelie revelling in the success of Tegridy Farm before quickly cutting to Cartman, who is having some sort of crisis about the future of the planet. This crisis is quickly put on the backburner however when he realises that he can send Kyle and his family to an ICE detention centre with just one phone call. Needless to say, he wastes no time in doing just that and this provides the episode with the main core of its story.
Parker and Stone are smart enough to realise that it is difficult to satirise Donald Trump and instead, they take aim at one of his most controversial policies- detainment centres. The idea of the guards panicking about a jew being in the detainment centre is inspired and Kyle’s ploy to turn all of the Mexicans Jewish so that they can escape is also excellent. The episode also does an excellent job of highlighting just how horrible detainment centres are without ever being too on the nose about it.
The titular Joker reference also provides the episode with some laughs. The duo has a knack of mixing in absurd popular culture references with their more heavy political satire and taking aim at the current hysteria surrounding the release of the new Joker movie was a clever move.
Running in the background of all of this is a subplot about Randy and the commercialisation of weed/stoner culture. The break-up of Randy and Towelie provided the episode with some of its lighter moments and it looks as though we may see more of these two going to war as the season progresses.
Verdict: Mexican Joker is one of South Park’s strongest season openers in some time. The episode tackles a number of topical issues in an effective and highly amusing way and hopefully, the show’s 23rd season can continue in a similar vein.
Liam Hoofe
