Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 26, 2015

The ageless children of South Park are now old enough to vote. Eighteen seasons. Wow. That's not just longevity, that's impressive longevity and, in television terms, that's an eternity. That's a lot of fans, a ton of dedication, and an endless supply of material. Consider, too, that the movie released way back in 1999, when it seamed the show was peaking. In reality, it was only getting started. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have carved out what is arguably the single finest animated program in television history if one considers not just the longevity but the quotability, the hugely detailed world, the unforgettable characters, the unique style, and the show's keen ability to mesh irreverent toilet humor and foul language with, almost week after week, cutting edge, take-no-prisoners, equal opportunity social commentary. Season eighteen offers more of the same, and for once that's a good thing. More flawlessly produced episodes, more timely jabs at the modern social and political landscapes, more whacky adventures and zany character moments make this season not necessarily a standout, but a nearly perfectly executed variation on the longstanding formula that's made the show a can't-miss watch for nearly two decades.

"You know what this bus stop needs? Blu-rays. Lots and lots of Blu-rays. And pot pies"

Season eighteen's ten episodes are all over the map, and the variation plays on a number of topics that were at the time, and largely remain, some of the hot button political issues and subjects of social interest. The Washington Redskins team name controversy takes center stage in the season's debut episode (the NFL seems a favorite subject for South Park) and, in an interesting note, Parker and Stone admit in the commentary that the issue fell off the front burner in favor of the Ray Rice scandal before it had a chance to debut. Even South Park can't keep up entirely. Still, the episode remains relevant and gut-busting funny, even if the controversy isn't dominating the headlines at the moment. The season also deals with subjects like transgenderism, drone surveillance, and the crumbling of the traditional family lifestyle in the modern digital age. Some more frivolous, but no less ripe for the picking, topics such as Magic: The Gathering, virtual reality, holograms, video game streaming, and "freemium" games that lure players in and essentially force "micro transactions" on those who wish to continue playing and stand a chance to advance in the game are explored. Several episodes interconnect themes and developments across the season's back end.

Below is a list of all season eighteen episodes. Summaries are provided courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• Go Fund Yourself: Cartman and the boys name their new startup company "The Washington Redskins" and then sit back and watch the funding roll in. Enraged, the head coach of the Washington Redskins employs desperate measures to prevent them from tarnishing the good name of his football team. Kyle, who never liked the name "The Washington Redskins," splits from the company to form his own start-up: Furry Balls Plopped Menacingly on the Table.
• Gluten Free Ebola: After witnessing a shocking demonstration of what happens to your body when you eat gluten, the entire town of South Park is scared into going gluten-free. Meanwhile, the boys ditched all their friends in favor of a get-rich-quick scheme that ultimately failed. Now everyone at school is pissed at them. Determined to win them back, they attempt to throw the most epic party ever.
• The Cissy: Fed up with having to share toilet time with the other boys, Cartman declares himself "transginger" and tries to commandeer the girls' bathroom. The faculty has no choice but to give "Erica" an entirely separate bathroom. Meanwhile, a reporter from SPIN Magazine digs for answers about the musician Lorde.
• Handicar: To raise money for summer camp, Timmy launches an innovative ride-sharing business called Handicar. It quickly becomes the new transportation trend, making a lot of enemies in the process (including Nathan and Mimsy). As cab drivers and electric cars all fight Timmy for the market, it seems the future of transportation will have to be decided by...Whacky Races.
• The Magic Bush: Cartman and Butters get their hands on a drone and take it for a spin around the neighborhood, only to catch Craig's mom completely naked. The resulting "Full Metal Bush" video soon goes viral. Outraged, the parents band together to form a drone-powered neighborhood watch. Meanwhile, Butters' dad struggles with the spooky notion that his drone is haunted.

Disc Two:

• Freemium Isn't Free: Stan is addicted to the new Terrence & Phillip mobile game. Concerned about their game's dishonest freemium business model, Terrence and Phillip confront the Canadian Department of Mobile Gaming. And despite Randy's repeated attempts to intervene, his son's addiction worsens -- leaving Stan with only one option...to give himself up to a higher power.
• Grounded Vindaloop: Armed with the latest virtual reality headset, Cartman convinces Butters he's living in a virtual world. But Butters suddenly goes rogue and wreaks havoc at home and all over South Park. When the boys try to get out of virtual trouble, they get stuck in a customer service vindaloop.
• Cock Magic: Kenny's hardcore skills at "Magic: The Gathering" win him the boys' full admiration, until they discover an even more manly battle going on in the basement of City Wok. As the South Park police try to put a stop to this illegal sport, Randy steals the spotlight with his own brand of cock magic.
• #Rehash: Kyle thinks he and his little brother Ike should be bonding while they play video games together. But Ike and his friends would rather watch someone else's online commentary. While Kyle fears he's become a grandpa, Cartman capitalizes by creating a new online persona: Cartman Brah. Meanwhile, in the wake of Stan's costly freemium game addiction, Randy is forced to perform live to bring in some cash.
• #Happyholograms: Afraid that good ol' family values are dying, Kyle rallies people to follow his #SaveTheLivingRoom campaign. He teams up with some of entertainment's heaviest hitters to create the most extravagant televised Holiday Spectacular ever. He's sure that Ike won't be able to resist watching it in the old fashioned way: in the living room surrounded by family. But with multiple holograms on the loose and Cartman Brah trending, it's gonna take more than the holiday extravaganza for Kyle to reconnect with his little brother.

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like previous seasons, South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season looks fantastic on Blu-ray, and the huge uptick in quality between the older seasons presented in standard definition on DVD and the newer ones on Blu-ray remains drastic. Season eighteen sees more immaculately defined textures, with the series' construction paper origins still evident in the textures seen throughout the show, particularly on clothes. Faces are smoother, of course, and some interspersed real world pictures -- like a portrait of "Papa John" -- are sharp and clear. Lines are straight and exact with no jaggies or aliasing to report. Colors are bold and lively. The show's palette is vibrant and varied, with clothing of all shades -- greens, oranges, blues, reds -- the highlight, but backgrounds spring to life with attractively diverse colors, too. Mild banding creeps into a few shots, but it's hardly a major distraction. Overall, this is a terrific presentation from Paramount/Comedy Central.

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season arrives on Blu-ray with an excellent Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The highlights are many while the track maintains a consistent, natural balance between its elements. Music is well defined with natural, effortless spacing around the stage -- including a healthy surround support -- and a quality low end weight, evident in the opening title music as well as some added music, such as a few bars of a Dance tune heard in ""Gluten Free Ebola." The series is filled with critical little support sound details that bring the world to life, and each one plays with harmonious accuracy and integration. Things like a ringing school bell, the flag outside flapping in the wind, little technological beeps and bloops, and various sounds of chaos help immerse the listener into the world. Dialogue is the primary ingredient, however, and every voice plays with effortless definition and prioritization; the track's clarity allows for every little verbal nuance that Stone, Parker, and their support voice actors provide to shine through in every episode.

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season contains extras on both Blu-ray discs.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 7:57): Scenes from "Gluten Free Ebola," "Handicar," "The Magic Bush" "Grounded Vindaloop," "Cock Magic," and "#Rehash." All deleted scenes appear on disc one.
• #Socialcommentary (1080p): On-screen tweets shed some 140 character insights into each episode.
• Audio Commentary: Trey Parker and Matt Stone share a few insights into each episode with their patented "mini commentaries" that last only a few minutes each.

South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Season eighteen doesn't move South Park in a new direction, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone's comfort zone is a great place to be. The show is as funny, vulgar, irreverent, and socially and politically biting as ever. In typical South Park tradition, otherwise "simple" controversies tend to explode into uncontrollable disasters that actually accentuate the many absurdities of modern culture while having a lot of fun in the process. It's a formula that's time tested and that, even approaching two decades, has yet to wear the least bit thin. Here's hoping Trey and Matt have another eighteen seasons left in them. Paramount/Comedy Central's Blu-ray release of South Park: The Complete Eighteenth Season delivers a typical package, offering top-notch video and audio with a fair assortment of fun, but minimalist, supplements. Highly recommended.