Uhmmm..... wow. I'm not easily offended... wait. I'm actually not offended by this episode but... shocked? Not really? More tossed off kilter. I just don't know what to make of it. I didn't find it that funny, though not quite at talking Oprah vagina level, and I didn't really see the point. AIDS isn't getting much attention anymore? Um... ok. Right. And then... what's the point? Was the ending trying to mock the idea that AIDS can be cured by throwing money at it, or was it saying that would help get the cure? I dunno. Maybe I'm just waaay too tired right now for this to click right.
It was a pretty dumb episode. Not as bad as the Oprah's vagina episode, but still pretty bad. I don't think any episode is as bad as the Oprah thing. That was just dumb.
I loved it. Not the funniest episode, but you gotta give the guys credit for having zero boundaries. Nothing is off limts. I esp loved the part when the guy gets out of the truck and yells to all the poor starving AIDS africans that the cure is to inject yourself with a $180,000 of concentrated money. They just look at him like "oh great now we'll never get the cure for AIDS". Which may have been the point, even if AIDS is cured the price tag for the cure will be so high for so very long that only the super rich will be able to afford it.
Bingo! Unfortunately mine got recorded all goofy, so I missed how Cartman got HIV, and the end of it. I did laugh when the principal found that the issue was resolved by a simple apology, and seeing Magic's bedroom.
That and the mocking of the lack of attention it's been getting and showing the not caring attitude the public has, as well as pointing out that Magic Johnson has just been working out trying to be healthy. Hell, even the assumption that Cartman and Kyle were gay and how it wasn't the case. Plus Cartman actively wanting to do something about it instead of sitting around wasting away. There were a LOT of underlying messages in that episode that were indeed positive, of course it got obscured by typical southpark humor
1. I too appreciate their mocking attitude, but usually it has a sharper point to it. Things like Mr. Hankey, or Bush crapping on the American flag were done just to make the point, and I think a good one. What was the point here that justified giving Cartman AIDS? If it were that some people are assholes not deserving of the praise and sympathy they get (which is where I thought they were going when Kyle laughed his ass off), I could get it. Here, I just don't think the points they made justified the specific path they took. Really what I think bugged me was that while there were some bright points, the whole thing doesn't hang together well. 2. While they are right that AIDS gets less attention than it used to, I think it was a mistake to contrast it with cancer. I can recall when AIDS pushed cancer to the back pages, despite the fact that then as now, far, far more people got and died of cancer. Had they said that everyone was focusing instead on Global Warming or Avian Flu, my response may have been a bit different. 3. And that gets me to the messages. Sure, there were plenty of them there, but none of them terribly daring, but more importantly, South Park is above all a comedy. If they can make points with the funny, so much the better, but when the funny is absent, they're just preaching.
I was watching it with my mom, and she said, "Wow, Magic Johnson has been alive for a long time, hasn't he?" and I said, "It's because he's rich." Little did I know the episode was getting at that very point... I'm not just sure, I'm HIV positive.
That made me laugh, hard. The episode was okay. I'm not sure why but for a while now, the first episodes of the season or return from time off have just been decent. Not great, not bad, just okay.
Again, they did a decent job of trying to make a point, and made it(it just wasn't all blatant and spelled out in giant text on the screen). Yes, it's not as funny as plenty of other episodes, but if they want to go out of their way to make a statement, they did a better job of not ruining an entire episode over it than a LOT of other shows have.
I still expect them to do better. Anyway, I did just rewatch it (my wife missed it last night), and it was better the second go 'round. It could be because I'm less tired, or maybe it's just that what had me off kilter last night was not knowing where they were going with the HIV story (at first I wondered if it was going to be a season long thing, like Kenny's death or Cartman's quest for $1000000). STill not a great show, and I don't think they made their points as well or as pointed as they could have, but it wasn't bad either. Last night Iwould have called it a foul ball; today, a bloop single.
The episode was fucking hilarious, and made a very good point. It just seems the funny, and the point, went over a few of your heads.
No, I got the points they were trying to make. I just thought they didn't make them terribly well, or in a terribly funny way. And I still think the "cure" could be read in either of two diametrically opposed ways, depending on how ironic they were trying to be.
"I'm going to break everything you own." What makes a great line is the delivery. Kyle said that with such anger, it's now one of my most favorite quotes ever. I agree that this ep wasn't as good as some, but that line and Kyle laughing his ass off made it worth it to me.
I thought the episode was a bit haphazard and I wasn't entirely sure where they were going with it up until the last five minutes. Even then, it didn't feel as cohesive as most episodes of the show. Still, there were a number of funy moments and I think they made a good point; concerning how HIV/AIDS has become more of a chronic condition in Western societies, where we have the money to provide patients with HAART and other effective treatments. I think this is one episode I'll need to rewatch a few times to really appreciate. I thought that was a great line...the first time. I also thought it was funny when Kyle initially told Cartman to quit using it as a joke, but the Kyle/Cartman "that's not funny/HIV-positive" bit in Magic Johnson's house was allowed to drag on too long.
kyle kicking cartmans ass was hilarious...... overall i would say the new season still has it. Kudos to them making this episode as it tackled a social issue that isnt in the media for only a week or celebrity related. I was always afraid if south park had a slow news month that they wouldnt have anyone to rip on, but looks like they got some aces up their sleeves, and any joke about how much jimmy buffet sucks is a good one lol
yeah, i saw that oprah with how magic was living with aids. sure hes doing great but hes fricking magic
