South ParQ Vaccination Special

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"South ParQ Vaccination Special"
South Park episode
Directed byTrey Parker
Written byTrey Parker
Featured music"Down by the Lazy River" by The Osmonds
Original air dateMarch 10, 2021 (2021-03-10)
Running time47 minutes
Episode chronology
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"The Pandemic Special" 		Next →
"South Park: Post Covid"
List of episodes

"South ParQ Vaccination Special" is a 47-minute[1] special episode[a] of the American animated television series South Park. The 309th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on March 10, 2021, and was also simulcast on MTV2, and made available shortly after on the South Park Studios website and Comedy Central digital and on-demand platforms.[2] It was also available the following day on HBO Max in the United States.[3]

The central plot involves residents of South Park clamoring for the COVID-19 vaccine, while QAnon conspiracy theorists oppose vaccinations.[4] In a subplot, main characters Cartman, Stan and Kyle re-evaluate their friendship, which has been tested and damaged by the pandemic. As with "The Pandemic Special", some sources, including Comedy Central's website,[5] list the specials as part of Season 24,[6] while other sources suggest that they are separate from the upcoming season.[7][4]

The episode garnered more positive critical response than "The Pandemic Special", with praise for the writing, plot, humor, and social commentary.[8][9][10][11] Behind "The Pandemic Special", this was the highest-rated South Park episode in several years, drawing in 1.74 million viewers on Comedy Central and a total of 3.47 million viewers by the end of the night. It was the most-watched program of the night and as of March 2021, was at cable's number one telecast among young adults audiences of the year.[12][13][14]

Plot[]

Desperate for the COVID-19 vaccine, South Park Elementary teachers Mr. Mackey and Mr. Adler go to a Walgreens pharmacy, which resembles the exterior of an exclusive nightclub. There is a queue outside and the teachers and most other townsfolk are denied entry, as only elderly people are being admitted. At school, Eric Cartman tells Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski that he and Kenny McCormick have set up a prank by putting ketchup on the chair of their fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Nelson so that when she sits down it will transfer to her white dress, making it look like she is on her period. When the prank is carried out, Cartman gleefully photographs Mrs. Nelson, who is humiliated and promptly quits in anger that she is risking her life by teaching unvaccinated.

Former US president Mr. Garrison returns to South Park, accompanied by his new assistant, Mr. Service, and resumes his former teaching job in an effort to get his life back to normal. At a grocery store, Garrison is accosted by the White family. Bob White, a member of QAnon, tells him that he and other Whites were always on Garrison's side. He then asks Garrison what QAnon should do to stop the vaccinations. Garrison responds curtly, telling him to "blow shit out your dick-hole." White misinterprets Garrison's invective as a coded instruction to spread QAnon's conspiracy theories among children. White then orders QAnon members to become private tutors, or "Tutornon", so they can indoctrinate the children with information about assorted conspiracy theories. Back at the school, Garrison is annoyed to learn that most of his students have been withdrawn from school and are receiving private tuition because their parents hate him.

Castigated by their classmates over the period prank, Cartman, Stan, Kyle and Kenny decide to make amends by obtaining highly sought-after vaccines for their teachers, under the guise of a group called "Kommunity Kidz". The boys gain entry to Walgreens by bribing an already-vaccinated elderly lady, but when she demands more money, they end up stealing a tray of vaccines. Cartman wants to sell the vaccines online, Stan wants the boys to take the vaccines themselves, while Kyle comes under pressure to give some of the doses to his parents. Putting aside their differences, the boys set out for the school to give the vaccines to their teachers, but are stopped by the Lil' Qties, a group of children brainwashed by their QAnon tutors. A fight erupts between the two sides and is joined by QAnon members and townspeople wanting the vaccines.

Garrison confronts the White family and learns of QAnon and its conspiracy theories about "the elite". White urges Garrison, still accompanied by Mr. Service, to join him in opposing the Hollywood elite. The three are inexplicably transported to a polar landscape, where White is ridiculed by the show's animators, transforming him into a giant penis, a pig and other forms. Garrison calls out to the unseen animators to let him go back to how things were, and he is answered by Mr. Service being transformed into Garrison's former hand-puppet Mr. Hat. Meanwhile, Cartman, Stan and Kyle start discussing a new plan to enter the school, but Cartman gets sidetracked into presenting a series of increasingly elaborate options on how they can share Kenny as a friend, now that the trio's friendship has been broken by mutual mistrust. Garrison decides to partner with the elites and arranges for an Air Israel plane to arrive with enough vaccines for every adult. Cartman, Stan and Kyle finally enter the school to give the vaccine to the teachers, but Mrs. Nelson is already sick and dies from COVID-19. At her funeral, the townspeople celebrate having been vaccinated, and life in South Park returns to normal.

Reception[]

Alec Bojalad for Den of Geek gave the episode 4 out of 5 stars, writing that, "The South Park Vaccination Special is far superior to the Pandemic Special and is one of the better South Park episodes of the past few years." Bojalad praised the episode's focus on the children of South Park Elementary over the parents, though felt that the writers were not sure what to do with QAnon.[11]

Ben Travers with IndieWire gave the episode a B grade, and closed his review with the question "(Matt) Stone and (Trey) Parker can do whatever they want with 'South Park.' They have the power. But if America chooses to pretend everything can just go back to normal, what good is the power to pretend otherwise?"[10] Dan Caffrey with The A.V. Club also gave the episode a B grade, and stated in his review "The world feels a lot stranger than it did when 'Trapped In The Closet' aired back in 2005, and a more competent commander-in-chief and vaccine aren't going to magically transport everything back to better times right off the bat. That sad truth outfits the show's depiction of QAnon in the kind of resigned humor that made its way into the show during the Trump years—a recognition that you can't exaggerate what's already exaggerated."[9]

Jesse Schedeen for IGN gave the episode an 8 out of 10, saying "The second time proves to be the charm for South Park's new standalone special format. 'The Vaccination Special' toes that line between giving fans a pleasing throwback to classic seasons while also exploring the idea that you can't really ever go back to normal."[8]

According to Newsweek and the New York Post, real QAnon supporters reacted positively to the episode, despite being lampooned by it, believing that their portrayal helped spread their beliefs and encourage viewers to do their own research into the conspiracy theory.[15][16]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Advertised in some countries as a one-hour special, which includes commercial breaks.

References[]

  1. ^ "South Park Season 24". amazon.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Di Placido, Dani (February 19, 2021). "'South Park' Looks Set To Tackle QAnon With 'South ParQ The Vaccination Special'". Forbes. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Adams, Tim (February 26, 2021). "Everything Coming to HBO Max March 2021". CBR.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Snierson, Dan (February 20, 2021). "South Park to return with hourlong vaccination special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "South Park - Season 24". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Pell, Roxie (February 21, 2021). "South Park Trailer Teases A Vaccination Special Episode In March". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Milner, Sarah Bae (March 14, 2021). "Everything South Park Mocks In The Vaccination Special". ScreenRant. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Schedeen, Jesse (March 11, 2021). "South Park: 'South ParQ - The Vaccination Special' Review". IGN. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Cafferey, Dan (March 10, 2021). "The South ParQ Vaccination Special acknowledges the futility of returning to normal". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Travers, Ben (March 11, 2021). "'South Park Vaccination Special' Looks Hard in the Mirror and Asks America to Do the Same". IndieWire. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Bojalad, Alec (March 10, 2021). "South Park Vaccination Special Review". Den of Geek. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Baysinger, Tim (March 12, 2021). "'South Park' Vaccination Special Is Cable's Top 2021 Show Among Young Adults (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Comedy Central's 'South ParQ Vaccination Special' Dominates as the #1 Cable Telecast of the Year with Nearly 3.5M Total Viewers Across the Night". The Futon Critic (Press release). March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  14. ^ Wasserman, Ben (March 13, 2021). "South Park's Vaccination Special is #1 on Cable". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  15. ^ Palmer, Ewan (March 11, 2021). "How QAnon supporters reacted to "South Park" brutally mocking them". Newsweek. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  16. ^ Italiano, Laura (March 11, 2021). "Here's how QAnon reacted to 'South Park' special that mocked them". New York Post. Retrieved March 13, 2021.

External links[]

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