22x01 Dead Kids

[6.2/10] The thing about this episode is that it’s central conceit of brilliant. I’m not sure there’s a better, more blistering encapsulation of how inured we have become to school shootings as a society that the images of kids going over fractions while there’s an active shooter in progress, the way that Mr. Mackey sighs and volunteers to deal with it when the latest one occurs, and how Randy chats up one of the paramedics about menopause while he’s casually directing dead bodies. School shootings have become a fact of life in the United States, so much so that some folks barely blink at them anymore, and no show or piece of art has driven that home in an amusing but also devastating way than South Park has here.

But beyond the force of that image, this episode is a bit of a dud. There’s similar ideas in Sharon being upset by each successive school shooting and being told by everyone to calm down. Again, it’s a nice encapsulation of the “this is horrible, how is everyone so calm about it?” vibe that the episode is rolling out. But Randy chalking it up to her being on her period, while presumably satirical, just doesn't add much. There’s some solid comedy from him playing charades or busting out an Andy Williams cover, but the whole setup is pretty weak.

The same goes for Cartman trying to figure out why Token would sabotage him on the math test (by using wrong answers when he knows Cartman will cheat off of him) and deciding it has to involve Black Panther in some way. This show’s done a good job of mining the cultural reaction to big movies for comedy and plot (see the recent riffs on the new Star Wars sequels and the classic Passion of the Christ episode), but there was just nothing here. The whole Black Panther detective routine went nowhere, and the criticisms of the movie weren’t even particularly novel or clever.

Overall, this is an episode with one great and honestly powerful idea, that spins off a pair of mostly dull plots from it. That idea is still strong enough to make this a noteworthy episode, but unfortunately South Park can’t fully capitalize on it.