9.2/10. Brilliant episode. The point about Spielberg and Lucas not altering their films is a little oversimplified (personally, I feel that as long as the original versions are still around and available, it's perfectly fine for creators to tamper with their older works, even if I wouldn't recommend it), the way the story is realized is nigh-perfect. Sure, the riffs of Raiders of the Lost Arc and Empire Strikes Back are kind of easy, but they're also so much fun, and planting these films' director into parodies of their own work is a delightfully meta way to make fun of their practices.
Plus there's so many just pure, comedic touches that make the episode soar. The fact that Spielberg's bodyguards use walky-talkies as guns is a delightful reversal of his editing of E.T. And Cartman's constant hectoring of poor, beleaguered Tweek is the kind of mean comedy that South Park does so well. Cartman appearing in the sky to interrupt Tweek's happy place dream in particular was a superb and hilarious image.
But apart from all that, there's the pure comedy of the episode. The whole "Free Hat" mixup is darkly hilarious. From Tweek struggling to come up with a justification for his "Toddler Murder Advocate" label and his meek, absurd explanation that one positive feature of killing babies is that "it's easy," to the Free Hat Activists' insane argument that Hat McCullough acted in self-defense, to little details like the baby at the end of the episode squirming to get away from Hat. It's one of those bonkers premises that few shows besides this one can pull off, but it worked like gangbusters here.
Not to mention the fact that the entire vaudevillian mix up over whether their fresh island song would cool Lucas's hot heart, or some other combination of temperatures and qualities was the appropriate adage was perfect South Park goofiness. The fact that both the boys and the Free Hat Group went through with the routine was even better.
All-in-all, "Free Hat" is one of those episodes that finds a perfect blend of commentary, parody, and pure silly humor that gives you peak South Park.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-03-03T23:18:56Z
9.2/10. Brilliant episode. The point about Spielberg and Lucas not altering their films is a little oversimplified (personally, I feel that as long as the original versions are still around and available, it's perfectly fine for creators to tamper with their older works, even if I wouldn't recommend it), the way the story is realized is nigh-perfect. Sure, the riffs of Raiders of the Lost Arc and Empire Strikes Back are kind of easy, but they're also so much fun, and planting these films' director into parodies of their own work is a delightfully meta way to make fun of their practices.
Plus there's so many just pure, comedic touches that make the episode soar. The fact that Spielberg's bodyguards use walky-talkies as guns is a delightful reversal of his editing of E.T. And Cartman's constant hectoring of poor, beleaguered Tweek is the kind of mean comedy that South Park does so well. Cartman appearing in the sky to interrupt Tweek's happy place dream in particular was a superb and hilarious image.
But apart from all that, there's the pure comedy of the episode. The whole "Free Hat" mixup is darkly hilarious. From Tweek struggling to come up with a justification for his "Toddler Murder Advocate" label and his meek, absurd explanation that one positive feature of killing babies is that "it's easy," to the Free Hat Activists' insane argument that Hat McCullough acted in self-defense, to little details like the baby at the end of the episode squirming to get away from Hat. It's one of those bonkers premises that few shows besides this one can pull off, but it worked like gangbusters here.
Not to mention the fact that the entire vaudevillian mix up over whether their fresh island song would cool Lucas's hot heart, or some other combination of temperatures and qualities was the appropriate adage was perfect South Park goofiness. The fact that both the boys and the Free Hat Group went through with the routine was even better.
All-in-all, "Free Hat" is one of those episodes that finds a perfect blend of commentary, parody, and pure silly humor that gives you peak South Park.