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That's the only time you're ever likely to hear me say those words, so pay attention.

Last Thursday a co-writer of mine here on JustPressPlay posted an article commending this episode, and I voiced my contrary opinion right away. It needs to be said again.

In the half hour runtime of The China Probrem, I laughed weakly once, and smiled once. While this has happened before, the episode also had the distinction of not only stretching a weak A-story out to full episode length, but also stretching a weak B-story out to full episode length.

The writing composition was no better than anything in seasons 1 or 2 and it didn't go all out with the natural punchline to the B-story when they had a perfect opportunity to. The A-story, likewise, could have been far more excessive than it ended up being, and thusly felt weaker than it really was (read: very weak).

Thinking about tomorrow night's episode, and praying for it to be better, I decided to test these attributes against the last couple of seasons, to see where the first episode I liked less than The China Probrem lied. I knew it wasn't in the current season, and after confirming this, I tested the following criteria against every episode in every season:

- Laughed only once upon first viewing
- Pushed a lame A-story and a lame B-story way too far without capitalizing
- Poor writing/timing of material and editing

Barring the two or three episodes from the middle-seasons I had almost completely forgotten, but beat The China Probrem anyway due to their titles alone, I came to the shocking realization I had been feeling.

Last week's South Park was, without a doubt, the worst, episode, ever.

Even the first two seasons, with pushy material and poor animation seemed superior in retrospect when I thought about the individual episodes. I honestly never thought I would utter the above phrase, and everyone who knows me knows how much I adore this show. I consider it the finest program on television, and have for 10 years.

The shocking truth is that it doesn't matter whether I like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or not; I've loved most of Matt and Trey's rips of movies and shows I've loved. Just because they parody it doesn't mean I have to feel the same way. When they came at M. Night Shymalan in Imaginationland, I laughed heartily, and still did when I learned that Matt and Trey don't like his movies after The Sixth Sense.They even refer to them as "Dogshit," on the commentary. I happen to love all or most of M. Night's work and I still laughed, because the joke was really, really funny. The joke in The China Probrem just wasn't for me.

It's the same deal with Maddox - just because I find the material funny doesn't mean it'll change my opinions on anything. Trey Parker and Maddox are both brilliant comedians, with great influence over their viewing public. The fact that Maddox can and does have a direct effect on the stocks of corporations he mocks is both funny and sad, and the same is true for South Park. This week, I've heard tons of people referencing the most recent South Park, and for the first time I can remember it's actually angered me. It shows a brand loyalty that transcends quality material - as if Nike suddenly released a shoe without soles and it sold out coast to coast. The China Probrem isn't just a poor episode of South Park, but a total regression, lacking in everything we've come to expect in even the average episodes of the series.

I have the highest level of confidence that tomorrow's episode will be a return to form, and the second half of the 12th season will play out as consistently as the first. You can recover from a misstep - absolutely. Fans who feel the way I do could never be forgiven for turning their backs on the show now, like those kids you know who laughed at everything South Park riffed on until they hit on something personal and stopped watching. I'm sure most devoted South Park nuts know at least one of these people, and I for one will never be party to them. They are a breed of hypocrite with no equal.

That said, I'm tuning in tomorrow at ten, expecting to laugh more than once.

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Comments (2)

October 16, 2008, Saul Berenbaum said:

	Update: Breast Cancer Show Ever aired tonight. It kicked mountains of a*s, and I love it. Truly, truly freakin' great. I feel a little better.
	Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

October 21, 2008, Marcus Beasley said:

	Yeah Breast Cancer Show was hilarious. Best fight scene since the Cripple Fight.
	Votes: +0 report abuse vote down vote up

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