South Park Pulls a Gretzky

Anyone who has listened to Kevin Smith talk for more than a minute knows his philosophy on life is gleaned from The Great One himself: you have to see where the puck is going. For years, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have rooted their comedy in just such prognostication. But when it comes to their show's future,  the defecation-duo leaves fans feeling more like the 1984 Flyers


From the staling of Family Guy to Miley Cyrus's fall from Grace, South Park's creators always have their fingers on America's cultural pulse - if only to execute the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique on it. But in the mid-season finale, "You're Getting Old," the familiar scatological social commentary buckles under the weight of sincere sentiment. As the episode draws to a close, Stan's parents confess mutual disappointment in their marriage. Sharon Marsh faces forward and confesses, as if speaking to the audience on behalf of Matt and Trey:


"It's like the same shit just happens over and over . . . every week it's kind of the same story in a different way, but it just keeps getting more ridiculous."


Randy replies: "I just feel like I might not have a whole lot of time left. And I just want to enjoy it."


For the first time in the episode, we hear a song that is not interrupted by flatulence and the lyrics of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide;" the moment's candor is enough to move even the most cynical of the show's fans to tears:


Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older and I'm getting older too
Oh, I'm getting older too


Perhaps this is the first period of Matt and Trey's last time on the ice (don't fret too much; they have at least two seasons left), after which they will bid the show that catapulted them to comedic stardom farewell (they are still contracted for several more episodes by Comedy Central). Could this is another sign of post-irony's imminent preeminence in our culture? Or are we being led vulnerably closer before the creators send the puck show daftly in a new direction?

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