Thursday, October 19, 2006

Did "South Park" Finally Cross The Line?

Did the October 18th episode of South Park finally go too far?
Mel Gibson? Check. Saddam Hussein? Check. Scientology? Check. In fact, there are few controversial topics that “South Park” has not beat up on in its 10-year run.

Tonight at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central however, they’re touching something that maybe shouldn’t be touched. Pun intended.

In “Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy,” (yes, you read that right) new hall monitor Eric Cartman uses his authority to help Kyle turn in a teacher who is having sex with a student.

And in case you were wondering, the South Park boys are still in elementary school.

The episode replays at midnight tonight, 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. tomorrow, midnight Friday and 11 p.m. Sunday.
I took a look at the episode's premier broadcast over on Comedy Central last evening.

Cartman's character of the overly aggressive testosterone-charged hall monitor is based upon the persona of real-life bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Hunter.

The character of the fictional blonde child-molesting female kindergarten teacher (Who, like so many real-life malefactors, pleads alcoholism and subsequently enters rehab.) is obviously based upon admitted child rapist
Debra LaFave, who, it is argued, escaped jail time altogether because she was, (as asserted by her attorney) "too pretty to go to jail."

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the town's men-folk clamered for South Park's "hot teacher" to be released from custody.

One townsman even says, "Where were all these 'sexed-up" teachers when I was a kid?"

In true South Park fashion, the show's ending took a very unexpected twist, with the teacher and her victim (a five-year-old named Ike) fleeing the police but being brought to bay on a rooftop.

Unlike life, however, the fictional teacher monster actually does pay a very high (and shocking) price for her crime.

Some fans of the show will probably be happy. Others will say that it Jumped the Shark (definition here) a long time ago..
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