'Due south Park' Blames 'Star Wars' For The Rise Of Donald Trump

It's been a weird election cycle and an fifty-fifty weirder season of South Park. Subsequently four episodes of tonally inconsistent election coverage, the gleefully offensive series finally started to find its political stride. Surprisingly, that shift has everything to do with our inability to let go of Star Wars.

It feels similar S Park jumped on the Trump-bashing comedy bandwagon both as well early and likewise late. Flavour 19 targeted Trump from its first episode and never really let up, predicting Trump's rise to ability through his offensiveness, which S Park painted as a response to the perceived applesauce of PC culture. That'south basically the cartoon cutout version of what happened in real life, so when South Park returned for Flavor 20, expectations were high. However, the series coverage of the election this season has been uneven at best and boring at worst.

South Park'southward Trump figure, the historically absurd Mr. Garrison, has been attempting to politically sabotage himself nearly of this season and then he won't be forced to run the country and fulfill his wildly offensive promises. This season has portrayed "Trump" as a bigoted idiot in mode over his caput and Clinton as a clueless political robot. Both of these portrayals have been flawed, and the testify's comedy has suffered from it (A.5. Society's Dan Caffrey has wonderfully documented this uneven season). In real life, Trump still seems to want the presidency, and the biggest joke effectually Clinton is no longer her robotic public persona. But final night, Southward Park finally found its absurd footing. This episode volition likely exist remembered for Mr. Garrison'southward horribly offensive stand up routine designed to alienate female voters —South Park'due south answer to the Trump tape. But it's "Douche and a Danish's" conclusion that revealed Matt Rock and Trey Parker's real thoughts nearly the ballot while separatingSouth Park from all the other political commentary that's happening right at present.

Throughout Season xx, the adults of South Park have become fond to Fellow member Berries, adorable fruits that squeakily remind people of "nice" things from the past. The Member Berries' increasingly more than obscure Star Wars references accept been a running joke for a while, but they finally came to a head this episode. At the end of Episode Five, a surprisingly level-headed Randy explains to Mr. Garrison why he's gotten and then much political back up:

Every peachy empire reaches a point where going backward can seem more appealing than going forward. When the world is changing and then fast, information technology makes us yearn for the quondam ways when life seemed simpler. But information technology doesn't mean those sometime ideas are expert for the states at present. Nosotros have to confront one hard reality equally a county … the new Star Wars was non as practiced as anybody thought it was.

Though Randy's argument is mostly nigh why The Force Awakens sucks, he likewise says it applies to Mr. Garrison'due south supporters. According to Due south Park, the popularity of nostalgic reboots and a figure that encompasses past American ideals is a reflection of cultural laziness. Or equally Randy besides says, "It may be fun to become back and recycle the past that we love, only nosotros stop upwardly with no substance."

And there we have it. After five episodes of wishy-washy, confusing political interpretations, South Park has finally taken a stance on the election. Only because this is the near ridiculous show on the air, "Douche and the Danish" teased that the connection between Trump and Star Wars was less of a coincidence and more than of a conspiracy.

This isn't the first time South Park has connected Star Wars directly to politics. The 2012 election episode ("Obama Wins!") focused entirely effectually a complicated conspiracy that involved President Obama, Disney, Mickey Mouse, the Chinese, and Star Wars. Between the introduction of George Lucas' love series and the standing references to douches and turds, it's clear that S Park is rehashing its ii decades of election coverage this season. But at present that South Park has officially taken a stand up rather than just complaining about how this election is terrible, the show has a run a risk to in one case again be politically relevant. Love it or hate it, South Park may finally be back in the game.

[Watch the Season 20 episodes of South Park "Douche and the Danish"]

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