Episode Commentary: Butterballs
Only Butters could get bullied by his grandmother, but only Butters can make us laugh the way he does. Innocent to a fault, Leopold Stotch is such an easy victim; it makes sense that Trey Parker and Matt Stone use him as their guinea pig.
Or in this case, the duo’s anonymous Andy.
And that’s quite possibly the scariest part of the show. It’s never as far a stretch as we think it is. The episode works because Parker and Stone are able to take culturally relevant issues and make us laugh about it.
Right now, it doesn’t get much more culturally relevant than bullying. Is it funny that there is no answer to bullying, but bullying itself? Yes, but to see it right in front of your face is just as enlightening as it is hilarious.
And sure, there are random asides- comments that are fun, but don’t fully connect to the story, but just work. For instance, Cartman’s opening monologue about the female industry is completely true. Gone forever are the days of Carol King and Aretha Franklin, robbed by the insanity that is Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga. The chuckle every time “America†was said and the “Naked and jacking it†comment were more akin to “Family Guy,†but they worked too.
As always, the music in the show was awesome. Cartman’s drag performance in the middle of it all was an extra laugh. But the highlight of the entire episode was the deviousness of Butters’ grandma. All the things she did to the poor kid and everything she said. Pure evil. To see Butters rise above the hate and eventually prove to himself and his grandmother that she was wrong is exactly how a bully should be taken care of. Not by laws or more awareness, but by people being honest with each other and standing up for themselves.
Once again, South Park proves the answer to our most intriguing and relevant questions are solved by common sense.
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