South Park 22.08 Review – “Buddha Box”

Let’s get this out of the way: the Budha Box is nothing but Google Glasses.

Alright, now that we’ve established that, let’s dive into this episode. First, anxiety. I didn’t know where Matt and Trey were going with this one, but I ended up loving it. Look, I have anxiety. Everyone has some sort of anxiety. Some people do have severe cases and I sympathize with those people because mental health is no joke, even if South Park did trying making some light of it on Wednesday and has made light of it in the past. That said, sometimes you just have to suck it up and do shit.

And I don’t think Matt and Trey were trying to make light of those with anxiety by saying, “just get over it.” The impression I got was they were saying, “stop hiding behind real mental health issue, get the fuck off your phone and actually do something.” Mental health sucks. But hiding on your phone and shutting the world doesn’t make it any better. Trust me. I’ve been that person before.

The main story followed a familiar formula. Cartman thinking he’s “different” and then coming up with a device that allows him to ignore people has been done dozens of times. But it works. Throw in some ripping on Kyle, and Kyle yelling at him for being an idiot, and it felt like old times.

The story involving the PC family didn’t hook me immediately, but by the end, they got. Last week we got a flat twist ending. This week, we got a wholesome twist ending. Look, people. You don’t need to be on your phone all the time. Enjoy what’s happening around you. The premise has been done to death. Everyone has said it for years. How many fights have been started over selfies? And then recorded and uploaded to SnapChat? The phone dominates the world we live in. Apple is trying to tell you as much. That’s why the now shame you with “screen time” alerts every week.

Admittedly, I don’t care for PC Principal or Strong Woman. Both characters try to be too on the nose and preachy. The PC babies whine. And get what they want. The whining turns them into big stars. The whole story felt like one big shot at the “Leave Britney Alone” guy. Or Logan Paul.

I like my South Park whacky. Like Satan fighting ManBearPig. PC Principal, Strong Woman, and the PC babies can go be a happy family somewhere else. Like Springfield.

The callbacks in this episode were nice. You can tell Matt and Trey still love doing serial episodes and were only forced to give it up because Trump ruins everything. If they had it their way, or if they didn’t feel the need to try to keep their finger on the pule every week, they’d do serial episodes again in a heartbeat.

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

The episode was rolling along at an average pace, but I have to give marks for that ending after knocking last week's episode for a weak ending. This week was a great use of music -- something South Park always excels at -- with an ending that caught me off guard in a good way. Namaste.