South Park Season 23 Band in China Review

second episode of the twenty-third season of South Park

"Band in China"
Southward Park episode
Episode no.	Flavor 23 Episode 2
Directed by	Trey Parker
Written by	Trey Parker
Featured music	"Useless Cede" by Decease Decline "Second Peel" by Dying Fetus[1]
Production code	2302
Original air date	October 2, 2019 (2019-10-02)
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"Band in Communist china" is the 2nd episode of the twenty-third season of the American blithe boob tube series S Park. The 299th episode overall of the series, it premiered on Comedy Central in the U.s.a. on Oct 2, 2019.^[2] The episode parodies media censorship in Red china, and the fashion in which the American entertainment manufacture purposefully compromises its productions to avert it, as well as certain musicians as Butters Stotch bangs his head and shows sure guitar stances similar to Mick Thomson, with Stan Marsh and Kenny McCormick parodying Aaron Lewis and Johnny Apr of the nu metal band Staind.^[3]

Equally a result of the episode's criticism of its practices, the Chinese authorities banned the series entirely in the state, a move which in turn drew criticism from the creators of the show.^[4]

Plot [edit]

As fourth grader Stan Marsh composes a song for his new death metallic band, Cherry-red Dawn, his begetter Randy announces to the family unit that he plans to travel to China to expand the family's Tegridy Farms marijuana business organisation. Upon boarding a plane to Red china, Randy sees many other people, including NBA players and characters belonging to Disney, are besides going there to expand their businesses. He is arrested at a Chinese airport when marijuana is discovered in his luggage. Randy is imprisoned where he witnesses the practice of summary execution, and is subjected to re-pedagogy through labor, torture, and Communist Party re-education.

During a Ruddy Dawn rehearsal, the band is visited by a music producer who wants to make a biographical motion picture of the band, as traditional music resources such as albums and tours are no longer profitable. Stan, who desperately wants to leave his farm dwelling house, is thrilled. When the film'due south structure is discussed, the bandmates learn that sure aspects of their lives volition have to be edited out in order to make the moving picture marketable in China due to their censorship of the media.

In prison house, Randy meets boyfriend prisoners Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, who are in that location considering they were banned in Red china after Internet memes comparing Chinese President Eleven Jinping to Disney's version of Pooh became popular.^[five] When Randy is brought earlier a court, he criticizes the Chinese government for the way it treats its prisoners, accusing them of defective "tegridy" (his term for integrity). When Mickey Mouse learns of Randy'due south criticism, he angrily confronts Randy over the Chinese business he is losing because of information technology, but Randy holds firm on his beliefs that concern should not be conducted on the ground of intimidation, and expresses his marijuana import idea to him. When Mickey and Randy make their example to the Chinese officials, their offer is rejected, which Mickey attributes to the Winnie the Pooh thing. Randy responds by using dear to lure Pooh to a secluded aisle and strangling him to death as Piglet watches in horror.

During filming on the Crimson Dawn motion picture, the censorship continues to the bespeak that Chinese officials are on gear up to approve its content. The producer asks Stan to rewrite the script "from his heart", but Stan is frustrated by a Chinese censor standing over his shoulder every bit he writes in his bedroom, erasing passages he disapproves of. Later with his bandmates, Stan realizes that the only flick that volition even be accepted in China is something "vanilla and cheesy". Stan's all-time friend, Kyle Broflovski, disembarks from a bus with Eric Cartman following their stay in an Ice detention center in the previous episode. The friends' reunion inspires Stan to reform his previous band Fingerbang for a new biopic, just he changes his mind during filming, saying that no matter how badly he wishes to go out the farm, he cannot bring himself to compromise for China, and commenting that anyone who does is worthless. Meanwhile, Tegridy Weed has become legal in China. Equally a dump truck unloads a load of greenbacks at the farm during a family unit meal, Stan asks Randy why he is covered in honey and claret. When Randy admits that he murdered Pooh, Stan calmly leaves the table to write another vocal about his father.

Reception and controversy [edit]

Reception [edit]

John Hugar with The A.V. Club gave the episode a grade of "B", calling it "strong." He compared Parker and Stone's decision to critique the office that the Chinese government plays in the American entertainment industry to past instances in which they displayed like boldness in their selection of target, every bit when they commented on media depictions of the prophet Muhammad in past episodes. Hugar thought the arrest Randy suffers equally a result of his failure to research marijuana laws in People's republic of china was among the series' funniest moments. He also lauded the reveal of Crimson Dawn'southward music and the use of Mickey Mouse, both to defuse tense scenes and as a fundamental role of the story's resolution.^[6]

Forbes contributor Dani Di Placido said the episode was "hilarious, and depressingly insightful," and pointed to the contrast between Stan's decision and Randy's choice to put profit higher up principle as the best case of that.^[7]

Joe Matar, writing in Den of Geek, was less favorable, giving the episode a rating of 2 out of 5 stars; he thought that Trey Parker's tying Stan and Randy's relationship issues to the episode'due south greater ethical questions was intelligent writing, merely thought the episode overall was marred past "lazy plotting and tired daze humor."^[8]

Matthew Rozsa of Salon felt the episode expressed valid criticism nigh the style in which the American entertainment manufacture compromises itself to suit Prc's government, and enjoyed the way in which information technology illustrated this point.^[9]

Jahara Matisek, a professor at the US Air Force Academy, praised the episode in an commodity for the Modern State of war Institute, describing the importance of South Park demarcating an American shift in information and political warfare confronting People's republic of china. Matisek contended that the now banned-in-China episode "not just lays bare the disharmonize of values, simply besides itself serves as a way of advancing American interests and soft power in an era of China increasingly trying to impose an authoritarian vision on its region and world."^[10]

Chinese ban [edit]

In response to the episode's criticism of the Chinese government, South Park has been entirely banned in China, including on its streaming services and social media platforms.^{[xi] [12] [13]}

In October 2019, insiders told Bloomberg that Apple, which has a significant portion of its users and manufacturers in Red china, was reportedly unlikely to bid for the streaming rights of the serial due to the People's republic of china ban.^[14]

In response to the criticisms and the subsequent ban of their show in Cathay, Southward Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker issued a mock apology, stating, "Like the NBA, we welcome Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. Nosotros as well love money more than than liberty and republic. 11 doesn't look but like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Midweek at 10! Long live the Bully Communist Political party of Communist china! May this fall'south sorghum harvest be bountiful! We adept now People's republic of china?"^[xv] This was a reference to a and then-ongoing controversy surrounding the National Basketball Clan (NBA) and Daryl Morey's comments regarding the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.^{[11] [12] [13]} On the nighttime of October 8, 2019, the episode was screened on a busy street in Hong Kong'south Sham Shui Po District as a class of protest.^{[16] [17]}

References [edit]

1. ^ Pasbani, Robert (October 3, 2019). "Aye, That Was DYING FETUS on South Park Last Nighttime". Metal Injection. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
2. ^ "Episode 2302 'Band in China' Press Release" (Press release). Comedy Cardinal. September 30, 2019. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
3. ^ Parker, Ryan (Oct 2, 2019). "'Southward Park' Episode Mocks Hollywood for Shaping Stories to Please Cathay". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October five, 2019.
4. ^ Sharf, Zack (October 7, 2019). "'South Park' Removed From Chinese Net After Critical 'Band in Cathay' Episode". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
5. ^ McDonell, Stephen (July 17, 2017). "Why Red china censors banned Winnie the Pooh". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved October five, 2019.
6. ^ Hugar, John (October 3, 2019). "South Park takes some hard shots at Prc as Randy grows his weed business". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on Oct 3, 2019.
7. ^ Di Placido, Dani (October three, 2019). "'South Park' Review: 'Ring In China' Mocks Hollywood's Addiction To Chinese Box Part". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019.
8. ^ Matar, Joe (Oct 3, 2019). "Due south Park Flavour 23 Episode 2 Review: Band in China". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on Oct 4, 2019.
9. ^ Rozsa, Matthew (October 3, 2019). "'South Park' takes on Hollywood's pandering to Chinese censorship with abrupt words, weak jokes". Salon. Archived from the original on October four, 2019. Retrieved Oct 5, 2019.
10. ^ Matisek, Jahara (October xiv, 2019). "The Soft Power of an American Cartoon: South Park and the Information State of war with China". Modern State of war Found.
11. ^ ^{a b} Brzeski, Patrick; Parker, Ryan (vii October 2019). "'Due south Park' Scrubbed From Chinese Internet Later Critical Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October ten, 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
12. ^ ^{a b} Gstalter, Morgan (October vii, 2019). "'South Park' banned from Chinese internet later on critical episode: report". The Colina. Archived from the original on October ten, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
13. ^ ^{a b} Otterson, Joe (October vii, 2019). "'South Park' Creators Respond to Prc Censorship: '11 Doesn't Expect Just Similar Winnie the Pooh at All'". Diversity. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
14. ^ Tenbarge, Ken (October 20, 2019). "Apple tree reportedly won't bid for 'South Park' streaming rights because of People's republic of china'south ban on the prove". Business organization Insider . Retrieved October 22, 2019.
15. ^ "Untitled". South Park studios. October 7, 2019. Retrieved December xiii, 2019 – via Twitter.
16. ^ Wallis, Adam (October 10, 2019). "'Due south Park' episode banned in Red china screened on Hong Kong street". Global News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
17. ^ Parker, Ryan; Chu, Karen (Oct nine, 2019). "Notorious 'Due south Park' China Episode Screened on the Streets of Hong Kong". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.

External links [edit]

• Official website
• "Band in China" at IMDb
• "The Return of Fingerbang - 'Band in China' - s23e02 - South Park". South Park Studios/YouTube. October three, 2019.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_in_China

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