The Pandemic Special
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"The Pandemic Special" is the first episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
''. The 308th episode overall of the series, it premiered on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
in the United States on September 30, 2020, and was also
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
. "The Pandemic Special" centers on the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
on the people of South Park; it particularly focuses on
Randy Marsh Randall Gilbert Marsh (born April 8, 1949) is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1981 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 to 2009. Marsh wore the uniform number 30. Major Lea ...
, who is desperate to conceal his role in the pandemic, while the students of South Park Elementary are placed on
lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
following an incident with police. The episode satirizes aspects of the United States' response to the pandemic,
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
and racial unrest, including
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
, handling of face masks,
education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
,
Sinophobia Anti-Chinese sentiment, also known as Sinophobia, is a fear or dislike of China, Chinese people or Chinese culture. It often targets Chinese minorities living outside of China and involves immigration, development of national identity in ...
and divestment from the police. Critics praised the social commentary and humor, but criticized the plot and overall length of the episode, with Adam Beam of ''The Slate'' opining that the episode's running time was not sufficient to develop its various story threads. It was the highest-rated ''South Park'' episode in over seven years, amassing over 4.05 million viewers and becoming the most-watched program of the night. After its premiere, the episode was released on the ''South Park'' website for free, as well as on the Comedy Central app and website with
TV Everywhere TV Everywhere (also known as authenticated streaming or authenticated video on-demand) refers to a type of subscription business model wherein access to streaming video content from a television channel requires users to "authenticate" themselv ...
authentication. It was also released on
HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
in the United States 24 hours after its premiere, becoming the first new ''South Park'' episode released after the service acquired the series' streaming rights.


Plot

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on South Park. To
Butters Stotch Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a fictional character in the adult animated television series ''South Park''. He is voiced by series co-creator Matt Stone and loosely based on co-producer Eric Stough. He is a student at South Park Elementary School. ...
's chagrin, his paranoid parents refuse to take him to
Build-A-Bear Workshop Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice ...
even as restrictions are eased. Butters' father,
Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
, criticizes improperly worn masks as "chin diapers" when he notices the townspeople gathering for an assembly by
Randy Marsh Randall Gilbert Marsh (born April 8, 1949) is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1981 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 to 2009. Marsh wore the uniform number 30. Major Lea ...
, who is offering a strain of marijuana called the Pandemic Special. His wife, Sharon, berates Randy for attempting to profit from the pandemic. Meanwhile, Eric Cartman is ecstatic about
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
, as he can avoid remote classes by faking connection problems with
Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...
. He becomes infuriated when his mother, Liane, informs him of plans to reopen the school. Randy boasts of his success with the Pandemic Special when Sharon reveals that her brother,
Jimbo Kern The following are fictional characters in the American animated television series ''South Park''. The Marshes Stan Marsh Randy Marsh Randy Marsh is the most prominent parent on the show. He is named after the father of series co-creator Trey ...
, is hospitalized with COVID-19, which Randy dismisses. A news report reveals that the pandemic's origins were traced to a bat in
Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
, which prompts a flashback to Randy's visit to China, during which he and
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
had sex with a bat. Realizing that they are responsible for the outbreak, Randy is overcome with guilt. A later news report reveals the source to instead be a
pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός – "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smut ...
, with which Randy and Mickey also had sex. The South Park Elementary school board convenes a Zoom meeting led by Mr. Mackey, which devolves into a shouting match of obscenities. The board decides that the school will reopen, but will be run by the now-defunct police department, which had lost most of its funding due to police violence. Sergeant
Harrison Yates '' South Park'' is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. The ongoing narrative revolves around five children, Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, Kenny M ...
and his officers struggle to adapt to teaching when Cartman is dragged in and handcuffed to a chair as class begins. Attempting to escape, Cartman incites a fight with
Kyle Broflovski Kyle Matthew Broflovski is a fictional character in the adult animated television series ''South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his friends Stan ...
. The police attempt to break them up, but end up shooting
Token Black Tolkien Black (originally known as Token Williams and Token Black) is a fictional character in the adult animated television series ''South Park''. He was originally voiced by Trey Parker, later changed to series art director, storyboard artist ...
. The pangolin is brought to the United States for research in developing a vaccine. Desperate to avoid being found out, Randy absconds with the pangolin. Mickey threatens to have Randy killed and send his DNA samples to scientists for studies. Randy convinces Mickey to spare him, promising to find a cure; he later laces the Pandemic Special with his semen and secretly tests it on Jimbo. It initially proves successful, and Randy sells the semen-laced Special to an influx of customers. However, Jimbo and several others soon relapse and grow mustaches similar to Randy's, resulting in numerous hospitalizations. Anthony Fauci appears at a press conference, where some in attendance dismiss his advice. The police claim that Token tested positive for COVID-19 and the entire school is placed under increasingly strict lockdown. Butters becomes increasingly upset that he may never get to visit Build-A-Bear, while
Stan Marsh Stanley Randell William Marsh is a fictional character in the adult animated television series '' South Park''. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the series' four central characters, along with ...
starts to suffer a nervous breakdown. Stan calls President Garrison to appeal to him. Garrison, however, refuses to act, citing the virus' disproportionate effect on Mexicans. Stan promises to take Butters to Build-A-Bear and convinces the students to escape from the school. Protests, rioting, and looting ensue, prompting
Mayor McDaniels The following is a list of recurring characters in the animated television series ''South Park''. The list does not include the List of students at South Park Elementary, school children, List of South Park families, family members or List of Sou ...
to reimburse the police with supplies to quell the unrest.
Kenny McCormick Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character and one of the four main characters in the adult animated television series ''South Park'' along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His often muffled and incomprehensible speec ...
is among those killed by the police. The boys break into Build-A-Bear, but Stan cannot properly operate the equipment. The police prepare to shoot at the boys when Randy arrives with the pangolin. Cartman seizes the pangolin with the intent to kill it, but relents when Stan makes an impassioned speech. Cartman gives the pangolin to a scientist, only for Garrison to immolate them with a flamethrower before reminding people to vote in the upcoming election. In the aftermath, wildfires have broken out, and South Park is placed under lockdown. Randy is about to confess his actions to Sharon when he notices a mustache on her face before departing to produce more specials.


Ratings

The episode drew 2.3 million viewers on
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
and a total of 4.05 million viewers overall including the
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
, making it the highest-rated ''South Park'' episode since 2014's "
Go Fund Yourself "Go Fund Yourself" is the first episode in the eighteenth season of the American animated television series '' South Park''. The 248th episode of the series overall, it was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premier ...
". The episode was the number one rated cable broadcast on the evening of September 30, 2020.


Critical reception

Jesse Schedeen, writing for ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' gave the episode a 5 out of 10, writing, "There's no doubt that some new ''South Park'' is better than no ''South Park'' at all. Unfortunately, the series' first experiment with a longer, standalone format doesn't really pay off. 'The Pandemic Special' has moments of comedic brilliance but is brought down by a messy plot that struggles to put a fresh spin on the reality of life in 2020." Stephanie Williams for ''The A.V. Club'' gave the episode a B+, stating, "While things were far from normal for the residents of ''South Park'' in this hour-long special, the show stays true to form, offering a surprising source of consistency. The world is in complete chaos, which couldn't be any more on-brand for ''South Park''." Ben Travers of ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'' gave the special an overall grade of B-, praising the special for how it tackled the social issues, stating, "...kudos to ''South Park'' for being one of the first scripted series to tackle America's new normal head-on, all the while making the case against its very existence. The hourlong special had plenty of targets — from trigger-happy cops to a bat-raping Mickey Mouse — but it only really dialed in on its own relevance in these trying times. And in the end, 'The Pandemic Special' is only here because TV is an essential — and still lucrative — service." Andrew Bloom from
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
gave the special a mixed review, praising the social commentary but criticising the plot, stating, "'The Pandemic Special' is unlikely to become anyone's new favorite episode of ''South Park''. Randy's adventures are fine but nothing truly new. Cartman's homebody preservationism is amusing but slight. And the social commentary at play here is entertaining, but not exactly revolutionary. What's novel, though, is that sort of sincerity and vulnerability coming from the show's usual mouthpiece, echoing what we're all going through right now. There's a particular resonance to that at the present moment, especially when a series that can otherwise project the sense of being 'above it all' is admitting that this hurts." A point of criticism for multiple reviewers was the overall length of the special. Writing for ''The Slate'', Adam Beam stated, "The hour-long runtime greatly hurts this special, and a lot of this material would work better if the show was given more time to develop. Maybe as their own individual episodes. While plenty of the jokes land and many 'South Park' fans will enjoy, 'The Pandemic Special' lacks any kind of focus as it struggles to cram too much material into a very limited time frame. No matter how you feel about the special, the creative team continues to work on the new season remotely." The special was nominated for a 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.


Notes


References


External links


"The Pandemic Special"
Full Episode at South Park Studios * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pandemic Special, The 2020 television specials American television episodes about cannabis Disney parodies Fictional portrayals of police departments in the United States Parodies of Donald Trump in South Park Police misconduct in fiction Television episodes about the COVID-19 pandemic South Park (season 24) episodes Zoophilia in culture