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I have a very crazy theory on this season of South Park. And I don’t care if you agree with me, because I’m kind of being facetious when I say this, but I think there is a checklist somewhere in their studios of things they haven’t done episodes on, and one by one they scratch things off the list. “We’ve never gone to Hawaii before? Let’s do one there! The Shining? I love that movie! Dr. Seuss? How have we not done a parody of his work?” None of this is meant to be a jab at the show; I actually think this line of thinking helps to give us some unique and intriguing episodes as of late, because while the main storylines cover whatever is in the news or is the flavor of the month in pop culture, the jokes are leaning heavily on references. But, I can’t really complain, because for the most part they have been pretty good, and “A Scause for Applause” is yet another competent entry in a string of funny episodes as of late.

So without ever having to mention his name, the recent stripping of Lance Armstrong’s titles just had to be brought up one of these days. And for the first few minutes, I really thought they were going to call him out, or have him show up. But, with a clever turn on expectations, we instead get put into a plot involving Jesus Christ, HGH, and lots of funny bits with side characters like Butters, Mr. Mackey, and Craig. And although those rubber bracelet things were all the rage years ago (God I’m old), the social commentary/criticism wasn’t exactly pinpointing the bracelets too much, which was a smart idea. In fact, it wasn’t the overall story of the Armstrong debacle or the inclusion of Jesus himself that made this episode great. To me, it was all of the small, little things they did, and almost all of the throwaway lines and tiny jokes were far better than the big moments.

Retarded goldfish, the French scientist, the Seuss poetry, Jesus’ Hulk impression, hell even live action footage, there was a surprise bag of humor at play here, and it all worked. I mean, they haven’t used live footage in quite some time, but I always love when they bring it back. Whether it’s a fake commercial for tampons made of hair, or using animals with silly hats in drug trips, live action material has been a rare but welcomed element to the show. I couldn’t help but chuckle every time they used Stan’s name in a pun (I want to be a pun someday), and I swear, every single time that French guy opened his mouth I was dying. His accent sounds so ridiculous, and everything he said made me want to pull him out of the TV and pay him to follow me around (my life would be a lot better if that happened). And despite being a Cartman light episode, he always showed up at just the right time to bring a great punch line to whatever joke they were setting up. The plot was constantly moving, and changing, and I never knew where it was going and it never disappointed. Other than there not being enough of the French couple, I think they should get another episode.

The riskiest thing the writers attempted was bringing in the Dr. Seuss character, and thankfully they ran with it, and nailed every detail. I know Matt and Trey are big fans of musicals and language, so the poetry and rhyming was both perfect and humorous. Even the Seuss world was authentic, and the animation sold it all. I’m shocked they had enough time to get everything right, and to still make it all funny without being forced. Many of the other references also played well, like the Rocky music and the Pussy Riot shirts. All in all, this was a pretty great episode, and the one thing I was looking for arrived at the end like it was meant just for me: Jesus speaking like he came from The Cat in the Hat. All the night needed was some green eggs and ham, and it would have been an instant classic. Or a fox in a box. Or a train in the rain.

-Jared