South Park Season 21 Episode 5
Where the hell is Towlie this week? Seriously, how can you have an episode about getting high without a towel? The episode was less of a trip and more of a mellow high. I’ve written time and time again that South Park feels disjointed when they squish three plots into 22 minutes or mix and match elements of current events, better known as the “manatee approach,” which was their own joke at the expense of Family Guy. Now here’s the part of the review where I sound like an asshole because South Park is back to doing exactly the kind of simple, focus-on-the-boys types of stories fans want, and unfortunately I’m going to whine about the result being a middling story about Stan and his Grandpa. Listen, hummels are hilarious. My grandma has a glass display cabinet for her collection, so this episode hit home. But other than the line, “Whenever there’s a drug epidemic you can usually trace it back to people who’ve been thrown away by society and forgotten about,” Matt and Trey had little interest in seriously commenting on the opioid issues plaguing the country, and opt for silliness that has little payoff by the episode’s end. The opioids will hopefully be ridden from South Park so next week can start off fresh. If you’re going to get high, try cheesing. And please, don’t forget to bring a towel. One Liners of the Week: If the retirement home rap wasn’t a guest track from Killer Mike of Run the Jewels, then they got a guy who sounded just like him.
