Liam Hoofe reviews the fourth episode of South Park Season 23…
After taking on the Chinese government over the last couple of weeks, Trey Parker and Matt Stone decided to tone things down a little in ‘Let Them Eat Goo’ and simply target vegans and America’s current obsession with fake meat.
The episode starts with Cartman being rushed to the hospital after discovering his lunch-time food has been replaced with healthy options. The school then begins to seek out a plant-based alternative to the issue in an attempt to trick Cartman into believing he is eating normal food.
The show then decides to use 2007’s There Will Be Blood as a vehicle to parody America’s obsession with fast food. It’s an inspired choice and the jokes get funnier and funnier as the episode wears on.
While all of this is going on, Randy and Towelie have realised that they can make Tegridy Farms some serious profit if they start selling plant-based burgers as well. This episode works so well because the two stories tie in so nicely to one another, which is something that the show has struggled with a lot in recent years but has gotten down to a tee so far this season.
While vegans are hardly the most difficult of targets for satire, Parker and Stone genuinely manage to say something interesting about America’s obsession with plant-based food and all of the self-righteous trains of thought that come with it. Having Cartman, not Kyle, be the one to deliver the moral at the end of the episode was a perfect way to tie everything in together and really hit home the point.
Elsewhere, Cartman and Butters were absolutely brilliant together throughout this episode as are Towelie and Randy. It’s perhaps a shame that the show is focusing on these characters as much as it is but they are always guaranteed gold so I can’t have too many complaints.
Verdict: South Park Season 23 continues to hit home-runs with Let Them Eat Goo. While the episode may not be as biting as the previous two, Parker and Stone still do a brilliant job of taking down their targets while also providing plenty of laughs.
Liam Hoofe
