Gonna Have Ourselves a Time
South Park changed the world of mainstream animation forever. American cartoons have been associated with infantile impulses, the low-brow, labeled the introduction to storytelling as opposed to one medium among many. Trey Parker and Matt Stone managed to use these stereotypes to prove that yes, cartoons can be all of these things. They can also effectively explore societal trends, market to an ADULT audience, and still retain the stylistic elements that make animation fascinating. ANYTHING can happen in South Park, but nothing outside the scope of a human's imagination. The creativity and biting wit of the show is what kept audiences coming back for more, and what STILL makes it one of the ballsiest shows on television.
Or, I dunno, maybe people just like the poop jokes. Immature dicks.
Or, I dunno, maybe people just like the poop jokes. Immature dicks.
"Drunk Park": The Rules
You'll want to stick to beer on this one. But not PBR. The episodes we watched gave it a bad rap.
Drink PBR, get your kids taken away and your ass in jail. Simple.
Easy Mode
Medium Mode
All of the above rules apply. Also...
Hard Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
- Drink when they drink.
- Drink for Daddy Issues.
- Drink for Title Drops. For Easy Mode, this is whenever someone says "South Park".
- Drink when Kenny Dies. Drink twice if he doesn't die by the end of the episode. More likely than not, he's toast.
- Drink when Cartman and Kyle insult each other. They have to have their insults repaid for this to count.
- Drink when a child outsmarts an adult.
- Drink for Celebrity cameos.
- Drink for disgusting sexual acts.
Medium Mode
All of the above rules apply. Also...
- Drink when a science fiction or fantasy movie is spoofed. You must be able to name the movie.
- Drink when someone bursts into song.
- Drink whenever one of the main four boys leaves South Park. One drink for each boy.
- Drink whenever a character wins money.
- Drink when part of South Park is destroyed. The construction workers at South Park must be the best in the world.
- Drink for Title Drops. For Medium Mode, this means drink for episode title drops.
Hard Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
- Drink whenever a deity makes himself/herself known.
- Drink for vomit. If you're ambitious, drink as they vomit.
- Drink when one of the main four boys learns something new about the world
- Drink when Butters is injured in any way. Emotional pain counts, but only if he's truly bothered by it.
- Drink for an epic battle sequence. This can range from the battle of Imaginationland to cripple fights.
The Players
Our on-screen players for this game are Krissy (me), Shirley Whiskas, and Williams. We talked about our favorite swear words.
Our off-screen players are...
The Bishop: Could give Father Maxie a run for his money (Easy).
Paul [Big Moose]: Had never seen the show before we playtested this game (Medium).
Get ready to leave your woes behind. Let's play the South Park drinking game!
The Bishop: Could give Father Maxie a run for his money (Easy).
Paul [Big Moose]: Had never seen the show before we playtested this game (Medium).
Get ready to leave your woes behind. Let's play the South Park drinking game!
Can You Be More Specific?
As I explained the rules to my fellow players, I realized that many of these rules are open to interpretation. Depending on how organized you are, this could be the best or worst thing to ever happen to you. It also allows for a bit of wiggle room if the game's going slowly, or if it's going too well.
For example, what constitutes a celebrity cameo? Williams and I both assumed that in order for a character to be a "celebrity", they should have a real-world likeness outside of the show. Shirley argued otherwise.
"I think that fictional characters should count," she staunchly argued, "because it is a cartoon."
You can guess that for episodes like "Imaginationland" (Season 11, Episode 10), things can get a little hairy. And not just because of all the hairy creatures walking around.
For example, what constitutes a celebrity cameo? Williams and I both assumed that in order for a character to be a "celebrity", they should have a real-world likeness outside of the show. Shirley argued otherwise.
"I think that fictional characters should count," she staunchly argued, "because it is a cartoon."
You can guess that for episodes like "Imaginationland" (Season 11, Episode 10), things can get a little hairy. And not just because of all the hairy creatures walking around.
Are you scared for your liver yet?
To make things even more complicated, Jesus is a recurring character in the series. He's a religious figure, so you should drink if you're playing on Hard Mode, but he's also a resident of South Park and a local figure. So technically you could drink for celebrity cameos, too. We recommend you drink TWICE for Jesus no matter which difficulty level you're playing on. He deserves it.
To put it more precisely, he EARNS it.
Poor Kenny
One of the most famous characters in South Park is Kenny McCormick, otherwise known as the kid in the parka who dies all the time. Kenny is doomed to forever live in fear of his inevitable demise, as he usually doesn't survive the half-hour adventures had by him and his friends. And after sixteen seasons, his deaths have gotten...creative.
In season two, episode 4 ("Ike's Wee Wee"), Kenny dies by falling into an open grave. Since a funeral was going on just a few paces away, everyone rolled with it.
In season two, episode 4 ("Ike's Wee Wee"), Kenny dies by falling into an open grave. Since a funeral was going on just a few paces away, everyone rolled with it.
How many graves in the South Park cemetary have Kenny's name on them?
By contrast, in Season 15, episode 14 ("The Poor Kid"), Kenny gets taken out by a gigantic vulture that breaks through the school roof and devours him messily.
Goodnight, sweet prince.
Maybe it's because of his tragic history, but Kenny is one of the most endearing characters in the show. He's unassuming, but secretly the most badass of all his friends, especially in later seasons when he was endowed with more personality and special skills. Sadly, he is more useful to the show as a device than as a character. He represents the unexpected and the inevitable. Bad things happen to good people, and Kenny shows us that you can't always prepare for disaster. But you can live your life as well as you can in the meantime. In that way, he's kind of a role model.
The same can't be said for some of his playmates.
The same can't be said for some of his playmates.
The Many Sins of Eric Cartman
"You're the worst!" Paul shouted at the screen at one point. "I want you to die every episode, not Kenny!"
If Kenny is a cautionary tale, Cartman is a horse of a different color. His development over the course of the series took him from spoiled, ignorant brat to conniving, influential, evil mini-dictator. Why, just in the course of the five episodes we watched he called the police on his Mother because her low income made him the poorest kid in school...
If Kenny is a cautionary tale, Cartman is a horse of a different color. His development over the course of the series took him from spoiled, ignorant brat to conniving, influential, evil mini-dictator. Why, just in the course of the five episodes we watched he called the police on his Mother because her low income made him the poorest kid in school...
And tried to get a free trip to Hawaii out of it
...took a petty disagreement between him and Kyle to the state court so that he could force Kyle under court order to suck his balls...
And then dressed like this while making him do it
...and had Butters glue balls on his chin to get him onto the Maury Povitch show, so that HE could claim the prize Butters would win.
And then dressed like THIS, spawning a meme that outlived your cat.
This is all still pretty tame for Cartman. This is the kid that tried to lead a group of gingers to commit mass genocide, and exacted revenge on his mortal enemy by grinding his parents into chili and feeding them to him. He represents the worst of human potential. And every week on Comedy Central, you can watch his exploits and laugh.
Every time someone compares a friend of theirs to Cartman, I get a little more scared of living in this world.
Every time someone compares a friend of theirs to Cartman, I get a little more scared of living in this world.
Butters
In "Imaginationland Part I", a mysterious stranger approaches Stan and the gang and invites them on the trip of a lifetime. They're all skeptical, but only Butters asks the question that's on everyone's minds.
With the air of someone who's gone through this before, Butters asks the man if he plans to rape them when they get on the flying machine, only agreeing to come once he has verbal assurance that they're safe.
This is what makes Butters fascinating as a character. He implicitly trusts the laws of the world, and has faith in authority figures, no matter how many times he is proven that this trust is unfounded. He's mistreated by his friends, shamed by his family and never quite fits in with the world. None of this seems to bother him. He goes through more pain than any character on the show, but still manages to make it through because he considers pain a temporary occurrence that he must live through.
In "Freak Strike", Butters willingly goes along with the boys' plan to earn cash prizes by committing fraud on a major network TV show, but is greeted by angry parents upon his return. He is sent to his room, but quickly learns that the true freaks who frequent the talk show circuit are looking for him. His instinct is to run away, but he realizes he can't because he's grounded, and running away would lengthen his punishment.
"Moral dilemma!" The Bishop shouted gleefully.
That's the core of Butters' character. He has an uber-strict moral code, and no regard for himself. Even when he tries to go bad, he ends up doing more damage to himself than the world around him. Just as I know people like Cartman, I definitely know people like Butters. Maybe they balance each other out somehow, on the grand scale.
This is what makes Butters fascinating as a character. He implicitly trusts the laws of the world, and has faith in authority figures, no matter how many times he is proven that this trust is unfounded. He's mistreated by his friends, shamed by his family and never quite fits in with the world. None of this seems to bother him. He goes through more pain than any character on the show, but still manages to make it through because he considers pain a temporary occurrence that he must live through.
In "Freak Strike", Butters willingly goes along with the boys' plan to earn cash prizes by committing fraud on a major network TV show, but is greeted by angry parents upon his return. He is sent to his room, but quickly learns that the true freaks who frequent the talk show circuit are looking for him. His instinct is to run away, but he realizes he can't because he's grounded, and running away would lengthen his punishment.
"Moral dilemma!" The Bishop shouted gleefully.
That's the core of Butters' character. He has an uber-strict moral code, and no regard for himself. Even when he tries to go bad, he ends up doing more damage to himself than the world around him. Just as I know people like Cartman, I definitely know people like Butters. Maybe they balance each other out somehow, on the grand scale.
This is why you don't give into peer pressure.
Trey? Matt? Are you Okay?
I need to talk about "You're Getting Old".
It stands to reason that after more than ten years of doing a thing, you start to get tired. You have to be passionate about a project to keep it going for that long in the first place, but even the longest candle burns out eventually. Instead of trying to hide their frustration from their audience, instead of churning out low-quality hack work to appease their fans, Parker and Stone channeled their feelings into one episode that broke the hearts of thousands. This was only my second time watching it, and I still felt just as sad and confused as I did after the first viewing.
Made while Parker and Stone were hard at work getting their Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" off the ground, "You're Getting Old" details Stan's sudden plunge into cynicism and the effect it has on his friends. He's suddenly a drain to be around, he feels he can't enjoy things he used to love, and eventually his friends give up trying to help.
Meanwhile, Stan's parents fight for what feels like the millionth time about a small issue that blossoms into a full-on discussion of their mutual unhappiness, the feeling that they're repeating the same shit over and over, week after week, and the realization that nothing ever changes. This conversation results in their divorce.
Fans went NUTS when this episode aired. The implications were huge. Some thought Parker and Stone might end their season contract early and leave "You're Getting Old" as the series finale.
That didn't happen. Two episodes later, things were back to normal, but the statement had been made. A desire had been expressed to move on, but a commitment had been made to continue working on the show for as long as possible. And its audience now had full knowledge that every episode since was made with craft, care and the certainty that someday, the episodes would stop.
"This is why I can deal with this show," said Paul, a South Park newbie. "I don't like this style of humor, but they're so compelling as filmmakers that I can really get into it."
This is a show that would rather try and fail than phone in anything. That is why it forever has my respect.
It stands to reason that after more than ten years of doing a thing, you start to get tired. You have to be passionate about a project to keep it going for that long in the first place, but even the longest candle burns out eventually. Instead of trying to hide their frustration from their audience, instead of churning out low-quality hack work to appease their fans, Parker and Stone channeled their feelings into one episode that broke the hearts of thousands. This was only my second time watching it, and I still felt just as sad and confused as I did after the first viewing.
Made while Parker and Stone were hard at work getting their Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" off the ground, "You're Getting Old" details Stan's sudden plunge into cynicism and the effect it has on his friends. He's suddenly a drain to be around, he feels he can't enjoy things he used to love, and eventually his friends give up trying to help.
Meanwhile, Stan's parents fight for what feels like the millionth time about a small issue that blossoms into a full-on discussion of their mutual unhappiness, the feeling that they're repeating the same shit over and over, week after week, and the realization that nothing ever changes. This conversation results in their divorce.
Fans went NUTS when this episode aired. The implications were huge. Some thought Parker and Stone might end their season contract early and leave "You're Getting Old" as the series finale.
That didn't happen. Two episodes later, things were back to normal, but the statement had been made. A desire had been expressed to move on, but a commitment had been made to continue working on the show for as long as possible. And its audience now had full knowledge that every episode since was made with craft, care and the certainty that someday, the episodes would stop.
"This is why I can deal with this show," said Paul, a South Park newbie. "I don't like this style of humor, but they're so compelling as filmmakers that I can really get into it."
This is a show that would rather try and fail than phone in anything. That is why it forever has my respect.
*sigh*...And I guess there's also poop jokes. Can't forget those.
Remember...Drugs are Bad. MmmKay?
"Oh, look guys," Williams crowed, "Mr. Mackey is telling us to stay away from drugs and alcohol!"
We raised our glasses in a toast as we slowly watched Mr. Mackey devolve into drug induced madness in "Ike's Wee Wee".
The point of the episode seems to be that recreational drug and alcohol use is made into a bigger deal than it actually is, and that dependence varies on a case by case basis.
We at For Your Inebriation do not actively encourage such abuse. Drugs are bad. Mmmkay? In fact, what are you even doing here? Get off the computer. Read a book.
We raised our glasses in a toast as we slowly watched Mr. Mackey devolve into drug induced madness in "Ike's Wee Wee".
The point of the episode seems to be that recreational drug and alcohol use is made into a bigger deal than it actually is, and that dependence varies on a case by case basis.
We at For Your Inebriation do not actively encourage such abuse. Drugs are bad. Mmmkay? In fact, what are you even doing here? Get off the computer. Read a book.
Although...where could I get some of whatever does that? For a friend.
The Result
We got silly after we finished watching our episodes. We indulged in a rousing game of "Kick the Baby". It made sense at the time.
I was excited to play this game, but it was tough to drink through five episodes. The first three were so depressing and the last two so pointlessly silly that we ended up tuning out during the last hour or so. I blame the hand we were dealt more than the game; this show can be hit or miss.
Still, if you'd like to tweak the game a bit, here are some rules for you.
Drink whenever you see a shot like this.
Still, if you'd like to tweak the game a bit, here are some rules for you.
Drink whenever you see a shot like this.
Awww yeah, feel all the feelings.
You'd be surprised how much this specific setup is used throughout the show. As soon as things turn dramatic, one character turns away (but towards the audience), and the other character tries to get them to turn back. It's a classic visual metaphor for emotional distance. God, these guys are good.
Pick a side character. Drink whenever they make an appearence.
South Park has a cast of thousands, and only a handful show up in every episode. We all have favorites, and when a plot centers around one of our favorites, we light up inside. Pay homage to your homies.
Drink for poop jokes.
Good ol' poop jokes.
Pick a side character. Drink whenever they make an appearence.
South Park has a cast of thousands, and only a handful show up in every episode. We all have favorites, and when a plot centers around one of our favorites, we light up inside. Pay homage to your homies.
Drink for poop jokes.
Good ol' poop jokes.
"I can't watch that! That's gross! Fuck you!" -Paul
Thanks for joining us this week! Have you tried out one of our games for yourselves yet? We'd love to hear about your experiences, or suggestions on what to try next! Next week we're going in a different direction...a black-and-white direction.
Get your whiskey stones ready.
Follow us on Twitter @KrissyPappau for updates, drunk quotes and other chatter!
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