South Park
The Complete Eleventh Season Uncensored
Starring Matt Stone, Trey Parker
Comedy Central Home Entertainment
Release date: August 12, 2008

Really, those five of you that have never heard of Matt Stone or Trey Parker and the universe of South Park can just either stop reading right now or, as Cartman says, “RESPEC’ MY AUTHORATAAAA!”

The recently released South Park: The Complete Eleventh Season holds another 14 episodes of manic and uncensored hijinks from the infamous clan of Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny as they continue to boldly go where nobody really should in grade 4.

The Season Eleven DVD of the Comedy Central series includes the three-episode “Imaginationland” arc, which was released separately on DVD earlier this year.

“Special features are bad, mmmkay?”

As anyone with any previous seasons experience will tell you, they are a long way from special. Only Matt and Trey’s commentary at the beginning of each show gives us any insight into how this brilliant abomination of 2D animation comes to life and how intense it must be to be on the staff. The show is literally thrown together at the last possible minute and the frenetic stress keeps everyone flustered, enthusiastic, and pretty much completely shagged out for the few months that they cram into an office together and vomit out another season.

In and of itself the commentaries are interesting — what there is of them — but one can’t help but get the feeling of a sense of obligatory contractual boredom from those masterminds of madness.

I myself miss the personal introductions from the first few DVD releases. Each season Stone and Parker would host a really short introduction in some zany (oh eew, I hate that word, but really — YouTube “Bakin Bacon with Macon” and you will agree) production. I read that they only stopped doing these intros once DVD sales really took off and the budget for them got cut. Damn shame as they both have a great visual presence and those little snippets of real life mayhem only helped to solidify the insanity that is South Park. Also, if you are watching 6 episodes in a row, as I am want to do, they made a nice little intermission.

Take a look at South Park S11. That will give anyone disappointed in the special features a plethora of information on the show, its staff, the process, and lots of other interesting interviews and blogs.

All in all, the South Park crew continue to churn out consistently hilarious shows and they show no sign of let up. Peripheral characters continue to grow and change (Mrs Garrison?!?!?!) with breath-taking irregularity and still, even after 174 (and counting) episodes, the boys manage to confound all of the morals of decency and normalcy that we cling to.

Gotta love it.