*1211: Pandemic 2 - The Startling* Post-Air Discussion

[germanguyII]

Looks like "Guinea Pirate" is becoming a meme on 4chan. And that is quiet something. Good or bad, I dunno...

I am still requesting each and every single Guinea Pig of that episode.

[Hopliitti]

Sigh. Going downhill. Fast.

It is clear that these two episodes should have been smashed in one. The first one was way too slow and this one was way too repetitive. Even as a single episode I don't see how the three jokes (Craig's rants, Randy's camera, guinea pigs) could have carried the whole thing alone.. don't even get me started on how badly they failed at carrying TWO.

I didn't even smile at Craig's rants, since they were pretty predictable and I don't like Craig's monotone style. But I can still understand how some people find them funny for the first, maybe second time.. but for two episodes straight? The same f*cking joke over and over again? Are you guys serious? Same applies to Randy's camera. The same exact formula, no surprises, no nothing. And after two episodes the punchline is "oh I didn't put the tape in". Seriously, who DIDN'T see that coming? Come on.

The China Problem had some funny moments - not a classic, and a disappointment for sure for a half-season opener but still a pretty solid episode. Breast Cancer Show was as predictable as they get, a boring time travel back to the days of season one - without the campy touch. The jokes seemed as if they were glued in the script with brute force, the plot didn't go anywhere and the ending was embarrasingly poor. And this two-parter failed to put the series back on track. Don't you people think there would have been some other, more topical, interesting and funny subject to comment on than Cloverfield?

Half of the half-season has gone by, delivering little more than disappointments after another. I really hope the next episode will be more tolerable, because if it's as dull as these have been so far.. well, who knows. Maybe I ought to find a new series.

Heartbreaking, really.

[username1]

i think it might be a 3 parter and craig gona do something rlse in it or it might not be a 3 parter you never know ??? idk why the thing gots these new avatar's i realy dont like em well craig might always not let the boys get his money again cause of that lesson he learned

[bmxride2828]

In my opinion, the second episode was just the conclusion to the first, and not much excitement when it came to the boys. The only excitement I really saw was the Cloverfield referencing. If there is going to be a third episode I hope that they will at least make the situations with the boys more exciting.

But what I really think they should do, is get back to some of the old kind of traditions they used to do. What would've been nice this year is make a holloween episode (for the first time in a few years), keep the viewers in suspense about the second episode of The Startling, and do like they did at the end of the first year, and at the first of the second year (with Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut, Not Without My Anus, and Cartman's Mom is Still a Dirty Slut).

I hate to refer back to The Simpsons in this case, but I love their Tree House of Horrors episodes and look forward to watching them every year. I also love the holloween episodes that South Park used to have.

At least I hope that with the remaining episode of the season(if there is a third part to The Startling) is make either a Thanksgiving or Christmas episode. Rolling along with the holidays is a well known and very successful way of keeping ratings in the television industry. I think the reason why some people think that South Park is declining is because South Park hasn't made any holiday episodes in a few years or stuck with "the times" aka meaning what's going on at the precise moment the episodes are set to premier.

I, myself, think that season 12 so far has been kind of bleh. Maybe 3 or 4 episodes have really kept me loving South Park this year, and I think they need to maybe go back to the old times and look at what really made South Park popular. Don't get me wrong I still love South Park with a passion, but this year it just seems like Matt and Trey have kind of "just rolled with the punches." Meaning creating episodes based on what's been going on in the news, or everyday life.

[username1]

im watching you

[screwuguys]

i can't believe the fact that the boys didn't give craig what he deserved. he was talking way too much.

cartman should have done something to shut him up...(at least after he killed that DHS main guy )

[termsofuse]

What a marvelously “startling” romp through nonsense and whimsy staring Craig! Seriously, Craig was terrific; truly an excellent episode and a fun two parter.

[Kreeman]

There should be a 3 parter, I would like to see that lol

[Jaber612]

Thanks for answering my question everyone!


On a side note I watched it again.. I almost spit out my drink when Randy said he didn't have a tape in his camcorder! lol.. that randy..

[HAcoreRD]

Looks like "Guinea Pirate" is becoming a meme on 4chan. And that is quiet something. Good or bad, I dunno...

I am still requesting each and every single Guinea Pig of that episode.

please tell me you got pics?

[Scuttlebutt]

i loved how they covered Gary Numan's "Cars," flute band style when Craig did his voiceover at the end. Lol... just goes to show ya that just about any song could be translated into a pan flute song. Hilarious!

[ned15]

craig was amazing!!!! he was so funny. i never got tired of his sarcastic monotone jokes, they were priceless. what really did it for me was at the end though when randy is showing the guy his video recordings and randy says "oh, i forgot to put in a tape!" i nearly fell to the ground i was laughing so hard!

the guinea pigs were adorable too. i loved them dressed up in those clothes. i know it was over used a bit, but what girl doesn't like cute animals dressed up?

[Billistic]

These two episodes were probably the worst I've ever seen.

Is Cloverfield even worth a reference? It didn't exactly stand out as a groundbreaking amazing movie. It was hyped big time but ended up just being a monster movie.

But I mean the plot was so horrible. So so horrible.

For one, the guy that ran homeland security, if he knew Craig was "the chosen one" who would eventually get in his way, why would he send him to peru where he knew he would be eventually as well? I mean what the hell is that? Wouldn't you send him to China, or the Congo or something? Why send him somewhere where he still might have a hand in his demise.

The whole episode ends up becoming some cutesy play up to all the chicks that watch the show. It was almost a kids episode and if I wanted to watch a kids show I'd watch the simpsons.

Did the show get new writers or something? Have they ever seen south park before?

What's up with referencing movies? The show is really going downhill big time.

[superiorsavior]

While it's clearly not going to be a trillogy, this pair of episodes should have either been a single epic episode or a full threesome. The questions that remained at the end of 'Pandemic' could perhaps have better been answered in our immaginations, than in this rather lame episode. As is charictaristic of this season, the show only contained two jokes, Craig's parrody of the avarage episode (which was done much better by Kyle in Butt Out) and Randy's 'I'm Startled.' Being continued over two episodes, Randy's joke soon lost it's humour, but becase they kept it going so long, it became funny again before the ending, and was the best part of this episode. Getting to see a scared shelly was interesting as was only a minor role for Butters and Cartman. Craig's monotone voice and personality injected a lot of humour into this episode, but he ended up coming off as quite the assh*le. The guinea-pirate was an extremilly shallow villain, and the prophecy was fulfilled in a very in charactar but exceedingly lame manner. I'd like it if they decided to make a third episode in which Craig did something epic but as the prophecy was pretty much fulfilled, it's unlikely to happen now. So the main problem with the last two episodes is that the pacing was slower than Crag.

Not to say this episode wasn't funny or worthwhile, the guinea-animals in particular excited a few hearty laughs from me; it was just a massive dissapointment after the set up in the last episode, it achieved little of it's potential.

What's up with referencing movies?

I agree that referencing modern hyped up movies is taking away the big difference between south park and the Simpsons.

id the show get new writers or something?

A question I'd like answered as well.

[203177]

I actually liked it, Craig and his sarcastic jokes were so funny. And him telling the story was good too, the whole Randy fliming was hilarious. The ginuea pigs were cute with there costumes. Oh and i really liked the boys dresed up in a there mexican outfits. Overall i would give this episode...well, 7/10 is fair enough.