Man, it’s hard to believe that South Park is currently in its twelfth season on Comedy Central and in my opinion, as funny as ever. The brainchild of college buddies Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park was a hit from the night it first aired in August of 1997 and quickly became one of Comedy Central’s most successful franchises. Much like the long running Fox series The Simpsons, South Park has developed a loyal following and many of the sayings and routines of the characters have entered our pop culture lexicon.
Without question, one of the series most popular characters is Eric Cartman. He has many catchphrases; one of his favorites is, “Screw you guys, I’m going home!” Upon winning or beating somebody in a challenge Cartman will give his signature laugh, “nah nah nah nah naah nah, heh heh heh heh hehh heh!” One of Cartman’s most famous phrases, when he is attempting to exert his will upon others, is to say, “respect my authority!”, pronounced “mah authoritah”, in his southern accent. When called fat, he often replies by stating, “I’m not fat, I’m big boned!” Cartman was made to be a pop culture icon.
Comedy Central and Paramount recently released a two disc DVD set, The Cult of Cartman – Revelations featuring twelve of his most outrageous and ridiculous adventures. If you’re unable to shell out the money for the complete season sets that have already been released, this is a good alternative. Revelations gathers together twelve episodes that are considered South Park classics by most fans.
Things begin with “Scott Tenorman Must Die”, which is required viewing for any South Park disciple. Cartman buys some pubic hair from Scott Tenorman for $10, and goes on to get conned again and again. Cartman attempts to form a posse to take Scott down, but eventually has to take matters into his own hands with a devious trap. To make a long story short Cartman kills Scott’s parents, chops them up, puts them in a chili recipe, and tricks his nemesis into chowing down. This episode is a good example of how far Cartman will go to get revenge and how far the series will go to get laughs and offend. For anyone who might not be familiar with South Park, consider yourself warned: the show is not politically correct and is proud of it.
Here is a list of the episodes on the set:
Disc One
“Scott Tenorman Must Die”: Cartman is repeatedly ripped off by a devious older boy and plots an elaborate revenge.
“Awesome-O”: Cartman attempts to play a practical joke on Butters, but is trapped when he is forced to carry the joke much farther than he originally planned.
“The Death of Eric Cartman”: The kids of South Park retaliate against Cartman by ignoring him, causing Cartman to think that he has died, but isn’t allowed to go to the afterlife until he atones for his sins on Earth.
“Cartoon Wars Part I”: The town is in panic when Family Guy angers the Muslim world by attempting to air an image of Mohammed. Meanwhile, Kyle and Cartman fight over whether or not Family Guy should stay on the air.
“Cartoon Wars Part II”: Cartman meets with the president of FOX in an attempt to cancel Family Guy and discovers the real writers of the show.
“La Petit Tourette”: Cartman pretends to have Tourette syndrome so he can say whatever he wants without being punished. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he begins to involuntarily admit the truth.
Disc Two
“Tonsil Trouble”: Cartman is accidentally infected with HIV while getting his tonsils removed.
“Eek, a Penis!”: While Mrs. Garrison is off trying to find a way to become the man she always intended to be, by having a penis grown on a mouse, Cartman is put in charge of the class. After doing a great job, he is put in charge of a city school class.
“Cartmanland”: When Cartman inherits a sizable amount of money, he decides to buy an amusement park that only he can enjoy, but quickly learns that his plans may be impossible.
“Up the Down Steroid”: Jimmy and Timmy train for the Special Olympics, but are torn apart as Jimmy is tempted by steroids. Cartman plans to enter by pretending to be disabled.
“Super Fun Time”: While the kids are on an educational field trip to a living museum, Cartman forces Butters to sneak away from the class to go to the amusement center, Super Phun Time, located next door. While they are away, the living museum’s cast and the rest of the class are taken hostage by criminals.
“Ginger Kids”: Cartman ridicules and insults freckle-faced red-haired kids, but wakes up one morning and discovers he has somehow become one himself.
The Cult of Cartman: Revelations is presented on DVD with its original 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. The colors are solid all around with fine contrast and the video is very clean in most all of these episodes. Considering the bulk of this collection comes from 2005-2008, there is very little grain. Overall this is a solid looking release and it mirrors other presentations of the show on DVD.
The audio in The Cult of Cartman: Revelations is presented with Dolby Digital 5.1 as its main source of output. The sound quality is very good here, with clean dialogue and catchy music being the primary focus.
There is not much in the way of extras here except, “Life Lessons,” little 15-second intros to each episode in which Cartman cracks a few new jokes. Oh, and a sticker and a “membership” card in the “Cult of Cartman.”
