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SOUTH PARK: SEASON TWO
Review by Michael Jacobson
Creators
and Voices: Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Audio: Dolby Surround
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Studio: Warner Bros.
Features: Documentary, Music Video
Length: 404 Minutes
Release Date: June 3, 2003
"You
WILL respect my authori-tie!!"
When
Trey Parker and Matt Stone first created South Park, they figured their
first few episodes would be it. But
airing station Comedy Central wanted more, so the duo kept coming up with it.
Before long, it was clear that not only would one full season be in the
works, but a second as well...and, of course, history has shown even more than
that.
But
with a Season Two assured, it gave the Colorado bad boys a chance to offer a
season ending cliffhanger. But
while audiences waited for the conclusion of "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty
Slut", Trey and Matt decided to pull a fast one...since their normal Wednesday
night air date fell on April Fool's Day, they shirked on the promised
conclusion to air a full episode of Terrance and Phillip, those fart-crazed
Canadians that our South Park boys loved so much!
Actually,
it was a well planned-out practical joke hinted at in the cliffhanger.
But audiences didn't respond well, and for good reason...the gross out
one-joke premise of Terrance and Phillip couldn't sustain an entire full
length episode, even if "Not Without My Anus" did bring the flap-headed
version of Saddam Hussein into the South Park fold!
So
disappointed fans had to wait. But
when "Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut" hit the airwaves, it finally
got Season Two off to the start it needed.
The long awaited answer to the identity of Cartman's father made for
one of the funniest episodes ever!
The
second season is presented in its entirety on this three disc set, and it's
filled with many high points. "Chickenlover"
introduced Cartman the cop as an image that still lingers with the series, while
"The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka" has the boys getting
revenge against Stan's Uncle Jimbo, until all of them learn a lesson
from...Jesus Himself!
"Ike's
Wee Wee" gives a lesson on brotherly love, while guidance counselor Mr. Mackey
finds himself out of a job and experimenting with drugs and drink...m'kay?
And Trey and Matt serve up a couple more holiday specials, with the
enhanced viewing mode of "Spookyfish" (and man, is it scary!) and the new
heartwarming Christmas special, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson".
Yikes!
"Flashbacks"
spoofs those sitcom episodes where characters remember moments from earlier
shows, but with a twist...nothing we see the second time is quite the way we saw
it the first! "Chef's Salty
Chocolate Balls" offers a delicious spoof of the Sundance Film Festival, while
also ushering in the return of Mr. Hankey, everyone's favorite talking
excrement!
"Chef
Aid" boasts many celebrity voices including Elton John and Ozzy Osbourne, as
South Park's favorite soul man takes on the recording industry.
The final episode, "Prehistoric Ice Man", serves up a hilarious spoof
of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.
At
best, South Park offered up savory social commentary with sharp satire
and razoring wit disguised behind crude language and off color remarks.
At worst, sometimes terribly unfunny ideas were driven into the ground
and broken off. "Not Without My
Anus" wasn't the year's only miscue; "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off The
Fatty Foods" overplayed the concept of a planetarium as a sinister place,
while "Gnomes" introduced a rather annoying caffeine-affected character
named Tweek.
Still, for it's sophomore year, the show continued to be much more hit than miss. Stan and Kyle were still the moral centers (of sort) of the show, Cartman was still a lovable jerk, Chef still dispensed soulful wisdom, Officer Barbrady was still an incompetent, and Kenny still died.
And
yes, as the episode title suggested, Cartman's mom WAS still a dirty slut.
Video
***
Animation
always tends to look good on DVD, even when it's as primitive as South
Park. Using a more limited
color palate and simpler shapes and figures, these shows render on disc with
bright tones and crisp images, even though the detail in the scenes is
deliberately lacking. For fans of
the program, these DVDs represent an accurate translation of what was aired.
Audio
**1/2
Though
labeled as surround, there isn't much going on in your rear stage with these
audio tracks. But for the most
part, it isn't missed...dialogue and music sound fine, although it seems these
discs are mixed a little more quietly than your average DVD. A few clicks up on the volume might be in order for the best
listening experience.
Features
**
Not
much in this department...just a documentary called "Goin' Down to South
Park" (about 50 minutes and featuring looks at Trey and Matt's early
animation works) and a music video for "Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls".
Summary:
