Nobody does social satire better these days than "South Park." The show has picked up the torch that the Simpson family bore for so many years. Season 13, now on DVD and Blu-ray – uncensored – is a prime example.
In the span of 14 half-hour episodes, Trey Parker and Matt Stone poked mostly hilarious fun at the Jonas Brothers and the Walt Disney Company, Kanye West's self-satisfaction, Somalian pirates, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, the WWE, "Sons of Anarchy," Glenn Beck and the films "2012" and "Avatar," the latter of which they nailed perfectly and completely without having seen the actual film.
Some episodes were stronger than others, though the season wasn't nearly as uneven as others. "Dead Celebrities," where Ike is haunted by the ghosts of Jackson, Mays and all the other celebrities that died in the summer of 2009, wasn't nearly as funny as it potentially could have been. "Eat, Pray, Queef," wasn't very funny, either. My particular favorites were "Butters' Bottom Bitch," where Butters becomes a pimp, "Whale Whores," where the Japanese just start murdering whales and dolphins and "Fatbeard," where Cartman becomes a pirate.
Special features on the DVD/Blu-Ray box sets include seven deleted scenes (including the would-be reveal of Mysterion, the rival to Cartman's crime-fighting "The Coon,") and a segment called "Inside X-Box: A Behind-The-Scenes Tour of South Park Studios." This is a fascinating – albeit brief – look into the way "South Park" is created. Commentary is included on the episode "Margaritaville."
The three-disc DVD set and two-disc Blu-ray set drops on March 16, just in time for the premiere of Season 14 the day after.
(Artwork courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment)
