*1208: The China Probrem* Post-Air Discussion

[Aym_Dand]

And as some people here have already expressed, the repeating of jokes is getting really annoying. I don’t know why he keeps doing that because it’s not funny at all.

I've taken some comedy-writing classes here in LA and in them they teach you to play the "game."

The "game" can be described as the answer to: What makes this scene or situation funny? Once you find that, you have the formula for working every angle of that joke, and you're supposed to build on it.

So the repetition of the jokes is possibly based on that. However, I doubt Trey Parker has ever taken any of the low-level shit-comedy writing classes I've taken, so instead what I'd imagine is that it's the result of this problem: writing something that's actually funny is a thousand times more difficult than you'd imagine. So if you find an angle that you believe to be funny, and you have dozens more episodes to make before your contract is up, you take that angle that works and you use it until it's a dead prostitute.

By the way, I can't stand "the game" because I feel like it makes for lazy joke-writing. But then again I'm the most-rejected comedy writer in LA.

[Michaeloptv]

YAY! My bro's computer was able to get it this morning


SO: rating is 7.5/10 (so-so)


Butters/Cartman was Hilarious! "Ah, dude, you shot him in the balls"

My only concern is Butters: I can't believe he would actually do that...I could never shoot somebody let alone hold a gun

But I do love Cartman's hatrid, the Butters Bubblebath, and them dressed up like that...so cute and hilarious!! They should have dressed this more up, and the rating would have been MUCH higher

But the Indiana jones rape/Stan and Kyle subplot was in a word:
"Lame".

Seen it arleady in Free Hat, and I didn't really find it funny.
I found it kinda cruel and strange. Not usually how I feel about these things. I love the feelings for the kids, but I feel like they should know that it was just a movie! I don't understand Matt and Trey's hatrid to Lucas and Speilberg. Stormtrooper part was funny though

The Butters/Cartman plot gets a 9.5/10
While the subplot gets a 5/10....in case anyone cares where I am coming from.

Will watch again Sunday...

[Aids Burger]

I've taken some comedy-writing classes here in LA and in them they teach you to play the "game."

The "game" can be described as the answer to: What makes this scene or situation funny? Once you find that, you have the formula for working every angle of that joke, and you're supposed to build on it.

So the repetition of the jokes is possibly based on that. However, I doubt Trey Parker has ever taken any of the low-level sh*t-comedy writing classes I've taken, so instead what I'd imagine is that it's the result of this problem: writing something that's actually funny is a thousand times more difficult than you'd imagine. So if you find an angle that you believe to be funny, and you have dozens more episodes to make before your contract is up, you take that angle that works and you use it until it's a dead prostitute.

Thank you for an informative and intelligent reply.

[termsofuse]

Well the new Indiana Jones movie was lame and so was this episode. I do not take pleasure in saying that The China Probrem was lame but there it is…

I understand you were disappointed with the movie, and he was “your friend”, and you hate to see a friend get raped, but Come On! You could tell it would suck just from watching the trailers.

Anyway…Butters shooting innocent people in the dick was hilarious!

[Z3R0B4NG]

that episode was so true... honestly i felt a little raped too while i've watched the new Indiana Jones movie... but in the end i like Aliens and SciFi so the story was ok for me.

But WTF? You included Star Wars at the end and but missed out to joke about the new CGI Star Wars Series...
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=JklzIdACO3A
You know ...with the UGLY Heads and more trash talking than ever before Battledroids?


...would have made this episode PERFECT !!!

[ymco1106]

it kills me to say this but this was worst episode of south park i think i've ever seen. i've been obsessed with this show for a very long time and i love matt and trey for everything they do but enough with the freaking rape sh*t. its not funny. it never will be funny. even as a metaphor its not funny.
-watching butters get sodomized while singing "loo loo loo" was sad, but still watchable and a very good episode.
-the woodland critter blood orgy was rough but it at least fit into the plot (and thankfully was only several seconds long)
-and listening to kurt russell scream while getting raped by those same critters made me cringe but imaginationland was still amazing.
but this? watching indie get raped over and over... the deliverance scene... the incredibly graphic animation... the dirty talk... sorry just not doing it for me. especially since the episode as a whole was kind of a bust. no real conclusion and the "china problem" went absolutely no where.

and yes i know its just a cartoon, and yes i got the jokes and the references. i'm just saying, please no more cartoon rape scenes- its just kinda disturbing and definitely not funny

but i still have faith and i'm looking forward to the next episode- and i guess i'll throw in that cartman and butters dressed up like the chinese was hilarious.

[Antonotron]

i have a feeling the whole indiana bit was probably because Eric Stough (basis for Butters) really thought it was a decent movie -- and everyone else was against him. what a great secondary gimmick to keep the episode classy!

[Nature]

I HATE to admit it but I'm a bit disappointed as well. I think the show is amazing, but I never laugh anymore. I'll always keep watching no doubt, but I miss the seasons where you got the feeling it's "made-at-home" with cardboard cutouts. The animation is amazing of course, but too over the top. I watch around 3 episodes a day and always seem to lean towards the older episodes. They pack so much more punch. Kenny doesn't seem to die as much as he used to, huh?

[looknclick]

Waiting for this episode and then watching it, was like the ending of Crying Game for a straight man.

[Quintuplets_Father]

hmm.. talking about Indiana Jones..wouldn't it be nice to see an episode about smth like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsOuIQR-W0U ? probably not too soon...

[deano1985]

The way peoples opinions vary here reminds me of the way butters view of indian jones varied to the other kids... That's the lesson i've learned today, that Matt and Trey can hit the truth better than we think they can.

[missycartman]

bus stop moment !
good ep i enjoyed it loads

[Jace23]

it kills me to say this but this was worst episode of south park i think i've ever seen. i've been obsessed with this show for a very long time and i love matt and trey for everything they do but enough with the freaking rape sh*t. its not funny. it never will be funny. even as a metaphor its not funny.-watching butters get sodomized while singing "loo loo loo" was sad, but still watchable and a very good episode.-the woodland critter blood orgy was rough but it at least fit into the plot (and thankfully was only several seconds long)-and listening to kurt russell scream while getting raped by those same critters made me cringe but imaginationland was still amazing.but this? watching indie get raped over and over... the deliverance scene... the incredibly graphic animation... the dirty talk...  sorry just not doing it for me. especially since the episode as a whole was kind of a bust. no real conclusion and the "china problem" went absolutely no where.and yes i know its just a cartoon, and yes i got the jokes and the references. i'm just saying, please no more cartoon rape scenes- its just kinda disturbing and definitely not funnybut i still have faith and i'm looking forward to the next episode- and i guess i'll throw in that cartman and butters dressed up like the chinese was hilarious.

I agree the animation is getting too good. They've changed everything about the show; They changed the quality, the format, the voices, and it seems like they'd rather push some kind of moral or lesson, rather than make the episode funny. Season 11 wasn't the best but it was pretty decent, season 12 has been completely awful other then a laugh or two every episode. It's like they're trying so hard not to be like family guy by not having joke after joke, they're making the show awful. Season 12 of south park looks like it will be better than the new season of family guy which just seems to be awful as well; in a second Ima have to start watching the simpsons again cause SP & FG are both trippin right now

[rockon505]

I think that season 12 is good, and Super Fun Time was perfect to make us asking for more during the half-season break. It was, well, a super 30-minutes fun time. So why is this new episode so bad?. I'm sorry guys, but it starts too fast, the two plots aren't that good, the raping scenes aren't funny and it ends like it started : abruptly. It would have been better for a Cartoon Wars kind of episode (2 episodes). You know, to develop the plots a little more to make more sense. Anyways, that's my opinion, and even tough I am feeling depressed for not having the right dose of south park medication, I'll be there next week. Keep up the good job!

[Kensuke]

I haven't laughed this much at a newer episode of South Park in years! The way they reacted after seeing Indiana Jones Get raped, the "You shot him in the dick!" parts, this Episode was sick, twisted, and oh I've missed the funny! 9.5/10. Hopefully South Park will keep this up for the entire run from now on.