Beloved adult cartoon and satire provider South Park made its triumphant return to Comedy Central on Wednesday, September 14. The episode, entitled "White People Renovating Houses" tackles a variety of subjects in true South Park fashion.
The season 21 opener takes a step away from the show's last season, which followed a linear, continuous arc revolving around Mr. Garrison's step into a Trump-like figure. While taking on current subjects like the white nationalist movement, this episode is treated as more of a one-off, returning to the original structure. Show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone mentioned this change to "The Hollywood Reporter" as part of their plan for the season.
In a clear remodeling of the white nationalist protesters in Charlottesville, The disenfranchised, working-class white people of South Park find themselves fighting for the right to their jobs and place in society. A place that smart devices such as Google Home and Amazon's Alexa now occupy. These protestors take to the streets, armed with tiki torches and waving Confederate flags. While condemning the "robots" that took their jobs (with a colorful "Eat sh*t, Siri"), they chant "you will not replace us."
South Park clearly takes a comical approach to the sensitive subject, poking fun at the frequency with which white nationalists wave the Confederate flag. One man uses it to swat at a bee, while yet another cools soup with it.
Randy Marsh, often finding himself at the center of South Park's controversies, "comes to grips with what it means to be white in today’s society," according to the episode's description. Randy now stars on the show "White People Renovating Houses," and finds himself frustrated with the kind of attention having "White People" in the show's title brings. In Randy's own words, "you can be part of the solution or part of the problem." Randy is part of the solution by flipping houses (largely by breaking down walls and creating new space) in South Park. When the protesters repeatedly interrupt Randy's taping of the show, he takes it upon himself to provide a solution.
At first, Randy, who points out that "coal mining and truck driving are not exactly jobs of the future," provides the discontent with jobs as human smart devices. Protestors like JimBob, pictured below, respond to vocal commands and provide the time, as well as add items to shopping lists.
Darryl, another protestor, finds himself humiliated by the new job he is given and refuses to perform his duties for Randy. When Randy asks Darryl why he's so close-minded, the episode weaves loose threads together and reveals that Darryl can't bring his walls down. His living room walls. The walls, according to Darryl, are load-bearing, and taking them down would mean "tearing down the foundation of everything [he] know [s]."
Randy, working his magic, remakes Darryl's home, complete with a breakfast nook, zen garden
The episode set the tone for satire's much-needed return to television. Timed quite nicely with the release of American Horror Story: Cult on Sept. 5 and the much-awaited return of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 30, South Park's season opener provided a cathartic yet cynical view of current events and a reason to laugh within 30 minutes. As well as a reminder that "no matter how bad the country gets you can always count on white people renovating houses."
