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The Pandemic Special
"The Pandemic Special" is the first episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 308th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on September 30, 2020, and was also simulcast on MTV and MTV2.
"The Pandemic Special" centers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the residents of South Park; it particularly focuses on Randy Marsh, who is desperate to conceal his role in the outbreak of the pandemic, while the students of South Park Elementary are placed on lockdown following an incident with police. The episode satirizes aspects of the United States' response to the pandemic, police brutality and racial unrest, including mental health, handling of face masks, education, Sinophobia 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 authentication. It was also released on HBO Max 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.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on South Park. To Butters Stotch's chagrin, his paranoid parents refuse to take him to Build-A-Bear Workshop even as restrictions are eased. Butters' father, Stephen, criticizes improperly worn masks as "chin diapers" when he notices the townspeople gathering for an assembly by Randy Marsh, 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, as he can avoid remote classes by faking connection problems with Zoom. 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, is hospitalized with COVID-19, which Randy dismisses. A news report reveals that the pandemic's origins were traced to a bat in Wuhan, which prompts a flashback to Randy's visit to China, during which he and Mickey Mouse 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, 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 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. The police attempt to break them up, but end up shooting Token Black.
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The Pandemic Special
"The Pandemic Special" is the first episode of the twenty-fourth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 308th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the United States on September 30, 2020, and was also simulcast on MTV and MTV2.
"The Pandemic Special" centers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the residents of South Park; it particularly focuses on Randy Marsh, who is desperate to conceal his role in the outbreak of the pandemic, while the students of South Park Elementary are placed on lockdown following an incident with police. The episode satirizes aspects of the United States' response to the pandemic, police brutality and racial unrest, including mental health, handling of face masks, education, Sinophobia 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 authentication. It was also released on HBO Max 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.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on South Park. To Butters Stotch's chagrin, his paranoid parents refuse to take him to Build-A-Bear Workshop even as restrictions are eased. Butters' father, Stephen, criticizes improperly worn masks as "chin diapers" when he notices the townspeople gathering for an assembly by Randy Marsh, 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, as he can avoid remote classes by faking connection problems with Zoom. 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, is hospitalized with COVID-19, which Randy dismisses. A news report reveals that the pandemic's origins were traced to a bat in Wuhan, which prompts a flashback to Randy's visit to China, during which he and Mickey Mouse 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, 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 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. The police attempt to break them up, but end up shooting Token Black.