South Park – The Complete Eighth Season

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Episodes: B-

 

 

It is funny how South Park stays topical, over-the-top, popular, gross and still actually has ideas backing the show up.  The Complete Eighth Season offers more classics, including the classic The Passion Of The Jew, a lambasting of Mel Gibson’s hit religious film before his recent drunken tirade gave more leverage to the show.  The post 9/11 moratorium on Kenny stars to really thaw here and these early 2004 shows are as strong as previous seasons at their best, except that a few undermine the season as a whole in a slightly pedestrian feel.

 

However, among the 14 shows, the other classic people are still talking about even if the media is trying to ignore it is Something Wall Mart This Way Comes, which spoofs the mega-retailer and any other store or place that becomes a big craze where you spend your money without thinking.  However, despite Family Guy still on the block, no one is doing what Trey Parker and Matt Stone are doing with this show and it is a golden time of political satire for them and the country.  Again we omit all the titles and explanation of each show as not to ruin them or be too square.  You do get your money’s worth either way.

 

Once again, the 1.33 X 1 full frame image is not bad with decent color, but while the limited animation looks good, it seems more overprocessed than the earlier seasons.  There are no scratches, noise, or flaws in any of it.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is available in the brief Stone/Parker commentaries, Spanish Mono, French Stereo, and English Stereo with no surrounds.  The mini commentaries are the only extras again and Paramount uses a folding DigiPak to store the three DVDs.  This is a quality way of doing this without taking up a ton of room, plus the artwork is again top notch with an amusing cutout design.  The Samurai satire is a hoot.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo