It's hard to believe that "South Park" has been on the air for over a decade, but the show has certainly grown (though not matured) in this time. The animation has become slicker and more fluid, and the writing sharper and more topical. There is a new opening sequence for season 13 that fans will notice, though the change isn't anything too drastic. South Park lovers need not fret; the kids are alright.
In season 13's opener, entitled "The Ring," Stan, Kyle and Cartman attempt to save their pal Kenny from the Jonas Brothers' and their purity-ring-wearing ways. When Kenny starts dating Tammy, the only girl in school poorer than he is, the boys try to stop him due to her promiscuous reputation. Eventually, Kenny and Tammy find themselves at a Jonas Brothers concert, where Tammy is recruited by the brothers to wear their infamous purity rings. The show's ever-irreverent creators use this opportunity to lampoon the Walt Disney Company by saying it's ridiculous for tweens to wear what is more or less equivalent to a wedding ring (as Butters puts it, "A ring that means you'll be together and not have sex... isn't that called a wedding ring?").
The ring seems to seep the life out of Kenny, with effects akin to the ring in "Lord of the Rings" films, so the boys decide to confront the Jonas Brothers and the Walt Disney Company to save their buddy. Eventually Stan, Kyle and Cartman encounter the head honcho himself: Mickey Mouse, here a foul, violent, controlling CEO who isn't above using blow darts on children.
Until the end -- for Cartman and for us, vindication is sweet -- "The Ring" seems to be one of South Park's weaker episodes, but its wit and humor demonstrate that the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, haven't quite lost their touch. "The Ring" works better for people who are familiar with the Jonas Brothers, but even with only a basic knowledge of the phenomenon, there are chuckles to be had.
"The Coon," the second episode of the season, which aired last week, takes on popular superhero films, notably "The Dark Knight" (2008), "The Spirit" (2008) and "Watchmen" (2009). It is a Cartman-centric episode, which automatically ensures a high laugh-to-minute ratio. The violently un-P.C., short, fat child who is also the biggest a-hole in the world never ceases to be funny.
The episode begins with a montage of Cartman dressed as his raccoon-like superhero alter-ego, traipsing around South Park at night with a dramatic voiceover expounding on the ills of his city and why it needs, in the words of "The Dark Knight," "a symbol" of hope. The Coon is there out to rid the city of filth and crime. Eventually, the Coon finds a rival in Mysterion, a fellow fourth-grade superhero. The only difference between the two is that Mysterion actually helps people and has a fan following.
Never missing an opportunity to show their true, mega-geek nature, the show's creators not only pay homage to comic book movies, they also reference a three-year-old Youtube.com video ("Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama"). The episode hits its mark when the Coon teams up with Butter's alter-ego, Professor Chaos. The ending will anger many, but fans of the show shouldn't be surprised when one burning question is left unanswered.
Similar to "The Ring," "The Coon" will appeal more to audiences that are familiar with what is being lampooned, but this is true of most episodes of the more-recent few seasons. Surely, there is no shortage of material in today's popular culture, so as long as "South Park" continues its effort to stay current, it will remain a Comedy Central mainstay well into its teenage years.
