"South Park" [Stone-Parker, 1997] Season 12 [Mar.- Nov. '08]

This show, having been tremendously simplified on a grand scale since its creation twelve years ago, has at very, very long last finally come, by precisely those means, to possess some salient virtues. The two most impressive episodes seem thus far to be "Tonsil Trouble" and closer "The Ungroundable," which exemplify what I have just mentioned and are no doubt the best SP episodes yet-- perhaps even worthy of A's, were they not juxtaposed amidst such egregiously-doomed-to-failure political-didactism sessions as "About Last Night..." and (brace yourselves) "Canada on Strike" (admittedly, the latter focuses less on actual politics and more on attempting (not for a societal good, of course) to create a national identity for a country that has never had one), although there are a greater variety of bad South Park episodes than is typical for one season. However, this season's "Over Logging" features South Park's first successful satire (of our society's overdependence on the Internet) and its first successful adaptation of something made by people (or, in this case, one person) with actual talent and focus: "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. I would, as ever, like to give this season higher marks--in fact, really, really badly, since I actually had genuine hope in Messrs. Stone and Parker. But alas, it simply isn't consistent enough. Grade: B