CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 04/06/07

Skewering Stupidity With Scathing Satire

by scott castle

South Park:The Complete Ninth Season

Trey Parker

Created by Trey Parker & Matt Stone

The assault on society continues with no sign of letting up as creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone take on gender modification surgery, animal liberation, and even the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in South Park's ninth season.  Yes, kids, this set includes the infamous "Trapped in the Closet" episode, wherein Tom Cruise's devotion to Scientology takes a lampooning that led to both the banning of the episode by Comedy Central (sister company of Paramount Pictures, where Cruise’s production company was headquartered at the time) and L. Ron Hubbard-adherent Isaac Hayes' departure from the show. But the season's real highlight is "Ginger Kids," in which the bigoted Eric Cartman starts a racist campaign against fair-skinned, freckled redheads, only to completely reverse his position when his friends die his hair and give him henna freckles.  A masterpiece of social commentary, the episode illustrates the utterly arbitrary nature of hate in an economic yet engaging half-hour.  Parker and Stone contribute brief commentaries for each episode, focusing on their inspirations for the stories.

Paramount Home Video

Not rated; 308 min.

$49.98

Buy it now

Scott Castle is one thesis shy of a master’s degree in film.  He’s written two short films, four television scripts, and a handful of short stories. He lives in Los Angeles.

South Park: The Complete Ninth Season courtesy Paramount Home Video

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