‘Come on, sue me, I’m not afraid anymore’: South Park’s festive special Not Afraid to Fight | South Park

CAfter its most controversial and highest-rated season in years, South Park had high expectations for the season finale. Given how demanding the production schedule is — showrunners Matt Stone and Trey Parker often don’t start writing scripts until the week it airs, working until the eleventh hour to deliver a completed episode (which is how they caused the show to miss a deadline earlier this year) — there was some question as to whether they would be able to tie everything together at all, let alone in a satisfying way.

Most viewers have probably been anticipating a giant, apocalyptic climax to the various storylines for a long time — the most important of which is Donald Trump’s attempts to kill the offspring of Satan he and his lover will soon be born with. Instead, Stone and Parker deviated from expectations, delivering an introspective and ultimately sad climax, one that managed to balance hope and despair in equal measure, along with the outrageous shock humor for which they’re known.

Only one of the main South Park quartet appears in tonight’s episode. Stan Marsh, depressed by the terrible year he’s had (his father lost the family herb farm, forcing the Marshes to move in with their grandfather in a senior living facility), seeks solace in school guidance counselor Jesus, only to find that the Son of God has joined MAGA and “became a full-fledged Christian.” (The episode’s darkest joke is about Jesus hitting rock bottom — literally, as he begins physically abusing his girlfriend, Peggy Rockbottom.)

After being rejected by Jesus, Stan tries to conjure up his old friend Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo (last seen in a 2018 Season 22 episode). His prayers are answered not by friendly sentient turds, but instead by the Woodland Critters, a group of adorable forest animals whose gentle and playful behavior belies a diabolical taste for murder and mayhem. They have come to usher in the birth of the Antichrist in what they call “Foolishness” (also the title of the episode).

Meanwhile, their master, Satan, has uncovered the truth behind Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance’s plans to kill his child, along with their recent sexual experiences, thanks to the help of Twillie, the weed-addicted talking towel given to Trump earlier this season by Randy Marsh, Stan’s ketamine-obsessed father. Towelie, who has suffered the terrible indignity of being used as the president’s semen, has his own desire for revenge, and once he gets high, he and the devil go after Trump and Vance in search of revenge.

Trump and Vance, of course, have come to South Park to break Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and billionaire pundit Peter Thiel out of prison. All sides converge on the town square for confrontation, but Jesus thwarts it on Trump’s behalf. The devil’s water breaks and the action moves to the local hospital, where doctors declare that the baby has died in the womb, the result of a suspicious suicide similar to that of Jeffrey Epstein (the fetus supposedly hanged itself, although one minute of ultrasound footage is mysteriously missing). Once again, Trump has evaded all responsibility, avoiding any accountability for his evil ways.

While Trump celebrates at the White House and the destructive devil packs his bags and heads back to Hell, Jesus, seeing the error of his ways, apologizes to Stan and gives him an actual Christmas miracle in the form of his family’s former home. It’s the first time in several seasons that Stan’s house has been seen (his bedroom, filled with a Mad Max-inspired movie poster, is a sight for sore eyes), suggesting that this isn’t just a season closer, but something of a reset.

The episode is full of references to the show’s past, most notably the various references to the “Spirit of Christmas.” That was the title of Stone and Parker’s two short films, which served as the genesis of the show more than 30 years ago. South Park and Christmas are inextricably linked, so it’s fitting that this already popular season finale would serve as the latest Christmas special.

At the same time, Parker and Stone are clearly looking to the future, including their ongoing fight for free speech (when Jesus declares late in the episode: “Go ahead and sue me, I won’t be afraid anymore,” it’s clear that Stone and Parker are taking a stand).

Since this season began with a $1.5bn (£1.1bn) 50-episode deal with Paramount, we know there are 40 more episodes of South Park remaining (with no indication that Parker and Stone won’t sign a new deal for future seasons later). And while it’s foolish to try to guess what next season has in store, it’s probably safe to assume that the duo isn’t finished with Trump and company. It’s clear that the devastation wrought by those in office in the United States has inflamed the duo more than anything else in years, while somewhat ironically, bringing the same characters into the show has breathed new life into it.