*1703: World War Zimmerman* Post-Air Discussion

[Big-Will]

I Sooo wanted to see cartman take the plane to isreal.

They had him fly to Iceland instead, lol. They're not ones to stick too close to the source material.

[yoshiyoshi]

This is the last episode for me. I either agree with or can tolerate the other politically charged episodes, but I think Matt & Trey have their heads up their asses so far on the Zimmerman trial I don't think they'll ever be able to see again.

Zimmerman was rightly found not guilty. He didn't shoot Martin because he got too close - there was an eye witness that testified Martin was on top of Zimmerman punching him, and expert testimony that showed Martin was still on top when he was shot. Even if you don't like Zimmerman his portrayal here wasn't funny.

This is one of the reasons I found this episode extremely disappointing. I've been a SP fan for nearly a decade, I've watched every episode AT LEAST 5 times, and normally I agree with M&T's stance on political issues because normally they have a logical, balanced opinion.

I followed the Zimmerman trial and was frustrated by the protests and outrage surrounding it. If you put all the facts together it was obvious that Zimmerman wasn't a racist and had made a mistake due to inexperience (the mistake being following TM instead of staying in his car, which led to him shooting to protect his own life). I feel disgusted that M&T used the two-dimensional media narrative to carry a plot. I kept hoping the episode would show an opposing side to the story, which would have enabled Zimmerman to be presented as a human being rather than a caricature. This episode felt as thrown together and needlessly hateful as what I expect from Family Guy. It's especially disappointing considering that SP in the past has made clever episodes about complex issues. Dances With Smurfs (s13), as an example, was a humorous demonstration of how propaganda works.


As for the writing, ShaneHaughey said it for me..

This was a sh*t sandwich. It had no direction and everyone had to act downright idiotic for any little thing to work.

The jokes are less well constructed, the plot structures are sometimes nonexistent, characterization and development have slowly started to evaporate, the references are boring and royally unfunny.

I've been watching The Boondocks lately, and it really puts SP to shame in terms of complex characters and subtlety.

I got my hopes up when Jimbo was talking about gun laws, but there were no "They're coming right for us!" or "Thin out their numbers" jokes. I'm getting close to giving up on this show..

[DonaldJohn]

We need an episode, about Trey and Matt, and how they once was funny, but now, they are kinda lame and grasp for straws and make piss poor, mediocre episodes at best. They can show how they let the kindergartners throw together incoherent crap with the comedic skill of honey boo boo.

[WeedSmoker]

loved it

[triplemultiplex]

Zimmerman was rightly found not guilty. He didn't shoot Martin because he got too close - there was an eye witness that testified Martin was on top of Zimmerman punching him, and expert testimony that showed Martin was still on top when he was shot.

After Zimmerman stalked Martin through the neighborhood.

Only retards in the media think that "stand your ground" laws had anything to do with the Zimmerman trial. The portrayal of stand your ground was completely inaccurate and in no way funny. How is suggesting it only applies to white people in any way accurate or funny?

Unless you realize that the episode is not about the trial or the incident itself but everyone's reaction to it. Fatass merely embodies popular conceptions about that whole ordeal and the media shitstorm it caused. White people thinking there'd be riots; white people regarding Zims as a hero until he shot a white person; a black person frustrated that white people are getting worked up over the wrong thing.

They do this a lot with their current event episodes. Instead of a straight up parody of something in the news, they focus on some absurd way people are talking about that news.

[UhhIDontKnow]

I didn't really like this episode it seemed to be promoting the myth that the Stand-Your-Ground law had something to do with the Zimmerman case, and overlooking the fact that blacks use the law successfully at a greater rate than whites.

If that's a myth then the jurors were lying and so is the court record of the jury instructions:

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/0 ... d-himself/

[kennyrules1234579]

I thought attempts to link the movie and Zimmerman were weak. Its almost like they came up with a clever title for the episode, then tried to build a story around that title. And shooting Token was pretty severe, even for Cartman. Its funny watching Cartman be reprehensible, but even for Cartman, there's a line that can be crossed where its just not funny. But I will admit, Cartman Brad Pitt-ing his hair was pretty hilarious.

my thoughts exactly if it crosses that line it just comes off as cringe worthy.

[kennyrules1234579]

also this is why you cant rely a show like this simply on whats new in the news and whats funny you also have to think of character depth. the best thing about south park is when its about a kids eye view on adult perspecitve and that sometimes kids have more common scene compassion and acceptance then most adults. Thats sopuths parks charm as well as making over the top situationsn complete serious like in over logging, fishstcks, the ungroundablein dead celebrities and if you want me to include earler seasons cartmen gets an anal probe,The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000, Toilet Paper, to a lesser extent conjoined fetus lady and tom's rhinoplasty.

[Mamont]

When Zimmerman shot Cartman a part of me wanted fatass dead for real.

[JVM]

Rewatched it today. Kind of enjoyed it more while also finding it even more stupid. I'd make a few changes.

- Cut or move the first scene. I think the viewer needs to see Cartman's nightmares before they see him trying to make nice with Token. There's really no mystery in it.

- Possibly depict Cartman in his normal gear during the dream only because... (see one after next)

- Remove the poem version of 'I was not the Bullet' and skip to the rap scene. Playing it over twice w/ modifications was a waste of screentime. Maybe to supplant, Cartman finishes the song and calls Token up and that's when he gets mad.

- ...then him pulling out the Brad Pitt Survival Gear is actually amusing. He's already been seen in the costume so him changing is kind of weird.

- We really didn't need to board and destroy an entire plane. Cartman could've more realistically caused such a fuss just at the airport. There's no over-the-top violence but even a few people buying it but not everybody can still produce a similar enough effect. Cue black security guards and Cartman fleeing to Jimbo's Guns. We don't need a dead pilot for him to come up with Patient Zero. He hands the drawing of Token to the cops.

- Cartman boards an actual plane to Florida and that goes like normal. Maybe make a joke out of them taking the plane and not panicking in the middle of the situation? Or just don't show them going to Florida, that works too.

- I don't see why they rehashed WWZ itself with George Zimmerman. I'd cut the kids and include his real wife, who's having issues with him right now.

- Cut directly from Zimmerman's death to Cartman's next nightmare in the classroom. Have Cartman argue with Stan and Kyle a little longer. The Token getting shot scene makes no sense, especially since Jimbo says earlier in the episode that there is no 'stand your ground' law in Colorado.

- Well, f*ck I lost an end gag. Shiiit.

And some more arbitrary stuff that wouldn't compliment the storyline and is just fanboy crap:

- Maybe use Liane instead of the Random Woman, and therefore skip having her hit by a car.

- Nichole gets pissed off, too.

- Ned says one of Jimbo's lines in the Gun Shop, unless his voice box really is gone.

[BRMBug]

When Zimmerman shot Cartman a part of me wanted fatass dead for real.

I didn't, until Cartman shot Token. Then I wanted to punt his balls into his colon.

[clubbinguy]

I enjoyed a lot of the current events issue they touched on that I didn’t see anyone mention here. For example, I could be mistaken, but when “Brad Pitt’s” car was surrounded by black people and he floors it, running over one, I assumed that was a parody of the black bikers/asian guy incident in New York where he ran over one of them.

I also got an impression Cartman rushing past everyone on to the first plane was a nod to the recent incident of the underage boy that snuck right past all security and on to an airplane.

I frown at all the negativity toward this episode in this thread. Okay, it wasn’t their best episode ever, but it was far from the worst, and still had many good laughs for me. M&T have been quoted as saying they will stop doing the show when “it’s just not funny anymore”. If these comments are any kind of feedback to them, I think these “fans” are hurting the show more than helping. In my opinion the show is still one of, if not the funniest show left on television. I’d rather see more episodes like this versus no South Park at all.

It’s been said comedy is hardest entertainment to create. These same two guys have been writing this show for 16 years, and it still has an edge. A lot of people are quick to sling hate here, but what have these critics created lately (or for 16 years)? If you hate the show now, then stop watching and stop posting and let the fans enjoy South Park.

[VACOOLA]

These same two guys have been writing this show for 16 years, and it still has an edge. A lot of people are quick to sling hate here, but what have these critics created lately (or for 16 years)? If you hate the show now, then stop watching and stop posting and let the fans enjoy South Park.

For 16 years these same two guys have been fighting against all sorts of hypocrisy. Ironically enough, some of us think they're so hypocrytical they would actually prefer to be immune from criticism, not unlike all those hypocrites they've been poking fun at. Some of us presume these same two guys actually need the green goo that the pissed off celebrities led by Tom Cruise were trying to extract from Muhammad's body. Your post is flat out an insult to these two guys and what they stand for. And yet you have every right to voice your opinion, even if you don't want other people to voice theirs.

Irony. It manifests itself where you least expect it.

[Brendle]

I never cared or knew anything about the Zimmerman trial, so a lot of jokes/references in this episode I didn't get.

Oh well. There's always the next show. I wonder how these guys are going to deal with the stress of having to write 10 shows straight.

[Brendle]

Comments criticizing the show are fine. What I can't stand, however, are comments like "I'm never going to watch this show again!" or "They disappointed me/let me down" or "if the next episode is as bad as this, I'll be pissed off!"

There's such a disgusting air of self-entitlement to comments like this. It's 30 minutes of free entertainment, dickhead. They're not making the show to satisfy YOU personally...they don't give a sh*t about you. They make shows they like. If you like it, good, cool...if you don't. Oh well.

Stop acting like you've been personally wronged when a comedy episode isn't to your liking. They know nothing about your sensibilities and preferences and don't really owe you anything.